Hong Kong: 10 COVID-19 cases reported

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating two local COVID-19 cases along with eight imported cases.

Speaking to reporters at a press briefing in the afternoon, the centres Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the two local cases involve a 41-year-old female and a 59-year-old male.

The female patient developed an itchy throat on July 2 and felt feverish the following day.

The patient, who works at a clinic on Castle Peak Road, submitted a deep throat saliva sample on July 4 and was found to be positive for the virus.

We are putting the clinic staff under quarantine and also we are distributing deep throat saliva bottles to the place she lives in Hung Yu Mansion in Cheung Sha Wan, Dr Chuang said.

She pointed out the centre will also distribute deep throat saliva bottles to patients who attended the clinic since June 30.

Well ask all these patients and also the residents of the place she lives that if they develop symptoms, do go to seek a doctor as soon as possible.

Dr Chuang added that the 41-year-old also met the patient involved in case 1,233 on June 24 for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the 59-year-old male patient developed a runny nose on June 30 and had diarrhoea on July 3. He felt dizzy on July 4 while taking public transport and was hospitalised.

Dr Chuang said he worked at two restaurants in Yuk Shek House, Ping Shek Estate, where he also lives, and in Tuen Mun.

We are putting all his co-workers in the two restaurants under quarantine and also we are distributing deep throat saliva bottles to the place he lives in Ping Shek Estate, Yuk Shek House, and also the patrons of the two restaurants as a precautionary measure.

The centre also reported eight additional imported cases of COVID-19 - six from Pakistan, one from India and one from Indonesia.

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that 101 confirmed COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalised and 1,156 confirmed and suspected patients have been discharged.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

This story has been published on: 2020-07-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.


-- July 1 marks the Communist Party of China's 99th anniversary of founding.

-- A year shy of the centenary, the Party is poised to achieve yet another milestone: eradicating absolute poverty.

-- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, leads the anti-poverty fight.

-- From edges of deserts to deep inside the mountains, China has lifted more than 93 million people out of poverty in less than eight years.

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Six years ago, Hu Zhengnan decided to temporarily leave his office job at a geological survey institute. He signed up to join a poverty relief team headed to the countryside.

The 25-year-old cadre of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was sent to Liuquan, a village situated in a large resettled zone for people who moved out of uninhabitable mountains in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Most of the people there had lived hand to mouth for generations.

Hu was expected to use his vision and knowledge to help them change their fate.

After two years of research, Hu pinned his hope on an edible plant -- daylily. The plant is increasingly popular at the dinner table of city folks and should have a huge market, Hu told fellow villagers.

To their advantage, Liuquan's dry climate and wide diurnal temperature range are ideal for daylily farming.

But persuading farmers accustomed to growing wheat and corn to switch to this unassuming yellow flower was no easy task. And there was a lot of tutoring, infrastructure building, and marketing to do.

"Initially, farmers were afraid to make the change. The hardest part was to change their perception," Hu said.

Undeterred by the challenges, Hu devoted himself to the cause and stayed for four more years. Today, as the first secretary of Liuquan village committee of the CPC, Hu is happy to see the daylily farm expand to 267 hectares. All but nine households in the village bid farewell to poverty.

"The villagers no longer waited for government handouts. They have something to hope for and are very much inspired to work for a better future," he said.

PARTY LEADERSHIP

Hu is among 2.9 million cadres the CPC mobilized and sent to poor villages in recent years. They form a crucial force battling China's poverty at the frontline.

The Party, founded in 1921, has led the Chinese in fighting and winning the revolution, establishing the people's republic and developing it into the world's second largest economy.

July 1 marks the CPC's 99th anniversary of founding. A year shy of the centenary, the Party is poised to achieve yet another milestone -- eradicating absolute poverty.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, leads the fight.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about efforts to advance poverty alleviation in Hongde Village of Wuzhong City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

As the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 brought extra challenges this year, Xi convened a large teleconference on poverty reduction in March and later inspected efforts on the ground when he visited Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Ningxia.

Xi said bringing all rural residents above the current poverty line by 2020 is a solemn promise made by the CPC Central Committee, and it must be fulfilled on time.

With less than 200 days left, the remaining pockets of deep poverty are the nation's most deprived and hardest to support, including some ethnic minority and border areas.

In Ningxia, Xi reiterated that no ethnic minority group should be left behind.

"The CPC started out as a party for the poor. The revolution was fought to liberate the poor. After the revolution was won, the Party should lead the people in living a better life," Xi said. "We managed to overcome all difficulties and challenges in the more than 70 years after the founding of New China because we remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind."

TARGETED POVERTY ALLEVIATION

From edges of deserts to deep inside the mountains, China has lifted more than 93 million people out of poverty in less than eight years.

Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said the intensity, scale, and impact of this round of poverty eradication are all unprecedented.

Behind the success is the well-implemented "targeted poverty alleviation" Xi put forward in November 2013, according to Liu.

The key is to identify the right population, tailor poverty-relief programs to local conditions, and send appropriate resources and personnel to implement the programs, he said.

The village of Shibadong in central China's Hunan Province may shed light on how targeted strategies work. It was there that the concept was first put forward.

While daylily is the cash crop in Liuquan, poverty relief cadres sent to Shibadong found luck in kiwi fruit.

Rich in natural beauty and scenic landscapes, Shibadong is hobbled by a rugged terrain and scarce arable land. With the help of the government and private sector, villagers rented a plantation in a nearby township to grow high-quality kiwis.

Having tasted the sweet success of kiwi farming, the village ventured into other businesses: it partnered a company to sell bottled mountain spring water and began to develop rural tourism. Unique landscapes and ethnic Miao culture are a big draw. Tourists brought business to hotels, restaurants, embroidery and honey farming.

Villagers make pieces of embroidery in a rural cooperative in Shibadong Village of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hunan Province, April 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Shibadong is no longer poor. Last year, the average annual income of villagers reached 14,668 yuan (abut 2,100 U.S. dollars), more than eight times the figure in 2013.

Across the country, rural industries like the ones in Shibadong have helped many shake off poverty. Others have escaped poverty through relocation, ecological compensation, or education. Social security allowances were given to the sick, the disabled and others who could not work their way out of extreme poverty.

After the poverty reduction tasks are completed this year, the number of people lifted out of poverty since the 18th CPC National Congress is expected to top 100 million.

Villager Yang Zhengbang (R) introduces local tea products to tourists in Shibadong Village of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hunan Province, April 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

"There is no other country in the world that can help so many people get rid of poverty in such a short time. This means a lot to both China and the world," Xi said at the poverty reduction teleconference in March, adding that the unprecedented achievement demonstrates the political advantages of the CPC leadership and socialist system.

China's poverty reduction has drawn applause from home and abroad.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once commended it as the greatest poverty reduction accomplishment in history.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a U.S. expert on China, said China's poverty alleviation served as a good example for the world's other developing countries to draw experience from.

"When historians of the future write the chronicles of our times, a feature story may well be China's targeted poverty alleviation," he said.

BETTER LIFE

Bai Gaoshan's family used to live in a Yaodong, a house built into the hardened earth common across the Loess Plateau in northern China. The farmland they worked was dry and barren, and their lives harder still.

Along with 400 other people, they were relocated to a specially built village in the township of Xiping, Shanxi Province.

Thanks to the government's support, Bai's son received professional training and got a new job as a welder, earning about 40,000 yuan a year.

Like Bai's family, more than 9.6 million poor people in China have been relocated away from uninhabitable areas over the past couple of years to places where they can get access to more job opportunities and better public services.

When living in Yaodong, Bai worried that his son would be too poor to marry. After moving out, his son got married and now has a son of his own. They are happy, he said.

"The Party is good. It does things that bring tangible benefits to the people," Bai said.

Farmers weed in the vegetable field in Xiping Township of Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province, May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Chai Ting)

Whether it is a new skill or relocation or a host of other projects scattered across all four corners of China, the CPC's poverty reduction campaign is all about improving people's life.

Ending rural poverty is considered a defining benchmark of attaining the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

But that is not the end. The country will focus on rural vitalization to strive for an even better life for rural residents.

"Being lifted out of poverty is not an end in itself but the starting point of a new life and a new pursuit," Xi said in Ningxia. "As people's aspirations to live a better life grow, we must continue to improve our work and expand the areas of support."
FUJIFILM Corporation has partnered with DRL and Global Response Aid for the development manufacture and sales of Avigan Tablets for Covid19

Among the many drugs that the Drug Controller General of India has been approving for the treatment of Covid-19, two anti-viral drugs Favipiravir for those with mild to moderate symptoms of coronavirus in Covid-19 patients and Remdesivir for Covid-19 patients on oxygen support have been at the forefront.

Favipiravir was launched recently by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Cipla and Hetero introduced Remdesivir. Many experts, however, have raised concerns on its efficacy. For instance, both these drugs were originally designed to treat other diseases such as any skin disease or arthritis.

Similarly, Remdesivir is an experimental anti-viral drug, which is being studied for Ebola. Now, though, the companies have introduced the drugs generic version to treat coronavirus patients, especially Remdesivir being used on compassionate grounds to counter Covid-19.

Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd. (DRL), a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in India, is scaling up antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which is now being used as a prophylactic drug for Covid-19.

The company had already launched hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets in the US in 2018. Moreover, FUJIFILM Corporation has partnered with DRL and Global Response Aid for the development, manufacture and sales of Avigan Tablets for Covid-19.

Dr Viswesvaran Balasubramanian, Senior Interventional Pulmonologist & Sleep Medicine Specialist, Yashoda Hospitals

Manufacturers claim that the drug administration in 88% of patients (across age groups 20 to 90 years) with mild to moderate cases resulted in a clinical improvement and that the drug can be used in mild to moderate Covid-19 patients with comorbidities such as diabetes and heart disease.

However, the positive results from the study should be interpreted with caution as other therapies were administered in this non-randomised, open-label study, which could have confused the results. Though a multinational, randomised placebo-controlled trial observed reduced time to recovery from severe Covid-19 with use of Remdesivir, another study conducted in China reported conflicting results. The drug shouldnt be used in patients having hypersensitivity to any ingredients of the formulation, patients with gross liver enzyme and renal function abnormalities.

K.I. Varaprasad Reddy, (founder of vaccine manufacturing company Shantha Biotechnics)

The new norm now is to have drugs repurposed. These drugs were not designed for coronavirus. And they were already in existence for different purposes. Repurposed drugs are those that are not actually meant for a certain disease but might be used to fight it in the absence of anything else.

With this drug-repurposing, we get accustomed to thinking that such drugs are all antiviral, which may not be the case. Favipiravir, for instance, was made in Japan about 13 years ago for influenza. Doctors using Favipiravir in the trials for Covid-19 observed that the drug suppressed the symptoms in people suffering from mild attacks of corona. However, the drug does not offer total safety and the disease may recur in the patient. There can be grave side effects too some people die with these drugs! 

Dr Nageshwar Reddy, MD of Asian Institute of Gastroenterology

There have been no randomised studies in which both the drugs have shown to decrease the number of days of illness. Let us not forget that its use has been recommended only in the case of a mild to moderate attack of the disease in patients, most of whom recover normally. So, to do a randomised control trial (RCT), it would take not only large numbers of patients but also a long time. The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) has granted permissions for using these drugs only in view of the pandemic. Otherwise, the rules are very stringent, and it takes very long to get the permissions. However, these are a part of the armamentarium against Covid-19, but we still dont have a magic bullet like, say, antibiotics against bacterial infections.

G.V. Prasad, co-chairman and managing director of DRL

These drugs have not undergone full controlled trials yet. There are three stages in a Covid-19 attack Asymptomatic is when one needs to merely fortify the patient with vitamins and zinc supplement. The second stage is when a patient exhibits mild symptoms.

In most cases around the world, people are trying various approaches to combat the mild symptoms, and Favipiravir has been approved in China and Russia for this indication. Remdesivir has been showing some benefit for Covid-19 patients on oxygen and ventilator.

All these drugs, however, exist for other problems and indications, and are being repurposed for Covid-19. Many countries have been conducting human trials as we speak.

How close are we to manufacturing the vaccine?

Quite like the opinions by experts all around the world, Varaprasad Reddy shares that we will not come out with a vaccine at least until next year May or June. To escalate the production itself takes three to four months. Some companies in India have already started boasting that they have come up with a vaccine. We do not have the money to develop anything here. Recently, there was news that a vaccine is out and that it is in Phase-One trial, and that it will then have Phases Two and Three after which the company hopes to get a license and start production. Then, they would need to escalate the production of the vaccine. And when a few millions samples of the vaccine are available, only then can people start getting it, he explains.

To illustrate the logistics and money involved in the production and testing of vaccines, Varaprasad shares the example of the Gates Foundation. Gavi and Gates Foundation realised that they require at least 1. 5 billion doses of vaccine a day at six centres across the globe, which would entail untold logistics to be able to manufacture and supply it to all these six centres throughout the globe. It would take billions in, states Varaprasad.

No one has developed any vaccine here. People are only doing clinical trials yet. This is what was done for Remdesivir, too in small trials for 100 or 200 people. When everything seemed okay, these companies were given license to sell Remdesivir for Covid-19, elaborates Varaprasad Reddy.
Ghislaine Maxwell had a private tour of Buckingham Palace organised by the Duke of York and sat on a throne, it has been reported.

A photo obtained by the Telegraph appears to show the British socialite reclining in the throne beside actor Kevin Spacey in 2002.

The paper said that the pair were on a private tour of the palace organised by the Duke of York for former U.S. president Bill Clinton.

It emerged after Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday over allegations she helped disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, her former boyfriend, identify, befriend and groom girls, including one as young as 14.

The Telegraph said it was not thought that Epstein was on the palace tour when the picture was taken.

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Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the duke has been urged to provide information in relation to the investigation after his friend Maxwell appeared in court accused of facilitating Epsteins sexual exploitation of underage girls.

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, told a press conference that authorities would welcome a statement from the duke.

Related: Federal prosecutors announce Ghislaine Maxwell charges

But a source close to Andrew said: The dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the last month and to date we have had no response.

Lawyers for some of Epsteins alleged victims on Friday added pressure on Andrew to speak about his friendship with the Epstein, who took his own life in prison last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Spencer Coogan said his clients were relieved that Maxwell, daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell, had finally been arrested and urged Andrew to speak up about what he witnessed while visiting Epsteins properties in New York, Palm Beach and the Virgin Islands.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: I certainly think Prince Andrew has a story to tell. On behalf of the victims we have continuously asked him to step forward, step up, be a man and tell us what he knows.

Story continues

At a brief hearing on Thursday, a magistrate judge ordered Maxwell to remain in custody while she is transferred to New York for a detention hearing.

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York (John Minchillo/AP)

Ms Strauss claimed that the socialite had helped Epstein to exploit underage girls and in some cases would participate in the abuse herself.

Four of the six charges cover Maxwells dealings with Epstein from 1994 to 1997, when she was in an intimate relationship with him, according to the indictment.

These include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

She is further charged with conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

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According to the indictment, three unnamed minors were allegedly induced and enticed by Maxwell, who facilitated for them to be groomed by Epstein at properties he owned.

These include residences in New York City, Palm Beach in Florida and Santa Fe in New Mexico, as well as Maxwells personal residence in London, prosecutors allege.

The court papers claim that Maxwell developed a rapport with the alleged victims, before encouraging them to give massages to Epstein, which often resulted in him sexually abusing the girls.

One of the girls was allegedly groomed and abused in London between 1994 and 1995, with prosecutors claiming this included a period of time when Maxwell knew she was under the age of 18.

Authorities also claim that Maxwell, who is also charged with two counts of perjury, lied when being questioned under oath in 2016.

She has previously denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct by Epstein.

One of his alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, claims she had sex with the duke at the socialites London townhouse in 2001.

Maxwell, who has known Andrew since university and introduced him to Epstein, features in the background of a picture which apparently shows the duke with his arm around Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts.

Ms Giuffre has claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and alleges the duke had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law.

Andrew categorically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre, while his lawyers have insisted the duke has repeatedly offered to provide a witness statement to the investigation.
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

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During a time when new mothers yearn to share the arrival of their infant with loved ones, many have been left disappointed by the need to distance themselves from others.

A new baby comes in the family and the most natural inclination is for everyone to pass that baby around, Morgese said. Its natural to want to let that baby see your face and feel you and hear you. I think its very sad for new moms who had an idea in their mind of what it was going to be like when the family came to the hospital.

Visitor restrictions at hospitals have been difficult to accept, but the strict rules are critical to protecting others from potential exposure to the virus.

Halifax Health spokesman John Guthrie said in an email that visitors who have been in contact with an infected patient before and during a new mothers hospitalization are a possible source of influenza for other patients, visitors and staff.

He added that all visitors are screened for signs and symptoms of acute respiratory illness before being allowed to enter the hospital or unit. It is currently unknown how susceptible newborns may be to the virus, he said.
Coronavirus cases in South Carolina have risen swiftly and the state's rate of positive tests is three times the recommended level. In late June, the Upstate city of Greenville  which has experienced some of the state's highest COVID-19 rates  became the first city to mandate face coverings in South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster has refused to implement a statewide mask requirement.

McMaster reminded South Carolinians last week that he hadn't lifted restrictions on large crowds, and that those operating nightclubs illegally or holding concerts against his orders don't have to be caught in the act to face criminal charges, but instead could be charged weeks later if COVID-19 cases are traced back.

Lewis said at the press conference that he didn't know whether the club had sought an exemption to the governor's order or secured a permit for Saturday night's event, but said it was clear that the club's patrons weren't 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

"It's certainly not the best situation to stop the spread of this virus," the sheriff said.

A phone call and an Instagram direct message from the AP to Lavish Lounge weren't immediately returned, but the club posted on Facebook just before 6 a.m. that events "have been postponed until further notice."
Canadian PM Trudeau on Friday announced that Canada was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong due to the law

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the press as he volunteers at the Moisson Outaouais food bank in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. (AFP)

Manitoba: China fired back at Canada on Saturday for criticising Beijings national security law for Hong Kong, the second rebuke in a week that has added to strains of their bilateral ties. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Canada was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong due to the law and Canadas foreign minister called the legislation a significant step back for liberty.

Chinas embassy in Ottawa said in a statement on its website that Canada had grossly interfered in Chinese affairs, adding that the new legislation would safeguard security in Hong Kong.

Some western countries including Canada have been meddling in Hong Kong affairs under the pretext of human rights, which seriously violates international law and basic norms of international relations, a spokesperson said in the statement.

China imposed the legislation this week despite protests by Hong Kongers and criticism from Western nations, which said the legislation was setting the financial hub on an authoritarian track.

Hong Kong officials said on Saturday they were very disappointed in Canadas suspension of the extradition treaty.

A spokesman in the prime ministers office referred to a Friday statement by the foreign minister that reiterated Canadas serious concern with the law. The government had no further comment, he said.

Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense since 2018 when Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co, on a U.S. warrant.

After Meng was detained, China arrested Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, on charges of espionage.

China also rebuked Canada a week ago over Ottawas criticism about the prosecution of the Canadians.
Happy birthday, America.

We just celebrated the greatest nation that ever existed. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with that sentiment as we watch senseless lawlessness in our major cities. As a result, this next presidential election is shaping up to be a choice between the rule of law and lawlessness.

The far left promotes defunding the police. These same people have a stronghold in the Democrat Party and are doing untold damage to this country. They also call for defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), which essentially is a demand for open borders. In addition, many Democrats have called for eliminating the Electoral College and letting illegals vote. What is next? Will they deconstruct the U.S. Constitution?

The recent unrest the nation is experiencing across major cities is a sad commentary on how many see race relations in America. George Floyds death in Minneapolis was indeed tragic and unjust. I know I cannot relate to how this experience affects Black Americans, but I can imagine that each time a senseless death at the hands of police happens, it opens a wound that had begun to heal. But painting all police with a broad brush of systemic racism is not accurate.
Former Vice President Joe Biden offered a message of hope and unity on the Fourth of July that provided a sharp contrast with the divisive tone of President Donald Trumps address at Mount Rushmore on Friday. With a message that centered around racial justice, Biden said that the United States never lived up to its founding principle that all men are created equal. In a video that includes images of protests and references to the Black Lives Matter movement, Biden offered a hopeful tone, saying that We have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country and live up to the words that founded this nation. Trump on the other hand delivered a dark speech that amounted to a full-on culture war against a straw-man version of the left that he portrayed as inciting mayhem and moving the country toward totalitarianism, as the New York Times puts it.

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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. Happy #FourthOfJuly! pic.twitter.com/1WrATlx8Xl  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 4, 2020

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee didnt mention Trump in his video message, but his words marked a clear distinction from those of Trump, who said that anyone who dared question the countrys heroes are practicing a radical ideology. Trump insisted that the recent protests that have engulfed the country had cemented divisions. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children, Trump 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.

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Trump offers some remarkably overheated rhetoric: "There is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance ... this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution" pic.twitter.com/pZC66T6Mzq  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 4, 2020

As Trump insisted that a left-wing cultural revolution was trying to rewrite U.S. history, Biden emphasized that it is important to remember that the countrys past isnt exactly perfect. American history is no fairy tale, Biden said. Its been a constant push and pull between two parts of our character, the idea that all men and womenall peopleare created equal and the racism that has torn us apart.

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On Saturday, Trump once again turned what is typically a nonpartisan Independence Day celebration into a campaign event by criticizing the usual suspects, including protesters and the media. Following the theme from Friday, Trump accused protesters of lying about the countrys history at a speech in the White House while he characterized himself as the defender of the countrys rich heritage and the American way of life, which began in 1492 when Columbus discovered America. As he fanned the flames of the culture wars, Trump also blasted China, saying its deceptions allowed the coronavirus to spread more quickly. The speech was a marked change from Trumps July 4 address last year that focused on patriotism and mostly avoided partisan issues. And unlike last year, the crowds at the National Mall were pretty thin on Saturday.

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In an op-ed piece, Biden went further on this idea, noting that Independence Day is a celebration of our persistent march toward greater justice. He also directly slammed Trump in the op-ed, saying he is the main person responsible for throwing the nation off course in its quest for a more perfect union. Every day, he finds new ways to tarnish and dismantle our democracyfrom baseless attacks on our voting rights to the use of military force against Americans protesting peacefully for racial justice, Biden wrote. He has systematically gone after the guardrails of our democracy: the free press, the courts, and our fundamental belief that no one in Americanot even the presidentis above the law.

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Bidens campaign also harshly criticized Trumps Friday speech. Our whole country is suffering through the excruciating costs of having a negligent, divisive president who doesnt give a damn about anything but his own gain, campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement. It didnt take long for the Trump campaign to fire back while doubling down on the divisive message. The idea that Biden, with his 40 plus years of DC failure, has any notion or ability to strengthen our union is absurd, said campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. Because of political pressure from the left, Biden is forced to agree that America was fundamentally flawed from the beginning and remains so today. By contrast, President Trump is proud of our history and believes strongly in our present greatness.
Six months into a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people around the world, it seems it may be time to update what we know about how COVID-19 is transmitted. A group of 239 scientists will publish an open letter this week calling on the World Health Organization to take into account that airborne transmission is a significant factor in how COVID-19 spreads. The group says WHO is being too reluctant to update the official view on transmission that downplays the risk of airborne transmission. If the organization does update its view, the implications would be huge, and a major adjustment to existing efforts to contain the virus would be required.

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WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to claim that when it comes to COVID-19, the general public has to worry about two types of transmission. One involves inhaling droplets from an infected person who is close by and the other involves touching a surface that is contaminated with the virus and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Now this group of scientists from 32 countries says WHO needs to recognize that the virus lingers in the air in closed spaces and can also infect people that way. Although the scientists acknowledge that the coronavirus isnt something like measles that can easily transmit through the air, the risk is real, particularly in poorly ventilated rooms and confined spaces like public transportation.

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For now, WHO has said airborne transmission is really only a factor of concern after medical procedures such as intubations. Members of the organizations infection prevention committee have said that while this could play some role, it was not truly significant and measures to guard against it would be unfeasible. Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence, Benedetta Allegranzi, WHOs technical lead on infection control, tells the New York Times. There is a strong debate on this.

Some scientists, though, insist that WHO is ignoring the latest research in part due to bureaucratic issues that make it difficult for the organization to shift gears when faced with new evidence. They say there are plenty of examples, including infections in slaughterhouses and restaurants, that show airborne transmission is a real concern. One expert who signed the letter explained to the Times that part of the problem is that WHO relies on studies from hospitals that show there is little of the virus in the air. But in other buildings the air-exchange rate is usually much lower, allowing virus to accumulate in the air.

This is hardly the first time in this pandemic that the WHO has been accused of being too slow to adapt to new evidence. The most notorious example of this is how slow it was to back the suggestion that people should cover their nose and mouth while out in public and around other people. It has also been slow to recognize the importance of transmission from people who do not have symptoms.
President Donald Trump will be holding an outdoor rally in New Hampshire next weekend, his campaign announced on Sunday. After recent events hosted by the president during which face masks were markedly absent, this time the campaign said face masks will be handed out and their use will be strongly encouraged among those who attend. There will be ample access to hand sanitizer and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear, the campaign said in a news release. Before his rally in Tulsa last month, Trump had notably refused to endorse the use of face masks. I recommend people do what they want, he said.

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The presidents rally will gather supporters at Portsmouth International Airport, and it will mark the first campaign event for the president since the sparsely attended event in Tulsa last month. Several campaign staff and Secret Service personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus since that rally. On Friday, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Trumps eldest son and a top fundraising official for the campaign, tested positive for the virus. She had attended the Tulsa rally. Her diagnosis was made public days after Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential hopeful who was also at the rally, was hospitalized with the coronavirus on Wednesday.

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Face masks were few and far between on Friday when Trump addressed a crowd of supporters at Mount Rushmore. There also seemed to be no effort to socially distance any of the attendees. The next day at the White House, few whod attended Independence Day celebrations were wearing masks either.

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The rally in New Hampshire will take place in one of the few states that is reporting a decrease in coronavirus cases. A total of 39 states are seeing increases in coronavirus cases, and 15 states have reported record increases this month as some areas are grappling with a surge that officials warn is getting difficult to manage. Hospitals in Houston, for example, could be overwhelmed in approximately two weeks if cases keep increasing, the citys mayor warned. The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased. The number of people in our ICU beds has exponentially increased, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on CBSs Face The Nation. In fact, if we dont get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble. Austin, Texas, Mayor Steve Adler gave a similar diagnosis on CNNs State of the Union. If we dont change this trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun, he said.

The Austin and Houston mayors were among the local leaders who blamed the surge of cases on early reopenings and people quickly going back to life as normal. Theres no doubt that when we reopened, people started socializing as if the virus didnt exist, Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez said. Its extremely worrisome.

For more of Slates news coverage, listen to What Next: TBD.
I think it is time for a booster shot of some reflected glory. The Dalai Lama turns 85 tomorrow. Given my abiding interest in the subject I was just digging around the net to see if I can write something beyond what I have already written. I have written a great deal, including my own 500-plus page updated biography of his The Denouement: The 14th Dalai Lama's life of persistence. (Plug done.)

What I found was quite fortuitous. On the occasion of Guru Purnima in India, the day when many Indians celebrate and worship their gurus/teachers/mentors. The celebration can often get into paroxysms of piety, attributing virtues to gurus which often do not exist. I have never seen the point of gurus. In fact, I wrote on my Facebook time line In there interest of clarity, there are no gurus. There is just you. But I digress.

That search for gurus, Mayank Chhaya led me to this book by the 14th Dalai Lama where I do indeed figure. That takes care of the reflected glory portion of the post. I did not know that I figure in a book by the Dalai Lama titled My appeal to the world. In that the book refers to me in a particular context. (See the image of the passage above.)

It is clear to me that that reference happened because of what I wrote in the original edition of my biography Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic, published by Doubleday/Random House in 2007 as well as over 20 publishers around the world.

In that biography as well as its updated 2019 edition I have this passage:

Since I grew up in a country where renunciates and ascetics crowd the landscape, yet another monk was unlikely to attract my attention. This was particularly true of the one who lived some thousand miles away in the pre-Himalayan Dhauladhar mountain range in the country's northwest. In the 1960s and 70s the Dalai Lama was featured in local Indian newspapers frequently, especially after the country's disastrous war with China in 1962. There were some delightfully misinformed people in my neighborhood who seriously believed that India could avenge its humiliating defeat at the hands of China using the Dalai Lamas Tantric powers, which ordinary people took to mean some sort of black magic or occult practices. In their neat, if completely flawed formulation, the Dalai Lama, forced to flee Tibet amid grave threats to his life by the invading Chinese army barely three years earlier, would be thirsting to settle scores with them. And could there be a more potent weapon for a reincarnate Buddhist monk than black magic?

In 1967, a full five years after the war between India and China one of my neighbors gathered unsuspecting and impressionable children like myself and conjured up an image of the Dalai Lama going into a deep trance and unleashing destructive energy against the People's Liberation Army. Since he came from the land of Mount Kailash, the putative hub of the Hindu god Shiva, the raconteur told us that the Dalai Lama had three eyes, one right in the middle of his forehead. The third eye was where all his power of cosmic destruction resided. If he opened that eye, there was no way China could survive. India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he claimed with utter certainty, had persuaded the Dalai Lama to invoke devastating wrath that would instantly atomize the Chinese army. Such street-side phantasms let loose by the neighborhood fantasist merely reinforced my perception that the Dalai Lama was more apocryphal than real.

So let me get this straight. I am quoting myself being quoted in a book by the Dalai Lama by once again quoting myself. This is not just reflected glory once but several times over. No wonder it is so faint and I struggle to get any traction on social media. In my defense, allow a poor print journalist some reflected glory at least, if not real money.

More to the point, I will do a bigger piece pegged to the 85th birthday of the Dalai Lama tomorrow.
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Recent reports say China has its ethnic minorities locked up in camps where they are subjected to ideological discipline, physical abuse

US Customs and Border Protection detained a shipment of weaves believed to be made in a Chinese detention camp. The shipment is suspected to be human hair. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP)

New York: Federal authorities in New York on Wednesday seized a shipment of weaves and other beauty accessories suspected to be made out of human hair taken from people locked inside a Chinese internment camp.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told The Associated Press that 13 tons (11.8 metric tonnes) of hair products worth an estimated $800,000 were in the shipment.

The production of these goods constitutes a very serious human rights violation, and the detention order is intended to send a clear and direct message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States that illicit and inhumane practices will not be tolerated in U.S. supply chains, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBPs Office of Trade.

This is the second time this year that CBP has slapped one of its rare detention orders on shipments of hair weaves from China, based on suspicions that people making them face human rights abuses. The orders are used to hold shipping containers at the U.S. ports of entry until the agency can investigate claims of wrongdoing.

Rushan Abbas, a Uighur American activist whose sister, a medical doctor, went missing in China almost two years ago and is believed to be locked in a detention camp, said women who use hair weaves should think about who might be making them.

This is so heartbreaking for us, she said. I want people to think about the slavery people are experiencing today. My sister is sitting somewhere being forced to make what, hair pieces?

Wednesdays shipment was made by Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co. Ltd. In May, a similar detention was placed on Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd., although those weaves were synthetic, not human, the agency said. Hetian Haolins products were imported by Os Hair in Duluth, Georgia, and I & I Hair, headquartered in Dallas. I & Is weaves are sold under the Innocence brand to salons and individuals around the U.S.

Both of the exporters are in Chinas far west Xinjiang region, where, over the past four years, the government has detained an estimated 1 million or more ethnic Turkic minorities.

The ethnic minorities are held in internment camps and prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce their religion and language and physically abused. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harboring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion.

Reports by the AP and other news organizations have repeatedly found that people inside the internment camps and prisons, which activists call black factories, are making sportswear and other apparel for popular U.S. brands.

The AP tried to visit Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. more than a year ago during an investigation into forced labor inside the camps. But police called the cab driver taking AP journalists to the area, ordering the driver to turn back and warning that the cabs coordinates were being tracked.

From the road, it was clear the factory  topped with Haolin Hair Accessories in big red letters  was ringed with barbed wire fencing and surveillance cameras, and the entrance was blocked by helmeted police. Across the street, what appeared to be an educational facility was topped with political slogans declaring the country has power and urging people to obey the Communist Party. It was unclear whether the factory was part of a detention center, but former detainees in other parts of Xinjiang have described being shuttled to work in fenced, guarded compounds during the day and taken back to internment camps at night.

The Chinese Ministry of Affairs has said there is no forced labor, nor detention of ethnic minorities.

We hope that certain people in the United States can take off their tinted glasses, correctly understand and objectively and rationally view normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises, the ministry said in a statement.

Last December, Xinjiang authorities announced that the camps had closed and all the detainees had graduated, a claim difficult to corroborate independently given tight surveillance and restrictions on reporting in the region. Some Uighurs and Kazakhs have told the AP that their relatives have been released, but many others say their loved ones remain in detention, were sentenced to prison or transferred to forced labor in factories.

While tariffs and embargoes over political issues are fairly common, its extremely rare for the U.S. government to block imports produced by forced labor.

The 1930 Tariff Act prohibited those imports, but the government has only enforced the law 54 times in the past 90 years. Most of those bans, 75%, blocked goods from China, and enforcement has ramped up since then-President Barack Obama strengthened the law in 2016.

Rep. Chris Smith said that while the allegations of forced labor are appalling, sadly they are not surprising.

It is likely that many slave labor products continue to surreptitiously make it into our stores, said Smith, a New Jersey Republican who has taken a lead on anti-human trafficking legislation.

On June 17, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, condemning gross human rights violations of specified ethnic Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region in China.

Earlier, calling for its passage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decried what she described as Chinas mass incarceration, forced sterilization and journalist suppression.

Beijings barbarous actions targeting the Uyghur people are an outrage to the collective conscience of the world, she said in a statement.
Some home cooking was just the recipe for Letstaketothesky to score her first lifetime win in the single Prospect Series leg on Saturday (July 4) at Hanover Raceway.

Just nine sophomore trotting fillies entered Saturday's kick-off leg of the Prospect Series, resulting in a single $7,400 division. With a number of fillies -- including post-time favourite Muscles Aplenty -- making breaks early, Lucky Witch (Doug McNair) was able to get an early lead on the field at carve out the first half fractions of :28.4 and 1:00.3. Letstaketothesky and driver Anthony Haughan sat patiently in the pocket early before pouncing on the tempo-setter down the backside, taking control just after the 1:31.3 third station. A :30.3 final quarter was more than enough to keep all rivals at bay as Letstaketothesky tripped the timer nearly four lengths the best in 2:02.1. Oh Lina (Bruce Richardson) and Bellona (Ken Wiese) rounded out the top three.

A homebred owned by trainer David Holliday along with Ben Holliday of Mount Forest, Ont., Letstaketothesky (Wheeling N Dealin - My Wife Patsy) picked up her first career victory and first on-the-board score in six lifetime starts.

Doug McNair continued his dominance at Hanover Raceway with a hat trick of wins over the 10-race card. McNair currently leads Canadian drivers in seasonal money earned, and with his three wins this afternoon he surpassed Colin Kelly for the national lead in the wins (McNair 101, Kelly 100 heading into Saturday night's cards). McNair has accumulated nine wins this year at Hanover Raceway and leads all drivers in that dash race.

Plenty of speed was on display at the Grey County oval with SOS Nostoppinmenow going coast-to-coast in an eye-catching 1:54.4 effort in the afternoon's second race. Maiden pacer Lucks All Credit established a new lifetime best of 1:57.4 after beginning his career 0 for 18.

Hanover Raceway is back in action next Saturday (July 11) with a first post time of 2:00 p.m. Hanover Raceway offers live racing action through its YouTube, Facebook and website for fans to enjoy and wagering is available through HPIBet.

To view the results from Hanover's Saturday card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hanover Raceway.

(with files from Hanover)
Despite a brief bobble amid his attack, Dreaming Out Loud ($2.60) proved the only two-leg winner in Mark Austin Memorial Pacing Series action, posting a 1:58 win in the fastest of three $5,000 second-round divisions contested Sunday (July 5) at Dresden Raceway.

In a complete reverse of tactics from his 14-length drubbing of his first-round rivals, Dreaming Out Loud stalked live cover in the second circuit before making his move off the home turn. The three-year-old Thinking Out Loud colt gave up 11 lengths to early pacesetter Mr Cheeseman through a :28.4 quarter before Tyler Borth slid him into a live flow behind River Dali (Andy Moore) past a :59.1 half.

After being towed into contention up the backstretch, Dreaming Out Loud broke stride briefly, but reset to mount a three-wide rally off stalled cover. Dreaming Out Loud collared Mr Cheeseman and drew away to defeat him by a length. River Dali finished third, 5-1/2 lengths farther back.

Trainer Keith Cullen co-owns Dreaming Out Loud, who remains undefeated through five career starts, with Chris Cain.

Ajknight ($5.20) recorded a pillar-to-post victory in his division, opening a clear margin over his six foes on the backstretch before narrowly staving off a hard-closing Coin Flip in 2:00.2. Garrett Rooney drove the three-year-old Warrawee Needy colt for Adrian and Janny Dimmers.

Six-year-old mare Macharita ($6.10) completed the trio of second-round Austin winners, securing the pocket from the second row and lifting in the stretch to reel in pacesetter Up To Spec in 1:58.3. After amassing 39 minor placings in her first 78 starts, Mike Whelan drove the daughter of Mach Three to her first career win for owner-trainer Walter Whelan.

To view Sunday's results, click the following link: Sunday Results  Dresden Raceway.
A pocket trip proved the golden road to victory for Chase N Madi ($8.80), who stalked odds-on choice Intended Royalty before vaulting to a 1:58.1 score in Sunday afternoon's (July 5) featured event at Inverness Raceway.

Having drawn the pole against four rivals in the winners-over event which carried a $1,250 purse, Chase N Madi and driver Rodney Gillis had no trouble securing the pocket behind Intended Royalty (Ryan Campbell), and the pair stalked fractions of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:27.4 before attacking on the final turn. The six-year-old Mystery Chase gelding sprinted clear at first asking, leaving Intended Royalty behind by 3-3/4 lengths. Distinctiv Rusty (Ryder Matthews Rennison) finished third.

Donald Beaton owns and trains Chase N Madi, whose first win this season increased his career total to 15.

To view Sunday's full results, click the following link: Sunday Results  Inverness Raceway.
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Sunday, July 5, 2020

Illinois Supreme Court, Supreme Court Temporarily Amends Rule to Allow New Law School Graduates To Work at Private Firms:

Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today the amendment of Rule 711(g), which will temporarily expand the class of employers eligible to supervise new law school graduates to include private law firms and other for-profit entities.

The Illinois Supreme Court order temporarily amending Rule 711 to add paragraph (g) can be found here and the Application for Authorization to Perform Legal Services under Illinois Supreme Court Rules 711(g) is available here.

The Court understands the plight of recent law graduates and we want to provide an effective transition to them becoming practicing lawyers in these unprecedented times, Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke said. We appreciate the assistance provided by the law school deans and the Illinois State Bar Association in amending this rule to offer a measure of relief while also expanding access to justice and safeguarding the public.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the postponement of the bar examination in Illinois from July 28-29 to September 9-10, many law students face uncertainty about their financial situations. The average debt burden for law students is $110,000, and many have suffered from financial consequences due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deans of the nine Illinois law schools applaud the Court for implementing this revision to Rule 711, said Darby Dickerson, Dean at UIC John Marshall Law School. Our students are facing historic challenges, and this amendment will allow many of them to survive financially, continue their professional development, and help many citizens who need legal representation during these challenging times.

While new graduates are already permitted to perform for legal aid bureaus and government agencies, the amendment to Rule 711(g) would allow new graduates working at law firms to appear in court and take and defend depositions, expanding the number of opportunities open to new graduates.

The changes to Rule 711(g) assure that graduates entering into private for-profit settings will receive appropriate supervision from experienced attorneys. Each covered graduate working for a law firm or other legal department or organization must be supervised by an attorney with at least five years of practice experience and without pending disciplinary issues, among other requirements.

The Rules requirements on supervision by an experienced member of the bar will help ensure the public receives quality and competent legal services from the covered graduates, but also that the graduates will have a positive introduction into the practice of law, Illinois State Bar Association Immediate Past President David B. Sosin said. The changes to Rule 711(g) will apply to December 2019 and all 2020 J.D. graduates of law schools accredited by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association (ABA), as well as J.D. graduates of ABA accredited law schools from prior years who have been serving as judicial law clerks since their graduation and who have not yet taken a bar examination in any jurisdiction but who have successfully completed all educational requirements to be eligible to take the Illinois bar examination. Applicants must have submitted an application to take the September 2020 or February 2021 Illinois bar examination.

The implementation of new Rule 711(g) is a short-term pilot program, and the Supreme Court will be able to assess a number of aspects to inform any further changes to 711, including its effect on access to justice, the bar exam success of participants, and the value of the post-graduate experience for graduates and supervising attorneys.

FAQs About Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711g (July 3, 2020)

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2020/07/illinois-provides-temporary-practice-license-for-all-class-of-2019-and-2020-law-graduates-who-have-n.html
Patients who fall into the high-risk categories the state identified under Phase 1C may be able to be vaccinated if they receive treatment at a hospital-based office, said Dr. Jinlene Chan, Marylands acting deputy health secretary.
The company slated to provide portable toilets for the event backed out earlier in the week because of concerns over losing their business license, Wood said.

Wood said he had a frustrating discussion with a county health department employee who stopped by Saturday morning and said that vendors are supposed to have bathrooms to operate.

A handful of vendors selling popcorn and corn dogs operated under tents, and a sandwich board outside one stand urged people to make donations to support our freedoms.

Three food trucks were parked along Kessler Boulevard, where several loud, gurgling pickups sporting Trump banners revved engines and blew smoke while making laps around the park.

Josue Hernandez, who parked his Tacos y Tortas food truck along Kessler Boulevard, drove down from Chehalis to participate.

He said the health department came by in the morning and told him if he didnt leave he would be would fined and have his business license revoked.

I was ready to go home, he said, but he asked God what to do and decided to stay.

The day had been busy, he said, and there had been no other sign of the health department or police.
Other countries are going three feet, a meter, and if we can get down to four feet or five feet then it changes the ballgame, Castle Rocks Greene said. Then we can fit almost every kid back in school.

Lori Byrnes, Kalama Education Association president, said the changing guidelines can confuse parents and students and create more challenges.

I feel there are a lot of contradictions in the expectations, she said. For example, its okay for kids to be on the bus or in the halls, but once in the classroom the spacing kicks into play. That will be a hard sell to the students.

And just as mask-wearing has become a hot-button topic out of school, Greene said it would be the same in school.

We have the spectrum. We have parents saying, I will not send my kid unless they have a mask, and parents saying, I will not send my kid if you make them wear a mask,  Greene said.

Garrett said it would take more conversations with parents who dont want their children to wear masks to find a solution, as the state is mandating mask wearing by staff and students.
Apple has removed more than 4,500 mobile games from the Chinese App Store in three days thanks to a change in licensing restrictions in China.

All app developers need to have an official license from Chinese regulators to put their games on the App Store. Till before this new licensing rule came in, developers were allowed to have their games live on the App Store while they waited for their license to be approved. The new rule indicates that developers will need to secure a license before submitting their apps.

Announced earlier this year, this new rule came into force on June 30 leading to Apple purging the App Store off all the developers games and apps that have not gotten official license yet. Apples initial response was to freeze updates to all these apps. Now, all these frozen games are being removed from the App Store.

According to reports, more than 3,000 games were removed from the China App Store in the first two days in July and Apple warned developers about this. The company had to take action once the rule came into force. This is being called one of the biggest game purges on Apples App Store ever.

China only approves about 1,500 game licenses every year and the process itself takes about six months to a year to be completed. Thus many of these games that have been pulled off the App Store will have to wait for a long time before they can come back on.

Apple removed 1,571 apps on July 1, 1,805 on July 2, and 1276 on July 3. However, developers can avoid this by not updating their app. It is estimated that more than 20,000 apps could be affected in total as the purge is going to carry on.
Reliance earlier this week rolled out its new video conferencing platform JioMeet. The launch comes at a time people around the world are relying on digital tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet to communicate and collaborate.

JioMeet was announced earlier this year but it was rolled out for all users across the country this week. You can access JioMeet on your iOS or Android smartphone. As of now, the official website shows the video conferencing solution as coming soon.

JioMeet is set to be the top Indian alternative to the likes of Zoom and other above-mentioned video conferencing platforms. If youre planning to use the app, here are five things you need to know.

Signing up

As said earlier, Reliance JioMeet is available for all users. This means you can access the platform even if you are not a Reliance Jio subscriber. You can sign up using your email ID or phone number. For more, read our tutorial on how to download and install JioMeet.

100 participants

Just like Zoom and other platforms, Reliances JioMeet allows you to host 100 participants in one go. This is likely to appeal to end-users who are using video conferencing applications, originally intended for enterprise, for talking to a larger number of people simultaneously. WhatsApp, Google Duo and other mobile-focused apps dont have this kind of flexibility.

Interface

If youve used Zoom or any other video conferencing platform, you will find JioMeets interface a lot familiar. The home screen has new meeting, join, schedule, share screen and other important shortcuts. During a session, you can view the conversation in an active speaker layout. Reliance claims users get HD audio and video quality on JioMeet.

Unlimited, uninterrupted

The biggest USP of Reliance JioMeet video conferencing platform is that it does not cap the timing of a meeting. You can host a meeting for up to 24 hours. There is no limit on the number of meetings you host in a day.

Others

Just like Zoom, you can also enable waiting room to ensure no one can join the session without your consent. There is also a safe driving mode to alert the caller that youre driving. JioMeet supports up to 5 devices for multi-login.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday launched the Elyments app, which is being hailed as the countrys first indigenously developed social media super app, in India. The app has been developed by over 1,000 IT professionals who volunteer at Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living foundation.

I am happy to note that more than one thousand IT professionals, who are also the volunteers of the Art of Living, have together created an indigenous app named Elyments. Its appreciable that the app will be available in eight Indian languages, the Vice President said while launching the app virtually.

The Elyments app is available on the Google Play Store, where it has been downloaded over one lakh times. It is also available on Apples App Store.

I am happy to note that more than one thousand IT professionals, who are also the volunteers of the Art of Living, have together created an indigenous app named Elyments. Its appreciable that the app will be available in eight Indian languages. pic.twitter.com/306oUJ1lRy  Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) July 5, 2020

The newly launched app, which will compete with the likes of Facebook and Instagram, comes with hosts of features that enable users to connect with friends and family in a creative way. For instance, it comes with a camera feature that has built-in filters and augmented reality (AR) characters. The app also has messaging and group chatting capabilities. Users can also get news updates about a variety of topics from across the country. Whats more? This app is available in eight Indian languages.

Coming to security, the developers of the Elyments app say that the app has been developed keeping in view the data safety and security of users data. It comes with features such as end-to-end encryption, which ensures that users data remains safe from prying eyes. The company says that all of its servers are hosted in India, which in turn enables the app to provide a fast experience.

Notably, the launch of the app comes shortly after the government banned 59 apps for posing a threat to the safety and public order in the country. This includes apps such as TikTok, UC Browser and Club Factory.
Indian internet companies are the biggest gainers from the Indian governments decision to ban as many as 59 China-linked applications. Roposo, a Gurugram-based video-sharing social media platform, has also reported a similar surge in downloads and user base.

The company said its user base increased by 22 million in two days after the government banned the Chinese applications. It is worth noting that Roposo has been around since 2014. The platform is available in as many as 12 Indian languages and has more than 80 million videos created monthly. Since the ban, it has also been one of the top trending applications on Google Play Store.

In the last three weeks, Roposo was receiving 7 lakhs installs a day. In the last three days, it has spiked so much because of all the love and support. Were getting 6 lakhs installs per hour on average, Mayank Bhangadia, CEO and co-founder of Roposo told Hindustan Times in an interview.

ALSO READ: Indians flock to desi apps after ban on TikTok, 58 other China-linked apps

On the influx of such a high volume of users, Bhangadia pointed out that the platform has been around for a very long time. Weve been working on Roposo product for the last four years and weve built it from scratch. Weve understood what our audience wants. Weve also worked on the camera features in the last four years and done lots of R&D, he added.

WATCH: 'Digital strike to secure data of Indians': RS Prasad on banning Chinese apps

Bhangadia added that the trend of users coming to the Indian platform is spiralling up. He also stressed the need for executing all necessary elements including revenue and engagement will go up in scale.

Apart from Roposo, other Indian platforms such as ShareChat, Chingari and Mitron have seen a similar surge in downloads and active users.
Facial recognition technology is increasingly used in law enforcement, amid concerns that low accuracy for people of color could reinforce racial bias

A wave of protests over law enforcement abuses has highlighted concerns over artificial intelligence programs like facial recognition which critics say may reinforce racial bias.

While the protests have focused on police misconduct, activists point out flaws that may lead to unfair applications of technologies for law enforcement, including facial recognition, predictive policing and "risk assessment" algorithms.

The issue came to the forefront recently with the wrongful arrest in Detroit of an African American man based on a flawed algorithm which identified him as a robbery suspect.

Critics of facial recognition use in law enforcement say the case underscores the pervasive impact of a flawed technology.

Mutale Nkonde, an AI researcher, said that even though the idea of bias and algorithms has been debated for years, the latest case and other incidents have driven home the message.

"What is different in this moment is we have explainability and people are really beginning to realize the way these algorithms are used for decision-making," said Nkonde, a fellow at Stanford University's Digital Society Lab and the Berkman-Klein Center at Harvard.

Amazon, IBM and Microsoft have said they would not sell facial recognition technology to law enforcement without rules to protect against unfair use. But many other vendors offer a range of technologies.

Many algorithms designed for criminal justice were meant to eliminate bias, but analysts say the data used can merely reinforce historical trends

Secret algorithms

Nkonde said the technologies are only as good as the data they rely on.

"We know the criminal justice system is biased, so any model you create is going to have 'dirty data,'" she said.

Daniel Castro of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank, said however it would be counterproductive to ban a technology which automates investigative tasks and enables police to be more productive.

"There are (facial recognition) systems that are accurate, so we need to have more testing and transparency," Castro said.

"Everyone is concerned about false identification, but that can happen whether it's a person or a computer."

Seda Gurses, a researcher at the Netherlands-based Delft University of Technology, said one problem with analyzing the systems is that they use proprietary, secret algorithms, sometimes from multiple vendors.

"This makes it very difficult to identify under what conditions the dataset was collected, what qualities these images had, how the algorithm was trained," Gurses said.

San Francisco and several other cities have banned the use of facial recognition by police amid concerns about accuracy, while some big tech firms have suspended sales of the technology to law enforcement

Predictive limits

The use of artificial intelligence in "predictive policing," which is growing in many cities, has also raised concerns over reinforcing bias.

The systems have been touted to help make better use of limited police budgets, but some research suggests it increases deployments to communities which have already been identified, rightly or wrongly, as high-crime zones.

These models "are susceptible to runaway feedback loops, where police are repeatedly sent back to the same neighborhoods regardless of the actual crime rate," said a 2019 report by the AI Now Institute at New York University, based a study of 13 cities using the technology.

These systems may be gamed by "biased police data," the report said.

In a related matter, an outcry from academics prompted the cancellation of a research paper which claimed facial recognition algorithms could predict with 80 percent accuracy if someone is likely to be a criminal.

Robots vs humans

Ironically, many artificial intelligence programs for law enforcement and criminal justice were designed with the hope of reducing bias in the system.

Facial recognition is used by law enforcement around the world, including in China, where activists say it may help authorities carry out human rights abuses

So-called risk assessment algorithms were designed to help judges and others in the system make unbiased recommendations on who is sent to jail, or released on bond or parole.

But the fairness of such a system was questioned in a 2019 report by the Partnership on AI, a consortium which includes tech giants including Google and Facebook, as well as organizations such as Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union.

"It is perhaps counterintuitive, but in complex settings like criminal justice, virtually all statistical predictions will be biased even if the data was accurate, and even if variables such as race are excluded, unless specific steps are taken to measure and mitigate bias," the report said.

Nkonde said recent research highlights the need to keep humans in the loop for important decisions.

"You cannot change the history of racism and sexism," she said. "But you can make sure the algorithm does not become the final decision maker."

Castro said algorithms are designed to carry out what public officials want, and the solution to unfair practices lies more with policy than technology.

"We can't always agree on fairness," he said. "When we use a computer to do something, the critique is leveled at the algorithm when it should be at the overall system."

Explore further IBM quits facial recognition, joins call for police reforms

 2020 AFP
The World Health Organization in fact has said about 20% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 progress to severe disease, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. Those with mild or no symptoms, meanwhile, could spread the virus to others.
The Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce combined two of its annual events  The Chamber Experience and Business and Bites  to bring the business community together for fun, networking and fundraising for the chamber. It was the chambers first large-scale in-person event since early 


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Some soldiers fell into depression, with Fogle and other soldiers sometimes serving as counselors for them.

Some of us tough girls ended up actually being counselors to a lot of people in our tents and stuff. People would cry at night, sleep with their gun with them because they were just paranoid. My roommate from Haiti ended up losing her mind, and they finally took her away, said Fogle, whose own grandmother died the same day she left for Saudi Arabia.

She had passed away the same day I left. The day they got me to the phone was actually the day of the funeral, she said.

She said that getting used to a different culture was not easy, particularly one where there were many restrictions on what women could and could not do.

After they called the war off and everything was over and done, we got the chance to explore the city. We got challenged so many times because we were women truck drivers ... We had to follow their laws. We had to keep our sleeves down, our head covered and we couldnt expose our legs or anything like that.
After a few years, the small dairy was at a crossroads. The tough economic climate of the industry required expansion into a larger dairy or adding value to the milk they were producing. They knew how to expand the dairy, but were intrigued by the alternative of keeping the herd small where the cows are individuals and not just numbers.

After conversations with many people, Patrick and Kent realized the unmet demand for value-added artisan dairy products in the area. Consumers frequently asked about local dairy products, especially yogurts, artisanal cheeses, and flavored butters and they recognized that individuals as well as restaurants and chefs desire locally produced, small batch, minimally processed dairy products, but had very few options.

As Patrick and Kent looked into the possibility of supplying products to meet this type of demand, their longtime friend and fellow Clemson alum, Josh Brooks, joined them and they began discussing the business and financing aspects of their idea.

After winning a USDA Value-Added Producer Planning Grant, they dedicated themselves to making our dream a reality and Lowcountry Creamery was born. Experimenting began in early 2015 and launched sales in May of that year.
That is the position of Orangeburg City Council, which via resolution has called for action by the General Assembly to alter the Heritage Act to allow it to remove the Confederate memorial statue from downtown. Local lawmakers have indicated they would support changes.

But in the current environment, it may be difficult to get a majority of state legislators in both houses to agree, and total abandonment of the Heritage Act is unlikely.

More likely is a court challenge to the law, which Attorney General Alan Wilson has stated via general opinion is constitutional. At the same time, Wilson said the laws requirement for a two-thirds vote likely would be found unconstitutional. A simple majority vote in both houses would be required to remove or change a monument.

His opinion clearly sides with the state having authority over monuments.

Only an act by the South Carolina General Assembly can remove a monument. This is a position we are prepared to support in court," Wilson said in a video statement released with the opinion.
The Green Book's official name was the Negro Motorist Green Book. It was a travel guide designed specifically to help African American drivers avoid establishments and parts of the country that were unwelcoming toward African Americans during racial segregation. Victor Green was the founder, an African American postal worker from Harlem. What started as a guide to New York expanded to include every single state, and even a few international destinations. It included driving tips, restaurants, businesses, and hotels, as well as barbershops, taverns and more. The book was discontinued in 1964 following the Civil Rights Act.

You may also like: U.S. Navy history from the year you were born

(Victor Hugo Green // Wikimedia Commons)
RTL Today has joined forces with the tourist offices in the country. Here are our summer holiday tips for the first region!

Rugged valleys, high plateaus and deep forests: discover the mystical North of the country. This region is called Osling, or in Luxembourgish Eislek and it got its name because together with a large part of the forest of the Ardennes it belonged to the Gau Osninge.

 Alfonso Salgueiro / LFT  Alfonso Salgueiro / LFT Bourscheid castle /  Sven Remakel  Alfonso Salgueiro / LFT  Alfonso Salgueiro / LFT  Robin Weaver / LFT  Alfonso Salgueiro / LFT

Vianden Castle - The beauty in the North, selected as one of the world's most stunning castles

 Natasa Pavlovic Comite inspiring Luxembourg

In 2019 the castle of Vianden  the most visited castle of the country - was listed by CNN among the 21 most beautiful castles in the world.

The castle is one of the largest fortified castles West of the Rhine with its origins dating back to the 10th century. After it was sold in 1820 under the reign of King William I of the Netherlands, it was dismantled piece by piece and destroyed until its restoration and reconstruction from 1977 on, when the family of the Grand Duke transferred it to state ownership.

The medieval castle, which is perched up on top of the a mountain has opened its doors to visitors again and if you want to avoid to hike up, "Move like (Mick) Jagger" in 1995 and take the chairlift .

 Hotel Petry

The picture of Mick Jagger and his son travelling up the hill hangs in the lobby of Hotel Petry in Vianden and the owner shares an anecdote: the elderly cashier at the chairlift did not know either the Rolling Stones nor Mick Jagger, which made it possible for the Superstar to take the trip up incognito.

Before or after your visit, take a break and enjoy the gorgeous panorama over the Our valley at the Restaurant Buvette Telesiege at the mountain station.

 Buvette Telesiege

Bourscheid castle

 Alfonso Salgueiro / LFT

Situated on a steep promontory, high above the Sure river, Bourscheid castle is the largest castle in Luxembourg. The medieval castle was built on a site with archeological evidence of structures dating back to Roman times. Standing majestically some 150 metres above the Sure river, it is enclosed by a circular wall with 11 watchtowers. Enjoy the sweeping views and immerse into the history of the castle with the audio guides for rent.

King or Queen in the North for a day?

If you want to feel like the lord of Bourscheid, who once resided in the castle and fought at the side of the Duke of Luxembourg, it is possible to rent the castle (once coronavirus restrictions are lifted) for your private events.

If you are in the area later during the day, the castle's night illuminations create a fabulous atmosphere.

Enjoy the best trails of Europe and leave your luggage behind!

The "Lee Trail" is one of the certified leading quality trails in Luxembourg.

 Visit Eislek

Lee is Luxembourgish and stands for the "rocky" ridges and steep paths that are typical for the Valley of the Sure. If you prefer to hike without having to carry a heavy load, hiking without luggage is also possible on demand.



Many of the countries hiking routes lie in this region and with this link you can find the right one for you. It is possible to sort them by their level of difficulty as well as their distance.

Try the "Smugglers Trail" for example, where you can walk the historic route of smugglers and their human cargo around the area of Troisvierges.

Take your camera and boost your social media presence!

If you download the Eislek App you will get the latest news of the region and find the most beautiful (and instagrammable) spots of the region!

 Visit Eislek

Discover 20 roman stone coffins below the old St Laurentius church in Diekirch!

In 1960, an underground cemetery, probably from the Merovingian period, was discovered below the church.

It is possible to visit the churchyard by entering through the museum of history.



Enjoy time at the beach  one of the most beautiful ones at the Sure river

In Bourscheid, follow the street Buurschter plage direction "Camping du Moulin" to discover the beaches of the Sure river where you can have a picnic or go for a swim.

Situated at the waterfront of the beach, the hotel restaurant Cocoon Hotel Belair invites their guests to take some time out and relax in one of their Hawaiian beds.

 Cocoon hotels

The Upper Sure lake offers various beaches to take a cool dip on warm summer days.

 Sabino Parente /LFT

They can be found in the villages of:

Rommwiss

Burfelt

Insenborn

Lultzhausen

Liefrange

Parking, however, is challenging in the area so make sure to plan ahead.

Take to the seas with the solar powered boat in Insenborn

 Ministry of Economy/LFT

It is now possible to take a trip on the solar powered boat again. During a two-hours tour you observe local fauna, get an introduction to the history of the lake and explore the forest discovery centre when it stops in Burfelt.

Canoeing on the river Sure  and you dont have to be afraid that you will capsize!

 Paul Bonert

Enjoy some time on your own and rent a kayak on the beautiful Sure river. This part of the river between Diekirch and Ingeldorf allows easy paddling since the current of the river is slow and steady. Note that children below the age of 6 years are not permitted.

The Family of Man- a world class exhibition in the little village of Clervaux, and one of the pictures even made it into space!

The famous Luxembourger Edward Steichen went through 2 millions photographs from photographers all over the world to choose 500 for this exhibition.

 Jonathan Godin / LFT

Steichen, who had worked as a photographer during two World Wars wanted to depict the human side of people, the one that linked all of them. The last original set of these renowned pictures, of which many of them gained some measure of immortality can be seen at Clervauxs exhibtion.



 Th Reinhardt / LFT

One of the famous pictures is floating in space, showing the birth of Steichen's assistant Wayne Miller's baby as one of the t hings carried in outer space aboard a Voyager spacecraft.

Sleeping overnight with monks in the Abbey of Clervaux

 Visit Eislek

If you ever wondered how monks live, visit the large monastery of the Saint-Maurice Benedictines. An exhibition showcases life at a monastery and the male members of society can go one step further and stay there overnight while women can stay in nearby lodgings.

Be a farmer from the olden days

Discover the life of our ancestors and how life on a farm has been.

"A Robesscheier" offers several workshops, you can visit an old sawmill, ride on a donkey, operate old agricultural machinery, learn about the hay harvest, or take a ride on an old carriage.

 A Robesscheier

It is also possible to stay overnight.



The regional office Eislek recommends the Adrien Ries walk:

Enter the region through the Nordstad, the gateway to the Eislek region.

 Visit Eislek

This walk leads through the Nordstad region which is known as the entry portal of the Eislek region. The walk links Nordstads six municipalities and combines trails through meadows, forests and the country sides. Several castles lie along the way.

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Please note that due to the COVID-19 situation sudden changes may occur, please double check the information on the respective websites.
UNICEF Luxembourg raised 4.4 million for children in need in 2019, which surpassed the total of 2018.

The charity organisation also reports that it recruited an additional 4,000 "global parents", i.e. regular donors. Global Parents made up about 43% of all donations in 2019.

 Communique UNICEF Letzebuerg

UNICEF Luxembourg celebrated its 40 birthday as well as the 30 anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and supported a number of projects, e.g. in Malawi, Syria, and Yemen.

UNICEF also applauded the efforts of its young ambassadors as one of its major successes. The latter handed a list of 30 recommendations to further improve children's rights to Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Minister of Education, Claude Meisch, on World Children's Day.
Rosa Letzebuerg released a statement addressing the issues for the LGBTIQ+ community in times of the pandemic.

Rosa Letzebuerg is raising awareness about the problems of solitude and isolation in the community and point to the difficult situation where newly outed people had to continue living together with family members rejecting their choices. This issue often affects young people.

In light of the pandemic, the association decided to call off all physical events for the pride week out of safety precautions. The statement emphasises that hatred towards the community had however not come to an end with the lockdown. The Pride Week will therefore be held nonetheless, however this time in digital form.

Acceptance of the LGBTIQ+ community is stagnating across Europe. Statistics by the ILGA Europe Rainbow Index convey that in 49% of countries no legislative improvement could be registered last year. The situation in Poland and Hungary has even worsened.

Rosa Letzebuerg makes an appeal to show support for the community and welcomes the public display of colour by the chamber during Pride Week.

The Luxembourgish initiative "Gay Mat", which supports members of the community, was first launched in 1999. The movement was later rebranded "Luxembourg Pride", having celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019 with the "Equality March" in Esch, which attracted many supporters.

This year's edition will be held digitally due to the corona crisis. You can follow the events via the following link.
Tell us more about the vendors. We have a new one with different flavors of popcorn she pops herself. And we have returning favorites like salsa, jams, baked goods from Arlene, Sunshine Valley Ranch with their beef, eggs and veggies, and Cackleberry Farms with micro greens, eggs and whole chickens.

How do you get to be a vendor? Its all online so its easy breezy. They can go to the Facebook event or visit our website, wyomingfoodforthoughtproject.org. Read through the vendor agreement and see our expectations. They can pick and choose which markets they want to come to; they do not have to come to all of them. And weve lowered the vendor fee to just $15 a market.

Talk about payment. We are taking SNAP cards again this year and we are asking people to bring a credit or debit card if they can so there can be less transference of cash. Food for Thought Summer Markets are sponsored by Wyoming Community Development Authority.
Dr. Paul Beaupre, the CEO at St. Johns, told the Star-Tribune that St. Johns was unfairly compared to other hospitals because of Jacksons overall economic prosperity. Essentially, he said, St. Johns was compared to hospitals in larger areas with more plentiful health options, whereas St. Johns  while existing in an affluent area  still caters to a rural patient base that requires frequent return trips to the hospital.

I am being compared with downtown Manhattan, Beverley Hills, the list goes on and on, he said. And in any of those areas, you can trip over a hospital from one place to the next. So our reality is, we send people home and if they drive more than three hours to come back to us and they look at all like we have a concern about whether theyre going to (deteriorate), we bring them back into the hospital.
According to Olson, signs throughout town have and will continue to remind visitors to be respectful of the health and safety of others by following health guidelines.

Sitting under a shady tree in Teton Village, Brad and Teresa Johnson from Utah rested after a busy day on Jenny Lake.

It was insanely busy, Brad Johnson said. All the lots were full, and as you went out to the main road, a quarter-mile in each direction was full of cars parked along the road.

The couple said they drove up to Jackson for the first time to reunite with 24 family members and were headed to the Calico Bar and Restaurant for dinner.

Nearby, at the base of the Bridger Gondola, stood the Barclay family. They were unwinding from a busy day in Teton Village and making dinner plans for the evening. Originally their summer plans were to take a road trip to Colorado. But as a family with young kids, they changed their plans when they found that many popular activities for the kids were closed.

Mike Barclay, the father of four and owner of Four Silos Brewery in Arizona, wanted to take his family to a place where they could relax.

We wanted to come somewhere without so many requirements, he said.
The primary cause of the crash appears to be the Elantra failing to remain in the correct lane. The police departments Traffic Safety Section is handling the investigation and the case will be reviewed by the Anne Arundel County States Attorneys office.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Upon arriving at the top of Pikes Peak, visitors might not expect to see a bustling construction site in the middle of the breathtaking views they came for.

Sometimes they pass by workers clad in hard hats and neon vests, like the sites project manager Rob Clough, and ask, What are you guys doing up here?

The answer is impossible to miss. A crew of 100 from GE Johnson spend each day working on the $60 million structure that will soon be the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex.

Guests can feel how hard it is to breathe up here, Clough said on a recent morning atop the 1,4115-foot mountain. Theyre so impressed seeing the amount of work going on.

Halfway into 2020, he said work is about 50% done on the new visitors center, which, at 38,000 square feet, will be more than twice the size of the current Summit House, built in 1963. The complex is expected to open by spring of 2021, a date that is months behind the previous plan of this fall.

Since beginning in 2018, construction has hit delays mostly because of occasional bursts of cold and blustery weather such as 65 mph winds, lightning, snow and hail, Clough said.
It is an inspiring and optimistic film, a series of interviews with well-known and not-so-well-known Americans who think for themselves and refuse to see a victim when they look in the mirror. Youll see the courageous American economist and philosopher Thomas Sowell, a personal hero of mine.

But those who are less well-known are perhaps even more compelling. Youll also witness the dignity of small businessman Chad O. Jackson. Hes a contractor, not famous, but he wrestles with the big questions of politics and policy. After realizing hes a conservative, he gets grief from his family of Democrats.

Jackson refuses to be herded out of fear. And that makes him heroic.

Right now, at this time, Uncle Tom just might be the most important film out there. The woke world priests wont clamor to have it out on streaming services such as Netflix, because the left doesnt want to acknowledge that Black conservatives exist.

But you can rent it on UncleTom.com, as I did. Thats what we did at home the other evening.

The so-called war on poverty was launched in the 1960s, Elder tells us on The Chicago Way.
As with the country as a whole, Wyoming is in an economic downturn. The dual impacts of reduced productivity from COVID-19 and the broader decline of the fossil fuel markets have resulted in reductions in both our state revenue and our overall economy. Rather than dwelling on the state budget as I have in several past articles, I want to look instead at the broader issue of our state economy.

When elected officials begin working on economic issues, it is easy to lose sight of the real goal. Because our state budget issues loom so large, there is a tendency to focus on raising revenue for government while economic development falls by the wayside. This mindset is backward. Rather than thinking about how to maximize tax revenue, our legislators focus should be on maximizing the prosperity of the general populace. A functioning government is absolutely necessary for a prosperous state, but it is only one part of the puzzle. We also must have a trained workforce, the lifestyle elements that make people want to stay here and  perhaps most importantly  jobs available in diverse economic sectors.

Government certainly plays an important role in all of these areas, but it is again only one of several factors. When thinking about what government should do to encourage economic growth, it is important to remember that the government does not build the economy. Government merely sets the conditions by which the private sector grows. A government can be as pro-business as it can be, but without private sector investment, no growth will occur. Thus, when the candidates or officials promise to use government to grow the economy, typically what they mean is that they intend to promote business-friendly policies that will encourage the private sector to act. Wyoming has typically had a relatively pro-business policy attitude, but that has also largely been born out of a reliance on extraction industries as a source of state funds. Moving forward, we must be vigilant to ensure that our systemic problems with state revenues do not cause us to react in a way that discourages other business investment. Bad policies could cause a spiral whereby revenue losses cause government to enact policies that are bad for business, which results in further revenue losses, and so on.
Wyomings hospitality and tourism industry is the states second largest industry. In 2019 we welcomed 9.2 million overnight visitors that spent $3.95 billion in our restaurants, retail shops, drinking establishments, lodging properties and main street businesses. This visitor spending generated $203 million in local and state tax revenue and supported 32,750 full- and part time jobs.

Enter COVID-19.

We are halfway though 2020 and our businesses that rely on a booming visitor economy are now struggling for their very survival. Occupancy and average daily rates for lodging properties are well below that of last year. Wyomings cities, towns and counties are seeing lower tax revenue to pay for essential services; restaurants, bars and clubs are seeing lower volumes of customers; employees are seeing reduced hours and all have to adapt to health orders that limit operations in ways that we have never seen or could have imagined.

To add to an already uncertain horizon, states like Arizona, Texas, New Jersey, Washington, California, Colorado and Florida have all taken steps backwards by reclosing (or keeping closed) bars, gyms, movie theaters, etc, after significant spikes in COVID-19 cases. We cannot let this happen in Wyoming.
COLONIAL Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Ltd (CLICO) is solvent, yet it still owes the Government $2.09 billion as part of its 2009 bailout arrangement.

In addition, approximately $1.66 billion provided with respect to British American Insurance Company (Trinidad) Limited (BAT) remains unpaid.

This according to 38th quarterly report of the Central Bank, which was filed in the High Court pursuant to section 44E (7) of the Act, which reported on the period which ended March 31, 2021.

The report provides a snapshot of the progress of proposals to restructure CLICO, BAT and Clico Investment Bank (CIB)

In summary, of the approximately $18 billion (inclusive of preference interest due) provided by the Government in respect of CLICO, approximately $16.6 billion has been repaid by CLICO, leaving a balance of approximately $2.09 billion as at February 28, 2021, the report noted.

Payments for interest on the preference shares due to the Government have commenced. As at February 28, 2021, the remaining interest due to the Government on these preference shares amounted to approximately $32.8 million, it noted.

The report noted that by January 24, 2019 approximately $5 billion in cash payments were made to the Government in consideration for an appropriate reduction in CLICOs liabilities to GORTT.

A further cash payment of approximately $300 million (paid in tranches) was made to GORTT by CLICO between March 20 and 27, 2020. An additional $125 million was paid to GORTT on July 8, 2020. On September 17,2020, pursuant to another Ministerial direction, CLICO was directed to pay GORTT $600 million, in cash, in two tranches in exchange for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owed to GORTT.

The first tranche of approximately $300 million was paid to GORTT on September 30, 2020 and the second tranche of approximately $300.1 million was paid in two parts on October 24,2020 and October 30,2020, respectively, it said.

CLICOs most recent audited financial statement, for the 12 months ending December 31, 2020, indicate the company had positive net worth of $3.23 billion at the end of 2020.

That means the insurance company is in a position to pay off all of its liabilities, including the $2.09 billion it owes the Government.

The 2020 audit showed that CLICOs after tax profits plunged by 95 per cent for the year ending December 31, 2019.

CLICO recorded $119.23 million in after-tax profit in 2020, compared with $123.69 in 2019

Its total assets amounted to $13.55 billion in 2020, down from $14.90 billion at the end of 2019, while its total liabilities for 2020 were $10.31 billion.

CLICO has been under the control of the Central Bank since 2009, in accordance with Section 44D of the Central Bank Act.

In an interview earlier this year, Central Bank Governor Dr Alvin Hilaire said he is anxious for T&Ts regulator of financial institutions to close the book on this countrys largest bailout.

As I told you before, we want to get out of this thing yesterday. Right? We are not in the business of running insurance companies. Most of the conditions are no longer there in terms of the systemic issue. And in terms of the health of the financial system, so we dont have a systemic problem, he had said.

Ministerial directives

Despite CLICO being under the management of the Central Bank, the report noted that a number of transfers were made pursuant to ministerial directives over the course of the Central Banks management of CLICO.

Directives by the Minister of Finance to CLICO are allowed under section 44 F(5) of the Central Bank Act, which states: In the performance of its functions and in the exercise of its powers under section 44D the Bank shall comply with any general or special directions of the Minister and shall act only after due consultation with the Minister.

Among the ministerial directives recorded in the Central Bank document are:

1. In January 2017, in light of the unanticipated delay in the sale of MHIL shares and pursuant to directions from the Minister of Finance to the Central Bank, CLICO obtained an independent valuation of CLICOs 100 per cent shareholding in Occidental Investment Limited (OIL) and Oceanic Properties Limited (OPL) in preparation for the transfer of these shareholdings to the Government, thereby appropriately reducing CLICOs liabilities to the Government.

The valuation report was completed and the share sale and purchase agreement executed by the parties on March 28,2017. On May 8, 2017, the parties signed the necessary share transfer forms to facilitate the transfer of CLICOs 100 per cent shareholding in OIL and OPL to the State Enterprise, Golden Grove-Buccoo Limited.

2. In November 2017, pursuant to directions from the Minister of Finance to the Central Bank, arrangements were commenced to facilitate the purchase and cancellation of certain Government bonds held by CLICO in consideration for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owed by CLICO to the Government in order of priority. The relevant Sale and Purchase Agreement was executed on July 26, 2018 and a Variation Agreement which amended the value of binds to be transferred was executed on August 30,2019.

3. On April 11, 2018, approximately $107 million of a WASA loan facility together with a cash payment of $21 million were effectively transferred to the Government for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owed by CLICO to the Government in order of priority.

4. Pursuant to directions from the Minister of Finance, agreements were executed on March 29, 2018 for the transfer of CLICOs approximately 21 per cent shareholding in One Caribbean Media Limited (OCM) and approximately five per cent shareholding in West Indian Tobacco Company Limited to the Government based on an independent valuation, in consideration for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owed by CLICO to the Government in order of priority. These shares were transferred on April 25, 2018.

5. On April 30, 2018, CLICO received from the liquidator of CIB, the Deposit Insurance Corporation, an interim distribution of 27,619,219 Republic Bank Limited (RBL) shares and 848,564 OCM shares.

Pursuant to directions from the Minister of Finance, the Central Bank directed CLICO to transfer to the Government the RBL shares and the OCM shares based on the price determined by an independent valuation in consideration for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owned to the Government in order of priority. These shares were transferred to the Government on July 4, 2018.

6. On September 7, 2018 and April 4, 2019, bonds totally approximately $502 million (now valued at approximately $500 million pursuant to a Variation Agreement dated August 30, 2019) were transferred to the Government (for cancellation) in exchange for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owed by CLICO to the Government.

7. Further to directions to the Central Bank from the Minister of Finance, CLICO was directed to transfer one of its properties located in Chaguanas and one another located in Port of Spain to the Government, based on an up-to-date independent valuation, in consideration for an appropriate reduction in liabilities owed by CLICO to the Government.

For the property located on Chaguanas, the relevant sale and purchase agreement was executed on April 9, 2019 and the deed of assignment was registered on February 6, 2020.

The purchase agreement and the deed of lease for the property located in Port of Spain were executed on August 5,2020 in exchange for an appropriate reduction in liabilities.

Stalled sale

The report noted that progress on the sale of traditional insurance portfolios of CLICO and BAT has been impacted by ongoing court proceedings in the context of a challenge by one of the bidders of the portfolio. An injunction was granted to Maritime Life (Caribbean) Ltd in July 2020.

In the 2019 financial statement, it reclassified assets in preparation for sale to Sagicor.

CLICOs balance sheet showed the reclassification of over $7 billion in assets, in the form of Government bonds, from investment securities to assets held for sale.

In addition, it shifted all of its $6.43 billion in insurance contractsand all but $145.48 million of the $1.66 billion classified as investment contractsto $7.72 billion of liabilities directly associated with assets held for sale.

Note 18 of CLICOs financial statement indicates: The sales and purchase agreement allows for the parties to exit the contract by mutual agreement as well as by either party, if the other party fails to fulfil stipulated terms as outlined in the agreement.

But Note 18 adds: CLICO remains fully committed to the sale of the portfolio and the execution of the signed agreement.

Directives to sell the asset from the Central Bank as controller of CLICO under section 44D of the Central Bank Act have not changed.
EVEN though the majority of people who contract Covid-19 (around 85 per cent) do recover, that does not take away from the fact that it remains a highly infectious and deadly virus.

Experts have warned that mild Covid symptoms can deteriorate rather quickly and become life threatening. That explains why Covid-19 symptoms should be monitored closely and taken very seriously.
A song that is truly an evergreen soul classic originally recorded by the Five Stairsteps, that has been covered by a host of artistes, among them the likes of Nina Simone, The Spinners, Mary Wilson, Kirk Franklin with Donnie McLurkin and Kelly Rowland, and even sampled by Janet Jackson in her song Truth, has now been covered by a Trinidadian artiste alongside his daughter, just in time for the Fathers Day weekend and to also bring some positive vibes in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Delivering what can only be summed up as the right message at the right time, local artist, Ziggy Rankin has released a major collaboration cover for the 70s single, O-o-h Child.
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.
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.
There has been a call to action so to speak. They want to see us do more and we agree. This is a multimodal process for us. ... We would love to be part of the community coming back together. We want people to break bread together and work out differences.
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.
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.
ON Sunday morning, just like Saturday morning, there was a lot of loud talking coming from the back of a mini- mart in Santa Cruz.

A mini-bar that has no bar licence (because it is in the middle of a residential community) but is a liming spot that has some great ties that apparently keep their loose practices untouched.
My wife and I have done a little downsizing lately. One thing we decided we can live without is the rather large collection of books weve accumulated over the past 46 years. We are donating most of them to our local library. But as I looked through the old books, I reread one of them, and it struck a chord with me. Its an autobiography by former New York Times columnist Russell Baker called Growing Up.

In it, Baker tells the story of what it was like to grow up in the 1920s and 1930s. For most of us, the Great Depression is the stuff of history books and hard-luck stories revealed in an occasional documentary about the era. But Baker lived one of those stories and writes eloquently about his life and those times.

His book brings the era into focus for people whose vision of history has been blurred by the good life. For me, it also illustrates the reason why we have and need a Social Security system in this country.
From wide-eyed innocents to femme fatales, and from Marlboro Men to surfer dudes, Tucson author Tresina Lister offers snapshots of diverse and diverting interior lives in this collection of 21 vignettes and short stories. Driven by lust or consumed by loathing, fatally attracted or merely distracted, her characters are ruled by passion, and they put the animal in animal magnetism. In one story, a budding romance in the Florida Keys is nearly derailed by hell-bent jet-ski bullies; in another, a group of neighbors hatch a nefarious plot to take down a nearby resident and her annoying dog. Romantics be warned: love can be illusory, but revenge is sweet and malice is forever, as the author demonstrates in a variety of dark and clever ways.

Your vote only counts if you use it: sadly, many people dont. To help remedy that, Sensa, a statistical researcher, teamed up with Becker, who blogs about current issues, to produce this one-stop reference for the 2020 voting process. In easy-to-understand and non-partisan language, the two explain the perils of voter apathy and the impact of every election, local to national, with job descriptions of elected officials  because its in our best interest to understand the positions were voting to fill. Murky areas  like primaries vs. caucuses and the function of the electoral college  are elucidated as are voting requirements, which vary from state to state. Of particular interest are chapters on political promises (and how to interpret them) and partisan myth-busting (liberals and conservatives arent necessarily polar opposites). To underscore the message that every vote counts the authors highlight elections that were decided by one vote (beginning with Thomas Jefferson in 1800) and statistics from the 2018 midterms, when more than half of registered voters took a pass. Jam-packed with important information, this slender volume includes a glossary and an impressive bibliography, and is an invaluable guide to making good decisions at the polls.
What I said to everyone is that I believe in providing a welcoming environment. ... The majority of people that use the facility were respectful, Anderson said. I dont know how that will be in the future, but if I can recreate that same type of situation, then certainly we entertain access.
87, of Tucson, Arizona, graduated to Heaven on Thursday, June 25 after a short battle with COVID-19. Born to Don and Bessie Sherman on March 30, 1933, and raised in The Daily Township, Dixon County, Nebraska.Chuck served our country as a tank gunner in the U.S. Army. After his military service, he worked for Swift Packing in Sioux City, Nebraska, before moving to Tucson, Arizona, where he spent an entire career with Safeway as a meat cutter.Above all else, Chuck was a much-beloved father and grandfather.Chuck is survived by his younger brother, Donald, and five children, William, Danial, Lori, Jill, and Michael as well as 16 grandchildren and many more great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Don and Bessie (Harness); his brother Leslie, and two sisters, Betty and Donna (infant). Arrangements by BRING'S BROADWAY FUNERAL HOME.
passed away on June 27, 2020 in Tucson, AZ. Peggy was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on January 5, 1930, the daughter of Walter A. and Alma (Fienhold) Teinert. Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Ben T Bauer, her parents and her three brothers, W. A., Fred and Roy. Peggy was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, graduated from high school in Salt Lake City and married Ben in 1951 working with Ben in support of his 58 years of ministry and together raising a family with three boys. Peggy descended from one of the original leaders of the group of early Wendish Lutherans who emigrated to Texas in the mid 1800's and became a foundational part of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Peggy worked as an administrative assistant to help support the family and retired from Tenneco West in Bakersfield, CA. After retirement, Peggy cared for Ben after his health deteriorated. Peggy loved "her three boys," her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She always loved the people in her churches and diligently supported her churches right until her death. Her recent and perhaps favorite fellowship and service project was making quilts for newborns that were provided to Tucson Medical Center. She was able to provide wise observations to her pastors after Ben's passing with a kind smile. The ladies of her church she worked with loved and appreciated her friendship, serving heart and humble spirit. She remained in active contact with extended family who all loved Peggy and provided her great joy whenever she could visit them. In later years she loved traveling and going on cruises. She celebrated her 90th birthday recently seeing her entire family over a few days both in a reunion gathering followed by a cruise with family and friends. Peggy passed from this life with full knowledge of her salvation through Jesus Christ. Peggy leaves sons, Kenneth (Emilie) of Bellevue, WA, Robert (Claudia) of Claremont, CA, and Benjamin (Susan) of Tucson, AZ. Grandchildren, Nicolas (Michelle) of Windsor, CA, Timothy (Sarah) of Austin, TX, Ian (Rachel) of Maple Valley, WA and Katherine of Tucson, AZ as well as great-grandchildren Grayson, Griffin, Jackson and Freya. No services are pending at this time due to Covid-19. In lieu of flowers the family asks memorial gifts be directed to Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, 710 S. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85710. Arrangements by BRING'S BROADWAY CHAPEL.
We were only able to help a couple of animals up there, she said. There was bound to be more.

As of Friday, the Bighorn Fire had scorched close to 120,000 acres, making it the largest fire on record in the Catalina Mountains, according to Coronado National Forest spokeswoman Heidi Schewel.

And yet Bates said she hasnt fielded any calls for assistance from the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department or anyone else working the fire. We had hoped they would call us if there were any injured animals, she said.

Game and Fish spokesman Mark Hart has a simple explanation for that: He said the rescue groups havent been contacted because there still havent been any reports of animals hurt or killed by the fire.

Surely there have been some, he said, but we would expect losses to be minimal, except in a case of a mishap like animals getting trapped in a box canyon or surrounded by fast-moving flames.

These animals have been living with fire for centuries, Hart said. In most instances, wildlife knows how to get out of the way of wildfire.

Game officials have seen ample evidence of that over the past month.
In July 1970, Life  at the time a very popular magazine  featured an article called Look Down, Look Down, that Loathsome Road, and featured a large color photograph of Speedway at Country Club splashed across the first two pages.

The view down The Speedway in Tucson supports the mayors opinion that it is Americas ugliest street, it declared.

The mayor by this time was no longer Lew Davis but Jim Corbett, and not having said the phrase, Corbett correctly denied it.

That led many to just credit Life magazine as the source of the phrase  which Tucsonans and the local media have repeated incorrectly time and time again.

Special thanks to Wayne and Leila of the Pima County Public Librarys Ask A Librarian service for research assistance.

David Leighton is a historian and author of The History of the Hughes Missile Plant in Tucson, 1947-1960. He has been featured on PBS, ABC, the Travel Channel and various radio shows, and his work has appeared in Arizona Highways. He named two local streets in honor of pioneers Federico and Lupe Ronstadt. If you have a street to suggest or a story to share, email him at azjournalist21@gmail.com
Pica said plans are in the works to hoist the statues remains from the water in the coming days and take it to private property to be restored. On Sunday, he and others tried to pull part of it out of the water using a rope that was still attached from the night before.
OPINION: After Mayor Regina Romero's letter asking the city manager to rescind permission for a blue line to be painted next to police HQs, letter writer's debate whether the mayor should even weigh in.
OPINION: Conspiracy theories like QAnon aren't anything new. In fact , argues UA regents professor Michael Schaller, it's just an extension of the American "paranoid style" that has always run through our history.
OPINION: "I am disheartened by our current administrations pattern of blanket giveaways, as opposed to judiciously allocating the funds to where they are most needed," writes Tucsonan John Newport.
Budget carrier Vietjet was honored with the Best Companies to Work for in Asia award this week.

Asia's leading human resource magazine HR Asia Magazine organized a ceremony to celebrate the Top 50 Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

HR Asia presents the most prestigious awards in human resources at the regional level each year.

The awards honor leading enterprises offering attractive welfare, an ideal work environment, and regular training and development programs.

This is the second time Vietjet has received the award.

The airline was praised for its unrelenting commitments and efforts in investing in human resources and improving the well-being and engagement of employees.

"We are delighted to receive this HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020 award, Vietjet managing director Luu Duc Khanh said.

During this time, Vietjet has always been proud of our experienced leaders, high-quality, professional and enthusiastic human resources, fair work environment, good policies, equal and unlimited promotion opportunities for all employees.

"They are the key to Vietjet's success today and the solid foundation for the company's strong and sustainable development in the future.

In the complex context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietjet has been one of a few airlines to maintain a stable workforce and take advantage of social distancing time to organize training and development programs to improve technical skills for employees.

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The French government has presented two Vietnamese citizens with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) at the grade of Chevalier (Knight) to honor their significant contributions to the fields of the arts and literature.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery conferred the Orders upon Tran Vuong Thach and Nguyen Ngoc Lan at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday evening.

Tran Vuong Thach is the director of the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO). He has been deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Musicians' Association since 2010.

Thach has had a lot of initiatives for promoting France-Vietnam friendly relations through various cultural exchange programs and projects.

Having been at the helm of the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (Idecaf) in Ho Chi Minh City since 2012, Nguyen Ngoc Lan has organized many significant events to build cultural connections between Vietnam and France and other French-speaking countries.

Lan has also played an important role in maintaining a library at Idecaf  the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia  with a variety of French-language materials.

The Order of Arts and Letters is awarded by the French government annually to honor the recipients' significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields.

The Order has three grades  Chevalie (Knight), Officier (Officer), and Commandeur (Commander).

While citizens of France must be at least thirty years old to receive this honor, foreign nationals can receive the Order without age restrictions.

Up to 200 people are honored with the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters each year, according to French government guidelines.

In Vietnam, previous recipients of the Order include late musicologist Tran Van Khe, author Nguyen Huy Thiep, late artist Le Ba Dang, and fashion designer Minh Hanh, among others.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Society

-- An inferno engulfed Nhi Quy Market in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on Saturday morning, burning down a large amount of merchandise and causing damage worth about VND5 billion (US$215,700).

-- A total of 87 people tested positive for drugs after police officers raided two karaoke parlors in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City on early Saturday morning.

-- Authorities in Vinh Thanh, one of the four poor districts in the south-central province of Binh Dinh, have sparked concerns after constructing a monument at a cost of over VND48 billion ($2 million).

-- Doctors at a hospital in the south-central province of Binh Thuan confirmed on Saturday they had removed a hairball weighing nearly 0.5 kilograms from the stomach of a 10-year-old girl.

-- The construction of Ho Chi Minh Citys metro route No. 1 is at risk of being delayed again as Japanese experts have been unable to enter the Vietnamese metropolis due to novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) travel restrictions.

-- Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap said on Saturday they had disposed of approximately one metric ton of Chinese garlic previously found floating along several rivers in Doc Binh Kieu Commune.

Business

-- Thailands The Gulf Energy Development PLC has announced the purchase of two wind power farms worth about $200 million in Vietnam.

-- The Airports Corporation of Vietnam has targeted over VND11.3 trillion ($486.9 million) in revenue and more than VND2 trillion ($86.1 million) in pre-tax profit in 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Lifestyle

-- More than 350 young models are taking part in the Vietnam Junior Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2020, which takes place in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday and Sunday evening.

World news

-- The coronavirus has infected almost 11.3 million people and killed more than 533,300 patients around the world as of Sunday morning, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health's statistics. Over 6.4 million people have been cleared of the virus.

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NEW YORK, July 4 (Xinhua) -- With the United States, which has the most COVID-19 cases worldwide, still reporting tens of thousands of new cases daily, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has partly cast blame on U.S. social media companies for the spread of misinformation.

"Can the social media companies be more helpful on these issues?" Gates said during an interview with U.S. business magazine Fast Company. "What creativity do we have? Sadly, the digital tools probably have been a net contributor to spreading what I consider crazy ideas."

In response, a Facebook spokesperson in an email to Fox News said his company has taken several important measures to spread useful information and combat misinformation since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the United States.

"Since January, we've worked closely with health organizations, like the CDC (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), to connect people to accurate information about COVID-19 and we will continue to do more," the spokesperson said.

"We've directed over 2 billion people to resources from health authorities and just today launched an alert at the top of Facebook and Instagram reminding everyone to wear face coverings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We're also aggressively going after misinformation and have applied warning labels to millions of pieces of misinformation and have removed content that could lead to imminent harm," the spokesperson added.

In late April, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it would give an extra 150 million U.S. dollars to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of the 100 million dollars it had already donated.

However, Gates, co-chair of the foundation, complained to Fast Company that he found his name involved in some foul scheme.

"A lot of it comes in the form of conspiracy, where someone's got some plot and my name even comes up as potentially at the center of some conspiracies, so it is a bit scary," Gates told the magazine. "You'd want to be driven towards the facts in a crisis like this."
We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative, Davis said. We understand the frustrations. What the city wants to do is serve as a national model, particularly with how weve done with protesting. Weve seen people who have taken to the streets, we have supported them. We are going to continue to support it. Thats a full stop.
More than 350 Vietnamese citizens stranded in Australia and New Zealand due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have been repatriated, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnamese authorities worked with national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and agencies of Australia and New Zealand to arrange the flight on Friday.

Passengers were mostly people under 18 years old, the elderly, pregnant women, those with illnesses, and workers and students who were unable to return after their working contracts ended or campus closed.

Preventive measures were taken seriously during the flight.

All passengers and crew members had their body temperature checked and were sent to quarantine centers after landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

Under the direction of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnamese authorities and overseas representative offices will continue arranging for more flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home in the coming time, based on the pandemic developments at home and foreign countries and the capacity of local quarantine facilities.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally stood at 355, with 340 having recovered as of Sunday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

No death from the disease has been reported, and the country has not documented a community-based infection in the past 80 days.

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Vietnams Ministry of Health has ordered strong actions to prevent the spread of diphtheria after the country has recorded 28 infection cases and three deaths this year.

The most recent death from diphtheria was recorded on Sunday morning, after a four-year-old boy named V. passed away at a hospital in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

According to the provincial Department of Health, V. started having a sore throat on June 28, following his visit to a relatives in Kon Tum Province, also located in the Central Highlands.

His symptom did not improve after six days of taking over-the-counter medicine.

He was hospitalized on July 3 and diagnosed with diphtheria, before dying at 2:30 am on Sunday.

The patients family said he had been given diphtheria vaccine in the first year of life and again when he was 18 months old.

On Friday, a 13-year-old boy hailing from the Central Highlands of Dak Nong was killed by malignant diphtheria despite efforts of doctors at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

On June 20, a nine-year-old girl from Dak Nong Province was also killed by the disease.

A health worker disinfects a kindergarten in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam, July 4, 2020. Photo: T.T.N. / Tuoi Tre

Vietnam has documented 28 diphtheria cases as of Sunday, of which 16 are in Dak Nong Province, 11 in Kon Tum Province, and one in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ministry of Health has requested local authorities in the Central Highlands to take more drastic measures to prevent the spread of diphtheria, as well as boosting treatment capacity to minimize the number of fatalities.

Infection cases must be promptly recorded and treated, while those having contact with patients must be quarantined as per regulations, the ministry said.

Officials in Dak Nong Province, which has the highest number of diphtheria patients, were asked to prepare sufficient isolation facilities and improve the capacity of health workers regarding the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The province is required to raise awareness of the ailment among local residents.

Meanwhile, in Kon Tum Province, a total of 37 kindergartens, elementary schools, and middle schools have been closed as of Saturday to prevent the transmission of diphtheria.

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Emergency is the kind of show I can only watch through my fingers.

Observationals and docos that are candid about injuries, surgical procedures and people in pain, always leave me in the foetal position. With that in mind, I saw some of Nines new Emergency series on my TV, and heard a fair bit of it as I gazed upon the cracks in my ceiling.

The series from WTFN (Paramedics, Bondi Vet, The Living Room, Ask the Doctor) is filmed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital which, we are reminded, has over 80,000 patients a year and some 400 doctors and nurses.

Expert from their work on Paramedics, WTFN know this terrain well, honing in on the drama, elevating the staff and maximising the jeopardy. But they are also brilliant at giving viewers fly-on-the-wall access without cameras interfering with their life and death work.

The series is centred on the Emergency Department which, by its very nature has already cast for the most extreme of cases. In the door they come: victims of vicious assaults, horror car crash victims every one of them a perilous situation for our doctors and nurses to turn around.

Episode one profiles three cases, a stabbing victim, a factory worker whose hand was mangled in machinery, a pregnant woman with a dislocated shoulder and a car accident victim. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Senior Emergency Physician Dr. Emma West is tasked with assessing an aggressive man who has been stabbed. In police custody (and with a blurred face), he is also under the influence, yelling in agony and not co-operative with staff who are trying to assess his injuries. This is difficult to watch from the safety on my couch, but the staff are rock solid on his care, even as he lashes out.

Director of Emergency Dr. Mark Putland, who tells us every day theres something big, meets 23 year old factory worker Zac, whose right hand became trapped in machinery. Theres more squeamish descriptions about digits, skin and blood, all contrasted by a resilient young man who finds the optimism. I got lucky. As lucky as can be.

Emergency Physician Dr Michelle Thornhill is confronted with 30 year old expectant mother Fraya, who has a dislocated shoulder. But she is carrying pregnant twins and any medication could harm her unborn babies. Are you serious? Theres enough bloody jeopardy without making things worse.

Finally Senior Emergency Dr. Jonathan Papson and Emergency Physician Dr. Mya Cubitt have to attend to 23 year old Jack, whose car slammed into a pole. He has been airlifted to the hospital for life-saving treatment.

With no shortage of jeopardy, producers strategically build things to cliffhanger commercial breaks, underscored by dramatic music and pitch perfect narration from actor Susie Godfrey. Watching how staff remain calm and selfless is to be expected in a show entering a fairly crowded genre. Its also worth remembering this was all filmed before the added stress of COVID-19. Give them all an OAM and a Logie.

Nine probably hasnt had a long-running medical hit since RPA and while this has a long road ahead to come close, its off to a very sound start.

Did I mention I wont be watching?

Emergency begins 8:30pm Wednesday on Nine.

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Filming on The Lord of the Rings for Amazon Prime has been given the green light to resume in New Zealand.

Several other screen projects have been given the all clear by the NZ Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment: James Camerons Avatar sequels, Jane Campions Netflix film The Power of the Dog, Netflix series Cowboy Bebop and film Sweet Tooth, Peter Farrellys film Greatest Beer Run Ever starring Viggo Mortensen, and Power Rangers Beast Morphers series.

206 foreign-based cast and crew, along with 35 family members, will be allowed to enter New Zealand in the next six months. All must meet their own quarantine or self-isolation costs.

Deadline reports The Lord of The Rings was close to wrapping the first two episodes when production shut down in mid-March. The original plan had been to go on hiatus after Episode 2 and resume filming in September.

Seven suspended filming of SAS: Who Dares Wins in NZ in March, but is now looking to resume in the Snowy Mountains.

Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford said, Our success at managing COVID-19 gives our country an opportunity to become one of the few countries still able to safely produce screen content.

And the inquiries and interest we are getting from international production houses tells me that the international film community sees New Zealand as something of a global safe haven.

MBIE estimates that 3000 New Zealanders will be directly employed by the productions, which would bring in $400m to the economy.

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Countries are looking to resume international air travel through bilateral air corridors, or air bridges.

As the world prepares for a life amidst COVID-19, countries are slowly easing restrictions and opening up borders to facilitate international travel. India, which is emerging cautiously from a three-month-long stringent lockdown, is contemplating restarting international air services with select countries.

As per the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), India is looking at moving from 'controlled and managed evacuation' of Indian citizens in different parts of the world and foreign nationals from India, to the possibility of establishing bilateral arrangements.

This move comes at a time when more countries are putting pressure on India to allow its carriers to operate in the country.

The United States recently informed Air India that it would need to obtain prior approval if it wishes to fly in and out of the US from July 22. This in retaliation to what it calls Indias impairing operating rights of US carriers and engaging in discriminatory and restrictive practices.

According to the MoCA, India had a round of negotiations with representatives of the US Department of Transportation and US Embassy on this issue, on June 15.

France has also not been allowing India to operate flights via Vande Bharat since June 22.

The MoCA is contemplating travel bubbles between India and countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, US and France. As per the Ministry, these individual bilateral bubbles are destinations where demand for travel has not diminished.

Connecting through bridges and bubbles

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit travel and tourism hard. As per the Economist, while people took 4.6 billion flights last year, in April 2020, this trickled down to just 47 million passengers flying  taking levels back to 1978.

Further, the United Nations agency for tourism, UNWTO, pointed out in May that tourism would see a decline of 58 - 78 per cent in international tourist arrivals for the year, depending on the speed of containment, duration of travel restrictions and border shutdowns. UNWTO has termed 2020 the worst year for international tourism since 1950, putting an abrupt end to the 10 year growth since the 2009 financial crisis.

Story continues

While most governments are still advising their citizens against non-essential international travel, some countries are looking to curtail the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the travel industry by reducing restrictions on international arrivals.

This is being done by entering into bilateral agreements, also known as travel bridges or travel bubbles which will enable countries to share air corridors and allow travellers to move between two countries with limited infections.

In most cases, these agreements would do away with the waiting period for travellers from countries where the outbreak has been controlled. For a travel bubble or bridge to form, both countries do not necessarily need to be COVID-free, however, they need to be at similar stages of reopening.

Destinations that are opening up to visitors

Europe is leading the move to ease down restrictions as it slowly opens its borders to tourists. In mid-May, the Baltic bloc of Estonia Lithuania and Latvia were the first countries to create a bubble allowing free movement within the countries. Hungary and Slovenia followed suit, easing border restrictions between the two countries.

While European Union officials have been negotiating over two lists of nationalities that will be allowed to travel into Europe once borders open from July 1st, the United Kingdom is considering travel bridges with select countries from July. Travellers from France, Italy, Spain and Germany may soon be able to visit the UK and vice versa, without the mandatory quarantine period.

As per reports, the bridges will only be available with countries that have a coronavirus tracing system. The British government is also reportedly in talks with Australia to set up an air bridge with the long haul destination.

However, in what is being looked at as a blow to US President Donald Trump and his handling of the pandemic, the United States, which tops the list of countries with the most number of cases, has been left out of the bubble

In Asia, Malaysia is looking at travel bubbles with Singapore and Brunei. The country has also approached Australia and New Zealand for the same, as per reports. Malaysia has seen a total of 8,600 cases and 121 deaths.

China and Singapore have also entered into a COVID-19 bubble for essential travel. However, there are restrictions and rules to follow before such a journey can be made. Travellers need to test negative for COVID, stick to itineraries they have submitted to authorities and use the host countrys contact tracing app. They will further need to have a sponsor, which would be a government agency or a company, and get approval from authorities for a SafeTravel Pass.

The Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Sweden have also formed travel bubbles, but have excluded Sweden from it. With 63,890 cases and 5,230 deaths, Sweden has the highest COVID-toll in the region. Anders Tegnell, Swedens COVID-19 specialist, recently admitted that the country could have done more in terms of restrictions.

Fiji, a country that relies heavily on tourism which employs about 1,50,000, people, is considering a similar bubble with Australia and New Zealand, which will allow members of the two countries to visit the country, as numbers have reduced.

However, before entering Fiji, travellers from Australia and New Zealand will need to quarantine first in their home countries for two weeks and submit a certificate verifying the isolation period, and also show a negative test report. Travellers can also quarantine at a Fiji hotel for two weeks.

The country is also looking to create a Pacific Pathways corridor which would allow visitors from Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu to enter the country, however, with the quarantine clause.

The United States is not looking to open its borders soon. As per Dr Anthony Fauci, the countrys leading public health official, restrictions on international travel could remain for months, possibly till a vaccine is found.

With countries opening up their borders, albeit with restrictions, the list of places that travellers can visit is set to expand in the coming months. No country can afford to keep its borders closed for long and, thus, will need to proceed with caution. However, one thing is apparent - travel in the COVID-era may be nothing like what we have been used to so far.
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.
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
Singapore Democratic Party chairman Paul Tambyah seen during a party walkabout in the Bangkit area of the Bukit Panjang single-member constituency on Saturday (4 July). (PHOTO: Joseph Nair for Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE  Correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) have been issued against several entities, including CNA online, for publishing comments made by Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah recently that was deemed to contain falsehoods.

In a joint press statement on Sunday (5 July), the Ministries of Health and Manpower said the false statements made by Dr Tambyah, who is contesting in Bukit Panjang single member constituency (SMC), consist of the following:

Ministry of Manpowers (MOM) email advisory to employers on testing of migrant workers was made without the advice from public health medical professionals

MOMs advisory stated that employers would lose their work pass privileges if they brought their workers for COVID-19 testing

MOM actively discouraged the testing of workers

The list of entities issued the correction direction are:

Video NUSS Pre-General Election Forum 2020, published by NUSS on 3 July 2020 on YouTube

Facebook post and video titled Dr Paul Tambyah reveals MOMs role in outbreak of COVID-19 within dormitories, published by TOC on 4 July 2020

Video TOC GE2020 Livestream  Afternoon session 2 July 2020, published by TOC on 2 July 2020

Online article GE2020: Focus on public health could have been lost in March amid talk of early election, suggests SDPs Paul Tambyah, published by CNA on 4 July 2020

Audio recording titled An Interview with Dr Paul Tambyah, published by New Naratif on 5 July 2020

The correction directions will require NUSS, TOC, CNA and New Naratif to each carry a correction notice stating that the above-mentioned online content contains false statement of facts, the statement said.

MOM didnt actively discourage testing of workers

In the press statement, the ministries pointed out that the multi-ministry taskforce to tackle COVID-19 was set up in January 2020 and staffed by senior public officials and medical professionals. The medical management of migrant workers was guided by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and its medical professionals, based on the prevailing scientific evidence and local situation.

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On 8 February, MOH was informed by Changi General Hospital that an employer in the construction sector was sending all his workers to the hospitals emergency department to be tested for the virus even though the workers did not show any symptoms, the statement said. The employer wanted memos from the hospital to certify that the workers were free of the virus and fit to work.

The hospital was concerned that this would trigger a flood of healthy workers being sent to A&E departments, distracting them from the care and treatment of ill patients who required their attention. On 12 February 2020, MOH, MOM and other agencies jointly issued an advisory to the industry to advise that there was no need to prevent workers who were residing in the dormitory from working if they were not unwell, the statement added.

But other hospitals subsequently told MOH that employers were still sending healthy workers to their emergency departments for testing. MOH then informed MOM, and a further advisory was sent out on 19 February 2020 to advise employers not to send their workers who were healthy for testing, so as to ensure that medical facilities and resources were focused on unwell individuals who needed medical treatment. This advice was based on the prevailing scientific evidence at that time and was also in line with MOHs risk-based approach to prioritise testing and care for those who were of high risk, the statement said.

In the advisories to employers, MOM did not say that employers could not bring their workers for testing. Neither did MOM actively discourage the testing of workers. What MOM said was: Do not send workers to hospitals unless it is a medical emergency. If the worker is unwell, employers should send him to a general practitioner to seek medical attention, who will make a proper assessment on whether the worker needs to be sent to the hospital. The same advice was given to all in Singapore, citizens as well as residents: If unwell, even with mild respiratory symptoms, see a general practitioner immediately, who will decide on the course of treatment.

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: WP 'playing with voters' by not saying if it will accept or reject NCMP seats if offered  Heng Swee Keat

NCMP scheme is stabiliser to steer sampan-sized Singapore's political system: Goh Chok Tong

GE2020: Police investigating WP Sengkang GRC candidate Raeesah Khan over alleged comments on race, religion

GE2020: The quiet men of the Workers Party making up for lost time in Aljunied GRC
Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz said on Sunday (July 5) that the country is not, quote, "necessarily" behind every mysterious incident in Iran,

after a fire at the Natanz nuclear site prompted some Iranian officials to say it was the result of cyber sabotage.

Israel has pledged never to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, saying Tehran advocates its destruction.

Iran denies ever seeking nuclear arms and says its atomic program is peaceful.

The underground Natanz site, where a one-story building was partly burned on Thursday,

is the centerpiece of Iran's uranium enrichment program and is monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Three Iranian officials who spoke to Reuters said they thought cyber sabotage had been involved at Natanz, but offered no evidence. Two said Israel could have been behind it.

Gantz told Israel Radio quote, ''they have very high safety constraints and I'm not sure they always know how to maintain them."

Iran curbed its nuclear work in exchange for removal of most global sanctions under a 2015 deal with six world powers.

It has reduced compliance since the United States withdrew in 2018.
We need to examine our hearts and souls every day. Do we really think that two unequal Americas is the best we can do? If we cannot eliminate the scourge of racism in America today, we certainly have not lived up to the tenets of most religions, including Christianity. Do you believe the Bible Trump brandished justifies racism? Sadly, if that is what you believe, you may not be able to join any meaningful conversation.
A woman says that Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epsteins confidante, raped her between 20 to 30 times when she was a teenager.

In an interview with Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas, the woman (who chose to remain anonymous and was only referred to as Jane Doe) said that she is willing to take the stand and testify against Maxwell, who was arrested by the FBI on Thursday morning in New Hampshire. She did rape me. I would say its more than 20 or 30 times, the woman told Llenas. She is just as evil as Jeffrey Epstein  She is a rapist.

Doe told Fox News that she wanted to testify against Maxwell because she deserves to be where shes at today and she deserves to stay there for the rest of her life. I hope by me coming forward, it encourages other victims to stand up and say, you know, to be honest, let your voice be heard.

The woman said the abuse, which first started back in 1991 when she was just 14 years old, came to an end only after she became pregnant with Jeffrey Epsteins baby. I had never been with anyone except for him [Epstein], she said. The fact that I had to kill my child really affected me and my family.

Related: Epstein's alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to be arraigned

Also Read: Jeffrey Epstein Documentary Director: Ghislaine Maxwell's Arrest Is 'An Important Day for Justice'

The British socialite was arrested on charges that she conspired with the financier to sexually abuse minors, recruiting girls as young as 14.

The indictment, reviewed by TheWrap, cited 1994 to 1997 as the years when the FBI says Maxwell facilitated and contributed to Jeffrey Epsteins abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18.

Epstein died by suicide in a federal detention center in New York while awaiting trial on the trafficking charges last year.

Read original story Woman Accuses Ghislaine Maxwell of Raping Her 20-30 Times as a Teen, Willing to Testify At TheWrap
Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have disappeared from the shelves of the territory's public libraries. The books are under review in another sign that Beijing is stepping up censorship and curbing free expression in the city. The move comes just days after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the territory.

Among the authors whose titles are no longer available in Hong Kong libraries are Joshua Wong, one of the city's most prominent young activists, and Tanya Chan, a well known pro-democracy lawmaker.

Beijing's new national security law was imposed on Tuesday and marks a watershed in the administration of the semi-autonomous city, handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

Leaders in Beijing say that the law is aimed at restoring stability after months of violent clashes that were triggered by another piece of legislation: amendments to an extradition law that protesters thought would allow China to have people deported at random from Hong Kong to the mainland, regardless of their nationality.

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.

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.

However, books by other prominent Chinese dissidents, such as Democracy Wall 1979 leader Wei Jingsheng and Tiananmen student activists Wang Dan and Chai Ling, as well as works by the Dalai Lama, are still available according to the Hong Kong library database.

End of One Country, Two Systems

Critics say that the law, which gives Beijing more sweeping powers than even the extradition amendments, heralds the end of "One Country, Two Systems, the hybrid arangement that was agreed upon by the UK and China to guarantee Hong Kongs embryonic democracy and independent judiciary.

The law went into force on 1 July, coinciding with the 23rd anniversary of the Hong Kong handover in 1997. Hours later, police started arresting people for carrying banners calling for independence or greater autonomy, but the actions also resulted in some puzzling excesses.

The Apple Daily, a newspaper run by activist-tycoon Jimmy Lai, reported that the police were laughed at after confiscating pamphlets with the word conscience printed on them. The offending items were displayed on the Facebook page of the Hong Kong police. In a ridiculous era, it is forbidden to have a conscience, one internet user comments.
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is seen during its visit to Hong Kong

By Matthew Tostevin

(Reuters) - Two U.S. aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the U.S. 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 U.S. criticism of its drills on Friday 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 criticised the planned Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours.

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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 U.S. statement said the naval exercises gave commanders the flexibility and capabilities "that only the U.S. Navy can command".

(Reporting by Matthew Tostevin; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by William Mallard)
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.

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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.
Thousands of Covid-19 patients will take part in world-leading research about the long-term impacts of the virus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced.

The Government has launched the worlds largest study into the physical and mental implications of the virus for patients admitted to hospital, investing 8.4 million in the scheme through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Led by the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, a partnership between the University of Leicester and the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, the study will draw on expertise from leading researchers and doctors from across the UK.

They will collect data including blood and lung samples to assess the consequences of the virus for those most severely affected by it.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The study will also look at possible ways to improve the mental health of inpatients, and how individual characteristics such as gender and ethnicity influence recovery.

This comes as the NHS begins to roll out an online portal called Your Covid Recovery, for people who are suffering with breathing difficulties, muscle damage from being on a ventilator, or from mental health problems such as PTSD, anxiety and depression, available from later this summer.

Mr Hancock said: This world-leading study is another fantastic contribution from the UKs world-leading life sciences and research sector.

It will also help to ensure future treatment can be tailored as much as possible to the person.

Chief medical officer and head of NIHR Professor Chris Whitty said the long-term impacts of the virus may be significant and the study is one of the first steps in exploring this.

He said: We have rightly focused on mortality, and what the UK can do straight away to protect lives, but we should also look at how Covid-19 impacts on the health of people after they have recovered from the immediate disease.

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UK Research and Innovation chief executive Professor Ottoline Leyser said she hopes the study will improve the lives of coronavirus survivors.

Prof Leyser said: We have much to learn about the long-term health impacts of Covid-19 and its management in hospital, including the effects of debilitating lung and heart conditions, fatigue, trauma and the mental health and wellbeing of patients.

UKRI is collaborating with NIHR to fund one of the worlds largest studies to track the long-term effects of the virus after hospital treatment, recognising that for many people survival may be just the start of a long road to recovery.

Symptoms of Covid-19 have varied among those who have tested positive, from those who displayed no signs of the virus, to others for whom it has been fatal.

Patients will be recruited for the study from the end of July, based on representation of those admitted to hospital with the virus, including minority groups.
The Chinese appear to be preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind new-generation fighter jet in 2021, a move which could signify a large step forward in power-projection and air-attack capability for a country seeking to strengthen its global influence, The National Interest reports. Citing an aviation industry report, the Chinese-backed Global Times stated that the new plane is likely to be a carrier-launched fighter variant of its fifth-generation J-31 stealth fighter jet. It has long been discussed that China may engineer a new, carrier-based variant of its J-31 jet, in what might appear as a transparent attempt to rival Americas F-35 fighter jet.

The report speculates that the new plane could be the now-in-development Shenyang J-15 fighter jet but is more likely an FC-31 carrier variant of the J-31 jet. The Global Times reports said the Chinese have been rumored to be amid ongoing modifications to its J-31 jet for the specific purpose of engineering a carrier-launched variant.

The existence of an aircraft such as this could provide some kind of counterbalance to the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet and the U.S. Navys F-35C fighter jet, depending upon its level of technical sophistication. An expeditionary fifth-generation stealth fighter able to operate from Chinese amphibious ships and aircraft carriers does bring new attack possibilities for maritime commanders seeking to project power. The possibility certainly does align with Chinas well-known work to build its own indigenous fleet of aircraft carriers.

While there has been much discussion about the extent to which Chinas J-31 fighter jet clearly seems to replicate the U.S. F-35 fighter jet in terms of external configuration, many of its internal components may simply not be fully known. Despite what appears to be a transparent attempt to possibly rip off F-35 design specs, it is not at all clear if an FC-31 would in fact rival a Navy F-35C. Much of this would rely upon sensor technology, weapons range and onboard computing, as those areas encompass many of the attributes unique to the F-35 fighter jet.

For instance, the F-35 fighter jet not only provides armed multirole air attack support but also functions as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aerial node able to find and transmit threat information at long ranges, at times beyond the horizon. The F-35s Distributed Aperture System surround cameras and Electro-Optical Targeting System enables it to operate in a sensor-drone type capacity as well as an attack platform. While designed to be maneuverable, the F-35 fighter jet is engineered to detect threats well in advance of being close enough to require dog-fighting.

A carrier-launched fifth-generation stealth fighter would massively expand Chinas ability to project power internationally, especially in places such as the South China Sea where it may be difficult to build runways for a fixed-wing attack. A sea-based fighter could surveil or target island areas without needing to take off and land from one of the islands themselves, thereby making themselves less vulnerable to ground or runway strikes against their air operations. It also goes without saying that fifth-generation air support would change the threat equation for Taiwan should it face an amphibious attack.

After all, having just fourth-generation aircraft able to launch from carriers, such as U.S. F/A-18s, may limit an ability to conduct operations over areas with extremely advanced air defenses. A stealthy fighter, however, while still at risk against some emerging air defenses, enables global power projection in a substantially different way. It takes little imagination to envision Chinas grand ambitions for expanded global influence, as having attack-power projection fortifies their current efforts to expand into many areas of Africa, the Middle East and of course Southeast Asia.
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. As NBC News writes, now the more than 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.

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.

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.

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?
Tehran has built underground "missile cities" along the Gulf coastline, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy chief said on Sunday, warning of a "nightmare for Iran's enemies", Reuters reports.

"Iran has established underground onshore and offshore missile cities all along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that would be a nightmare for Iran's enemies," Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri told the Sobh-e Sadeq weekly.
Footage has emerged of Khabib Nurmagomedov mourning the passing of his father and trainer Abdulmanap in the company of the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, RT reports.

The world of mixed martial arts has been in mourning since the death of Abdulmanap, 57, was announced on Friday after a protracted battle with COVID-19.

Several figures from within the sport's community, including rivals Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson, and Conor McGregor, issued statements of support for the Russian UFC lightweight champion following the passing of the pioneer of Dagestani martial arts.

At a gathering late on Friday, Kadyrov met with Khabib to offer his own condolences. Text accompanying the video notes that Kadyrov emphasized the "universal respect" that Abdulmanap had both at home and abroad, as well as highlighting the indelible mark he placed on the sport of MMA.

Khabib is understood to have thanked Kadyrov for his part in arranging for Abdulmanap to be transferred to a medical facility in Moscow for the latter part of his treatment.

"The plan of the Most High cannot be changed, for all his will. Praise be to Allah," Nurmagomedov was quoted as saying.

The UFC lightweight champion had been expected to defend his world title against Justin Gaethje in September, but following the passing of his father, the fight is far from certain to go ahead.

Nurmagomedov has yet to make a statement since news of his father's death broke on Friday.
A survey of CCPS students parents found that 49% of those responding would be comfortable reopening for all students, about 33% would be comfortable reopening in a limited manner and about 18% would prefer virtual instruction. If given discretion, CCPS should take that into account, although the main factor in how Carroll opens should be where the county stands and is trending in terms of coronavirus cases. Guidance from local and state health departments as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should also be given great weight.
No new cases of COVID-19 were reported on July 4, leaving the total number of confirmed cases at 355, according to the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.







This marks the 79th straight day without local community transmission of the coronavirus in the country as of 6pm on July 4. Among 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.

Most of the 15 remaining patients are in stable condition, with three negative for the coronavirus at least twice.

Meanwhile, 10,621 people are currently in quarantine, including 103 in hospitals, 10,121 in other quarantine facilities, and 397 at home.

COVID-19: Over 350 Vietnamese citizens repatriated from Australia, New Zealand

More than 350 Vietnamese citizens from Australia and New Zealand were brought home safe and sound on July 3.

Vietnamese agencies in and outside the country have coordinated with the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, and agencies of Australia and New Zealand to arrange the flight to bring the citizens home.

Passengers were mostly children, the elderly, pregnant women, those with illnesses, and workers and students made homeless after their working contracts ended or campus closed.

Preventive measures were taken seriously during the flight. After landing at the Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, crew members and passengers had their body temperature checked and went under quarantine as regulated.

Under the Prime Ministers instruction, Vietnamese authorities and representative offices abroad will continue conducting more flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home in the coming time, based on the pandemic developments at home and abroad, the citizens aspirations, and quarantine capacity in localities.

Vietnam spends over VND15 trillion on fight against Covid-19

Some VND15.4 trillion from the State budget has been spent on the battle against the coronavirus pandemic and to offer support for residents affected by the virus to date, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung told a teleconference between the Government and localities on July 2.

Minister Dung said that of the total, VND4.1 trillion was used for Covid-19 infection prevention and control efforts, while the Government spent VND11.3 trillion on reducing taxes or extending tax payment deadlines for 11 million businesses and individuals affected by Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Apart from this, the State budget has extracted over VND1.6 trillion from the backup fund for 2020 to help some localities fight the African swine fever outbreak and to ensure production recovers after the drought and salt intrusion.

Some 13,600 tons of rice from the national reserve have been given to localities hit hard by natural disasters as part of hunger elimination and relief efforts.

Between January and June, the State budget collection reached a mere 44.2% of the estimate or VND668 trillion, down 11% year-on-year. The figure was the lowest since 2013, VnExpress news site reported.

Accordingly, domestic collections inched down by 8% year-on-year, reaching 44.1% of the estimate, while crude oil revenue dropped by 28.5%.

The fall in collections reflected the difficulties plaguing the countrys economy, Dung said.

In the second half of the year, the negative impact from the pandemic is expected to continue to make budget collection difficult, Minister Dung added.

The ministry will continue to work out various measures over taxes and fees to open up a wide door for business and production, he said.

Viet Nam gifts face masks to UK, Ireland

The Embassy of Viet Nam in the UK handed over 135,000 antimicrobial face masks to authorities of London and Wales on Thursday (local time) to support the fight against COVID-19.

This is the first batch of a total of 500,000 masks from Viet Nam which will be sent to over 30 localities and organisations of the UK and Ireland.

At the handover ceremony, Ambassador Tran Ngoc An underlined the thriving and close-knit cooperation between Viet Nam and the UK, as the two countries are marking the 10th year of their bilateral strategic partnership this year.

The 500,000 masks from budget carrier Vietjet Air to the UK demonstrate the sound bilateral relations with proactive engagement of firms, organisations and people, he noted.

London is among the first UK localities to make wearing masks mandatory when using public transport, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Cheryl Dennis, head of Wales London Office, thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for the support and vowed to distribute the masks to the people in need.

Vietnamese woman donates masks to German people

A Vietnamese woman donated 300,000 masks to German people in Leipzig City to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic on July 1.

Visiting her children in January, o Thi Kim Lien, president of the Green Vietnam Fund, was stuck in Leipzig City because of the pandemic.

Lien said: Germany is a powerful nation but at this time it lacks masks. I would like to show the friendship of Vietnamese and German people and to thank the German people and Government for allowing us to stay for a very long time during the pandemic.

To support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Viet Nam, Lien also contributed VN2 billion (US$85,800) to the local government.

As the president of the Green Vietnam Fund, Lien has run social and charitable activities such as building schools in the northwestern region, rural bridges in the Central Highlands and Mekong River Delta.




Pandoras Box is Now Open!

Up to now, there have only been large groups of white supremacists showing up at state capitals and protests around the country, armed with AK-47s and other weapons of war to the delight of President Trump and his right-wing racists.









When up to a thousand black men, women and sympathetic people of all races and religions need to show up to peaceful protests with weapons of war to prevent being beaten and murdered by white supremacists and racist police Americans of all political leanings America must begin to realize the legalization of the sale of weapons of war can only be seen as total insanity.

Yesterday, a fully armed group of an estimated 800 to 1000 heavily armed black protesters marched in Georgia on Independence Day to protest one of the largest Confederate monuments in the world. Reuters reported on Friday.

Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, a nine-story-high bas-relief sculpture carved into a sprawling rock face northeast of Atlanta, is perhaps the Souths most audacious monument to its pro-slavery legacy still intact.

The monument  which reopens on Independence Day weekend after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close for weeks, has faced renewed calls for its removal. The site has been closed since the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died during an arrest by a white police officer who pinned his neck to the ground with a knee.

Upon reopening, a huge group of armed Black and sympathetic multi-racial protesters that calls itself the NFAC "The Not Fuckin Around Coalition." marched through Stone Mountain to show their contempt for the Stone Mountain Memorial to General Robert E. Lee.

We at WallStreetRebel.com have been warning this incident since happening when President Trump continued to smear the Black Lives Matters and Antifa peaceful social movements. Police and National Guard violence attacked these groups during peaceful protests; the time-bomb has been ticking to this very point where there would be a violent reckoning since the Trump administration began preaching hate.

The right to carry and bear arms, President Trump and Republicans disturbing interpretation of the 2nd Amendment to the constitution doesnt just benefit politically conservative white people but all U.S. citizens, including progressives, liberals, people of color including Black Americans.

Now thanks to NFAC, the American people get to see the consequences of over 400 years of slavery, racism, social injustice, and depriving people of color the right to protest and vote peacefully.

President Trumps July 3 and 4th Fourth of July speeches were delusional racist rants. There were no heroes among those who took up arms against the Union in 1861  only traitors. The Civil War was not about states rights. Thats a delusional myth pushed from 1890 till today was created to justify southern historians call for continued racism. State's power cannot justify the legalization of slavery and systemic racism that deprives people of color of their 4th Amendment protections.







Heavily-Armed Black Militia Group Marches on Georgia's Stone Mountain Confederate Monument





We at WallstreetRebel.com have been worried that a group or lone gunman like the one that killed 57 people outside the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas in 2017 would be motivated by President Trumps hate speeches and outright racism could kill hundreds of people in a single incident.







Las Vegas Shooting





Weve worried since June 1 after the attack by Washington D.C. park police, secret police, and the National Guards attack on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park across from the White House was a prelude to a Kent State slaughter by Trumps government to stay in power. That day is fast approaching if America doesnt suppress its acceptable RACIST views.

President Trump will use this armed march of the NFAC to paint them as a revolutionary army taking up arms against his administration and the U.S. government. Its a cynical yet easy way of trying to make a case for his law and order campaign bravado.

The problem, of course, is when the shooting starts, it wont be because NFAC, Black Matters, and other pro-liberty, pro-social equality groups are armed. When the shooting starts, it will be against unarmed peaceful protesters and will be justified by President Trump by referring to this NFAC march.

When the consequences of President Trumps hate speech unleash the murder and mayhem, it will be against unarmed peaceful men, women, and children of all races and religions who stand up and march for the social and equality revolution.















President Trump is desperate to take peoples attention away from his disastrous mishandling of the pandemic, his growing Russia Murder for Hire scandal, and from the economic nightmare of the current recession turning into a depression worse than that of the 1930s.

President Trump, Vice President Pence, Attorney General Barr, and many other officials and staff members know they will face indictment and trials after President Biden and the new majority of the Senate is sworn in.

If the Democrats win control of 3 of the 4 branches of government on November 3, 2020, General Flynn will be re-arrested and charged with all the crimes he pleads guilty to, and instead of a few months in jail, he will get several years. The House of Representatives will impeach every judge appointed to the bench by Trump, who was not qualified per the American Bar association. Justice Kavanaugh will be investigated for perjury by the House Judiciary, and if he is proven to their satisfaction  he will be impeached. With Justices Thomas and Alito reportedly considering retirement, we could see the Supreme Court shift from a 5-4 majority to an 8-2 minority.

Will National Guard troops fire on peaceful protesters? If they do, they and their commanders will face murder charges.

The sight of 1,000 black men, women, and their multi-racial supporters is surely to enrage white supremacists and will be used to fan the flame of hatred and division by President Trump and his Republican sycophants. How will the sight of 1 million Black Lives Matter, Antifa, Progressive, Liberal protesters of all races and religions, many veterans, armed to the teeth peacefully marching the streets of Washington D.C be confronted by the cowardly traitor in the White House?

Every National Guardsman must understand that they cannot obey illegal orders. Shooting peaceful protesters because they are armed with the deadliest weapons of war  is not a justification. The armed white protesters that showed up around the country in objection to shutdown orders didnt have to worry about the National Guard. They, as President Trump would point out they have 2nd Amendment Rights  so does everyone else.

Historical  The Lincoln Project




Instead of using physical group work, well have virtual group work, she said. The technology well have will allow that to happen.

While the district is planning on having students return to buildings, it will accommodate others who want to work online from home.

We strongly believe we will have some families of students who will be requesting a virtual option, said Lindaman. Audio or video recordings of classes will be pushed out to those students and were looking at options for real time recording, as well.

She acknowledged that means added duties for staff, but noted only one class where multiple sections are offered would be recorded.

Independence Community Schools also expects to have some students learning remotely, no matter what plan is put in place. The district has changed its calendar for the coming year, moving a two-hour early release for students to Fridays. Superintendent Russell Reiter said that will allow for teachers to work with students learning remotely as well as meeting professional development needs.
Dorsey, whose last known address was in Glen Burnie, was charged a handful of times over the last seven years with assault, violating a protective order and breaking and entering. In 2013, he listed his address in the same block where he was fatally stabbed.
She quickly established a rapport with police, lawyers and even judges that was remarkable for any reporter. She could be disarmingly friendly and in doing so be able to extract information from normally uncooperative sources. Thats why when I later became city editor, I knew I could depend on Nancy not only to get information, but also to get the story finished accurately and on deadline, recalled Dundon, noting he never worried about her burying the lede or misquoting a source.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Pat Kinney, former Courier city editor and reporter, said Newhoff was all-out old-school journalism: Get the facts, get them right, get them on time and dont let up until you do. She believed that accurate and thorough information can be a powerful, unifying force.

She never went about anything halfheartedly. She took on any task with enthusiasm and zeal. Any nervousness she might have had about taking on a new task was covered over by her sheer drive and will. I have to say she is one of the most courageous and strongest people I have ever known outside my own family. She cares about her town, her family, and she treated the Courier as one of her kids.
Jefferson was the only slaveholder on the committee. Like George Washington, he inherited slaves from his wifes family and was conflicted about it.

He correctly feared the British army would promise slaves freedom to join their ranks  20,000 did, including James Armistead.

Armistead, though, was a double agent, spying on traitor Benedict Arnold and, critically at the concluding Battle of Yorktown in 1781, Lord Cornwallis. Once freed, he took the surname Lafayette, honoring his commander.

David McCullough wrote in 1776, the Continental Army became an army of everyone, men of every shape and size and makeup, different colors, different nationalities.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island regiments  integrated and segregated  included Negroes and Indians. Crispus Attucks was the first American killed at the Boston Massacre. Blacks fought with Minutemen at Lexington and Concord in April 1775.

Gen. John Brewer of Massachusetts wrote about his Black troops, Many of them have proved themselves brave.
Many work low-wage jobs in factories, meatpacking plants, restaurants and hotels and part-time at service jobs that lack health coverage; 73% of Marshallese here dont have any, according to Politico.

State Rep. Charles Isenhart, D-Dubuque, calls the COVID-19 situation urgent. Seven were at MercyOnes ICU simultaneously, he said in an interview. He and Roche say the hospital and another in the area need government reimbursement for the care theyve provided the Marshallese free of charge. For MercyOne, thats half a million to $1 million in uncompensated COVID care in about three months.

Marshallese people in some other U.S. states still do get public health benefits through state-supported programs for low-income people. But Iowa isnt one of those. Iowa received $1.25 billion in federal assistance for coronavirus relief, of which Gov. Kim Reynolds has said $70 million was being allocated to small businesses, farmers and communities for needs like housing, workforce initiatives and food banks. The remaining $550 million would be held for possible unemployment assistance or other unforeseen COVID-19 related expenses. She said the state was launching an online payment portal for cities and counties applying for reimbursement of COVID-19 related expenses.
In 2014, Ronald Carnes made history by applying for his drivers license in Waterloo, which cost him his freedom.

Carnes had been convicted in November 1970 in North Carolina of robbery with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He escaped in 1973. Authorities failed to determine his whereabouts.

At the Department of Motor Vehicles, a clerk told Carnes not to smile  or, at least, not show your teeth  because Iowa was among the first states  now numbering at least 39  to use facial recognition software alerting law enforcement to criminals and fraud, including identity theft.

The software converts your drivers license image into an algorithm gauging your unique facial features such as the distance from the tip of your nose to your chin or between eye pupils and the measurement of your cheekbones.

If two or more identities are associated with that image, law enforcement will try to determine why. Carnes had used the two other identities to collect Social Security benefits and apply for Iowa drivers licenses, becoming the first criminal captured using DMV face recognition.
Chef Reem Assil's original vision for her first restaurant, Reem's California in Oakland, was about more than just the food her Arab bakery would prepare. It was about the sense of community she hoped it would inspire.

In Boston, Assil had grown up under the influence of food traditions from Palestine and Lebanon, but when she traveled there in 2010, she learned that what ended up on the Arab plate was only half the story. The rest was written in the warmth and hospitality of the food traditions of a regional people who, despite being made up of remarkably diverse ethnic communities, had all found a home in the Levant.

"As a kid, I'd revert back to [the feeling] that I'm not Syrian enough or I'm not Palestinian enough," says Assil. But in Syria, "the people just took me in with open arms as if I was their own. It was in those moments where I was like, oh my goodness, my people are the masters of hospitality. They really know how to make you feel welcome."

Across the Levant, Assil found that, like the people who had greeted her so warmly, the food was anything but homogenous. There were similar flavors, sure. Lemon, garlic, and olive oil were ever present. So were spice-forward stews, fresh herbs, and salads. But popular dishes in Syrialike muhammara (a dip made from roasted red peppers, walnuts, and olive oil) and zlebiye (a sweet, fried pancake filled with clotted cream and served for breakfast)weren't commonly found across the border in Lebanon and vice versa.

In fact, really only one thing crossed the borders of ethnic enclaves unchanged: bread. In bustling corner bakeries, Assil was transfixed by the spectacle of fresh, steaming bread being pulled from the ovens, the crush of patrons watching the show as they awaited their turn. "It was just like magic," she explains. "Bread is a unifying component. It's transcendent of all cultures in some way."

Returning home, Assil believed that baking and sharing bread could be a way to build community in the Bay Area, too. Bread could be the conduit for "introducing the flavors of [her] culture to an American public that largely only knew Arab food as falafel and shawarma. She was right.

A decade on, Assil has indeed built a community of Levantine food lovers and warm, welcoming hospitality, first in farmers markets and pop-ups, then at the original brick-and-mortar location of Reem's California in Fruitvale.

"The street corner bakery experience...that sort of fresh-baked bread smell, the aromas of the spices playing with the meats, we really wanted to recreate that feeling," she says. And she has, first in Oakland, and now in San Francisco since the March opening of a second Reem's California location in the Mission.
Bonnie Ellis can



t get away from pheasant sandwiches.The 89-year-old Aberdeen woman helped make sandwiches for the troops when she was in high school. Two years later, when she was shipping out herself, she was handed a sandwich. And just a few weeks
I remained at the table as my friends began to clear dishes and move on to other topics of conversation. I was lost in thought. Deep down, I began to feel ill. It wasn't the second helping of green bean casserole bothering me. It was the arrogance of the Baltimore City Council that each day seems to move toward a goal of becoming a vacuous echo chamber of legislative ineptitude. The Orwellian quality of their newest proposal is appalling. With it, the council is essentially stating: "All people are created equal, but some people are more equal than others." The Sun cited the whims of a group of middle school children as Councilman Scott's inspiration for snatching a day of celebration from one ethnic group in order to split it with another, which he apparently feels is more deserving.
Restaurants



4th of July Weekend Specials at Daiquiri Dick's



Daiquiri Dick's celebrates America's Independence July 4-6 with a special 3-course menu. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at DDPV.com or by calling the restaurant at (322) 222-0566. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - You don't have to be an American to celebrate the 4th of July with great food and fun in Puerto Vallarta. Just head over to Daiquiri Dick's on Los Muertos Beach, where you can enjoy a special 3-course menu that gives you a choice of appetizers, entrAes and desserts, plus a glass of house wine for $425 pesos, from July 4th through 6th.



Celebrate American Independence at Daiquiri Dick's

Select one item from each category for $425 pesos.



Appetizers

a Grilled Watermelon and Arugula Salad with JalapeAo Chile Vinaigrette

a Cajun Style Fired Calamari with Chipotle Aioli



Main Courses

a Linguine a la Checca with Shrimp or Grilled Chicken Breast

a Grilled Flank Steak Marinated with Argentinian Style Chimichuri and Served with Grilled Vegetables and Roasted Baby Potatoes



Desserts

a Fresh Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream

a Daiquiri Dick's Famous Key Lime Pie



Glass of House Wine

a Sparkling

a Chardonnay

a Pinot Grigio

a Malbec

a Cabernet Sauvignon



Come out to the beach and enjoy these specials, along with the restaurant's regular a la carte menu, from 4:00-10:00 pm, July 4-6, 2020.



If all of this sounds good, but you'd feel more comfortable eating at home, Daiquiri Dick's is now offering special Takeout Menus for



Daiquiri Dick's contemporary design exudes a quiet elegance that invites relaxation, and its tropical location at Olas Altas 314 on Los Muertos Beach offers the perfect atmosphere for enjoying spectacular views of Banderas Bay. For reservations call (322) 222-0566. For more information, visit DDPV.com.



Click HERE to read more about Daiquiri Dick's. - You don't have to be an American to celebrate the 4th of July with great food and fun in Puerto Vallarta. Just head over to Daiquiri Dick's on Los Muertos Beach, where you can enjoy a special 3-course menu that gives you a choice of appetizers, entrAes and desserts, plus a glass of house wine for $425 pesos, from July 4th through 6th.a Grilled Watermelon and Arugula Salad with JalapeAo Chile Vinaigrettea Cajun Style Fired Calamari with Chipotle Aiolia Linguine a la Checca with Shrimp or Grilled Chicken Breasta Grilled Flank Steak Marinated with Argentinian Style Chimichuri and Served with Grilled Vegetables and Roasted Baby Potatoesa Fresh Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Creama Daiquiri Dick's Famous Key Lime Piea Sparklinga Chardonnaya Pinot Grigioa Malbeca Cabernet SauvignonCome out to the beach and enjoy these specials, along with the restaurant's regular a la carte menu, from 4:00-10:00 pm, July 4-6, 2020.If all of this sounds good, but you'd feel more comfortable eating at home, Daiquiri Dick's is now offering special Takeout Menus for Breakfast & Lunch, served from 10 am to 9 pm, and Dinner from 5:00-9:00 pm. Call 322-222-0566 to place your order for Free Home Delivery (cash only), or pick it up and receive a 10% discount.



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WENN Celebrity

When the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor takes the witness stand during his legal battle against British tabloid, his former wife is expected to appear in court.

Jul 6, 2020

AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp will come face-to-face with ex-wife Amber Heard in court after a judge ruled the actress could be present while Depp gives evidence in his libel case against Britain's The Sun newspaper.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is suing the tabloid's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over a 2018 article which referred to him as a "wife-beater" in relation to domestic violence allegations made by Heard, which Depp has repeatedly denied.

The article related to Heard's claims that he was violent to her during their marriage - which he strenuously denies - and, despite the "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" actor requesting Heard not be present while he's in the witness box, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicol has ruled against him.

A pre-trial hearing has heard numerous claims, including Depp allegedly begging his assistant for "happy pills" and "whitey stuff" - which lawyers claim meant ecstasy and cocaine - days the alleged assault.

Meanwhile, another claim sees Heard described as a Gone Girl - referring to the 2012 thriller in which a wife goes missing and leaves a trail of faked evidence which frames her husband for her murder.

The trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, with Depp's exes Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis expected to give evidence in Depp's defence.

Depp and Heard split in 2016 and finalised their divorce the following year, with Heard receiving $7 million in a settlement
CHICO, Calif. - Dutch Bros Coffee says one of its Chico employees tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.

The chain said on July 3, an employee of the Humboldt Avenue stand tested positive and was told to self-isolate.

Before getting their positive results, the employee worked the evening shifts on 6/28 and 6/29.

"We learned of the positive case on Friday, 7/3 and immediately started closing procedures," the chain said in a statement. "As an extra precaution, the location [underwent] a third-party deep clean overnight."

The chain said they are also working with public health officials to make sure their protocols are meeting and exceeding expectations.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dutch Bros says they have taken the following steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus:


By Kim Rossi



I've had a lot on my plate during the last year and change. More than my usual as Mom to three girls with autism, Managing Editor of Age of Autism, consultant, writer, editor, speaker for anyone brave enough to hire me, karate and kobudo teacher and student.



I got divorced in June of 2017 after 25 years of marriage. Now I can include single parent to the above list of jobs. My divorce was as rotten as any. None are pleasant. I kept it as private as I could for numerous reasons, the first being, IT WAS NO ONE'S BUSINESS BUT MY EX HUSBAND'S AND MY OWN. I got out poor as a church mouse, light as a feather, righter than rain and happier than a clam in cool, wet sand.



This week news broke about our friend Dr. Andrew Wakefield - and his possible, probably, pending - we do not know - divorce from the strong, smart, talented, smiling, partner we know as Carmel. IT IS NO ONE'S BUSINESS BUT ANDY AND CARMEL'S.



Here is a new flash for you - during my Google Divorce U education, I learned that it takes more than 7 years to get a divorce from the moment you think, "This is something I should consider," to the day a judge gives you back your maiden name. And women initiate 70% of divorces. And according to Psychology Today, One might think that the majority of divorces in heterosexual marriages are initiated by men, due to the financial and social difficulties that many women face post (Brinig & Allen, 2000). However, research since the 1940s, has revealed that women are more responsible for initiating divorce than men and that divorced women are happier after ending their marriages (Brining & Allen, 2000; Rosenfeld, 2016).



I concur.



Many people think autism broke up my marriage. Not so. In fact, the opposite. So while people wonder in newspaper articles and on websites better known for social gossip speculate about the Wakefields, please keep in mind that women like Carmel, like me - are not to be pitied. Life is messy. The road changes before us. And that's OK. My book All I Can Handle I'm No Mother Teresa (which is honest and true as I wrote it I promise you) had just been published when I started to contemplate a divorce. During my VAXXED bus interview, I was asked "How do you keep your marriage alive, Kim?" And I tap danced faster than Savion Glover on Sesame Street, as I was well on my way to filing!







The bright side for me being a single Mom is that I have had precious little time to watch the news. Thank God for that. Here's my opinion. We have become a nation of bullies. I mean that. Both sides. Take a look at the Google "IDIOT" search message in the photo above. Can you imagine a world where someone(s) can change a search engine to say whatever they want? Love Trump. Hate Trump. I don't care a fig. But do consider what would happen if you searched, "religion" and "unicorns" came up? Or if you searched "car" and ONLY GM brands appeared deep into the search." Or you typed Anti-vaxxer and Andy Wakefield's photo popped up. Or mine. Or yours!
Tim Youngquist has a bit of a duel role, just like the prairie strips he promotes serve multiple roles.

Youngquist farms with his father in southwest Sac County, Iowa, where they have worked to implement some prairie strips into their fields. But he also serves as the farmer liaison for the researchers doing on-farm research into prairie strips at Iowa State University.

The strips he works on and promotes are used by farmers to address erosion, wildlife habitat and water quality issues, among other things.

Both the man and the strips are multi-tasking.

I guess Im kind of a prairie diplomat, Youngquist says. Farmers have a lot of questions.

Omar de Kok-Mercado works with Youngquist and with other researchers on the prairie strip project. He sees the strips slowly catching on and offering farmers a range of possibilities for improving their own farm situations

The ISU researchers are working with farmers in six different states with about 1,600 acres of prairie strips, de Kok-Mercado says. And the improved ability of farmers to use the CRP program in more prairie strip situations has been helpful this year.

Before this year, farmers could use the CP21 program under CRP for filter strips along creeks. But the CP43 program is also useful now to those who want to implement prairie strips on their farms and are looking at a way to make it more affordable.

The idea of prairie strips isnt completely new. Iowa and much of the Midwest and plains states were once covered with prairie. But this effort began in 2014 with research at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City. Soon a team of researchers and Extension experts began working with farmers on different types of prairie strips. Some are being used as buffers alongside streams. Others are being used to replace end-rows on fields or are along the bottom end or the fence-line area. And some are aligned in strips across the field like terraces.
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https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Outrage-Without-Rage.html

What stimulates positive change, and drives people to pursue justice, equality, goodness, and truth is not anger or rage, but outrage.

It seems everywhere we turn these days is anger and rage. Some are angry at those not wearing masks, others outraged mask-wearing is being legislated. There is anger provoked by the pandemic. Anger at elected leaders on both sides of the aisle for how they have governed during this unprecedented time. There is anger at the police and anger at those calling to defund the police. Anger at those supporting annexation in Israel and anger at those who could possibly object or question its wisdom or timing.

Raymond Novaco, a psychology professor at the University of California at Irvine, describes that right now, "We're living, in effect, in a big anger incubator." Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, who studies the regulation of emotions says that most of us are more comfortable being angry than anxious. When life becomes uncertain and more and more seems out of our control, we alleviate and avoid the proclivity towards anxiety by getting angry instead. That anger can be directed at a spouse and children, at a neighbor or co-worker, or moral outrage expressed online.

And now, disastrously, this angry incubator is about to be put into a literal pressure cooker. Meteorologists revealed this week that more than two-thirds of the continental U.S. is going to experience a historic heat wave in July.

But doesnt anger energize and spark revolutions? Didnt anger just stimulate a national conversation on race and equality that may finally lead to positive developments?

The word rage comes from the Latin rabies, meaning madness.

The simple answer is anger is never good. It never builds, only destroys. It never produces, it just compromises. It never provides clarity, only cloudiness and confusion. Anger never builds bridges, it only creates schisms. The word rage comes from the Latin rabies, meaning madness. Giving in to rage is an act of madness because you give up so much and get nothing in return. Mark Twain said, Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

The Orchot Tzaddikim says that character traits are called middot in Hebrew, literally translated as measurements, because they are neither inherently good or bad, rather they must be appropriately channeled and employed in correct measures. The exceptions are arrogance and anger which are categorically wrong and dont belong in our emotional toolbox at all. Moses saw his dream of entering Israel shattered because, according to many, he gave in to anger when he hit the rock instead of speaking to it.

In a letter to his son, the Ramban writes that anger is a wicked impulse. The Rambam writes that anger diminishes a persons overall quality of life: Those who frequently become angry have no quality of life; therefore, our rabbis instructed us to distance ourselves from anger to the farthest degree, until a person acts as though he does not sense even those things that would justifiably anger a person. (Hilchot Deot, 2:3)

Indeed, research shows that anger clouds judgment, distorts perspective, and deprives you of the ability to see another point of view or feel empathy. Anger is linked to higher blood pressure and inflammation, infections, heart disease, and cancer. One study found a tripled risk of a stroke during the two hours following an angry outburst. Mental health experts are warning about rising domestic violence during this age of anger.

What stimulates positive change, and drives people to pursue justice, equality, goodness, and truth is not anger or rage, but outrage. The Rambam writes that real anger is never healthy, warranted, or productive. But occasionally and strategically, one may exhibit anger in order to strongly communicate a message or accomplish a goal. Nevertheless, even when expressing outrage, one can never indulge the feeling of rage and let himself be overtaken by the emotion of anger.

Anger is an animalistic emotion; outrage is a call to action. There are things worth being outraged about, but there is nothing worth feeling rage over. Outrage is productive, rage is counterproductive. Outrage brings results, rage creates problems.

There is no shortage of causes that could benefit from your outrage, your social action, and efforts in measured, productive ways. Save your energy to take on racism, antisemitism, incivility, or inequality. Dont waste energy by taking your anger out on your spouse or children, your friends or colleagues.

Address your anxiety, dont let it manifest as anger. Keep your calm by letting out energy through regular walks, exercise, or meditation. Practice an attitude of gratitude by journaling the blessings in your life each day and staying focused on what is going right, not what is wrong, what you have, not what is missing. Expose yourself to media and social media that will help generate productive outrage but shut out news and commentary, posts and conversations that will frustrate, irritate, and aggravate. Watch for warning signs, familiarize yourself with triggers and cut off the anger before it even escalates or rises within you. Learn to self soothe, distract and put things in perspective.

As the summer is about to get hotter, dont let yourself lose your cool.
https://www.aish.com/tp/i/sacks/Moral-v-Political-Decisions.html

The coronavirus pandemic raised a series of deep moral and political issues. This week's Torah portion sheds some light.

The coronavirus pandemic raised a series of deep moral and political issues.1 How far should governments go in seeking to prevent its spread? To what extent should it restrict peoples movements at the cost of violating their civil liberties? How far should it go in imposing a clampdown of businesses at the cost of driving many of them bankrupt, rendering swathes of the population unemployed, building up a mountain of debt for the future and plunging the economy into the worst recession since the 1930s? These are just a few of the many heart-breaking dilemmas that the pandemic forced on governments and on us.

Strikingly, almost every country adopted the same measures: social distancing and lockdown until the incidence of new cases had reached its peak (Sweden was the most conspicuous exception). Nations didnt count the cost. Virtually unanimously, they placed the saving of life above all other considerations. The economy may suffer, but life is infinitely precious and saving it takes precedence over all else.

This was a momentous victory for the value first articulated in the Torah in the Noahide covenant: He who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God He created man (Gen. 9:6). This was the first declaration of the principle that human life is sacred. As the Sages put it, Every life is like a universe. Save a life and it is as if you have saved a universe.2

In the ancient world, economic considerations took precedence over life. Great building projects like the Tower of Babel and the Egyptian pyramids involved huge loss of life. Even in the 20th century, lives were sacrificed to economic ideology: between six and nine million under Stalin, and between 35 and 45 million under Chinese communism. The fact that virtually all nations, in the face of the pandemic, chose life was a significant victory for the Torahs ethic of the sanctity of life.

That said, the former Supreme Court judge Jonathan Sumption wrote a challenging article in which he argued that the world, or at least Britain, had got it wrong.3 It was overreacting. The cure may be worse than the disease. The lockdown amounted to subjecting the population to house arrest, causing great distress and giving the police unprecedented and dangerous powers. It represented an interference with our lives and our personal autonomy that is intolerable in a free society. The economic impact would be devastating. If all this is the price of saving human life, we have to ask whether it is worth paying.

There are, he said, no absolute values in public policy. As proof he cited the fact that we allow cars, despite knowing that they are potentially lethal weapons, and that every year thousands of people will be killed or maimed by them. In public policy there are always multiple, conflicting considerations. There are no non-negotiable absolutes, not even the sanctity of life.

It was a powerful and challenging piece. Are we wrong to think that life is indeed sacred? Might we be placing too high a value on life, imposing a huge economic burden on future generations?

I am going to suggest, oddly enough, that there is a direct connection between this argument and the story of Pinchas. It is far from obvious, but it is fundamental. It lies in the difference  philosophical and halachic  between moral and political decisions.4

Recall the Pinhas story. The Israelites, having been saved by God from Bilaams curses, fell headlong into the trap he then set for them. They began consorting with Midianite women and were soon worshipping their gods. Gods anger burned. He ordered the death of the peoples leaders. A plague raged; 24,000 died. A leading Israelite, Zimri, brought a Midianite woman, Cozbi, and cohabited with her in full view of Moses and the people. It was the most brazen of acts. Pinchas took a spear and drove it through them both. They died, and the plague stopped.

Was Pinchas a hero or a murderer? On the one hand, he saved countless lives: no more people died because of the plague. On the other hand, he could not have been certain of that in advance. To any onlooker, he might have seemed simply a man of violence, caught up in the lawlessness of the moment. The parsha of Balak ends with this terrible ambiguity unresolved. Only in our parsha do we hear the answer. God says:

Phinchas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron the Priest, has turned back My anger from the Israelites by being zealous among them on My behalf, so that I did not wipe out the Israelite people in My zeal. Therefore say: I am making with him My covenant of peace. (Num. 25:11-12)

God declared Pinchas a hero. He had saved the Israelites from destruction, showed the zeal that counterbalanced the peoples faithlessness, and as a reward, God made a personal covenant with him. Pinchas did a good deed.

Halachah, however, dramatically circumscribes his act in multiple ways. First, it rules that if Zimri had turned and killed Pinchas in self-defence, he would be declared innocent in a court of law.5 Second, it rules that if Pinchas had killed Zimri and Cozbi just before or after they were engaged in cohabitation, he would have been guilty of murder.6 Third, had Pinchas consulted a Bet Din and asked whether he was permitted to do what he was proposing to do, the answer would have been, No.7 This is one of the rare cases where we say Halachah ve-ein morin kein: It is the law, but we do not make it known. And there are many other conditions and reservations. The Torah resolves the ambiguity but halachah reinstates it. Legally speaking, Pinchas was on very thin ice.

We can only understand this by way of a fundamental distinction between moral decisions and political decisions. Moral decisions are answers to the question, What should I do? Usually they are based on rules that may not be transgressed whatever the consequences. In Judaism, moral decisions are the province of halachah.

Political decisions are answers to the question, What should we do? where the we means the nation as a whole. They tend to involve several conflicting considerations, and there is rarely a clear-cut solution. Usually the decision will be based on an evaluation of the likely consequences. In Judaism this sphere is known as mishpat melech (the legal domain of the king), or hilchot medinah (public policy regulations).8 Whereas halachah is timeless, public policy tends to be time-bound and situational (a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build).

Were we in Pinchas position, asking, Should I kill Zimri and Cozbi? the moral answer is an unequivocal No. They may deserve to die; the whole nation may be eyewitnesses to their sin; but you cannot execute a death sentence without a duly constituted court of law, a trial, evidence and a judicial verdict. Killing without due process is murder. That is why the Talmud rules Halachah ve-ein morin kein: if Pinchas had asked a Bet Din whether he were permitted to act as he intended, he would be told, No. Halachah is based on non-negotiable moral principle, and halachically you cannot commit murder even to save lives.

But Pinhas was not acting on moral principle. He was making a political decision. There were thousands dying. The political leader, Moses, was in a highly compromised position. How could he condemn others for consorting with Midianite women when he himself had a Midianite wife? Pinchas saw that there was no one leading. The danger was immense. Gods anger, already intense, was about to explode. So he acted  not on moral principle but on political calculation, relying not on halachah but on what would later be known as mishpat melech. Better take two lives immediately, that would have been later sentenced to death by the court eventually, to save thousands now. And he was right, as God later made clear.

Now we can see exactly what was ambiguous about Pinchas act. He was a private individual. The question he would normally have asked was, What shall I do?, to which the answer is a moral one. But he acted as if he were a political leader asking, What shall we do? and deciding, based on consequences, that this would save many lives. Essentially, he acted as if he were Moses. He saved the day and the people. But imagine what would happen anywhere if an ordinary member of the public usurped the role of Head of State. Had God not endorsed Pinchas action, he would have had a very difficult time.

The difference between moral and political decisions becomes very clear when it comes to decisions of life and death. The moral rule is: saving life takes precedence over all other mitzvot except three: incest, idolatry and murder. If a group is surrounded by gangsters who say, Hand over one of you, or we will kill you all, they must all be prepared to die rather than hand over one.9 Life is sacred and must not be sacrificed, whatever the consequences. That is morality; that is halachah.

However, a king of Israel was permitted, with the consent of the Sanhedrin, to wage a (non-defensive) war, even though many would die as a result.10 He was permitted to execute a non-judicial death sentence against individuals on public policy grounds (le-takken ha-olam kefi mah she-ha-shaah tzerichah).11 In politics, as opposed to morality, the sanctity of life is a high value but not the only one. What matters are consequences. A ruler or government must act in the long-term interests of the people. That is why, though some will die as a result, governments are now gradually easing the lockdown provisions once the rate of infection falls, to relieve distress, ease the economic burden, and restore suspended civil liberties.

We have moral duties as individuals, and we make political decisions as nations. The two are different. That is what the story of Pinchas is about. It also explains the tension in governments during the pandemic. We have a moral commitment to the sanctity of life, but we also have a political commitment, not just to life but also to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.12 What was beautiful about the global response to Covid-19 was that virtually every nation in the world put moral considerations ahead of political ones until the danger began to recede.

I believe that there are moral and political decisions and they are different. But there is a great danger that the two may drift apart. Politics then becomes amoral, and eventually corrupt. That is why the institution of prophecy was born. Prophets hold politicians accountable to morality. When kings act for the long-term welfare of the nation, they are not criticised. When they act for their own benefit, they are.13 Likewise when they undermine the peoples moral and spiritual integrity.14 Salvation by zealot  the Pinchas case  is no solution. Politics must be as moral as possible if a nation is to flourish in the long run.

Shabbat Shalom

NOTES

This essay was written on 11 Iyar 5780, 5 May 2020. Things will have moved on since, but the issues raised here are of general significance and not always fully understood. Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4: 4. Jonathan Sumption, Coronavirus lockdown, Sunday Times, 5 April 2020. Too little has been written about this. For one collection of essays, see Stuart Hampshire (ed.), Public and Private Morality, Cambridge University Press, 2012. Sanhedrin 82a. Sanhedrin 81b. Sanhedrin 82a. See especially R. Zvi Hirsch Chajes, Torat Neviim, ch. 7, Din Melech Yisrael. Tosefta Terumot 7: 20. Shevuot 35b. Rambam Hilchot Melakhim 3: 10. The Jewish equivalent is: Life, liberty and the pursuit of holiness. The classic cases are Nathan and David, 2 Samuel 12; Elijah and Ahab, 1 Kings 21. The standard biblical term for this is They did evil in the eyes of the Lord, an expression that occurs more than 60 times in Tanach.

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Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, state officials have eased up on restrictions in a variety of fields and changed the way Alabama does things  from curbside alcohol sales to the licensing of healthcare professionals.

Below is a list of suspended rules and regulations from the state of Alabama:

Tax deadline extended

The tax-filing deadline was extended from April 15 to July 15, for both state and federal taxes.

Runoff delayed

The Republican runoff between Jeff Sessions and Tommy Tuberville to determine the U.S. senate nominee was originally scheduled for March 31. Gov. Kay Ivey postponed it to July 14.

Curbside voting

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision Friday, blocked a lower courts ruling that allowed curbside voting in Alabama and eased mail-in voting requirements.

U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon of the Northern District of Alabama on June 15 blocked enforcement of a prohibition on curbside voting at polling places.

The judge had also limited enforcement of the requirement that two witnesses or a notary sign absentee ballots and the requirement that voters provide a copy of their photo ID with their absentee ballot.

Curbside alcohol sales allowed

Officials signed an emergency order allowing the curbside sale of alcoholic beverages, effective March 18. Locations licensed by the ABC Board to sell alcohol got the go-ahead to sell by curbside pick-up or take-out, limited to one 750-ml bottle of spirits, one 750-ml bottle of win, or a six pack of beer per customer. Identification with proof of legal age is still required.

Cutting red tape for healthcare providers

On April 2, Gov. Ivey issued an emergency proclamation cutting red tape for health care providers to handle an anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients. It expanded the scope of practice for health care professionals including certified registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, physician assistant and anesthesia assistants. It allowed for temporary emergency approval for collaborative agreements between those professionals and physicians. Emergency collaboration agreements were considered approved upon submission to oversight boards. Out-of-state health care professionals were allowed expedited licensure. Qualified physicians were allowed to have expedited reinstatement of medical licenses. Temporary waivers were approved for new services in the Certificate of Need process. The licensure period for emergency medical services personnel was extended for the duration of the state of emergency.

Remote notarization

Notarization of signatures by notaries under supervision of licensed attorneys can take place through video-conferencing as if the participants were present in person.

Emergency refills

On March 14, the Alabama Board of Pharmacy began allowing pharmacists to process emergency refills on essential medications. The order expired March 31. Pharmacists could process refills on 30-day supplies in certain scenarios, such as the inability to get immediate authorization from a physician for therapy for a chronic condition. The prescription had to be on file at the pharmacy and the exemption did not apply to schedule II drugs such as fentanyl, methadone or oxycodone. The pharmacist was required to inform the prescribing doctor within 72 hours and write a prescription order with all federal and state-required information.

Nationwide, state and local governments have suspended regulations to help fight the coronavirus. Americans for Tax Reform has compiled a list of 725 waived regulations which can be found here.
The Decatur City Council met twice last week to discuss whether to require citizens to wear masks in public. The city ordinance, if passed, would be a first in North Alabama. But after hours of discussion and heated public comment, the council failed to even take a vote.

In my opinion, the state should be getting this done, said Decatur City Councilman Charles Kirby at the June 29 meeting. Were having to deal with this because the state has failed to do this.

As Kirby spoke, Councilman Billy Jackson could be heard in the background: I agree with that.

Both Jackson and Kirby favor a masking ordinance for Decatur, a midsize city in Morgan County, which has nearly as many COVID-19 cases as nearby Madison County despite having a third of the population.

In the end, the Decatur city council decided it needed another week to think about it. The same slow, difficult debate has played out in Montgomery and Mobile, Tuscaloosa and Huntsville, as city and county leaders are left to enact a patchwork of ordinances to fight the coronavirus.

Gov. Kay Ivey last did urge Alabamians to wear masks to slow the states rising infection numbers. She even wore one herself to a state press conference. Yet she said she would not create a statewide masking requirement because people are not following the restrictions weve offered.

Enforcement of a statewide mask requirement would be next to impossible, she said.

Across the state

Four of the states five large cities  Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Tuscaloosa  passed public masking requirements in recent weeks, although most faced public challenges from citizens and officials concerned with personal freedoms. Leaders in Huntsville are still wrestling with the issue.

Jefferson County, home of Birmingham, Mobile County, and the City of Selma have also passed requirements.

Birmingham was the first in the state to do so, back in late April. And while the city council hasnt always been unanimous, it has voted twice to extend the ordinance, now set to expire in July.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said he thinks all state and local leaders should listen to the advice of healthcare leaders and enact mask requirements.

I think the current situation would be different in our state if the face coverings were required statewide, he said. Our public health leaders have been clear on the fact that face coverings help slow the spread of COVID-19. Data supports it.

In Montgomery, Mayor Steven Reed took matters into his own hands. The Montgomery city council failed to pass a masking ordinance on a 4-4 vote in mid-June, following a meeting where doctors pleaded with the council to pass the ordinance.

The day after the vote, Reed issued an executive order requiring masks in public places, with a $25 fine for first-time violators. He said he hoped the order would be a temporary fix until the city council could address the issue again in July. One councilman who initially voted against it later said he would vote in favor if it comes up again.

We felt the city should have taken official action, Reed said at the time, as the number of patients was rising in Montgomery hospitals. We deadlocked at 4-4 and were not able to move the ordinance forward. But this issue is too important and the facts speak far too loudly for us not to take action.

In Mobile, the city council voted 6-1 to adopt a mask ordinance on Wednesday, after two days of discussions lasting nearly six hours. Mobile, an early COVID-19 hotspot, now trails only Jefferson and Montgomery counties for having the most cases in Alabama.

Support for the ordinance came from executives at the citys four main hospitals and other local medical professionals. Opposition came from residents concerned about government overreach.

During Wednesdays meeting, one emotional speaker shouted This is Nazism, while others hurled accusations of tyranny and unconstitutional at the council. Three police officers arrived midway through the meeting to keep the peace.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson sponsored the mask ordinance after hearing concerns from the Mobile County Medical Society, hospital leaders and Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Bert Eichold. The ordinance, which started at 5 p.m. Friday, carries a $50 fine for first-time violators.

Our primary goal is to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, said Stimpson. If we are derelict in doing this, it will hinder the ability of our businesses to reopen. We have many citizens who are not willing to engage in the community because of the threat of the COVID-19 virus.

In Tuscaloosa on Tuesday, the city council unanimously approved a mandate that city residents wear face coverings in public or face a $25 fine for a first violation.

Tuscaloosa Councilwoman Sonya McKinstry expressed dismay over the lack of state leadership on masks in an email to AL.com.

Leaders need to stop trying to pass the buck by deferring this responsibility to the community to decide the fate of the community, especially when many dont take (coronavirus) serious, McKinstry said.

In north Alabama, as recently as the week of June 21, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley were reluctant to pursue a mask ordinance, expressing concern over how it would be enforced.

At its June 25 meeting, the Huntsville city council also showed no desire for a mask rule. But by Wednesday, things had changed. Cases were rising across the state, and for the first time Huntsville was seeing hospitalizations climb.

Battle made his first public comments about the need for a mask requirement and called for a regional or statewide approach. He spoke during a public press conference, after Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers announced a new high in the number of COVID-19 patients at North Alabama hospitals, including five children.

Battle announced the city was working with the Madison County Board of Health to explore a public mask requirement. But even a city- or county-wide requirement wouldnt go far enough, said Battle, calling for something regional or statewide.

We have 12 or 15 counties of people who live here and go out and work in other counties every day, he said. They go out to a county thats not masking, theres a chance they come back with it and bring something into our community we dont want to see.

One community cant do it by itself. Its got to be across the board.

Governors support

Gov. Iveys office confirmed to AL.com on Wednesday that she supports local mask-wearing ordinances.

The governor respects the choice of an individual to wear a mask as their personal responsibility to keep others safe, just as she respects businesses or local entities to require it, said Gina Maiola, press secretary for the governor.

Attorney General Steve Marshalls office also confirmed Thursday that municipalities and counties in Alabama have the legal authority to enact and enforce masking requirements, and that they do not need permission from the state or state health department.

And while the AGs office doesnt have an official stance on whether its a good or a bad idea, the office has assisted numerous local officials with the proper procedures for imposing mask orders, as well as provided guidance on the relevant constitutional considerations, said Mike Lewis, communications director for the attorney generals office.

Wrong direction

About a dozen states have enacted mask laws, including North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Oregon. Alabama isnt poised to become one, but Ivey did say last week that additional restrictions arent off the table if the states COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

If we continue going in the wrong direction and our hospitals arent able to handle the capacity, then were going to reserve the right to come back and reverse course, she said.

Battle suggested Wednesday that mayors from the states 10 largest cities, who regularly discuss statewide agenda items, would be in discussions about mask requirements and potential regional or statewide approaches. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said Thursday he did not think it was necessary for mayors to pressure the governor to issue a statewide requirement, but said he was glad other cities had chosen to enact mask ordinances.

But without a statewide mandate, smaller cities across Alabama are left to fight the same battles all over again, between public health and personal responsibility.

McKinstry, the Tuscaloosa city councilwoman, said she believes mandatory mask-wearing was ultimately the right thing to do.

It is OK to dream, but at some point, we must wake up and face reality, she said. COVID-19 is serious, its deadly, there is no cure, new cases are rising daily in our city and no one knows how long its going to be here.
Crime in Birmingham was down double-digits for the first half of 2020, according to police.

Police Chief Patrick Smith said the decrease so far this year has essentially been a continuation of strides made by the department beginning in mid-2019.

One of the things Ive noticed is typically people look at crime and they only think homicide,' Smith said. You have to look at the full picture of crime to really know whats really going on in the city and the drivers of overall crime and the drivers of your most violent crime and violent offenses.

According to department statistics as of Thursday, July 2, the city has seen a 27.9 decrease in total crimes compared to the same time period last year. Violent crime categories were down 26.5 percent and property crimes dropped 28.4 percent.

The category of rape dropped significantly, from 96 reported incidents in the first half of 2019 to 38 in the first half of this year and robberies decreased from 437 to 231 for a 47.1 percent decrease. Aggravated assaults dropped from 1,568 to 1,265 or a 19.3 percent decrease.

There were 50 criminal homicides as of July 2 last year, compared to 48 in the first half of 2020 for a 4 percent decrease. As of Friday, there had been a total of 58 homicides in the city but eight of those were ruled justifiable and one accidental and therefore are not included in the departments official number of criminal homicides.

Other decreases include: shots fired, from 681 to 651; burglary, 1,231 to 840; auto theft, 986 to 668; unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle, 1,173 to 726 and theft, 3,235 to 2,512.

The city ended 2019 with a slight decrease in homicides and overall crime.

Weve been working very hard in certain areas to reduce total violent crime and, so far, weve been somewhat successful in a lot of areas but then there are certain areas we need to do more work,' Smith said. Right now, the crime picture looks very good overall for the city. But there are indicators and upticks that were watching in terms of the total crime picture.

The chief said COVID-19, which led to a shutdown of multiple businesses and a stay-home-order statewide, played some role in crime reduction but not necessarily a significant one. You have to recognize on a national level, a lot of areas saw crime spikes,' he said. We did not see an overall crime spike, but we had independent spikes here and there. Overall it leveled out and went back to what we have been noticing.

Smith said one of his concerns is a jump in the number of shots fired in the city. While down for the year as a whole, there has been a rise in the latter part of the first half of the year.

What weve noticed is either shots being fired into certain residences or shots being fired into parked vehicles,' he said. As we see increases in our shots fired, its usually aligning with our homicide because at some point those shots fired start making connections with people. Thats our primary concern.

Birmingham crime statistics from January 1 through July 2, 2020. (Birmingham Police Department)

During unrest in Birmingham in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Smith said the department has noticed a considerable spike in the number of Shot Spotter calls. We noticed a number of pawn shops in and around Birmingham were burglarized during that time frame,' he said. There were maybe a couple of hundred handguns that were stolen in the process and since that time weve noticed an uptick in our shots fired into residences and parked vehicles.

He attributes that spike to the availability of more guns on the streets.

We continue to follow every lead. We have made some arrests in those categories. We have continued work to take illegal handguns off the street,' he said. Weve followed up on where we have known suspects who were involved in this type of activity and weve followed every lead as it relates to the guns on the street and the activity trying to make a connection between either the victims or their activity.

As for homicides, Smith said the majority continue to take place between acquaintances of some sort. Most of them, even in our shots fired, many of them have involved family members or somehow there has been a relationship between the suspect and the victim,' he said.

In recent months, there have been at least three people killed who are believed to have been innocently caught in crossfire. There have also been children wounded who obviously werent the intended targets of the gunfire. There have been a couple where the intended victim and the suspect were involved and knew each other in some way and theres been an unintended consequence of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the tragic loss of life for no reason,' he said.

Smith said its hard to predict what the second half of the year will bring. We have still been monitoring the day to day crime and addressing the crime trends and moving our officers around to address hotspots within the city where we may notice some uptick in crime,' he said. Right now, its hard to tell.

Were hoping that our crime efforts so far will carry through until the end of the year. On a national level, weve noticed violent crime has been up,' he said. We have not seen the same level of activity in Birmingham, but we do plan to keep an eye on it. We remain optimistic.
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Todays guest columnist is Maury Shevin. If youd like to be a guest columnist, please click here.

A few weeks have passed since our nation and our city erupted in righteous revulsion to the killing of George Floyd.

Like many, I am still putting events into perspective, but Floyds death can only be described as a 21st Century lynching.

Nationwide, establishment apologists want me to focus on Mr. Floyds criminal record. Reformist who want to defund police want me to focus on a system that is irrefutably racist and they assert, irreparably broken.

Closer to home, some of my friends consider the destruction of property in Birmingham to be outlandish. Others consider the rage of injustice to support more than merely trying to tear down the symbol of the systemthe Confederate Monument in Linn Park.

Reactionary friends point and say, see, we told you soan excuse for anarchy and looting. Radicals point and say, the only thing that the entrenched power structure ever understands is a response that tears down an antiquated and unresponsive system.

But, lets step back and take a look at the response in Birmingham.

On a macro level, after a Sunday night of anxiety and outrage, our political, civic and religious leaders stepped forward, inspiring confidence and channeling the rage. And, with the in your face removal of the monument by the Woodfin Administration, Birmingham is once again leading the state down the path of social justicethe pathway that Alabama seems to always want to avoid taking.

On a micro level, there are conversations going on everywhere and at every level as to what I can do to make a difference. There has been an outpouring of concern and emotion by those Whites who have always known of injustice suffered by Blacks, but who have sat on the sidelines. There is for the first time in a long time, a serious discussion of white privilege and just what that means.

I may be a Pollyanna, but from my vantage point, Birminghams peopleof all walks of lifeare no longer satisfied to sit idly by as observers. I think we have reached a tipping pointat least, I hope so. As many have said, this problem of systemic racism is not a Black problem; it was created by White people; and, it is only going to be resolved with real collaboration of all people.

I have heard so many thoughtful comments, written and spoken. There is a buy-in to do something meaningful.

In my religion, our responsibility is to seek to repair the worldtikkun olam. Our Rabbis teach: It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.

I have circled May 25, 2021 on my calendarone year from the date that George Floyd was killed. My hope and prayer is that by then we will have taken meaningful, positive steps toward realizing our more perfect union of one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

It is past time that we got down to business.

Maury Shevinpassionate about the City of Birminghamlives, works, thinks and plays on Birminghams Southside.
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Qatar has further eased its coronavirus restrictions, allowing a partial reopening of restaurants, mosques, beaches and parks.

Last week, the countrys Supreme Committee for Crisis Management said in a statement that, starting from July 1, museums and libraries would be permitted to operate in a limited capacity and under limited working hours.

It added that the decision to launch Phase Two of the gradual reopening plan was based on infections having passed their peak and the reproduction rate subsiding.

Under the new guidelines, 50 percent of public and private sector employees will be allowed back in the workplace as needed and under strict safety conditions.

Masks remain compulsory in public for those not exercising and private gatherings are limited to five people.

Qatar has the second-highest tally of infections among the Gulf states after its neighbour Saudi Arabia. It reported 530 new cases on Saturday, taking its total number to 99,183 with 123 deaths.
The United States has marked an unusually sombre Independence Day, with President Donald Trump bashing domestic opponents and China  but praising the countrys coronavirus response, despite a record surge in cases.

Instead of adopting a unifying tone, Trump, facing a tough re-election and eager to mobilise 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 during a White House event on Saturday.

Some of the US leaders 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.

Across the country, virus fears dampened or cancelled Main Street parades, back yard barbecues and family reunions on a day when Americans typically celebrate their 1776 declaration of independence from Britain.

Trumps challenger in November, Democrat Joe Biden, struck a sharply different tone, tweeting: Our nation was founded on a simple idea: Were all created equal. Weve never lived up to it  but weve never stopped trying. This Independence Day, lets not just celebrate those words, lets commit to finally fulfill them.

Trumps divisive address came as popular beaches on both coasts, normally packed on July 4, were closed as California and Florida suffer alarming surges in COVID-19 infections.

The US virus death toll is fast approaching 130,000, roughly one-quarter of the worlds total.
Tatmadaw steps up attacks in Rakhine despite epidemic, killing more than 40 people in April alone, say rights group.
Hit hard in pandemic, service industries in Asia-Pacific countries explore new models for survival under "new normal"

HONG KONG, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to service industries in Asia-Pacific countries, with sectors such as tourism, catering, retailing hit the hardest.

Apart from providing direct financial subsidies to help these sectors survive, governments in some countries have been proactively guiding their enterprises and labor forces on developing new business approaches and skill shifts to adapt to the "new normal" of this difficult time.

SINGAPORE: "FUTURE ECONOMY"

Song Chao, who runs two famous Chinese restaurant brands Xie Lao Song and Xiao Wei Yang in Singapore, is one of the entrepreneurs who responded actively to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call in grasping the opportunities in the changes brought about by the pandemic.

During the Circuit Breaker, imposed by the government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 since April 7, his company closed several restaurants, leaving only one hot pot restaurant and one Chinese restaurant open for takeaways and deliveries.

His operating restaurants have mainly carried out delivery services through websites, WeChat and Star Taster delivery platforms, and personal social network of employees. On the other hand, these restaurants have also changed the variety of dishes to suit the demand for takeaways, including highlighting barbecue features and adding bao, a type of steamed, filled bun, to the menu. "Bao is popular and convenient when people are staying at home," he said.

Song said on the morning of May 1, his Chinese restaurant cooked 26 roast ducks and he himself went out to deliver food. He saw the Circuit Breaker measures changing Singaporeans' living habits, and even if it has ended on June 19, he believes the takeaway and delivery services would not shrink at least in a short term.

Singaporean government has been encouraging local businesses in their digital transformation, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Enterprise Singapore (ESG) launched the E-Commerce Booster Package in April to support small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) retailers, who have little or no e-commerce experience, to start their business transformation by selling online. This package was expanded in May to support SME retailers in strengthening their digital marketing capabilities for e-commerce, providing a one-time 90 percent support for digital marketing advisory services for three months, and support for manpower to build in-house capabilities needed to set the foundation for sustained digital marketing efforts.

The E-Commerce Booster Package is in line with the "Stay Healthy, Go Digital" initiative to provide resources for businesses to manage the COVID-19 situation, and the SMEs Go Digital program to help SMEs strengthen their digital capabilities and access global markets via digital channels, according to the government agency.

In a speech on June 7, Prime Minister Lee said his country has been developing plans for the Future Economy, investing heavily to upgrade its workers through SkillsFuture, digitalizing both the private and public sectors, building its innovation and R&D capabilities.

"Nobody can predict what exactly the world will look like after COVID-19 but however things turn out, these Future Economy strategies will stand us in good stead," Lee Hsien Loong said. "We need to pursue them even more vigorously now."

INDIA: RURAL JOB PLAN

"Without any cash or work, how will I survive? That was my first thought after reaching my village," said Ram Kewat, a 60-year-old daily wage laborer who used to work in Delhi.

It was a journey of 450 km from the capital to his village on the outskirts of Jhansi, one of Uttar Pradesh's southernmost districts. Kewat covered that distance on foot in just five days, walking 90 km a day on an average to reach his village on March 29.

After the government announced a three-week nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on March 24, Kewat knew he would be out of work and food, and decided to walk to his village since there was no other mode of commute.

Ram Kewat is only one of the about 100 million migrant workers in India, or 20 percent of the country's total workforce, who have lost their livelihood during the lockdown. Mostly daily wage earners such as security guards, delivery persons, cleaners, and garbage collectors have no other choice but to return home now that their workplaces have shut down.

But there is hope for Kewat to earn a better living even in his hometown. On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the "Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan" (GKRA or Poor Welfare Employment Campaign) worth 50,000 crore Indian Rupees (6.7 billion U.S. dollars), a rural job plan for the welfare of migrant laborers who had returned home from major cities, covering 116 districts including Kewat's hometown of Uttar Pradesh.

A list of 25 works and activities, such as construction of highways, village council buildings and farm ponds, Internet set up, laying of gas pipelines, have been targeted as priority projects to ensure employment for these migrant laborers.

Modi said under the campaign, skill mapping of the rural migrant laborers is being done to help them work closer to their homes, focusing on building a durable rural infrastructure and providing modern facilities like Internet in the villages.

THAILAND: FILL THE FOREIGN TOURISTS VOID

For highly international cities like Bangkok, tourism hotspot like Pattaya and Phuket, the economic devastation is nearly total as Thailand has received zero international guests because of restrictions on inbound flights from April to June, or even longer.

"The tourism sector of Thailand is in the plight of oversupply due to the absence of foreign tourists. To make it survive and fill the void of the foreign market, the cabinet has approved stimulus packages worth 22.4 billion bah (716.8 million U.S. dollars) to stimulate about two million domestic trips from July to October," Yuthasak Supaporn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Xinhua.

The packages include subsidies on accommodation, transport, food and attractions. Domestic travellers stand to receive a subsidy amounting to 20 billion baht, including a 40 percent discount on 5 million hotel room nights, up to a value of 3,000 baht a night, as well as up to 3,000 baht on meals and other amenities. The government will also discount air or bus tickets by 40 percent, up to a limit of 1,000 baht.

"In the past we offered Thai people cash giveaways, as a result, they saved the money instead of spending in trips. This time we'd rather give them discount coupons, to stimulate spending," said the governor.

Besides, a package worth 2.4 billion baht will fund holiday travel for 1.2 million health volunteers and officials who will use services of tour firms, which is expected to help 13,000 tour firms.

"All the measures are aimed to reinvigorate the domestic tourism, to get the economy move again", said Yuthatsak.

The country is also mulling reopening its door to international tourists through travel bubbles. Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman for the government's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said the travel bubble idea had not been finalized but it was clear it would not allow hundreds of thousands of foreigners to pay visits per year.

"Tourism sector will be reset in the pandemic. We are turning away from mass tourism. Targeting wealthy groups, balancing the domestic and international markets will be the trend," he said.

MOVING ONLINE!

Like Singapore's Song Chao, many young entrepreneurs have quickly adapted to the new situation and found their taste of achievement in becoming cloud servers.

Malaysia's Angie Ng runs a company with businesses spanning from property development to tourism. She is also the president of Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association, a major industry player in receiving Chinese tourists to Malaysia.

After business slowed down and tourism came to a halt due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ng soon found a new way to promote Malaysia's tourism, live streaming.

Since April, she has done a number of episodes as a host on Malaysia's tourists' attractions, including urban food streets, rural durian farms, introducing Malaysia's culture on China's social media platforms like TikTok, Wechat.

Ng said she was inspired when being asked by her friends in China about the pandemic in Malaysia and if it would be safe to come to Malaysia for holiday.

"I have time now, so I must do something to prevent Malaysia's tourism market to cool down," she said. "Live streaming is the best way I can think of, people could actually see the food and the streets."

Ng's viewers have grown from several thousand in the earlier episodes to more than 10,000 now. "Doing live-streaming brings me some sense of satisfaction. When you have 10,000 viewers, you would want to have more, to introduce more fun staff and places to my Chinese friends," she said.

Ng is planning more live streaming of some tropical islands and historic cities of Penang and Malacca, among others. "We want to keep warm the market and not to let the market cool down and hopefully when all these borders reopen, all the tourists will come back," she said.

Like Ng, Nishith Shah, who founded India China Academy (ICA) in Mumbai in 2013 to bridge the cultural gap between India and China, has also enjoyed his new way of doing businesses after moving his Mandarine language courses online.

"We have re-strategized our teaching methods and tools according to new situation. Despite the physical distance we are able to create the same fun learning environment as we used to have during our classroom sessions. We have designed exercises, activities and learning material to suit online teaching. We are using various digital platforms like zoom platform for teaching, Wechat for discussions and DingTalk for attendance."

He even found his courses now covering a wider participants. Earlier his students mainly came from Mumbai. In a webinar on "Introduction to Mandarin" he was "pleasantly surprised" to see students coming from Kolkata, Surat, Delhi and remote parts of Maharashtra.

"A wider range of students can now access ICA's educational programs," said Shah, devoted to connecting China and India by eliminating communication and cultural barriers of the two ancient civilizations. (1 baht equals 0.032 U.S. dollars) Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Li Xiaoyu from Singapore, Zhang Xingjun from Mumbai, Chen Jiabao from Bangkok, Lin Hao from Kuala Lumpur contributed to the story.)
The COVID-19 crisis has caused so much disruption and uncertainty for everyone in all aspects of work and life. When talking to customers, it can be hard to know how to strike the right balance between acknowledging the crisis and focusing on business. And especially if customers businesses have been affected by the crisis or if buyers are more reluctant to buy, its important to know how to approach those customer conversations in a compassionate way.

Sometimes its okay to blend business and personal with your customer conversations, especially during a time of widespread stress, grief, and uncertainty. Here are a few tips for having better customer conversations during the coronavirus crisis.

Dont ignore the news

COVID-19 has caused a massive shift in everyones priorities and daily life experience. Weve seen examples of this from every corporation in America and everyone on LinkedIn: everyone is commenting about the crisis and sharing stories of how its affecting their business. So dont assume that your sales conversations with customers have to be strictly about business. Start out the conversation by just asking the customer how theyre doing, how theyre coping with the latest news. You dont have to be afraid to acknowledge the crisis that were all in.

Most customers will probably appreciate you being candid and willing to talk about a situation were all going through. At times of crisis, customers may even be more skeptical of salespeople who are not acknowledging the bigger situation and circumstances.

However, you dont have to dwell on it; dont spend the entire call talking about COVID-19. Try to keep the conversation light and optimistic. You might want to say things like, Obviously, these are crazy times! How are things going with you and your business so far? or Its been awhile since we talked; the situation has been difficult, of course, but in the last month, my company is starting to enter into a kind of new normal, and I would love to talk with you. How are things on your end?

Talking about the crisis in terms of a shared experience and a common adversary can help your customers feel like you are on their side, like you are both on the same team. Youre not trying to sell them something; youre trying to help them overcome a crisis that is affecting everyone on Earth.

Listen with empathy

Every customer conversation right now needs to put empathy at the forefront. More than ever, be sensitive to what your customers are going through. Be patient. Be compassionate. Be willing to just listen and sit with them for a minute on the phonethey might not be ready to buy, they might not have good news for you, they might not even be happy to hear from you.

Everyone is going through a lot of emotions right now. You may be calling customers who have had a family member die of COVID-19, who may have the virus themselves, or who may be at higher risk for it. Your prospects company might have taken a huge hit and could be struggling to stay in business.

Whatever your client is going through, be willing to listen and show that you carenot just as a businessperson, but as a human being.

Show vulnerability

This crisis has been so all-encompassing, and it has hit so many industries hard. Your customer conversations might be a good opportunity to share your own story. Not in a sad way, not in a woe is me tone of voice, of course, but just as another way of acknowledging the crisis and helping your customers know they are not alone.

You might want to open up to your customers about your own personal experience during the crisis. Do you know anyone whos become infected? How is the crisis affecting your immediate city or neighborhood? What concerns do you have for the industry that you serve?

Of course, youre on these calls for business purposes and you should still try to be confident and upbeat. But its okay to commiserate with your customers a bit about just how uncertain the world can be, and show them your own human response to the crisis, while also offering an optimistic vision of how your company can help them recover, rebuild, and move forward into a brighter future.

Help before you sell

Now more than ever, B2B salespeople are in the business of helping people. Your B2B buyers might be in a moment of unprecedented crisis: They may be struggling to stay in business or recently had to part ways with some beloved employees or a longtime vendor. They also may be going through emotional turmoil, feeling scared about their own health and their financial future.

Be ready to help. Be ready to think big about how you can help your customers business, even in ways that might not be immediately relevant to what you sell. Think beyond the immediate short-term transaction and build a longer-term relationship. Even if you cant sell to this customer today, or even later this year, look to create the beginning of a business relationship that could last for years to come.

The COVID-19 crisis will eventually pass. But even in this moment of crisis, there are opportunities to get better at helping customers and having meaningful customer conversations. Dont be afraid to be vulnerable, be human, and listen with empathy. We are all going through this crisis together, and there are still lots of ways to build connections with customers and help each other emerge stronger than before.
Come join on July 2, 2021, starting at 5:30 p.m. and ending at dusk, at the Grove City Memorial Park in the Highland Pavillion to honor and reminisce about Marlene's/Mom's life. If you have any pictures to share with others, please bring them. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Casual pi
The last year has been one of the most trying in the history of the city of Lake Charles. Two hurricanes, including a Category 4, a major flood and a winter storm put the city on its heels. But local high school athletes dug in to win 11 state championships this school year.
After weeks of violence, Democrats have some public relations needs to redirect attention away from the awfulness of leftism.

Insert the latest report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which concludes that the greatest domestic threat comes not from leftists or Muslims, but from right-wing terrorists!

The CSIS study's findings are not new. The New America Foundation (NAF) and the Center of Investigative Reporting (CIR) have published similar studies with the same conclusions.

Each study is fake, but the most recent CSIS study is the most pathetic of them all  partly because the CSIS doesn't provide a list of incidents to fact-check. Just trust them.

There's an art to creating this type of propaganda, which provides the Democrat narrative a halo of credibility. A tremendous volume of subtle manipulation is concocted within studies on right-wing terrorism, and each demonstrates variations of the same basic formula.

1. Use "incidents" as a key metric

Written in the methodology of the CSIS study is this: "We coded threats of violence as attacks rather than plots, even if the threat turned out to be a hoax."

This statement is an incredible admission. The CSIS includes threats of violence as terrorist attacks  even if the threat was a hoax.

Such low standards for terrorism allow the authors to leverage vaguely defined "hate crime" data from the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center to inflate right-wing occurrences.

This way, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace's paranoia could be counted as a terrorist threat.

2. Manipulate definitions

Each study is careful about the definitions for terrorism. The CIR defines right-wing terrorism as follows: "militia movements, as well as white supremacist, anti-government, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-abortion extremists, including radical Christians."

These are standard terms Democrats use to attack conservatives  which is the point. The definitions are deliberately vague to increase subjectivity.

The NAF study uses the same broad criteria as the CIR.

The latest CSIS study casts an even wider net for right-wing terrorism by including, "incels," "misogyny," and "hatred based on sexuality or gender identity; and/or opposition to certain policies such as abortion."

Notice that they do not suggest merely opposition to abortion policies  but opposition to certain policies such as abortion. Basically, right-wing terrorists are defined as anyone who opposes the left, plus incels.

For Muslim terrorists, the variables are much more rigid. The CIR criteria for Islamic terrorism is as follows:

We use the term "Islamist" to describe theocratic extremists inspired by groups such as the Taliban, al-Qaida and the Islamic State. We chose the term "Islamist," rather than "Islamic," in an effort to uncouple the Muslim faith from the political ideology of Islamism.

The first sentence limits Islamic terrorism only for violence from those with a clear connection to specific terrorist groups. The second sentence reminds us this is not a legitimate study.

The NAF uses a similarly limited criteria for Islamic terrorism.

Each study follows the same model of broad definitions for right-wingers but restrictive ones for Muslims.

In a fatal self-own, the CIR implies that racism and Islamophobia are the cause of 84% of Islamic incidents resulting in terrorism charges, compared to only 9% of right-wingers. But this statistic reveals how deceptive these studies are. Most right-wing incidents don't result in terrorism charges because what they're calling terrorism for right-wingers, isn't terrorism.

Fortunately, our legal system does not redefine words to achieve more equitable sentencing outcomes for the purpose of creating better propaganda (yet).

3. Lone wolves are not terrorists

By limiting Islamic terrorism only to cases with direct ties to specific terrorist groups, they define away "lone wolf" terrorist attacks and exclude them from the studies.

The Washington mall shooter, Arcan Cetin, who killed five people in 2016? Lone wolf.

Esteban Santiago, who killed five people at a Fort Lauderdale airport and told FBI agents he carried out the attack on behalf of ISIS? Lone wolf.

The Beltway snipers, who killed ten people in 2001? Not terrorism.

Stabbing two men at a mall in Minnesota, or pleading guilty to an ISIS-inspired plot to commit mass murder in Texas? Lone wolves.

None of these incidents or fatalities at the hands of Islamic terrorists are included in the NAF or CIR studies. While the CSIS does not list their incidents, undoubtedly, they mimic the same restrictions.

4. Apply inconsistently

The NAF study enables anti-government statements to classify someone as a right-wing extremist.

This flimsy definition does not apply to Muslim extremists.

Yelling "down with the government" while carrying out an act of violence is enough to be counted as right-wing terrorism. However, a Muslim screaming "Allahu akbar" while committing the same violence is not sufficient to be an Islamic extremist.

This tactic helps reduce Islamic terrorism while increasing occurrences of right-wing terrorism.

5. Count violence unrelated to ideology

While the CSIS study doesn't list specific terrorist acts, it discloses some sources  one of which is the Anti-Defamation League.

This inflates numbers by including incidents committed by those who fit the ideological criteria, even if the acts were unrelated to ideology.

For example, the ADL includes the murder of KKK member Frank Ancona, who was killed by his wife also a KKK member. It's unlikely that Ancona's wife shot him in the name of white supremacy, but it counts as right-wing terrorism anyway.

Another white supremacist, Edward Blackburn, murdered a white man dating his ex-girlfriend. Did he kill him to advance white supremacy? Unlikely.

Two white supremacists in Georgia broke out of prison and killed two guards in the process. One guard was white and the other black. Were the guards killed for their skin color? Probably not.

While the CSIS claims to have excluded non-ideological incidents, fatalities attributable to right-wing terrorism are significantly larger for CSIS than previous studies. Couple that with a complete lack of transparency, and that's enough to consider its claim a lie.

The CIR study includes as right-wing terrorism Gavin Long, a black man, who killed three police officers in Louisiana. They describe Long as "influenced by black nationalist ideology and angry over the shooting of a black man by Baton Rouge police[.]"

Long also tweeted a news story about Dallas shooter Micah Johnson (who assassinated five police officers at a BLM rally) and wrote that the shooter was "one of us! # MY Religion is Justice."

What makes Gavin Long a right-wing terrorist? He didn't like police, and police work for the government, therefore he was an anti-government extremist.

These are only a few examples of many similar cases.

The timing of the studies is also peculiar. The NAF starts tracking deaths after 9/11, excluding 9/11 from the study. The CSIS starting tracking deaths in 1994, claiming that it selected that start date because it didn't have enough reliable data to track before 1994.

A start date that begins just after the 1993 NYC bombings but just prior to the 1995 Oklahoma city bombings was purely a coincidence.

Oh, and don't forget: Muslims are 1% of the American population, while these broad definitions of right-winger terrorists easily encompass 50% of Americans. To be proportionate, right-wing terrorism should be 50 times greater than Islamic terrorism. Best to omit any mention of that.

Studies on right-wing terrorism are fake  they are nothing but propaganda.

Most left-wing studies on other topics model the same framework: manipulate definitions and variables, fabricate data to fit or exclude based on the falsified definitions, and apply criteria inconsistently.

Bode Lang is a conservative blogger who produces conservative videos on YouTube. You can find him at https://www.youtube.com/c/Bodelang.

Image: Journolink Journolink via Flickr.
Even before the ink had dried on their impeachment articles, the Democrats responsible for the House's foolhardy vote on December 8, 2019 were already talking Impeachment 2 in case the original didn't work out.

The Senate's vote to acquit the president of the House's desperately crafted impeachment charges appears to have made the Trump-haters even a little more hysterical and irrational.

Rep. Adam Schiff and company have pivoted back to their Trump/Russia collusion/obstruction fantasies. In truth, they never left them.

We are approaching four years now since the powerful criminal and intelligence agencies of the federal government began earnestly (and illegally) searching for Trump/Russia collusion. With their unlimited resources and Robert Mueller's 19 prosecutors and $35 million, one might reasonably conclude that if illegality on Trump's part existed, they would have found it by now.

Nevertheless, the undynamic duo of Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler believe that the evidence for Impeachment 2 is right there. It's been there all along, but somehow everyone has missed it. If Mueller can be subpoenaed to testify, surely, he will remember what his team of Democrat Party donors forgot to put in the report. If Schiff and Nadler can just get the legally protected grand jury transcripts from the Mueller investigation, the Trump collusion will be right there in writing for them to construe.

As The Hill reports: "Democrats say the additional information would provide a more complete picture of Mueller's findings related to Trump's alleged obstruction of the special counsel as well as his 2016 campaign's interactions with Russian government officials."

The House Dems are suing to get the sacrosanct grand jury records.

On March 3, 2020, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the District Court's ruling allowing the House Democrats to receive the 448-page Mueller report without grand jury privacy redactions.

The Justice Department then petitioned the United States Supreme Court requesting a stay for appeal. On May 20, 2020, the High Court granted the stay, and the Justice Department filed its petition for a writ of certiorari on June 1. On Thursday, July 2, the High Court extended the stay, effectively preventing the House Democrats from getting the Mueller grand jury material before the November 3 election. The Court's decision on the merits is expected by the end of June 2021.

The Legal Issues

The question of whether the House can re-impeach President Trump for conduct that occurred antecedent to the Senate acquittal on January 15, 2020 was not addressed by the Justice Department in its recent petition for certiorari.

The lone dissenter in the three-judge D.C. Court of Appeals decision was Judge Neomi Rao, who writes:

In the months following the Committee's [House Dems'] initial petition [for grand jury records, filed July 26, 2019], the House passed two articles of impeachment and the Senate conducted an impeachment trial and voted to acquit President Donald J. Trump. In light of these circumstances, I would remand to the district court to consider in the first instance whether the Committee can continue to demonstrate that its inquiry is preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and that it has a 'particularized need' for disclosure of the grand jury records.

In view of the Senate acquittal, the judge also notes that the House Committee lost its legal standing to continue to ask for the grand jury transcripts. Judge Rao continues:

A reasonable observer might wonder why we are deciding this case at this time. After all, the Committee sought these [grand jury] materials preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and the Senate impeachment trial has concluded. Why is this controversy not moot? The majority simply turns a blind eye to these very public events and the parties have not submitted any additional briefs[.]

The Justice Department has noted that another impeachment of President Trump is speculative, and Judge Rao did not address whether the House Committee may legitimately begin another impeachment investigation for the same time period and then obtain the grand jury material.

The broader legal argument, yet to be raised, is that the acquittal in the Senate bars the House Democrats from proceeding with another impeachment for conduct prior to the Senate acquittal.

The time-bar argument is relevant when quasi-criminal accountability charges are brought. In context, the prosecution has a duty to bring its full case. It cannot bring its case, suffer a defeat, and then say let's try again for conduct involving the same time period for which the accused has been tried  in this case from January 20, 2017 to January 15, 2020. The day of inauguration to the day of the acquittal (or for any period prior to acquittal if you believe presidents can be impeached for conduct prior to assuming office).

With criminal charges, lawyers focus on acts and elements of offenses. With quasi-criminal prosecution, often the charges do not contain specific elements. For example, President Trump was impeached (charged) by the House with "Abuse of Power" and "Obstruction of Congress." The elements of the offenses are whatever the House says they are until the Senate disagrees. Because of the subjectivity factor, many constitutional scholars including Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan M. Dershowitz argue that presidential impeachment requires actual criminal offenses with specified elements. Otherwise, a president may be impeached and removed for partisan political motives irrespective of the Constitution.

Preferably, presidents should only be impeached in accordance with what the Constitution requires: crimes relating to treason and bribery.

In consideration of the current political climate and for the sake of argument, let's assume presidents may legally be impeached for alleged bad behavior to a degree at which a political body in the House deems violative of the Constitution.

Presidents presiding in the United States under that system are effectively on a type of probation with unspecified good behavior. The House of Representatives assumes the roles of the president's probation officer and prosecutor and may bring charges for whatever it believes constitutes good cause.

In an actual probation violation case, there is a term of probation. Let's say the term is four years. If criminal or quantified bad behavior is discovered within the term of probation the person on probation may be charged and tried so long as the charges are brought within the term of probation. If the probationer violates a condition of good behavior during the probation term but the violation is not discovered by the prosecution until after the term, the probationer may not be charged with a probation violation.

Likewise, if the prosecutor brings a violation of good behavior case two years into a four-year term and after a hearing, the court dismisses the violation charges, the prosecutor may not charge the probationer again for some other alleged bad behavior within that same two-year period. That period of time has been litigated. The prosecution had the duty to gather its evidence and bring its full case.

Complaining afterward that he would have been convicted if we'd had better evidence, is not convincing.

Application of the principles of double jeopardy, by necessity, differs between criminal and quasi-criminal prosecutions. Jeopardy involves a specific crime and attaches with trial for the crime in criminal cases. But in context of good behavior violation trials, it attaches with trial for bad behavior within the relevant time period.

The counter to the argument that the House Democrats may not re-impeach the president for behavior that occurred prior to January 15, 2020 will likely be that they didn't have grand jury or other witness testimony at the time. The response to that should be that they had a duty to get whatever they thought was necessary before rushing to draw up articles and voting on something as momentous and weighty as presidential impeachment.

They took their bite at the apple for that time period.

Presidential impeachment is an extraordinary remedy that should be used rarely. It should never be used as a political weapon of the majority in Congress to damage or remove the head of state, whose tenure represents the will of the people. President Bill Clinton's defense attorney, Charles Ruff, said it carefully: "The only conduct that merits the drastic remedy of impeachment is that which subverts our system of government or renders the president unfit or unable to govern."

If House Democrats are insistent upon pursuing Impeachment 2, they should limit their inquiries to conduct after January 15, 2020. If Trump is re-elected, there is little doubt that they will be aroused with fresh animus and creativity to impeach the president for any number of fanciful theories  if they still hold the House.

Monte Kuligowski is an attorney whose legal scholarship has been published in law journals by the law schools at the University of Virginia, Duke University, the University of Richmond, Samford University, and St. John's University.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr.
In my opinion, American Jews and the Jewish Establishment do not advocate for themselves but exceed in advocating for others. The most profound example is the death of Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, two New York City Jews who were involved in the civil rights movement in Mississippi. They were abducted and murdered in 1964. In today's world, the Jews of New York are vulnerable to ideological attacks and brutal physical assaults by hate groups, but the Jewish Establishment continues to have relationships with political groups and movements that simply do not reciprocate. The Democrat party, the progressives, Jews who are anti-Israel, and prominent African-American leaders compose the "new anti-Semitism."

It seems that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) are more concerned with not stepping on the toes of the progressives and getting photo ops for their glossy magazine than representing and protecting the Jewish people.

I could not believe my eyes when reading in the Jewish Forward that on Sunday, June 9, that the Chabad Lubavitch Orthodox Jews of the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y. along with the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Eastern region, former New York State assembly member Dov Hikind, Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, and Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, as well as "hundreds of others" supporting Black Lives Matter (BLM) marched in solidarity with the black community on Sunday June 9 to protest the tragic death of George Floyd.

One of the organizers said that "it was a matter of Jewish law to do so" and cited seven Noahide laws that must be obeyed by everyone in order to live together. It is the Jewish belief that laws need to be established and followed for the protection of all people.

It is not justice that BLM seeks.

Do you remember BLM marching and chanting, "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon, kill the police"?

BLM (an admittedly Marxist organization) wants to ensure the annihilation of the USA, and wants to defund the police, leading to their total abolition.

BLM is no friend of the Jews or Israel. BLM has accused the Jews of Palestinian genocide. BLM is a merger of the anti-Semitic Black Panthers and the anti-Semitic Nation of Islam. BLM considers Jews white oppressors.

Together with Antifa, BLM turned the so-called "peaceful protest" in New York City of Mr. Floyd's death into complete anarchy. All of America watched on TV the smashing of store windows, looting, and burning. This was some of the worst rioting in American history.

Sirius XM talk show host David Webb said, "I've watched the birth of what is one of the most dangerous, disruptive, and diverse leftist approach to tearing down this country  a collusion between groups that are frankly anti-American."

What were these Jews thinking on June 9? This was going to buy goodwill from BLM? A protester on live TV said the Diamond District "would be attacked if they did not get want they want." This is code for Jews. He was later arrested. The Jews of Brooklyn are ultra-orthodox and easily identified by their clothing, unlike the secular Jews everywhere else in New York City. Many work in what is known as the Diamond District.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center magazine "In Motion" talks about the growing anti-Semitism in our country and around the globe but never places any responsibility on BLM, Antifa, or the Democrat party. The summer edition 2020 shows Democrat U.S. senator Chuck Schumer in a photo with SWC government affairs director Mark Weitzman headlining the article "Global Efforts to Counter Anti-Semitism." Schumer and Democrats didn't have the moral courage in March 2020 to pass a resolution condemning anti-Semitism because they didn't want to target one of their own, Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who questioned the support of Israel.

On April 30, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio of NYC singled out the Orthodox Jewish community for condemnation because they attended a massive funeral for a rabbi who died of the coronavirus in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y. Most of the attendees wore face masks but exceeded the number allowed of 50 people in violation of Governor Cuomo's order. The mayor instructed the police to enforce social distancing with arrests and summonses. The city was well aware ahead of time of this funeral. The police helped to set up barriers to control the crowd, but de Blasio decided to make the Jews an example.

On June 1, the NYPD removed Orthodox children and families from Williamsburg Playground in Brooklyn because of the lack of social distancing.

On Sunday, June 14, de Blasio supported mass protests of thousands of people at the Brooklyn Grand Army Plaza. There was little evidence of social distancing. The mayor and his wife, who were in attendance, did not wear masks and did not social distance.

On Monday, June 15, de Blasio ordered the gate to Williamsburg Playground to be welded shut.

What was the rationale given by the de Blasio administration? Parks were broken into, so the welding was a short-term fix to be replaced with locks and chains. He claimed that other public parks were broken into. These parks are located in Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish areas: Midwood and Boro Park.

The Orthodox Hassidim had enough and on Monday, June 16, used bolt-cutters to get into the park.

On June 16, de Blasio doubled down on his decision: "When you see an entire nation, simultaneously grappling with an extraordinary crisis seated in 400 years of American racism, I'm sorry, that is not the same question as the understandably aggrieved store owner or the devout religious person who wants to go back to services," de Blasio said in a press conference.

"We're not going to allow people to take the law into their own hands," de Blasio told reporters. "It just doesn't work. People are not allowed to open up a playground that's not yet available to the public."

The NYC Department of Parks stated that playgrounds will be closed until the coronavirus pandemic is in check. The Jews didn't riot. The politics of Mayor deBlasio and Governor Cuomo is clearly organized against Jews.

The so-called Jewish leadership who marched on June 9 with BLM was silent when it came to the abuse of power wielded against the Orthodox Jews.

The SWC and the ADL do not counter or expose the brutal assaults that have taken place against the Orthodox community in Brooklyn, nor do they expose the ideological assaults. How else to explain their carrying of BLM signs on June 9 in Brooklyn, N.Y.?

This combination of the lack of true Jewish leadership and the ignorance of many of the Jewish people is leading to a dim future for Jews here in the United States.
Leftist thugs and rioters continued their coordinated assaults on monuments to America's history this weekend as Democrat politicians in the city areas they control largely nodded and winked their assent, basking in the chaos and intimidation of the "summer of love."

One of the areas that has seen significant lawlessness is Richmond, as the rioters deface and attempt to destroy longstanding statues. The response has been lukewarm at best, which is not surprising in a state run by Governor Klanny McBlackface, the same governor who opined that infanticide could be an act of compassion.

The police sent out a toothless warning for the clearly lawless activity taking place in Richmond by tweeting, "Lots of people are expected to arrive in Richmond on July 4th to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech. They will be expressing their opinions on a variety of topics. You can expect delays around the State Capitol and LEE Monument."

Reading that tweet would lead you to believe that grandma's sewing circle was coming to town instead of chaps with ropes, spray paint, and brass knuckles eager to forcibly express their opinions on a "variety of topics."

It goes without saying that Americans enjoy no constitutional right to express their opinion by vandalizing and destroying public and private property and attacking their fellow Americans, but that point seems to be lost on our next generation of Democrats.

The Democrats in Richmond really have their pulse on the problem, as they openly endorse defelonizing assaults on law enforcement officers, meaning one of the worst crimes imaginable, a crime that undermines and threatens civil order, would become a misdemeanor.

This has been a long time in coming. A couple decades ago, we tried to bring freedom and liberty to the Middle East while ignoring the sewing of the seeds of America's destruction here at home. We were a nation asleep. The worst of the radical Wahhabi Madrassas have little on the average American university at this point when it comes to radicalizing their acolytes.

While the general lawlessness and violence is dubbed #cancelculture, I would prefer #erasehistory since it is a cultural movement designed to erase history as the key first step in remaking society in a Marxist image.

As such, it should be obvious to everyone by now that the Confederate generals aren't the principal target. Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus are the warm-up act, to set the ground for bagging bigger game. The intent is to get Americans to acquiesce to viewing these statues as tainted by racism and in need of removal. It's a short hop from there to the radicals' true targets, which have long been a trio of American giants; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.

If the left manages to take them out, then it is game over since the trio have come to most represent our founding principles and national historic journey.

Washington is the ultimate mythic figure, the courageous general and founder who chose to be a limited president and not a king.

Jefferson was liberty's champion who penned the aspirations of a nation when he wrote 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."

And Lincoln was the great emancipator, a man whose existence in history is a reminder that the price to end slavery was paid in full in American blood, with more than 600K Americans killed.

Once these heroes are erased, the foundational documents can be tossed into the refuse like yesterday's garbage.

This is what made President Trump's decision to host an event in front of Mount Rushmore so fitting. He stood in front of the three biggest targets of leftist rage and gave a full-throated defense of liberty, one of the greatest and most timely speeches delivered on American soil.

You know he is hitting the mark when the New York Times declared it a "divisive message" and a CNN reporter cheerfully vomited out that President Trump will be "standing in front of a monument of two slave holders and on land wrestled away from Native Americans." One wonders at the depth of university insanity that spit out such a bitter and small-minded reporter who thinks so little of the men who produced the experiment in freedom that ultimately led to her high-paying opportunity to spout foolishness.

A clearly disheartened Brian Stelter opined that the speech wouldn't make sense to most Americans. He stumbled on to an unintentional and unfortunate truth in the sense that plenty of people indoctrinated in Marxist factories probably were confused by such an unapologetic defense of America, a country they've been taught to hate.

Twenty years ago, there would have been nothing controversial about this speech. Americans of all stripes would have fully endorsed the veneration of our country's heroes and the defense of liberty and American exceptionalism.

But, we are no longer that country thanks to the culture war the left has been ruthlessly waging. Despite the media's breathless repeating of the Democrat talking point, this is not Trump's culture war. It wasn't the president tearing down statues and attacking America's founders.

It wasn't the president who forced police into retreat, even as Chicago recently had its deadliest day in 60 years as cities across the country see violence spiking like it was shot out of a cannon. This president has the audacity to fight back and Democrats despise him for it since they are now the party of the radical left.

It's worth repeating here that the treatment the deranged left directs at Trump would have been unleashed on any Republican president, to include the "play nice" crowd who would have long bowed in surrender. Americans have far too quickly forgotten the treatment of George W. Bush, who was attacked mercilessly despite never having a bad word for his tormenters.

This radical left fully owns the Democrat party at this point. Joe Biden, a marginal political figure even in his prime, will be little more than a vessel to funnel their hatred. This is the result of schools and universities producing generations of totalitarians and globalists who are ashamed of their country.

It is hard to comprehend anyone voting for this insanity, but the fact that I believe this election will be close speaks volumes to the moment in which we now live.

President Trump rightfully said that "our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children."

The last part of that statement is an existential problem and that campaign has been ongoing for decades and is nearing the tipping point. Re-electing the president will not be nearly enough.

Americans must reclaim academia. That is the source of what we are witnessing. It is the schools and the universities that are pumping out the radicals who have taken over media, are writing the curriculums for lower grades, are populating all perches of influence, and who have an ever-growing foothold in industry. It's the heart of the beast.

That's where America's sons and daughters learn to hate their country and its greatest heroes. That's where they learn to incite racial hatred and to pine for Marxism.

If we don't take a much more active role in educating the next generation of all Americans, we are on borrowed time. Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson will fall and sooner than most people think. And we will wake up to discover that a nation severed from its history has a decidedly dark future.

Fletch Daniels can be found on Twitter at @fletchdaniels.
Amid a new outbreak of the coronavirus, California's Gavin Newsom was adamant that no firework celebrations be done on the Fourth of July, because the public simply could not be trusted to socially distance.

Addressing the counties on California's watchlist, he explained, "We have worked with those counties, the 19 counties that are mandatory closure lists and we have made it clear privately- now we're making it more abundantly clear publicly- that we believe that they should consider canceling some of their fireworks shows and presentations. By the way, a number of cities have done just that, LA in San Francisco."

There were also all those families, something Democrats have never been too fond of either, and all that demon rum they might ingest together, so:

In his address, Newsom said family gatherings have contributed to the state's recent increase in transmission  and that it's an understandable impulse to want to get together, especially over a long holiday weekend. "Patriotism in a COVID-19 environment can be expressed in a little bit different way," Newsom said, asking people to reconsider attending gatherings with those who are not in their immediate household. Also, holidays mean celebration, and that often means alcohol. The governor said people may start off a gathering with good intentions, wearing face masks, but after a drink or two, might let their guard (as well as their masks) down  and begin to mix in ways that increase the transmission of COVID-19.

It's likely that Newsom's suggestion was more than a suggestion. Newsom has, after all, conditioned state aid on cities and counties following his orders, and set up 'strike forces' to go after people not wearing masks as well as small businesses operating in contravention to his shutdown orders.

And much to his surprise, he got this:

The people of Southern California are revolting against @GavinNewsom. My liberal neighbors are fed up with his controlling ways. https://t.co/9SIvG03Qel  Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 5, 2020

Fireworks in Richmond, California

(Song: Glory by Lil Wayne) pic.twitter.com/sxpraU4Cto  Denis Ivan Perez (@dpi_19) July 5, 2020

Can you believe this?? It's California - all over - everyone is going crazy against the Newsom ban on fireworks and lighting it up! @realDonaldTrump @RealJamesWoods @Scavino45 https://t.co/tDoOyduJ2o  Jules (@julesverne12345) July 5, 2020

We needed some real fireworks in our lives tonight. So we took a drive. Vallejo, you did not dissapoint. @maarisuhhh  pic.twitter.com/RvZLkWxhQj  Justin Laugen Photo (@Justin_Laugen) July 5, 2020

Fireworks looking south over San Jose. pic.twitter.com/VAkZM0sRMx  Niranjan Tulpule (@NiranjanTulpule) July 5, 2020

Here's economically battered Fresno, from a scold of a reporter looking to see those tickets issued:

Stop #4 (probably the most active call weve been to)



Heres a $1,000 ticket. pic.twitter.com/evuOYWykyv  Jenna Liston FOX 26 (@JennaListonTV) July 5, 2020

There were a lot more - the entire state was lit up with illegal fireworks.

Surfers in their dozens ignored the no-surfing orders, too, and this time, no lawmen went into the water to chase after them to issue tickets.

Illegal fireworks were once the province of illegal immigrants bringing in the lawless ways of Mexico, but now it appears that everyone is doing them, thumbing their nose at the law same as is done in Mexico and beyond.

It goes to show that when the state overreaches, and puts out an unreasonable demand, widespread disobedience is going to be the result. It happens in Mexico, now it's happening here. Irish democracy, as Instapundit puts it.

It was in fact an unreasonable request. Fireworks are the highlight of the premier summer holiday, the Fourth of July, as well as an expression of patriotic sentiment, something Newsom's Democrats haven't placed a lot of value on of late.

They're something little kids look forward to, little cooped up kids even more so, and parents of little cooped up kids most of all.

They're also free, and in a state devastated by massive unemployment due to all of Newsom's previous shutdowns, a rare something the newly impoverished can enjoy, too.

Yet even on science grounds, Newsom's call for no fireworks were dubious. Firework shows are all outdoor shows and outdoor affairs are easiest to socially distance - even some pockets of unregulated protest, such as New York, showed few new cases. Some of the Indian casinos in California hosted firework shows with all the protocols of social distancing, too, but large cities such as Los Angeles with millions of firework fans were all told no. COVID in fact is spread by indoor affairs with a lot of shouting - such as nursing homes and prisons - where the worst COVID results have been seen. Newsom emptied the prisons on this ground, but ordered COVID patients into the nursing homes, where no one could get out.

Now, it's better to have state-regulated large displays everyone can watch than the small, do-it-yourself displays often put on as a result of easy access to fireworks for purchase over the Mexican border. Numerous fires came of the shows not put on by the pros, which is sure to become a scolding point. But in the absence of a state-regulated public show which everyone can watch and go to, small displays are going to be the natural result. It's like pot smoking - people are going to get it one way or another, so an arguably better approach is to allow regulated sales. Somehow that logic never occurred to Newsom.

All that mattered was that he be able to put out an order and watch the descamisados fall into line.

So he got what he wanted with the shutdown of public displays, making a lot of people unhappy, but instead of compliance, got a massive repudiation of his utterly unreasonable order. And a big celebration of freedom instead, highly appropriate on America's national holiday. Maybe Newsom can take the sentiment of the people and the verdict of science into consideration next time he wants to flex his state muscle and work on his lethal nursing home policy instead.

Image credit: Twitter screen shot
Fed up with Defund the Police? Worried that hordes of peaceful protestors might soon show up to burn and pillage your neighborhood? Want to make your views known but unsure where to begin?

Heres a way to hit back: defund the universities.

Its no secret that much of the radical ideology fueling the Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots are the product of our dysfunctional higher educational system. Universities today are almost 100% hard left-wing bubbles, openly hostile to any conservative thought. They are intolerant of opposing opinions, the very opposite of the kind of dialogue intended for higher education, and so desperately needed today. These Molotov-cocktail wielding radicals are the end product of years of propaganda from left-wing professors.

Colleges may hate conservatives, but they will be forced to listen  and change  if you target their pocketbooks. And colleges and universities are vulnerable, especially with the current double-whammy of lower student enrollment and the coronavirus taking its toll.

Heres a modest outline of how to begin. Ideally some enterprising legislator will help to put these into law. If BLM can force radical change on society why cant conservatives push through a few modest proposals of our own?

Stop Donating:

Every alumnus should write to their college ASAP to state that not a single penny will be given until things change significantly. This is your chance to be heard, so let them have it with both barrels! (Ive attached my letter to Duke below). In fact, go it one better and tell them that you will do your best to convince other alumni to stop donating as well. We are in an ideological war  you need to show them whose side you are on.

[If you are reading this, please do this now. And even if you had no intention of giving money, tell them that you were  a lot.]

Halt Student Loan Guarantees:

The higher education system is kept afloat by a sea of student loan debt, much of it guaranteed by the Federal Government. This amounts to a huge subsidy, estimated at $100 to $250 billion per year, funded by our tax dollars. Its long past time to stop this madness let the universities compete in the marketplace without these kinds of perverse incentives (and watch those Diversity Deans collect pink slips).

Tax the Endowments:

Again, hit them in the pocketbook. Why should Harvard not pay a penny of taxes on its $40+ billion endowment? Its always irked me that someone like Elizabeth Warren can rant about businesses paying their fair share of taxes while taking a high six-figure salary from an uber-rich institution that doesnt pay any taxes at all. Tax them now!

[My letter to Duke follows]

The cloistered Gothic campus of Duke University (photo credit: Ilyse Whitney)

To: Office of Gift Planning, Duke University CC: Duke President Vincent E. Price Dear Sirs, I am very sorry to have to write you this letter, but I feel I no longer have any choice. As you know I was considering a major donation to Duke University. However, after learning of President Prices structural racism initiatives, I will no longer be donating to Duke. In fact, I will make it my priority to convince other alumni not to donate as well. I am shocked and appalled to see the direction that Duke University has chosen to take. I am ashamed to be a Duke alumnus, and am worried and indeed horrified at what this once great institution is becoming. President Prices recent announcement to go all-in on a structural racism ideology insures that Duke will become a place where racial grievances are magnified, and where people are judged and rewarded based on the color of their skin and actions of their ancestors. Ironically this kind of ideology is the very definition of racism, and the polar opposite of Martin Luther Kings vision for a color-blind society. This radical anti-bias ideology is anathema to higher learning, and barely existed a decade ago. And yet President Price now wants to ensure every student leaves Duke with an understanding of the nature of structural racism. This is indoctrination, pure and simple. It is no different than what was seen in Chinas Cultural Revolution. Force feeding any kind of ideology  much less a newly created, radical one  does not belong in a free society, much less in a supposed bastion of higher learning. I wonder, will an allowance be made for those students who do not wish to be trained in such a racially-charged ideology? Im guessing not  like the victims of Communist dictatorships, they will be made to obey whether they like it or not. The philosophical underpinnings of structural racism are also deeply ignorant. Students of history recognize that slavery and inequities have been a part of the human experience for millennia. Simplistic slogans attacking white privilege ignore this background (in fact the very word slave is derived from the Slavic peoples  who are now ironically lumped in with the oppressors). The Duke University I knew and loved is long gone, destroyed by radicals seeking political power at the expense of free speech and learned discussion. This is a travesty. Sincerely yours,

Jay Latimer is the pen name of a Duke University alumnus
Today I lost a close friend. Cherished and admired by my family. A great humanitarian. Generous and kind individual. I have a heavy heart for it was so sudden. No, she did not die! Then why such great sadness? She cut off our friendship because I am a Conservative and she is a Liberal. Believe me, just as painful.

On June 9, 2020, American Thinker published an article I wrote called, "Whiteness," The New Evil. It has brought many incredible people into my life. Since my Liberal friend and I shared many life events, I sent the article to her.

I didn't speak with my Liberal friend for two weeks and when I called to "check in" and see how she and her family were doing, the last part of our conversation was about my article. Prior to this, we never talked politics. I said, "I guess you now know I am a Conservative and I think you are Liberal." She acknowledged, "A little Liberal and some of my family are a little Conservative." (That is like being a little bit pregnant.) She said she liked the part I wrote about antisemitism and the Ethiopian Jews, but she didn't agree with other points I made. One being that I believe that antisemitism is more prevalent in the United States than racism. She disagreed and saw it the other way around even though I provided statistics of hate crimes against Jews. I told her, "No problem." And we said our warm and friendly goodbye.

Two more weeks went by, and there was a Zoom event taking place from the New York Consulate also about the Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel). My friend Raffi Berg, Middle East Editor of BBC Online is the author of the book, "Red Sea Spies," the story of how the Israeli Mossad set up Operation Brothers in a fake diving resort in Sudan, to rescue 7,000 Ethiopian Jews and get them safely to Israel. The program also featured Commander of the Mossad Dani Limor. Here is the link for that event which starts three minutes after opening:

I also sent the announcement for this wonderful event to my Liberal friend. To follow up and make sure she could open the Zoom account, I called, but she didn't answer. So I left a message. No response. Then I called again and left a message. No response. I decided to send an email. No response. This was quite unusual for my Liberal friend usually gets right back to me. I actually started getting worried something happened to her.

Around 8:00 pm, I receive an email from my Liberal friend and as I start reading it, I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I just stared at the screen not believing the angry message my friend sent me. Given the nature of our relationship, I was in shock! I had to call another friend for solace. Here is the angry email I received:

"I felt very sad after our last phone call. The US was founded by racists, the Constitution was a racist document, and I think your statement that anti-Semitism in this country is more prevalent than racism is a very inherently problematic belief. I cannot maintain a relationship with you Adrienne any longer and will not be responding to your voice mail. Please do not email me or call me again. I can no longer enjoy our friendship. I do wish you the best. Please honor my request."

It still hurts to read it. And I was so troubled by the loss of my cherished friend, I didn't sleep all night. I decided to write to Rabbi Aryeh Spero, President of the Conference of Jewish Affairs, my friend and "America's Rabbi." I explained what happened and that I felt my Liberal friend was irrational. Here is Rabbi's response:

"If someone no longer wants to be your friend, then that is the end of the relationship. Liberalism has become the "Avodah Zara", the idol of most Jews. They value their deity above everything else. It is happening to all Conservatives from now ex- Liberal friends. Welcome to the Club. She truly wants to believe America was founded in evil. For some emotional reason, she needs to hold on to that belief... without challenge."

I want to repeat what Rabbi said, "It is happening to all Conservatives from now ex-Liberal friends. Welcome to the Club." This is such a sad commentary on the chaos and divisiveness in this country. It is perverse.

So my Liberal friend turned out to be a Progressive Left Deceiver. Beware those of you with so-called Liberal friends. Could be a wolf in sheep's clothing. I recently heard a Conservative pundit say, "One technique the Left uses to put you on the defensive, is to accuse you of doing what they are doing." More deception. More lost friendships.

I'll have to become like the armadillo and grow body armor for protection against the slings and arrows of the Progressive Left Deceivers. It really is painful to lose a special friend, have angry irrational emails sent to you and not understand how an ideology can tear friendships apart.

There are pictures in my home of my Progressive Left friend. They will remain with us, for we loved her. We will remember how special she is. She brought a richness to our lives. And because I am always an optimist, maybe, just maybe, one day our friend will change her mind.

Adrienne Skolnik is Chairman of the North Carolina Chapter of the Conference of Jewish Affairs.
What I wanted most of all was to help the amazing Class of 2020 disburse these funds in ways that were important to them and which aligned with our school systems protocols, Todd wrote in an email to The Capital. We have worked together to accomplish that, and thats what is most important. The Class of 2020s journey was certainly unique, but members of this class have left a lasting positive impression on our school.
It's the Fourth of July, the 244th anniversary of America's founding, everyone is mulling the greatness of America described in President Trump's speech. Rep. Eric Swalwell, though, has decided that now's about the time to bring up Nazis.

Talk about verbally stinking up the joint.

He started in on a guy he was really unwise to start in on, former acting Director of National Intelligence, and former U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, not thinking the matter through: First thing he did was bring up Nazis, and attempt to pin the Nazi label on Grenell:

If you pald around with Nazi party members in Germany when you were our ambassador, youre not allowed to call someone a communist dictator. https://t.co/aJlRViI8CN  Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) July 4, 2020

Which was some highly offensive little-snot-style trolling, given that Grenell is not only an anti-Nazi, he's also a gay man and people like him were marked for extermination by the Nazis.

But Grenell is a higher breed than Swalwell, and went for a simple, reasoned towel-snap at the little toad:

You are so unserious. Im the guy who kicked the Nazi prison guard out of the US - while you stayed silent. https://t.co/QZpCGnnyyn https://t.co/S66I9RP6vB  Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 4, 2020

Here's the little punk's backtalk:

Our German allies literally wouldnt engage with you. They told me so. You embraced the fringe right when you were there. Just go silent and delete your account. https://t.co/42q2GX3q5n  Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) July 4, 2020

Prompting one Twitter denizen to wonder this:

Im beginning to think Swalwell has a secret thing for Grenell. Hes totally out of his league though ;)  Lena42 (@EML5280) July 4, 2020

Swalwell was obviously looking to pick a fight, and bring up Nazi talk, a matter he knows nothing about, other than its value to him as a means of scoring cheap political points. The impeachment Democrat, who was last seen passing gas in public, has found a new way to stink up a joint by flinging this talk at anyone associated with President Trump. But he picked the wrong guy and made a fool of himself, again, stinking up the joint, much as he's done in other contexts. He's every inch the laughingstock he seems, a condition brought on by excessive leftwingery and too much self-regard. Since no one can respect him, his best bet now is to crawl under some rock.

Image credit: Twitter screen shot
California Governor Gavin Newsom (Dem.) has been playing politics with the Wuhan virus. When he first ordered a short lockdown to flatten the curve, Californians played along despite the economic destruction because the virus was new, and the predictions were scary. They played along when the lockdown didnt stop. They played along when Newsom locked the elderly up in nursing homes to die. They played along when Newsom boldly quashed constitutional rights.

And then, suddenly, Newsom announced that mass riots were okay  and, by the way, if youre not rioting, youre still locked up. Having been lied to and manipulated, Californians are turning to civil disobedience.

Over 2,500 years ago, Aesop told a story about a young shepherd who was bored and cried out Wolf! The villagers ran to help, only to learn theyd been tricked. The next day, the boy again cried Wolf, and the villagers again were fooled. The day after that, a wolf attacked the boys flock. Wolf! Wolf! cried the boy. But the villagers, having been fooled twice, ignored the boys pleas, allowing the wolf to eat the flock. The moral: A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.

In March, California Governor Gavin Newsom put California in lockdown to flatten the Wuhan virus curve. Newsom, like Gov. Cuomo, placed virus patients in nursing homes, which may have contributed to the 2,531 resident and 93 care worker deaths in those homes. The government also had a hand in the viruss rampage through San Quentin prison, which killed three death row inmates. In other words, Democrat policies in California managed to produce 42% of the states 6,263 virus fatalities.

With its lockdown, which initially was to last for two weeks and that instead continued for months, Newsom weakened the California economy, drove its citizens to despair, prevented people from getting healthcare for other potentially deadly conditions, and deprived citizens of their constitutional rights.

Concerning those constitutional rights, in May, the state banned those protesting the lockdown, violating their First Amendment right peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Most recently, Newsom banned singing in houses of worship, violating the First Amendments mandate that the government cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion.

The lockdown prohibitions vanished, however, when the Black Lives Matter protests started. Suddenly, it was okay for people to gather, sometimes in the tens of thousands, burning and looting as they went (with a particular focus on anti-Semitic destruction). Governor Newsom approved, saying, Your rage is real. Express it so that we can hear it.

Eventually, Newsom began to reopen California. And as was to be expected, the number of Wuhan virus cases increased. However, as the number of diagnoses increased, the mortality rate has declined. This is partly due to positive tests on asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic people and partially due to better treatment approaches (including hydroxychloroquine because Trump was right all along).

Nevertheless, because leftists across America have given up all pretense of flattening the curve, and instead are using the virus as a cudgel against Trumps reelection, various California officials from Newsom on down are trying to reinstate limitations on peoples activities:

Gov. Gavin Newsom this week ordered the closure of indoor restaurants, bars, wineries, movie theaters, zoos and museums in 19 counties, affecting more than 28 million Californians, or 72% of the states population. Beaches were ordered shut down by local government officials in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.

To politicians and bureaucrats chagrin, Californians  usually a people amenable to government control -- are rebelling. Theyve seen their government convert the promised curve flattening from days to months, withdraw constitutional rights, and grant a special dispensation for mass rallies -- all while mortality has decreased. They cant be fooled anymore when their government claims to act in their interests:

As California began to rapidly reopen the economy, officials in Santa Cruz County decided the safe thing to do was keep its landmark beaches largely closed in the afternoons to prevent crowds that could spread the coronavirus. But the public increasingly ignored the rules and demanded their summer on the sand, swimming, sunbathing and just hanging out. Unable to stop the crowds, county officials simply gave up. People are not willing to be governed anymore in that regard, health officer Dr. Gail Newel said as the county rescinded its beach closure order last week. [snip] Many residents are torn  they understand the growing dangers of the coronavirus but also say the months in virtual lockdown took an emotional toll. Casey Parlette, a Laguna Beach resident, said she is still wondering whether her city was right to close its beaches during the holiday weekend. I hear both sides of the argument  but its a tough thing when everything is closed. When the beaches, trail heads, parks were closed, the only thing that was open was maybe your backyard, if you have one, and the middle of the street and that was pretty much it, Parlette said.

It turns out that, even in a smugly leftist state, the government can only cry wolf so often.

Image: YouTube screengrab




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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.

This week, the following hot news you should know:

Top 1 | China's top political advisory body opposes U.S. bill on Hong Kong

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Thursday strongly condemned and resolutely opposed the passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. move gravely interferes in China's internal affairs, and grossly tramples on international law and basic norms governing international relations, the foreign affairs committee said in a statement.

National security is a basic precondition for the existence and development of a nation and it concerns the nation's core interests, the statement stressed.

"No country in the world would ever turn a blind eye to acts and activities severely undermining its national security," said the statement.

The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has won firm support from all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots, read the statement.

The U.S. move is not about democracy or freedom of Hong Kong residents, but about containing China's development, said the statement, underlining that the plot of the anti-China forces in the United States will never succeed.

Top 2 | Election Commission: Russian Constitutional Changes Approved by 77.92% as 100% of Ballots Counted

The all-Russian vote was originally scheduled for 22 April 22, but was then postponed to 1 July due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

A total of 77.92 percent of Russians have backed amendments to the country's constitution, and 21.27 percent have voted against them, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Thursday, after 100 percent of the ballots were processed.

"There is no doubt that it is legitimate, but this will be officially confirmed at a CEC session that will take place very soon," Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) head Ella Pamfilova said on Thursday.

Pamfilova revealed on Wednesday that, according to the preliminary data, almost 65 percent of Russian citizens cast their ballots in the vote on constitutional amendments.

The CEC chairwoman noted that the extremely low number of violations were detected in the course of the vote, adding that the online format of voting that was available in Moscow and the Nizhny Novogorod Region proved to be popular among their residents.

Pamfilova also said that Russia's CEC would take all necessary measures to crack down double voting attempts.

The turnout includes the votes cast from June 25 until polls close at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Top 3 | India, Pakistan Exchange Lists of Civilian Prisoners as Part of 2008 Agreement, New Delhi Says

India and Pakistan have exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody under the bilateral agreement on providing consular access to each others' prisoners, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Wednesday.

"India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody. This is in keeping with the provisions of the 2008 Agreement under which such lists are exchanged every year on 1st January and 1st July," the press release said.

According to the press release, New Delhi handed over a list of 265 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 97 fishermen in its custody to Islamabad, which, in its turn, shared a list of 54 civilian prisoners and 270 fishermen in its custody, "who are Indians or believed-to-be Indians."

"The Government has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel and fishermen, along with their boats, from Pakistan's custody. In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 7 Indian civilian prisoners and 106 Indian fishermen to India whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to Indian Fishermen and 18 believed-to-be Indian civilian prisoners who are in Pakistan's custody," the press release added.

Top 4 | Pentagon Says No Proof of Russias Alleged Deal With Taliban as New Details Emerge

According to The New York Times, the US intelligence community concluded that Russia may have offered bounties to Afghan militants for killing US troops deployed to the Central Asian country. Both Russia and the Taliban have denied the accusations. The White House also stated the reports are not verified.

The US Department of Defence has no evidence to back up allegations about collusion between Russia and the Taliban, according to Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.

The Department of Defense continues to evaluate intelligence that Russian GRU operatives were engaged in malign activity against the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan, Hoffman said in a statement.

To date, the DoD has no corroborating evidence to validate the recent allegations found in open-source reports. Regardless, we always take the safety and security of our forces in Afghanistan  and around the world  most seriously and therefore continuously adopt measures to prevent harm from potential threats.

Top 5 | Iran says to sue U.S. president, officials for assassination of Soleimani

Iran has filed a case with the Interpol to arrest a number of U.S. political and military officials "who were involved in the assassination" of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January, Tehran Prosecutor General Ali Qasi Mehr said on Monday.

Qasi Mehr said that the list of 36 U.S. individuals, including President Donald Trump, has been availed to the Interpol.

These people have been accused of murder and terrorist acts against the Iranian senior commander, he was quoted as saying.

A U.S. airstrike on January 3 killed Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with an Iraqi militia commander, near Baghdad International Airport.

Top 6 | Americas relationship with Germany may never be the same again, Berlin warns

Diplomatic ties between Washington and Berlin have declined markedly in recent years and Germanys foreign minister has appeared to warn that relations between the two countries may never be the same again.

In the biggest signal yet of how strained relations have become, Heiko Maas said this weekend that the alliance with the U.S.  which is important in terms of economics, defense and security  might not recover even if President Donald Trumps rival for the White House, Democrat Joe Biden, won the forthcoming election.

Everyone who thinks everything in the trans-Atlantic partnership will be as it once was with a Democratic president underestimates the structural changes, Maas told German press agency DPA Sunday, Deutsche Welle reported.

The trans-Atlantic relations are extraordinarily important, they remain important, and we are working to ensure they have a future, Maas said.But with the way they are now, they are no longer fulfilling the demands both sides have for them.

Arguably the Western worlds most influential economies and political blocs, the U.S. and Germany have seen their relationship deteriorate during Trumps time in office.

Defense spending, a brewing trade war between the U.S. and Europe and the threat of U.S. tariffs on German car exports are all bones of contention, as well as the mega gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 (a German-Russian project) and, most recently, the Group of Seven (G-7) alliance and the U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Germany.

Top 7 | Trump denies briefing on reported bounties against US troops

President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that he had been briefed on reported U.S. intelligence that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan, and he appeared to minimize the allegations against Moscow.

American intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian officials offered rewards for successful attacks on American service-members last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war, according to The New York Times.

Trump, in a Sunday morning tweet, said Nobody briefed or told me or Vice President Mike Pence or chief of staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians.

Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us, he said.

The White House had issued a statement Saturday denying that Trump or Pence had been briefed on such intelligence. This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.

Top 8 | Japan objects to Trump's plan to add South Korea to G7: Kyodo

Japan has conveyed to the United States its objection to President Donald Trump's idea of adding South Korea to the Group of Seven summit, Japan's Kyodo News reported Sunday citing diplomatic sources.

In late May, Trump said he would postpone the G7 summit until at least September and expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India.

Kyodo reported that Japan conveyed the objection immediately after Trump raised the prospect, saying that South Korea is not "in lockstep with G7 members on China and North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) issues."

According to the sources, the Japanese government has refrained from publicly expressing its opposition to South Korea's participation, thinking that the G7 expansion proposal may be just "a thought" of Trump that could fizzle out.

The G7 groups the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Italy and Canada, and the European Union also attends.

Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on June 1 that the G7 is an "important framework" for coordination in tackling global challenges.

Top 9 | EU narrows down border list, US unlikely to make the cut

European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again, possibly from late next week, EU diplomats confirmed Saturday. Americans are almost certain to be excluded in the short term due to the number of U.S. coronavirus cases.

The envoys were expected to have narrowed down later Saturday the exact criteria for countries to make the list, which include the way the spread of the virus is being managed. Another key condition is whether the country has a ban on citizens from European nations.

The number of cases in the United States has surged over the past week, with an all-time high of 45,300 confirmed new daily infections just reached. President Donald Trump also suspended the entry of all people from Europes ID check-free travel zone in a decree in March.

The EU diplomats confirmed that an official agreement on the criteria  likely to include a limit on the infection rate per 100,000 citizens  is expected late on Monday or early Tuesday. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the procedure is ongoing and politically very sensitive.

Top 10 | WHO-led coalition needs $31.3 bln to fight COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO)-led coalition fighting the coronavirus needs 31.3 billion U.S. dollars over the next 12 months to develop and roll out tests, treatments and vaccines, it said on Friday.

Today, 3.4 billion U.S. dollars had been collected, leaving a funding gap of 27.9 billion U.S. dollars, of which 13.7 billion was "urgently needed".

The WHO initiative aims to scale up delivery of 500 million tests and 245 million courses of treatments to low- and middle-income countries by mid-2021, as well as two billion vaccines doses, including one billion to be bought by low- and middle-income countries, by the end of 2021, it said in a statement.

The WHO is working with a large coalition of drug-development, funding and distribution organizations under what it is calling the ACT-Accelerator Hub.

In an update on the ACT-Accelerator initiative, launched in April to speed up R&D for the new disease, the WHO and global health groups said the coronavirus pandemic is still threatening millions of lives and scores of economies.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
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I used to talk about creating a movement or a political party which, in order to take centre stage and help to raise the hay pole, so to speak, should ideally bring together a range of nationalist, social democratic and Christian democratic forces, as well as single individuals on their own merit. The latter included people that for a while we used to call Pujols supporters, for want of a better word [] Since we couldnt set up a serious party or go around introducing ourselves as Pujols bunch, we came up with the acronym GASC, which stood for Action Group at the Service of Catalonia [in Catalan]. I have taken this quote from book two of the memoirs of former Catalan president Jordi Pujol and he refers to the events of 17 November 1974. Jordi Pujol explains how he was driven in a FC Barcelona fan bus to the top of the Montserrat mountain, where a group of about seventy people would found his party, Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya, in a meeting that began at 11 am and ended at 5 pm and was held in a conference room courtesy of the local Benedictine monks. They would officially name the party a few weeks later, but Jordi Pujol knew that his had to be a party along the lines of what Germans called Volksparteien (the CDU and the SPD), which aimed to represent no less than 30 per cent of the population. Additionally, Pujol was not prepared to share the leadership with anyone, something that he had made clear to other salient figures in Catalan politics at the time, such as Josep Pallach, the sorely-missed socialist leader.
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Interim Aurora, Colo., police chief Vanessa Wilson fired two officers for reenacting the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain and a third officer for commenting on the photo that captured the "despicable act," The Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: McClain died in the summer of 2019 after police officers held him in a chokehold and paramedics used a sedative, ketamine. People have been protesting McClain's death recently after the police killing of George Floyd revitalized the movement against police brutality.

What they're saying: Wilson said she fired Officers Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich for posing with Jaron Jones, who resigned earlier this week. Wilson called the photo a "despicable act," per the Post.

"And if any officer in this police department disagrees and thinks this was acceptable, I will gladly accept your resignation today."

Jason Rosenblatt replied "ha ha" to the image when he received it, the Post notes.

The state of play: The renewed focus on McClain's death prompted Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) to reopen an inquiry and appoint a special prosecutor to the case.

No police officer has been charged with McClain's death.

Context: A coroner's report concluded McClain died because of "undetermined causes" and the "evidence does not support the prosecution of a homicide," NBC reports.

However, the coroner did not rule out that the chokehold and ketamine might have contributed to his death.

The coroner "could not exclude the possibility that Mr. McClain suffered from an unexpected reaction to the drug."

Editor's note: Updates with additional details.
Stop AAPI Hate announced there have been 832 self-reported incidents of discrimination and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California in the last three months.

The big picture: During the coronavirus pandemic, harassment and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are "becoming the norm." The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and Chinese for Affirmative Action, which launched Stop AAPI Hate, said there have been 2,120 hate incidents across the country, but 40% of them occurred in California, CBS News reports.

"Without government accountability, we risk COVID-related racism against Asian Americans becoming deeply entrenched, ultimately impacting the lives of millions of people in California and around the country."

 Russell Jeung, chair and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University

The state of play: Stop AAPI Hate reported that 81 of the incidents in California led to assault and 64 were potential civil rights violations.

Advocates have asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom to fund programs that fight bias and to add a cultural representative to his COVID-19 task force, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Worth noting: President Trump has previously been criticized for calling the coronavirus the "Kung flu" and the "Chinese virus."

Charissa Cheah, a professor of psychology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, told the Washington Post Trump is "fueling these anti-Chinese sentiments among Americans  not caring that the people who will truly suffer the most are Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans, his citizens whom hes supposed to protect.

Go deeper: Taking coronavirus fears too far
The news media has largely moved on, but foreign government officials remain fixated on John Bolton's memoir, "The Room Where It Happened."

Why it matters: Bolton's detailed inside-the-Oval revelations have raised the blood pressure of allies who were already stressed about President Trump's unreliability.

What we're seeing: Bolton's account of Trump's disdain toward South Korea  as a freeloader whom the U.S. has no business protecting  was "met with consternation in Seoul," writes the well-sourced Sue Mi Terry in Foreign Affairs.

"After all, it is one thing to suspect that the president of the United States doesnt care about your country and is simply pursuing diplomacy to get his picture in the newspaper; it is quite another to have the suspicion confirmed by one of the president's most senior advisers," she wrote.

Between the lines: South Korea is far from the only country grappling with Bolton's revelations.

European officials, who have spent three and a half years fretting that Trump would withdraw the U.S. from NATO, are treated to a hair-raising account of just how close Trump came to announcing he would do just that.

The behind-the-scenes maneuverings from Trump's team to stop that from happening suggest it's still a real possibility.

Associates of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido were also unsettled by the book, according to a source in close touch with his team. And the inner circle of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was ebullient about the account, according to a source briefed on their thinking.

Though Trump's official position is that he backs Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, Bolton reveals that Trump has called him weak. Bolton wrote that only a few months after Trump endorsed Guaido, he had branded him "the Beto O'Rourke of Venezuela."

When I spoke to Trump a few weeks ago, he told me he could have gone either way on Bolton's advice to endorse Guaido, that he was originally inclined not to, and thought that doing so was a fairly meaningless gesture.

Trump also told me he would be willing to meet with Maduro. The statement sent shockwaves through Guaido's inner circle, and Trump walked it back the day after our story published.

The big picture: We may never see another book like Bolton's. It's hard to imagine a future author who has Bolton's access, his pedantry about note-taking, and his willingness to undermine the commander in chief he served.
At least two people were killed and eight others injured in a shooting at a nightclub in Greenville, South Carolina, according to multiple reports.

What's new: There are no suspects in custody in relation to the shooting and investigators are still on the scene. The eight surviving victims are in "various conditions," the Greenville County Sheriff's Office told CNN.

What he's saying: "Everything is turned over. There are a few chairs in there, food on the floor, some bottles busted. You can tell somebody left in a hurry. There are some pretty large amounts of blood," Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said per WYFF.
A group of 239 scientists in 32 countries is calling for the World Health Organization to revise its recommendations to account for airborne transmission as a significant factor in how the coronavirus spreads, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: The WHO has said the virus mainly spreads via large respiratory droplets that fall to the ground once they've been discharged in coughs and sneezes. But the scientists say evidence shows the virus can spread from smaller particles that linger in air indoors.

Why it matters: If airborne transmission is indeed a significant factor, it would call for major adjustments in efforts to contain the virus, according to the Times.

Masks would be needed indoors, even if people are socially distancing.

Health care workers may need N95 masks that filter out the smallest droplets as they care for coronavirus patients.

Air ventilation systems in public spaces would need powerful new filters.

It would likely call for ultraviolet lights to kill viral particles floating indoors.

The other side: Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead on infection control, called the evidence for the coronavirus being airborne unconvincing.
By Trend

The Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association plans to introduce a new electronic technology of preliminary information (TIR-EPD) on transported goods in 2020, the association told Trend.

"The TIR-EPD will allow book holders of international road transport (TIR) to send free electronic preliminary information on the transport of goods. Its planned to introduce this technology in the country by the end of 2020," said the association.

The TIR-EPD is the most important step towards the computerization of the international road transport procedure without extra expenses in customs, the international association said.

The association said that Azerbaijan is joining the rest of the 23 countries, where the TIR-EPD is active: Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, France, Czech and Estonia.

"The new TIR-EPD technology implies safe integration of a small software module into an existing customs information system, to ensure automatic exchange of electronic information. A software module (TIR-EPD data exchange system) should be designed to provide customs authorities with access to the TIR-EPD service," said the association.

"Neither the International Road Transport Union (IRU) nor any other party will have access to the database of the Azerbaijani customs authorities. Azerbaijani TIR-EPD carriers will send and receive encrypted messages relating only to their TIR operations," the association stressed.

"In the first five months of this year, the volume of international road transport in Azerbaijan amounted to 24,000 tons. Most shipments are currently carried out under the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR), the registering of which is carried out by the operators themselves," said the association.

Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association was established in May 1993. It is a non-commercial organization uniting Azerbaijani individuals and legal entities engaged in international transportation by truck. The association serves to represent and protect the interests of its members before national and competent authorities within the tasks assigned to it.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
As officers were investigating the shooting, they were called to another hospital for what was believed to be another walk-in shooting victim. Police however later said the man was not shot and was the victim of a car crash following the shooting incident that occurred on the block.
"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?"
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.
Contact The Californians Herb Benham at 661-395-7279 or hbenham@bakersfield.com. His column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays; the views expressed are his own.
Not everyone thought it was a good idea to launch a bank at the depth of the Great Recession.
Police on Monday confirmed a horrific end to the search for Patricia Alatorre, a Bakersfield girl who turned 13 less than two months ago, was 
Even as oil prices continue to recover from their sharp drop earlier this year, two local petroleum producers are wrestling with financial cha
The group, billed on its website as being the first full-time performing brass ensemble, also performed the first brass concert in at the Brahms-Saal concert hall in Vienna, Austria, in 1978, more than 100 years after the first concert was performed there. The 600-seat concert hall in which they performed is known for facilitating intimate classical music, but had yet to have a brass ensemble play there until Mr. Postens team.
From the moment I knew about the Pew Latin American Fellowship, I pictured myself as one fellow of this prestigious program, said Nieto Ramirez. Now under the guidance of an excellent scientist and pioneer in the field, Dr. van Opijnen, the dream has come true. I cannot be more thankful for this lifetime opportunity.



Nieto Ramirez will study how the immune system recognizes and eliminates the pneumonia-causing microbe Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn). Early clearance of Spn infections requires a two-pronged approach: First, proteins that are part of the complement systemone of the bodys first lines of defenseattach themselves to proteins on the surface of the bacteria; these marked microbes are then detected by immune cells, which engulf and digest the intruders, she said.



Using an array of cutting-edge methods in genomics, immunology, biochemistry, and microscopy, I will characterize the proteins present on the surface of Spn, pinpoint which are recognized by complement, and assess which can be altered by the bacteria to evade immune detection, Nieto Ramirez said. My findings could lead to new strategies for combating and clearing Spn, a potentially deadly bacteria, which is currently the leading cause of pneumonia in young children, even in the post-vaccine era.



Research interests among members of Pews 2020 class of Latin America scholars include how leukemia stem cells evade detection by the immune system, how the influenza virus can increase susceptibility to secondary bacterial pneumonia, and how the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, can hide quietly inside host cells, according to the Pew announcement.



The pursuit of scientific discovery calls for diverse perspectives from around the world, said Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trust. Pew is thrilled to welcome these promising Latin American fellows to our global network of researchers as they explore new frontiers in biomedical science.



Fellows who choose to return to Latin America to launch their own research labs will receive additional funding from Pew. Approximately 70 percent of participants have pursued this path, to contribute to the development of a more robust biomedical research community in Latin America.



The 2020 class of fellows brings a global perspective that will help advance biomedical discovery, said Eva Nogales, a professor in the department of biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and chair of the Pew programs national advisory committee. By collaborating with investigators in the United States and Latin America, these rising talents benefit scientific progress in both regions.



Ed Hayward | University Communications | June 2020


Bluefield, WV (24701)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low near 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low near 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Officials: No Fireworks on Oregon Beaches; Washington Coast Rules, Concerns

Updated 07/01/020 at 6:24 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Portland, Oregon)  Fireworks have become a lightning rod issue around the U.S., especially those that fly up in the air. On the Oregon coast, however, all types are illegal on the beaches, while up on the Washington coast there is a worry of plastic debris.

Officials in both Oregon and Washington are reminding beach visitors of the rules and the potential hazards. With both state park divisions under budget cuts and a lack of resources, its more important than ever to be careful and considerate with your fireworks use.

This is also a good opportunity to remind the public that camping on Oregon and Washington beaches is illegal as well  and its dangerous.

Another rule to look out for on both coastlines: face coverings are required in all indoor public places.

For Oregons beaches, Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) wishes to remind everyone that fireworks of any kind are prohibited on all beaches and in all Oregon state parks.

While beaches may seem like a safe place to shoot them off, theyre prohibited because of the beach grass nearby. This includes the normally harmless sparklers  all types are banned on the beaches.

Normally, visitors could get away with this in spite of the law because of the sheer numbers of people doing them and the fact theyre usually shot off right near a large fireworks celebration. You could - essentially - be hiding among the rest of them.

With no major displays going on, Oregon State Police, local sheriffs and city police will have an easier time spotting law breakers this year. This time around is not the opportunity to take the chance on the large fines, which can reach near $1000 in some areas.

Camping on beaches is also illegal and a seriously bad idea in both states. Stick to the state and county campgrounds. In all city-run beaches its also illegal.

OPRD told Oregon Coast Beach Connection that high tides can come along and injure you, rocks may fall of cliff areas, and sometimes people sleeping on beaches make targets for being terrorized.

Along the Washington coast, Washington State Parks (WSP) said while their fireworks laws are different than Oregons, the agency is gravely concerned about debris.

Be safe with your personal fireworks, WSP said. Most professional fireworks shows have been canceled this year. Fireworks bought outside state borders or on tribal land may be illegal, so it is best to shop locally. Meanwhile, please extinguish all personal fireworks before placing them in the trash or your vehicle.

WSP also added dont park your cars overnight on the beaches because a high tide of 10 feet is expected. See more on Washington coast safety and rules.

In both states, state parks and volunteer organizations will be hosting various beach cleanups the day following Fourth of July. In Washington, see coastsavers.org, while Oregons cleanup schedules are through SOLVE.org. Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - Where to eat - Map - Virtual Tour











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Wrecking the Peter Iredale: How Oregon Coast History Played Out in 1906

Published 07/05/020 at 4:44 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Warrenton, Oregon)  May she rust in pieces, you could say of the wreck of the Peter Iredale, whose tattered, metallic bones now show less and less every half decade. What is known as the most photographed shipwreck in the world is a major attraction on this coastline, but it is disappearing. How much comes off each year isnt known  its simply noticed.

This famed shipwreck has quite a story to tell, and these days much more is known about it. Yet how it all played out at the time is an exciting read, an engaging adventure, especially with the extensive coverage various papers gave it, including the Morning Astorian on Friday, October 26.

The wee hours of October 25 were wild and stormy, and they were certainly chaotic if you were out to sea on the north Oregon coast. It was in this gale that the four-masted barque Peter Iredale was approaching the mouth of the Columbia River. She was a British ship made mostly of steel, coming to Astoria after leaving Mexico some 29 days ago. It was her ninth time to the burgeoning port city, and everyone in the dock and shipping industry knew her well.

According to reports at the time it was about 2 a.m. when Captain H. Lawrence first spotted the lights of Astoria, but due to the weather they were flickering in and out of view. Going by the book, Lawrence knew to stick it out until daylight when the path through the rivermouth would be clearer. However, as the Morning Astorian put it: the captain lost his bearings in the sweep of the currents, and before he knew it, was involved beyond hope of escape.

Captain and crew only had a few minutes warning of the close proximity to land. A lookout screamed breakers dead ahead, and instantly Lawrence gave the command to steer the ship another direction. However, she didnt answer the helm in such rough conditions, and only a minute or two of near-panic was greeted by the horror of actually crashing on the shore.

It was 7:45 in the morning.

The impact was enormous. Immediately, almost everything sticking out of the ship or lying on its deck was torn off and flung into the sea. All four masts crackled and snapped. Even the massive anchors were shot outward and off the ship, spotted later with plenty of slack in the chain. Not a single member of the crew understood that weird bit of physics, nor did anyone witness it happen.

Wave after wave came washing over the ship, and within minutes it was tilted over, leaning towards the shore as it is now. The Peter Iredale was in some 13 feet of sea water, it's estimated.

Upon crashing on this north Oregon coast stretch of beach, the captain gave orders to abandon ship. He and the crew hadnt even completed the preparations when the Point Adams life-saving crew arrived on the scene with a rescue boat, and quickly the crew of the Peter Iredale were safe in the small vessel and then on land. Only a handful of instruments were saved from the ship.

All crew  including two stowaways  made it safely onto the beach. As they disembarked the rescue boat, they were greeted by a large group of volunteers from nearby Fort Stevens. In an age nearly 100 years from the internet or decades from thorough telephone distribution, news spread fast. Quickly, just about everyone living in the area was down there as well. The newspaper called it telepathic.

Almost all the locals showed up with bottles of liquor, both large and small. Its often reported that Lawrence and his crew toasted the ship before leaving the beach, but according to one article most of the men got various degrees of hammered. Really hammered; it's knid of an amusing party, really.

The crew went on to the Point Adams station to be fed, dried up and lodged for the night, and in the following afternoon the vast majority boarded a train for Astoria to be billeted up there for awhile. Two men stayed in the hospital for a time. However, a few men got so liquored up on the beach they were unable to make that train for Astoria.





The article comments: A bottle of whiskey is the most tempting of all creature comforts to a sailor, afloat or ashore, or in a stress, and this was proven all too plainly yesterday.

Behind the scenes, the local British consulate in Astoria was made aware of the wreck shortly after by phone, and it was he who paid for the crews train tickets to Astoria. The life-saving station, led by a Captain Wicklund, had to carry their rescue boat over two miles of wet shoreline to get it into the water near the Peter Iredale. That happened in about an hour after the wreck, according to the paper.

As the afternoon wore on, the archetypal Oregon coast storm did not let up, and a host of official inspectors and media from the region had to abandon the mile-long trek by foot to check out the wreck of the Peter Iredale.

Several years later, Captain Lawrence shows up again in Oregon media reports, now the captain of another grain carrier, the Philadelphia. That ship was bound for Portland when it hit another major storm in November of 1913, and it threatened his latest vessel. He said for a time it looked like another Peter Iredale. It made it through, and Lawrence stopped in the area to visit old friends hed made over the years.

Near the end of the article, one official comments the wreck will be there for some time to come. Hopefully that will be longer rather than sooner. (Also see More to History of Oregon Coast's Peter Iredale Than Just a Shipwreck )

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For years, Facebook Inc. brushed off complaints from civil rights groups that it didn't do enough to combat racism, discrimination and voter suppression flourishing on its site. Now, pressure from a boycott by major advertisers is forcing the social media giant to address their concerns.

Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet on Tuesday with leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change to discuss their requests. Facebook is increasingly playing defense against a growing group of civil rights organizations, employees and companies demanding that the technology giant do more to fight injustice on its platform.

"Right now is a moment of real reckoning for the company," said Vanita Gupta, chief executive officer of The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights. "There's a lot of pressure."

The advocates led the campaign to persuade advertisers including Starbucks Corp. and PepsiCo Inc. to halt spending on the platform, focusing attention on Facebook's policies as public outrage swells over racial inequities in America following the shocking video of the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Civil rights groups have long been asking Facebook to make policy and staffing changes to address their grievances. Concerns have included how the platform has promoted discriminatory advertising, allowed foreign adversaries to try to suppress the Black vote, and let white supremacy groups organize rallies.

Leaders of the groups said their efforts to get the social media platform to change have often been only given lip-service, and, at times, even attacked.

Facebook declined to comment, but pointed to an announcement Friday that it will attach to posts about voting a link to an information portal that explains how and when users can vote and how to register. The company has set a goal of helping to register 4 million new voters before the presidential election.

Facebook is also under increasing scrutiny in Washington. Zuckerberg has agreed to testify before a House antitrust panel along with CEOs of other large technology platforms and the company faces antitrust investigations by two federal agencies and nearly all 50 states.

Gupta and other advocates said Facebook has improved its response to concerns about Census misinformation and has curtailed discriminatory ads, but has fallen short in fighting voter suppression, election misinformation and moderating political speech.

"They are making many of the changes at our urging, but are missing the core piece," Gupta said, pointing to Zuckerberg's insistence on leaving misleading political speech unchecked because he deems the content newsworthy.

Gupta was on a call with Zuckerberg last month, along with Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, and Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to discuss Facebook's plans to prepare for the upcoming elections. President Donald Trump had recently threatened on social media to withhold funding from Michigan over the state's mail-in balloting plans. When Gupta questioned Facebook's policy on political speech, Zuckerberg told her Trump's posts represented hard "edge cases," she recalls. Gupta said she disagreed and told him "at every turn you should be making the decision to weigh in favor of fair elections and protecting voting rights."

Civil rights advocates had been contacting Facebook as early as 2017 about issues such as hate speech and election interference, but intensified their outreach following reports that Russian operatives had exploited Facebook and other platforms to suppress Black voting, stir social unrest and help Trump win the 2016 election.

Madihha Ahussain, a special counsel for Washington-based group Muslim Advocates, said that while her group initially thought they were making progress with Facebook over anti-Muslim posts, they began to realize the company wasn't taking systematic action. They were "just listening to us and nothing is changing on the platform itself," Ahussain said. "We were just getting the runaround."

For Robinson, the turning point came in November 2018, when he got a call from a New York Times reporter asking him to comment on startling revelations: Facebook had hired Definers Public Affairs, a former Republican-linked firm, to compile opposition research about billionaire investor George Soros's funding of groups that were critical of Facebook - including Color of Change - and circulate it to reporters. Soros had attacked Facebook earlier that year as a menace to society.

"It became very clear that we had to reset the terms of the relationship," with Facebook, said Robinson. "We knew that we must have been on to something if they were trying to spend their money to discredit us."

The advocates sent an open letter to Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg calling for the creation of a C-suite position to advocate for users' needs and work with civil rights groups. They also sought more transparency about a civil rights audit the company had initiated.Facebook fired Definers and Sandberg later apologized in a meeting with the advocates. Facebook tapped Laura Murphy, a veteran at the American Civil Liberties Union, to do the audit and agreed to release the results.

Meanwhile, the groups were growing increasingly concerned that Facebook wasn't prepared to spot and eliminate voter-suppression campaigns or misinformation on its platform ahead of the 2018 midterms.

About two months before the election, groups including the National Urban League and the NAACP traveled to Facebook's headquarters in Silicon Valley to see its election "war room" and discuss its election-integrity plan with company officials, including Sandberg, said LaShawn Warren, executive vice president of government affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which also attended.

To Warren, the Facebook team seemed more focused on eliminating inaccurate information about poll locations and opening and closing times than it was in detecting more sophisticated ways bad actors could try to dissuade voters. Her group pressed Facebook to hire more people with voter-suppression expertise.

On Dec. 18 2018, Facebook released an update from Murphy detailing what Facebook had done. Facebook had also hired voting experts to help with its election-integrity work.

It wasn't enough for the groups. That same day, more than 30 organizations representing civil rights advocates, big tech critics and liberal causes wrote a letter expressing "profound disappointment regarding Facebook's role in generating bigotry and hatred toward vulnerable communities" and called for Zuckerberg and Sandberg to step down from the board.

They didn't step down, but Sandberg and other Facebook officials continued to talk with civil rights groups about their complaints. Sandberg met with advocates and members of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington in May 2019.

Facebook won praise from the groups for its plan to ban content that misrepresents the 2020 U.S. Census, but tensions flared again in October of last year around Zuckerberg's speech at Georgetown University, in which he defended the company's policy of not fact-checking political ads. He extolled the platform's fight to uphold free speech, citing protests against the Vietnam War and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

Zuckerberg had previewed his remarks during a phone call with at least one civil rights leader who expressed concern that his emphasis on free speech could come at the expense of civil rights, according to a person familiar with the matter. The leader told Zuckerberg that Facebook's top executives had no civil rights experience. The co-founder responded that he had a lot of former President Barack Obama people on staff, the person said. The leader also cautioned him against invoking Martin Luther King Jr. to make his point, the person said.

Zuckerberg's speech won praise from conservatives, but criticism from civil rights advocates including King's daughter, Bernice King, who argued that Facebook was avoiding reforming its content-moderation practices.

Just before the speech, Politico reported that since July 2019, Zuckerberg had been meeting with prominent conservative thinkers, including commentator Ben Shapiro, Brent Bozell and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Facebook was increasingly facing criticism for catering to conservatives in its polices and rhetoric. It was only after news broke about Zuckerberg's meetings with right-leaning pundits that he invited the civil rights advocates to a dinner at his Palo Alto, Calif., home in November 2019.

"I did feel that Zuckerberg listened to us," said Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, who was at the dinner. "Listening is not quite the same, you know, as being willing to actually make change."
Industry shills unabashedly tout limited successes and shift the blame to development and its stormwater flows while corporate giants like Perdue, Mountaire, and Tyson ramp up chicken operations where one farm operation can produce 1.5 million chickens a year. Making matters worse, the giant agri-businesses take the chickens, leaving the manure with the farmers where the cheapest option is usually followed  putting it on the land, where there may already may be enough phosphorus and nitrogen.
GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK, PA. - For weeks, a mysterious figure on social media talked up plans for antifa protesters to converge on this historical site on Independence Day to burn American flags, an event that seemed at times to border on the farcical.

"Let's get together and burn flags in protest of thugs and animals in blue," the anonymous person behind a Facebook page called Left Behind USA wrote in mid-June. There would be antifa face paint, the person wrote, and organizers would "be giving away free small flags to children to safely throw into the fire."

As word spread, self-proclaimed militias, bikers, skinheads and far-right groups from outside the state issued a call to action, pledging in online videos and posts to come to Gettysburg to protect the Civil War monuments and the nation's flag from desecration. Some said they would bring firearms and use force if necessary.

On Saturday afternoon, in the hours before the flag burning was to start, they flooded in by the hundreds - heavily armed and unaware, it seemed, that the mysterious Internet poster was not who the person claimed to be.

Biographical details - some from the person's Facebook page and others provided to The Washington Post in a series of messages - did not match official records. An image the person once posted on a profile page was a picture of a man taken by a German photographer for a stock photo service.

The episode at Gettysburg is a stark illustration of how shadowy figures on social media have stoked fears about the protests against racial injustice and excessive police force that have swept across the nation since the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25.

Armed vigilantes lined the streets of small Idaho towns last month after false claims circulated online about antifa, a loose collection of activists who oppose fascism and have sometimes embraced property damage and violent protest in recent years. Similar hoaxes have befallen towns in New Jersey, South Dakota and Michigan in recent weeks.

It is not always clear who has made these false claims and why, whether they seek to advance a political agenda, antagonize people with whom they disagree or achieve some other goal.

Social media companies have in recent weeks shut down a handful of fake accounts created by white supremacist groups posing as antifa operatives in a bid to undermine peaceful protests.

In response to messages from The Post, the person managing the Left Behind USA account identified himself as 39-year-old Alan Jeffs, a lifelong Democrat-turned-anarchist from Pittsburgh who now lives in Des Moines.

The Post examined real estate, court and voter records, as well as other public documents, but could find no such person.

Officials at Facebook and Twitter shut down the Left Behind USA pages last week after The Post inquired about the accounts, saying the person behind them had manipulated the platform by creating multiple accounts with overlapping content in an effort to amplify their messaging. The officials declined to identify the other accounts.

An official at Facebook said the person appeared to be operating the accounts from inside the United States. After the accounts were shut down, The Post was no longer able to contact the person who was claiming to be Jeffs.

But fears of the antifa-sponsored protest had already taken root.

Macky Marker, a member of a Delaware militia called First State Pathfinders, posted a YouTube video calling on militiamen to go to Gettysburg. "If you plan on coming, I would plan on coming full battle-rattle . . . to be fully, 100 percent prepared to defend yourself and whoever you come with," Marker said in the video.

Left Behind USA popped up on Twitter in February, advancing far-left ideas in a torrent of crude memes and graphics that decried capitalism, called for an end to police and advocated a moratorium on rent. The account attacked Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden as a "rapist" and accused him of supporting racist criminal justice laws.

The anonymous person controlling the account described himself in various posts as a laid-off graphic designer, a former Uber driver and a disc jockey. He wrote that he was living off food stamps and sleeping on a friend's couch.

In May, the person sent out an urgent request for gas money on Left Behind USA's Twitter account. He was stranded, the person wrote, with his roommate's car while returning from a trip to Ohio to attend his grandfather's funeral. He said his grandfather, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who had worked in Youngstown, died on May 28 at age 96.

Jim Burgham, the business manager of the IBEW Local 64 of Youngstown, told The Post that the union, which tracks deaths of current and former members, knew of no such person.

"That member you described doesn't exist," Burgham said.

In early April, a person using the name Alan Jeffs created a petition on the website Change.org. It included a video first posted on a twitter account controlled by the Alan Jeffs persona who runs Left Behind USA. The petition called for the governor of Wisconsin to postpone the Democratic primary because of the health risks of the novel coronavirus.

It included a photo of a smiling, bearded man, purportedly Jeffs, and said he was in Beaver Falls, Pa. Using a reverse image search, The Post found that the photo came from the stock photo website depositphotos.com.

The Left Behind USA Facebook page was created June 2. When The Post initially sought an interview in mid-June, the person controlling the Facebook page responded in a message: "I don't prefer to talk to conservative media sources."

The person later identified himself as 39-year-old Jeffs and provided several details about his background. "I have been politically active since I was old enough to vote and have voted Democratic in every presidential and midterm election that I've been able to," the person wrote in a private Facebook message to The Post.

Election officials in Iowa's Polk County told The Post that no one by the name Alan Jeffs has ever been registered to vote in the state, according to a database search. Officials in Pennsylvania said there was no one by that name on that state's active or inactive voter rolls, either.

Two media publications quoted Alan Jeffs this spring, citing another of his Twitter accounts that supported former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The Christian Science Monitor found in an analysis of social media data that Jeffs's Twitter account, @Bernieorelse, stood out for its frequent and aggressive posts against former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg.

"Twitter is the real world now, even more than it was four years ago," the Christian Science Monitor quoted Jeffs as saying in March.

In April, a student-run news website at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism quoted Jeffs in a story about the Democratic presidential nomination. Jeffs said he lived just outside Pittsburgh.

"I'm fed up with the Democrats forcing centrist candidates upon us," he said.

That same month, his social media account @Bernieorelse was suspended by Twitter. A spokesman told The Post the account violated the platform's rules but declined to elaborate.

On June 11, Left Behind USA posted an image on its Facebook page that seemed designed to agitate.

Around an illustration of a U.S. flag aflame, it announced: "Antifa presents: 4th of July Flag Burning To Peacefully Protest For Abolishing Police Nationwide."

"No Bikers, Militias Or Other So-Called Patriots," it said. "Children Welcome - Antifa Face-Painting"

A Facebook page called Central PA Antifa quickly denounced the event as fake, likening it to a hoax in Gettysburg three years ago.

In 2017, rumors of an antifa event at the national park prompted a large group of armed militia members to show up. They encountered no one from antifa, but one of the armed militia members accidentally shot himself in the leg with a revolver.

Still, news of this year's supposed event spread quickly in conservative circles.

On June 22, the far-right website Gateway Pundit published a story claiming that "Antifa domestic terrorists are planning to desecrate the Gettysburg National Cemetery and set the American Flag ablaze on Independence Day."

Local newspapers also picked up the story.

This town of fewer than 8,000 people grew alarmed. Residents flooded authorities with calls. Local officials pledged to mobilize the town's entire 20-person police department and bring in others from bordering towns to protect homes, businesses and statues.

Soon, militia groups were vowing to protect the town as well.

"Multiple local residents in Gettysburg PA have contacted us with HEAVY concerns about the terrorist organization ANTIFA holding a flag burning event in their town," a group that calls itself the Pennsylvania State Militia posted on its Facebook page June 23. The group said it would mobilize its "county response team" as "a deterrent against the enemy forces."

Other Facebook groups called Patriots Against Treason, Defend Our Flag and Nation, Protect Our Flag and Battlefield from Being Destroyed quickly formed and announced they also would mobilize people to Gettysburg.

Bill Wolfe, a Gettysburg resident and member of a private Facebook group called III% United Patriots of Pennsylvania, said in an interview that the flag-burning event represented an "ongoing attack on American heritage and culture."

Antifa's activities, he said, were part of a decades-long campaign by the Communist Party to take over the country.

Last week, the person who identified himself as Jeffs told The Post in a private message sent through Twitter that he expected "500 to 600" people to attend the flag-burning event. "We have mobilized groups from all over the area," he wrote.

"We believe in open carry and plan to do so at this event," he added, a reference to the practice of openly carrying firearms in public.

Twitter suspended the account two days later.

But even more outlandish rumors about the protest were circulating.

A separate Facebook post that circulated widely warned that antifa protesters were planning on "MURDERING White people and BURNING DOWN Suburbs" after the Gettysburg flag burning event. It cited a "controlled unclassified law enforcement bulletin."

In the final days of June, local police publicly said that the post was false.

On Saturday, hours before the planned flag-burning protest, hundreds of bikers, militia members and self-described patriots began gathering outside the Gettysburg Cemetery and at nearby sites with Confederate memorials. Some waved Confederate flags. Many gripped assault rifles slung from their shoulders. One carried a baseball bat.

Steve Eicholtz, a 59-year-old from Biglerville, Pa., said he had seen enough of images of looting and rioting. It wasn't going to happen here, he said.

"These people are acting like savages," he was telling his fellow patriots, while holding an AR-15 rifle.

"We've been letting them get by with it for too long, but that changes now," said Don Kretzer, 52, of Chambersburg, Pa.

Less than a mile away, at the Virginia Monument, hundreds of bikers and armed men gathered around a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Christopher Blakeman, 45, of Falling Waters, W.Va., said he felt compelled to join a group of about 50 bikers, mostly from Maryland, to protect the monument from rumored antifa protesters.

"It doesn't matter if it's a hoax or not," he said. "They made a threat, and if we don't make our voices heard, it'll make it seem like it's OK."

As the 3 p.m. start time for the planned flag burning approached, there was no sign of Alan Jeffs or of busloads of antifa members.

Suddenly, by the statue of Lee, a biker shouted that he had gotten an alarming call. Someone was preparing to burn a flag, after all, he said. Scores of people jumped on their bikes and roared toward the cemetery.

There, they learned it was not the threat they imagined.

A man had entered the cemetery wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt. The man, Trent Somes, later told The Post he was visiting the grave of an ancestor, not protesting. A seminarian and associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hanover, Pa., Somes said a crowd of about 50 people surrounded him and aggressively questioned him about his shirt.

"I didn't do anything to them," he said.

Police arrived and encouraged Somes to leave.

"For his own safety, federal law enforcement made the decision to remove him, and he was escorted out of the cemetery," Jason Martz, acting public affairs officer for Gettysburg National Military Park, later said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
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% 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.

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.

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The main accused in the Kanpur encounter case, Vikas Dubey, had received a phone call from the police station before the police came to arrest him following which he had called other accomplices and fired bullets on the police personnel, claimed Daya Shankar Agnihotri, an accomplice of Dubey.

Earlier today, the police arrested Daya Shankar Agnihotri, an alleged accomplice of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey in Kalyanpur.

"He (Vikas Dubey) received a phone call from the police station before the police came to arrest him. Following this, he called around 25-30 people. He fired bullets on police personnel," said Agnihotri.

"I was locked inside the house at the time of encounter, therefore, saw nothing," he added.

Dubey is the main accused in the Kanpur encounter case, in which a group of assailants allegedly opened fire on a police team that was trying to arrest a criminal in the city late on Thursday night. Eight policemen were killed in the incident.

In another development, a photo of Vikas Dubey has been put up at check-post near the India-Nepal border in Rupaidiha, Bahraich district.

According to sources, Dubey's last location was traced in Auraiya and it is suspected that he might have gone to Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan, crossing the Uttar Pradesh border.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has contacted the police of both the states. Even after 55 hours, UP Police and ATS have not yet discovered anything in this regard, sources informed.

Review of all the old cases of Dubey has been commenced, the Director-General of Police (DGP) has asked for the current status of these reports while it is being monitored by the Police Headquarters, sources added.

In March, the STF had sent a list of 25 felony criminals to the police headquarters, which did not have Dubey's name. Vikas has run away with CCTV recordings of a dozen cameras installed at his home, said sources.

The sources have also stated that the names of about 20 policemen have come out in Dubey's call details in which there is evidence of constant contact with two policemen beside one police personnel from Chaubepur Police Station.

According to police sources, Vinay Tiwari, station house officer at Chaubepur Police station tried to save Dubey. Tiwari did not want the backup police party to reach the spot, so he delayed the rest of the team from going to the spot, sources said.

Tiwari was on a constant phone conversation with Dubey, he did not want any action to be taken, sources informed. Under pressure from CO Devendra Mishra, the SHO became a part of this operation.

Vinay Tiwari had already told Dubey about the pressure coming from CO following which CO Devendra was killed ruthlessly, said sources.

Meanwhile, Chhatrapal Singh, Operator, Shivli Power Sub-station, Kanpur said, "On 3rd July, I had received a call from Chaubeypur Power Station to cut power in Bikaru village (site of Kanpur encounter) as a power line was damaged there."

Following which the power was cut from this sub-station, at present, the Kanpur police is also questioning the operator of this sub-station.

-ANI

Also Read: Police arrest accomplice of Kanpur encounter main accused
Officials in states with surging coronavirus cases issued dire warnings Sunday about the spread of infections, blaming outbreaks in their communities on early reopenings and saying the virus was rapidly outpacing containment efforts.

"We don't have room to experiment, we don't have room for incrementalism when we're seeing these kinds of numbers," said Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat who is the top elected official in Harris County, Texas, which encompasses the sprawling Houston metro area. "Nor should we wait for all the hospital beds to fill and all these people to die before we take drastic action."

The rolling seven-day average for daily new cases in the United States reached a record high for the 27th day in a row, climbing to 48,606 on Sunday, according to The Washington Post's tracking. Coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose to their highest levels to date in Arizona and Nevada.

The country's seven-day average of new deaths fell to 486, down from 562 a week prior, but health experts cautioned that the count of infections would soon drive the number back up.

New coronavirus cases in Florida on Sunday exceeded 10,000 in a day for the third time in the past week, after the state posted a record high of 11,458 the previous day. The new infections pushed the state's total caseload past 200,000, a mark passed by two other states, New York and California.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said it was "too early to tell" whether the Republican National Convention could be held safely in Jacksonville, Fla., next month. "We'll have to see how this unfolds in Florida and elsewhere around the country," he told CNN.

Frustration about the pandemic response has mounted among local leaders, who say they have had to grapple with conflicting orders and frequently changing guidelines from governors and the White House as they try to curb sharply rising infections.

Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer

After Texas reported another single-day record for new coronavirus cases over the weekend, Austin Mayor Steve Adler, a Democrat, told CNN's "State of the Union" that there won't be enough medical personnel to keep up with the spike in cases if the rate of increase continued unabated in his city.

"If we don't change this trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun," he said, adding that intensive care units in the city could be overflowing within 10 days. He said he was not sure that Texas needed a statewide shelter-in-place order but that he wanted the authority to impose one locally.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, echoed Adler's concerns. The hospitals in his city face staffing shortages as demand for ICU beds increases exponentially, he said on CBS News's "Face the Nation."

"In fact, if we don't get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks, our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble," Turner said. Demand for testing has also outpaced the city's capacity, he said, and the positivity rate has soared from 10% a month ago to 25% recently.

In an interview with ABC News's "This Week," Hidalgo said she had been stripped of authority to issue stay-home orders in Harris County after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, decided to move forward with an aggressive reopening plan in the spring. All she could do was issue "recommendations," which were nowhere near as effective, she said.

"As long as we're doing as little as possible and hoping for the best, we're always going to be chasing this thing, we're always going to be behind, and the virus will always outrun us," Hidalgo said. "And so what we need right now is to do what works, which is a stay-home order."

In Florida, which also reported a record caseload Saturday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said it was "clear that the growth is exponential at this point."

"There's no doubt that when we reopened, people started socializing as if the virus didn't exist," the Republican mayor told ABC News. "It's extremely worrisome."

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, attributed soaring case numbers in Arizona to the state's decision to resume business as usual before the virus was under control. She noted that young people who ignored health guidelines had probably led the explosion in cases.

Gallego said federal officials had dismissed her requests to conduct community-based testing in the area after people reported waiting in line for six hours at some testing sites. "We were told they're moving away from that," she said, "which feels like they are declaring victory while we're still in crisis mode."

In Greenville, S.C., the nightclub where two were killed in a shooting early Sunday had violated crowd restrictions enacted because of the pandemic, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis told the Greenville News. In fact, he said, the club was not allowed to be open and officials were considering revoking its liquor and business licenses.

The warnings came after President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration had made "a lot of progress" in combating the pandemic.

Speaking at an Independence Day event on the White House lawn, Trump said the country had "learned how to put out the flame" of the coronavirus.

"Our strategy is moving along well," he said, thanking front-line pandemic workers for their work. "It goes out in one area and rears back its ugly face in another area. But we have learned a lot."

He continued to assert that testing had inflated new case numbers - a claim contradicted by rising positivity rates and widely disputed by epidemiologists - and said the country was making progress on developing therapeutics and a vaccine.

Public health experts have stressed that the recent surge in cases is not the result of expanded testing capacity alone. "When the virus is under control, testing doesn't uncover more cases. It's a tool for keeping the epidemic at bay," said former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who served in the Trump administration.

Gottlieb voiced doubts about the country's ability to slow the pandemic, saying waves of infection probably would persist through the rest of the year. The situation was at least as bad as it was during the height of the outbreak in New York earlier this year, he said, except that the country was not dealing with multiple centers of infection.

"We're not going to really be able to crush this virus at this point because there's just so much infection around," he said on "Face the Nation." "We really don't seem to have the political will to do it."

- - -

The Washington Post's Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.
Stormont should introduce a voucher scheme for people to spend in struggling local businesses, Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said (Brian Lawless/PA)

Stormont should introduce a voucher scheme for people to spend in struggling local businesses, Belfast Chamber has said.

Footfall will be down for some time and firms will start incurring costs as they reopen without the level of custom they would ordinarily expect, the traders body added.

Retailers have been severely impacted by restrictions imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Expand Close Retailers have been severely impacted by restrictions imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19 (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said: Whilst it is brilliant to see places like Belfast city centre reopening with shops, bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels all trading again, it is clear that footfall is going to be down for some time to come.

As businesses reopen they will start incurring costs again but without the levels of custom they would ordinarily expect and that will place many under pressure.

He said other cities and states have tried to address this issue in a very direct way by giving citizens vouchers to spend in hard-hit sectors such as retail and hospitality.

Vienna gave every household 50 euros to spend in local cafes and restaurants.

Malta and the Chinese city of Wuhan have done something similar, Mr Hamilton said.

Today marks another significant step in the safe reopening of Belfastas economy as many hospitality businesses start trading again after being closed for months. Wishing Belfastas bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels a safe and successful reopening today and in the weeks ahead pic.twitter.com/36DtNjDADs  Simon Hamilton (@SimonHamilton) July 3, 2020

He added: With press reports that the Chancellor is considering a voucher scheme, the Northern Ireland Executive must ensure that if the Government does take such a step then Northern Ireland is either included or follows suit and introduces its own voucher scheme.

There is no doubt that a voucher scheme would bring a much-needed boost for our retail and hospitality businesses.

Many of them have been closed for nearly four months.

Mr Hamilton added: Footfall will continue to be challenged.

By incentivising spending, a voucher scheme would get help to the businesses that need it most and sustain jobs in the process.
A small group of Orangemen (social distancing) gathered at the bridge on Drumcree Hill yesterday to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Drumcree Protest. Photo: Justin Kernoghan

Traditional Twelfth celebrations should not go ahead this year to protect lives and the economy, it has been warned.

Loyalists across Northern Ireland have been urged to respect social distancing guidelines and cancel any planned bonfires, large parades and gatherings over the coming week in a bid to stop a second deadly surge of Covid-19.

Making an impassioned plea on the issue, DUP councillor Dale Pankhurst said while he is an avid supporter of Twelfth celebrations, it is vital that the public abides by coronavirus regulations in the coming days.

"I absolutely love the Twelfth, no one loves it more than me, but the fact is we're dealing with a deadly virus that has no respect for who it infects and who it harms," he said.

"Lives depend on what we do over the next 10 days and I'd appeal to people to stick to guidelines as much as possible."

Mr Pankhurst said he is aware that some members of the loyalist community have been angered by the scenes at Bobby Storey's funeral.

However, he continued: "Sinn Fein may not like it, but they have caused damage that I believe will come out in the next few weeks. I think we will see outbreaks in west Belfast happening in the next couple of weeks and unfortunately there will probably be lives lost.

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"The same thing could happen to loyalist communities if bonfires and parades go ahead and it could be the children on the street up to pensioners if we end up with the 'R' value going through the roof.

"People shouldn't measure themselves by Sinn Fein's stick, although I understand their anger. I wasn't able to hug my grandfather or my parents when my grandmother died six weeks ago.

"When we arrived at the crematorium, we weren't allowed to go with her -the last I saw her was her disappearing over the hill. It was absolutely heartbreaking. There is nothing to stop us having small celebrations, but it is absolutely essential that people follow the guidance of the Orange Order and of the health experts. Lives depend upon it."

The Belfast City councillor's comments come as the police issued a similar plea to the public.

A PSNI 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."

A row erupted last week after senior Sinn Fein members, including the deputy First Minister, attended the funeral of prominent republican Bobby Storey.

While they have been accused of flouting social distancing guidelines, they have denied any wrongdoing.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has said Sinn Fein is "isolated and without support" because of the party's "selfish and arrogant" behaviour in relation to the funeral of Bobby Storey.

The veteran republican's funeral last week drew hundreds of onlookers who lined the streets of west Belfast as the cortege passed through.

Expand Close Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill during the funeral of senior Bobby Storey at St Agnes' Church in west Belfast. PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill during the funeral of senior Bobby Storey at St Agnes' Church in west Belfast.

The PSNI is investigating the funeral for possible breaches of coronavirus regulations.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who was present at the funeral, has apologised for grieving families experiencing more hurt.

She said she did everything within her power to control numbers and marshals were in place but said she would not apologise for attending the funeral of a friend.

In a statement released on Sunday evening, Mrs Foster said that Mrs O'Neill and her colleagues "must take responsibility" for the health regulations being undermined.

"We must not use Sinn Fein as our yardstick on what is right regarding Covid 19 in the days and weeks ahead," the First Minister said.

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"To those who are angry and want to show it I ask them to pause and think of their family, friends and neighbours. This virus is still in our communities."

Mrs Foster said the Covid-19 pandemic "transcends religion and politics".

"It makes no difference if you are a unionist or a committed Irish republican, the Covid-19 regulations are for the protection of health and life and must be adhered to.

"We are all frustrated and deeply disappointed by recent events. Sinn Fein stand isolated and without support because of their selfish and arrogant behaviour. The mask of integrity, respect and equality has well and truly slipped."

The DUP leader confirmed she has worked with other party leaders to table a motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly to "send a clear signal that there cannot be toleration for double standards".

She added: "We must focus on steering Northern Ireland through this crisis. While it is deeply frustrating that too much of our time has been diverted to deal with rule breaches by the very people who have helped to make the rules we must never forget that responsible and law abiding people have never used the Sinn Fein standard as their yardstick previously and must not do so now.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson said: It is unfortunate this matter has divided the Executive.

Covid 19 is still with us and the public want to see the Executive working together to meet the challenges presented by the health crisis and steering our way to economic recovery.

We have important work to do and Sinn Fein remains fully committed to power sharing and to the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.
Naomi Long said Michelle ONeill should explain to Stormonts Assembly her attendance at Bobby Storeys funeral (Michael Cooper/PA)

Michelle ONeill should explain to Stormonts Assembly her attendance at Bobby Storeys funeral, Naomi Long has said.

The Justice Minister urged her Executive colleague to outline why she remains convinced her conduct was in line with official health guidance.

The veteran republicans funeral last week drew hundreds of onlookers who lined the streets of west Belfast as the cortege passed through.

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Whatsapp Ms ONeill has apologised for grieving families experiencing more hurt (Liam McBurney/PA)

The Deputy First Minister has apologised for grieving families experiencing more hurt.

She said she did everything within her power to control numbers and marshals were in place.

Ms Long told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: Of all the things weve asked people to do, watching your loved ones make their final journey alone or almost alone has been the most difficult.

"We have gone through a difficult week, but we have to keep working together to follow the guidance, to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe." @naomi_long #SundayPolitics  Alliance Party (@allianceparty) July 5, 2020

I know that were dealing with grieving families, and I include in that Bobby Storeys family, so we need to tread lightly on these issues but it is important that if you make the rules, you are seen to keep those rules.

Its about confidence between the public and the Executive in terms of the things we may have to ask them to do again later this year if there is a second spike and will they treat the advice and regulations with the same respect that they had to date.

I hope they do but we need acknowledgement of that from Michelle and an apology for the damage done.

Expand Close The four other Executive parties are backing a motion which calls for an explanation from Sinn Fein ministers who attended Bobby Storeys funeral (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The four other Executive parties are backing a motion which calls for an explanation from Sinn Fein ministers who attended Bobby Storeys funeral (Liam McBurney/PA)

The four other Executive parties are backing a motion which calls for an explanation from Sinn Fein ministers who attended Mr Storeys funeral.

Meanwhile, Belfast Chamber said Stormont should introduce a voucher scheme for people to spend in struggling local businesses.

Footfall will be down for some time and firms will start incurring costs as they reopen without the level of custom they would ordinarily expect, the traders body added.

Retailers have been severely impacted by restrictions imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Expand Close Belfast Chambers Simon Hamilton said Stormont should introduce a voucher scheme for people to spend in struggling local businesses (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Belfast Chambers Simon Hamilton said Stormont should introduce a voucher scheme for people to spend in struggling local businesses (Brian Lawless/PA)

Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said: Whilst it is brilliant to see places like Belfast city centre reopening with shops, bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels all trading again, it is clear that footfall is going to be down for some time to come.

As businesses reopen, they will start incurring costs again but without the levels of custom they would ordinarily expect and that will place many under pressure.

He said other cities and states have tried to address this issue in a very direct way by giving citizens vouchers to spend in hard-hit sectors such as retail and hospitality.

Vienna gave every household 50 euros to spend in local cafes and restaurants.

Malta and the Chinese city of Wuhan have done something similar, Mr Hamilton said.

First Minister and DUP Leader Arlene Foster said: The Deputy First Minister and her Sinn Fein colleagues must take responsibility for the health regulations being undermined. Their actions have undermined the authority and messaging of the Executive on Covid-19.

We must not use Sinn Fein as our yardstick on what is right regarding Covid-19 in the days and weeks ahead. To those who are angry and want to show it I ask them to pause and think of their family, friends and neighbours. This virus is still in our communities.

I commend the Loyal Orders for their leadership and their commitment to public safety and health by restyling this years celebrations to the Twelfth at Home and other such initiatives. I ask all supporters to follow that example by upholding public health regulations and guidance.

Covid-19 is a battleground which transcends religion and politics. We must remember this is about life and death not politics. This is about right and wrong not politics.

It makes no difference if you are a unionist or a committed Irish republican, the Covid-19 regulations are for the protection of health and life and must be adhered to.

We are all frustrated and deeply disappointed by recent events. Sinn Fein stand isolated and without support because of their selfish and arrogant behaviour. The mask of integrity, respect and equality has well and truly slipped.

I have worked with other party leaders to table a motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly to send a clear signal that there cannot be a toleration for double standards. There are not two sets of rules.

We must focus on steering Northern Ireland through this crisis. While it is deeply frustrating that too much of our time has been diverted to deal with rule breaches by the very people who have helped to make the rules we must never forget that responsible and law abiding people have never used the Sinn Fein standard as their yardstick previously and must not do so now.
Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher attended the election of new Taoiseach Micheal Martin the day after arriving in Ireland from Brussels (Department of Enterprise/PA).

A Fianna Fail MEP attended the election of new Taoiseach Micheal Martin the day after arriving in Ireland from Brussels.

Bill Kelleher apologised unreservedly after failing to self-isolate.

He said the health risk from the virus could not have been eliminated fully and he should have remained at home.

Anyone arriving in Ireland from abroad is asked to self-isolate for 14 days, the HSE said.

Expand Close Billy Kelleher attended the election of Micheal Martin in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Billy Kelleher attended the election of Micheal Martin in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

Mr Kelleher said: Last Saturday, I attended the election of the new Taoiseach in Dublin having arrived into Ireland from Brussels the day before.

As I previously stated, I avail of Covid 19 testing services before in advance of departing Brussels in order to reduce any potential public health risk.

However, despite this, I accept that the risk could not have been eliminated fully and I should have followed HSE advice and remained at home.

This was an error of judgment on my part and I apologise unreservedly.
The Prime Ministers father, Stanley Johnson, has defended his decision to travel to Greece  and making social media posts regarding the journey.

The comments came after Boris Johnsons father posted a picture on social media of himself arriving in the country wearing a face mask.

The 79-year-old said he was visiting on essential business because he needed to Covid-proof my property ahead of the letting season.

Asked about social media posts, Mr Johnson senior told reporters on Saturday: I didnt put them up in a spirit of defiance, or anything like that.

Referring to his residence in Greece, Mr Johnson told reporters: I came here to have a quiet time, to organise the house.

I think Im 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.

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Asked if he had put his son, the Prime Minister, in a difficult position by travelling to Greece, Mr Johnson senior said: I have read his answers and he is absolutely right to say that, you know what and I think I am not going to talk about private conversations between family members and, I am absolutely not going to talk about that.

Referring to airbridges between the UK and other countries, the PMs father said: Lets open this airbridge as quick as we can. People are longing to get here and this is a country which has everything.

He added: I am not going to say whether my actions were correct or not, but in any case what happened, happened.

How wonderful it would be if, quite quickly, if the two governments could come to some arrangement?

Boris Johnson refuses a number of times to criticise his father Stanley for breaking the lockdown guidance when he flew to Greece for a holiday.@NickFerrariLBC | #BorisOnLBC pic.twitter.com/WSxzVBDp3k  LBC News (@LBCNews) July 3, 2020

Boris Johnson has refused to condemn his father for flying to Greece in apparent breach of Foreign Office guidance to avoid non-essential travel.

This was after Mr Johnson senior was widely criticised after reportedly travelling via Bulgaria  in order to avoid the ban on direct flights from the UK  to visit his Greek villa.

During an LBC radio phone-in, the Prime Minister repeatedly refused to say whether he was disappointed with his fathers actions.

I think you really ought to raise that with him. I am not going to get into details of family conversations, he said.
Margo Coopers diary was found on the floor of a supermarket (NSW Police)

A 77-year-old wartime diary has been reunited with the family of its late owner after being found on the floor of a supermarket in Australia.

Margo Cooper died in March 2011 but her diary, written about her time in the Womens Auxiliary Air Force in 1943, was discovered on the ground in a shop in Gordon, Sydney.

The collection of poems and photographs was handed to Kuring-Gai Police on May 20, sparking a nationwide hunt to find Mrs Coopers family.

Her daughter Rosie Gibson, who lives almost 400km (249 miles) away in Dubbo, on the other side of New South Wales (NSW), said it felt like she had won the lottery when police returned the diary to her.

I cant get over how beautifully my mother used to write, and the diary is in such good condition, she said.

It was just wonderful to get the news on what would have been mums 98th birthday.

Expand Close The diary was reunited with its owners daughter Rosie Gibson (centre) (NSW Police) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The diary was reunited with its owners daughter Rosie Gibson (centre) (NSW Police)

Senior constables Carisa Parker and Colin Mitchell were the NSW Police officers who managed to track down Mrs Coopers daughter.

I was so pleased when we found Rosie  when we called, she was just ecstatic because it was her mum, SC Parker said.

The day I called Rosie to tell her, it was actually her mums birthday she said it was the best birthday present she could have had.

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The diary was presented to Ms Gibson on Thursday by Orana Mid-Western Police Districts inspector Natalie Antaw.

To be able to bring the diary home to her daughters so they could cherish it and see the lovely words their mother had written, thats a very special moment for me as a police officer, inspector Antaw said.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), along with the country's diplomats settled abroad, will file an appeal in the coming week against the six-month ban on the national carrier from operating in Europe, The Express Tribune reported.

The airline has also sought the assistance of European and UK parliamentarians of Pakistani origin in resolving the matter as the ban is likely to cost Rs 33 billion (Pakistani rupees) to the exchequer.

Pakistani diplomats are engaged in efforts for the reversal of the decision.

The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended PIA's authorisation to operate in EU member states in the wake of the grounding of 262 Pakistani pilots whose licences were termed "dubious" by Pakistan Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

The EU aviation safety watchdog said it was concerned about the validity of the Pakistani pilot licences following the minister's statement.

Following the EASA's move, the UK Civil Aviation Authority also withdrew PIA's permit to operate from three of its airports -- Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester.

The PIA was operating 23 flights to the UK every week -- nine to London, 10 to Manchester and four to Birmingham.

The airline is already facing a loss of 12 billion Pakistani rupees as it will not be operating Hajj flights this year. The suspension of flights for Umrah passengers has also affected its revenue.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently spoke with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell seeking the reversal of the ban.

He assured the EU official that steps being taken by the government were aimed at ensuring the highest level of flight safety in PIA operations. The minister also sought the need for the EASA to review its decision.

But the Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA), the union for PIA's pilots, has alleged that the announcement of the "dubious" licence holders was a planned government move against the pilots to cut their headcount.

Meanwhile, PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) lawmakers have written a letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser calling for the revocation of a notification for the formation of a cabinet committee for the "unconstitutional" privatisation of the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York.

The letter, signed by six PML-N members, on Saturday, said that the privatisation of the hotel was against the Constitution, financially unsuitable and a waste of public money.

On Thursday, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation authorised the privatisation ministry to hire a financial adviser for finalising the transaction structure of Roosevelt Hotel, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance after a meeting.

Every successive government, including that of Pervez Musharraf, has tried to sell or give the hotel on lease. The last serious attempt was made during the PML-N government's tenure when the Privatisation Commission had the hotel valuation done by a third party.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has alleged that the government was finding excuses to sell off the assets of the PIA to benefit its frontmen.

-ANI

Also Read: Pakistan Foreign Minister moved to Rawalpindi for COVID-19 treatment, China wishes him speedy recovery
Last week we buried my Granny Nora. She was a constant in my life; much loved, and will be deeply missed. She was a lovely woman, born in Cork in 1928 and later moved to Belfast, though she never forgot her roots. Although not tall in stature, barely reaching 5ft, she was a giant of a woman.

A man who stood six feet four, but who was low on morals, also died last week - the former IRA leader Bobby Storey.

Their paths crossed on one occasion a few years ago when my rape case was still in the court system. I regularly took my granny shopping, and we were in a west Belfast supermarket.

As granny and I rounded the aisle, there was Storey, whom I knew well, taking something off the shelf. Storey took a few steps towards me, lowered his green basket slowly to the floor and then took a few more steps still, locking eyes with me the whole time.

He menaced a bit, and I stood my ground until he dropped his gorilla stance.

My granny, who was in her late 80s at the time, took in the scene, asked me who he was, and when I told her not to worry, not wanting to upset her, she loudly proclaimed that if he came any closer, she would put her "toe up his hole".

It is a comical moment now, the image of my granny who barely reached his waist, taking on all 6ft 4 of him - but that was typical Nora. No one was going to intimidate her granddaughter - or stop her from getting her two-for-one offer.

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Whatsapp Republicans line the streets of west Belfast for the funeral of Bobby Storey. Picture: Colm O'Reilly

The man, who in 2014 issued a diktat to Sinn Fein members encouraging them to comment on my "political opposition" when I waived anonymity on my abuse by an IRA member, simply skulked off. Others over the years who crossed him were not as fortunate.

It was tough, burying our granny in line with Stormont's funeral guidelines, casting aside the traditional wake and grieving rituals, restricting numbers into the church and watching her laid into the ground by gravediggers with masks and blue boiler suits on. The priest at her funeral remarked that had it not been for Covid, he had no doubt the church would be full, rather than the smaller number of us who were able to attend.

Contrast this with Bobby Storey's funeral five days later. Despite government guidelines stating that arrangements should not be advertised, it was.

Wake house signs went up on the lampposts in west Belfast, social media announcements appeared, and men in white shirts and black ties directed mourners to the family home beside Casement Park. On the morning of the funeral, streets were blocked off to facilitate a large crowd gathered along the roadside. Mary Lou McDonald, Pearse Doherty, Sean Crowe, Michelle O'Neill, and Gerry Adams were among the Sinn Fein top brass attending.

A loss during a pandemic is particularly tough, and mourning is the natural stage of any grieving process. Nothing is normal, however, about the situation we find ourselves in - and so the process has changed. Many of us have had to make cruel sacrifices.

In April, the Deputy First Minster stated "no one is exempt" from funeral guidance. "The rules are there for a reason," she said. "Everyone needs to follow the rules." The day before the funeral, she said people should "observe the public health advice".

It is unsurprising therefore, that the attendance of various senior republicans, including O'Neill herself, caused anger across the community.

Last Wednesday, O'Neill insisted the funeral was "all done in accordance with the guidelines", which made a mockery of those of us with eyes who could see media footage. A photograph of her with two men in a 'selfie' emerged, arms wrapped around her as they stood smiling, headstones behind them. Apart from the obvious bad taste, the unintended symbolism could not be missed.

It was a kick in the teeth for anyone who has lost a loved one during this current pandemic, to see the woman who has consistently used her position to urge the public to adhere to social distancing, disregard her own advice for a happy snap.

Appearing in front of the Executive Committee that afternoon, O'Neill conceded the selfie should not have happened, but stood over her other actions.

This appearance forced the DUP's hand, and they joined a chorus of calls from other political parties for her to stand aside - something she, backed by Mary Lou McDonald, has refused to do. The Northern Ireland Executive is on life support as a result.

If Sinn Fein really cared about the people of west Belfast, it could have ensured that the community's well-being was not jeopardised in a very public display, mid public health crisis.

Was the risk of spreading a disease that is deadly to people with respiratory symptoms at a funeral of an IRA man who ironically died during a double lung transplant, worth it?

McDonald and O'Neill had an opportunity to show real leadership and not travel to the area, much less allow themselves to be photographed smiling in the resting place of the buried dead. The damage caused to the public health message the NI Executive had urged people to take seriously is incalculable as a result.

No wonder, then, that charges of hypocrisy ensued against the party, who appear to be completely tone deaf to the level of anger and distress they have caused. As it turned out, the display at Milltown Cemetery was completely unnecessary - Storey was not even buried there, but cremated a 30-minute drive away.

No explanation from Sinn Fein regarding the apparent arrogance in disregarding the public health message to hold a mass gathering - when there was no intention to do anything with his coffin there, except fold up a flag and provide a political circus.

Last Thursday, Mary Lou McDonald unveiled her front bench on the same day some of those bereaved, through Covid, were calling into radio shows obviously distressed and angry at Sinn Fein's handling of the Storey funeral. This front bench, she said, would hold the Government to account.

Wouldn't she be better looking in her own back yard?

A small mercy in this whole affair is that Sinn Fein are not in Government in Dublin. One crisis in cabinet north of the border is quite enough, though it's an illustration of the poor judgement of those in charge of the party, that the response when met with a tsunami of criticism, was to double down initially rather than simply apologising for quite obviously getting it wrong.

A half-apology came on Friday - which wouldn't have looked out of place in the Trumpian school of politics. O'Neill and McDonald were sorry for any hurt caused, but there was little contrition over Sinn Fein organising the event in the first place.

I leave the last word to a man who sent me a social media message regarding the Storey funeral display.

"I had to stand in a car park and watch my father leave a funeral home, no service, no minister and a handful of family in attendance. Absolutely disgusted"

He has every right to be. Shame on the Sinn Fein leadership for their actions last week. Shame on them.
An anti-drugs campaigner has criticised Eddie Irvine after the motor racing legend backed the legalisation of drugs and welcomed the release from prison of a notorious Pablo Escobar associate.

Northern Irish multi-millionaire Irvine recently posted a picture on Instagram of Colombian cocaine king Escobar alongside fellow drug lord, and Eddie's neighbour on the Caribbean island of Norman's Cay, Carlos Lehder.

The picture carried the caption: "Good to see my neighbour just got released from federal prison. #carloslehder #normanscay . #exuma legalise drugs then we won't have drug smugglers. "

North Down-born ex-Formula 1 star Irvine (54) added: "The war on drugs has failed and it's costing everyone a fortune in ruined lives and $ .#educate"



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Lehder was a prolific and notorious German-Colombian former drugs kingpin and co-founder of the feared Medellin Cartel alongside Pablo Escobar.

He was released from federal prison last month to travel to Germany for treatment on a relapse of his prostate cancer.

Anti-drugs campaigner William Burns, from Belfast, lost his son Jamie in 2016 after the 23-year-old took a pill on a night out. He has become an anti-drugs advocate who seeks to educate young people about the dangers of recreational drugs and is shocked by Eddie's comments.

He said: "I am lost for words that someone that high up in society would actually write that down. The problem is drugs are one of those things that unless it affects your family or friends you don't really understand.

"So these people that say we should legalise drugs, would they say that to a grieving family who has lost a loved one to drugs?

"In my case my son died because he took one pill, it's something nobody gives thought to until it affects them.

"I have been going round giving talks in communities, youth clubs and so on for the last three years and the simple facts some of these young people don't realise is shocking. Coke dealers mixing Fentanyl into their drugs for example. Fentanyl is extremely dangerous and they come up to me afterwards and say 'here is that really true about coke?'."



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The ardent campaigner made the news in 2017 when he put up a large banner on Twaddell Avenue as part of the 1 Pill Will Kill campaign. The 52-year-old says he is now in discussions to get another mural erected in east Belfast.

He added: "It's definitely irresponsible for him (Eddie Irvine) to say that, I definitely feel that a man in his position should know better about saying stuff like that.

"I don't know what kind of life he has had, I'm sure it's very different to mine, he's one of those people I would like to take into a hospital on a Saturday night or to the home of a grieving family who has just lost a loved one.

"Tell them drugs should be legal. Until you experience this you don't understand how easy you can be here one moment and gone the next."
The most telling images to emerge from the funeral of Bobby Storey were not those of Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill breaking social distancing guidelines, but who carried his coffin into the republican plot at Milltown Cemetery.

The remains of the IRA's director of intelligence were shouldered by Gerry Adams, Gerry Kelly, Sean Hughes, Sean 'Spike' Murray, Martin 'Duckser' Lynch and Martin Ferris.

The six make up the political and military wings of the modern-day Provisional republican movement. It was no coincidence that they came together to give the final 'lift' to Storey's coffin before it was brought to Roselawn Cemetery for cremation.

While ex-West Belfast MP Adams, North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly, and former Kerry North TD Ferris represent Sinn Fein, with both Kelly and Ferris having previously been convicted of IRA offences, Lynch, Hughes and Murray symbolise the modern-day Provisional IRA.

Security sources believe Martin Lynch was appointed the organisation's chief-of-staff in 2014 with the support of the late Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams, both of whom he worked for as an official driver.



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Whatsapp Republican royalty: Martin Lynch (second from left) has led the Provisionals since 2014, with Martin Ferris carrying coffin behind him

Aged around 60, he was jailed for 10 years in 1982 after being caught with an IRA rocker launcher, machine-gun, pistol and ammunition. Lynch was shot and seriously injured by the RUC as he fled from a car containing the haul which was rammed by police.

In 2016 Lynch was also chosen to replace Storey when he fell ill as Sinn Fein's northern chairman. As he did at Martin McGuinness's funeral, Lynch placed the Irish tricolour on Storey's coffin.

South Armagh man Sean Hughes, nicknamed 'The Surgeon', has been one of the most senior figures in the Provos for 30 years.

He has been accused in the House of Commons of involvement in bombings in London, and has had property previously targeted by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

Storey's third coffin bearer, west Belfast man Sean 'Spike' Murray, is also believed to be a member of the IRA Army Council. He is currently employed as a senior Sinn Fein strategist and was jailed for 12 years for explosives offences in 1982.

Murray was recently at the centre of claims, which he denied, that linked him to gun-running from America after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Ex-stockbroker Mike Logan, who made the allegations in return for immunity from prosecution, died suddenly in 2016 leading to the case against the veteran republican being scrapped.



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Whatsapp Republicans line the streets of west Belfast for the funeral of Bobby Storey. Picture: Colm O'Reilly

Other prominent IRA figures in attendance at Storey's funeral included his good friend Padraic Wilson - who was once IRA leader in the Maze Prison. Jailed for 24 years in 1991 for car bombs, he is also understood to be a current member of the Army Council.

Although the Provos have been on ceasefire since 1997 and decommissioned a large section of its arsenal in 2005, it retained some weapons.

The organisation's murder of Kevin McGuigan in 2015 is proof of this, and a fact recognised by the most recent report on paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. The investigation found the IRA still retained its structures including the Army Council and some 'departments'.

Other prominent republicans pictured playing leading roles at the Storey funeral were convicted robbers Brendan McElkerney and Patrick Leonard. West Belfast man McElkerney is a hate figure among IRA veterans because of his criminal background. A brother-in-law of Sinn Fein politician Gerry Kelly, he was brought into the terror gang by Storey because of his criminal expertise and protected by the now deceased republican leader.



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McElkerney was questioned by police about the IRA's robbery of 26.5m from the Northern Bank in 2004, but was never charged.

In 2015 he was warned that he is under threat from drug dealers following the Provo murder of Kevin McGuigan.

Patrick Leonard, who was pictured wearing an earpiece and providing security at the funeral, was caged for nine years in 2004 for a botched robbery at the Gransha Hospital in Derry.

Originally from the Short Strand area of Belfast, he is now chair of Sinn Fein in the south and east of the city.

Republican sources say the attendance of so many key IRA figures at Milltown Cemetery last Tuesday was as much about putting on a show of strength as saying goodbye to their friend.

One explained "This was the Provos saying we haven't gone away - putting that message out to the British government, the PSNI and dissident groups.

"The numbers in attendance were impressive, half of west Belfast came to a standstill, and for Sinn Fein it was worth the trouble that Michelle O'Neill ended up in for not social distancing."
A prominent Northern Irish figure I know has decided against going public to talk about an ongoing serious illness or to thank the NHS for their care because the family fear what the response would be on social media.

It's a sad state of affairs but the relatives are convinced, as I am, that it would only take a few minutes for some trolls to weasel their way out of their dark little lairs to ridicule the plight of the person whom I am not identifying in any shape or form.

"They'd be urging doctors to let me die," they said.

"And I don't want my family to go through the pain of having to see messages like that."

Okay, I hear you say people shouldn't access social media if they believe they're going to be abused on it.

But it's hard to avoid some of the platforms if you want to keep in touch with the world and with genuine friends and even if you do isolate yourself from the tweets and the Facebook messages, someone else will undoubtedly pick up the phone to let you know.

Another downside of social media emerged in all its most sinister and twisted fashion last week as a shower of wasters let fly with a lot of appalling claims about the hunt for Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe.

I won't repeat what the keyboard crazies said but not only was some of it stomach-churning rubbish but much of it also contained inflammatory conjecture that could have caused serious problems.



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What also infuriated me was the way some irresponsible prats 'attributed' their 'theories' to someone who was the friend of a friend of a cousin three times removed whose uncle on his late mother's side was a former neighbour of someone in the know in the police or in the media. Yes, I accept the above example is imaginary, ridiculous.

But it's close to the sort of garbage that I was reading from ghouls and gossip-mongers who really should have known better during the six-day search for the St Malachy's College pupil than to distribute unsubstantiated bilge.

Noah's disappearance after his bicycle ride into north Belfast had the whole province talking and the overwhelming majority of us only wanted to see him returned safe and well to his mother Fiona.

Sadly, too many gullible people believed what they read online and I grew weary of them repeating as gospel the tripe they'd seen online.

It was no wonder that the PSNI constantly urged people to stop spreading unhelpful rumours.

What drives creeps like that on is baffling but they do seem to revel in distributing their poison.

And then of course there was the idiot who interrupted a live PSNI news conference on the street in Belfast to give a name and announce that 'he was safe' which he clearly thought was hilarious but no-one else did.

Leaving him aside though, I don't know what could be done to stop the vile internet users who hide behind anonymity to post whatever enters their empty heads about anything under the sun but surely in this day of technological wizardry something must be achievable.

A friend who knows more about computers than I do has suggested it shouldn't be beyond the bounds of possibility to introduce a licensing system for people who want to use social media.

I'll believe it if I see it on anything but social media, of course.
Police are investigating a sadistic and notorious internet troll who has targeted the grieving mother of tragic teen Noah Donohoe.

The prolific troll operating under the name Carla Smith posted a series of upsetting comments and pictures on Fiona Donohoe's Facebook posts going back as far as May 4.

The anonymous troll also made similar comments underneath several Facebook news stories about the death of young Noah and began privately messaging people who reacted with anger.

When contacted by Sunday Life the person behind the account said: "I make for a boring story, no matter what I say you will paint me as pure evil lol.

"That's exactly what the audience is looking for. And I don't blame them.

"Why? I was bored. It wasn't personal.

"To people who were angry, move on. It's over now.

"I would imagine losing the boy would be far worse than any picture or comment.

"There is really no rationale for my behaviour which could be understood by the lay person. It's sadistic.

"There is absolutely no justification for my behaviour. I don't feel guilty about it because I don't experience things like guilt, regret etc.

"However I am not going to try and justify something that was simply cruel and unwarranted."

Fiona Donohoe did not respond to any of the posts but dozens of well wishers rounded on the sadist and the account has now been removed from Facebook along with all their comments and conversations.

Several people reported the troll to police and the PSNI is investigating to try and identify the person behind the sick posts.

Facebook did not respond to a request for comment.

The account which attacked Fiona under the name Carla Smith had previously existed under several different names including Trini Anja.

In January 2018 Trini Anja targeted the daughter of Christmas Day murder victim Jayne Toal Reat by posting knife related animations on Charlotte Reat's Facebook page.



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Claiming to be from Las Vegas, Nevada, the callous troll also uploaded horrific pictures and made hurtful comments as the then 21-year-old mourned the death of her mum, a former nurse at Craigavon Area Hospital.

Later the same year Trini Anja was suspected of creating a fake Facebook account for the then missing Iowa teenager Mollie Tibbetts.

Farmhand Cristhian Bahena Rivera later led police to her body in a Poweshiak County cornfield and was later charged with first-degree murder.

He pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial.
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.
In your backyard refuge, you light that fire to start the coals, for the ribs and chicken, burgers and hot dogs. On the table of your deck there might be red, white and blue paper napkins, to wipe the rib sauce from hungry lips. And as those coals light, as the heat rises, and the air above them begins shimmering in the sun, you might spare a moment to think of the roiling news and the angry slogans being shouted.
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:
Why Does God Work for Our Benefit?

Why should God do the things He does for us? Is it just because He is gracious? Or that He is loving? These are all true of course, but there is more:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy (Psalm 147:11).

We see here more evidence as to why the Lord chooses to work for the benefit of His children: He rejoices and takes pleasure in us. But several things must be put into context. God is not a genie, and should not be treated as such. We should not call upon Him just to get what we want.

Also, because He is loving and gracious and delights in us, we should not serve with an attitude of entitlement. In other words, we should never say, Because Im His child, and He loves me, I deserve this or that. There are those, unfortunately, in the Christian community, who do live by this ungodly precept. They are blind, misled, and thoroughly deceived. God will give us those things that we need, as long they are in line with His purposes; but we must be careful not to go beyond, by insisting that God give us what we want. This type behavior on our part carries a high price:

And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul (Psalm 106:15).

The children of Israel desired a king like the other nations that surrounded them, but God told them what would happen if they got one. But because they rejected Gods counsel, He relented and gave them what they wanted  to the detriment of their souls.

God's Work in Our Hearts

Up until now, we have focused on the more material end of His power; i.e., the things that we can receive from the Lord if our hearts are right toward Him. But there is another much more important aspect to His power as it pertains to us. I conclude that the Lord does His best work in the hearts of His people. It cannot be denied that there are times in our lives, for a myriad of reasons, that we need an outpouring of His power to move us along in our walk with Him. Far too many times we attempt, without even realizing it, to undertake the work of the Lord in our own strength. This will take its toll upon us both spiritually and physically. We must never forget the familiar Scripture, which says:

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, this is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).

When does God do His best work in the lives of His people? I believe that there are at least three points in our life when can we expect the Lord to powerfully step in and do that which needs to done in us.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Ridofranz
The cartoon depicts Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wearing a mask with a Jewish Star of David on it, next to a drawing of people being loaded onto train cars, according to The Associated Press. Its caption is, Lockdown Laura says: Put on your mask ... and step onto the cattle car.
They came for Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben with stunning speed. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson never knew what hit them. Teddy Roosevelt got canceled in New York City, Junipero Serra, a saint, was defiled in California. The Archbishop of San Francisco actually called that an evil act. Few publicly supported his statement. But it is not social justice organizations driving this destructive train. It is not African-American citizens en masse. No, this movement to demonize Americas history, traditions, religions and culture is led by Marxists and anarchists. And they know they have the sympathy of many corporations including those who run media operations. The radicals well understand they can do pretty much what they want to do especially if they live in woke areas. The hyper-aggressive far-left tactics caught many including the President and the federal government by surprise. Already reeling from the insidious Covid attack, authorities are having a difficult time separating the peaceful justice protesters from the political insurgents. And very cleverly, the radicals are using some well intentioned Americans as shields to hide an absolute insurrection against the American system. A few days ago, protesters marched to the homes of wealthy people in Southampton, New York, including the lavish estate of Michael Bloomberg. Their message bordered on incoherent but what did emerge was an attempt to shame the rich as well as demand that they give a good portion of their assets to the people. This, of course, is what communists want. We have documented in this space that a leading radical group, the Black Lives Matter Global Foundation, was founded by three Marxists who want to destroy capitalism and the white supremacy power structure in America. Thanks to recent reporting by the Capital Research Center, we now know a bit more. The BLM Global Foundation uses the slogan Black Lives Matter to recruit street demonstrators and also to solicit donations. The Foundation has been very successful in raking in money while, at the same time, keeping its true political agenda hidden. The corporate media helps because it has zero interest in scrutinizing the BLM Global Foundation. That would be politically incorrect. If the New York Times, Washington Post, or any TV news agency bothered, they would quickly discover, as I did, that the BLM Global Foundation has a close, financial alliance with the Thousand Currents group in Oakland, California. That organization is an ultra-left, anti-American concern. According to the Currents website, a woman named Susan Rosenberg is the Vice-Chairwoman of the board of directors. Ms. Rosenberg, 55, has an interesting history. She was a member of the May 19th Communist group, and also traveled to Cuba with the pro-Castro Venceremos Brigade. In 1982, the FBI put her on its ten most wanted list for terrorist activities. Then in 1984, she was arrested for possessing 600 pounds of dynamite and a sub-machine gun.



She was sentenced to 58 years in a federal penitentiary before being pardoned by President Clinton in 2001, right before he left office. Now Susan Rosenberg and the Black Lives Matter Global Foundation are associated. But they dont want you to know that. Shortly after the Capital Research Center wrote about Rosenberg, Thousand Currents scrubbed her name from its website. It is not a reach to believe that fear and loathing will escalate in this country. Weve all seen the looting, arsons, and assaults. We know American law enforcement is under siege, and many media chieftains will not confront the radical mob. We vividly see bad people on social media hurting their fellow citizens in ways never before witnessed in this country. But heres something you might not know. More Americans are legally buying firearms than ever before, according to FBI background checks. Many folks have lost faith in the system to protect them. So now they are arming themselves. As an old song once put it: the air is full of suspicion. Not a good place for any of us to be.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has launched a project to analyze peoples voices and breathing patterns using artificial intelligence (AI) in order to determine if they have COVID-19. The software allegedly listens for detectable signs of distress, ostensibly from the respiratory effects of the virus. A May 27 report in the Jerusalem Post stated that the research was already being conducted at several hospitals in Israel, where confirmed COVID-19 patients were asked to provide voice samples to be compared to those of a control group from the general population.

Results from the research were expected sometime in June. However, the study has now been expanded beyond Israels borders. Over one million voice recordings are currently being collected in the United States through a mobile app developed by Massachusetts-based Vocalis Health, under the auspices of the Israeli government.

While growth in the biomarker sector is strong, the applications of voice biomarker technology lean heavily towards surveillance and language parsing, as opposed to diagnostic applications, which are virtually non-existent at the moment. Vocal biometric data has already been making its way into American law enforcement for at least two years.

Thousands of police departments across the United States, for instance, use a voice-recognition technology called Dragon Law Enforcement developed by Nuance Communications. This same company has established a strong presence in the healthcare sector as well. In 2018, Nuance partnered with the healthcare software giant, Epic Systems, which is said to hold two-thirds of medical records in the U.S., and its Dragon Medical speech recognition software is used by half a million clinicians throughout the country.

Epic and Nuance Communications are only a few of several companies lurching into the freshly-minted Coronavirus tech marketplace along with at least 150 Israeli startups that began working on ideas relating to COVID-19 back in 2019  many under the guise of healthcare. But, their value as a medical diagnostic tool looks certain to be outweighed by its broader applications in burgeoning pre-crime law enforcement technologies that are now proliferating across the United States and the world.

Unproven Science

Founded just weeks after U.S. intelligence agencies alerted the Israeli government about the threat posed by the novel coronavirus in November 2019, the company was formed from the merger of two Israeli tech companies, Beyond Verbal and Healthymize. Israeli life sciences venture fund Amoon raised the initial $9 million capital for the new company, which focuses on developing artificial intelligence and voice analysis applications for the health sector.

Vocalis Health CEO, Tal Wenderow, said he decided to make a $1.1 billion exit from his medical robotics company, Corindus in 2019 and pursue opportunities in health, voice, and AI after realizing the untapped sense of the human body presented him with a very good opportunity. The COVID-19 Voice Study initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and actualized by Vocalis Health will seek 100,000 volunteers to conduct the research which is slated for completion by December 1 with an anticipated product release by the beginning of 2021.

Vocalis Healths AI-enabled research of the voice recordings in order to triage, screen and monitor COVID-19 virus will utilize a platform developed by NeuroLex Laboratories, Inc , called the Voiceome Study  the worlds largest clinical study to collect voice information labeled with health traits according to their Indiegogo campaign. Eventually, Vocalis intends to use this technology as a population health screening tool that could be applied to vast quantities of data collected from call centers or devices.

NeuroLex founder and CEO, Jim Schwoebel claims voice biomarker technology is analogous to genetic code and can use machine learning models on speech features to infer health conditions. While voice biomarkers have been used to aid in the diagnosis of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and others, which may manifest in voice patterns, the scientific validity of these being of any use in diagnosing specific viral infections is still an open question. Along with finger tapping speed, sleep movements and walking, it is one of the forms of digital biomarkers under investigation in this nascent area of scientific inquiry and, as NeuroLexs Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hosseini Ghomi noted in 2019, the field of digital biomarkers is still very fragmented because there are no standards for voice recording or an organizing force.

A Dubious Proposition

The platform that Vocalis Health used to bootstrap its app, Voiceome, also received funding from a venture capital firm with strong ties to Israel and the IDF through one of its partners, David Gussarsky, a former head of software development teams for the Israel Defense Forces and former IDF special ops commander, Tal Morgenstern. The ubiquitous presence of Israeli defense interests versus health in this endeavor raises questions about the ultimate goal behind it.

Multiple difficulties are posed by the very literature and disclosures published on the COVID-19 Voice Studys own site. Among the most salient red flags is the consent form offered volunteers, which makes no mention of COVID-19 as one of the medical and behavioral health conditions they seek to identify. It does, however, name the neurological conditions NeuroLex designed its algorithms to detect. But, even these are completely undermined by Jim Schwoebel, himself, in the Risk and Challenges portion of the Indiegogo campaign where he reminds us of that if the proposed project doesnt work, Voiceome can still provide [] relevant reports on machine learning models for medical questionnaires like PHQ-9, a depression scoring model and UPDRS, a rating scale for Parkinsons disease.

The product, which will eventually result from the study in January of 2021 according to their development timeline, is supposed to alert about early symptoms and monitoring at home by only using a smart phone, notifying authorities who can then implement the requisite measures based on unproven technology.

Feature photo | Israeli medical personnel wearing protective gear checks identifications before a government COVID-19 test in Bnei Brak, Israel, March 31, 2020. Ariel Schalit | AP

Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.
US District Court Judge Loretta Preska, who was appointed by George Herbert Walker Bush, and whom his son had considered promoting to the Supreme Court, ruled in a case on July 1st, ordering the attorneys for one of Jeffrey Epsteins alleged victims, Virginia (Roberts) Guiffre, to destroy a list of men who had taken advantage of Epsteins girls.

This action pertains to a case not only against Epstein, who is dead, but against his friend and colleague Ghislaine Maxwell, who happened to become arrested by the FBI in Bedford New Hampshire the very next day, on July 2nd.

Judge Preska said that Giuffres attorneys:

Cooper & Kirk shall destroy (a) all materials from Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 15 Civ. 7433, currently in its possession, save for the transcript of Ms. Giuffres deposition in that case and (b) all work product derived from the Maxwell materials. Cooper & Kirk shall submit to the Court an affidavit detailing the steps that it took to destroy the materials.

Her order to the attorneys stated that Giuffre:

alleged that Ms. Maxwell was a ringleader in Jeffrey Epsteins sex-trafficking scheme, a trusted lieutenant of Epsteins who facilitated his purported trafficking of underage girls to prominent individuals. Ms. Giuffres defamation action against Mr. Dershowitz alleges that Mr. Dershowitz was one of the prominent individuals who took advantage of Epstein and Ms. Maxwells trafficking scheme and that Ms. Giuffre was forced to have intercourse with Mr. Dershowitz when she was underage. Ms. Giuffre alleges that Mr. Dershowitzs false denial of such contact defamed her.

Preskas order does not say that the names of the men on that list are to be kept confidential and not available to the press, but instead that Giuffres attorneys are to destroy it.

As Colin Kalmbacher reported, at Law and Crime on July 1st, under the headline Judge Orders Virginia Giuffres Lawyers to Destroy Their Jeffrey Epstein Files, Bars Dershowitz from Accessing Them:

At issue here are two separate legal controversies: (1) a protective order issued in 2015 by Judge Robert W. Sweet in a since-settled defamation case between Giuffre and Epsteins alleged groomer and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell; and (2) a more recent series of extant defamation, back-and-forth claims between Giuffre and Dershowitz. The Giuffre v. Maxwell protective order is the major legal lock-and-key which has long-protected the Epstein files. A process is currently underway for both sides to sift through those documents and eventually make many of them available for public consumption.

Although other copies of that list might exist (which are not likewise being ordered by Preska to be destroyed, but could possibly be brought forth as evidence in other trials), Judge Preskas order prohibits Dershowitzs use of Giuffres copy of that physical list, as being evidence in this trial, which isnt between Giuffre and Maxwell, but instead between Giuffre and Dershowitz  who claims to be not on that list and to need that list in order for him to prove his personal defamation case against Giuffre, who says that he is on the list.

The Courts ruling said:

the Maxwell Protective Order prohibits information designated as CONFIDENTIAL from being disclosed or used for any purpose except for the preparation and trial of [the Maxwell] case.

The alleged reason that the ruling provides to destroy the list is that

Critically, the agreed-upon unsealing procedure can only work as intended if non-parties are willing to participate. Handing over to Mr. Dershowitz all of the materials from Maxwell, which would necessarily include all of the sealed filings that are the subject of the unsealing protocol, would threaten that balance. Non-parties [to the Giuffre-v.-Maxwell case] may question the legitimacy of that process if Mr. Dershowitz can obtain, without any regard whatsoever for their interests, the sealed materials for the mere reason that disclosure would make mounting his defense and litigating his counterclaims against Ms. Giuffre more convenient [in other words: to assist Dershowitzs case against Giuffre].The Court will not risk collateral damage to the Maxwell unsealing process by modifying the protective order.

The balance thats referred-to there is allegedly the right of both the accuser Giuffre and the accused Maxwell to have their privacy protected. Dershowitz says he wants this list in order to prove that his name isnt on the list. The Courts Protective Order had been issued in 2016 in the Giuffre-v.-Maxwell case, so as to:

protect the discovery and dissemination of confidential information or information that will improperly annoy, embarrass, or oppress any party, witness, or person providing discovery in [Maxwell]. (Id.) The order accordingly permits the parties to designate as CONFIDENTIAL certain materials produced in discovery that are confidential and that implicate common law and statutory privacy interests of Ms. Giuffre and Maxwell Defendant Ghislaine Maxwell (Ms. Maxwell).

Preskas ruling includes a footnote in which she says:

Bubbling underneath the debate about modification of the Maxwell Protective Order is a more practical concern: the temptation that the Maxwell materials might inspire for a litigant in Mr. Dershowitzs position. As a general matter, Mr. Dershowitzs battle with Ms. Giuffre has proceeded in very public  and frequently toxic  fashion. See, e.g., Alan Dershowitz Twitter Posts from June 22, 2020, available at https://twitter.com/AlanDersh (suggesting that Ms. Giuffre should be prosecuted and sent to prison for perjury). More importantly, and perhaps reflecting Mr. Derhsowitzs desire to defend himself in the public eye, Counsel for Mr. Dershowitz noted at oral argument that Professor Dershowitz obviously wants all information [contained in the Maxwell materials] to be out there, to be public  because he believes it exonerates him. (Transcript at 21:21-24.)

That lengthy footnote concludes:

Thus, given the public character of this litigation [between Dershowitz and Giuffre] and what is at stake for the litigants, production of the Maxwell materials to Mr. Dershowitz would raise additional risk of leakage from the materials at issue in the Maxwell[-v.-Giuffre] unsealing process into filings in the Dershowitz action. This would further undermine the unsealing process in Maxwell.

Perhaps any men who had raped any of those girls will be long in their graves and well-established in the history-books before their having been on Ghislaine Maxwells lists will become publicly known. If that turns out to be the outcome, then the girls and the public will be screwed yet again, and Judge Preskas order exhibits no concern about that.

A judge is supposed to represent the publics interests, even in private disputes. But perhaps private interests take precedence in Americas courts. The publics interests are not even mentioned in the judges ruling. Though the word public is stated there six times, it never concerns the publics interests, but only private ones, such as given the public character of this litigation and what is at stake for the litigants.

What about the public? Theyre mentioned only as being voyeurs. Is this American democracy?
Russia still has the third highest number of COVID-19 infections in the world, behind the US and Brazil, but it's not the only deadly outbreak it has to worry about.

In nearby Mongolia in a region near the Russian border the rare, ancient bubonic plague, or known in history as the 'Black Death', has surfaced once again, causing Mongolia to place ares of the Western region of Khovd province along the border on lockdown.

Two cases have been confirmed after lab test results. Two brothers, 27 and 16-years old, are currently at separate hospitals in the western province of Dorj Narangerel after they ate marmot meat.

Via Siberian Times

marmot plague and secondary lung disease. The older brother is said to be a very severe condition and had multiple organ failure according to the Mongolian ministry of health. He is being treated for

The bubonic plague can kill in 24-hours and includes the fast onset of fever and the painful rapid swelling of lymph nodes under the arms, in the neck, or in the groin. The bacteria can also infect the lungs in a rarer form of it.

The brothers are believed to have caught the disease while skinning and cleaning the marmot. Typically its spread through fleas which live off of infected rodents. Health authorities in the region have long warned of the dangers of eating marmot due the potential of catching the plague. From time to time individuals in the region have caught the plague by eating raw marmot meat.

Fearing a potential outbreak of the disease which in the 14th century wiped out one-third the population of Europe, Mongolian health authorities have begun aggressive contact tracing. China's Xinhua news reports that at least 146 people have been isolated at local hospitals after having contact with the infected brothers. The health ministry further said it's identified 504 second-contact individuals.

The quarantined areas of the province are reportedly not allowing vehicles or residents from outside. It's commonly estimated that rare but renewed bouts of the bubonic plague infect about 2,000 people a year globally.

But this is not the only "new" health scare the region has to worry about. As we reported earlier, roughly half a million Chinese living in Hebei Province (not Hubei, Hebei), a province in northern China that surrounds Beijing (which operates as an independent 'national city') are under lockdown on fears of a new strain of flu that has "the potential to become a pandemic".

It emerged recently in China's already-dwindling pig population, but scientists say it can infect humans, which would make it similar to the H1N1 virus that spread across Asia and made it all the way to North America in a short-lived pandemic.

WHO investigators are en route, and likely to take this threat much more seriously after the failures and deep neglect related to the coronavirus, or let's hope so at least.
This time last year when the Bank for International Settlements released their Annual Economic Report, it combined with the announcement of a new initiative called the BIS Innovation Hub (also known as Innovation BIS 2025). The BIS refer to the Innovation Hub as a medium term project that comprises three main elements:

Identify and develop in-depth insights into critical trends in technology affecting central banking

Develop public goods in the technology space geared towards improving the functioning of the global financial system

Serve as a focal point for a network of central bank experts on innovation

As you can see, technological innovation is at the core of the Hubs remit.

The initial phase of the project saw Hubs opened up in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore. An operational agreement was signed with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in September 2019, followed by an agreement with the Swiss National Bank in October. The Hub in Singapore began operations in November.

With phase one completed, the BIS have now moved into the second phase which they warned was going to happen when the Hub first launched. Accompanying the release of this years Annual Economic Report, the institution announced that the Hub is expanding to new locations in both Europe and North America.

Over the next two years, the Bank of England will be opening a centre, along with the Bank of Canada, the European Central Bank and four Nordic central banks (Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland). A strategic partnership will also be formed with the Federal Reserve System.

East and West may appear divided in the geopolitical sphere, but in the world of central banking they are very much united behind the common goal of the Hub.

As the BIS outlined in a press release, the expansion will allow Innovation Hub to spur central bank work across multiple fintech pillars. General Manager Agustin Carstens confirmed that the new centres will expand our reach significantly and help create a global force for fintech innovation.

Most pointedly, however, the expansion, according to the Head of the Innovation Hub Benoit Coeure, will mean that it is well placed to advance work on a broad range of issues of importance to the central banking community, including digital currency and digital payments. Coeure also cited distributed ledger technology as a key aspect of the Hubs work.

In October 2019 I posted an article about the Hub (Innovation BIS 2025: A Stepping Stone Towards an Economic New World Order) and argued how the introduction of it tied directly into the agenda for implementing a network of central bank digital currencies over the next few years. I followed up this article with another which offered more detail on the Innovation Hub (BIS Announce New Appointments and Launch Singapore Hub Centre).

To add more weight to the idea that the Hub exists to help facilitate a CBDC future, Agustin Carstens mentioned on presenting the BIS Annual Economic Report that if CBDCs are to fulfil their potential and promise as a new means of payment, their design and implications deserve close study and consideration. The BIS will continue supporting central banks in their CBDC research and design efforts, through the new BIS Innovation Hub, its committees, and broader analytical work.

This comment followed what Carstens said in the BIS quarterly review:

As the Hub gathers experience, a home-grown agenda will quickly be developed. A key question informing the BIS Innovation Hubs work is whether money itself needs to be reinvented for a changing environment, or whether the emphasis should be on improving the way it is provided and used.

As I have written about previously, central banks have now begun to outline specific technical details on how a CBDC could be built (A Look at CBDC Developments at the Bank of England  Part One). This comes as global payment systems are being reformed so as to be compatible with blockchain and distributed ledger technology  a process that is earmarked for completion around 2024.

With the events of the past few months, it is impossible to discuss CBDCs without factoring in the impact of Covid-19. This appears increasingly to be the major international crisis that global planners hope will catalyse the move into a fully digital economic system. And the BIS Innovation Hub is ideally placed to respond.

In remarks made in April, Benoit Coeure asked whether the pandemic would accelerate the shift towards virtual banking. Musing on his own question, Coeure stated that in the next months and years, the BIS Innovation Hub will remain busy scanning technological trends in finance and their consequences for central banks and financial regulators.

The importance of the Hub to the CBDC agenda is there to see, particularly with the onset of Covid-19. A line in the BIS Annual Economic Report supports what Coeure had to say:

The Covid-19 crisis, and the attendant rise of electronic payments, are likely to boost CBDC development across the globe.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva recently told Italys National Consultation that digital is a big winner in this crisis and that the pandemic may have accelerated the digital transformation by two or three years.

The BIS insist, however, that research on CBDCs is still in its early stages, and development efforts will take some time.

From my perspective, by 2025 CBDCs will begin to be introduced, initially in conjunction with cash. But the long term objective is for the abolition of all tangible financial assets to be replaced with intangible wealth. The BIS attempted to convey in their annual report that a CBDC would prove as a digital complement to physical cash. Perhaps to begin with, but nobody should deceive themselves into believing that cash has any sustainable future if and when CBDCs are offered to the general public.

To reinforce this notion, this is what Agustin Carstens stated during a speech at the Central Bank of Ireland in March 2019:

Like cash, a CBDC could and would be available 24/7, 365 days a year. At first glance, not much changes for someone, say, stopping off at the supermarket on the way home from work. He or she would no longer have the option of paying cash. All purchases would be electronic.

What central banks (in line with state legislatures) are not going to do is simply outlaw cash when CBDCs become available. I believe what they want is for banknotes to dwindle to a level where they can make the argument that the servicing costs of maintaining the cash infrastructure outweigh the amount of cash still in circulation and being used for payment.

An Access to Cash report published in the UK last year warned that because of bank branch closures and the decline of ATMs, Britains cash network was at real risk of collapsing. Introduce a CBDC into the equation and you can see how cash will soon be deemed nonviable. Those who might opt to use cash over a digital currency would eventually have no other option than to transfer their money into a CBDC.

One of the main goals of global planners is to target what they call the unbanked or the underbanked. In other words, those who exist largely outside of the financial system and trade anonymously. The BIS Annual Report declared that 1.7 billion adults and hundreds of millions of firms are tied to cash as their only means of payment. That is one fifth of the worlds population that central banks are seeking to bring into their world  a digital only construct in which the only alternative is a life of destitution.

Essentially, the central banking fraternity will want to be able to pinpoint the abolition of cash on the advancement of technology and the changing payment habits of the consumer, thereby taking the emphasis off themselves.

With regards to changing consumer behaviour, the unproven fear perpetuated throughout the media that cash could transmit Covid-19 has successfully managed to undermine cash to the point where a large swathe of people have stopped using it. The latest statistics from Link show that in the UK transaction volume is down 47% on this time last year.

Over time, central banks will be able to use a sustained reduction in demand for cash to their advantage. As Yves Mersch of the European Central Bank mentioned in May, if our customers, the people of Europe signalled a change in payments behaviour, we would want to preserve their direct link to the ultimate owner of our currency by maintaining their access to central bank liabilities.

The owner being the central bank, the liabilities being a CBDC.

The ideological agenda of central banks to digitise the entirety of the worlds financial system and to maintain their power base is being spearheaded by the Bank for International Settlements through their Innovation Hub. Unless people begin to recognise where the manipulation and growth in the CBDC narrative is coming from, and how there is a targeted agenda to guide the world into a cashless society, global planners will in the years to come get their way.
If we see large outbreaks happening across communities, its going to be very hard to keep schools open, said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, on Fox News Sunday. The good news is we think kids transmit less. They are certainly less likely to get sick, but ... imagine Arizona right now. If schools were open right now, they would not be able to stay open.
The rise in infections  Victoria reported 77 new cases Thursday, the most since March  has driven home the outsized impact of the coronavirus on communities in which working-class immigrants and essential workers are particularly vulnerable to the disease. In these places, people often must venture out for jobs that put them at risk of contracting the virus, and communication by authorities in residents native languages can be patchy.
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
The Brandon Chamber of Commerce reached a major milestone this summer, with the organizations board of directors now boasting more women than men for the very first time in its history.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Meredyth Leech, Cathy Snelgrove and Tanya LaBuick are just three of the eight women who currently sit on the Brandon Chamber of Commerces board of directors. (Submitted)

The Brandon Chamber of Commerce reached a major milestone this summer, with the organizations board of directors now boasting more women than men for the very first time in its history.

After undergoing an election in May, the chambers newly formed governing body finally met up on June 2 over Zoom, with female membership now outnumbering male representatives eight to six. On June 3, incoming president Spencer Day made an official proclamation about the groups unprecedented demographic shift during an online question-and-answer session with local businesses.

While member Meredyth Leech didnt realize that the boards gender balance had changed before Day said it out loud, she admitted that this turn of events was indicative of all the many talented women she has worked with through the chamber since joining in 2015.

"Ive been lucky, because when I first got involved with the chamber theres always been some strong female representation," said Leech, who currently serves as a sales consultant for her family-owned printing business, Leech Printing. Recent chamber presidents have included two local businesswomen, including Tami-Rae Rourke and Cathy Snelgrove, whose term recently ended.

Snelgrove told the Sun earlier this month that she has always strived to attract new voices to the chamber, which officially surpassed 600 members during her 2019-20 term.

While the chamber doesnt institute any kind of gender quota, Snelgrove said they should try to aim to create a more welcoming environment for people from different backgrounds.

"I think having different ideas around the table, different perspectives, is so important in order for us to continue to grow business here in Brandon," said the past-president, who is one of the founding partners of the local business consulting group Siere.

Board secretary-treasurer Tanya LaBuick, who runs the consulting firm LaBuick & Co., said the recent changing of the guard gave her pause to think about how far she has come in her own career in project management that has spanned more than 25 years.

Despite working with high profile clients on mega-events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl, LaBuick admitted there were moments where self-doubt would creep into her mind, especially when she set foot in certain male-dominated spaces.

"When youre a woman entering a room and youre the only one of your gender, I think theres sufficient room for self-doubt, and I think that impacts the delivery of what you say and how you say it," she said.

However, LaBuick said she was able to surpass this mental barrier thanks to some kind business leaders, both men and women, who provided her with support and guidance in uncertain times.

"Their acknowledgment of my skill and expertise, in whatever we were dealing in, went a long way," she said.

In fact, for any female entrepreneurs in Westman who are looking to get ahead, LaBuick said her biggest piece of advice is to seek out local peer support groups, which will help increase their confidence and chance of success.

"I think one of the reasons why gender disparity exists in business is because women havent always necessarily had access to mentors or those peer groups," she said.

Moving forward, Snelgrove hopes that the Brandon Chamber of Commerce can continue to provide this kind of guidance and support to up-and-coming female business owners, even though their ability to meet in person is currently restricted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"But dont be afraid to reach out," she said. "Just dont believe that youre ever alone because it gets easier when you actually network with other business people, for sure."

The rest of the chambers 2020-21 board is comprised of: Barry Cooper of Heritage Co-op, Mark Bailey of R& M Homes, Laurie Brugger of Century 21, Andrea Epp of Patersons LLP, Chris Finley of Mazergroup, Ryan Jacobson of Forbidden Flavours Roastery, Lois MacDonald of Westman Immigrant Services, Scott Norosky of South End Lumber, Jaime Pugh-Clemmensen of MNP LLP and Aida Tahhan of Aidas Catering.

The Brandon Chamber of Commerce was officially incorporated in 1883  33 years before women in Manitoba first achieved the right to vote.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
These concerts give to Ravenna the possibility to be an important ambassador of peace and brotherhood from Italy, Muti told The Associated Press earlier this month in Ravenna. Khalaf was killed by Syrian fighters trained by Turkey 2019, and al-Asaad was beheaded in 2015 by fighters of the Islamic State group after he refused to aid their destruction of the ancient Roman city at Palmyra, a U.N. world heritage site.
Harrisonburg, VA (22807)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Besieged financial services giant AMP promoted a man who has been accused of sexual harassment to one of the most senior positions at the firm due to concerns he could leave to establish a rival operation.

AMP, which was hit by a series of damaging scandals during the banking royal commission, has been engulfed in a fresh crisis in recent days over claims of sexual harassment involving one of its most senior executives.

New AMP Capital boss Boe Pahari. Credit:Reuters

The Australian Financial Review reported that the newly installed chief executive of its profit-driving arm AMP Capital, Boe Pahari, had been financially penalised in 2017 following an internal investigation into claims of sexual harassment by a woman in his team. The harassment reportedly involved comments towards the woman by Mr Pahari.

The revelations have led to much concern in business circles and led institutional investors in the industry superannuation sector to request a meeting with AMP to discuss the matter. AMP has been rocked internally by the revelations which have put pressure on chief executive Francesco De Ferrari. In recent days scores of staff have vented their fury on an internal staff social media page. At the same time, staff on Mr Pahari's team in London have jumped to his defence on the social media platform, praising his leadership.
Fuel supplier Viva Energy is pushing its Geelong oil refinery site as the optimal location to build Victoria's first gas import terminal, arguing it is less environmentally sensitive than Western Port where AGL's rival plans have unleashed a bitter community backlash.

Speaking for the first time since proposing an import terminal at the 65-year-old refinery's site, Viva Energy chief executive Scott Wyatt said his team had moved swiftly to begin talks with potential partners in the project this week and wanted to start initial design and engineering work by the year's end.

ASX-listed Viva Energy runs the Geelong oil refinery. Credit:Craig Sillitoe

Mr Wyatt talked up the natural advantages of the Geelong site, which he said made Viva's project more cost-effective and less environmentally contentious than power giant AGL's proposal to construct a terminal at Crib Point and a 55-kilometre pipeline from the Mornington Peninsula to Pakenham.

"We are already set up to take large shipments of oil on a regular basis and can easily accommodate additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels alongside these operations," he told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
ARTIST IN THE TIME OF COVID-19  Kevin Chin

Artist Kevin Chin is not the poster boy for digital uptake. I have an Instagram account, but Im just really shit at using it. Im still painting with oil on linen.

Hes caught up with the Renaissance at least, then. Probably more like the Middle Ages. Im definitely a stickler for the physical. Thats one of the things I love about painting, that its a tangible medium. You can smell the oil paint.

Kevin Chin in his studio: 'Im definitely a stickler for the physical.'

Creating large, ethereal works that meld Australian, American and Asian urban and natural landscapes, each painting in his latest show Social Distance includes figures dwarfed by their surroundings. It was a year in the making, but the encroaching pandemic heightened the sense of solitude.
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."

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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."

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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.

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"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.

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"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.

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The power of Black Lives Matter is that what began as a protest about police treatment of African Americans following the killing of George Floyd has become a movement that has focused attention on the institutional disadvantages faced by people of colour across the globe.

A banner at the Black Lives Matter rally in The Domain. Credit:James Alcock

In past weeks, Indigenous Australians and people of colour in the arts, media, fashion, sport and more, have found a voice through BLM to courageously tell their stories of discrimination and systematic exclusion.

This same exclusion can be found in public institutions. Very few chief executives of listed companies are from a non-European background, there is virtually no one of colour within the federal ministry or as heads of government departments and there are no senior leaders of colour in any of Australias regulatory institutions.

Then there is the judiciary, possibly the worst institution of all for cultural diversity, not only because the statistics (such as they are) are abysmal, but also because we are entitled to expect much more from an institution that stands for justice, its members educated in the liberal arts, mostly with public money.
Premier Mark McGowan has challenged the Prime Minister Scott Morrison's support of Clive Palmer's border challenge before the High Court as "ridiculous" and unnecessary, while also requesting a cap on international arrivals to Perth in light of the new cases being brought into the state.

WA Premier Mark McGowan calls border threat 'ridiculous'. Credit:Nine News

Mr McGowan said the "major threat" to Western Australia was from Australian travellers now choosing to return home and the need to slow the flow as it put pressure on hotels and security staff.

He has asked the Federal Government to cap arrivals coming into WA in the vicinity of one flight every three days and the state government was also drafting urgent legislation to insist returning travellers to pay for their own 14 days of hotel quarantine.

Once the bill was ready, he would recall Parliament for a special sitting to get legislation through quickly.

Mr McGowan said police would also be doubling down efforts at airports over people's exemptions to be let into the state and on border spot checks.

"In light of the new NSW-Victoria border closures today I have asked the Prime Minister to formerly withdraw their support from Clive Palmer's High Court challenge," he said.

"It does not make sense for the Federal Government to be supporting a border closure between NSW and Victoria but on the other hand challenging Western Australia's border in the High Court of Australia.

"Quite frankly the legal challenge and the Commonwealth's involvement in it has become completely ridiculous.

"This nonsense has to stop and it has to stop now."

There have been three new coronavirus cases in WA overnight from three domestic flights and three international arrivals landing yesterday from Europe, Doha and Indonesia, taking the total to nine in the past two days.
One of the only known developments associated with the buyer of the Sirius Building unravelled in spectacular fashion as financing ran dry and accusations of fraud and criminal misconduct erupted in a legal battle.

Former Macquarie Banker Jean-Dominique Huynh's company trumped globally renowned development firms with its $150 million bid last year for the controversial public housing tower.

Jean-Dominique Huynh, a reclusive 36-year-old Vaucluse businessman, bought the Sirius last year. Credit:Nadine Saacks Photography

The NSW government tender required contenders to demonstrate their ability to deliver "a project of a similar scale" and that they had the experience to ensure the government was not exposed to "unnecessary risk".

The government has refused to disclose any projects completed by Mr Huynh's investment company, JDH Capital, which will bankroll the $118 million redevelopment of the Sirius Building.
The Australian Medical Association has urged states and territories to temporarily stop lifting coronavirus restrictions in the wake of the spike in cases and outbreaks in Melbourne.

The AMA's president Tony Bartone said the 108 new cases revealed in Victoria on Saturday acted as a"stark reminder" that the pandemic is not yet over.

AMA president Tony Bartone said the roll-back of coronavirus restrictions should be paused, as Victoria deals with a number of outbreaks. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"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."
Queensland nightclubs could face fines after reopening on Friday night, as the state sends almost 30 nurses to Victoria to help their counterparts manage the outbreak gripping parts of Melbourne.

The details came as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a new round of financial assistance to get families back into local sport after restrictions eased further on Friday.

Laruche nightclub in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley will allow 100 people through the door at the weekend. (File image)

On Saturday, the state recorded another day without any new COVID-19 cases, Ms Palaszczuk confirmed, as the number of active cases in Queensland dropped to just one.

As part of the third stage of eased restrictions, which took effect from Friday, patrons were able to order drinks at their favourite pubs, bars and nightclubs, however dance floors were to remain off limits.
Students will study the evolution of coronavirus vaccines and public health responses to COVID-19 in real-time next semester, as part of a new short course at the University of Sydney.

They will learn from the university's virologists, immunologists and biologists who have been involved in the global research effort to find a vaccine, while course content is expected to change as the pandemic unfolds.

Vaccine researcher Professor Jamie Triccas has helped design the new course. Credit:Nick Moir

The new Graduate Certificate in Infection and Immunity, now at capacity, is one of the discounted online courses the University of Sydney has offered under the federal government's higher-education relief package.

Professor Jamie Triccas, who has been repurposing vaccine platforms to develop new COVID-19 candidates, designed the course to train science graduates to fight both today's pandemic and any future outbreaks.
Staff, a healthcare worker and a guest at a quarantine hotel at Melbourne's airport have raised concerns that some guards and staff are continuing to flout hygiene protocols.

The three, who were not aware of each other's complaints, raised similar concerns to The Age about the Holiday Inn, which is continuing to take bookings from members of the public.

The Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport.

Premier Daniel Andrews has ordered an inquiry into the bungled practices of private guards at quarantine hotels in May and early June, saying a significant number of the outbreaks in Melbournes north could be traced back to hotels.

Returned traveller Megan Clement, a journalist who had been living in France, said she was compelled to speak publicly after seeing the lockdown of the nine public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington on Saturday.
The downtown march was one of many protests this weekend, including several Black Lives Matter protests, including one Saturday in Logan Square and a march that stopped at Chicago Police Headquarters, as well as other anti-violence events calling for an end to shootings in the city.
Troy Thomas. Credit:Facebook

A close friend of the pilot who tragically died in a helicopter crash in Broome on Saturday has remembered him as an inspiring father, brother, son and friend whose legacy as a tourism operator will live on.

Troy Thomas, former owner-operator of Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, died after the Robinson R44 helicopter he was flying crashed on Antheous Way in an industrial area in the suburb of Bilingurr about 2.30pm.

News Talk 6PR presenter and former West Coast Eagle Karl Langdon took to social media on Sunday to pay tribute to his life-long friend, saying he was mourning with the whole Thomas clan.

I still cannot believe what has happened, he wrote. We lost an inspiring father, brother, son and friend yesterday.
Neutral Bays village atmosphere will be killed by buildings of up to 12 storeys, say critics of a planning study developed by North Sydney Council.

But the council argues its plans will lead to improved public facilities and save the suburb from developers.

A view of Neutral Bay facing south would be threatened by the council's plan, activists say. Credit:Jacky Ghossein

Stage One of the Military Road Planning Study, focusing on Neutral Bay, envisages an increase in building heights up to 12 storeys to allow for new public plazas, an underground car park, community centre and creative art spaces.

But North Sydney councillor Zoe Baker has denounced the planning study as "developer-driven and unnecessary".
If the listening device found in a maritime union board room in Queensland was already there when Bob Carnegie was secretary, it might have heard him planning his principled but unpopular stand against the controversial Adani coal mine.

Since his departure last year, the sacking of a long-time office manager at the Maritime Union of Australia's Queensland branch and the discovery of the bug in the office has led Mr Carnegie to call the union's internal politics a "toxic sewer".

Bob Carnegie greets union supporters at the Brisbane Federal Court in 2013, where he was attending a hearing over his role in a picket line. Credit:Glenn Hunt

In the late 1990s the MUA was perhaps the country's best known union as it battled Patrick Stevedores' attempts to replace unionised waterfront workers with ex-army strikebreakers, but last year it was in the news again when its Queensland branch bucked the wider union and took a stand against the Adani coal mine.

Under Mr Carnegie, a long-time militant unionist, the Queensland MUA opposed the Adani mine before the last federal election, arguing workers needed to stand for future jobs and the environment. The stance, which Mr Carnegie declared in an interview with this masthead, was so controversial Mr Carnegie said it was the "final straw" in his relationship with its national office. At the same time, the mining division of the CFMMEU, of which the MUA is also a part, was asking candidates to sign a pledge backing mining and coal.
Scott Morrison's soaring personal support over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic has failed to translate into electoral success as Labor narrowly held the key electorate of Eden-Monaro on the back of preferences from a rainbow coalition of minor parties.

As long-standing Finance Minister Mathias Cormann confirmed he would retire by year's end, prompting Mr Morrison's first major cabinet reshuffle since last year's election victory, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said his party had secured Eden-Monaro "against the odds".

Labor leader Anthony Albanese with new Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Labor's Kristy McBain on Sunday claimed victory in the electorate, which stretches from the Victorian border to the NSW Southern Tablelands region around Yass, becoming the first woman to win the seat since its creation in 1901.

She defeated the Liberal Party's Fiona Kotvojs with a two-party-preferred result of 50.8 to 49.2.
More than 500 women in law, including female former judges, leading silks and law school deans have signed an open letter to Attorney-General Christian Porter calling on him to establish an independent body for complaints about the judiciary, and to address their concerns about the quality, integrity and diversity of the governments judicial appointments.

These women have seen terrible behaviour towards women tolerated in the profession, and

are adding their voices to these calls for reform," said Professor Gabrielle Appleby, the Director of the Judiciary Project at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at UNSW, who organised the letter.

Former High Court judge Dyson Heydon, pictured in 2015. Credit: Anna Kucera

The letter comes in response to revelations by the Herald that former High Court judge Dyson Heydon was found by an independent investigation to have sexually harassed young female associates of the court.

The Herald also published allegations, including from a judge and from the former ACT Law Society President, about Mr Heydons inappropriate behaviour towards women in other settings.
The NSW Liberals have taken the unconventional step of wanting to abolish the Speaker's seat to make way for new seats near the western Sydney airport and in the city's booming north west.

In the party's submission to the NSW Electoral Commission's boundary review, the Liberals suggest abolishing the ultra safe north shore seat of Davidson, held by the Liberal speaker Jonathan O'Dea.

NSW Speaker Jonathan O'Dea would see his north shore seat abolished under Liberal Party proposals.

The other seat that should be axed would be Canterbury, a safe Labor seat held by Sophie Cotsis.

The submission says Davidson faces declining enrolment, and should be swallowed up by Ku-ring-gai, the Premier's seat of Willoughby and Wakehurst. Meanwhile, other areas are growing.
Lieutenant Colonel Dan Gosling. Credit:The Age Its centre was up and running in 48 hours and a COVID-19 taskforce had been fully assembled. Its members were the only senior people the Timorese would trust, including former prime minister and medical doctor Rui de Araujo, former ambassador to Australia Abel Guterres and former minister of foreign affairs and doctor Aurelio Guterres, headed by current PM Taur Matan Ruak who unresigned days earlier. Dr Sarina Kilham, rural sociology lecturer at Charles Sturt University and former long-term resident of Timor-Leste, says the government did a "stellar job" to manage conspiracy theories and convince citizens of the virus threat. Centre director Brigadier General Aluk delivers a daily briefing. "They have been through a couple of crises in the past few years. They know that rumours and misinformation are a big problem in driving peoples behaviour.

"One of the first things they did was set up a Facebook page and have people manage it whose whole job is misinformation mitigation," she says, adding that Facebook works as the pseudo-internet in the country. A road checkpoint in Baucau, Timor-Leste, where vehicles are sprayed inside and out, and a tank provides hand-washing water. With a population of 1.3 million and fewer than 10 intensive care beds, the government knew the health system would be quickly overwhelmed if there was a substantial outbreak. Gosling says the country, which has recorded 24 cases, no deaths and no cases since April 24, did an "outstanding job" and benefited from declaring a state of emergency and closing borders early. Airports and ports were closed and testing procedures started at the land border with Indonesia which opened only a few times a week. Timorese students returning from there brought the few cases home but were immediately put into quarantine hotels.

"They saw on the news how serious the pandemic was and how it was affecting the UK, USA, China and Italy, and they thought if they were overwhelmed they were going to be in a lot of trouble because they have a developing health system," Gosling says. As lockdowns forced businesses in the cities to close, people returned to their homes on the surrounding hillsides. To stop the virus spreading to rural areas, road blocks were set up so cars could be sprayed and people could wash hands and be taught how to wear a mask. On June 12, Gosling watched a well-oiled operation unfold on the beach. Word quickly got back to the crisis management centre, and shortly after, health workers and border officials descended on the sand with personal protective equipment, sanitiser, thermometers and testing kits. All newcomers were fully screened for the virus, then placed in hotel quarantine to be deported to Indonesia and Vietnam after 14 days. The Timorese COVID-19 taskforce screened the illegal arrivals and placed them into 14-day quarantine in Dili. Credit:Screegrab/VIP.TV

"I was very impressed with how [the Timorese] came together," Gosling said. "They had all the protective equipment on, were maintaining their distance, [doing] the reporting." Australia's contribution, including that of charities such as UNICEF and friendships groups, was a big factor in the country's success against the pandemic. "Australia was one of the countries that started helping very early with training health workers, helping with equipment and through the Defence Co-operation agreement," Dr Guterres says. "Lt Col Dan Gosling's contribution was very important, especially in the technical coordination of the crisis centre. He is very familiar with Timor and its people." The crisis management centre was ready to go with computers and other equipment provided by the Australian Defence Co-operation Program.

Gosling has had a long love affair with the country, ever since he was an infantry platoon commander, part of the International Force East Timor (InterFET) in 1999. The multinational peacemaking mission was mandated by the United Nations and led by Australia to stabilise the young nation after the independence referendum met with attacks by militias directed by the Indonesian military. He was second in command as part of peacekeeping operations in Balibo 2002, and the 2005 documentary Debt of Honour is based on the work of his infantry company. Three of eight Gosling siblings and their father have long associations with the country. His brother, Luke, Labour MP for Solomon in the Northern Territory, and their father ran a charity there for years helping run maternal health and education programs. Their younger brother, Xavier, was deployed there, also as part of InterFET as an Australian Navy sailor. Then Lieutenant Dan Gosling (left) with brother Xavier Gosling who was on HMAS Success, the main supply ship supporting InterFET, in 1999. Credit:Lt Col Dan Gosling/ADF Together, Luke and Dan have raced on foot, bike and kayaks to raise funds for charitable causes, and organised international sport competitions and music concerts to promote close Australian-Timor Leste ties.

"In 2003, my brother Luke and I ... wanted to make a documentary on Australias military relationship with Timor from WWII through to InterFET/UN, and we challenged each other to a race to Dili for the Restoration of Independence Day." Dan ran 295 kilometres across the country to Dili, while Luke kayaked and sailed from Darwin, then mountain biked to the capital. The race took seven days. From left, Dan Gosling, Aguida Amaral and Luke Gosling cross the finish line in Dili in 2003. "We miraculously met in Dili on May 20 and crossed the finish line together with the Timorese Olympic marathon runner Aguida Amaral," he recalls. Hes been deployed to the country on and off for 20 years, supporting the development of Timor-Lestes own battalions and most recently, as senior adviser to its Defence Force. He's received a Medal of Merit from then president Jose Ramos Horta and calls the country's first prime minister, Xanana Gusmao, a friend.
Auckland: A rocket from small-satellite launch firm Rocket Lab failed to reach orbit minutes after a successful liftoff from New Zealand on Sunday, the company said, losing its payload of seven small satellites it had intended to carry to space.

"An issue was experienced today during Rocket Lab's launch that caused the loss of the vehicle," the Californian company said on Twitter, adding more information will be shared as available.

Rocket Lab, pictured hosting a successful 2018 launch from the Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand north-east coast, says it lost the rocket during its latest launch. Credit:AP

"We are deeply sorry to the customers on board Electron," the company's Auckland-based subsidiary said. "The issue occurred late in the flight during the 2nd stage burn."

Rocket Lab is one of a growing group of launch companies looking to slash the cost of sending shoebox-sized satellites to low Earth orbit, building smaller rockets and reinventing traditional production lines to meet a growing payload demand.
Whether we have two of them on the field, all three of them on the field, well get creative and have some fun with it," defensive coordinator Joe Barry said.
There was a time when American readers kept pace with new plays, even if they didnt live in New York or couldnt afford tickets. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, published by Viking Press, was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection; Edward Albees Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? made good money in hardcover and paperback for Atheneum. When theatres went dark in March, good plays were left dangling early in their runs. Some will never re-emerge. One was the Italian writer Stefano Massinis The Lehman Trilogy, a broad-backed epic about the ...
Police eventually expanded the crime scene after a crowd gathered near the tape. A woman was frantically on the phone with her teenage daughter and asked police to find her on the other side of the scene. After, an officer escorted the daughter to her. The woman leaned against a trash can, becoming emotional and saying she was so anxious to find her daughter. The teenager comforted her.
Member of Parliament N K Singh, who chairs the 15th Finance Commission, says that he is looking to change over to JioMeet for all subsequent meetings. NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant goes a bit further by saying that JioMeet is better than its competitor Zoom, as it is encrypted and password protected and all the data will be stored in India.

It has already got the endorsement of top government officials and politicians too. According to App Annie data, JioMeet has seen a huge surge in its ranking on Google Play, based on its downloads. According to App Annie data ...
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.



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Digital Editor
The coronavirus is finding new victims worldwide, giving rise to frightening clusters of infection that increasingly confirm what many scientists have been saying for months: The virus lingers in the air indoors, infecting those nearby. If airborne transmission is a significant factor in the pandemic, especially in crowded spaces with poor ventilation, the consequences for containment will be significant. Masks may be needed indoors, even in socially distant settings. Health care workers may need N95 masks that filter out even the smallest respiratory droplets as they care for ...
Members of an NGO were allegedly assaulted by residents of Rani Bagh in northwest Delhi while they were catching stray dogs in the area, police said on Saturday. Four members of 'Neighbourhood Woof, including a woman, had come to the area to catch stray dogs on Friday night when a heated argument broke out between them and the locals, leading to a scuffle, they said.

Three persons sustained minor injuries after being hit by the car of the NGO members while they were trying to leave the area, police said. The four NGO members and the three residents of Rani Bagh were taken ...
Chicago police Officer Michelle Tannehill said the weapon was recovered during a traffic stop in the 7300 block of South Vincennes Avenue in Englewood on Friday evening. Four people were in the vehicle, but the gun but none was carrying the weapon at the time.
The main aide of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey involved in the attack in which eight police personnel were killed was arrested in a pre-dawn encounter in Kanpur, a senior police official said on Sunday.

The aide, Dayashankar Agnihotri, was injured in his leg in retaliatory firing by police after he tried to attack them and flee, the official said, adding that no police personnel was hurt. Police have also taken into custody the sub-divisional officer (SDO) and another employee of the power sub-station from where electricity supply was interrupted on the intervening night of ...
"Manthan ke baad amrit hi nikalta hai, jo vish nikalta hai Shiv usse pee jate hain (churning produces nectar and Lord Shiva drinks the poison). Just a day before the Cabinet expansion, when Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said this last Wednesday, it was a clear admission that he had to face a lot of pressure while finalising the names of his new cabinet colleagues. It was clear from the beginning that in his fourth term as chief minister, Chouhan might not get the ministers he wanted.

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
Israel's Ministry of Health has reported 977 new cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 29,032.

The number of Covid-19 deaths increased from 326 to 330, while the number of patients in serious conditions increased from 77 to 84 out of 296 patients currently hospitalised, Xinhua reported.

The number of recoveries increased to 17,773, with 104 new recoveries, while the number of active cases hit 10,929.

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli police said that Israeli border police chief Yaakov Shabtai tested positive for the novel coronavirus, adding that his health condition is good.

As a result, Minister of Public Security Amir Ohana has entered home quarantine until July 12, after meeting twice with Shabtai in the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said that Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Defence Minister Benny Gantz and army chief of staff Aviv Kochavi will not have to undergo quarantine despite meeting with Shabtai on Thursday.

(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.)
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 ...
But regarding the enslavement of Native Americans by Columbus and the Spanish: The conquest of the Aztecs, the largest native civilization in North America, was aided by the support of other native groups that had been decimated by the Aztecs, who used to sacrifice their prisoners on the steps of their temple. Our own Thanksgiving celebration of an idealized repast of Pilgrims and North American natives is not more than a false image that hides a different reality. Unfortunately, the history of humanity has been based on strife, killing and enslavement. Let us remember too, that African natives were sold to Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese traders at African ports, by other African natives. If we were to topple the monuments of those who killed and enslaved others, very few would remain. What about most world religions? What should we do with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and scores of others?
The three-day nationwide strike by coal workers against the government's decision to open the sector for private players led to almost nil production in most of the mines, and dispatch of the fuel was totally blocked, a trade union leader said on Saturday.

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 three-day strike in coal industry is big success...In most of the mines (in all the three days), production was nil and the dispatch was totally blocked," Nathulal Pandey, president of HMS-affiliated Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation, said.

However, a Coal India official has said that coal production was 4.81 lakh tonne on Thursday, which is close to 38 per cent of the normal 13 lakh tonne per day, calculated as average of 10 days immediately prior to stoppage of the operations.

CIL despatched 5.78 lakh tonnes on the first day of strike. This is around 42 per cent of the normal off-take of 14 LTs/day, as per referred calculation.

A coal ministry official said that on Friday CIL produced 5.55 lakh tonnes of coal Friday, which is 42.7 per cent of the 10 days average production (from June 22 to July 1) of 12.969 lakh tonne.

On the second day of strike CIL dispatched 4.52 lakh tonne of coal, which is 32.17 per cent of the 10 days average production (from June 22 to July 1) of 14.0504 lakh tonne, as per the ministry official.

According to analysts, hit in the coal production due to the three-day strike is not likely to impact the power industry and electricity generation as the power houses have sufficient stock of dry fuel.

A meeting of Central Trade Unions -- HMS, HMS, AITUC, INTUC and CITU -- was held on Saturday, Pandey said.

"During the meeting it was decided unanimously that programmes like gate meeting etc jointly against the commercial mining will start from tomorrow itself. In the meantime the bidders will be requested not to participate in the bidding process," he said.

If the auction for the commercial coal mining is not cancelled by the government, one-day strike will be called on August 18, he said.

S Q Zama, secretary general of the Indian National Mineworkers' Federation, affiliated to INTUC said that during the three-day strike between 75-80 per cent of coal output did not happen.

On an average CIL produces 1.5-2 million tonnes of coal in day, he said.

"The three-day strike has been 100 per cent peaceful, which in itself is a success," Pandey 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.

The participation of workers in the strike on the third day of stir was around 80 per cent, he said.

Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said that in comparison to the previous two days, more workers 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.

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.
The demand for warehousing space in the city during the current financial year will largely be driven by e-commerce and FMCG companies, an official of a global property consulting firm said.

E-commerce accounted for 27 per cent of the entire warehousing deals in Kolkata and adjoining areas, while FMCG's share was five per cent last year.

Their share in the total warehousing deals in FY21 is expected to jump significantly as there will be a change in demand pattern, he said.

"Instead of large parcel warehousing for industrial and commercial purposes, relatively smaller warehouses will see robust demand driven by e-commerce companies, a segment that continues to expand with new more services," Knight Frank India, Kolkata Director, Swapan Dutta said.

There will be a requirement of mid-size warehouses by e-commerce and FMCG companies in various clusters of Kolkata in FY21, the official said.

However, the shift in demand patterns and enquiries for in-city warehouses may put land prices in peripheral warehouse clusters under pressure in near-to-mid term, he said.

The leasing deals of the last fiscal are witnessing renegotiation of rates following disruptions due to COVID-19.

In 2019-20, Kolkata saw a healthy warehouse leasing of 3.93 million sq ft, according to the India Warehousing Market Report 2020, a drop by 14 per cent over the previous fiscal.

Dankuni and suburban cluster of Kolkata accounted for a 52 per cent share of warehousing transactions in FY 2020, while the National Highway-16 (old NH-6) has the rest of the deals.

The warehousing market demand in Kolkata has seen a robust compounded annual growth rate of 43 per cent for the FY2017-2020 period.

"Only 2019-20 fiscal was an abrasion from the steady year-on-year growth story of warehousing. The traditional warehousing demand in locations like Dankuni, Dhulagarh on NH-6 will shrink during this fiscal," Dutta said.

Kolkata, due to its strategic location, is a major warehousing hub of the eastern belt of the country.

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India reports nearly 25,000 new cases in a day; death toll at 19,268

Also Read: Big events can be held while adhering to COVID-19 protocol: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani said that creating an app like TikTok is not a challenge but implementing a robust business model is. Nilekani said that India is still not a very big digital advertising market and apps such as TikTok are mostly dependent on advertising. His comments come days after the government announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps including popular options such as TikTok, UC Browser, Helo, Shein and more.

"We certainly can build our own TikTok and other apps in India. But the challenge here is slightly more difficult. You have to understand the business models of these applications. Like Facebook and Google, TikTok's main revenue comes from advertisements. And last year globally, ByteDance which owns TikTok, had $17 billion revenue with $3 billion in profit, essentially in China and the US," said Nilekani to India Today TV.

He said that India is not a big advertising market like China and the US. Nilekani stated that the total ad spending in India across mediums such as TV, print and digital is around $10-12 billion, out of which digital space accounts for $2-3 billion. "So, most of these products essentially in India don't make money. But they are here for strategic reasons because they want to build a large user base," he said. When apps garner a large user base, they can monetise it in the future. Apps continue their operations in countries like India by subsidising their revenue from other markets such as the US and China.

Nilekani pointed out that an app like WhatsApp might have 400 million users in India but they don't necessarily make a lot of money out of it. He said Indian products would not have the revenue from other countries to cross-subsidise. "I think it is little more than a technology issue. How do we create an advertisement-led product in India which is sustainable," he added.

Separately, on Saturday, the government launched the Atma Nirbhar Innovation App Challenge. PM Modi tasked tech entrepreneurs and startups to build a robust Indian apps ecosystem. The challenge has been divided into two tracks. Track 1 seeks to identify apps that are already being used and have the potential to scale up. Track 2 is meant to identify Indian start-ups, entrepreneurs, companies and encourage them with ideation, incubation, prototyping and roll out of applications.

Also read: Atma Nirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge: PM Modi asks startups to build apps ecosystem
The finance ministry may assess the capital requirement of public sector banks after the September quarter as there would be greater clarity about a spike in bad loans by that time, sources said. There is widespread fear that non-performing assets (NPAs) of the banks will witness a surge due to the economic slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak and resultant lockdowns.

This will need higher provisioning by banks as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines. However, there could be a silver lining if RBI accepts request of loan restructuring for sectors hit badly by the coronavirus pandemic, sources said.

The pain of NPA will surface only after the extended moratorium ends in August, the sources said, adding it will be appropriate to assess capital requirement only after the second quarter numbers are finalised.

Veteran banker and CII President Uday Kotak had said the public sector banks would need financial support from the government to drive the economy, while private sector banks need to raise capital from various sources to meet the future challenges.

"The COVID-19 outbreak and resulting lockdown has impacted adversely the real economy, businesses, individuals, government and financial sector. "While the government is facing the risk of higher fiscal deficit, the banking sector urgently needs the recapitalisation to the tune of Rs 3-4 lakh crore to meet the lending requirements," he had said last month.

Ratings agency Fitch has estimated a shortfall of USD 15 billion (about Rs 1.25 lakh crore) by Indian banks to achieve a 10 per cent Weighted Average Common equity tier-1 (CET 1) ratio under moderate stress and in the absence of which banks would show high risk aversion.

The banking sector's NPAs were expected to increase by 450 basis point through FY21 and FY21 under moderate stress. The government has infused over Rs 3.15 lakh crore into public sector banks (PSBs) in the 11 years through 2018-19. In 2019-20, the government proposed to make Rs 70,000 crore capital infusion into PSBs to boost credit for a strong impetus to the economy.

However, the government refrained from committing any capital in the Budget 2020-21 for the PSBs, hoping that the lenders will raise funds from the market depending on the requirement.

In the last financial year, Punjab National Bank was given Rs 16,091 crore, Union Bank of India Rs 11,768 crore, Canara Bank Rs 6,571 crore and Indian Bank Rs 2,534 crore.

Merging entities like erstwhile Allahabad Bank was provided Rs 2,153 crore, United Bank of India 1,666 crore and Andhra Bank Rs 200 crore. Besides, Bank of Baroda got a capital infusion of Rs 7,000 crore, Indian Overseas Bank Rs 4,360 crore, UCO Bank Rs 2,142 crore, Punjab & Sind Bank Rs 787 crore and Central Bank of India Rs 3,353 crore.

In addition, LIC-controlled IDBI Bank too received additional capital of Rs 4,557 crore through the supplementary demands for grants. In all, the government has infused Rs 65,443 crore in PSBs in the last financial year as both regulatory and growth capital, as per Budget documents.

Also read: Rebooting Economy II: What stock market boom means to people and economy

Also read: Need to be Atma Nirbhar in sectors like electronics, coal; cut down imports, says ASSOCHAM
Paris is usually abuzz during its prestigious Haute Couture presentations in July, its hotels heaving with fashionistas and monuments turned into catwalk venues.

But in a makeover caused by the novel coronavirus crisis, top designers will instead be experimenting next week with online showcases to try to keep clients hooked.

Brands from Christian Dior to Valentino are pressing ahead with collections and shows through an organised schedule of videos running from July 6 till July 8.

That has helped keep some textile suppliers and artisans going, though other businesses are feeling the absence of a larger event keenly.

"The impact of a virtual fashion week on our business is serious because there are no more clients to drive around," said Guillaume Connan, whose limousine company usually ferries A-listers around between shows.

Paris's multiple fashion weeks generate some 1.2 billion euros (Rs 1,00,77,23,60,208) for the local economy every year, the federation grouping couture houses estimates.

At the Haute Couture week, a select club of designers display one-of-a-kind, handmade outfits.

"I will miss the audience, I will miss my friends," said couturier Stephane Rolland.

But Christophe Josse, another French couturier who has also produced a film, said he had enjoyed being able to highlight the intricacies of his designs differently and would consider doing it again.

"I was a little hesitant at first, wondering what we'd be able to say in a digital fashion week," Josse said.

It is still unclear whether the format will be a hit with his clients, who include wealthy Americans who normally travel to a show, Josse added.

Physical catwalk displays are likely to be back on the agenda in Paris by September and brands are already booking venues, said Frederic Hocquard, who oversees tourism and some cultural affairs at Paris's city council.

He added that the hiatus this time could have some positive side effects, despite the economic hit, including as an inspiration for greener formats in future, which would not generate as much congestion or waste.

'America loves India!': Donald Trump thanks PM Modi for Independence Day wish

WHO discontinues HCW, HIV drugs in Covid-19 trials after failure to reduce deaths
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 100%..

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 100%.
The new heads of Egypts media bodies were sworn in on Sunday before the parliament, more than a week after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree reshuffling the members the bodies, including the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR).

Karam Gabr, the incumbent head of the National Press Authority (NPA), was sworn in as the new head of the SCMR, replacing veteran journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed.



The SCMR includes representatives from the State Council, the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA), the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), and several journalists.



Abdel-Sadek El-Shorbagy, who also took an oath in front of the House, is replacing Gabr as the head of the NPA, the reshuffle for which includes representatives from the State Council, the finance ministry, the national press, and workers at press institutions.



Hussein Zein was sworn in as the head of the National Media Authority, keeping his post in the media body.

All the media entities will see a four-year term, as stipulated by the decree.



Under Egypt's 2014 constitution, TV, radio, print and online media are regulated by three bodies: the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the National Press Authority, and the National Media Authority.



Short link:


This legislation is common sense, he said then. When its said, the thought of impropriety, we are surrounded by impropriety at the state level, at the county level and in this body. The feds are all around us. We need to send a message that this B.S. is over with. If we need to come back in three months or six months and alter it, then well work with (the Law Department).
ON CAMEROUN GOVERNMENTS INITIATION OF CEASEFIRE TALKS WITH AMBAZONIA THROUGH AMBAZONIAN PRISONERS :: CAMEROON

On March 23, 2020, the United Nations Secretary General, His Excellency Antonio Guterres' called for a global ceasefire in all conflicts around the world to enable all peoples effectively deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, especially the provision of health services to persons affected by armed conflicts.

On March 26, 2020, the Ambazonia Governing Council issued a Declaration on the Responsibility to Protect the People of Ambazonia during the Covid-19 Pandemic in which this Governing Council welcomed the Secretary Generals call for a universal ceasefire as consistent with the responsibilities of the United Nations to promote world peace and stability, and declared that There shall not be a unilateral ceasefire in the Ambazonia War of Independence because of the Covid-19 pandemic because to permit such unilateral action will provide Cameroun unhindered access to everywhere in our towns and villages, where both during and after the Corona virus pandemic, Cameroun soldiers will continue their genocidal massacre of the Ambazonian people and the setting ablaze of Ambazonian urban and rural areas.

As the Ambazonia Governing Council expected, the Cameroun government has maintained silence over Mr. Guterres global ceasefire call, continued its massacre of the Ambazonian people and the razing of Ambazonian towns and villages even as the Corona virus spread to thousands of Camerouns citizens east of the Mongo and Matazen.

On June 24, 2020, a total of 170 UN Member States, Observers and others signed, and endorsed Mr. Guterres call for a global ceasefire to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The Republic of Cameroun refused to sign and subject itself to this ceasefire call.

On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2532 (2020) on the Covid-19 pandemic, demanding a cessation of hostilities in situations on its agenda and recognizing the SecretaryGenerals global ceasefire appeal.

On Thursday, July 2, 2020, a day immediately after the UN Security Council passed the above mentioned Resolution, some individual, without a formal, official and declared mandate from the Cameroun government, yet purporting to represent Mr Paul Biya, had a discussion with some Ambazonian prisoners of war in the Kondengui maximum security prison in Yaounde, Cameroun, led by Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, leader of IG Care, on ceasefire by the people of Ambazonia.

On the same July 2, 2020, the Cameroun military invaded Babanki, killed ten unarmed Ambazonian civilians and burnt down six houses. On the same day, it targeted Ambazonians in Yaounde and abducted hundreds whose whereabouts remains unknown.

In consideration of the history of political gimmicks of the Republic of Cameroun with the sole intention of maintaining its annexationist and colonial oppression of Ambazonia, and of the Cameroun governments continuous manipulation of the international community to think that the Paul Biya regime is committed to resolving the Ambazonia-Cameroun conflict;

Cognizant of the fact that the Cameroun government has maintained its military offensive against the Ambazonian people, in spite of the July 2 drama-talk with some Ambazonians under Camerouns captivity;

The Ambazonia Governing Council, meeting in extraordinary session on July 3, 2020, hereby states as follows:

General:

1. Reminds the world and our people that when the world endorsed the Swiss Process, instead of committing to it, Cameroun called for a National Dialogue; when the world endorsed a global cease fire, instead of committing to it, Cameroun sneaked someone to go an negotiate with Sesekou Ayuk Tabe and others. This deception and manipulation have gone on for 59 years and has to come to an end

2. Declares that there is no ongoing talks or negotiation between the government of Cameroun and the people of Ambazonia engaged in their struggle for independence and sovereignty.

3. Declares that the above-mentioned July 2, 2020 meeting in Yaounde is one in a series of charades constantly used by the Cameroun government to deceive the international community and appear as heeding the UN Security Council ceasefire demand, while it continues and has continued its killing of Ambazonian civilians.

4. Reiterates the provisions of the Declaration on the Responsibility to Protect the People of Ambazonia during the Covid-19 Pandemic, especially the guarantee and continuous provision of humanitarian aid access to local and international organizations vetted and approved by the Ambazonia Governing Council, and the affirmation that any ceasefire shall be under terms agreed by the parties through a credible international multilateral negotiation process at a neutral location, and under the auspices of the United Nations.

To the United Nations:

1. Welcomes the UN Security Council Resolution 2532 as reflective of the responsibility of the United Nations to promote global peace and security;

2. Calls on the United Nations Secretary General, H.E. Antonio Guterres', in the spirit of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2532 and realizing his call for a global ceasefire, to appoint a United Nations Special Envoy to the Ambazonia-Cameroun Conflict who shall engage in mediation effort between Cameroun and Ambazonia towards a peaceful solution to the Ambazonia-Cameroun conflict.

3. Iterates that from the historical attitude of the Republic of Cameroun in relation to the people of Ambazonia, the United Nations should monitor any ceasefire between Ambazonia and Cameroun that may be agreed to by the parties.

To Ambazonian Prisoners of War:

1. Re-emphasizes that Cameroun has no cause to detain and torture any Ambazonian for upholding the right of the people of Ambazonia to self-determination as provided in Article 1 of the UN Charter and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

2. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all the thousands of Ambazonians under Camerouns captivity and account for those who have disappeared

3. Calls on the leader of IG Care after having presented the conditions for cease fire to discontinue any direct contacts with the genocidal regime whose intention is to localise the conflict and to transfer any such authority patterning to negotiations to his Vice as to consolidate our push for international mediation under the UN auspicies

To the Ambazonia Defense Forces and All Allies:

1. Declares that all forces defending the people of Ambazonia and the integrity of their territory should maintain all defensive/offensive combat positions and continue all operations necessary to fulfill their responsibility to protect the Ambazonian people until such a time when the Ambazonia Governing Council alone or together with the IG Care and Consortium (or together with its allies) orders otherwise.

2. Calls upon all forces defending the Ambazonian people to increase their alertness, conscious that whenever Cameroun has acted the kind of deception drama it just attempted in Yaounde, it has intensified its military offensive in the Ambazonia territory.

To the Ambazonian People:

1. Dont Blink!

2. Calls on all people of Ambazonia to remain mobilized, determined, and united in our struggle for life, liberty and happiness that can only be achieved in an independent and sovereign Ambazonia.

3. To take all necessary hygienic and social distancing measures necessary to curb and control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

To the Cameroun Government:

1. Reminds the Cameroun government that it was Cameroun that invaded the Ambazonia territory in September 1961, declared war on the people of Ambazonia in November 2017, and has since then maintained its army in Ambazonia who are responsible for endless human rights violations and atrocities against the Ambazonian people, including the Ngahbur massacre. Ambazonia is not fighting against Cameroun in Camerouns territory. Therefore, if the Cameroun government truly wants a ceasefire, it can simply withdraw its troop from the streets and neighborhoods of Ambazonia to Camerouns territory.

2. Advises the Cameroun government to terminate its strings of self-created, well-known political gimmicks in the name of home ground solutions, to cease all hostilities in Ambazonia, and to engage in a credible third party mediated negotiation process, necessary to sustain its economy and guarantee future peaceful co-existence between the State of Ambazonia and the State of Cameroun.

Sincerely,

Obadiah Mua

Secretary General, Ambazonia Governing Council
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Do you have an athlete in mind that contributes to the team or sport, holds sportsmanship and team spirit, has epic playmaker moments and/or in general makes the the sports fun? If yes, please make your nominations for our edition of Athlete Spotlight.

CLICK TO NOMINATE
Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle sits in pieces in 2018 after Hurricane Florence hit Carteret County. The state has completed a plan to improve coastal resilience to extreme weather like Florence. (Contributed photo)
Photo: Cassie De Colling Cassie De Colling on one of the three flights she took to travel from Melbourne, Australia to Vancouver, Canada at the end of April 2020.

Have you ever spent weeks seeking permission from the government to leave your country to travel across the globe during a pandemic to be reunited with your significant other? Australian filmmaker Cassie De Colling never thought she'd do anything for love, but she did do that.

De Colling, 34, who has spent the last few years working in a variety of international locations, had been in lockdown in Melbourne, Australia this spring when she launched the lengthy and complicated journey to fly to Vancouver during the COVID-19 crisis in order to be with her boyfriend, Canadian Chris Harris.

As a means of communicating with her mother back in Australia and Harris in Vancouver, De Colling did what comes naturally to her  she documented the process of flying to Vancouver via video snippets she sent to them, as well as posted to her social media accounts.

Then, however, she realized she could turn her experience into a short 10-minute film. De Colling tells V.I.A. that she was struck with the idea to share her story more broadly as she embarked on the first airport leg of the multi-day trip.

"When I arrived at the airport in Melbourne, I was blown away as to how dead it was  that's when I thought, holy shit, this moment in time is never going to happen again," says De Colling.

Of course, getting to the airport, ticket in hand, wasn't an easy feat.

De Colling says the process actually began quite some time before her first flight took off, as Australians were not permitted to leave the country, period.

"I needed to apply for an exemption to travel which I did so on the grounds of compassionate cause," explains De Colling, adding that she went to some atypical lengths to plead her case: "To prove my relationship, I made a private Facebook page and had my friends comment on how they know Chris and I. I printed this wall of testimonials and sent it to the Australian Border Force."

It took three weeks for De Colling to receive permission to travel. She found a set of flights that would take her from Melbourne to Sydney to Tokyo to Vancouver. But even with the tickets and the Working Holiday Visa, it wasn't a guarantee she'd be let into Canada, and it wasn't looking like smooth sailing ahead.

"One of the things I wasn't able to do was get any form of travel insurance," says De Colling. "I called about 10 places and no one could grant me anything."

Despite the first leg of her 45-hour route going well, things got a little dicey in Sydney.

"At Sydney Airport, the airline hostess ripped up my boarding pass as they didn't think I would be able to get into Canada on a Working Holiday Visa. It took a lot of time and convincing them to let me fly," says De Colling. But that wasn't all.

"Then when I went to clear customs in Australia they had a glitch with something on my paperwork and I had to fill in a bunch of forms twice so that was really stressful."

Photo: Cassie De Colling A very empty Tokyo airport.

But she continued to make it, portion by portion, documenting each step, like the shockingly empty airport terminals and boards showing heaps of cancelled flights, along the way.

Once she landed at YVR in Vancouver, De Colling says the border officials "were surprisingly welcoming."

She was required to fill in her 14-day self-isolation plan along with contact information for the period, and then was free to go.

And of course, Harris was there to welcome her.

While the video De Colling made ends with her safe arrival in Vancouver, as it turns out, the filmmaker is opting to keep the city as her home base for now.

De Colling says she adhered to the 14-day self-isolation requirement, but at no time was she contacted by anyone for a follow-up or check-in.

"The first time I went outside (in Vancouver) was so bizarre, seeing people in the parks blew my mind. It was very different to Australia where the only allowed social activity was going for a walk with one other person," says De Colling.

Her first outing in Vancouver? She and Harris took a skateboard ride along False Creek to Kitsilano.

Things still feel not quite the same for De Colling when it comes to living in Vancouver during COVID-19 and how it had been up until late April when she was in Australia.

Photo: Cassie De Colling Chris Harris, left, and Cassie De Colling.

"Australia is being much more strict and careful. They have a fraction of the numbers than Canada. In Australia, there were advertising campaigns across print, radio, and TV to call out people disobeying the restriction rules. Recently, Melbourne had an outbreak of 37 new cases and as a reaction, the local government is enforcing isolation of post/zip code with anyone who breaks this is up for $5000 fine," explains De Cooling.

"Here in Vancouver, it feels very different. People are allowed to gather, people are going camping, bars are starting to open. It was and still is quite a shock for me to see a large group of people together," adds the ex-pat.

Though the trip itself was a physical ordeal, for De Colling the concerns about the trip were more personal.

"The biggest battle for me wasn't the flying. It was deciding whether to go or not. My network is in Australia and I felt like if I had stayed it would be easier for me to get up and working again, whereas here I am only starting to get to know people in my industry."

But love is, after all, universal. And there are a lot of people living far from their partners who have wondered how they would keep making it work. De Colling is hoping her experience of crossing the oceans amidst all the red tape and COVID-19 will strike a chord.

"I feel like this is something long-distance couples can relate to so I wanted to capture that story."

Watch her short film here:
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Lines of cars wait at a coronavirus testing site outside of Hard Rock Stadium, Friday, June 26, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Florida. Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah all reported record daily coronavirus cases, according to their state's health departments.
Semel said he anticipated some of the young born in Cook County might breed in Lake and McHenry counties. After four or five years of one being erected at Chain OLakes State Park in Lake County, a pair of osprey discovered it. When we saw a pair carrying big sticks toward the nest, it was pretty exciting, Semel said. Later, he saw chicks peering over the edge of the platform. It was exciting to confirm we had young. Theyve nested consistently (at Chain O Lakes) since that first year. Daniel McAuliffe, who works at ComEds Crystal Lake office, has helped Semel by supplying utility poles to be erected in Lake and McHenry counties. Brad sent me some pictures of the birds that used the platforms. Our environmental department is excited we are able to assist, McAuliffe said.
ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) -- The family of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner who was fatally shot over Fourth of July weekend in Atlanta plan to hold a pu
ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) -- An 8-year-old girl died after she was shot during a night of violence across metro Atlanta.
Due to my strong belief that country comes before self, this rare issue of The Sunday Funnies is necessary because of Independence Day, but this week The Saturday Funnies will again appear. Our long-term readers know that the weekly funnies come from the emails that are shared during the week, thus the disclaimer

But do 4th of July jokes get stale by the 5th? A crafty teacher tried to trick her students by asking if the 4th of July was celebrated in England. Little Johnny sighed, Please  its the only way they can get from the 3rd to the 5th.



Then there was the kindergarten teacher who explained Independence Day is celebrated because we are all free. Little Noah jumped from his chair, strode with firm steps up to the teacher and told her in no uncertain terms, I am not free! I am four! Then there was the kindergarten teacher who explained Independence Day is celebrated because we are all free.Little Noah jumped from his chair, strode with firm steps up to the teacher and told her in no uncertain terms, I am not free! I am four!



Then I heard there was this farmer in Bledsoe County who was helping a cow deliver a calf, only to look up and find his youngest son staring with saucer eyes. The farmer braced himself, knowing the birds-and-bees story was fixing to be told, and after all was well and good, he sat beside his boys and asked if there was anything the kid would like to know.



The boy thought for a second and then said, Pops, how fast you reckon that calf was running when he hit that cow?



With that, here are this mornings Funnies:



* * *

A VERY TRUE STORY ABOUT CAPT. McDANIAL



The twenty-year-old soldier, recently reduced in rank from buck sergeant to buck private, stood outside base headquarters and read his orders again. "Report to Captain McDanial at..."



No doubt this Captain McDanial would know of the privates recent release from the base stockade at Fukuoka after serving five months of a six months sentence for stealing $420.00 of military script money and a .45 caliber pistol from the 2nd Airdrome Squadrons post office.



Might as well get ready for a nasty chewing out, he mumbled to himself as he hoisted his duffel bag to his shoulder and climbed the steps to the entryway. After stepping inside and setting his belongings down in an out of the way spot, he surveyed the orderly room. The first sergeant was sitting at a desk near the wooden railing and three other clerical types were beyond him, two seated at desks, and one at a filing cabinet.



The private nervously handed over his orders to the first sergeant and said, "I am to report to Captain McDanial."



"Oh, youre private _____. The captain said he wants to see you the moment you got here. He has a special assignment for you. Door on your left at the end of the room. Knock three times and wait until he says, 'come in,' before you enter, then march up to his desk, come to attention and salute."

Yikes, the private said to himself, as he headed toward the Captain's door. A special assignment? Looks like Im in for it now!



The 'come in,' command was sharp and authoritative. The private braced himself for the ordeal and taking a deep breath opened the door and strode to within three paces of the captains desk where he saluted and said, "Private _______ reporting as ordered sir."



"Stand at ease, private. Ive read the transcript of your courts martial. That, and a copy of your conduct while in the stockade were forwarded to me by your commanding officer. I note that you achieved trustee status after two months, and that your conduct was that of a model soldier in confinement. Because of this, Ive decided to give you a special assignment. Perhaps the first sergeant mentioned this to you?"



"Yes sir. He did."



"Good," he said, as he got to his feet while opening and reaching inside the top drawer of his desk.



"Here," the Captain said, as he stretched out his hand toward the private. "Here is $420.00 in military script. Go to the base post office and buy a money order with it. On your way, get your barracks assignment from the first sergeant, then report to me tomorrow morning at 0800 hours with the money order. Any questions?"



The private was too astounded to formulate a question! Here was this captain, who only knew of him what he had read in the court-martial transcript, entrusting him with $420.00 in military script money - the exact amount he and his partner in crime had stolen. By giving him until tomorrow morning to complete the special assignment, the captain had created the opportunity for the private to get a great head start if he decided to go AWOL with it. Why was the captain doing this?



"No questions, sir."



"Good. Dismissed."



The private came to attention, saluted, did an about-face, and strode briskly to the door. He turned the knob, pulled the door towards him and while momentarily facing the captain said, "Sir?"



The captain looked up.



"Thank-you, sir," the private sang in a joyous voice!



The captain waved him out.



The private almost skipped down the street towards the base post office he was so thrilled at the trust this Captain McDanial had placed in him. How could the private do anything else when the captain had so clearly demonstrated his faith in him?



Captain McDanial's 'special assignment' was much more than a routine chore. It was an opportunity for the private to restore his dignity.



Postscript: Later in that month of April 1948, Captain McDanial arranged a thirty-day emergency leave for the private when the private received news that his older sister had been involved in an automobile accident and was not expected to live.



It has been said that people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Captain McDanial (his real name) was one of those persons that come into our lives for a reason. The private has never seen, or heard, from the captain again; but he has never forgotten him and what he did for the private with his 'Special Assignment.'



(A very special thank you to the author who has asked to remain anonymous.)



* * *

Be the change you wish to see in the world.



* * *



SOMETIMES THE VERY BEST WORDS ARE NEVER SPOKEN



There was once an elderly, despondent woman in a nursing home. She wouldn't speak to anyone or request anything. She merely existed - rocking in her creaky old rocking chair.



The old woman didn't have many visitors. But every couple mornings, a concerned and wise young nurse would go into her room. She didn't try to speak or ask questions of the old lady. She simply pulled up another rocking chair beside the old woman and rocked with her.

Weeks or months later, the old woman finally spoke.



'Thank you,' she said. 'Thank you for rocking with me.'"



Never underestimate the power of a nurse.



- Author Unknown



* * *

THE BEST BIBLE SALESMAN EVER!



A sales company has particular trouble selling Bibles in their location. They are always looking for someone to break through to their market and make a real difference. One day, a man comes in with a job application and says, "I-I-I-I'd l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-t-t-t-to b-b-b-b-b-be a B-B-B-Bible salesman, s-s-s-sir."



Initially, he doesn't want to give the job to this man, but his conscience got the better of him. He decided to try him out.



After three weeks, the manager is looking at the sales figures and realizes that the new guy is selling the most copies. Amazed, he calls him in to his office.



"You've only worked here for three weeks and you've already sold more copies than anyone else here! How do you do it?"



"W-w-w-w-w-well, l g-g-g-go up t-t-t-t-to th-the d-d-d-door and-d- d l-l--l s-s-s-say, w-w-w-w-would y-y-y-y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-b-buy a c-c-copy o-o-of th-th-th-the B-B-B-Bible, or w-w-w- w-w-would y-y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-like m-m-me t-t-t-to r-r-r-r-read it t-t-t- t-t-to y-y-y-you?"



-- Author Unknown



* * *

HAVE WE LOST OUR COLLECTIVE MINDS?



We have become a nation that has lost its collective mind! Lets see if I got this right...



* -- Somehow, it's Un-American for the census to count how many Americans are in America.

* -- Russians influencing our elections are bad, but illegal Mexicans voting in our elections are good.

* -- It was cool for Joe Biden to "blackmail" the President of Ukraine, but it's an impeachable offense if the President inquiries about it.

* -- Twenty is too young to drink a beer, but eighteen is old enough to vote.

* -- People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to people who have never been slaves. This after 250,000 white union soldiers died to free the slaves and the subsequent freed slaves had already been given 40 acres and a mule to stimulate their life of freedom.

* -- Inflammatory rhetoric is outrageous but harassing conservative people in restaurants is virtuous.

* -- People who have never been to college should pay the debts of college students who took out huge loans to earn useless degrees.

* -- Immigrants with tuberculosis and polio are welcome, and you'd better be able to prove your dog is vaccinated.

* -- Irish doctors and German engineers who want to immigrate must go through a rigorous vetting process, but any illiterate Central American gangbanger who jumps the southern fence is welcome.

* -- $5 billion for border security is too expensive, but $1.5 trillion for 'free' health care is not.

* -- If you cheat to get into college you go to prison, but if you cheat to get into the country you go to college for free.

* -- People who say there is no such thing as gender are demanding a female Vice President.

* -- We see other countries going Socialist and collapsing, and it seems like a great plan to some of us.

* -- Some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, and other people are not held responsible for what they are doing right now.

* -- Criminals are catch-and-released to hurt more people but stopping them is bad because it's a violation of THEIR rights.

* -- And pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes us "racists"?!

NOTE: This e-mail was made with 100% recycled electrons. No electrons were harmed, no trees were destroyed, no animals were killed, and no political correctness was observed in making or sending this message.



* * *

SOME OTHERS AMONG US WHO HAVENT A CLUE



These are unverified, of course, but it is alleged they come from a Washington DC 'airport ticket agent' who offers some examples of why the US is in so much trouble!



1. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)



2. I got a call from a Kansas Congressman's staffer who wanted to go to Cape Town. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, and then he interrupted me with, ''I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape Town is in Massachusetts.

Without trying to make him look stupid, I calmly explained, ''Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Cape Town is in South Africa.'' His response -- click.



3. A senior Vermont Congressman called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.

He replied, 'Don't lie to me! I looked on the map, and Florida is a very THIN state!!'' What!



4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife who asked, ''Is it possible to see England from Canada?''

I said, ''No.'' She said, ''But they look so close on the map'' (What, again!)



5. An aide for a cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. I pulled up the reservation and noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, ''I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time.'' (Aghhhh)



6. An Illinois Congresswoman called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a.m., and got to Chicago at 8:33 a.m.

I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went fast, and she bought that.



7. A New York lawmaker called and asked, ''Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?'' I said, 'No, why do you ask?'

He replied, ''Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!''

After putting him on hold for a minute, while I looked into it. (I was dying laughing). I came back and explained the city code for Fresno, Ca is (FAT - Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on his luggage.



8. A Senator John Kerry aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, ''Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?''



9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman who asked, ''How do I know which plane to get on?''

I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, ''I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them.''



10. A Senator called and said, ''I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola, Florida. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?''

I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola and fly on a commuter plane.

She said, ''Yeah, whatever, smarty!''



11. A La. Senator, called and had a question about the documents she needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded her that she needed a visa. "Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those''

I double checked and sure enough, her stay required a visa. When I told her this she said, ''Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!''



12. A New Jersey Congressman called to make reservations, ''I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York. I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, ''Are you sure that's the name of the town?''

'Yes, what flights do you have?'' replied the man.

After some searching, I came back with, ''I'm sorry, sir, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a rhino anywhere." ''The man retorted, ''Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!

''So, I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, ''You don't mean Buffalo, do you?''

The reply? ''Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.

Now you know why the Government is in the shape it's in!

Could anyone be this dumb?

Yes, they walk among us, are in politics, and they breed.



If the word dumb ends in a b and the b is silent, what is it doing in the word? And that is dumb, in and of itself. No?



* * *

If the District of Columbia becomes our nations 51st state, as the house approved this week, where will its capital be located?



* * *



THIS WEEKS BEST VIDEOS



* -- THE BOY ON THE BEACH: This may be the best Independence Day video ever made. CLICK * -- THE BOY ON THE BEACH: This may be the best Independence Day video ever made. CLICK HERE



* -- THAT RAGGED OL FLAG: Johnny Cash wrote this poem in 1975 and it still holds true today. Click * -- THAT RAGGED OL FLAG: Johnny Cash wrote this poem in 1975 and it still holds true today. Click HERE



* -- PLAY NICE WITH EACH OTHER: Paul Harvey, the legendary radio voice, once read A Letter from God. Click * -- PLAY NICE WITH EACH OTHER: Paul Harvey, the legendary radio voice, once read A Letter from God. Click HERE



* -- OH, THOSE GAINESVILLE COPS: Members of the Gainesville (Fla.) Police Dept. often stop in the citys poorest neighborhoods to shoot some hoops for a few minutes with kids. After they lost a pick-up game, they told the kids to get ready, they wanted a return game and this time they called in a back-up. CLICK * -- OH, THOSE GAINESVILLE COPS: Members of the Gainesville (Fla.) Police Dept. often stop in the citys poorest neighborhoods to shoot some hoops for a few minutes with kids. After they lost a pick-up game, they told the kids to get ready, they wanted a return game and this time they called in a back-up. CLICK HERE
A couple was seriously injured in a wreck in Catoosa County after fleeing state troopers on Friday night.

Mardel January, 55, was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital. David Elliott, 41, was also taken to Erlanger.

A trooper began following a suspected stolen car when the vehicle sped up to speeds as high as 110 mph.

The vehicle, while on I-75 southbound, ran into the guard rail twice.

The second collision caused it to overturn.

The GSP said Elliott had warrants for failure to appear in Idaoho and was driving on a suspended license out of Missouri.

They said Ms. January had suspected meth with her.
Sheriff Jim Hammond said Sunday afternoon he has no intention of stepping down, despite a letter from 38 preachers asking him to do so.

The sheriff said he would not discuss individual cases of alleged racism and abuse on the part of his deputies, saying those cases are going through the courts.

He said he has offered to meet with the pastors and other groups for a discussion on possible solutions to racial concerns.

Sheriff Hammond said, "I have offered to meet with several groups, including pastors, young people and professionals."

Of those being taken into custody, he said, "My advice is to comply. Instead, they want to shout and holler to get some video they can exploit."

The sheriff remained critical of District Attorney General Neal Pinkston, saying on two occasions he had dismissed cases prior to them going to court.

He said, "There ought to be evidence presented and a decision by a magistrate or judge. When he dismisses them on his own, then everybody is left wondering what happened."
Most Greys Anatomy fans will tell you that one of the most devastating moments on the show was when Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) died. Watching Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) cuddle with him in bed after he was pronounced brain dead was heart-wrenching. However, some fans are pointing out that it wasnt actually all that tragic.

Greys Anatomys Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo | Ron Tom Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

RELATED: Greys Anatomy: Are Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey Friends?

How did Derek Shepherd die on Greys Anatomy?

The episode when Derek Shepherd died is one that most Greys Anatomy fans will never forget. The fateful incident happened in season 11, episode 21, and it was titled, How To Save a Life.

McDreamy was on his way to Washington D.C. to quit the Presidents brain-mapping project when he witnessed a car accident. The doctor quickly pulled over to help. He ended up saving a young girl, her mother, and another couple involved in the crash. Then as Derek is about to leave the scene, he is run over by a semi-truck.

RELATED: Patrick Dempseys Recent Instagram Post Brought Greys Anatomy Fans To Tears

Shepherd was taken to the nearest ER; however, he couldnt speak. As the doctors examined him, Derek subconsciously told them that he needs a head CT scan. Dr. Penelope Blake (Samantha Sloyan) wanted to perform a CT but was dismissed by her attending, Dr. Paul Castello (Mike McColl). To viewers dismay, McDreamy is taken into surgery without the brain scan.

By the time the doctors discovered that he had a blown pupil, Shepherd realized he was about to die. The neurosurgeon arrived at the OR too late, and as viewers sat on the edge of their seats at home, McDreamy was pronounced brain dead.

Why wasnt Derek Shepherds death all that devastating?

Although the episode didnt leave a dry eye in anyones living room, fans pointed out that Meredith might be better off without McDreamy. Now that the show is in the off-season, many viewers rewatched the series from the beginning, pointing out Dereks many flaws.

I cannot stand Derek, one fan wrote on Reddit. He always blames Meredith for their problems and deflects any problems that she has with him. He lies about having a wife. Thats her problem for not accepting his apology. He cant handle her life challenges; his empathy has limits. But thats her problem for not being emotionally stable.

RELATED: Greys Anatomy: 3 Breakups Fans are Still Upset OverYears LaterAside from Meredith and McDreamy

Many fans agree with the original Reddit post. Although McDreamys death was tragic and heartbreaking, the couple did not have a great relationship.

I totally idealized their relationship over the last few seasons, but after going back and rewatching the series, he was always holding her back, another fan added.

If we take out the fact that he left three children without a father, fans feel that Meredith was better off without Derek.

I feel like it was a total power-imbalanced relationship, one viewer wrote. She was an intern, and he was her superior. Even after she told him to stop pursuing her and that it was inappropriate, he still pursued her, and she eventually caved in.

Some fans still stand by Derek and Merediths relationship

I get the Derek hate, wrote another fan. Hes flawed like all the rest of the characters. But Meredith wasnt always a martyr in that relationship. She, too, had her moments.

RELATED: Greys Anatomy: Patrick Dempsey Wants You to Forget He Was Ever Mcdreamy

While the topic of fans disliking Derek comes up often on discussion boards, there are always viewers who defend him. His death was one of the more gut-wrenching moments on the show, even if many fans point out that he was not an excellent match for Meredith.
Many Star Wars fans know Adam Driver as Ben Solo  better known as Kylo Ren. Before Driver secured this iconic role as the First Order leader, he had to go up against several other actors, including Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne. Find out why Driver was ultimately cast as the latest villain in Star Wars.

Eddie Redmayne | Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

J.J. Abrams originally had other plans for Kylo Ren

According to ScreenRant, Kylo Ren was referred to as the Jedi Killer when the Star Wars sequel trilogy was in its early stages. Given such a powerful name, Abrams initially wanted a seasoned actor to star in the role. Performers like Hugo Weaving and Michael Fassbender were at the top of the consideration list for the villainous role.

Eventually, the writers pivoted  as George Lucas once did  and thought a younger actor would be better suited for the new Star Wars trilogy. When Abrams thought about up-and-coming actors, Redmayne came to mind. He hadnt yet gained national recognition from Fantastic Beasts, which made him even more desirable for the role of Kylo Ren.

Eddie Redmayne says his audition for Kylo Ren was hilarious

Before he landed the role of Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, Redmayne auditioned for the role of Kylo Ren. Having starred in The Theory of Everything, Redmayne had some acting experience. But he wasnt a household name yet, which went with director J.J. Abrams desire to cast fresh faces.

According to Redmayne, the audition process for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was so secretive that he didnt really know what he was getting himself into. Some people were under the impression that Redmayne was auditioning for the role of General Hux, but that wasnt the case.

I was going for, I think, for [Kylo Ren], Redmayne explained to UpRoxx. They gave me like a Star Trek scene  or like something from Pride and Prejudice. With films that top secret, they dont give you the actual lines. So they give you a scene from Pride and Prejudice, but then they tell you youre auditioning for the baddie. If youre me, you then put some ridiculous voice on.

RELATED: Star Wars: How Adam Driver Mastered Kylo Rens Lightsaber

Despite not getting the role, Redmayne called his audition for Kylo Ren a hilarious moment. Redmayne knew the casting director Nina Gold, who cast him in The Theory of Everything and his Oscar-nominated role in The Danish Girl. Gold found Redmaynes audition equally hilarious. After like 10 shots shes like, You got anything else? I was like, No,' Redmayne recalled.

Fortunately, Redmayne went on to secure the role of Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. And Driver claimed his role in the Star Wars franchise and carefully embodied the complicated villain who is Kylo Ren.

Adam Drivers experience in the Marines ultimately helped him perfect Kylo Ren

Drivers military background is what allowed him to succeed in his role as the iconic Star Wars villain. Theres something obviously militant about [Kylo Ren] that makes sense, Driver explained to Movies Ireland. How he responds to things is probably physically quicker than most because hes on edge  theyre at war.

RELATED: Why Did Twitter Cancel Star Wars Actor Adam Driver?

Some fans might be surprised to know Drivers mortarman background helps him in all of his roles. Driver likened the relationships, camaraderie, and work ethic on a film set to that of any team, including military platoons.

My experience from the military was more in the relationships that I formed, Driver said.  [On film sets], theres somebody in charge who knows what theyre doing  the director  and when they know what theyre doing, what youre doing feels exciting and important.
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.
Dr. Jan Pol of Nat Geo Wilds The Incredible Dr. Pol is, as his son Charles Pol told the network in pitching the hit show idea to them, a character.

The elder Pol is full of life, purpose, and as far as hes concerned, while his clinic in Weidman, Michigan is a business, for him its all about the animals.

Heres what we know about his age, the possibility of his retirement, and the fate of his hit reality series.

Dr. Jan Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol | Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

RELATED: The Incredible Dr. Pol: Why Many Veterinarians Find the Nat Geo Wild Show Controversial

Dr. Pol got started young as a veterinarian

Although Dr. Pol didnt receive his licensing as a veterinarian until 1970, when he graduated that year from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, hes actually been working with animals almost all his life.

RELATED: The Incredible Dr. Pol: Is Dr. Pols Son, Charles, a Veterinarian, Too?

Born into a farming family, Dr. Pol was surrounded by animals early on and was hands-on with his four-legged family before he could even speak.

In fact, the father of three feels its a wonderful way for all children to grow up.

My philosophy is that I want kids to grow up with animals, Dr. Pol said to National Geographic in 2016. When kids grow up with animals, they make better adults. Especially when kids are very young, they are often taking care of animals or playing with animals, even before they can walk sometimes. This is what people dont realize, how much animals can teach humans.

Dr. Pol on that Incredible title

Dr. Pol and his wife, Diane, have been running their practice since 1981. Once their popular reality show began on Nat Geo Wild, it grew exponentially.

He explained to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2018 that the network chose to name the show The Incredible Dr. Pol, a name that made him cringe.

RELATED: The Incredible Dr. Pol: What Is His Net Worth and What Is the Veterinarians Ethnicity?

Im not incredible, he said. I dont know everything. If I dont know it, I will try to look it up. Someone else has done it before. When you see me sewing up that boa constrictor, I didnt know what anesthetic to use. I had to look it up.

Will Dr. Pols practice continue running once he retires?

Dr. Pol, now age 77, is still wrestling bulls, castrating horses, and chasing goats with the verve of other veterinarians half his age. But how long can that vigor be maintained? And who would take over his practice when he and Diane decide to retire and perhaps travel the world?

Dr. Brenda Grettenberger, who at 52, has been with Dr. Pols practice since receiving her veterinary license in 1992, is a possible replacement for the incredible vet.

I dont know. Maybe theyll keep running it for a while, he told The Chicago Tribune in 2018. Brenda has a bad knee so Im not sure if she would stay with the large-animal part. The small animal part they would probably keep doing. Were not a superpractice, but people come to us because of the care theyre getting. We care about animals.

RELATED: The Incredible Dr. Pol: Catch Up With Dr. Emily and Whats New for the Popular Veterinarian
Kanye West is trending all over the world after announcing his plans to run for president this election year. The moment took over Twitter and launched some of his fans into a state of confusion. Is he joking? Is he serious? Kim Kardashian West as the first lady?

While the memes and conspiracy theories are in full swing on social media, so is the excavation mission looking for details from Wests past.

A few people went all the way back to his childhood and brought up that time he lived in China. We wont toss out the internets thoughts about a conspiratorial connection, but there were more than a couple about his ties to China. But its simple.

Kanye West | David Becker/Getty Images

Kanye West is a Chicago native

As most of Wests fans know, he was born in Atlanta but raised in Chicago. After Wests parents divorced when he was three, he and his mother, Donda West, moved to the Windy City.

When he was a young child, Wests mom was an English professor at Chicago State University and he eventually wound up attending the school as an English major.

Before that, he and his mother went on an adventure to China, and that fact is popping back up in the midst of his declaration about the presidency.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION  ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

Kanye West used to live in China as a kid

As the news of Kanye Wests supposed presidential bid spread across the globe, some social media users on Twitter and Weibo brought up his old link to China. When West was 10 years old, his mother accepted a teaching position in Nanjing, China as a Fulbright scholar, per the Los Angeles Times.

Radii posted excerpts of an old 2008 interview between West and writer Jake Newby, and the rapper/businessman spoke fondly of his time in the country.

This was captured after his mother passed away in 2007.

China was a time where me and my mom spent the most time together, we spent a year together, and she used to homeschool me. I was in school and I wasnt doing so good, but it was actually because I was bored and after she homeschooled me I did so good on the tests they put me two grades above in a lot of different courses. We really connected there, so itll probably be very emotional for me to go back to China. As soon as you, yknow, feel the energy and hit the ground and see familiar sights from your childhood, and familiar smells  which is the most memorable sense of all  itll take me right back to fifth grade with my mom.

RELATED: Revealed: Kanye West Shares What His Mother, Donda, Would Think About His New Family

West once said living there made him feel like a celebrity

Wests old classmates were amused to find out years later he became a hip-hop star back in the U.S. Many remembered him to be kind and a little shy.

But West found the experience be good preparation for his life in the public eye. According to Thatsmags, he said:

I think being in China got me ready to be a celeb because, at that time, a lot of Chinese had never seen a black person. They would always come up and also stare at me, fishbowl me and everything. And thats kind of the way it is for me right now.

As news of Kanye West's presidential bid trends on China's Sina Weibo, Our Nanjing rapper will run for president of the UShas become one of the most popular comments. As a child, @KanyeWest spent around a year in Nanjing, where his mother Donda was a lecturer. #2020VISION https://t.co/RcqSckLhfM pic.twitter.com/BBp0LOqfEW  Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 5, 2020

Hes now going viral in the country over the presidential bid, with some social media users calling him Nanjings son. Meanwhile, others are wondering if West is serious about his endeavor or if its a promo for his upcoming album.

RELATED: How Long Have Kanye West and Elon Musk Been Friends?
Can love overcome differences in wealth? Thats the question Marrying Millions asks. Last year, viewers watched as six couples from very different financial backgrounds tried to navigate their relationships. Some were able to make things work, but other couples decided the differences were too great for things to last.

Now, Marrying Millions is back for another season. Two couples from the first season will return for the new episodes (which premiere August 5). And five new couples  one person wealthy, the other not  will join the mix. Will their love be able to withstand the scrutiny of family and friends, or will romance wither under the pressure?

Rodney and Desiry

Rodney and Desiry | Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2020

RELATED: Katie and Kolton from Marrying Millions Reveal What the Show Gets Wrong About Their Relationship

Rodney, who lives in Washington, D.C., made his money in the wine industry. His fortune means hes able to take care of his girlfriend, Desiry, who lives in Los Angeles and works for a non-profit. But their bi-coastal romance faces a number of challenges, not the least the fact theyve been keeping their relationship a secret.

Dani and Donovan

Donovan and Dani | Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2020

Texas couple Dani and Donovan went to high school together. Years later, fate brought them back together. Donovan  who comes from a humble background  now runs a real estate company worth millions of dollars. His girlfriend Dani is one his employees. He enjoys spoiling her with lavish gifts and vacations, but will mixing business and pleasure doom this relationship?

Rick and Erica

Erica and Rick | Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2020

Sixty-eight-year-old Rick and 23-year-old Erica live on his yacht in Miami Beach. The couple met through social media after he liked some photos the native of Springfield, Illinois, posted. But many of their family and friends dont approve of the couples 45-year age gap, including Ericas father, who has a 5th-degree black belt.

Kevin and Kattie

Kevin and Kattie | Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2020

Thirty-year-old Kevin is a self-made man from San Diego with a net worth of nearly $50 million. He met his girlfriend Kattie, 23, when she traveled to Mexico to attend one of his speaking events. Despite his wealth, Kevin is frugal and doesnt spoil his girlfriend. That doesnt sit well with Katties friends, who wonder why the two are in a relationship.

Nonie and Reese

Nonie and Reese | Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2020

Nonie is a hard worker who made a name for herself as a nail technician in the London fashion scene. From there, she went on to launch several successful beauty brands. She met Reese, who is 17 years her junior, on Tinder, and the two have been together ever since. But despite being in love, Reese and Nonie are polar opposites in many ways. She a successful businesswoman and has bought property in New York, London, and Seattle. He works occasionally as an arborist and lives at a skate house with several of his friends.

These couples are back for Marrying Millions Season 2

(L-R) Gentille and Brian; Bill and Brianna | Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2020

RELATED: Marrying Millions Cast Update: Where Things Stand With Drew and Rosie, Sean and Megan, and Katie and Kolton

In addition to the five new couples, two memorable pairs from Marrying Millions Season 1 are returning.

Bill and Brianna raised eyebrows with their nearly 40-year age gap. The Texas couple also faced judgment from family and friends, including Bills ex-wife, who warned Brianna he was a serial cheater. Brianna also struggled to get used to Bills high-society lifestyle. This season, shes more comfortable as the girlfriend of a multi-millionaire, and he has to decide if hes ready to ask her to be his wife.

Las Vegas couple Brian and Gentille are also back. Shes a real estate investor and hes a construction worker. Their relationship faced many ups and downs over season 1 and appeared to be over for good when she left him at the altar on their wedding day. But Brian is holding out hope for a reconciliation. Will Gentille be willing to give him another chance?

Get a look at whats life has been like for Brian and Gentille and Bill and Brianna when Marrying Millions: Couples Journey So Far airs July 29 at 10/9c on Lifetime. Marrying Millions Season 2 premieres at the same time on August 5.
As a self-made American actor, image means everything to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. After climbing the ladder in Hollywood, she gained recognition not simply from her role as Rachel Zane on the drama series, Suits but also because of her deep social consciousness.

Her willingness to speak up for others and to extend a helping hand is what dazzled Prince Harry. However, marrying into the British royal family meant that Meghan was going to have to tone down her opinions and her outspokenness regarding certain topics.

Though the duchess understood this was part of the job, she did not expect to be scrutinized in the press and for the royal family to remain silent about the things she was experiencing. Worst still, in court documents the duchess says she was prohibited from defending herself.

Meghan: Its not enough just to survive something, right? Thats not the point of life.

She says shes tried to adopt the British stuff upper lip but what that does internally is probably really damaging #HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/GLGB8qzguF  Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) October 20, 2019

RELATED: Meghan Markle Is Learning From Her Biggest Royal Mistake

The British press villainized Meghan Markle

When she and Prince Harry were initially linked, there was a ton of fascination surrounding the duchess. Unfortunately, the good press quickly faded in favor of troubling tabloids and exposes about Meghan. Royal author Tom Quinn explained the press viciousness toward Meghan to Fox News,

The British press are famously good at taking someone and building them up and saying theyre absolutely wonderful. And then when that story runs out of steam, they need something else. So they then come up with the opposite. They run that person down The nicknames were picked up by the press and used against Meghan. They did, in fact, come from the palace.

Though she had been warned about the press antics, nothing could have prepared the duchess for what she experienced first hand. I had no idea, she explained in an interview for ITVs Harry and Meghan: An African Journey.

RELATED: Fans Are Furious That the Royal Family Is Defending Kate Middleton but Not Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry begged the royal family for help

With the constant lies and rumors getting worse by the day, Meghan and Prince Harry asked the royal family to abandon their stiff-upper-lip policy and intervene on the duchess behalf.

At one point things got so bad for Meghan that she began isolating herself at her home, Frogmore Cottage. Meghan was convinced there was a conspiracy against her and so she basically put herself in isolation when they moved to Frogmore, a source told royal expert Katie Nicholl for The Times. She also felt like an outsider from the start, this wasnt the life she was used to and she wanted out.

Unfortunately, no aide was provided, and the Sussexes decided that Megxit was their only way out. Meghan said Harry made it crystal clear that they could not function in good faith under the current systemand that if it wasnt revised and updated to their liking, they would have no other choice than to break from the royal family, an insider explained to Daily Mail. [Meghan] said no one took [Harrys] pleas seriously, so they had to take the issue into their own hands.

RELATED: Prince William Is Beginning to Question If the Stiff Upper Lip Policy Is Still Relevant

Meghan Markle was prohibited from defending herself

Meghan experienced the worst of the harassment by the British press during her pregnancy with her son, Archie Harrison. Not only did the royal family remain silent, but the duchess was also apparently barred from defending herself.

Court documents from Meghans privacy claim against Mail on Sunday, Associated Newspapers Limited reveal just how helpless she felt. The claim reads,

The Claimant had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the Defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health. As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself. The stance of no comment was taken by the KP Communications Team without any discussion with or approval by the Claimant, as is standard practice for Royal communications.

Amid Megxit and a recent scathing expose on Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge by Tatler Magazine, the British royal family seem to be revising their stance on their never complain or explain policy.
Prince Charles reportedly foresaw considerable problems when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle. Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, tied the knot in 2018 and faced plenty of drama in the first two years of their marriage. Although Charles appreciated Meghans strong-willed personality, one royal author says that he knew she would clash with other members of the royal family right from the start.

Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Charles and Meghan Markle develop a quick bond

Inside sources reported early on that Charles and Meghan developed a close bond after meeting. The Prince of Wales even gave Meghan her own nickname, Tungsten, which represented her tough and unbending personality.

According to Daily Mail, sources say that Charles thought Meghan was the kind of woman Harry needed in his life, mostly because the Duke of Sussex can be a softy at times. The nickname he gave Meghan stuck and showed how close they had become.

Prince Charles admires Meghan for her strength and the backbone she gives Harry, who needs a tungsten-type figure in his life as he can be a bit of a softy. Its become a term of endearment, the source shared.

RELATED: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Fans Blast Prince Charles Claiming He Did Absolutely Nothing To Protect Them

As royal watchers will recall, Charles also walked Meghan down the aisle when he exchanged vows with Harry in 2018. Meghans father, Thomas Markle, was unable to attend due to health reasons. Thomas backed out at the last minute and Charles stepped in to fulfill his role in the ceremony.

Walking Meghan down the aisle helped her avoid embarrassment related to her family, but it also showed that Charles had developed a close bond with the Duchess of Sussex.

While Charles clearly has a soft spot for Meghan, author Nigel Cawthorne argues that he saw problems ahead as soon as Meghan and Harry got married. Unfortunately, Charles was proved right when Meghan and Harry announced their departure from the royal family in January.

Did Prince Charles foresee considerable problems when it came to Meghan Markle?

In his book, Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace, Cawthorne wrote about how Charles foresaw issues with Meghan and the rest of the royal family. Charles reportedly thought Meghans strong-willed personality would clash with other royals, noting that there is only room for one Queen.

Cawthorne also says that Charles grew worried about Meghan and Harrys popularity and thought they were beginning to outshine other royals. Although Cawthorne wrote that Charles likes strong women, Meghan did not fit into his plan for a slimmed down monarchy.

I think he foresaw considerable problems ahead for The Firm, Cawthorne added.

Charles has reportedly wanted to slim down the monarchy for years. Per Cawthorne, Charles felt like the monarchy is better with fewer people in the limelight, especially after all the drama the royal family has faced.

In addition to Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew was forced to leave the royal family following his scandal with Jeffrey Epstein. Charles hasnt taken the throne yet, but his plan for a slimmer monarchy is already in place.

Meghan and Harrys exit from the royal family became official at the end of March. The two are now living in Los Angeles with their son, Archie Harrison. Although Meghan and Harry are now out of the royal spotlight, their exit created a lot of drama for the royal family.

A look at Meghan Markles private struggles

Cawthorne went on to reveal that Harry and Meghan had been thinking about leaving the royal family for a few months. Their exit also came amid rumors that Prince William and Harry had experienced a major falling out.

The royal feud rumors started in 2018 when the Duke of Cambridge reportedly told Harry that he should take things slow with Meghan. Harry apparently didnt like the advice and inside sources say that he went absolutely ballistic on his brother.

RELATED: Prince Charles Warned Meghan Markle and Prince Harry About This 1 Thing Before Leaving the Royal Family

The feud was seemingly confirmed when Harry did an interview for a documentary on ITV. Harry admitted that his relationship with his brother had changed and that they do not speak nearly as much as they used to.

We dont see each other as much as we used to because were so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days, Harry shared.

Harry and Meghan have not commented on the rumors surrounding their exit. The two have been keeping a low profile in LA during the coronavirus pandemic and are looking for a fresh start after their departure.
Peggy Sulahian, one of the former stars of The Real Housewives of Orange County is clapping back at Tamra Judge. The Bravo alum is not too pleased with what the latter said about Housewives that need subtitles. Judge suggested Sulahian didnt connect with viewers during her time on the show because of her accent. Now the former star is firing back directly at Judge.

Peggy Sulahian and Tamra Judge | Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

What did Tamra Judge originally say about Peggy Sulahian?

Judge is a RHOC star that is not afraid to stir the pot. The former housewife loves the controversy and talking about her time on the show. After 12 seasons on the reality series, she decided to step away when she was not offered a full-time role. In a recent interview, she called out her former co-star Sulahian who was only on the show for one season.

Sulahian was born in Kuwait to American parents and joined RHOC in season 12. Her time on the show was short as she was only able to make it through one season. Judge gave her take as to why Sulahian was not asked back.

Anyone you have to subtitle should not be on the show. Thats what I feel, Judge said in the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast. If you cant understand what theyre saying, thats difficult. I think she was nice, but I just dont think she was good TV. It does not mean youre a horrible person, it just takes a certain personality.

Peggy Sulahian fires back at Tamra Judge

After Judge received major backlash on social media, Sulahian is now reacting to the formers statement.

It certainly does take a certain personality to provoke discord, Sulahian told Reality Blurb in a statement. As an immigrant to this country, I learned the language, graduated university, raised a family, and have contributed to my community.

Sulahian is proud of herself and suggested Judge resolve her issues in a different way.

I dont believe her inability to understand me has anything to do with my accent, which I am proud of. Tamra, if you have a problem, pick up your phone and call me. Lets discuss, she added.

RELATED: Tamra Judge Shades Former RHOC Co-Star Emily Simpson, Calls Her Dead Weight

Tamra Judge also feuds with Kelly Dodd

Judge is not only causing waves with a former housewife, shes doing it to her former co-star Kelly Dodd. When an embarrassing old video from TMZ resurfaced that has the latter saying some unfortunate things, fans wanted to know how Judge felt about the situation.

Yes, I do, that TMZ video is disgusting! Judge answered the fan during a Q&A on Instagram. Bravo shouldnt just single certain people out like Stassi [Schroeder] & Kristen [Doute]. There should be zero tolerance at this point.

In the video, Dodd is heard saying that she doesnt like or know any Black guys. Many have called Dodd a racist and have asked Bravo to cut her from RHOC like they did to the cast of Vanderpump Rules.

When one of Dodds fans asked her on Instagram what she thought about Judges response, Dodd fired back.

Shes just thirsty and made she got the bullet, she replied on Instagram. Grasping for straws poor thing. I hope she finds happiness.

RELATED: RHOC: Tamra Judge Calls on Bravo to Fire Kelly Dodd for Past Racist Remarks
Fans of the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians are well aware of the drama between Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian.

The pairs entire relationship  more or less  was documented by the show, and their ups and downs have left fans invested in what happens between them  even if they cant agree on just what that should be. Some fans are hoping the pair are able to patch things up once again and even hope they add to their family with another baby. Others are convinced theyre a toxic mix and hope they call it quits for good.

Looking for updates on the on-again, off-again pair and their roller coaster of a love life might lead fans to a Wikipedia search of Disick. What they find there might surprise them.

Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian captured fans attention

Scott Disick | Sam Tabone/WireImage

Kardashian and Disick first met in 2006 at a house party in Mexico. They started dating soon after. No one could have predicted just how wild (and public) the resulting relationship would be.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered the very next year, and Disick and Kardashians relationship became one of the major focus points including an early pregnancy scare. In 2009, the pair broke up after Disick was caught texting another woman. They made up a few months later, and the pair welcomed their first child  a son named Mason  that same year. This momentous event was also captured on the show.

The ups and downs would keep coming, and Kardashian would occasionally threaten to leave Disick if he didnt get his drinking under control. Along the way, Disick proposed to Kardashian (and got turned down) and the pair welcomed a daughter named Penelope in 2012.

Then, between November 2013 and January 2014, Disick lost both of his parents, and the grief seemed to trigger a new round of problems. By November 2014, Disick was in rehab but left early, and his third child  a son named Reign  was born in December.

Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashians break-up captures headlines

RELATED: Scott Disick & Kourtney Kardashian Still Hook Up Regularly, Fans Speculate

Though they had three children and several years together, Disick and Kardashian continued to struggle. In March 2015, he checked into rehab again and in July of the same year, photos of him partying with young women caused another break-up. This one lasted much longer, and both Disick and Kardashian were rumored to be hooking up with other people. The pair continued to co-parent and even vacation together. They seemed quite close despite not officially being a couple.

In 2017, he became romantically linked to Sofia Richie, and fans collectively groaned over the couples huge age difference. Many predicted the fling wouldnt last, but the duo ended up in a long relationship that only recently ended.

Many blame Kardashian for the split and speculate that she and Disick are headed for yet another reconciliation. Disicks flirty comments arent doing much to dampen those rumors. Most fans are just awaiting the official announcement of a revived relationship they suspect has already happened.

Scott Disicks Wikipedia entry is surprising

All of that drama leaves fans with plenty of internet sleuthing to do. One fan on Reddit discovered that when you searched for Scott Disick on Wikipedia, you were redirected to another entry. Instead of bringing up a page of his own, Disicks entry simply linked to the Personal Life section of Kourtney Kardashians page.

Considering the pair arent even together anymore  and havent been for years  thats quite a statement about Disicks ability to draw attention in his own right.

It appears that the Wikipedia entry has since been updated, and Disick does indeed have his own page now. Theres still no denying that his meager listing pales in comparison to his famous exs entry, and Kardashian still features prominently in the description of who Disick is. Whether they like it or not, these two appear to be linked not only through the family they built but through the public legacy theyve left as well.
Nyota Uhura is one of the most popular characters in the Star Trek franchise. She was a regular in Star Trek: The Original Series and its animated spin-off, where she was played by Nichelle Nichols. Uhura broke boundaries on television and inspired many Trekkies. In addition, she was the protagonist in a popular novel called Uhuras Song. After that, Zoe Saldana played the characters in a trio of films from the 2000s and 2010s.

Like most science fiction franchises, Star Trek has its share of distinctive names. The name Uhura is a name with deep significance. What some fans might not know is that it was inspired by a book Nichols was reading.

Uhura | CBS via Getty Images

How Star Trek took inspiration from a history book about Africa

Some actors have no creative control over the characters they play. Nichols, meanwhile, helped Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry come up with the characters name. According to the book Geek Heroines, it all started with a book she was reading titled Uhuru.

The book was about the history of Africa. Its title  Uhuru  is the Swahili word for freedom. After Rodenberry cast Nichols in the role, he told her he was interested in the book. As a result, he wanted to name her character after it. An African-inspired name certainly fit the shows inclusive vision of the future.

Uhura | CBS via Getty Images

RELATED: Star Trek: Why William Shatner Doesnt Want to Play Captain Kirk Again

Its fitting that a history book inspired Uhuras name. After all, a number of the shows early episodes take inspiration from historical events. For example, one episode involved Captain Kirk meeting a figure who appears to be Abraham Lincoln. However, Rodenberry felt the name Uhuru sounded too harsh for a female. As a result, Nichols recommended he name the character Uhura instead.

The impact that the name Uhura had

Rodenberry liked the name. It subsequently inspired part of the characters backstory  that she was from a country known as the United States of Africa. The United States of Africa is not discussed at length in Star Trek.

However, the name implies Star Trek takes palace in a future where the continent of Africa has become a single nation. This parallels the idea of transforming Africa into a single nation that some political theorists have proposed. In addition, its similar to the hypothetical United States of Europe that some European leaders want to form. Details like this are part of the reason why fans get obsessed with Star Trek.

Uhura and Captain James T. Kirk | CBS via Getty Images

RELATED: Patrick Stewart Wants Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Star Trek

Subsequently, Uhuras original name  Uhuru made an appearance in a Star Trek films, however, this was an accident. According to the book Oops! They Did It Again!: More Movie Mistakes That Made the Cut, Uhura is incorrectly called Uhuru in the end credits of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Coincidentally, The Undiscovered Country marked Nichols final appearance in a Star Trek film. In a way, the typo was fitting. It brought the character back to her roots in the final film where Nichols played her.

In conclusion, Uhura is a beloved science fiction character. For over five decades, various Trekkies have found her interesting. Its fitting that the backstory behind her name was interesting as well.

RELATED: The Star Trek Movie William Shatner Said Was Doomed From the Start
The U.S. version of The Office is one of the great sitcoms in TV history featuring some of the most iconic comedic characters. Two of the shows most talked about and beloved characters were Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (played by Jenna Fischer). The two had an epic romance that many discuss as being the best one from any sitcom.

The only problem for the shows writers was figuring out where to go with the characters once they got together. They considered many ideas. One included a potential love triangle with a little known character that had the potential to rock the foundation of The Office.

Jim and Pams love story on The Office

RELATED: The Office: Rashida Jones Says Playing Karen Gave Her Anxiety and Insomnia

While the U.S. version of The Office featured an ensemble cast revolving around manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), for many fans the Jim and Pam love story was the most compelling thread. At the outset of the series, Jim was a hapless salesman at Dunder Mifflin, hopelessly in love with the receptionist Pam.

Unfortunately, Jims love was unrequited as she was engaged to Roy, one of the warehouse staff members. Despite this, Jim and Pam had undeniable chemistry as they regularly pranked their office mate Dwight Schrute.

Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly and John Krasinski as Jim Halpert on The Office | Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank

At the end of season two, Jim declared his love for Pam but she rejected him. In season three he transferred to the Stamford, Connecticut branch. He eventually returned with a new girlfriend: Karen, another Dunder Mifflin employee.

By this time, Pam had left Roy but found herself pining after Jim. Eventually, Jim broke up with Karen, and by the end of season three, asked Pam out for dinner. The two started a relationship that culminated in a marriage and a family.

Who is Brian on The Office?

One of the challenges The Office faced was that once Jim and Pam got together, the tension and will they or wont they? dynamic that made the show so compelling was now gone. They had to find other ways to keep that relationship interesting. They did that by testing their marriage in various ways. One of the tests came in the form of Brian, a member of the camera crew documentary filming the Dunder Mifflin office.

According to Dunderpedia, Brian was the boom mic operator on the documentary crew. Hes shown comforting Pam after she has an argument with Jim, reassuring her that things will get better. Brian even defends Pam after she is nearly attacked in the parking lot.

Its well-established as a running subplot that Brian has clear feelings for Pam. While threads are introduced, ultimately it didnt lead anywhere. But did the shows producers have something more in mind?

The love triangle that never way

According to People Magazine, show writer Brent Forrester said that a Jim and Pam breakup was discussed with a planned reunion. It would have been a controversial decision to be sure and veered from the course the show eventually went on:

[Show creator] Greg [Daniels] really wanted to do something extremely risky and high-stakes, which was the documentary airs and we see what effect it has had on these characters. And there was going to be a reunion episode where you see that Jim and Pam have split up by this time, and they will have their reunion in the reunion episode.

Brian was introduced as a way to introduce a bit of uncertainty to the Jim and Pam relationship, though ultimately nothing ended up happening between him and Pam on the show. Instead, one of the all-time great sitcom marriages stayed intact until the end.
Tygas relationship with Kylie Jenner is old news. The pair broke up over three years ago and have both grown and evolved exponentially in the days since. But their romance made headlines during the week of June 28 when the Taste rapper was exposed for allegedly cheating on Jenner while they were together. Heres a closer look.

Tyga and Kylie Jenner at a fashion show in September 2015 | Craig Barritt/Getty Images

What happened with Tyga?

The bombshell came when Tyga got into an argument on Instagram with Hulk Hogans son Nick Hogan.

Hogan accused Tyga of messaging his girlfriend, Tana Lea, along with screenshots where the rapper appeared to send Lea an eye emoji. In response to the DM, Hogan sent a selfie to Tyga and asked, Whats up. He captioned the image, When they slide in @thetanaleas DMs.

Clapping back, Tyga posted screenshots revealing that he had started talking to Lea two years earlier and that she had sent him flirty emojis in the past. Once Lea caught on, she went online and started to sound off on him.

She wrote in part: I didnt even remember the dude. I didnt keep messages from 2018. It doesnt also change the fact that he dmed me TWO days ago knowing I have a boyfriend. Lea continued to rant before leaving the Dip rapper with a piece of advice.

Next time you wanna try to pull an uno reverse card, also make sure I dont have a draw four. You forget I saw you cheating on Kylie when she was filming in Australia plot twist, she concluded.

She did not share an exact date, but Jenner has traveled to Australia at least once, including in November 2015  eight months after she and Tyga confirmed their romance.

Reactions to the post

Its unclear if Tyga ever responded to the allegations, but it prompted many reactions online. Many people werent necessarily surprised by the claim, given that Tyga often faced cheating rumors during his relationship with the makeup mogul, but some felt it was irrelevant considering they are no longer together.

What does Kylie have to do with tyga in 2020  one fan wondered in the comment section of The Shade Room.

The stuff about Kylie is irrelevant, a second person wrote. They not even together. They just wanted some clout. NEXT CALLER.

The plot twist only wouldve worked if he was still dating Kylie  she TRIED IT! said another.

A fourth fan chimed in and said, Girl we dont care!

So why did Tyga and Kylie Jenner break up?

After ending their relationship in April 2017, Jenner said in an episode of Life With Kylie that she just wanted some space and time to live life as a single woman.

There was absolutely not one thing wrong with me and T, she explained. Him and I will always, always have a bond. There was no crazy fight. We just decided, well, I decided that Im really young. I dont want to look back five years from now and feel like he took something from me when hes really not that type of person.

She bounced back with Travis Scott weeks later, in April 2017, and went on to have a daughter with him, Stormi Webster, on Feb. 1, 2018. The pair split in September 2019 after over two and a half years together but continue to raise their daughter together.

Read more: Kylie Jenners Reported First Love Wasnt Tyga or Travis Scott
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.
In early 1970, with The Beatles on the verge of breaking up, Ringo Starr paid a visit to Paul McCartneys house with a request from his three bandmates at Apple headquarters. Would Paul delay the release of his debut solo record until after the arrival of the Let It Be album and film?

In brief, Pauls reply to Ringo was, No. But it didnt stop there. In addition to his flat rejection of Ringos request, Paul threw Ringo off of his property and threatened to finish him. Needless to say, Ringo and Paul wouldnt be having tea and cutting records together anytime soon.

However, Ringo did maintain solid relationships with John Lennon and George Harrison. On Johns heavyweight 1970 solo debut, youll find Ringo in the drummers seat. That same year, you found Ringo playing on tracks for Georges triple-disc blockbuster, All Things Must Pass.

When it came time for Ringo to test the waters with his own solo work, George was more than ready to help. And the song he produced and helped Ringo write in 1970 became a breakout hit for the former Beatles drummer the following year.

George Harrison produced and co-wrote Ringos It Dont Come Easy

George Harrison on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums at the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh | Thomas Monaster/NY Daily News via Getty Images

RELATED: The Hit Cream Song George Harrison Wrote With Eric Clapton in the Late Beatles Years

In March 70, music fans got their first taste of Ringos solo work on Sentimental Journey, an album of pop standards that sold fairly well. Later that year, audiences heard his first post-Beatles work with the Nashville-recorded Beaucoup of Blues single (and album of the same name).

That release didnt light the charts on fire. (The album peaked at No. 65 on the Billboard 200 in late 70.) But Ringo easily bested that effort with his next single, It Dont Come Easy. Featuring George Harrison as producer and uncredited co-writer, the track got Ringos solo career going.

Thought the single didnt hit the airwaves until April 71, recording started during the Sentimental Journey sessions the previous year. Thats when George helped Ringo write and arrange the track. From the opening notes, it sounds like a track that could have appeared on All Things Must Pass.

The identity of the guitar player (George) needed no investigation, and old friend Klaus Voormann played bass with Stephen Stills contributing a piano part. It had the makings of a hit after the first 30 seconds, and Georges guitar solo pushed it over the top.

It Dont Come Easy hit No. 4 on both sides of the Atlantic

Ringo Starr and George Harrison pose at the All You Need Is Love session. | Cummings Archives/Redferns

Its hard to listen to It Dont Come Easy and downplay the influence of George Harrison. His stamp is on every aspect of the track, but he made sure to bring out the best in Ringo as well. Music fans around the world agreed, and Ringo scored his biggest hit to date.

It Dont Come Easy hit No. 1 in Canada and peaked at No. 4 in both the U.S. and U.K. Meanwhile, it had the same sort of success across Europe, Africa, and Australia. In short, Ringo arrived as a solo artist with this track. And he kept the momentum going with Back Off Boogaloo (also co-written with George) the following year.

So why didnt George take a songwriting credit? One convincing theory argues that George wanted to give his pals solo career a boost, so he in effect donated it to him. In the late 90s, a few years before Georges death, Ringo introduced a performance of It Dont Come Easy by revealing hed indeed written it with his old Beatle pal.

RELATED: When Ringo Starr 1st Felt Like an Equal Member of The Beatles
NASCAR driver Darrell Bubba Wallace Jr.s name has been in the news a lot lately. He is the sports only full-time Black driver in the top series and has been outspoken about social and racial inequality. Wallace drove a Black Lives Matter car on June 10 and that same day, NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from all its track properties.

With the national spotlight on him, many fans are curious about Wallaces life off the track and who his girlfriend is. Read on to find out more about the woman dating Bubba Wallace.

Bubba Wallace and girlfriend, Amanda Carter | Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

Amanda Carters family life and where she went to school

Wallaces girlfriend, Amanda Carter, was born on March 30, 1994, in North Carolina to parents Rebecca Carter and David Ryan Carter. She has four siblingsBradley, Jason, David Ryan Jr., and Kristen.

After high school, Carter attended Appalachian State University where she was vice president of the Alpha Phi International Fraternity and earned a degree in finance and banking. According to her Linkedin profile, she currently works as a Senior Financial Analyst at Bank of America in Charlotte.

Its unclear exactly when Carter and Wallace started dating. However, many fans believe it was in 2016 based on a 2018 Instagram post where Wallace wrote, Our love is so strong that ya wouldnt know were polar opposites. Thanks for balancing me out the last 2 years!

The Undefeated noted that the couple broke up for a bit in 2018 before rekindling their romance.

Carter was featured on Behind the Wall: Bubba Wallace

Carter was featured in the Facebook Docu-Series titled Behind the Wall: Bubba Wallace.

Per Variety, The eight-part series was produced by NASCAR Productions in association with NASCAR Digital Media. It chronicles Wallaces road to the Daytona International Speedway, from his earliest racing days to his debut in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Clips of Carter and Wallace show the pair doing everything from grabbing fast food to Carter watching her beau at the track. The series also includes a scary moment when Wallace fainted after his Cup debut.

Carter always expresses her support for Wallace via social media

Carter is active on social media and constantly shows her support for Wallace via Instagram.

On June 23, she posted about how proud she is of her boyfriend for standing up for what is right.

I am so proud of you for using your platform, Carter wrote. I wish the people saying hurtful comments knew you. I wish everyone knew you.

I hope people continue to stand with you because youre standing for so many others so many little boys and girls who dream of going fast but havent seen someone who looks like them, for all the new and old fans who felt uncomfortable coming to a race and for everyone who has experienced racism. I am so thankful that this was not a purposeful act, I am so thankful you are safe.

RELATED: What Has Aaron Rodgers Girlfriend Danica Patrick Been Doing Since She Retired From Racing?
O God,

you have taught us to keep all your commandments

by loving you and our neighbor:

Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit,

that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart,

and united to one another with pure affection;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God,

for ever and ever.

Amen.
Seacoast Church pastors talk survivors guilt, sustained stress in wake of suicide

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Days after an autopsy report confirmed Pastor Darrin Patrick died by suicide, the South Carolina-based Seacoast Churchs founding pastor, Greg Surratt, and Pastors Josh Surratt and Chip Judd had a live conversation about thoughts based on lie, sustained stress and survivors guilt.

I would consider anybody that went to the full length of not just a suicide attempt but actually being successful  I would say they were in a temporary state of insanity, said Judd, pastor of Leadership Care at Seacoast, during the conversation on Facebook live.

Judd explained that he was talking about the mind not working properly, and he didnt mean to say people in that momentary state of mind are crazy.

Patrick, who founded The Journey in Missouri and served as a teaching pastor at Seacoast, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 7.

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.

Judd shared that due to circumstances, thoughts and pressures, some may feel theres no other way out while its a lie. Sustained stress is one of the biggest ways to short-circuit its (minds) capacity and its capability to do that.

Judd said Patrick may have somehow felt hed been let down in a dark alley and couldnt see a way out.

There are times when we believe a lie that my family would be better off without me, commented Greg Surratt. Judd responded by saying it must have looked to Patrick at that moment that it was the best thing for everybody involved.

In 2016, Patrick had said, 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.

Patrick was a very creative and intelligent guy, Judd said. Creative people take an idea, spin it, build it and they create things that we are all proud of. Well, take that same skill but turn it the other direction. And you take a thought that isnt true, and you build it  you spin it and  you connect this to this  and when you look at the building that you built 

Judd also said that sometimes its not what others are thinking but what you think they are thinking. Patrick may have wondered whether he had been forgiven.

Its possible, Judd said, that Patrick thought while he was looked up to for encouragement and advice, he himself was in need. Therefore, he may have thought that this version of Darrin, people would be better off without.

Gregg Surratt said he had a sense of guilt because he was Patricks pastor and friend. Was I not a good enough friend  or pastor?

Survivors guilt is normal but one must talk about it and process it with others, Josh Surratt said. Theyre not healthy thoughts but are common to believers, he suggested. We need to express them and seek help or counseling.

Patrick died while target shooting with a friend just outside of St. Louis. The autopsy report released Thursday indicated that a bullet fired from a rifle at close range under the chin was the cause of death.

We are devastated by this news, Pastors Greg and Josh Surratt said in a message to the Seacoast Church membership Thursday. 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.

Greg Surratt first announced Patricks death in a written message 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.
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Over the last few weeks and months, the climate of our country has truly been bringing some things to the surface. Its been a moment in history where we all must choose to stand for something, and it has been encouraging for me to see how the Church is rising up where we have been far too silent until now.

Last week, I, along with most of Adventures in Missions staff, was able to be part of a gathering that was hosted by OneRace Movement  an organization that exists to displace the spirit of racism and release a movement of racial reconciliation across Atlanta, the Southeast, and the nation.

More than 13,000 people met in the heart of Atlanta to raise our voices to the public, our governments and to God, the only One that can truly bring reconciliation.

We worshipped together. We prayed together. We lamented for the current state of our country and how far we have to go. We repented for our own roles in allowing systemic racism to continue. We marched to the Capitol Building where we prayed over the police chief of Atlanta and the government. We ended with a celebration of worship that God is still God and He is still so, so good even in the midst of all of this.

I grew up in a small town in the deep south. Population: 4,000. Over the last few years since I went to college, worked as an Investigations Social Worker for the State of Alabama, and then ventured out of the country with the World Race  I have been on my own journey. One of completely unravelling the things deep in my heart and soul that I was taught growing up. Things that are not the ways of the Kingdom of God.

The Lord has taught me that I cant unsee things. Once I see a new reality, I am responsible for how I will respond and how I will act; I can no longer be ignorant. Right now in our country and even around the world, people are being exposed to the deep seeds of racism that have always been in our society and in our hearts. We can no longer look the other way.

When we marched to the Capitol Building, the prompt was not to demand change in our government and society, but to pray and ask God to change our own hearts. It first starts with us; we must get the log out of our own eye before we can help get the splinter out of others.

This unravelling and unlearning is a lot of work and is the most necessary thing to begin racial reconciliation in this world.

One of the things I kept hearing throughout the day was pray with your feet. Pray to God to come and bring healing and reconciliation and then get to work being the answer to the prayers you are praying. James 2:14-17 tells us:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Our salvation isnt based on works, but if we are so in love with Jesus then we will do what He asks of us. We should be clothing the poor and feeding the hungry. We should also be learning to do good, seeking justice and fighting for the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17).

Our love for Jesus will come out of us in the way of being a voice for the voiceless, seeking justice and loving mercy.

We want the world to know about the Love that has changed our lives. We want the world to know and be part of this Kingdom.

We must simultaneously do the inner work in ourselves while also raising our voices on behalf of our Black brothers and sisters. We must take action by not just loving our Black and Brown brothers and sisters but getting out and voting, bringing awareness when the media stops covering it, and calling our local officials to demand change. We must read the books, listen to the podcasts and do the digging into the dark places in our hearts where we are holding biases and prejudices.

We must sit with the Lord and pray:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139: 23-24

Jesus was always found with the oppressed and marginalized. He was with the poor. He was with the lepers. He was with the sinners. He was with the people that were from that side of town or that had that skin tone and background. He was with the ones with long criminal records. He was also with the ones who picked up stones and drew lines in the sand. He was with the ones who felt they were higher than others.

But He erased the lines that people tried to draw. He asked people to put down their stones and He called the oppressed to places of high honor.

In the words of Josh Clemons (co-director of OneRace Movement) we arent here for trendy activism, we are here for a lifestyle change of the Kingdom coming to earth.

Click here to read more about the OneRace Movement
Calling Midlanders of all shapes and sizes, ages and race and economic standing. The IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin wants your thoughts on Midland and its issues.

An economic recovery task force was formed in April to respond to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities across the state were called on to join the Regional Economic Recovery Project, and 70 community leaders have responded.

The Midland Development Corp. requested to be included, said Scott Winton, who was assigned the Tall City as part of the project.

Sara Harris, director of operations and chief financial officer with the MDC, told the Reporter-Telegram by email the MDC fully supports the aims of the project.

An essential aspect of gathering accurate data about the current economic downturn will be responses from community stakeholders, business owners, and entrepreneurs across Midland. We here at the MDC have promoted the data gathering process by sharing information and links to the survey on our social media platforms, and in an email sent out to our subscriber list, she said.

Winton said he is hoping hundreds of Midlanders respond to the survey.

I want it to be representative of the demographics of Midland, he said in a phone interview. I want responses from every age, race and economic standing.

More Information To take an economic recovery survey, go online to https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3rDKef63Sds7MtT?p=1&c=54. See More Collapse

Questions relate not just to economic development but also how the pandemic has impacted respondents, and some questions are related to their personal values.

Deadline for residents to take the survey is Aug.7. Winton said results will be presented to the citys leadership.

In the next round, we will come to them with ideas on what the results mean and how to capitalize, Winton said. Short-term may be dealing with COVID-19 but long-term will deal with Midlands prosperity and vibrancy.

Winton said he has found Midlanders to have a higher degree of resiliency as they have ridden the ups and downs of the oil and gas economy.

In the boom times, a lot of people move in. In the bust, a lot of people leave but the ones who stay, stay because they love Midland and want to build a life there. That creates a greater sense of optimism, and that creates hope, which is a component of optimism.

Winton said early last week he had received only 27 responses.

One respondent said itss hard to diversify Midlands economy because its hard for new industries to compete with oil and gas wages, Winton said.

There may be some methods that create a physical environment people want to work in and forego high wages if they can have an affordable lifestyle, he said. That needs to be part of the dialogue.
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.
In an Independence Day switch, instead of residents coming to the parade, the parades came to the residents Saturday morning.

Dozens of city streets were the scene of seven bite-size parades as residents took in the scaled-back version to its traditional hour-long Fourth of July parade down FM 518.

Its not what the city had obviously planned for its 125th birthday and Americas 244th, but for those who lined their respective streets, bringing chairs, pop-up tents, cold drinks, American flags and neighborly friendliness, there was still a strong sense of patriotism.

Its better than not having anything at all. I thought it was special, said Derek Broussard, who sat on the grass at the corner of Sunset Drive and Pine Hollow with his wife and children.

And if folks didnt live on a street where those seven parades drove by, some made the effort to find one. A group of five people and a dog walked from the north side of Sunset Drive, across FM 2351, to the south side of Sunset to catch the closest mini parade.

For those who took in Parade No. 4, like the Broussards, they knew it was on its way when they heard the sirens emanating off in the distance from Renwick Park, the parades staging area. After a brief appearance on FM 2351, the parade turned left onto Sunset for about 40 yards, before turning right onto the long straightaway of Pine Hollow.

The Friendswood High School cheerleaders and the Mustang mascot rode atop a Tyra Ranch fire truck, giving Parade No. 4 that extra boost of parade anticipation.

I thought it was great with the cheerleaders, the fire department and the police department. I thought it was great for the community, Broussard said.

And oh yes, the American flags, sprinkled with a few Friendswood Mustang flags, were flapping in the breeze along Parade No. 4s route. Over 30 American flags were flying just on Pine Hollow itself.

On a curve that led to the tiny street of Holly Springs Drive, a resident there may have placed close to 100 miniature American flags that lined the road leading to Tall Pines Drive.

Long after Parade No. 4 had departed Pine Hollow and Tall Pines Drive, residents ignored the mornings humidity and stayed around and chatted, some standing, others making the most of lawn chairs on a shady part of the driveway, waving to the occasional car that came down the street.

For a few residents along those streets, they probably watched the parade then went back to the trimming of bushes or what other yard work needed to be done on a Saturday in the summer.

It wasnt the start to July 4th that city residents are accustomed to but in terms of symbolism to the holiday and its meaning, the mini parades were more than welcome.

ravery@hcnonline.com
New York

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. "I'm always pushing for a record," Chestnut said before the contest aired on a live sports-starved ESPN. "I know that's what the fans want."

Officials including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Charles Schumer and former Mayor Mike Bloomberg gathered in lower Manhattan earlier Saturday for the reopening of the Sept. 11 memorial plaza, which had been roped off since mid-March when cultural institutions shut down across the city to halt the spread of the virus.

"Independence Day is a fitting occasion to reopen the 9/11 Memorial," Bloomberg, the chairperson of the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum, said in a prepared statement. "As we celebrate the revolutionary Declaration issued 244 years ago  and the promise of equality for all that we are still working to fulfill  we also honor all who have paid the cost, and borne the burden, of sustaining American freedom."

Family members of people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were welcomed onto the plaza Saturday afternoon. The memorial will be open to the public from 1 to 8 p.m. starting Sunday, with masks and social distancing required. The museum remains closed.

New Yorkers were urged to avoid large holiday gatherings in order to prevent a surge in coronavirus cases like other states are seeing.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there were more than 720 new confirmed coronavirus cases reported Friday statewide, and 11 deaths were attributed to the virus  a far cry from the peak of New York's outbreak in April, when some days saw more than 10,000 new infections and 700 deaths statewide.

New York City's July 4 festivities were capped by a televised fireworks display over the Empire State Building.
Masks are now required in the state of California anytime a person is on (or waiting for) public transit, in common and shared spaces, at work, or, really, in any interaction with someone they do not live with.

Its an odd and uncomfortable modification to life, especially as temperatures climb in the Bay Area, and wearing a mask gets annoying. But experts increasingly agree that wearing a mask is important, and could have real mitigation power in stopping the spread of the coronavirus (and in particular a second or even third wave of it). Putting on a cloth mask can not only protect you to some extent, but also protect others from you if you are sick or asymptomatic. Its not just a safety move, it's an act of altruism, a demonstration of concern for the health of everyone.

Mask policies, however, vary across the United States, with President Donald Trump allowing governors and county officials to implement their own rules.

Health officials, like those in the CDC and the Mayo Clinic, overwhelmingly recommend cloth mask use so for the most part, leaders are requiring the practice. And yet, among Americans, theres discord, defiance and claims that liberties are being trampled by the implementation of these policies, which has led to a stark contrast in mask usage in the US compared to other countries.

How different exactly does Americas mask usage look? Heres what the practice looks like in 10 other countries:

Japan

Japan was initially criticized for its early response to the virus: The government did not plan expansive testing, did not shut down businesses or strongly encourage social distancing. And yet, cases have not exploded there.

Japan, I think a lot of people agree, kind of did everything wrong, with poor social distancing, karaoke bars still open and public transit packed near the zone where the worst outbreaks were happening, said Jeremy Howard, a USF researcher who has studied the use of masks, to the New York Times. But the one thing that Japan did right was masks.

Face coverings are part of the culture in Japan; people had already been wearing them regularly for lots of reasons: to mitigate allergies caused by traffic, to prevent common cold germs from spreading, to keep faces warm in winter, or sometimes even for more cosmetic reasons.

The existing prevalence of Japans mask use set the nation on a good trajectory for effectively battling the coronavirus from the outset. And thus far, Japan has been extremely successful at keeping case numbers down. In a nation of nearly 130 million people, less than 1,000 have died from COVID-19.

South Korea

South Korea garnered early international praise for containing the coronavirus, mostly by way of ubiquitous mask use. Like in Japan, mask-wearing in South Korea was already common, giving the country a leg up in the fight against the virus. Cases have, for the most part, stayed extremely low.

But the country now faces a hurdle. Temperatures are rising, and mask wearing is growing increasingly uncomfortable. As Koreans began to defy mask orders (officially issued in late May for those taking public transit), cases started to rise. Asian clothing makers, like Japans Uniqlo, are now working on creating more breathable masks for use in hot weather, hoping to quickly curb the increase of cases.

New Zealand

New Zealands Jacinda Ardern took aggressive action against the coronavirus very early on to the point where in June, the country had successfully eliminated the virus.

In mid-March, when New Zealand had 100 active cases of the coronavirus, Ardern shut down non-essential businesses and instituted a strict shelter-in-place strategy similar to Californias methods in the earlier days of the outbreak.

The strategy was so effective, New Zealand has returned to business as usual, with schools and businesses open again. Residents are still nevertheless advised to keep record of where they go, should the need for contact tracing arise.

Because of the countrys early success, New Zealand never needed to implement a mask requirement. Experts in the country are currently debating whether the country should introduce one, with some saying it could keep a resurgence at bay.

Canada

Policy-wise, the Canadians have largely approached handling the coronavirus in the same way the United States has: Masks are not legally required at the national level but are strongly recommended. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, has differed from President Donald Trump in that he himself wears a mask and encourages Canadians to do the same.

Masks are still largely not legally required at the city or province level across the country either, but there are exceptions. Transport Canada (all buses and rail services in Canada) requires masks of passengers and drivers, and two municipalities  one in Ontario and another, Cote Saint-Luc, outside Montreal  currently have mandatory mask laws. The latter may fine $500 to those who do not follow the law.

At this point, Canadian officials currently believe that the worst is behind them, though some are concerned about the uptick in cases across the United States. To date, Canada, which has a population of 37.6 million, has recorded around 8,500 deaths.

Argentina

On April 14, Argentina mandated required use of homemade masks  or tapabocas  for all who are out in certain areas of the country.

The South American nation had long been a model for its no-nonsense handling of the pandemic. The strict shelter-in-place, for example, required that people could not even leave their homes to exercise, and in its most populous city of Buenos Aires, people could (and still can) be fined between 10,000 and 80,000 pesos ($142-$1134 USD) for not complying.

Following an easing of restrictions in the weeks after a reopening of its economy, cases began to spike again, particularly around Buenos Aires, and now the country is reversing course on its reopening strategy. Even so, the nation of 44.5 million reports less than 1,500 deaths to date. Masks are still required.

Germany

Germany has been heralded as one of the worlds biggest success stories in its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. There have been a few concentrated flare-ups in recent weeks, but broadly, cases have been well-contained due to early mitigation efforts.

One big reason may be that Germany implemented a nationwide mask order for those in stores and on public transit on April 27. In some parts of Germany, like Bavaria, the order came with a sizable fine for those who do not comply: up to $5,000 ($5,618 USD).

Plus, the locals have reportedly been understanding of the importance of masks. German media has reported that people largely accept the requirement.

United Kingdom

England and Scotland have both mandated the use of face masks on public transit, and Scotland will soon also make mask use compulsory in stores. (Northern Ireland has not yet followed suit.)

But in Europe, the U.K. sets itself apart by not more broadly mandating the use of masks. Other than on transit, use is only encouraged, not required, despite the British Medical Associations urging for a legal policy.

To date, there have been about 44,000 deaths in the country, which has a population of 67 million.

Italy

Italy, which was declared a virus hotspot early on in the pandemic, has fared better in more recent months, but mask use requirements are still just as strict.

Across the country, Italians must wear masks any time they are in an enclosed space, including in restaurants, stores, public transit and anywhere else. In some regions, the rules are even more stringent, with areas like Lombardy requiring masks any time someone leaves their home.

Russia

Wearing masks on public transit has been mandatory in Russia since mid-May, but reports indicate many in the country, as in the U.S., are carrying on with their lives as normal and not taking the recommendation  or any safety precaution  to heart.

Perhaps as a result, COVID-19 cases in the country have risen, but the official messaging on the topic is still mixed. Last week, President Vladimir Putin hosted an enormous military parade, flanked by 80- and 90-year-old veterans. Few were wearing masks.

Brazil

Brazilian cities and states have required masks in most public spaces since April, similar to in the U.S., as cases in the South American country have risen quickly. In May, in some regions, like Brasilia, fines were implemented.

Currently, Brazil has recorded the second-most fatalities from the coronavirus in the world (after the U.S.).

Still, the countrys far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has refused to wear a mask in public. Last week, he was chided by a judge for not following the federal districts policy to wear a mask in Brasilia, and warned he may be issued a fine for failing to comply with the law.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

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 Why coronavirus cases in California are suddenly surging

 Gavin Newsom: Californians should 'reconsider' July 4th plans, state will 'mitigate' big gatherings

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGate digital editor. Email: alyssa.pereira@sfgate.com | Twitter: @alyspereira


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.
WASHINGTON - Santae A. Tribble, whose wrongful conviction for a 1978 murder in the District of Columbia exposed decades of exaggerated claims about the reliability of FBI forensic hair matches, has died, his family said.

Tribble, 59, died June 24 in Washington after a lengthy illness attributed to his incarceration, said his son, Santae Tribble Jr.

Tribble was exonerated in 2012 after serving 28 years in prison for the killing of a D.C. taxi driver, who died when Tribble was 17.

DNA testing revealed that Tribble could not have contributed hairs found in what police said was a stocking mask worn by the attacker and left near the crime scene - even though at trial, the FBI declared the hairs microscopically matched Tribble's, and prosecutors suggested the odds of a mismatch were "one . . . in 10 million."

Tribble's case and others uncovered by the D.C. Public Defender Service and featured in articles in The Washington Post helped trigger a federal review that in 2015 disclosed FBI examiners systematically overstated testimony in almost all trials in which they offered hair evidence against criminal defendants for two decades before 2000.

The findings led the Justice Department to offer new DNA testing in cases with errors and launch a partnership with independent scientists to raise forensic science standards. The findings also led to a review of other forensic disciplines for similar "testimonial overstatement," though the Trump administration suspended the latter efforts.

Legal experts said Tribble's case and other wrongful convictions identified by Sandra Levick, the head of the public defender service's special litigation division at the time, le authorities to abandon blame of rogue FBI examiners or bad apples for systematic human error repeated over decades.

"Santae Tribble was a warm, funny, deeply honorable man who was an unflinching advocate for his innocence," said Levick, now legal director of the George C. Cochran Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi's law school. "At a terrible personal price, he made a huge difference. His efforts to clear his name ultimately proved that the problems at the FBI lab were not confined to a single analyst; they were systemic."

Washington Post photo by Alexandra Garcia

The exoneration "freed" Tribble of the burden of knowing he was innocent, the lifetime threat of reimprisonment for minor parole violations and the lurking suspicion of guilt among even supportive relatives, his son said.

"It stopped him from answering to people who he should never have had to answer to," said Tribble Jr., 37, of Maryland. "These [people] jacked up cases for years. They owned us. They didn't care. How crazy was it for them to get away with it for so long?"

Tribble Jr. grew up sending care packages and wearing new sneakers to trade for his father's beat-up ones when visiting the former Lorton, Va., prison. He drove with his uncle to see his father in prisons across the country once D.C. inmates were moved after 1997, he said.

Every birthday and holiday, his father wrote notes, signed "True love." He was 21 before they hugged outside prison.

"It's memories of hoping and praying, wishing and waiting, and counting down the days for him to come home," the younger Tribble said.

After his father's "vindication," he spent most of his time with his son and being a "Pop-Pop" to two grandsons, now ages 23 and 10, Tribble Jr. said.

"It's what I missed out on every day," and a sign that if his father "was home in the 1980s, he would have done the same thing for me," he said.

"He had his emotions. But the thing that kept me going when I was younger, he never showed that to me," Tribble Jr. said. "He never let you see he was dealing with a mountain on his back because he was sitting there for nothing - screaming he was innocent, and nobody was listening."

The daughter of John McCormick, the slain cabdriver who Tribble was convicted of killing, supported the exoneration.

Court-ordered DNA testing obtained by the public defender service confirmed that none of the 13 hairs retrieved from the crime scene stocking shared Tribble's genetic profile or that of his alleged accomplice. Rather, the DNA testing found, the hairs came from three other human sources, except for one - which came from a dog - facts that FBI-trained examiners disputed or missed.

Tribble's "journey of injustice subjected [him] to all the horror, degradation, and threats to personal security and privacy inherent in prison life, each heightened by his youth, actual innocence, and life sentence," D.C. Superior Judge John Mott wrote in 2016.

His wrongful imprisonment deprived Tribble not just of liberty, Mott said, but "it ruined his life, leaving him broken in body and spirit and, quite literally, dying."

By 2019, medical experts testified, Tribble was expected to die of advanced diseases the court attributed to his incarceration.

Tribble's brother and son remembered his forbearance and generosity - for "just being able to walk around with his head up and be a man, and take things as they come," Tribble Jr. said.

"These cases let you know, this happens way more than people think it does," said Tribble's brother, James Tribble Jr., a civilian Army worker from Woodbridge, Va.

He said he would remember his brother's joy, before his health declined, at family cookouts and on fishing trips on the Chesapeake Bay, off the Outer Banks in North Carolina and Martha's Vineyard.

"He's a better man than I was," he said. "I couldn't have done it."
President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration had "made a lot of progress" on controlling the novel coronavirus pandemic, even as the seven-day average of cases in the United States set a record for the 26th straight day.

Officials and health experts watched nervously to see whether July 4 gatherings would increase the spread while the virus continued to spiral out of control in much of the country, particularly in the South. Several states experienced record numbers of confirmed infections and hospitalizations.

Here are some significant developments:

Florida logged another daily high number of new cases. Hospitalizations in Arizona set a record. Intensive care unit capacity at the world's largest medical center, in Houston, was exceeded at one point in the day.

Several California municipalities dismissed requests from higher governments to forgo fireworks shows or close beach parking lots to promote social distancing, local news outlets in the state reported.

In tweets earlier in the day, Trump correctly said the number of virus deaths and the rate of those deaths are declining. He also said that "If we didn't test so much and so successfully, we would have very few cases"  a false statement that misleads because the rate of positive cases continues to rise in states showing a marked increase in infections.

Trump asserted in his speech at the White House that the country had "put out the flame" of the virus. He added that progress was being made on development of a vaccine, which experts say is unlikely to be widely available until late this year or early next year at the earliest.

Public health experts warned that the virus showed little sign of slowing, partly because of people going to bars and restaurants. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said young adults make up a significant share of new infections but added that the virus will spread to others.

"It's worse, will continue to get worse, and will take months to improve substantially," he said on Twitter. "We are going in the wrong direction, fast."

The holiday weekend could be pivotal in the country's efforts to contain the waves of infection that have swept across the country in recent weeks, testing whether sufficient numbers of Americans are prepared to abruptly alter their behavior to prevent the pandemic from spiraling further out of control. Infections spiked in several states after Memorial Day in May.

Nationwide, the rolling seven-day average for new cases was 48,361 on Saturday, up 11,740 from a week ago, according to tracking by The Washington Post. Eighteen states also reported new average highs.

Florida set another daily record for new infections, reporting 11,458 confirmed cases. The state has reported multiple daily records since late June, and the rate of positive test results has climbed into the double digits. Only New York has tallied more cases in a single day, with 11,571 on April 15.

Adding to Florida's grim figures, six of the 10 U.S. counties that have seen the sharpest increases in coronavirus cases over the past week were in the Sunshine State, according to The Post's tracking. They included the population hub of Miami-Dade County as well as several less-populated counties inland and along the Gulf Coast.

In Arizona, another hotbed for new infections, a record 3,113 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, up 100 from Friday. Ninety percent of the state's intensive care unit beds and 85 percent of inpatient beds were in use, according to health officials.

Hospitals throughout hard-hit Texas were also filling quickly, with ICU use at Houston's Texas Medical Center, the world's largest hospital complex, at one point topping 100 percent. The state's 7,890 hospitalizations set a record, while local judges in Hidalgo and Starr counties issued emergency alerts saying beds were full and urging the public to stay home.

Montana, South Carolina, Mississippi and California also reported new highs for hospitalizations.

Some California cities defied requests to clamp down on public gatherings that could spread the virus. Lancaster ignored a ban on fireworks from Los Angeles County health officials and signed a last-minute contract for a show Saturday evening, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. In the San Diego area, several municipalities kept their beach parking lots open, despite the state urging them to close, according to KPBS.

The country's average daily death toll continued to wane  from 566 this time last week to 487 on Saturday  but experts warned that fatalities could trend upward again as more people fell ill.

On Friday, new infections nationwide reached another single-day high of 57,497, and at least 20 states set record highs for the average of new cases over seven days.

Faced with the soaring numbers, governors and mayors around the country canceled or scaled back Independence Day celebrations and pleaded with people to wear masks, maintain their distance and celebrate only with same-household groups.

"As a veteran, I can tell you patriotism is not about putting your own health or others' health at risk," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, said. "We can honor and celebrate our country in many ways, and I cannot think of anything more patriotic than doing so in a way that protects our family, friends and neighbors."

Beaches were closed in Los Angeles, South Florida and in other states, but Myrtle Beach, S.C., remained open to the public, even as cases in the city and state continued to rise sharply. The tourist hot spot passed a last-minute mask ordinance as thousands of vacationers arrived for the holiday.

"We are doing all that we can," Mayor Brenda Bethune told CNN. "I believe that people spread this virus  that's been proven  not places."

Even the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest looked different this year. The annual Coney Island event, which usually draws thousands of spectators, took place Saturday at a private location without fans.
File/Google

A 27-year-old man visiting from Louisiana was shot and killed Saturday night while standing outside a north Houston home, according to authorities.

The drive-by shooting happened around 8 p.m. in the 11300 block of Elegant Way in the Champions Green subdivision off of Greens Road.
Lunchables have been an iconic kids favorite for more than three decadessignificantly longer than some of their ardent fans have been alive. As one of the most successful food products ever released in America, Lunchables owe that longevityand the built in profitsto cigarette company Philip Morris.

These pre-packaged trays of processed meat, cheese and crackers were developed not to fill some hole in the market, or appeal to a younger demographic, but to satisfy a problem in Oscar Mayer's production. In Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, Michael Moss writes that bologna had started to fall out of favor as a lunch meat in the 1980s, and Oscar Mayer tasked a small marketing team, led by food technician Bob Drane, with figuring out a way to squeeze profitability from existing stockpiles.

The design they landed on was, in essence, an iteration on the famous TV dinner from the 1960s: A small tray with eight pieces of bologna, eight pieces of cheese, and eight butter crackers carefully cordoned off from each other. They chose processed cheese rather than natural Cheddar to save costs, and selected butter crackers because they took longer to go stalebasically electing the least healthy option at every turn.

The one big innovation was that the task of assembling these ingredients was left to the person opening the box, essentially turning lunchtime into an empowering creative exercise that gave children control over their own meals. An early slogan, targeting kids, read: All day, you gotta do what they say. But lunchtime is all yours.

The result was more than the stopgap that Oscar Mayer had hoped for, and Lunchables were an immediate success. The product raked in $218 million in sales in its first year, and sales data showed that more than 50% of shoppers returned to buy morea higher retention rate than those of more established, successful lines of food.

People loved Lunchables: Parents for the low price and convenience, and kids because the packaging reminded them of presents and the interactive component encouraged them to "play with their food."

But while Lunchables sold, they couldnt turn a profit: The production of the trays and the multistep assembly process was too expensive, and though the revenue was high, the production costs meant that those impressive first year sales resulted in more than $20 million lost. That would have meant the end of Lunchables, if not for the experience and wisdom of the marketers at Philip Morris.

In 1988, just three years after the launch of Lunchables, cigarette giant Philip Morris purchased Kraft (the parent company of Oscar Mayer) for $13.8 billion. When Drane was held accountable for Lunchables' financial loss, the man doing that accounting was legendary cigarette marketer Hamish Maxwell. Maxwell's impression of the product was, essentially, that this was all good news.

The hard thing is to figure out something that will sell, Maxwell said. If youve got something thats selling, youll figure out how to get the cost right.

Instead of discontinuing the money-hemorrhaging product, Philip Morris injected more money into developing Lunchables' trays, and by 1991, production costs broke even. The following year, the product earned $8 million in profit, and that number has climbed every year since.

If your impression is that the lack of nutrition is a byproduct of cost-saving measures, Lunchables' history belies that. Perhaps the strangest thing about Lunchables' legacy is that its manufacturer has repeatedly tried to pivot toward healthier ingredientsonly to fail every time. Attempting to add apples and carrots failed when the fresh fruit and vegetables rotted inside the packaging; a line that replaced the candy with yogurt failed because of low sales; and the later Lunchables with Fruit line was discontinued for the same reason.

In 1994, shortly after Lunchables exploded in national popularity, a pediatric cardiologist at the Childrens Memorial Hospital in Chicago warned against the food, calling it a nutritional disaster.

In a move that's almost unthinkable today, Oscar Mayer publicly mocked that physician's concern. This is not some big, corporate plot to fatten up kids. This is what kids want, a spokesperson said. There are very few kids out there who will eat rice cakes and tofu.

The continued success of Lunchables hasn't hinged on kids alone, either; though marketed to children, Lunchables sales data show that anywhere from a quarter to a third of Lunchables are bought and consumed by adults. People know they're terrible for them. They keep eating them anyway.

Lunchables are available with Turkey, Cheddar & Crackers, Turkey & American Cracker Stackers with Double Stuff Oreo Cookies, Extra Cheesy Pizza, Ham & Cheddar with Vanilla Creme Cookies, and lots more, ranging in price from $1.48 to $2.38.

Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.








As of the 2016 Census, there were 215,000 Hong Kong-born Canadians living in Canada.

Canada eyeing more immigrants from Hong Kong As of the 2016 Census, there were 215,000 Hong Kong-born Canadians living in Canada.

Canada eyeing more immigrants from Hong Kong As of the 2016 Census, there were 215,000 Hong Kong-born Canadians living in Canada.

Canada eyeing more immigrants from Hong Kong As of the 2016 Census, there were 215,000 Hong Kong-born Canadians living in Canada. CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that Canada is looking at how to welcome more immigrants from Hong Kong.

As of the 2016 Census, there were 215,000 Hong Kong-born Canadians living in Canada.

Press reports indicate there are an additional 300,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents currently living in Hong Kong.

Many of these immigrants moved to Canada in the 1980s and 1990s, leading up to the transfer of Hong Kongs sovereignty in 1997.

Often, these immigrants came to Canada through the Immigrant Investor Program (IIP) or federal entrepreneur program.

Both programs have since been cancelled.

Immigration from Hong Kong has not been as strong in recent decades, and stood at only 900 people moving from there to Canada in 2015.

It has, however, increased significantly since, growing to 1,500 Hong Kong immigrants moving to Canada in 2019.

Immigration options for Hong Kong nationals

Family class immigration is a possibility if you have close family living in Canada.

If you do not have family here, you may want to consider a skilled worker pathway.

Express Entry is Canadas flagship system for skilled workers who wish to immigrate to the country.

It manages three federal immigration programs. If you have not lived in Canada before, your best bet of being eligible for Express Entry is likely the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

Assuming you qualify under the FSWP, you can then create and submit an Express Entry profile.

After completing your profile, you will receive a Comprehensive Ranking System Score (CRS). The CRS is based on factors such as your age, education, language skills, work experience, and ties in Canada.

For example, if you are an applicant from Hong Kong who has a brother or sister in Canada, you can get more CRS points.

Once your profile has been submitted, you enter the Express Entry pool. Every two weeks, even during the coronavirus pandemic, the Canadian government holds Express Entry draws.

Candidates with the highest CRS scores receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.

Successful candidates then go on to submit their permanent residence application. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) seeks to process these applications within six months.

Another good option is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Nearly every province and territory in Canada operates their own PNP, where they select skilled workers based on their local economic needs. Some of these immigrants arrive to Canada through Express Entry each year so they get to benefit from the six-month Express Entry processing standard.

The majority of Canadians of Hong Kong descent reside in British Columbia and Ontario, both of whom operate very active PNP streams. British Columbia holds weekly PNP draws, while Ontario has already held 12 draws in 2020. The two provinces also operate entrepreneur streams under their PNPs, which is an option that Hong Kong nationals who wish to start a business in Canada may wish to consider.

Hong Kong immigration beyond 2020

COVID-19 is resulting in lower immigration to Canada at the moment. However, once Canadian immigration returns to normal, we are likely to see immigration from Hong Kong exceed the 1,500 level that was reached in 2019.

Moreover, immigration applicants can continue to submit Express Entry profiles and PNP applications, since both the federal government and provinces are still granting permanent residence invitations to successful applicants.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved
While CIOs and legal professionals tend not to speak a common language, they are likely to be having a lot more conversations in preparation for the Privacy Act 2020, which has been passed unanimously by the New Zealand parliament and will come into effect in December 2020.

Office of the Privacy Commissioner John Edwards, New Zealands privacy commissioner

Privacy Commissioner John Edwards said that one of the reforms in the new act is the mandatory notification of harmful privacy breaches. CIOs need to be working with compliance officers, legal counsels, audit and risk committees to figure out a way of bringing those matters to the attention of the appropriate people in the organisation. If they get it wrong, there can be fines of $10,000 if they fail to report something that ought to be reported. Reaching out to the other parts of the organisations and putting systems in place to capture not just the reportable matters but the near misses. Those systems will allow CIOs and others to learn from their experiences and make constant improvements which means the likelihood of future breaches will be reduced.

[ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through CIOs newsletters. ]

A risk factor leading to a breach can be the disconnection between the CIOs who are responsible for security and the legal teams in charge of risk and compliance, Edwards said. They need to find a common language to be able to have conversations that enable each to understand the nature and extent of risks that they encounter.

What CIOs need to be aware of in the new NZ privacy act

The privacy act ushers in a new information privacy principle which restricts the transfer of personal information overseas. While it wont affect cloud storage arrangements, it might apply when organisations use third-party platforms that have their own use for that informationfor example, using the data for advertising purposes.

CIOs will need to ensure that is permitted under [the new] information privacy principle 12. That will mean they either arrange model contract clauses with the partner company or they satisfy themselves that the jurisdiction that the information is going to has a comparable level of privacy protection, or they have very explicit informed consent from the individuals, Edwards said. They will need to examine their information flows and see whats going overseas and what the legal basis for that is.

In addition, overseas companies that are seen to be doing business in New Zealandregardless of whether they have an office in the countrywill be subject to the new Privacy Act.

To help prepare IT professionals for the new reforms there is information on the Privacy Commissioners website discussing the changes. It also includes videos explaining basic privacy principles which can be shared across an organisation.

Its a really good opportunity with the passage of the new act, to do a health check to raise awareness the organisations. I would suggest all CIOs jump onto our website and access the online training tools that weve got, like Privacy 101, Edwards said.

How the NZ Privacy Act compares with Europes GDPR

Local organisations that have customers located in the European Union will be familiar with the comprehensive privacy law known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). So how do the reforms in the 2020 New Zealand Privacy Act compare?

They dont go as far and they dont impose the same level of burden on New Zealand CIOs, Edwards said. For example, theres not the same obligation to provide explainability about automatic decision making; at least its not expressed. That concept of algorithmic transparency that CIOs European colleagues have to implement is not a feature of the law here.

Data portability is also not a requirement under the new act. That means that a customer can only request that a company provide them with their own datathere is no obligation for it to transfer the data to another business. So, if a customer decides to switch providers there is no legal requirement for the original provider to send information to the new provider, nor does the original provider have to destroy the former customers data after they leave.

There is more policy work to be done, but I think it [data portability] will occur. Government hasnt made any decisions on it, but it is something that I recommended in a report to the Minister of Justice in 2017. Its an important component to, for example, open banking, Edwards said.

While it has taken 27 years to update New Zealands privacy laws, it is seems likely that the new act will be reviewed as new technology is introduced. We do have an undertaking from the Minister of Justice that this will be a rolling process. I mentioned data portability, which is something that will being considered. There are other issues that pop up relating to technology, we may have to see some restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology, Edwards said.

When asked if there is anything not in the law that hed like to have seen, Edwards referred Computerworld New Zealand to reports and submissions hes made over the years. He says he has now switched from advocacy mode to implementation mode.

There are gaps but I now must simply accept that this is what Parliament has delivered and I need to work with that and implement it to the best of ability. I dont think it would be a very good signal for me to be going out into the community and saying this Privacy Act Ive got is useless and outdated already. That would undermine my ability to argue for better privacy compliance and standards and to use the tools Ive got effectively. Ive accepted that weve had a difference of opinion about the regulatory model but now I need to set about putting it to the best use for most New Zealanders, Edwards said.

NZ law is a lighter touch than other jurisdictions

Under the 2020 Privacy Act, organisations that fail to follow a compliance notice, or mislead an organisation in some way that affects personal information, may be liable for a fine of up to $10,000.

This appears to be a light-handed censure when compared with the financial penalties dished out overseas for privacy breaches. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission has fined Facebook US$5 billion, while in the UK the Information Commissioner fined British Airways 180 million.

Which is why the potential damage to an organisations reputation may be a greater concern for those that dont comply with the new privacy act. We have a fairly high trust environment [in New Zealand], so the reputational harm of a commissioner declaring a company as non-compliant should be an incentive. Thats what we will work withthats the assumption that we will test. Our powers of persuasion, our ability to make findings and to issue compliance notices should be able to give New Zealanders the confidence they need to deal in the digital economy, Edwards said.

Few Privacy Trust Marks awarded in NZ

Meanwhile the Privacy Trust Marks that were introduced by Edwards in May 2018 to encourage outstanding examples of privacy have only been awarded to five organisations. The most recent awards were announced in June 2020, and were made to contact tracing app Rippl and TICCs Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Customer Due Diligence Online Forms and AML Online Portal.

While only five have been awarded in two years, there have been 13 applications. Edwards said they may revisit the criteria, which has been focussed on awarding products and services that are exemplary when it comes to privacy. Some jurisdictions in our region are being more open with their trust mark awards and we may have to look at that standard and see if we have set it a bit too high, whether it would be a useful thing to allow a wider range of agencies to signal their commitment to privacy, Edwards said.
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The British embassy in Libya on Saturday expressed concern about the ongoing oil blockade and foreign interference in Libyan oil fields.

"The oil blockade has cost Libya over 6 billion U.S. dollars since January, with negative economic consequences for the Libyan people. The blockade has also resulted in damage to Libya's oil infrastructure," the embassy said in a statement.

"As Libya's main source of income, the energy sector is vital to Libya's post-conflict recovery and reconstruction. It should not be used as a political bargaining chip," the statement said.

It confirmed British support for the National Oil Corporation (NOC) of the UN-backed government as "Libya's sole independent oil company with the stewardship of Libya's oil."

The statement called on all parties to constructively engage in the UN-led political dialogue, stressing that foreign interference only undermines these efforts.

The Libyan Foreign Ministry last week said that there are "mercenaries" allied with the rival eastern-based army shutting down oil exports inside oil fields and ports.

According to NOC, Libya has so far lost more than 6.4 billion dollars as a result of the ongoing oil blockade.




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Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
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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.




CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An 8-year-old girl is hospitalized after being shot on Fourth of July night, police say.

The shooting happened Saturday about 9:30 p.m. at East 139th Street and Harvard Avenue, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.

The girl was sitting in the back seat of a car when shots hit the vehicle and struck her in the arm, Ciaccia said.

Police have made no arrests in the shooting.

The child was taken to Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital. She was conscious and talking.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Read more crime stories on cleveland.com:

Man robbed Euclid Walgreens while wearing face mask, police say

Toledo police officer shot and killed Saturday in Home Depot parking lot, suspect found dead

Charges against pain doctor reveal undercurrent of anger, angst among patients at federal government

Man shot inside Beachwood Place mall knew assailant, police say
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Twenty people were shot and three men were killed as the Fourth of July holiday ended violently in Cleveland, police said.

A 57-year-old man, a 50-year-old man and a 47-year-old man all died in shootings that occurred between 8 p.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. Sunday in the city, police said. The other 17 shooting victims included an 8-year-old girl shot in the arm as she sat in the backseat of a car struck by gunfire.

The Cleveland police department reported at least 14 shootings over the nine-hour period, including a pair of triple shootings. The 8-year-old girl, who was conscious and talking when she arrived at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, was among four children under age 18 hurt in overnight shootings.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Police Chief Calvin Williams and Safety Director Karrie Howard condemned the violence in a joint statement Sunday morning.

Gun violence and violent crime is on the rise. This holiday weekend specifically, the city of Cleveland has seen a large number of incidents involving shootings and tragically, three people killed. There is no excuse for this violent activity and police are actively pursuing the perpetrators, the statement says.

At least one of the deadly shootings occurred at a Fourth of July party, police said. Investigators said an argument broke out about 9:40 p.m. Saturday at a home on West 152nd Street near Schuyler Avenue. A 23-year-old man pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking 59- and 57-year-old men in their chests, police said. Ambulances took both of the injured men to Fairview Hospital, where the 57-year-old man died.

A 57-year-old woman also suffered an injury after being pistol-whipped in the eye, and was taken to Fairview Hospital for treatment.

Homicide detectives arrested the 23-year-old man at the scene, police said. He has not yet been charged in the deadly shooting, according to court records.

The second homicide occurred just before 11 p.m. Saturday on Nelson Avenue near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Officers found a 47-year-old man on the sidewalk with a gunshot to the neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

No arrests have been made in the case, police said. Investigators learned the man may have been involved in a fight prior to the shooting.

The third homicide happened about 3 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of East 106th Street and Shaker Boulevard. Investigators have not provided much information but said a 50-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds. An ambulance took him to University Hospitals, where he died, police said.

Cleveland City Council member Blaine Griffin, whose Ward 6 includes the neighborhood where the third homicide occurred, said hes heartbroken over the shootings in the neighborhood and throughout the city. He said the rash of violence are especially tough to handle as Cleveland, like the rest of the U.S., is still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other instances of law enforcement brutality.

Its one of the saddest things to see this happen, Griffin said. It really breaks your heart.

Griffin has served on city council since 2017, but previously spent 11 years working to improve relations in the neighborhoods as the executive director of Clevelands Community Relations Board. He said city officials and the police department must work to address any underlying issues causing the shootings to prevent further violence.

At some point were going to have to get to the root causes of this [violence]. Were not going to be able to arrest our way out of it, Griffin said.

Peace in the Hood co-founder Khalid Samad agreed, calling the violence and COVID-19 two huge threats to our survivability. Samads Cleveland organization, which is also known as the Coalition for a Better Life, works to reduce violence by pushing teens and young adults toward educational and work opportunities.

Samad said city officials, the police department, community organizations and residents must work together to prevent violence in neighborhoods. That involves addressing systemic issues that lead to violence and changing the psychology of those involved, he said.

If you have regard for your own life, and if you have regard for people who remind you of yourself, you need to stay away from violence, Samad said.

The Cleveland police department also reported at least 11 other shootings late Saturday and early Sunday:

8 p.m. Saturday: A man suffered a gunshot wound to the arm on East 148th Street near Elmhurst Avenue. Someone drove him to Cleveland Clinic for treatment.

9:30 p.m. Saturday: An 8-year-old girl was taken to Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital in stable condition after being shot in the arm near the intersection of East 139th Street at Harvard Avenue, police said. She was sitting in the back seat of a car when someone opened fire on the vehicle. No suspects have been identified, police said.

1 a.m. Sunday: A 37-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the knee near the intersection of West 130th Street and Bellaire Road, police said. Someone drove him to MetroHealth for treatment.

1 a.m. Sunday: Someone drove a 29-year-old man to Lutheran Hospital after he suffered gunshot wounds to the foot and shoulder at an unknown location.

2 a.m. Sunday: A 24-year-old man was shot in the leg near the intersection of West 65th Street and Denison Avenue. Someone drove him to Fairview Hospital for treatment.

2 a.m. Sunday: Someone drove a 23-year-old man to MetroHealth after he was shot in the chest near the intersection of Madison Avenue and West 91st Street.

3 a.m. Sunday: A 30-year-old man was shot in the back and a 29-year-old man was shot in the thigh on Brookpark Road near West 130th Street, police said. An ambulance took the older man to MetroHealth, and someone drove the younger man to MetroHealth.

3 a.m. Sunday: An ambulance took a man to University Hospitals after he suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh near the intersection of East 116th Street and Kinsman Avenue.

4 a.m. Sunday: Someone drove a 54-year-old woman to MetroHealth after she suffered a gunshot wound to the hip on East 139th Street near Harvard Avenue.

5 a.m. Sunday: A 22-year-old woman was shot in the chest and leg, an 18-year-old woman was shot in the leg and a 17-year-old girl was grazed in the chest on East 147th Street near St. Clair Avenue. All arrived at University Hospitals by car.

5 a.m. Sunday: A 26-year-old man was shot in the bicep, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder and thigh and a 15-year-old boy was shot in the arm near Fullerton Avenue and Fleet Avenue on the East Side. All three arrived at MetroHealth by car.
SOLON, Ohio -- Longtime Solon superintendent Joseph Regano, who headed one of Ohios top-performing school districts for more than three decades, died of cancer Sunday morning.

Regano became the superintendent of Solon City Schools in 1987 and provided steady leadership for a district that has consistently ranked at the top of the Ohio Department of Educations annual rankings. He took a medical leave of absence at the start of the 2019-20 school year.

The school district confirmed his death in a statement posted to social media Sunday afternoon.

Board of Education President Julie Glavin called Regano the heart and soul of the Solon City Schools, and offered sympathies to his family.

It is difficult to put into words how much he will be missed by his fellow administrators, staff members, students and the entire community, Glavin said in a statement. Joe was so widely respected in the education community at large and will long be remembered as one of the most talented and most successful superintendents in the state of Ohio.

Superintendent pro tempore Fred Bolden has been leading the school district on a temporary basis since Regano took his medical leave of absence. Bolden said Regano directly affected nearly every facet of the Solon community during his tenure.

For me, [Regano] was like a father, a mentor and friend. The bar for excellence in leadership that he has set is something that everyone in our Solon Schools family continually strives to attain, Bolden said in a statement. We are all grieving today and Joe will be missed greatly, but his memory will also inspire us all to do better and dig deeper each and every day for the students and community he loved.

Regano was easily Northeast Ohios longest-tenured superintendent, leading the Solon school district for the past 33 years. The district doubled in size during that time, growing from approximately 2,400 students to more than 4,500. In recent years the district routinely achieved the top ranking in the Ohio Department of Educations Performance Index, which measures how highly students score on a series of tests at different grade levels.

Regano served as president and chairperson of several professional boards and organizations, including the Greater Cleveland Superintendents Association and the Alliance for Adequate School Funding. His contributions to the community led to his induction in the Solon Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame.

Joe was a leader who made each of us feel important and special all of the time, said Debbie Siegel, Solon Schools Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. He believed in all of us and he cared about all of us. Joe always just gave. It was an honor and a privilege to work with him.

Regano graduated in 1966 from Warrensville Heights High School. He earned a bachelors degree in business education in 1970 from Ohio State University, and a masters degree in educational administration in 1970 from Cleveland State University.

He taught business for the Euclid City School before becoming the districts business manager. He moved to the Solon City School in 1985 and became superintendent two years later.
WEST MIFFLIN, Penn.  Kennywood amusement park wont open this week as planned, due to a surge of coronavirus cases in the Pittsburgh area.

The park had intended to open Monday to season passholders and then to the general public on Saturday, July 11. The park has not set a new opening date.

The Allegheny County Health Department late last week issued a one-week closure order for all bars, restaurants and casinos, as well as events and activities with more than 25 people. At the same time, the health department director, Dr. Debra Bogen, asked county residents to stay home unless absolutely necessary.

In response, both Kennywood and nearby Sandcastle waterpark announced they would delay their openings. In a statement on its website, the park said, Our top priority at Kennywood and Sandcastle is the health and safety of our guests and team members, and the community at large. While we are looking forward to the start of our summer season, we understand the reasoning behind the recent order and stay at home request, and will do our part by postponing our scheduled July 6 opening.

It continued, We believe strongly in the plan developed by our teams at Kennywood and Sandcastle to best protect the health and safety of all those visiting and working at our parks. We will continue to work towards opening this summer as soon as safely possible and providing the clean, safe and fun experience we have been proud to provide for the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1898.

Cases of coronavirus have surged in Allegheny County in recent days, primarily among young people. The county recorded 233 new cases on Thursday, up from 37 a week before. In Pennsylvania, the number of total cases hit 89,375 over the weekend, according to the state health department.

Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, amusement parks have opened in recent days, including Hersheypark in Hershey and Waldameer in Erie.

In Ohio, Kings Island opened last week and Cedar Point is scheduled to open Thursday, July 9.

Read more:

Cedar Point opens reservation system for season passholders; park opens July 9

Cedar Point Shores wont open for 2020; Cedar Point announces reduced hours, no Fast Lane passes for sale

Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood, Waldameer prepare to reopen, with adjustments: Amusement park guide 2020

Cedar Points mask rule ignites firestorm of fan protests on social media

Taking flight on Kings Islands new Orion coaster (and yes, you can scream through a mask)
CLEVELAND, Ohio  For more than 25 years, patients suffering in pain sought out Dr. William Bauer.

They had crippling injuries from car crashes and work accidents, chronic headaches and debilitating spine issues. At 83, Bauer had a practice in Sandusky that cared for many of the same patients for 10 to 20 years.

Then the government showed up.

Federal prosecutors have accused the neurologist of illegally prescribing thousands of opioid pills. He is charged in U.S. District Court with 246 counts of distribution of controlled substances and 24 counts of healthcare fraud. His trial is set for January.

His patients said the government overstepped. They said Bauer is a caring influence, not a pill-mill doctor who shoveled painkillers for cash.

"I will defend that man until my dying breath," said Nathan Sanger, 42, of Norwalk, who has been a patient of Bauer's for about 10 years, following a serious car accident. "He tried to help people no other doctor would see. He stood up against the wave of over-regulation, and he is being crucified for it."

Bauer is one of a growing number of physicians, many specializing in pain management, who have been charged criminally with distributing excessive amounts of opioids. Since 2017, more than 450 doctors and medical personnel across the country have been accused of opioid-related charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department and published reports.

But in recent months, there has been a growing undercurrent of resistance. Patients have questioned the government's motives on social media.

In court documents and interviews, lawyers for doctors said the government has focused on independent physicians who specialize in pain management.

They claimed that prosecutors and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration based their cases solely on the number of prescriptions that doctors have written. They said that many pain-management specialists are often the sole treatment option in communities, drawing hundreds of patients in need of help.

"Prosecutors nationwide are unfairly targeting physicians  particularly pain-management physicians  for criminal prosecution," said Richard Blake, a former federal prosecutor in Cleveland who now represents doctors and medical companies.

"For more than 20 years, government regulators, medical boards and hospitals instructed these doctors to lower patient pain levels and evaluated them on this criteria. The government is now holding physicians to a more conservative 'post-opioid crisis' standard for medical decisions made years earlier."

As thousands of cities and counties across the country seek to hold the pharmaceutical industry responsible for the opioid crisis, critics said the Justice Department is trying to take a larger role in the fight against the epidemic.

Authorities have stepped up investigations by using prescriber databases to build criminal cases against physicians and peer into their practices like never before.

Many physicians, however, have said that they were duped and misled for years about the addictive nature of opioids by drug companies.

Many of those same companies have reached out-of-court settlements in courtrooms across the country, including the nations largest opioid litigation in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.

Some doctors who followed those companies marketing ploys face federal indictments.

"I'm not aware of one case where the DEA went after a doctor who prescribed opioids appropriately," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing and a professor at Brandeis University in Boston.

"What we have now is a lot of patients who are fearful and angry that drugs are no longer overly prescribed."

Cases across Ohio

Authorities have charged a handful of doctors in Ohio in recent, major opioid cases. Take Dr. Troy Balgo.

He was indicted on federal charges last fall and accused by prosecutors of "polluting the population of Ohio [and] fueling residents with unnecessary prescriptions for addictive opioids for years."

Balgo, the Belmont County coroner, has denied the charges and is scheduled to go to trial in October. His attorney, Sam Shamansky, has said Balgo ran a pain-management practice that drew residents from surrounding rural counties who were struggling with such serious pain that they could barely function.

Another doctor, Gary Frantz of Mansfield, has been accused of illegally prescribing tens of thousands of opioids from 2005 through 2017. Prosecutors have alleged Frantz prescribed thousands of painkillers to a patient who later sold them.

Frantz is scheduled to go to trial in U.S. District Court in Youngstown in August on more than 200 charges, including conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. He has denied the allegations.

In another case, prosecutors obtained a temporary restraining order in 2018 to keep Dr. Gregory Gerber from prescribing medications. Gerber had a pain-management practice, and he is accused of overprescribing painkillers from his Sandusky office. The case is pending.

Gerber is seeking to return to medicine, though not in pain management, said his attorney, John B. Gibbons.

'He kept me going'

The case of Bauer, the pain specialist from Sandusky, stands out.

He became a licensed doctor in Ohio in 1967. He had offices in Norwalk, Bellevue and Sandusky and focused on pain management for years. He also volunteered at the University of Toledo, where he earned a doctorate degree in biomedical sciences, a university spokeswoman said.

In 2016, the university named a brain-imaging laboratory after him in its College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

Bauers patients were a diversified lot: About 1,000 received narcotics for pain. Many came to him after suffering work injuries or car accidents, while others struggled with degenerative issues, according to court records filed by his attorneys, Orville Stifel and Gibbons.

Most of his patients had been referred to Bauer by other doctors. He also treated residents who have multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and chronic headaches.

One man, a 25-year patient who suffered a significant injury in a construction accident, said Bauer used several different treatment options over the years, not just pain pills.

"He kept me going," said the patient, who declined to be identified. "I don't know where I would be without him."

In 2016, the State Medical Board investigated Bauer for giving prescriptions to 13 patients without checking a state database that logged the dispensing of practitioners. Bauer told investigators that the database added too much time to his day and that his own system was better.

The medical board reprimanded him and ordered him to pay a $7,500 fine. His practice ran into another issue in about 2018, when corporate pharmacies stopped filling prescriptions of independent pain specialists. The decision forced Bauer's patients to find smaller, non-chain pharmacies.

Last August, a federal grand jury indicted him on distributing charges that accused him of improperly prescribing opioids and other painkillers between 2015 and 2018.

The indictment said he also performed inadequate examinations, failed to consider non-opiate treatment options and prescribed "high doses of opioids to patients without regard to any improvement in pain level."

After the indictment, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement that authorities will pursue doctors who flood our streets with pills and patches just as aggressively as we do the cartels and drug traffickers who seek to profit from the drug epidemic here in Ohio.

Bauer denied the charges. If convicted, he could spend years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary ordered Bauer to stop prescribing medications and dealing with patients. In the days after the indictment, his patients struggled to find new doctors who could treat their pain.

Bauer was released after posting cash and property bonds. Citing the ongoing case, Gibbons declined to allow Bauer to participate in an interview for this story.

Gibbons and Stifel wrote that Bauer was targeted not because of his work as a doctor, but because he has attacked the DEA and regulators for years.

"Dr. Bauer has been a long-standing, vocal critic of interference in the physician-patient relations by the DEA, by the 'War on Drugs/Opioids,' by the insurance industry and by Big Pharma," the attorneys said in documents.

After the charges were filed in August, Bauer spoke to the Sandusky Register in a broadcast interview. In it, he blasted government interference in a patient-doctor relationship.

What bothers me is that I stuck around in this because I loved to help patients, Bauer told the paper. I cant stand to see this happen to them.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Our nations public lands, and the recreation access and opportunities they provide, are essential national assets for families, sportsmen and women and our unique American heritage and history. They represent a vital economic driver that has helped propel national and regional economic growth in times of expansion, stabilize the economy in more challenging times and lead to recovery after previous downturns.

That is why the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) comes at such a crucial time.

As a member of the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, I was glad to see that the U.S. Senate delivered a historic victory for conservation with its 73-25 vote to pass GAOA on June 17. This landmark legislation secures full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually and invests $1.9 billion each year for the next five years toward maintenance in national parks and other public lands.

I am especially excited this bipartisan legislation passed the Senate with the strong support of both Ohios senators, Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown. They have been longtime supporters of conservation and funding for our public lands, and I am grateful for their leadership.

During these unprecedented times of COVID-19, we have seen an increase in the recreational use of parks and other natural areas. It is great to see so many people turning to nature as we alter our daily routines to keep ourselves and our communities safe and healthy. Unfortunately, our national parks and public lands have suffered from crumbling roads, visitor centers, and trails. Deteriorating infrastructure, exacerbated by increasing visitation pressures and inconsistent annual funding, has led to a nearly $12 billion backlog in repair needs in national parks. Recent use during the pandemic has only added to this backlog. Additionally, inadequate annual funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)  the nations most important tool for conservation and public recreation access  has increasingly jeopardized the integrity of our public lands and impeded public use and enjoyment.

These funding issues have gone unresolved for too long. Permanent funding for LWCF of $900 million each year -- which is funded by royalties from offshore oil and gas revenues, not taxpayer dollars -- will protect federal lands and provide grants to states to invest in working forests, state parks and habitat conservation on non-federal lands. LWCF has been used for more than 50 years to protect places in every state in the nation, including Ohios Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Wayne National Forest, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, East Fork State Park, the James Garfield National Historic Site and roughly 1,500 other sites in Ohio.

GAOA will also provide critically needed investment in our nations federal land infrastructure by providing funding for maintenance to the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education. This funding will reduce the deferred maintenance backlog on public lands. In Ohio, with more than 2.2 million visits per year, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the countrys busiest national parks and a valuable natural asset for which to safeguard funding. Passage of GAOA will ensure areas like these continue to thrive.

The U.S. House of Representatives is now considering this legislation. I am glad to see that Reps. Anthony Gonzalez, Steve Stivers and Joyce Beatty have already co-sponsored the House version of GAOA. I hope that other members of the Ohio delegation in Congress will add their names to the growing list of bipartisan co-sponsors and vote in favor of its passage. Ohioans should contact their members of Congress and encourage them to support this bill to ensure that people throughout the United States can enjoy the wonders to be found in our treasured national parks and other natural areas.

Bob Eckardt is a board member of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio and retired from The Cleveland Foundation.

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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
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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.

"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.

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.

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.
"There is no significant change in my oxygen saturation (or HR) in any scenario. Though it maybe inconvenient for some, you can still breath," she shared on Facebook.

Health care professionals have attempted to clarify these misconceptions on social media. A doctor in South Carolina challenged the idea that "oxygen levels drop dramatically while wearing a mask." Dr. Megan Hall tested her oxygen saturation and heart rate using a pulse oximeter in four situations for five minutes at a time: One without a mask, one with a surgical mask, one with a N95 mask and one with a N95 and surgical mask.

Yet health myths about masks flood social media  people worry that wearing masks will lower oxygen levels or cause carbon dioxide poisoning. Others fear they'll develop bacterial infections from moist, sweaty masks or weaken their immune system's ability to fight off colds.

Research has found that wearing a mask is one of the most effective methods Americans can take to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

(TODAY reached out to Hall for an interview to discuss her popular post, but she declined.)

Wearing a mask remains incredibly safe and a good way to slow the spread of COVID-19. Masks work by filtering and suppressing air particles.

If someone's infected but doesn't have symptoms, what's known as asymptomatic, the particles from the mouth, nose and back of the throat come out when they breathe and spread out within about 6 feet. The mask stops some particles from spreading freely and pushes some air down instead of out.

More from TODAY:

How this store is trying to make mask buying fun

Should you invite friends to swim in your pool?

Coronavirus patient and his doctor explain 'long-haul' symptom

"Normal, healthy people can do quite energetic things while wearing the sorts of face coverings that we've been talking about in the context of COVID prevention," Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and medical director of the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases, told TODAY. "If they were injurious, they couldn't be recommended by the CDC, state or local health departments."

Dr. Liam Sullivan, an infectious disease specialist at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said that if masks were dangerous, there'd be more cases of operating room nurses and doctors being ill.

"I don't see them dropping dead from lack of oxygen or too much carbon dioxide," he told TODAY.

Kirsten Koehler, an associate professor in environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, who is an aerosol scientist, agreed.

"Scientific studies are showing that there's no real important changes in C02 levels or oxygen levels even from wearing surgical masks. And fabric masks have better permeation for gases," she told TODAY. "It's not something that I'm concerned about at all. Probably more likely is that people are hot when wearing a mask and so people maybe just feeling overheated."

Schaffner suspects that people worry about wearing masks because breathing feels difficult.

"If they wear masks correctly, it's true that the work of breathing is a little harder. But that just means that the mask is acting as a filter," Schaffner explained. "If you have to breathe in and it out of a filter, it takes a little more work."

Some say they can't wear a mask because of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, though the experts suspect that many with compromised lung function are more willing to wear masks.

"The vast majority of the people with true underlying lung disease are going to wear a mask because they know if they get exposed to this virus, they're at very higher risk for serious complications," Sullivan said. "Sometimes when they're in a mask it can be a little difficult (to breathe)."

While wearing masks during warm weather might cause it to become damp with sweat, that shouldn't cause any bacterial infections.

"There's no evidence for that," Schaffner said. "If it's in the hot humid air of the summer, yes, it can get sweaty and yucky. If you have a cloth mask, you wash it. If you're wearing a surgical mask you have to use a new one."

Koehler recommends that people put moist cloth masks in paper bags to dry out (if swapping midday) and then wash them every day before using or wear a fresh disposable mask.

As for whether masks might compromise one's immune system, Schaffner said "that's malarkey."

Sullivan said that the immune systems work by immune memory, which occurs when the body encounters a bacteria or virus and responds. But masks don't prevent that from happening.

"I can pretty much guarantee to you that wearing a mask intermittently throughout the day or even all day long is not going to weaken your immune system," he said.
"I have been recommending this process for years," she added.

Three years later, the family sold it at a $5,000 profit. Factoring in the savings on dorm room fees, "in the end we probably saved $40,000," she said.

Pearson, who is a certified financial planner, took out a home equity line of credit to purchase the property with cash in 2013.

When Diane Pearson's sons both attended Robert Morris University, buying a condo for them in the suburb of Pittsburgh made financial sense.

Diane Pearson with her husband Alex and sons David and Alex.

Before the coronavirus crisis sent shockwaves through the economy, it was increasingly common for parents to buy properties, or "kiddie condos," as an alternative to paying for student housing.

In a number of cities across the U.S., it was more cost effective to purchase a home rather than rent a room on campus.

Average room and board costs jumped roughly 20% over the last decade to $12,990 at private four-year private colleges during the 2019-2020 school year, according to The College Board. Public colleges are only slightly less  $11,510 in 2019-2020.

Meanwhile, record low mortgage rates and built-in demand from incoming students every year has boosted the market for college-ready condos.

There's an added incentive to owning property during a public health crisis, which gives students a socially distanced place to live, away from crowded dorms.

Plus, it can provide additional income if you choose to take on roommates or rent the property to other students even after graduation.

Many parents, like Pearson, are even able to turn a modest profit when they sell, after accounting for closing costs and other expenses.

As an investment, however, it's far from a sure thing.

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When Malcolm Ethridge was an undergraduate at North Carolina A&T, he bought a house in his college town of Greensboro.

"I was a rising junior in college and was looking to qualify for in-state tuition; which I did," he said.

By becoming an in-state resident, Ethridge was able to lower his tuition bill substantially. At public colleges, in-state tuition can be a fraction of the price, although the requirements to qualify for residency vary by state.

Further, the monthly payments on his $100,000 home were roughly $750, only slightly more than the $600 in rent he had been paying.

However, by graduation, near the height of the Great Recession, economic conditions had changed and Ethridge had a house he could not sell.

"I closed on the property in September 2007, which unbeknownst to me, was at the height of the housing market at that time," he said.

"The market crash that came the next year turned me into a landlord against my will."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5)  After a month of deliberations, members of the House of Representatives will see the end of the discussions on ABS-CBN's franchise next week.

According to House Committee on Legislative Franchises Chairman Franz Alvarez, they could also vote on whether the media giant would be granted a franchise this week as they only have one more issue to discuss before handing down the decision.

One of those opposed to granting a franchise is Cavite Representative Jesus Crispin Remulla who said the network has not been paying taxes and has been illegally airing programs on Channel 43.

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate is pushing for ABS-CBN to be given a franchise, saying many are counting on it especially with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public opinion on the matter has also been divided, with people voicing opinions  whether for or against  online.

The hearings began on May 26, with House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano saying the House Committee on Legislative Franchises would tackle no more than 10 issues in relation to ABS-CBNs franchise bid, including the networks supposed tax violations as well as ownership and foreign citizenship issues, among others. The media company has debunked these allegations.

READ: Gabby Lopez is a Filipino  DOJ

Prior to the start of the hearings, the National Telecommunications Commission issued a cease and desist order on May 5, a day after the network giant's franchise lapsed.

Calls for the resumption of hearings on ABS-CBN's franchise surfaced following the National Telecommunications Commission's controversial cease and desist order which led to ABS-CBN's shutdown on May 5.

Numerous bills granting a fresh license for the company to air on radio and free TV have been filed before the lower chamber since November 2016, but Cayetano earlier this year said lawmakers were too busy with more urgent measures.

READ: Dismissal of quo warranto plea to impact ABS-CBN franchise hearings, solon says

CNN Philippines' Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5)  The Chinese General Hospital said it could not admit any more COVID-19 patients, having reached full capacity.

Speaking to CNN Philippines Sunday, the hospital said given the situation, walk-in suspected cases will be advised and referred to other hospitals.

The hospital added it experienced a new surge in the number of patients and is now preparing to open another ward to accommodate new COVID-19 patients.

In a message to reporters, Department of Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said hospitals have a certain number of beds designated for COVID-19 patients.

"So if they declare that they have full capacity or the percentage of beds occupied in the hospitals for COVID is high, we have to remember that these are just the assigned dedicated beds for COVID and not the entire hospital capacity," she clarified.

In a statement released by the hospital on Monday, Samuel D. Ang, medical director of the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center, said consultants admitted patients as the hospital did its own PCR testing.

"This triggers admissions even in patients with mild symptoms," he said, adding they want to reserve COVID-19 wards for symptomatic patients.

Ang said they made arrangements with the Philippine General Hospital and San Lazaro hospital, as well as other quarantine facilities to accept referrals.

"This support from the government has provided tremendous effect on the morale of our hospital staff," he said.

Ang said they are now able to accept non-COVID patients which led to the realignment of the hospital's health care workers.

On Monday, the DOH reported 2.099 new infections, with total cases now at 46,333.

Recovered patients exceeded 12,000, after 243 more got well. The total number of survivors is now at 12,185, which accounts for around one-fourth of the countrys confirmed cases.

However, the disease also resulted in the death of six more patients, raising the death toll to 1,303.
Egypts Court of Cassation, the countrys highest appeals court, has upheld prison terms against 56 people convicted of committing various violent offenses during the dispersal of a 2013 Giza sit-in by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

The court rejected on Sunday appeals by the 56 defendants, upholding a life imprisonment sentence to one, a 15 year prison sentence to 52 others, and prison terms ranging from one year to three years to three.

It also acquitted ten others during the retrial of 2013s Nahda dispersal case

They faced charges including intentional homicide against several unidentified people, attempted murder of a number of policemen, terrorizing and endangering the lives of the public, and vandalism during the dispersal.

Today's verdicts are final and cannot be appealed.

The dispersal of the Rabaa and Nahda square sit-ins in 2013 left hundreds killed and thousands arrested on a variety of charges. The dispersals also unleashed days of nationwide street clashes and attacks on security installations.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Sunday with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi noted that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 60 years ago, the traditional friendship between China and Ghana has grown stronger with practical cooperation yielding fruitful results.

China-Ghana relations have shown a sound momentum for all-round development in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples, Xi said.

Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Xi said, China and African countries, including Ghana, have stood by each other in a joint fight against the disease, which demonstrates the brotherly friendship between China and Africa who share weal and woe.

Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he stands ready to work with Akufo-Addo to take the 60th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen cooperation in various fields under the joint construction of the Belt and Road and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to benefit the two countries and their peoples, and contribute to the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

For his part, Akufo-Addo noted that the older generation of leaders from both sides, including late Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, jointly initiated and nurtured the friendly relations between Ghana and China.

Over the past 60 years, the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, achieved remarkable results in cooperation in various fields and worked together to build a peaceful, just and equitable international order, he said.

Noting that Xi has shown extraordinary leadership in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Akufo-Addo said that China has won worldwide acclaim for its assistance and support to countries around the world, including Ghana, in the anti-virus fight.

Ghana, he added, firmly supports the efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic through international solidarity and cooperation.

Akufo-Addo also expressed his readiness to work with Xi to consolidate the traditional friendship, strengthen strategic coordination and deepen bilateral cooperation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5)  The Department of Labor and Employment hopes to acquire billions of pesos more in funding to provide assistance to the growing number of overseas Filipino workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of July 4, the agency's overseas offices along with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration have recorded over 551,000 applications for assistance from land-based and sea-based workers, said DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III. These workers are either still in their respective host countries or have returned to the Philippines.

The fund released to us is fast depleting. So far, our offices approved the requests of 224,756 OFWs, 128,348 of whom are still locked down or stranded in their countries of work, he said.

The government had given DOLE 2.5 billion in two tranches to fund its program Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong, or AKAP, which provides OFWs displaced by the pandemic an emergency cash aid of $200 or 10,000 to help them cope with the crisis.

Over 188,000 out of the 250,000 expected beneficiaries of the program have already received financial assistance from DOLE as of Saturday. This amounts to some 1.927 billion, the agency said.

Of the workers who have already gotten aid, more than 105,000 workers are on site, while the rest have already made their way back to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the agency still has to pay out financial aid to over 56,000 beneficiaries, it added.

Provided additional funding, AKAP will be able to assist to nearly half a million OFWs provided additional funding, Bello added.

The Labor chief likewise expressed optimism about President Rodrigo Duterte granting the additional funding for AKAP, saying OFWs are dear to him and that he will immediately extend help to them.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5)  Locally stranded individuals (LSIs) heading back to their respective provinces must be included in the government's expanded testing program, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday.

Robredo said the procurement of 10 million RT-PCR test kits by the Department of Health and the Department of Budget and Management must cover the LSIs, many of whom are stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

"[Ang COVID-19] number one na pwede sanang ma-contain sa Maynila pero nagii-spread sa provinces kasi hindi natin pinapa-test yung pinapabiyahe natin," Robredo said in her weekly radio show Biserbisyong Leni.

[Translation: COVID-19 can be contained in Manila but it is still spreading in the provinces because we have not been testing the ones who are allowed to travel back.]

Over 5,000 stranded individuals were scheduled to be sent back to their respective provinces this weekend under the Hatid Tulong Program. They only had to undergo rapid tests -- diagnostic tools that produce quick but possibly inaccurate results.

"Sana mas tutukan na hindi na ito magi-spread. Ang pinakasolusyon talaga yung swab test eh," Robredo said.

[Translation: I hope they focus more on how they can contain its spread. The swab test is really the best solution here.]

With the RT-PCR tests, swabs of samples taken from the nose and throat are tested to find out whether a person has the coronavirus. It is considered by health experts as the "gold standard" in confirmatory testing.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said last week that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved the expanded testing strategy, following the recommendation of the National Task Force (NTF) in consultation with the Department of Health.

The tests will include not only asymptomatic individuals but also frontliners and workers from various sectors.

"Sana kung meron naman palang 10 million na test kits, sana isama na, kasi nakita ko yung listahan. Na kahit mga asymptomatic okay naman," Robredo added. "Nakita ko, economic zones, pero wala akong nakitang stranded passengers. Sana isama naman sila para di na ma-extend pa yung hirap nila."

[Translation: Since there are 10 million test kits now, I hope they finally include the stranded passengers. Even the asymptomatic ones are included. Economic zones are covered, but I did not see a proposal to include stranded passengers. I hope they could be included so as not to prolong their hardship.]

Current rules prioritize testing to those exhibiting symptoms of the disease, those with pre-existing medical conditions, senior citizens, pregnant women, and frontliners.

The NTF has yet to issue a final set of guidelines regarding the new testing policy.

Government efforts to send home LSIs were previously placed on hold in some areas last month as local governments struggle with the increase in COVID-19 cases in the provinces.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez previously admitted that the return of the stranded individuals was one of the factors in the rise in cases in the provinces.

Due to the shortage of swab test kits, OFWs only needed to get a medical certificate stating that they have completed the 14-day quarantine. They were only required to undergo RT-PCR testing once they arrived in their hometowns.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5)  Traveling overseas for tourism purposes is still not allowed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Immigration reminded on Sunday.

In a statement, the agency said the reminder had been issued after six Filipinos tried to leave for Cambodia through a chartered flight from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The passengers said the purpose of their travel was to supposedly "attend a business meeting on shrimp farming," according to BI port operations acting chief Grifton Medina.

We want to emphasize and reiterate that Filipinos are still prohibited from leaving the country unless they are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), holders of study visas or permanent residents in the country of their destination, said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.

Medina likewise urged Filipinos wanting to take leisure trips or visit their relatives to "be patient and wait" for the Inter-Agency Task Force to lift the current restrictions on international travel.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) Forty-five more personnel of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected workers to 172, the Transportation Department said Sunday.

Of the new cases, 39 are depot personnel, while six are station employees, DOTr Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran said in a phone interview with CNN Philippines. The number includes a train driver and ticket sellers at the North Avenue and Cubao stations, she added.

Libiran, however, stressed that the station employees were not exposed to the depot personnel who previously contracted the viral disease.

She added that the management will strictly require all station personnel including ticket sellers, guards, and janitors to wear protective gear to avoid the spread of the virus.

The MRT-3 management last week announced it would deploy fewer trains beginning Monday, as it initially reported 127 COVID-19 infections among its personnel.

The number of trains could be reduced to around 10 and 12 from the original deployment of 16 to 19, DOTr earlier noted.

The management also previously announced it will halt operations on some weekends from July to September in order to give way for rail replacement works.

The major train line had resumed operations at limited capacity, in light of the easing of quarantine restrictions in the capital region.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) The Philippine Coast Guard said Sunday it will investigate the oil spill incident in Iloilo City, adding it will look into possible legal action against the owner of the power barge if necessary.

In a statement, PCG said its legal affairs team will be flying to Iloilo to assist in the ongoing probe on Fridays incident, wherein over 40,000 liters of oil spilled into the waters following a barge explosion in Lapuz district.

The PCG will file criminal charges against the owner of Power Barge Number 102, if warranted, it said in a statement.

PCG Marine Environmental Command Rear Admiral Art Abu, however, told CNN Philippines that the agency will still have to study possible complaints that may be filed against the company, with officials still awaiting the final results of the investigation.

Pinag-aaralan pa dahil (Were still studying it because) right now we are busy on containing the oil, Abu said in an interview with Newsroom Weekend.

Officials from the Coast Guard as well as personnel and management from the AC Energy Corporation owner of the power barge have started a coastal cleanup in the area to contain further damage brought by the oil spill pegged at around 48,000 liters.

Authorities have likewise placed multilayered spill booms from the tank to prevent the further spread of oil in the waters.

Initial reports from the PCG said one of the tanks exploded due to hot work as acetylene was used to open rusted compartments. AC Energy meanwhile said that the oil spill was initially blocked by a structure surrounding the barge but high waves caused it to spill out.

Meanwhile, PCG reported that around 100 families composed of over 300 individuals living in the vicinity were affected by the incident. They were evacuated to a nearby school, it added.

AC Energy, in a separate statement on Saturday, said it will closely coordinate with the local government unit concerned in order to address the needs of the affected community.

The Environment Department, on the other hand, said a notice of violation of the Republic Act No. 9275 or the Clean Water Act will be issued in relation to the incident.
Columbia, SC (29201)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
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
David Langham Horace, 44, passed away June 9, 2021 in Lufkin. Viewing will be held on Friday, June 18, 2021 at Emanuel Funeral Home of Crockett from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Antioch Baptist Church in Pennington at 12 p.m. with burial to follow in A
As the pandemic year 2020 rolls on, Indian subcontinent sets to improve in its journo-murder index with only two casualties this year till date. First half of the year witnessed the murder of one scribe each in Pakistan and India for their journalistic works, where as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet (presently under China), Sri Lanka and Maldives evaded any incident of journo-casualties in the last six months.

The current pandemic has taken a bigger toll as no less than seven journalists died of Covid-19 complications in the subcontinent

Others who were killed in India last year included Jobanpreet Singh (Punjabs online journalist), Vijay Gupta (Kanpur-based scribe), Radheyshyam Sharma (Kushinagar-based journalist), Ashish Dhiman (Saharanpur-based photojournalist), Chakresh Jain (Shahgarh-based freelance journalist), Anand Narayan (news channel contributor of Mumbai) and Nityanand Pandey (magazine editor in Thane).Keralas journalist K Muhammed Basheer lost his life as a government officer driven vehicle mowed down hi. Guwahati-based scribe Naresh Mitra died after sustaining head injuries in a mysterious accident inside the city. Bihars scribe Pradeep Mandal was targeted by miscreants, but he survived luckily. Mandal contributed a number of news items against the local liquor mafia for "Dainik Jagaran" and invited enmities from the goons.Contrary to number of journalists eliminated by assailants, the novel corona virus pandemic has taken a bigger toll as no less than seven journalists died of Covid-19 complications in the subcontinent. Bangladesh alone lost six journalists to the virus infection where nearly 200 other media persons tested positive for Covid-19. India also witnesses nearly 150 journalists infected with the virus with three casualties. Pakistan reports over 50 media persons infected with the virus. At the same time, the pandemic resulted in the killing of hundreds of mainstream media outlets across the subcontinent.Many surviving newspapers close down editions, reduce pages, cut salaries and even lay off employees including working journalists citing the reason of shrinking advertisement revenues in the last three months. However, as usual, only a few media bodies dared to raise voices against the media managements for their arbitrary decisions that finally turned humiliating for the journalists.---
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NEW HAVEN  Big Pharma, incentivized by the federal government, is leading the way in the U.S. on developing a vaccine for COVID-19, but a team at Yale University is working on an approach that could help with the rapid production of a vaccine, which would be needed to inoculate as many people as possible.

Dr. Richard Bucala and his team, based on work it did in 2018 on development of a quickly replicating vaccine for experimental malaria, are hoping to apply the platform to COVID-19.

Bucala is the head of rheumatology, allergy and immunology at the Yale School of Medicine and a professor of medicine, pathology and epidemiology.

The Trump administration has identified five companies or partnerships at the head of the pack in finding a COVID-19 vaccine and is backing them with billions in funding.

They are Moderna in Boston; a combination of Oxford University and AstraZeneca; Johnson & Johnson; Merck; and Pfizer.

Pfizer and the biotech firm BioNTech on Wednesday released news of a potential vaccine that produced immune responses in healthy patients, according to STAT. Moderna, which was scheduled to start phase 3 of its potential vaccine, has pushed it back phase 3 testing, but is expected to still do it this month.

The New York Times has a vaccine tracker that keeps tabs on advances in the effort. It said there are researchers around the world working on more than 145 vaccines against the coronavirus, with 20 vaccines in human trials.

The bottom line is that when you have a huge problem you want more than one approach, solution or effort. What we work on is based on technology that was used to develop an effective malarial vaccine in mice, Bucala said.

The professor said the best way to reduce mortality in a pandemic is a vaccine that can be deployed quickly.

Among current approaches, vaccine antigen delivered by a self-replicating RNA, or replicon, offers the greatest potential for speed of development, safety and scalable production, Bucala wrote in a synopsis of his proposal.

Contributed photo

RNA is ribonucleic acid, a nucleic acid present in all living cells. Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions for synthesis of proteins. All vaccines are based on proteins, Bucala said.

This RNA is self-replicating, meaning when you inject it into muscle, it produces more copies and more protein antigene, Bucala said. The process activates both the antibody and cell based immunity needed for long term protection.

The professor said there is also a self-replicating RNA effort that is going well at Imperial College in London.

They have a different platform than ours, but it is the same conceptual and practical advance, Bucala said. But all the other vaccine efforts are by traditional approaches or involve RNA or DNA that is going to be challenging to make in time and sufficient doses.

Bucala said millions of doses of an RNA replicon vaccine can be made from a relatively small amount of production.

Standard vaccine approaches that are reliant on the cell-based or egg-adaption methods used for seasonal influenza vaccines ... take 17 to 22 weeks from the seed vaccine strain determination until production for shipment. Thus, the RNA replicon vaccine platform addresses the three key challenges for a pandemic viral vaccine: rapid development, activation of a protective anti-viral immune response, and facile, scalable production, he wrote.

He said the standard approach is what took place with the H1N1 pandemic flu a decade ago. Bucala said after the viral strain was discovered, it took about 58 months to make the vaccine, and it was not available until after the second pandemic wave had peaked. Fortunately, that virus did not really affect the United States, he said.

In his opinion, the coronavirus is probably here to stay.

He said there have been three coronavirus epidemics in the last 15 years, from SARS, (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003 to MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) in 2012 and now SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19.

The doctor said there may not be an outbreak of COVID-19 every year, but maybe every 3 to 5 years.

So we are going to need to have the capability of producing a lot of vaccine very quickly, he said. This is the kind of platform that can do that.

The researcher said there are a lot of basic questions about coronaviruses that are not known. He said they account for about 20 percent to 30 percent of all common colds. It is not really known if there is long-term protective immunity, he said.

He said what they do know so far is that antibody responses to coronaviruses wane within a few months. So it is just not known whether infection is protective or if vaccination will be protective.

All of that is going to have to be studied and that is why (Dr.) Anthony Fauci says it is a year off. You cant accelerate the fundamentals of proving a medical intervention works. The clinical trial part of vaccine development, you cant make it any faster than is the natural process, he said.

Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and is the chief government adviser on COVID-19.

Bucala said it is still unknown why children dont seem to get the disease.

It is possible that kids, being kids, get lots of cold viruses all the time. Maybe that confers some cross-protection to the coronavirus, but we just dont know that, he said. Others suggest that children dont have high levels of the host receptor protein responsible for infection.

The professor said one of the interesting things about coronaviruses is that they have one of the largest RNA genomes of any virus. Virologists hypothesize that the reason the coronavirus has this huge RNA genome is that it allows it to continually adapt to exist between different species. It has found its ecological niche, he said.

Bucala said the the replicon-based vaccine his team developed in 2018 for experimental malaria is undergoing pre-clinical validation at Oxford University with planned advancement into human testing.

The professor is part of the governors task force interested in coordinating Connecticuts technology efforts to address the COVID-19 problem. He said he has been pleased with the states approach to dealing with the pandemic.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
Empowering underserved communities with corporate initiatives has long been a goal of Dalila Wilson-Scott, Comcast SVP of Community Impact and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. At the 2019 Social Innovation Summit in Los Angeles, Jessica Abo spoke with Wilson-Scott about how business leaders can positively impact the lives of their customers and employees.

Wilson-Scott discusses accessibility programs Comcast has pursued with the help of partner organizations, allowing them to test features with the customers theyre intended to empower.
Connecticut state police said Saturday they had made 19 arrests for driving under the influence and written hundreds of tickets over the July 4 weekend.

Four of the DUI arrests were made after motor vehicle crashes, state police said Saturday morning.

While the stats released Saturday do not include any arrests made over the night of July 4, the 19 arrests so far represent less than half the DUI arrests state police made over Independence Day weekend the year before. Last year, state police arrested 50 people charged with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the agency said in a statement.

State police have written 199 speeding tickets as of Saturday, six citations for seat belts, and 491 moving violations such as following too close or unsafe lane changes, the agency said.

As of Saturday, state police have responded to 3,907 calls and assisted 132 motorists. Troopers have gone to 179 crashes, 28 involving injury none of which were serious in nature, the report said.

Local police in Fairfield reported a Pennsylvania woman was struck and killed on Redding Road Saturday night. Police said theyre looking for a green Jeep Wrangler with its top off and doors on, with a large American flag flying from the back believed to have been involved in the womans death.

Last year the agency issued more than 650 speeding tickets and investigated 248 crashes 51 with injury, state police said.

There were no fatal motor vehicle accidents over Independence Day weekend last year, according to state police.
CultNews101.com: news, links, resources. Cults101.org: resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics. CultMediation.com: offers resources designed to help thoughtful families and friends understand and respond to the complexity of a loved ones cult involvement. Intervention101.com: to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement. CultRecovery101.com: assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
Local

Pasquotank board to discuss monument's future

cday / The Daily Advance/ Pasquotank commissioners Special Projects Committee voted this week to recommend moving the Confederate monument on courthouse grounds to private property in Nixonton. cday / Chris Day/the daily advance Pasquotank Countys Confederate monument is seen from behind a temporary orange fence, Monday, June 22.

For the third time in five years, the Pasquotank Board of Commissioners will discuss whether the courthouse square is the appropriate place for a monument celebrating Confederate soldiers.

County Manager Sparty Hammett confirmed that commissioners plan to discuss the 109-year-old monuments future during the boards next meeting on July 13.

The board just wants to discuss in a proactive way whether the monument should continue to be where it is, he said.

Erected with both city and county approval as well as financial support in 1911 by the now-defunct D.H. Hill Chapter of the United Daughters of Confederacy, the Pasquotank monument  a 6-foot granite statue of a Confederate soldier standing atop a 25-foot granite pedestal  pays tribute to the Confederacy and those who fought for it during the Civil War.

The monument, like the more than 100 others built across North Carolina during roughly the same time period, 1900 to 1930, has quietly remained in a place of prominence for over a century. In Elizabeth City, it stands between two courthouses and looks southward over Main Street.

But with most historians now in agreement the Confederacy, which included North Carolina, fought the Civil War to keep the ancestors of Black Americans enslaved, calls have increased in recent years to move the monuments.

Many Blacks see the monuments as lingering symbols of white supremacy and reminders of the racial oppression and violence Black people suffered up until the Civil Rights era in the 1960s. They contend the monuments should be removed from courthouses or other high-profile downtown areas to either museums or cemeteries.

Discussions about removing Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag from public spaces intensified in 2015 following the murder of nine Black church-goers in Charleston, South Carolina by an avowed white racist who draped himself in Confederate imagery. Those discussions were ignited again two years later following the slaying of a white woman protesting a Confederate monument in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was killed by a white nationalist who drove his car into the crowd where she was walking.

Following both incidents, the Pasquotank chapter of the National Association of Colored People asked county commissioners to remove the Confederate monument from the courthouse square, calling it a symbol of both hate and white supremacy. But on both occasions the board declined, voting 4-3 each time to leave the monument where it is.

During the 2017 vote, commissioners also declined Elizabeth City City Councils request that they petition state lawmakers to seek a change to a 2015 state law that prohibits, with limited exceptions, the removal of objects of remembrance like Confederate monuments from public property without state approval. The states Republican-led General Assembly had passed the law to prevent local officials, who they claimed were more susceptible to acting on public opinion, from hastily removing any public monuments, including Confederate statues.

The death of George Floyd, a black man, while in the custody of a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 31 ignited nationwide protests of policing and racial justice. But it also reignited the debate about monuments, particularly those celebrating the Confederacy.

Protests over those monuments, some of which have included violence, have spurred a number of North Carolina cities  Raleigh, Asheville, Wilmington, Greenville, Henderson, Louisburg and Rocky Mount are just a few  to either remove their Confederate monuments or make plans to do so. Most have cited a public safety exemption in the 2015 state law as the basis for the removals.

The outrage over Floyds death has also renewed debate about removal of the Confederate monument in Pasquotank.

As of Friday morning nearly 2,800 people had signed an online petition on Change.org to remove the statue. Started by St. Louis resident Latonya Flowers, a former Elizabeth City resident, the petition calls the monument a painful reminder of racial oppression and hatred endured by people of color and asks that it be removed.

Every city is recognizing the error of having them and with great hope we feel that our city should have the same and greater love, honor, kindness and respect for humanity. We want to be on the right side of history, the petition reads.

Flowers petition has sparked at least two counter petitions on Change.org. One posted by Glenn McGuinness and addressed to Elizabeth City City Council, the city mayor and the Pasquotank Board of Commissioners, had attracted 915 signatures as of Friday morning. It asks those officials to ignore the petition to remove the monument and leave it and other statues in place.

History can not be changed and must be observed and learned from, it reads. We must learn from the mistakes of the past and honor and remember the lives of our forefathers. The good and the bad must be preserved in order to gain a true understanding of our past and develop our future. These monuments are a part of our past, both good and bad; we must remember both or we are destined to repeat the bad.

A second counter petition posted by Peggy Pavey requesting the monument stay where it is had attracted 141 signatures as of Friday morning.

These statues and monuments represent the history and historical events that helped create our great city, it reads. These statues and monuments represent the men who died to protect their land and state. These statues and monuments should remain in place to remind all people of the past, so we as human beings can strive to be better human beings.

The views expressed in the petitions  both for removing the monument and keeping it where it is  are similar to those expressed by members of the public during commissioners previous discussions on the issue in both 2015 and 2017.

Hammett said no member of the public had approached the county about removing the monument. But he confirmed that at least one commissioner has called for removing it. He declined to say who.

Commissioner Cecil Perry is the lone commissioner who remains from the board that voted with the minority both times to remove the monument. Asked if he had asked Hammett about moving the monument, Perry said he probably did.

As someone who experienced racism and discrimination firsthand during the Jim Crow era, Perry, whos now in his 80s, said he knows the history of why the monument was put on the courthouse square, and it had nothing to do with honoring local soldiers.

It was done to intimidate African Americans and to show them who was superior, he said, noting the monument was erected long after the Civil War had ended and happened when governments across the South, including North Carolinas, were dominated by white supremacists.

Perry also said it continues to puzzle him why monuments honoring people who seceded from the U.S. were erected in the first place.

What other group of people could have fought against the United States of America and still be recognized? he asked. Its wrong that its there, and it ought to be moved.

Hammett said commissioners could take action on the monument following their July 13 discussion, but he declined to speculate what that action might be.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Dixon said if there are four votes for moving the monument  something that hasnt happened the two previous times commissioners were asked to move it  the issue would be forwarded to the boards Special Projects Committee, a panel that includes himself, Perry and Commissioner Barry Overman.

Dixon, who has voted previously to keep the monument at the courthouse, says he still feels that way.

Bringing up things from the past doesnt help us focus on the future, he said. So it should stay where it is.

However, if commissioners were to vote to move the monument, there are a number of issues theyll have to address, not the least of which is whether they can legally do so under the 2015 law.

Theres also the expense of doing (removing) it, where it would be relocated to, whether it would be put in storage, Dixon said.

Any decision by the Special Projects Committee about the monuments future would have to come back to the full seven-member board for a final decision, he said.
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
Dr. Mark Josefski of Kingston was awarded the Family Medicine Educator of the Year 2020 reco
SUNY NEW PALTZ

College moves against racism, social injustice

SUNY New Paltz will take steps to combat racism, social injustice

The series of steps will include creating a bias response and support network, as well as continuing efforts to diversity faculty, staff and students
The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
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.
@ChescoCourtNews on Twitter

Michael P. Rellahan has been a staff reporter and editor at the Daily Local News since 1982. He has covered all kinds of news over the years but is now assigned to report on court and legal news, as well as Chester County government news and politics.
When this madness began, I behaved as if a new and fanatical religion was spreading among us. Be polite and tolerant, I thought. It may be crazy and damaging but in time it will go away.

Now it is clear that a new faith, based on fear of the invisible and quite immune to reason, has all but taken over the country. And it turns out to be one of those faiths that doesn't have much tolerance for those who don't share it.

My guess is that about 85 per cent of the population now worship it and will continue to do so. The rest of us are, as each day goes by, a persecuted minority, forced to go along with beliefs we do not hold.

This obsession with telling us how to look, and turning us from normal humans into submissive, mouthless flock animals all decked out in a compulsory uniform is, in my view, part of an unprecedented assault on our personal liberty in general. Passengers are seen on the London Tube network

Its evangelists will not leave you and me alone, but constantly seek to force us to join. This is why I make such a fuss about the demand to make us all wear muzzles. This is not about health.

There is simply not enough evidence to compel us to do so. It is an attempt to force submission on Covid unbelievers.

That is why it spreads, despite the absence of any good case for it. In a creepy development, one of the most powerful scientific papers arguing against it, Why Face Masks Don't Work: A Revealing Review, last week suddenly vanished from its usual place on the internet (I still have a copy).

Scotland's tinpot despot, Nicola Sturgeon, now demands that muzzles are worn in shops, as well as on public transport, north of the border.

In Texas, of all states, the governor seeks to make muzzles compulsory in all public places. The tiny-circulation Guardian newspaper, which just so happens to be the house journal of the BBC, absurdly compares muzzles to seat belts (proven a million times to save lives, beyond any doubt) and demands in its main editorial 'Cover your face'.

Now it is clear that a new faith, based on fear of the invisible and quite immune to reason, has all but taken over the country. And it turns out to be one of those faiths that doesn't have much tolerance for those who don't share it [File photo]

The BBC is then careful to report this prominently. Do not be surprised if the Government soon follows. Yet, as the Government's own documents and experts have repeatedly said, evidence for the usefulness of these muzzles is weak. The Department for Business and Enterprise says clearly: 'The evidence of the benefit of using a face covering to protect others is weak and the effect is likely to be small.'

This obsession with telling us how to look, and turning us from normal humans into submissive, mouthless flock animals all decked out in a compulsory uniform is, in my view, part of an unprecedented assault on our personal liberty in general. Stay at home. Stop working. Don't see your friends or relatives. Submit, submit, submit. Get used to being told what to do.

And we do it. I have begun to understand why the atrocious drivel of Fifty Shades Of Grey was so popular. It seems we really have become a nation of surrendered masochists.

The decision to force poor Leicester back into the misery of total shutdown is an example of this. Craziest of all is the closure of schools in that city, when school-age children are barely touched by Covid.

This must make plans to reopen schools in September even less likely to come true. Does the Government think the education unions won't notice this panic-driven act and use it to keep the schools shut? Of course they will.

I am pretty sure this has been done not because it's necessary but because the hysterical would-be headmaster Matt Hancock wants to keep us under his thumb.

Behave, he shrills, or the tuck shop stays closed. Leicester is like the poor boys who were caned by such headmasters to set an example to the rest.

In this he is backed up by the increasingly uncuddly Premier Al Johnson, who hawks the myth that all these deprivations have reduced the incidence of the disease.

'Do not undo the sacrifices you have made with reckless behaviour,' says the man who has recklessly destroyed our economy and is clueless about how to rescue it from himself.

The truth is there is still not one eighth of an ounce of evidence that crashing the economy and keeping us all at home saved a single life. Let us examine the case for this punitive closure of Leicester.

First of all, there are these things called 'infections' which sound quite nasty. But what are they? How many of those who test positive for Covid-19 (in a test that is highly dubious) have no symptoms? The Government could not tell me.

I suspect only a tiny proportion are seriously ill. As I keep saying, for most people the disease is a minor event. It is not the plague.

It seems we really have become a nation of surrendered masochists. The decision to force poor Leicester back into the misery of total shutdown is an example of this. The city centre is pictured above

Then there is the simple question: Are there more infections because we are looking harder for them? Well, I can tell you this. I asked for a list of testing stations in Leicester and the dates on which they opened.

One opened on May 1. All the others  seven of them  have opened since June 18, the very period during which the supposed surge has taken place.

It is, in any case, absurd to imagine that the people of Leicester can be confined in their city and prevented from venturing into nearby towns and villages to take advantage of the limited freedoms now being restored to us (such as they are).

Even the petulant, petty Mr Hancock is not going to confine Leicester in a ring of steel, as if it were East Berlin in 1961 (though he may dream of such actions).

This is about power and freedom, and has less and less to do with Covid-19. Soon, as the terrible economic consequences of Mr Johnson begin to become clear to all, this may be a lot more important.

The latest crime? Making a cup of tea

Many in the media treat this period as a bit of a joke, a light-hearted interlude and a spectator sport, like a holiday or a foreign crisis seen from afar.

I don't. It scares me stiff. I think something has gone wrong deep inside the workings of this country. A fire long smouldering below decks has now burst into the open.

Let me share a letter I received from a reader: 'I run a small coffee shop and when the state decreed, I reopened for takeaway (I was 'allowed' also by the local council to use a small area outside my premises for people to sit down and drink their takeaways). Occasionally, when the weather has been bad or someone with an infirmity hasn't been able to take their drink away, I have let them sit inside.

'This morning I was visited by the police and warned. I was informed that two complaints had been made against me for serving drinks inside the premises. All for making someone a cup of tea and being human enough to let them have it inside. Last year my business was burgled and trashed and drug dealing was going on in the park that my business overlooks. And what happened then? Absolutely nothing. This isn't the kind of country that my grandfather fought to preserve.'

At the same time, the political cleansing of our schools and universities continues ferociously. I hear confidentially of heavyweight intolerance of conservatives at Oxford, who have objected to the planned removal of the Cecil Rhodes statue there.

Now I receive this from another university, where all academics have been 'invited' to an online 'discussion' intended to 'disrupt structural factors that produce white privilege and systemic disadvantage

'We invite all staff to reflect on their identities and social positions, taking an 'intersectional' approach. Participants will be given an opportunity to share perspectives and experiences of institutional racism at work, including any recommendations for change, with the University's senior academic leadership team.'

I wouldn't give much for the future careers of anybody who does not kowtow to this inquisition.

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As the Labour MP for Leicester West, one might expect Liz Kendall to spend this week focusing on her constituents, many of whom must be deeply concerned about the implementation of a second lockdown in the city. Well, dont hold your breath.

For this Thursday, Kendall, who ran unsuccessfully for the Labour leadership in 2015, will take time off from dealing with the crisis engulfing her constituency to address the blue-chip clients of leading British PR outfit Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW).

The advance publicity says: Liz will be talking about the future of health and social care policy in the UK.

It says a lot about the woman who may be Labours next Health Secretary that she believes its appropriate to talk to a PR company favoured by cigarette and weapon manufacturers

Naturally, it fails to mention that BCWs clients include Raytheon, the U.S. missile manufacturer. Nor does it highlight that BCW also advises Imperial Brands, better known as Imperial Tobacco, which produces Players, Winston and Gauloise cigarettes.

As Shadow Minister for Social Care, Kendall will know full well that smoking-related deaths last year were estimated at 78,000 in the UK  considerably more than the number from Covid-19.

It says a lot about the woman who may be Labours next Health Secretary that she believes its appropriate to talk to a PR company favoured by cigarette and weapon manufacturers.

The fact that she would do so when her constituents most need her perhaps makes it even more shocking.

As the Labour MP for Leicester West, one might expect Liz Kendall to spend this week focusing on her constituents, many of whom must be deeply concerned about the implementation of a second lockdown in the city. The city centre is pictured above

The Green Party has long been committed to abolishing the undemocratic House of Lords and replacing it with a fully elected second chamber.

So why is the party, which already has two peers, set to ask its supporters who should be put forward for the House of Lords if it needs to appoint an additional member?

What hypocrites! For a bunch of environmentalists, their principles seem like a load of hot air.

Its on the House!

Three of Parliaments bars are reopening today  albeit without any of the safeguards imposed on Englands pubs, including taking names of drinkers.

Thirsty MPs clearly dont wish to be traced!

Look whos next door, Luciana!

One of the most high-profile Labour MPs to quit over the partys failure to root out antisemitism was Luciana Berger.

At one point, the Jewish MP for Liverpool Wavertree received so much horrific abuse that she had to attend a Labour Party conference with bodyguards.

Berger, who stood unsuccessfully for the Lib Dems at the last General Election, has since moved on. She is now managing director of public affairs company Edelman, which is based in Southside, a swish office block in Londons Victoria.

Yet one suspects Berger has enjoyed working from home recently.

For who are the other tenants? The Labour Party, of course.

Watching a Top Of The Pops rerun, Labour MP Stella Creasy admitted: I now realise how smart [my mother] was in her parenting. She said I could have that Kylie Minogue perm but only when I was 15  thus knowing given time even I would recognise the error of my ways and put down the peroxide. The hairdressers are now open should you have a relapse, Stella.

Quote of the week: When Northern Ireland astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was asked if she would like to be honoured with a statue, she replied: It depends on how far down my blouse will be unbuttoned.

Working in the Hansard team that delivers official verbatim reports of what is said in Parliament cant be the easiest of jobs at the best of times.

But last week, they were really put to the test by Mark Jenkinson, the new Tory MP for Workington.

As the son of a binman and an office clerk, who himself was once a British Steel apprentice, he told the Commons that the traditional way to identify a fellow Cumbrian was by asking: As thou eer sin cuddy lowp a five-barred yat?

(It translates as: Have you ever seen a donkey jump a five-barred gate?)

Naturally, the Hansard writers reproduced it word perfect.
A grandmother, whose three-year-old grandson died from brain cancer after he was misdiagnosed with a sprained ankle, has launched a petition to fund research into childhood cancer.

Fiona Govan, 50, from Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland, was left heartbroken after her grandson, Logan Maclean, died three months after his diagnosis with a rare brain tumour, known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

The toddler's family became concerned when they noticed Logan was walking with a limp on his right leg in October 2016.

Logan's family took him to their local practice, but were given no answers and claimed doctors diagnosed the three-year-old with a sprained ankle.

Logan Maclean (pictured) died three months after his diagnosis with a rare brain tumour known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)

Following three visits to A&E at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, a consultant noticed a corresponding weakness in his arm on the same side, known as hemiplegia.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Fiona said: 'He started walking with a limp and it was assumed he had a twist or sprain - ankle was mentioned first then possibility of it being his hip.

'It was an A&E consultant at outpatient clinic who noticed a corresponding weakness in the arm on the same side and arranged for him to go in for scans.

'The tumour in fact was not generating the message to flex his ankle up to bring his foot through so he was kind of swinging his leg round rather than lifting it properly.

Fiona Govan (right), 50, from Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland, was left heartbroken after her grandson died in 2016

'Logan's was not the most usual of presentations and it was diagnosed after a number of other possible diagnoses were ruled out.

'However with DIPG, early diagnosis makes no difference - you just get to know sooner your child or grandchild will die.'

Logan underwent CT and MRI scans and on December 6, grandmother Fiona and mother Sapphire Maclean, 29, were given the heartbreaking news that he had incurable cancer.

The toddler passed away in his mother's arms at home in, Largs, Ayrshire, on October 17 2017, following six weeks of radiotherapy.

The family were granted a trip to Croatia with Make a Wish and visited Calum's Cabin, a retreat on the Isle of Bute for children with cancer, to create memories with Logan (pictured with Fiona)

And now Fiona, who is also grandmother to three-year-old Ezra, has started a petition to fund research into childhood cancers with the worst survival rate.

The petition has garnered more than 80,000 signatures, and needs 100,000 before it can be considered for debate in Parliament.

Fiona says she hopes the petition meets three goals that would prevent other families experiencing the same heartbreak.

She explained that she is hoping funding for children's cancers can be ring-fenced with a proportion going towards research and data on cancer funding to be more transparent.

The doting grandmother revealed how Logan (pictured) was a 'lovely wee soul' who loved reading stories and playing with dinosaurs

Fiona described of the devastating effect of losing a child and revealed how the petition aims to prevent other families from going through what they have.

Talking to the Daily Record, Fiona said: 'When you lose a child, you are losing 70 years of life they could have had, it isn't right.'

Fiona spoke of how she was 'grieving' while Logan was still alive because of the terminal diagnosis.

However she never believed her grandson would die and said: 'You have this vague awareness of it but you assume it won't happen to you and the child won't die.'

WHAT IS DIFFUSE INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA (DIPG)? Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare type of brain tumour Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare type of brain tumour that can't be operated on because of its location within a crucial part of the brain, called the pons. This area is responsible for a number of critical bodily functions, such as breathing, sleeping and blood pressure. The high-grade brain tumour, which mostly affects children, tends to grow quickly and often spreads to other parts of the brain or spinal cord. Most diagnoses occur in youngsters between the ages of five and 10. The cause of the tumour remains unknown. More than 90 per cent of its victims will die within 18 months of diagnosis, according to figures. Each year, there are around 100 to 150 new diagnoses in the US. In the UK, it strikes between 20 and 30 each year. Symptoms include lack of facial control, double vision, headaches, vomiting, weakness, seizures and balance problems. One of the early indicators of the cancer is a child falling, tripping or losing balance. Advertisement

Fiona described the 'difficult moment' after the family learned Logan has other tumours growing in his brain and would not have a second radiation course to enable the family another Christmas together.

In 2017 the family launched a similar petition but were left disheartened when it did not gain enough signatures.

The doting grandmother revealed how Logan was a 'lovely wee soul' who loved reading stories and playing with dinosaurs.

She said: 'He was mischievous at times, he loved to tease others and to be teased and tickled.

Logan (far) with brother Ezra (pictured front) who was only seven weeks old when his elder brother was diagnosed

'He loved dinosaurs, playing in water, jumping in puddles, throwing stones in and putting himself in it too!

'Logan is a much loved little boy who should have had his whole life ahead of him and a big brother his little brother needed. He is missed every day.'

The family were granted a trip to Croatia with Make a Wish and visited Calum's Cabin, a retreat on the Isle of Bute for children with cancer, to create memories with Logan.

Fiona spoke of how Logan retained his sight and hearing but lost a lot of movement towards the end.

She praised the care that Logan received and added: 'The care he received on diagnosis was outstanding, including facilitating the families wishes about Logan's death at home (his outreach nurse was with us throughout the final 24 hours).'

She added: 'No one should have to go through this, I want to do all I can to help.'

Hugh Adams, spokesman for the charity Brain Tumour Research, said: 'Our hearts go out to Fiona and to all of Logan's family whose world has been shattered by this cruellest of cancers.

'We would urge anyone and everyone to get involved and to make a difference by signing this petition. It is vital that we continue to raise awareness of the shocking lack of investment for research into this disease.

'Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, historically, just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

'It is unbearable to think that, here in the UK, one child every fortnight is diagnosed with DIPG.

'We owe it to all of these families to give them hope and the only way we can do that is by increasing investment in research in order to improve patient outcomes and, ultimately, find a cure.'
PrettyLittleThing has been praised after unveiling a new fashion campaign shot during the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK-based online retailer has updated its website with photos of models posing on remote sandy beaches in Australia for their 'EveryBODYinPLT' campaign, which was shot using drones because of ongoing social distancing guidelines.

During the shoot, the crew, hair and makeup teams wore face masks and the models were shot individually in isolated areas amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Social media users have been left gushing over the stunning campaign, with one commenting: 'This video is really breathtaking. Amazing.'

Scroll down for video

UK-based brand PrettyLittleThing, has been praised for using drones to capture their latest campaign, which was shot in isolated locations (Pictured: Influencer Vakoo in the campaign)

Models, including Samantha Rayner, the crew and beauty teams wore face masks for the shoot in Australia (pictured, Samantha)

PrettyLittleThing, who usually works with models and influencers from across the globe, partnered with Australia based creative agency Komodo, to achieve their desired look.

Komodo has previously worked on fashion campaigns with brands including Boohoo, Missguided and New Look.

The brand revealed they chose Australia for the campaign because they want to encourage international tourists to visit once travel restrictions are lifted.

The images were captured in and around New South Wales using some of Australia's best known influencers including Samantha Rayner, Kaela Tavares, Ashleigh Menin, Ariella Nyssa, Vakoo and Bruna Lapinskas.

PrettyLittleThing chose Australia for the campaign in the hopes of encouraging tourism once travel restrictions are lifted (Pictured: Bruna Lapinskas)

Each of the girls were shot individually in Port Stephens, Stockton Sand Dunes and Sydney's Carriageworks.

A video made to support the images starts on one of Australia's famous white sandy beaches, with sweeping drone shots of beautiful scenery, before heading to the sprawling sand dunes and finally landing in industrial Sydney.

CEO and Founder of PrettyLittleThing, Umar Kamani, explained the campaign is about celebrating feeling good in your own body.

He said: 'I am really excited to be launching this campaign with We Are Komodo.

The campaign recruited models and influencers from across Australia to take part, and shot the women in remote locations with a drone( Pictured: Ariella Nyssa in the campaign)

The campaign, which is called The Escape, is about celebrating feeling good in your own body (Pictured: Kaela Tavares in the campaign)

Rather than getting up-close with a photographer, models were shot with the use of a drone in a Covid secure way in order to adhere to the social distancing guidelines (Pictured: Ashleigh Menin in the campaign)

'In light of the Covid crisis we as a brand have had to adapt to new ways of working and for myself and our team to be the first fast fashion retailer to shoot solely on a drone proves why PrettyLittleThing are always at the forefront of the industry.

'Our EveryBODYinPLT campaign has been extremely successful since launching in 2018 and we are proud to be working with some incredible talent and showcasing different sizes and ethnicities in this global campaign.

'We want everyone to feel good in their own skin and bodies, to feel confident and empowered no matter your shape, size, ethnicity or status.

'The models and Komodo team have been fantastic to work with and given the social distancing restrictions being relaxed in Australia before anywhere else this was the perfect setting for us.

While some influencers were shot at the sandy beaches of Australia, others posed in industrial locations (Pictured: Bruna Lapinskas)

Footage of the campaign has been viewed over 51,000 times, since being shared on PrettyLittleThing's Instagram (pictured: Vakoo in the campaign)

'The teams dedication to produce this campaign during a very difficult time has allowed us to give our customers a new creative in a non-traditional sense which is what is so important to us as a lifestyle brand - producing new and engaging content across all of our platforms.'

Founder of Komodo, Nick Seymour added: 'We at Komodo are stoked that PrettyLittleThing decided to work with us on this revolutionary campaign.

'Our mantra is 'Never Do Normal' and we are always looking for innovative ways to inspire our clients and this was a great opportunity to do something different.

'The final result is epic and we are so proud of it! Australia is such a stunning backdrop for global campaigns and it's incredible to shine a spotlight on how versatile it can be by bringing one of the world's largest online retailers to our shores for a global campaign.'

Social media users have heaped praise on the brand for the campaign, with one commenting that the video was 'breathtaking'

Fans of the brand took to their Instagram account, praising the campaign with one commenting: 'I love that you have so many different bodies as models.

'It really gives me a good feeling that those extra pounds don't care.

'I love what you do!! Keep up the good work! Love what you do.'

The Escape; launches on 01.07.20 at www.prettylittlething.com
Celebrity chef Matt Preston has ranked his favourite Italian foods in a 'controversial' list that saw spaghetti bolognese, polenta and arancini miss out on the top 10.

The 59-year-old former Masterchef Australia judge believes lasagna is 'without doubt, the greatest Italian dish ever made' and anointed it the top spot in his list, before neapolitan pizza and granita.

While he does enjoy panna cotta, minestrone and pappa al pomodoro (a tomato-based bread soup), they weren't unforgettable enough to enter the ranking system either, he told Delicious.

So what does Matt enjoy eating when he's enjoying time in Italy?

Celebrity chef Matt Preston has ranked his favourite Italian foods in a 'controversial' list that saw spaghetti bolognese, polenta and arancini miss out on the top 10

1. Lasagna

The layers of bechamel sauce, pasta sheets and ragu are enough to make Matt's heart sing, and is why he has placed lasagna - or lasagne depending on what part of Italy you're from - in first position.

The delicious meal, which can take hours to prepare, is a favourite 'first course' at Easter and Christmas gatherings in Italy - and just as popular in households across Australia.

There are plenty of additional vegetables and varieties - like spinach and ricotta - that can be enjoyed alongside the original version.

The layers of bechamel sauce, pasta sheets and ragu are enough to make Matt's heart sing, and is why he has placed lasagna - or lasagne depending on what part of Italy you're from - in first position

2. Neapolitan pizza

Made with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese this Naples-style pizza is a source of pride in the region.

The genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of wheat flour, natural Neapolitan yeast, salt and water, making it deliciously fluffy and light to eat.

The margherita pizza is another version of the original that was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants in the early 20th century.

Made with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese this Naples-style pizza is a source of pride in the region

3. Granita

This dessert is semi-frozen by design and made from sugar, water and various flavourings.

'My favourites are the almond and black mulberry ones served at Caffe Sicilia in Noto in Sicily,' Matt said. 'The nut one tastes like dreaming under a blanket of almond blossom. And what a beautiful dream with just little hint of bitterness at the end.'

It works to cleanse the palate at the end of a meal and is especially enjoyed in the warmer months.

This dessert is semi-frozen by design and made from sugar, water and various flavourings

Poll What is your favourite Italian dish? Lasagna Gelato Tiramisu Spaghetti bolognese Ravioli Pizza What is your favourite Italian dish? Lasagna 68 votes

Gelato 9 votes

Tiramisu 17 votes

Spaghetti bolognese 24 votes

Ravioli 28 votes

Pizza 38 votes Now share your opinion





4. White truffle, porcini and parmesan salad

Italy is home to the white truffle so it makes sense for traditional cooks to include it in all manner of foods, including salads.

This particular one is native to Bologna and while not especially well-known outside of there, it's an expression of Italian simplicity.

'The ingredients are expensive and have to be pristine given they're adorned with nothing more than lemon juice and shaved parmesan - but this is a dish to push lasagne for the title,' Matt said.

5. Ravioli

These simple envelopes filled with all manner of meats and cheeses can be difficult to perfect, and Matt admits to eating his fair share of 'bastardised' versions.

But when done right the result is a burst of flavoursome pasta beloved by generations of Italians.

Early versions of the pasta can be traced back to the Roman Empire, but it wasn't until the Middle Ages that the ravioli we know today was first created.

These simple envelopes filled with all manner of meats and cheeses can be difficult to perfect, and Matt admits to eating his fair share of 'bastardised' versions

6. Tiramisu

This boozy dessert flavoured with coffee is the perfect finale to a meal filled with hearty pastas and salad.

It is made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa.

Matt believes it was first made in the 1960s, meaning it's a fairly new creation, but no less enjoyed by the masses.

This boozy dessert flavoured with coffee is the perfect finale to a meal filled with hearty pastas and salad

7. Risotto

Who can forget the sticky rice-filled dish that takes such care and finesse to create?

Matt says the recipe itself is 'dead simple', with one ladle of stock required for every two ladles of rice.

But the rice must be 'toasted' first and the stock added gradually with butter and grated cheese for the ultimate flavour explosion.

Who can forget the sticky rice-filled dish that takes such care and finesse to create?

8. Bean stew

What were Matt Preston's top 10 favourite dishes? 1. LASAGNA 2. NEAPOLITAN PIZZA 3. GRANITA 4. WHITE TRUFFLE, PORCINI and PARMESAN SALAD 5. RAVIOLI 6. TIRAMISU 7. RISOTTO 8. BEAN STEW 9. PORCHETTA 10. PESTO Source: Delicious Advertisement

The Tuscan bean stew is remarkably high on Matt's list of top dishes because of the way it transforms a humble bean with vegetables into a magnetic broth with minimal ingredients.

The chef likes to pair his stew with a few drops of balsamic vinegar but otherwise left entirely traditional.

It's the ultimate winter warmer for those who don't want to be weighed down by a meaty dish.

9. Porchetta

Porchetta is a savoury, fatty and boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition.

The carcass is deboned, arranged carefully stuffed with liver, wild fennel, all fat and skin still on spitted or roasted, traditionally over wood for at least eight hours.

It can be served as the centrepiece of a dinner or in other dishes, like pasta.

10. Pesto

The basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil puree is extremely versatile, and for this reason has made the list.

Matt argues that the basil can tend to be overpowering but for the most part he enjoys experimenting with it in his cooking.

It's an age-old quick pasta sauce recipe that pleases the whole family.
An Australian mum has revealed how she uses a two-second plate trick to encourage her daughter to eat vegetables on a daily basis.

Posting to the Budget Friendly Meals Australia Facebook group, Rebecca said she forms a 'face' on a plate to entice her four-year-old to eat all manner of greens.

And it takes less than five minutes to prepare.

'Canned tuna with mayo, raw carrot - poured boiling water over broccoli, beans and corn and microwaved for one minute. This is what I do on nights when I'll probably have a sandwich,' she said.

Australian mum Rebecca said she forms a 'face' on a plate (pictured) to encourage her daughter to eat vegetables

'The face is to increase [the] chance that it'll get eaten - hasn't failed me yet!' she said.

Rebecca said she figured out the trick through trail and error.

'All the other veggies are crunchy, because I know she doesn't like soft veggies (except for pumpkin, sweet potato and potato),' she said.

'[It] makes it a bit special when it's just a mish-mash of whatever I have in the fridge/cupboard - and there's always a, "Ooohhh! Wow!"'

'The face is to increase [the] chance that it'll get eaten - hasn't failed me yet!' Rebecca said on Facebook

Other parents commented words of praise for the simple - but effective - idea.

'Maybe I should try a face to get veggies eaten by my three-year-old!' one woman said.

'Wow, you are a clever cookie, well done,' said another. A third added: 'Kickin' goals mama!'

Last month another clever mum said she prepares healthy lunchboxes for her two fussy sons who refuse to eat fruit.

Suzanne posted an image to a popular Facebook group and said while she used to fill the lunchboxes with easy yet unhealthy options, she now makes healthy bento boxes with sushi and snacks.

Last month another clever mum said she prepares healthy lunchboxes for her two fussy sons who refuse to eat fruit

'With two fussy eaters who refuse to eat fruit (thank goodness they eat veggies), I have often resorted to lunchboxes full of junk food and a sandwich because I didn't want them to starve,' she said online.

'But thanks to all your amazing ideas I have switched to bento boxes for my boys and lunches that are a bit healthier (and more environmentally friendly), so thank you everyone for your shares, you've all been inspirational.'

By preparing the bento boxes, she can ensure her sons are getting enough nutrients throughout the day.

By preparing the bento boxes, she can ensure her sons are getting enough nutrients throughout the day

Suzanne said she learnt to make sushi herself with the help of a DIY kit but now purchases the ingredients separately.

For the lunchboxes, she makes two different types of sushi including tuna with mayonnaise and spicy chicken.

The bento boxes themselves also contain dividers in order to safely separate the assortment of food without using plastic wrap.
Edward Enninful has revealed how his 'moments of recognition' at the PPA awards have been 'bittersweet' after he became the first black person to win Editor of The Year in 40 years.

The Editor-in-chief of British Vogue, 48, won both Editor of The Year and Diversity Initiative of the Year at the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Awards for the 'Forces for Change' edition which was guest-edited by Meghan Markle, 38.

Edward and the Duchess collaborated on September's special 'Forces for Change' edition, which featured a grid of 15 'incredible' women on the cover with articles commissioned by the royal inside.

The fashion guru, who started his career at iD magazine at the age of 18, explained on Instagram that while he's happy to have received these awards, there is still 'a lot of work to be done' to create diversity in the fashion industry.

British Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, 48, from London, has revealed how winning the Editor of the Year award at the PPAs was 'bittersweet'

Edward and the Duchess of Sussex, 38, collaborated on September's special 'Forces for Change' edition, which featured a grid of 15 women on the cover (pictured) with articles commissioned by the royal inside

He penned: 'Having worked in the magazine industry since I was 18 at iD all those years ago, I cannot tell you how much it meant to be names this year's PPA Consumer Editor of the Year, and for last September's Issue Forces for Change that I co-edited with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to be awarded diversity initiative of the year.

'2020 has been a challenging time for everyone in our industry and I feel truly honoured and thankful to my whole team who made it possible.'

He continued: 'But, like so many of my black colleagues working in media and fashion, there is often something bittersweet about these moments of recognition.

'It would be disingenuous of me to point out that I am the first black person to ever win this award - the first black person in 40 years.'

The fashion guru, who started his career at iD magazine at the age of 18, explained on Instagram that while he was happy to have received these awards, there is still 'a lot of work to be done'

In a lengthy Instagram post, the editor went on to urge media and fashion employers to change the way their workplaces are structured to allow for more diversity

He added: 'It says an awful lot about where publishing is still at. '

The editor went on to urge media and fashion employers to change the way their workplaces are structured to allow for more diversity.

He wrote: 'The media is good at pivoting on the surface. Diversity is making its way into our commissioning and onto our pages.'

'But what about inside our work places? Who are we hiring? Who are we nurturing? Who are we promoting? How do our office environments treat people? Who is allowed to get to the top?

The Duchess, pictured in London last year, has said she wanted the issue of Vogue that she guest edited to 'reflect the world as we see it - beautiful and strong in its diversity'

'No one wants to wait another 40 years for the next black person to be able to win editor of the year. There is a lot of work to be done.'

The magazine's September edition - which featured women including model Adwoa Aboah, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, actresses Gemma Chan, Laverne Cox, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek Pinault and Yara Shahidi, activist Greta Thunberg and author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the cover - was the fastest selling issue in the magazine's 104-year history, selling out in less then 10 days.

Meghan Markle, who is currently living in Tyler Perry's $18 million mansion in LA, responded to the magazine's award last week.

She revealed she had wanted the issue of Vogue that she guest edited to 'reflect the world as we see it - beautiful and strong in its diversity'.

Meghan's role as guest editor was one of the most radical in Vogue's 100 year history, with the September issue the most important edition of the year (pictured, the Duchess at her last official royal engagement in March)

She said: 'I'm honoured to have this very special issue recognised.

'Creating Forces for Change with Edward was an opportunity to have the September issue of Vogue reflect the world as we see it - beautiful and strong in its diversity.

'Huge congratulations to Edward who helped bring this to light, and for his additional honour of being awarded best editor by PPA.'
Edo Mapelli Mozzi's ex fiance Dara Huang donned a mask as she visited private member's club Annabel's amid the lockdown easing in London yesterday.

The American architect, 37, who shares a two-year-old son Christopher 'Woolfie' Woolf with Princess Beatrice's fiance Edo, shared snaps on her Instagram as she journeyed out into the capital to enjoy the city's restaurants on Super Saturday.

The 37-year-old opted to wear a face covering as she headed out for lunch with a friend, enjoying oysters at Spanish restaurant ArrosQD in Fitzrovia, before visiting exclusive member's club Annabel's in Mayfair.

Edo was engaged for three-and-a-half years to the mother of his child, Chinese-American Dara, a highly-successful architect with her own design company whom he split from in 2018.

Edo Mapelli Mozzi's ex fiance Dara Huang, 37, who lives in London, donned a mask as she visited private member's club Annabel's amid the lockdown easing yesterday.

The American architect dined out on oysters at a Spanish restaurant in Fitzrovia, before visiting exclusive member's club Annabel's

Dara posted a snap relaxing in the Spanish restaurant, captioning her photo: 'Restaurants back in full force but no pedicure.'

The American architect went on: 'Happy 4th of July to my fellows Americans!'

Dara went on to visit the UK's most exclusive members' club - which is frequented by celebrities, aristocrats and royalty - in Mayfair.

Annabel's opened its doors at its new address of 46 Berkeley Square last year. The club occupies 26,000 sq ft and offers members space to work, dine and entertain.

The American architect enjoyed a meal of oysters at ArrosQD in Fitzrovia (left), before visiting Annabel's in Mayfair where she celebrated a friends birthday over dinner (right)

Dara shared a snapshot as she posed for a photograph outside Annabel's in Mayfair, which is considered one of the most exclusive member's club in the UK

However upon returning to her home in West London, where she has spent the last two months isolating, she commented: 'Phew, home in one piece. I want to go back to being a hermit now.'

Despite spending much of the year travelling the world for her business, Dara has spent the past two months isolating in West London.

In September Princess Beatrice announced her engagement to property tycoon Edo, via a Buckingham Palace statement.

The royal started dating the Italian property developer in 2018.

The mother-of-one shared a selfie as she returned back to her West London home after the dya out when she joked that she 'wanted to go back to being a hermit'

Beatrice and Edo said of their 11-month whirlwind romance in a statement: 'We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement.

'We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can't wait to actually be married.

'We share so many similar interests and values, and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.'

Engagement photos, taken by sister Princess Eugenie in the grounds of Windsor Great Park, showed Beatrice wearing a green floral 595 Zimmerman dress and showing off her 3.5 carat engagement ring by Shaun Leane, estimated to have cost 100,000, along with a 2,730 Cartier love bracelet.

Beatrice would be the first among the young generation of royals to take on a stepchild, as Edoardo was previously engaged for three-and-a-half years to the mother of his child, Dara Huang, (seen) whom he split from last year
WHAT'S NOW & HOW TO DO IT: MASK-PROOF LIPSTICKS

British beauty expert Elsa McAlonan, reveals a selection of the best mask-proof lipsticks (file image)

If you want a lipstick to go the distance this summer  one thats long-lasting, doesnt melt in the heat and stays put under your face mask  matte is your best bet.

A budge-proof matte lipstick is ideal because they dry, so you dont need to worry about your lipstick getting stuck to the inside of your face mask like you would with a lipgloss, says celebrity make-up artist Scott Barnes.

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JESSICA ALBA'S LASH SECRET

Jessica Alba (pictured) revealed her must-have beauty tool is the Tweezerman ProCurl Lash Curler, designed to life and curl lashes

Jessica Alba recently reveal-ed that her perfect finishing touch for a daytime smoky eye is to curl her lashes. In a conversation with American Vogue, the actress disclosed that her must-have beauty tool is the Tweezerman ProCurl Lash Curler (22, tweezerman.co.uk). Designed to lift and curl lashes, it can be used on its own or over mascara.

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WILL WAXING HURT MORE IF I SHAVED?

Its true that your next salon wax  whenever that may be  might hurt more if, like many of us, you have been shaving your legs during lockdown.

Treatwell waxing expert Sofia Farnesi, co-founder of the Naked Hare Group, explains: Your first wax may feel a little more sensitive when you frequently shave. Shaving strengthens the hair and makes the skin more sensitive, instead of thinning and softening the hair like waxing does. Gently exfoliating with a scrub 24 hours before your wax makes it easier for the wax to stick to the hair instead of the skin which makes it less painful.

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At 9am on a weekday, Abigail, 35, a civil servant, was ready for an online work meeting. She had moved the bathrobe hanging on the back of the door to create a plain background.

She had set her two children up with some schoolwork in another room. She had closed the door and combed her hair.

Then, just as her colleagues were appearing on Zoom, they were rudely interrupted by loud groans from the couple in the flat upstairs.

We categorise it as bedroom noise, says Mike Talbot, a professional mediator. We get that quite a lot. Especially beds banging up against the wall in adjacent flats.

Abigail didnt complain to the amorous pair and, after contacting Mike, decided it wasnt worth taking further. But some do, and end up confronting neighbours with the aid of a mediator.

Mediators revealed they've seen an increase in calls from people who are furious with the noise made by their neighbours (file image)

During lockdown, Mike, a psychotherapist and CEO of UK Mediation, has been deluged by calls from people who are furious with their neighbours.

DIY projects, loud music, late-night barbecues, he says. Complaints to his office are now running at three times the usual rate.

People often misunderstand the nature of mediation, says Russell Shackleton, a mediator and founder of Shackleton Consulting & Development in Newbury, Berkshire. They think they can ring you up and you will just call the other party and tell them to stop what it is theyre doing.

If both parties agree to a days mediation, in the morning the mediator speaks with each party separately. Then, in the afternoon, the mediator shuttles between the parties or will get them together in the same room (on Zoom at the moment), with the aim of reaching a resolution about future behaviour.

Warring neighbours can expect to pay from 375 to 2,500 per day (split between both parties) for mediation, and lawyers who offer mediation services tend to command higher prices. But business is booming as the restrictions on our movements put our relationships with those next door under ever more strain.

Discord between neighbours has risen dramatically over the past four months. Forty-four councils in the UK reported a rise in noise complaints since the start of lockdown, according to a BBC report. Leeds city council reported the biggest rise with 1,171 complaints in April, compared with 780 over the same period last year.

Several of the countrys coronavirus restrictions, including the shutting of pubs and restaurants, have now been eased. But many people will continue to work from home, with about 18.5 million employees having set up home offices during the shutdown.

Around three-quarters of the British population live in a flat, terrace or semi-detached house, many of which have thin party walls and poor soundproofing.

A mother from Edinburgh, ended up in the Press after telling her neighbour she would go to their agent because of the sound of her child running (file image)

What makes the situation particularly incendiary is that its not the same for everyone. Some people remain furloughed and able to give DIY their full attention, while others are still beavering away as they did in the office, albeit now from their cramped bedroom or kitchen table.

And while some children have returned to school, most schools will not open fully until September. This can result in an inordinate amount of noise: toys scattered on the floor, shrieks, door-slamming, tantrums and loud reprimands.

If you continue allowing the child to run non-stop day/night, the agent will be contacted. Its very loud and thats surely obvious on flooring  as is the stomping! one neighbour recently wrote to a mum in a block of flats in Edinburgh, in a case that ended up in the Press.

The woman had recently moved into the flat with her toddler after being furloughed from her job as a hotel office manager.

Another unexpected source of noise pollution is grown-up children moving back in with parents after the virus cut short university terms across the country, and who have compensated for a depleted social life by going on Houseparty, the group video chat, into the early hours.

All this means that people who never normally spend so much time at home are now, on a daily basis, finding out just how noisy other peoples lives can be.

Sarah Gosling (pictured) who is a chartered legal executive at Bonallack & Bishop solicitors in Salisbury, Wiltshire, warns noise disputes can affect house prices

Andrew Holt, a solicitor and mediator at Coole Bevis solicitors, in Hove, East Sussex, has received more than a dozen inquiries from enraged neighbours in three months during lockdown  and they continue to come in as restrictions ease.

I normally get one a month, he says. Sometimes they are threatening to sue each other, or have got to the point where theyve got solicitors involved and have sent horrible letters to each other and spent hundreds of pounds and got nowhere because each side is so entrenched.

Or else they say the police arent interested, the council arent interested, Im really stressed and anxious, I dont know where to turn. Basically, people are at their wits end and want it to stop.

Deliveries are another source of tension as Covid-19 has moved our shopping habits almost entirely online. Lockdown may have reduced traffic noise  but it hasnt stopped the bleeping of reversing Ocado vans late at night or the buzzing of the door as flat dwellers are asked to take in a stream of parcels for neighbours.

Peoples lifestyles have been altered in quite a significant way, says Mike. I had a case recently where a guy was pulling up rotten decking at 2am, he says. Hed been furloughed and was staying in bed until midday, and then got up and did this job.

The neighbours are key workers doing shift work and had to get up at five in the morning. So this fellow hammering and sawing was keeping them awake, and when they came out to remonstrate with him, he was quite rude and threatening.

Andrew Holt who is a solicitor and mediator at Coole Bevis solicitors, in Hove, East Sussex, explained once you have a problem such as noise, you become sensitive to it (file image)

Eventually, after mediation, a compromise was reached. They agreed some times when he could and couldnt do his DIY, and some acknowledgement that his neighbours were on a different timetable to him.

This row goes to the heart of why tricky neighbours are so provoking. We get upset when we think were being deprived of something thats important to us, Mike says.

Its important that I have my nice property which people cant intrude on or damage. Its important that I get my sleep at night, get access to my drive and so on. And if my neighbours have compromised any of those important things, I get annoyed.

Once you have a problem such as noise, you become very sensitive to it, says Andrew. So when it happens again, even if its not as loud or as long in duration, its still annoying because your brain goes back to how you reacted when it first started.

Noise in particular has a profound impact on peoples health, wellbeing and quality of life, confirms the Chartered Institute Of Environmental Health. And the stresses of recent months in lockdown has compounded the problem because were in a heightened emotional state.

We are more tense, more fragile, people are not sleeping as well, says Mike.

So we are a bit more on the edge and are going to be less tolerant. Perhaps that explains why one woman who recently turned to a mediator ended up accusing her upstairs neighbour of doing an excessive amount of cleaning.

Andrew revealed people taking revenge on their neighbours have let down tyres and moved bins (file image)

Perhaps it was the neighbours fear of the virus that was behind her constant vacuuming and dusting, or she just had the time to spring-clean her London flat completely.

Either way, the other woman retaliated  by playing super-loud heavy-metal music. The row was eventually resolved with the mediators help.

Andrew believes such retaliatory actions are often based on a fundamental misunderstanding. He says: People hear a noise and think its deliberate. Whereas it might not be. And then what happens is they retaliate, and you get this escalation, which is awful.

He lists some of the things people do for revenge: Letting down tyres, moving bins  people really like to mess around with other peoples wheelie bins as a way of upsetting them, he says.

Lockdown has also increased peoples paranoia and I have also noticed a recent trend for installing CCTV cameras. You can get a situation where each neighbour has a CCTV camera trying to catch the other out, and then they find its neither of them letting the car tyres down or moving the wheelie bins, its some bored teenager.

He adds: The law says you can only have a CCTV camera pointing at your own property. You are not allowed to have it pointing at anyone elses. But they do that. And then get into trouble for doing it.

Mike Talbot, a professional mediator, said people who were depriving themselves of company were more likely to complain at the height of lockdown (file image)

Russell believes that sometimes the real problem is not what it appears to be on the face of it. Imagine youre working from home and your next-door neighbour is kicking a ball at the fence. Now, thats going to be annoying for you. But is it going to be so annoying you go to a website to look for a civil mediator, write out an email and contact them?

If you dig down, youll often find the cause is something else. It could be that the person who made the complaint doesnt actually have an issue with the neighbours but their partner does, so its a move to try to get peace within their own household. Or maybe something has gone on at the school gates or on social media that has upset one or other of them.

At the height of lockdown, what annoyed people about late-night parties wasnt just the noise.

If someone was depriving themselves of company and visits to the pub and they then saw their neighbour not following the rules, they were more likely to complain, says Mike. On April 30, UK police said they had received 194,000 calls snitching on people over five weeks of lockdown.

So, what do you do with a nightmare neighbour? You can complain to the council, which has a duty to investigate any statutory noise nuisance such as loud music or barking dogs.

If your neighbour is a tenant, you can contact their landlord. Or you can use a mediation service (some housing associations have their own internal dispute resolution service).

Andrew said you have to declare any disputes with your neighbour as part of conveyancing (file image)

The professional body the Civil Mediation Council (civilmediation.org) lists many practitioners. There is no statutory regulation of mediators. They run a voluntary system to which mediators can sign up. You can also access mediation for free through community mediation services.

But if a neighbour is threatening violence or harassing you, contact the police. As a last resort, you can go to court.

However, Sarah Gosling, a chartered legal executive in the dispute resolution team at Bonallack & Bishop solicitors in Salisbury, Wiltshire, warns that the courts are not a quick solution.

She says: Inquiries in relation to neighbour disputes have increased by 50 per cent over the three months of lockdown.

Having a nuisance neighbour can also affect your house price. Andrew adds: You have to declare any disputes with your neighbour as part of conveyancing.

However, harmony can be found. One couple decided to pull out their hedge. Again, they had time on his hands and this great, big hedge had been bugging them for years, says Mike.

So they hired machinery and were pulling it out, when the neighbours said, What are you doing with our hedge? And they said, Its not your hedge, its our hedge. It got into a big dispute.

Through mediation the two households decided to share the cost on a new arrangement. Now, they have a neat box hedge and a fence. It was a happy ending.
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Kate Middleton cut a ravishing figure in NHS blue as she and Prince William payed a visit to a hospital just a stones-throw away from their Norfolk home.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS.

Kate donned a blue shirt dress with a white collar to meet staff at the hospital, which is situated just 20 minutes away from their family home of Anmer Hall on the Royal Sandringham estate.

With her hair swept back in a sleek ponytail, the Duchess of Cambridge beamed as she spoke to staff after arriving by car at 5.30pm.

Prince William matched the theme of the day as he donned a blue suit, shirt and tie for the event - the colour synonymous with the NHS.

The loved-up couple laughed as they spoke to staff and their families at the hospital which has treated 450 patients with Covid-19 during the global pandemic.

They met nurse Suzie Vaughan, who spent two months away from her children while working on the wards during the peak of the pandemic.

A video of the familys reunion went viral last month after Miss Vaughan was filmed sneaking up on daughters Bella, nine, and Hettie, seven, while they watched TV.

The nurse told Kate her daughters had always wanted to meet a real life princess  a wish duly granted as the Cambridges toured the hospital.

Kate described Miss Vaughans children as really pretty, adding: It is a real treat to meet you both.

Kate Middleton cut a ravishing figure in NHS blue as she and Prince William payed a visit to a hospital just a stones-throw away from their Norfolk home

The Duchess of Cambridge was a picture of joy as she beamed while talking to staff at the hospital. She clutched NHS Knitted Angels

Kate waved at hospital staff and their families who joined in for the special tea party to mark the NHS's birthday

Kate donned a blue shirt dress with a white collar to meet staff at the hospital, which is situated just 20 minutes away from their family home of Anmer Hall on the Royal Sandringham estate

The Duchess of Cambridge held NHS Knitted Angels during the visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn

Happy couple: Kate burst into laughter during their visit as she and William clutched their NHS Knitted Angels

The couple spoke to staff and their families as during today's visit. Pictures of rainbows and 'thank you' cards can be seen on the walls behind them

William and Kate spoke to staff and their families during the special event to mark the National Health Service's 72nd birthday

Radiant: The Duchess of Cambridge beamed as she spoke to hospital staff and their families. The hospital, which serves more than 330,000 people across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, has treated 450 patients with Covid-19

The royal couple met nurse Suzie Vaughan and daughters Hettie and Bella during their visit to the hospital to mark the NHS's birthday

Kate grinned as she spoke to a nurse at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who was joined by her children for the celebration

Kate grinned during her visit to the hospital. She paired her blue, patterned dress with simple earrings and swept-back hair

William and Kate doused their hands with hand sanitiser during their visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Norfolk

The royal couple's official Instagram page shared a post marking the NHS's birthday, along with a serious of pictures of their visit (one seen here showing the couple meeting staff and their families)

Her 525 Beulah London gown in blue - a preferred colour of the fashion-forward duchess - was the same style as the red number by the same brand she wore for a minute-long mental health message released in May.

The dress was also worn by Denmark's Princess Mary on a trip to Indonesia last year. Through its trust, ethical brand Beulah London - set up in 2010 - gives employment to vulnerable women.

The royal couple's official Instagram page shared a post marking the NHS's birthday, along with a serious of pictures of their visit.

It read: 'Today we mark the 72nd birthday of the NHS, in a year when it was needed more than ever as the nation responds to COVID-19.

'Today, The Duke and Duchess visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn to thank staff for their efforts in helping their community.

'Whether you are existing staff, former staff members who came out of retirement, volunteers or key workers - we thank you for the resilience, perseverance and hope youve shown our nation.'

The hospital, which serves more than 330,000 people across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, will celebrate its own 40th birthday later this month.

A total of 46 patients have been recruited to the Covid-19 recovery trial, and more than 500 are involved in other coronavirus research.

William and Kate have previously supported the NHS's efforts during the coronavirus crisis by getting their whole family involved in the Clap for Carers.

The movement took off nation-wide during the pandemic as Britons eagerly conveyed their support for key workers from their doorsteps.

The couple were seen clapping with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Last month, The Duchess visited East Anglia's Children's Hospices' The Nook for her second socially distanced royal appearance since lockdown restrictions eased in the UK.

The visit saw Kate work alongside a volunteer gardener, staff and two families to help create a new horticultural design for a large patio area.

Her floral Beulah London gown in blue - a preferred colour of the fashion-forward duchess - was the same style as the red number by the brand (pictured) she wore for a minute-long mental health message released in May

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, 72 years to the day since the creation of the NHS

Kate donned a blue shirt dress with a white collar to meet staff at the hospital, which is situated just 20 minutes away from their family home of Anmer Hall

Prince William perfectly complemented his wife's outfit as he wore a blue suit, shirt and tie for the event - the colour synonymous with the NHS

Nurse Suzie Vaughan takes part in the applause to salute the NHS 72nd birthday before meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Nurse Suzie Vaughan takes part in the applause. She was one of the hospital staff the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met on their visit

The organisation's CEO, Tracey Rennie, has revealed how the Duchess was 'quite keen to come and visit the hospice for some time' and explained how staff were 'blown away' by the plants and flowers she brought.

Earlier in June, the Duke and Duchess each visited local businesses  Kate visiting a local garden centre and William a bakery  to show Britain was open for business.

But the couple are understood to have relished the upsides of lockdown. No foreign tours, no away days, no business of state has meant the Cambridges have been able to spend a huge amount of time with their young brood.

William has managed to keep up his work through numerous Zoom calls to charities, volunteers and carers across the UK, and both husband and wife have jollied the nations mood through dark and difficult times.

Once the laptop is closed, William has enjoyed helping George with his homework, painting with Louis and chasing Charlotte round the garden  the formative childhood experiences he never had.

Pitching tents, camping outside, growing tomatoes and peas from seeds and watching their sunflowers grow has been the order of the day.

Lazy afternoons can be spent at sea  in a small boat in the calm waters off the Norfolk coast, or enjoying the seaside at a beach hut on a local stretch of golden sand where they can run with Lupo the dog.

At other times, the Anmer Hall kitchen has been an explosion of flour and chocolate while the family bake cakes and biscuits.

One final clap: Boris Johnson meets NHS heroes and public buildings are lit up for last round of applause for health workers on the NHS' 72nd birthday

By Milly Vincent For Mailonline

Prime Minister Boris Johnson led a nationwide clap for key workers on the NHS's 72nd anniversary this evening, along with the woman who started the weekly applause during the first 10 weeks of lockdown.

Mr Johnson and Annemarie Plas led the commemoration from the doorstep of Number 10, as thousands of Britons took took part.

Ms Plas said she felt 'very honoured' to be joining the Prime Minister for the 'very special moment'.

Second World War veteran and NHS fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore also joined the applause from his home in a video he shared on Twitter. The 100-year-old, who raised millions for the NHS, said: 'Happy 72nd birthday NHS. Thank you for all that you do for us.'

Paramedic William Young was one of around 25 staff and patients who marked the event outside Bridlington Hospital in Yorkshire.

He said: 'I've worked for Yorkshire Ambulance Service for over 12 years now and I've never felt prouder than I have this year. The NHS has really stepped up to the Covid-19 pandemic and some of my colleagues have made some tremendous sacrifices.

'I think today's clap has reminded us all that while we are still fighting Covid, we have so much to be grateful for in our NHS.'

It comes as Kate Garraway revealed that her husband Derek Draper has woken from his coma.

Good Morning Britain star Kate, 53, has told Hello! Magazine that her beloved spouse, 52, has finally opened his eyes after being in a coma for 13 weeks amid his battle with coronavirus.

As part of the NHS birthday celebrations NHS staff outside Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, join in the pause for applause

Members of staff of the Leeds General Infirmary gesture to their colleagues from the street as they all participate in a national NHS celebration clap

Members of the emergency services and staff of the Leeds General Infirmary participate in a national NHS celebration clap outside the hospital in Leeds today, to mark its 72nd anniversary

It is hoped the applause will become an annual tradition on the NHS' anniversary, July 5, with Britons taking to their doorsteps to pay tribute

Members of the emergency services and staff of the Leeds General Infirmary participate in this evening's clap to celebrate the NHS

As part of the NHS birthday celebrations, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Annemarie Plas, founder of Clap For Our Carers, outside 10 Downing Street, London, join in the pause for applause to salute the NHS's 72nd birthday

Boris Johnson is meeting with NHS workers in the Number 10 garden this afternoon to mark the NHS's 72nd birthday today

Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street, London, joins in the pause for applause to salute the NHS 72nd birthday today

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer take part in the final Clap For Carers outside their home in north London

Zara Clarke, five, from Southend during the clap for the NHS to celebrate the National Health Service's 72nd Anniversary at Southend University Hospital Essex

Members of the public applaud outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for the 72nd anniversary of the creation of the health service

People across the UK were encouraged to clap for the NHS on Sunday afternoon to mark its 72nd anniversary and to thank staff for their work in tackling the coronavirus pandemic

Members of the public gather together to celebrate the 72nd Anniversary of the founding of the NHS in Tredegar, Wales

Members of the public gathered outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital this evening for a final clap for carers event

Health workers applaud outside St Thomas' Hospital on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the NHS this evening

This year's celebration is particularly poignant given the challenging conditions NHS staff have had to work under over the past four months amid the coronavirus outbrea

Boris Johnson urged Britons to take to their doorsteps this evening to celebrate the NHS and pay tribute to its staff

NHS staff outside the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, join in the pause for applause to salute the NHS 72nd birthday

Members of staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital participate in a national NHS celebration clap outside the hospital in London

Clap of Claps for the NHS to celebrate their 72nd anniversary at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital this evening

The GMB star was regularly seen joining in with the clap during her husband's virus battle.

Tonight, Britons took to their doorsteps to clap again and pay tribute to NHS workers amid the pandemic.

The Prince of Wales paid tribute ahead of the event, which it is hoped will become an annual tradition.

The prince said: 'The current pandemic means that the NHS - and the entire country - has been through the most testing time in the service's history.

'Our remarkably selfless nurses, doctors, paramedics and countless other staff have made costly sacrifices to provide treatment for more than a hundred thousand patients with coronavirus and thousands more who needed other care.

'And, in tribute to them, we have come together as a nation to thank them for their skill, professionalism and dedication.'

Meanwhile, Sir Keir said the health service had a personal resonance for him as his late mother was a nurse and later relied on the NHS as she became ill.

He said: 'Many, many times she got gravely ill and it was the NHS that she turned to, and I remember as a boy, a teenager, being in high dependency units, in intensive care units, with my mum, watching nurses and other support staff keep my mum alive.

'They did that on more than one occasion - it's etched in my memory. For them, it was just the day job. They were doing that every day.

'So, it's very personal for me and I'm very grateful to the NHS and my mum was very grateful, she loved the NHS through the many decades that she absolutely depended on them.'

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also clapped on her doorstep, saying in a tweet: 'Happy 72nd Birthday, NHS. Thank you for everything.'

The Prime Minister also met NHS workers in the Number 10 garden on Sunday afternoon, while public buildings including the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower and the Shard have been lit up blue in tribute to the health service.

Public buildings including the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower and the Shard have been lit up blue in tribute to the health service

Staff at University Hospital of North Tees Hospital in Teesside join in the clap this afternoon to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the NHS

Both Sir Kier Starmer and Prince Charles paid tribute to the NHS in separate messages on Sunday, ahead of the evening's clap

Members of staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital participate in a national NHS appreciation clap this evening

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Friday, Mr Johnson urged the public to clap for 'those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic'

The clap, which took place at 5pm this evening, was a continuation from the success of the weekly Clap for Carers as a way to thank NHS staff

People arriving at 10 Downing Street, London, this afternoon to attend a reception as part of the NHS birthday celebration

A candle is lit and placed on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in central London on July 4, 2020 in honour of the tens of thousands of people who have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK as the building itself is lit up blue as a tribute to NHS workers and to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those due to take part in country-wide event, with a candle lit at his official residence at 9pm on Saturday, ahead of the National Health Service's 72nd anniversary. Pictures showed a Downing Street worker bringing an pre-lit candle outside

As part of the NHS birthday celebrations The London Eye is illuminated blue on Saturday evening, July 4

On Saturday, people observed a minute's silent and lit candles in remembrance of those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic.

The nationwide clap has been organised following a letter from the Together coalition, in which influential figures including NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby voiced their support for making July 5 an official day of commemoration.

Sir Simon said he hoped the public will use the anniversary as an opportunity to 'say a heartfelt thank you' to hospital staff.
Pre-pandemic, Whitney Bromberg Hawkings online flower delivery business, FlowerBx, was fast becoming an internationally recognised brand.

Its pared-back aesthetic of single-variety flowers in opulent bunches  20 light pink peonies, say, or 50 white tulips  was a hit with fashionistas and organisers of upmarket events; a world Whitney knew well as the former PA to Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent designer Tom Ford. In five years, she had expanded the venture into 21 countries.

Then Covid-19 hit. With half of FlowerBxs business in supplying hotels, designer shops and society parties  orders that collapsed overnight  Whitney wasnt even sure it could survive.

Every day was bringing a bombshell of bad news, she says.

Whitney Bromberg Hawkings (pictured) revealed how her online flower delivery business FlowerBx, adapted during lockdown

The cancellation of Chelsea Flower Show alone cost FlowerBx 500,000 in abandoned plans for shop window displays in the area.

As the Everywoman organisation for women in business begins its search for this years top female entrepreneurs, sponsored by the Daily Mail, businesses have begun to count the cost of the pandemic. Yet Whitney  a winner of the White Company Brand of the Future Everywoman Award in 2017  had one obvious ace up her sleeve.

As an online-only business, she could still operate when bricks-and-mortar florists were forced to shut.

With Mothers Day looming, ordinary customers scoured the net for a site that could still deliver flowers  and FlowerBx stepped into the gap. The problem was keeping supply chains working to deal with the huge demand, she says.

Like most florists in the UK, FlowerBx imports stock from mainland Europe. There were nail-biting moments when we wondered whether the borders would stay open. All the while I was honestly working harder than Ive ever worked in my life  while also home-schooling three kids.

In the end, the lorries kept on coming and FlowerBx boomed: direct sales to individual customers increased by 700 per cent during lockdown.

So many people were missing birthdays or graduations or just missing each other. Sending flowers was the one thing they could do to stay connected, says Whitney.

People still needed flowers for funerals, too. Quite early on, FlowerBx signed a deal with two of the three biggest funeral providers in the UK.

Whitney (pictured) who worked in the fashion industry for 20 years, explained that she wanted a career change when she turned 40

Starting her own business has meant a radical lifestyle shift for Dallas-born Whitney.

For 20 years she worked in the fashion industry, travelling by private jet and staying at the worlds best hotels. She met her husband through work  Peter Hawking is senior vice-president at Tom Ford menswear  and even had apartments of her own in Paris and Milan.

Working for Tom Ford was my first job and it was just so fancy, she says. I had a velvet sofa in my office, a single orchid on the desk, a candle burning.

Yet after she turned 40, she began to want a career that didnt constantly place her at someone elses beck and call.

Tom and I were attached at the hip, she says. It was the greatest gig in the world but it was also 24/7. He always said you needed a ten-year plan, and there I was, thinking: Am I really going to be 50 and still seating editors at fashion shows; asking permission from other people to do things? 

Whitney (pictured) revealed her business was inspired by her disappointing experience with other existing online flower delivery services

She was also pregnant with her third child  Wallis, now four, is sister to Barron, 12, and Snowdon, ten  and yearned for the flexibility her own business could give her.

In fact, the work is just as full-on. Nowadays she is up at 5am, heading to a warehouse in north-west London.

I work all day and every weekend  theres no off switch at all, she says. But Ive never been happier.

For the first time Im owning my success. I love flowers and beauty, but what I wanted to do was create a solution for something that didnt exist.

It was her disappointment with existing online flower delivery services that made her think here was an industry that hadnt been disrupted in any way, and should be.

Id send a bouquet to my mother-in-law and get a picture back to say thank you, and Id think: No, thats not what I wanted to send you at all! 

Whitney (pictured) said raising funds for her business has involved meetings with men who don't really get it

Her backers include Venezuelan entrepreneur Carmen Busquets, the founding investor in online designer outlet Net-a-Porter.

Im surrounded by amazing women investors, says Whitney, but trying to raise funds does involve meetings with men who dont really get it. They dont know when you throw a dinner party theres someone thinking about the flowers. Theyre not the ones remembering their nieces birthday.

Covid-19 halted her latest round of finance-raising but she still aims to roll out FlowerBx across the West Coast of America this autumn.

Winning a NatWest Everywoman Award was a game-changer, she says. The networking organisation for female entrepreneurs began its awards in 2003 to celebrate the achievements of women in business, with the Daily Mail sponsoring the Aphrodite Award (see box, left, for details).

Getting that recognition made people pay attention, she says. But the best thing about Everywoman has been the friendships Ive made, especially with Chrissie Rucker [founder of The White Company].

She adds: Ive learned how tenacious I am during this crisis. I realised Id do anything to make the business work.
An Australian woman who has no previous business experience has shared how she launched a tea brand at the age of 22 with only $24 in her bank account, which lead to the development of five multi-million dollar companies.

Gretta van Riel, now 30, said although she had 'no plan' at first and faced many challenges, she is now the proud founder of five successful businesses that each have a large following online.

The Melbourne entrepreneur launched her first brand, SkinnyMe Tea, in 2012 at the age of 22 while working full time as a marketing manager and said the business began as a 'hobby' that turned into a booming brand making more than $600k in revenue a month.

'I was making tea for so many people that it got to the point where I had to take it a step further  so I Googled how to create an online store,' Gretta told FEMAIL.

Gretta van Reil (pictured) who has no previous business experience has shared how she launched a tea brand at the age of 22 with only $24 in her bank account

Gretta, now 30, said although she had 'no plan' at first and faced many obstacles, she is now the proud founder of five successful businesses that each have a large following online

During her Google searches, Gretta came across Shopify  an online e-commerce platform that allows users to easily create a website to sell, ship and manage their products.

Through Shopify, Gretta made and launched her first website within two days and started an Instagram page to promote the product.

'Since I was already working full time, I stumbled into a "pre-sale model" where I would accept orders during the week, get the ingredients and prepare the tea to be delivered over the weekend,' she said.

After selling multiple batches of tea by posting a photo on social media, Gretta quickly realised Instagram was an ideal platform to market and sell the product further while also attracting customers.

'I was so surprised that posting on Instagram could generate sales  so from then on I would use the platform and engage with potential customers,' she said.

The Melbourne entrepreneur started her first tea business, SkinnyMe Tea, in 2012 at the age of 22 while working full time as a marketing manager and said the brand began as a hobby that transformed into something more

Through Shopify, Gretta made and launched her first website within two days and started an Instagram page to promote the product

After the first six months the business had grown dramatically and had generated more than one million dollars in revenue, and by the end of 2012 the brand had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.

For the next five years the brand went on to sell over 11 million cups of tea, and along the way Gretta said she learnt countless helpful marketing and business tactics through trial and error.

'What I've learnt is that a product's features support the end benefit or result to a user  so you need to sell how a product can benefit someone else,' Gretta said.

Gretta said the mistakes she made while growing her business resulted in 'huge transformative growth', which lead to the development of her multiple other companies including The 5th Watches and Drop Bottle

GRETTA'S TOP TIPS FOR NEW BUSINESSES Find a niche and create a product people can benefit from You don't have to invent a completely new product, but consider how an existing product can be made even better Consider how a product can benefit the customer and why people would want to buy it - don try and 'reinvent the wheel' Recognise who your audience is Use social media as a marketing tool to sell products and reach customers Don't be afraid to make mistakes Learn from your mistakes Don't consider a business strategy for too long - act and do rather than think Spend budget money wisely and use profits to reinvest into the business Don't strive for perfection Advertisement

'You only really need to do a couple of things well to really succeed  and what I knew I could do was use social media to market and sell products,' she said.

Gretta said the mistakes she made while growing her business resulted in 'huge transformative growth', which lead to the development of her multiple other companies including The 5th Watches and Drop Bottle.

She said it's important to not be afraid of making mistakes, as in business you can learn from these errors and act differently in future.

'You only really need to do a couple of things well to really succeed  and what I knew I could do was use social media to market and sell products,' Gretta said

For those looking at starting their own business, Gretta recommended to first consider the market you want to enter into and create a product that solves a problem.

'Your product should always be the solution to a problem; the world doesn't need more products of the same kind, it needs better solutions to existing problems,' she said.

Gretta said you don't need to invent new products no-one has thought of before, but instead reinvent ideas that already exist.

'You don't need to "reinvent the wheel", it doesn't need to be something crazy, the product needs to be an improvement  something different and better than what's already out there,' she said.

'Your product should always be the solution to a problem; the world doesn't need more products of the same kind, it needs better solutions to existing problems,' she said

Gretta said it's important to target a certain audience while remembering your 'customer isn't everyone', don't strive to achieve perfection, and always have a busy business to-do list.

'It's important to be very detail orientated but don't strive for perfection, because this can become stressful,' she said.

She also added: 'There is no definition of "done" in business  you can achieve goals and tick boxes but once you do that you should be onto the next goal or task.'

From her success, Gretta has become a Forbes Under 30 member and now mentors others who are wanting to start a business but dont know where to start.
Dare we dream? Amid the flurry of tweets in response to our articles over the past fortnight that predicted the Government would soon strike a deal for a lifesaving cystic fibrosis drug, this simple sentence stood out.

It summed up the hopes - and fears - of thousands of British families blighted by this horrible illness, which kills many sufferers before they reach their 40s.

Last Tuesday, the drug, Kaftrio, was approved - and the dream finally became a reality, just as we had said it would. It was a watershed moment, and an end to many months of uncertainty. And the relief last week among both campaigners and those involved in the negotiations was palpable.

The deal is, we can reveal, the biggest of its kind in NHS history - potentially amounting to 1billion over the next four years.

But thousands of patients can now plan a future - one that's not defined by pain, infections, hospital visits and gradually failing lungs. For those who are severely ill, the drug isn't simply a lifeline, but a chance to live normally again.

Over the past six months, in the run-up to last week's announcement, the MoS has published a series of reports, lifting the lid on the secretive negotiations between NHS England and drug company Vertex on access to cystic fibrosis drugs.

BARNEY CALMAN: The deal is, we can reveal, the biggest of its kind in NHS history - potentially amounting to 1billion over the next four years

What was discussed during these talks is 'commercially sensitive', hence their shadowy nature - and patients were increasingly surprised that we knew so much.

There are limits to what I can say, in order to protect the identity of our sources, but I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify a few points. We ran our first report last November, revealing that the Government had just signed a 100million deal for the now pretty much 'obsolete' cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi.

It followed a row over cost for the tablets that began in 2017 - a dispute that dragged on so long that by the time an agreement was reached at the end of October 2019, the newer and vastly more effective Kaftrio was already being given to patients in America (where it's known as Trikafta).

When Orkambi was introduced in July 2015, it was the best drug on offer. Patients, of course, wanted access - the drug would, and has, made a difference.

But overall the health improvements were often modest, many didn't benefit, and many suffered intolerable side effects. Alone, it wasn't worth the money.

However, the drug's maker, Vertex, was asking the NHS to invest in the future: buy Orkambi now, at the high price being asked for, and you can have Kaftrio when it comes out in a few years for no extra cost. A so-called pipeline deal.

NHS England and its financial advisers, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), refused. Things became acrimonious.

Vertex was repeatedly and publicly accused by our politicians and health chiefs of 'poor practice' for not 'complying' with their wishes and told they 'ought to know better'. But by mid-2018 it was apparent from clinical trial results that Kaftrio was 'the one' everyone had been waiting for - 'almost a cure'.

BARNEY CALMAN: Over the past six months, in the run-up to last week's announcement, the MoS has published a series of reports, lifting the lid on the secretive negotiations between NHS England and drug company Vertex on access to cystic fibrosis drugs

The company, really, held all the aces. And then, in May 2019 came a shocking decision that still makes little sense: the NHS agreed to take the triple therapy 'off the table' in talks, in order to get Orkambi at a lower price.

In the run-up to the General Election, health chiefs had been under increasing pressure from Ministers to close the deal. But this ultimately meant three days after Kaftrio was approved in America, Orkambi - by then a five-year-old medicine that had been superseded - was given to UK patients.

We were approached with the story by a group of whistleblowers, who told us how the NHS had not only 'bought the wrong drug' - but also that there was little hope of a resolution over Kaftrio. These were not the kind of people who normally talk to the press. But with a progressive condition such as cystic fibrosis, every single day counts - and they felt they could not afford further delay or deadlock.

By making public what had been going on, they hoped to heap pressure on dealmakers to come to an agreement swiftly. And it worked.

After our report, both parties returned to the negotiating table. Talks faltered again in May, but then came a breakthrough. Again, we ran stories to let them know that the world was watching. And finally, last week, came the result everyone had longed for. But did it have to be so difficult?

The main lobbyists, the CF Trust, are a focal point in the cystic fibrosis community, providing ground-level support to families, giving advice and funding research. To say they are an integral part of thousands of patients lives is no understatement.

BARNEY CALMAN: We were approached with the story by a group of whistleblowers who told us how the NHS had not only 'bought the wrong drug' from Vertex (pictured, HQ in Boston, US) - but also, that there was little hope of resolution over Kaftrio

But, as contentious as it is, there are some who say the Trust should not have campaigned for Orkambi, when the superior Kaftrio was on the near horizon.

As far back as 2018, Kaftrio was already transforming the health of patients in trials. But when the drug was 'taken off the table' in talks, prior to the Orkambi deal last year, there appeared to be no public objection from them.

It was common knowledge in the medical world by that time just how important Kaftrio was, so even some of those inside the Trust felt this was a missed opportunity. By the time the Kaftrio agreement was being thrashed out this year, the Trust appeared to have neither the ear of the Government, nor the drug company.

Indeed, just a few weeks ago staff were reportedly told by boss David Ramsden that access to Kaftrio was 'a long way off' - at the very point that Ministers and Vertex were moving to close the deal.

On Twitter, where cystic fibrosis campaigners are highly active, the Trust dismissed our reports that an agreement was close, saying it would be 'months' before anything happened.

Given there was such urgency for the medicine during the Covid-19 pandemic - those with cystic fibrosis are at high risk - the mixed messages caused anxiety and upset. And, of course, the Trust was wrong in this instance.

A CF Trust spokesman said: 'We are incredibly proud to have worked alongside the cystic fibrosis community in the long campaign for life-saving medicines. The four-year battle to secure Orkambi was a critical step and it remains the only medicine suitable for many children. We have and will always fight for those with cystic fibrosis.'

And, to their credit, the Government and health chiefs have listened, and delivered. They did the deal they should have done almost a year ago - and, some feel they would have, if they'd been better advised by the CF Trust.

In the end, the patients, parents, and concerned supporters who fought for Kaftrio dared to dream, and they won.
James Packer is seen for the first time in eight months as he parties on his $200million super yacht with a gaggle of models - but there's no sign of his girlfriend
The Department of Health has been accused of 'panic buying' coronavirus antibody tests from the pharmaceutical company Roche before publicly revealing their accuracy.

Officials spent 13.46million on the blood tests  now being used to tell which NHS staff have already had Covid-19  on May 15, government contracts show.

But Public Health England had not officially evaluated any other companies' tests before officials agreed to buy Roche's, so didn't know how good they were in comparison.

The Roche purchase was 10 days after scientists at PHE's Porton Down laboratory first started looking at the tests but three days before their report was released.

Results of PHE's tests were leaked to the press on May 13 and reports claimed it had achieved 100 per cent accuracy in the evaluations.

But this later turned out to be on only one of two measures and health chiefs actually deemed the test to be 84 per cent sensitive, meaning it could correctly detect past infection in around eight in 10 people.

In later evaluations other tests performed better than Roche's but contracts were not announced for those. Ones made by Abbott Laboratories, which were 94 per cent accurate, were bought in the same week in May for an undisclosed price.

Another made by the German firm Siemens last month achieved 86 per cent sensitivity in PHE's evaluation. These were bought by officials but to no fanfare.

There was a prior understanding between Roche and the Government that its tests - which were the first to be evaluated - would be bought if PHE approved of them, MailOnline understands.

Professor Jon Deeks, a University of Birmingham testing expert who last week published a prestigious 300-page review of Covid-19 antibody testing so far, told MailOnline that PHE appeared to be facing 'pressure' to approve the test. He said the Government was 'panic buying not following the science'.

The days between officials looking at the tests and buying them left no time for independent scientists to check what officials were doing, Professor Deeks said.

And the purchase - which came after Roche was awarded a 21million swab testing contract in March - made it look as though the Swiss firm's tests had be 'pre-selected' by UK officials, Professor Deeks added.

The Department of Health insists the entire process was 'standard practice'.

It comes amid a string of missteps in the UK's attempt to get hold of the antibody tests, which has seen it cancel 70million worth of orders for tests that turned out to be no good, and left unable to send back a further 20million worth from China.

And a MailOnline investigation revealed in June that a test being used by PHE for its population testing misses up to a third of cases.

Roche's Elecsys Covid-19 antibody test is being used for NHS staff and care workers to work out who has had the disease already, but it is not the best performing test Public Health England has evaluated

Government documents show that Roche was given a contract to supply PHE with antibody tests on May 15, with the deal starting on May 18 and lasting for six months.

PHE is officially listed as the body that awarded the contract but the decision was actually taken by ministers in the Department of Health.

The 13.4m contract was a direct award meaning Roche, a Swiss company, did not have to pitch its products against others so PHE could decide which was best.

Roche had also been given a contract in March, worth a further 21million, to provide swab tests for the Department of Health.

And the company's CEO, Severin Schwan, had laid the groundwork for Roche's antibody test in April when he announced it was in development and said of other companies' products: 'I can tell you, its a disaster... These tests are not worth anything. Or have very little use.'

The timing of the antibody tests contract has raised concerns because PHE agreed to buy the tests three days before it publicly revealed the results of its evaluation, on May 18 - 11 days after it first took delivery of Roche's kit on May 4.

Professor Deeks, a biostatistician at the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline: 'This is not normal.

'There was no time for any scientific scrutiny of the results, and this was the first time PHE had done an evaluation of a Covid-19 antibody test like this.

'There was certainly no time for independent review of their report or findings.'

Government contract information shows PHE bought the tests three days before publishing its report of how well they performed, which came on May 18

Professor Deeks said PHE appeared to have to 'rush to finalise their reports to get them out,' adding: 'It seems likely that there was pressure to get a contract signed as fast as possible.'

Professor Sheila Bird, a biostatistician at the University of Cambridge, added: 'Everything in a pandemic with high a R [rate] and worrying lethality is rushed'.

A second deal was announced in the same week, for the Government to buy an antibody test from a company called Abbott, but financial details of this have not been published.

That and Roche's were the first two tests to be evaluated by PHE and a combined 10million were bought almost immediately. Other tests since then have been evaluated and none have performed as well as Abbott's test but at least one was better than Roche's.

Professor Deeks said: 'The other issue here was PHE raced through the two tests from Roche and Abbott for evaluation  nothing else was completed for any other competitor test for weeks afterwards, and I know others have been waiting for weeks without getting an assessment done.

'The idea that there was a fair assessment to see what tests were going to be the best before deciding what to buy is not there.

'It appears that Roche and Abbott were somehow pre-selected to have their assessments accelerated ahead of other competitors.

'It does not seem that it was a fair competition or done in a way to make sure we get the best test.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'As is standard practice, contracts were only placed when Public Health Englands evaluation of each test was confirmed, and to suggest anything otherwise would be completely incorrect.'

The Department said it was working 'at pace' to secure antibody tests and that it wanted to avoid delays to getting them into use.

Government contracts show that PHE has bought other, worse-performing, tests than Roche's before publishing evaluations of them, costing at least 1.8m.

But these were not given lavish publicity and hailed as 'game-changers' by top politicians, as Roche's test was.

WHAT ANTIBODY TESTS HAS PHE LOOKED AT AND WHICH ONES DID IT BUY? Public Health England has published evaluations of seven lab-based Covid-19 antibody tests and these are its results. Sensitivity denotes how many positive results the test would correctly identify in a group of people who have had Covid-19. Specificity denotes how many negative results the test would correctly identify in a group of people who have not had Covid-19. Roche Diagnostics Evaluation published: May 18

Did it buy? 13.46million on May 15

Sensitivity: 83.9%

Specificity: 100% Abbott Laboratories Evaluation: May 18

Did it buy? Yes. Date/cost unknown

Sensitivity: 92.7%

Specificity: 100% Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (1) Evaluation: May 29

Did it buy? Unknown

Sensitivity: 77.4%

Specificity: 99.7% EuroImmun Evaluation: June 18

Did it buy? 1.5m on May 12

Sensitivity: 72%

Specificity: 99% DiaSorin Evaluation: June 18

Did it buy? 300,000 on April 22

Sensitivity: 64%

Specificity: 97.7% Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (2) Evaluation: June 22

Did it buy? Yes. Date/cost unknown

Sensitivity: 85%

Specificity: 99.5% Siemens Evaluation: June 22

Did it buy? Yes. Date/cost unknown

Sensitivity: 86%

Specificity: 100% Advertisement

When Roche received the results from PHE's evaluation, they were leaked to the press and newspapers published front page stories on May 13 hailing the test's '100 per cent accuracy'.

And the next day, health minister Edward Argar MP did an appearance on BBC Radio 4 when he said: 'We are keen to get as many as quickly as we can and get them out, primarily to the front line first, the NHS, social care and then more widely.

'Because this really will be  as the Prime Minister said  this has the potential to be a game-changer.'

But when PHE published its evaluation of Roche's test later that week, it emerged that it only achieved 100 per cent accuracy on one measure.

It was 100 per cent specific, meaning it did not react to other viruses and cause false positive results.

But PHE found it was only 84 per cent sensitive, meaning it would miss 16 out of every 100 positive results.

Roche insists that its own evaluations found the test to be 100 per cent sensitive.

A spokesperson for Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland said: 'From the early stages of the pandemic, we have supported the collective response to Covid-19 and are one of a number of companies working with the NHS to help increase testing capacity.

'Our tests are highly accurate and reliable, and have undergone rigorous review. The diagnostics industry is heavily regulated and all commercial contracts are subject to EU guidelines and procurement law. In line with these requirements, and alongside a number of other companies, we submitted our antibody test to PHE for independent evaluation after it received its CE mark.'

Other tests evaluated later proved to be more accurate than Roche's.

One made by Abbott Laboratories, which was bought in the same week, was 93 per cent sensitive and 100 per cent specific - by far the best one evaluated so far. It is not clear how much PHE has spent on these tests.

A test made by Siemens turned out in June to be 86 per cent sensitive and 100 per cent specific - better than Roche's.

The Department of Health confirmed this was being used but the quantity and cost of the deal is unknown.

A Siemens Healthineers spokesperson said: 'The SARS-CoV-2 total antibody test from Siemens Healthineers has been appraised by Public Health England and is available in the UK.

'The test is in use in UK laboratories and we actively encourage NHS pathology testing facilities to further consider it due to its timely availability, quality, scalability and accessibility.'

And a test manufactured by the company Ortho Clinical Diagnostics was found to be 85 per cent sensitive (higher than Roche) and 99.5 per cent specific (lower than Roche). These were also bought in undisclosed deals.

Roche may have got a fast deal with PHE because labs around the country already have its machines and use them for other tests, one scientist said.

The tests that have to be purchased are disposable cassettes containing chemicals to mix with blood samples, and their results are read with ELISA lab machines that are already widely used.

Dr Al Edwards, a pharmacy researcher and medical test developer at the University of Reading, said this was an unavoidable fact of business.

He told MailOnline: 'There's a pure infrastructure argument. It may simply be that we have all the Roche machines lying around. You can't run a Siemens test on a Roche machine.

'There are three, four or five multinational companies running systems in hospitals and you can't just buy new machines.

'If you have Roche, Abbott and one other company offering tests but hospitals have only got Roche and Abbott machines, the other company will never get in.

'If you've already got Apple and Windows you're not going to get a Linux computer.'

Professor Jon Deeks said 'Lucky Roche' in a tweet in which he accused the government of 'panic buying not following the science'

The British Government's attempts to get antibody tests for Covid-19 have been plagued by wasted money and setbacks.

A 'buy first, test later' approach had already stung officials out of 20million by May.

The Department of Health confirmed that it had cancelled orders for 70million worth of tests after striking deals for them, because they turned out to be bad.

That figure was out of a total 90million, suggesting the remaining 20million could not be recouped and the tests must now be used for non-diagnostic purposes or scrapped.

WHAT IS AN ANTIBODY TEST AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR? Antibody tests are ones which look for signs of past infection in someone's blood. Antibodies are substances produced by the immune system which store memories of how to fight off a specific virus. They can only be created if the body is exposed to the virus by getting infected for real, or through a vaccine or other type of specialist immune therapy. Generally speaking, antibodies produce immunity to a virus because they are redeployed if it enters the body for a second time, defeating the bug faster than it can take hold and cause an illness. An antibody test, which involves analysis of someone's blood sample, has two purposes: to reveal whether an individual has been infected in the past and may therefore be protected against the virus, and to count those people. Knowing you are immune to a virus - although whether people actually develop immunity to Covid-19 is still unknown - can affect how you act in the future. Someone may need to protect themselves less if they know they have been infected, for example, or medical staff may be able to return to work in the knowledge they are not at risk. Counting the numbers of people who have antibodies is the most accurate way of calculating how many people in a population have had the virus already. This can be done on a small sample of the population and the figures scaled up to give a picture of the country as a whole. In turn, this can inform scientists and politicians how devastating a second outbreak might be, and how close the country is to herd immunity - a situation in which so many people have had the virus already that it would not be able to spread quickly a second time. Experts believe that around 60 per cent exposure would be required for herd immunity from Covid-19, but the UK does not appear to be anywhere close to that. Early estimates suggest 17 per cent of Londoners have had the virus, along with five per cent of the rest of the country  about 4.83million people. This means the virus might spread slightly slower in future but the risk of second outbreak and hundreds or thousands more deaths remains very real. Advertisement

The Department said some of the tests are being used for research.

And it emerged in May that Public Health England is using a test which one study found was just 67 per cent sensitive, meaning it missed a third of positive cases.

Government contracts data shows PHE paid 1.5million for this test, named the EuroImmun IGg ELISA test, in March and a further 2.5m in May.

A study of the test's accuracy, by the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, found that it was 67 per cent sensitive and also that it cross-reacted  gave a false positive result  when exposed to a different type of coronavirus and also two adenoviruses, which cause coughs, colds and sore throats.

'That's not accurate,' said Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiology expert at the University of Reading.

'The problem is it will underestimate the positives and they [PHE] won't appreciate how quickly or how extensively it [Covid-19] has spread through the population.

'If you're underestimating it by up to a third  it's important to say up to  then what's the point? There are more accurate tests on the way.

'Throughout this whole saga there has been a lot of doing things to create the impression of activity. While it's important to be active, it's also important to be accurate and if that means waiting then that's what should be done.'

Scientists are no longer even confident that antibody tests should be used at all for anything other than surveillance - working out how many people have had Covid-19.

In general medical terms the presence of antibodies in the blood suggests that someone is immune to a disease.

For this reason, people receiving a positive antibody test may think that they are protected from the disease and not abide as strictly by lockdown rules.

But scientists still don't know if people can catch Covid-19 more than once, or whether they build up any kind of immunity to it after a first infection.

Some people who are known to have had Covid-19 are producing test results which don't show any antibodies at all, raising questions about the immune response it triggers.

This is the reason the Government has held off offering the tests to the public after originally promising them in March.

Reading University's Dr Edwards explained: 'The tests are still useful for things like the Office for National Statistics surveillance but if we're rolling out tests indiscriminately there will be a problem.

'People want to know [if they've had Covid-19] for lots of reasons but what they perhaps don't realise is that they'll suddenly be faced with not really knowing what the test means.

'The tests are incredibly important for lots of different research reasons that feed into public health powerfully, but they don't help anybody on an individual level.'
Crime kingpins using the secret phone network smashed by law enforcement were terrified it could happen, fearing they would 'come in hard and fast' like a 'pack of hyenas'.

Gang bosses described the National Crime Agency as 'b*******' in frantic exchanges on EncroChat, branding their tactics as 'sophisticated and relentless' and having 'intel on everything'.

One fumed 'The police are winning this year.' 'That's naughty when the big boys like NCA and flying squad come its not good they wont stop'.

And another proved prophetic when they declared 'They will keep digging until they get a result You know what the NCA are like'.

The National Crime Agency released texts sent by criminals on the EncroChat system which showed how worried they were about facing justice

The newly-released messages today show their paranoia was real after the crimefighting force teamed-up with international partners to crack the secure communications network in April.

The posts were among millions of exchanges on the EncroChat system, which used modified Android phones and cost 1,500 for just six months of use.

So far they have sparked over 746 UK arrests, seizures of more than 54m in criminal cash, two tonnes of drugs, 77 firearms and 200 threats to life murder plots stopped in a huge police swoop codenamed Operation Venetic.

The EncroChat system used Android mobiles which had been customised for secrecy

Inside the mind of criminals: texts show crooks' fear of the law Messages from the criminals  many with spelling mistakes - using EncroChat were released by the NCA today. 'If ye got that NCA on ye m8/ ye got problems for sure and heavy bird m8.' 'Bro NCA come after you there is no work these b******* had intel on everything.' 'The police are winning this year. That's naughty when the big boys like NCA and flying squad come its not good they wont stop' 'Yeah if NCA are on him. Defiantly not the firm that go away. That like a pack of hyenigas' '.When NCA come.., they gona come in hard and fast' 'Bro trust me NCA is like M15 for our business' 'They will keep digging until they get a result You know what the NCA are like' 'NCA as u know well are sophisticated and relentless' 'I'm moving my family from UK this year because NCA is getting to smart' Advertisement

NCA Deputy Director Investigations Matt Horne, who was also Gold Commander for the massive project, said: 'Operation Venetic has targeted middle-ranking and top tier criminals, including offenders who've previously been untouchable.

'The messages are a reflection of UK law enforcement's standing in their eyes  and they were before they realised their communication system had been infiltrated.

'Who knows what they think now?

'This is the just the start of Operation Venetic and the last thing we'll be is complacent.

'We are not going to take our foot off the gas.'

The EncroChat servers that the authorities cracked were based in France.

French and Dutch partners infiltrated the system before sharing it via Europol.

EncroChat handsets could only communicate with other identical phones.

They only had the special chat app on them, apart from a currency converter to help calculate profit on deals.

There were thought to be 10,000 users in the UK, with an estimated 60,000 worldwide.

The MailOnline reported this week that although it was mainly used by criminals, the privacy of the network meant celebrities, politicians and royalty had also used the system in the past.

Deepak Vij, who is the Director of law firm ABV Solicitors, said there was little doubt important people would have been EncroChat customers.

He said: 'This technology was very useful to persons including royalty, politicians, high network individuals, and executives who did not want their sensitive communications or data to be discovered.

Police carried out raids across the UK, including in Birmingham (pictured) and arrested scores of suspects

Guns including machine guns and uzis were seized in the raids, which were sparked by data harvested from the EncroChat system

Operation Venetic saw 746 UK arrests and seizures of more than 54m in criminal cash, including this haul from London

'If it was just criminals that used these things, the devices would have been made illegal  they weren't.'

Despite this the handsets were used in some of the county's most notorious offences.

Gangland boss Mark Fellows used the secret network when he assassinated rivals, Salford's 'Mr Big' Paul Massey and another underworld rival, John Kinsella.

Paul Massey (left) and John Kinsella (right) were killed by a hitman who used the EncroChat system to communicate with his accomplice

What is the 'EncroChat' smartphone system used by the mafia to move money, drugs and order murders EncroChat was a secret platform where users were able to communicate privately between specially-designed handsets - often to run drugs, traffick people and even order murders. These devices, costing 1,500, are usually Android-based smartphones that had their GPS sensors, microphones, and cameras stripped out, encrypted chat apps installed by default to allow people to sent private messages. It is now emerging that criminal syndicates across the world had one - with one in six of the 60,000 users in the UK. Marketed as the electronic equivalent of two people having a conversation in an empty room, it enabled users to send written messages or make voice calls through an encrypted system. There were thought to be 60,000 users internationally, including 10,000 in the UK, with prices at 1,500 for a six-month contract. The National Crime Agency said the handset could also be wiped remote Advertisement

Fellows, nicknamed 'Iceman' for his ruthlessness, executed Massey with an Uzi machine gun, hitting him five times on the doorstep of his Salford home in July 2015.

Three years later he executed mob enforcer and fixer Kinsella was in a hail of bullets.

During his trial it emerged that Fellows had been tipped off by an accomplice via the encrypted phone service when Kinsella was coming into range.

When he was questioned about the unusual handset, he flippantly declared 'No one even owns a normal phone these days'.

Meanwhile gangsters Andrew Venna and Matthew Cornwall were also revealed to have used the system in May last year.

Venna and members of his gang were believed to be behind an outbreak of gang warfare in the city which left a number of victims seriously hurt.

He and eight customers and couriers were hit with overwhelming evidence persuaded them to plead guilty to a series of drug supply charges against them.

Venna, was branded Chief Executive of the gang, as he was jailed him for 12 years and nine months while Cornwall got ten years.
A record 212,326 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed worldwide on Saturday July 4, according to the World Health Organization.

The staggering figure was an 11 per cent rise on the previous record of 190,566, which was set on June 28.

June was the most devastating month for the global pandemic and saw cases top 10million and deaths surge past 500,000.

The 10million milestone was hit only last Sunday and the total has since risen to 11.3m, meaning more than 1.3million people have been diagnosed in a week.

Although many countries in Europe are now emerging from the worst days of the global crisis, the pandemic still rages on in the Americas and Asia.

The biggest contributors to yesterday's rise in cases were the US, where there were 53,000 more positive tests; Brazil, with 48,000; India with 23,000 and South Africa with 9,000.

The pandemic is now rattling through statistical milestones as it enters its sixth month - in no small part because it has taken hold in the world's biggest countries.

China, the most populated country in the world, managed to keep a lid on its epidemic early on, if its data is to be believed.

But the next largest populations are all now starting to feel the effects of the global crisis.

The US, which has the third biggest population in the world (331million), is bearing the brunt of the global Covid-19 outbreak.

It has recorded a total 2.77million cases and 53,213 of the total announced yesterday - 25 per cent.

Brazil is the sixth most populated country (212million) and is fast becoming the global hotspot for Covid-19. Cases there have soared to 1.57million and 48,105 were recorded yesterday alone, according to the World Health Organization.

India's population of 1.38billion people (second globally) are also starting to see the virus spread rapidly among them - there have now been 673,000 in total and were 22,771 yesterday.

Russia is the only other country to have more than half a million cases, with a total of 680,283. Its population is ninth largest in the word, with 146million people.

There have been more than 11million coronavirus worldwide to date and the 10m milestone was hit only one week ago, on Sunday July 5.

The WHO said there have already been more than double the number of Covid-19 cases than the number of severe flu cases the world would see in a normal year.

When the world passed the 10m mark last week, Sir Jeremy Farrar, a leading scientist advising politicians in Britain, said even the harrowing official figures are 'in reality underestimates'.

He said in a tweet that the figures were 'sobering'.

Sir Jeremy wrote: 'More than 10 million confirmed cases and 500,000 deaths globally directly attributed to COVID19 in ~6 months. In reality both underestimates.

'Highly populated regions of [Central and South] America, South Asia, Africa not yet experienced full impact of 1st wave. Globally accelerating.'
The World Health Organization on Saturday announced that it was ending a trial of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine - widely touted by President Trump as a miracle drug - despite a new study finding it made coronavirus patients 50 per cent less likely to die.

WHO said in a press release that it has 'accepted the recommendation' from The International Steering Committee to discontinue the trial for hydroxychloroquine, as well as HIV/AIDS medications lopinavir and ritonavir, because it failed to reduce COVID-19 mortality.

The drugs were being compared with standard care for hospitalized patients.

The World Health Organization stopped a trial for the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine becuse it failed to reduce mortality among COVID-19 patients

President Donald Trump (pictured) repeatedly touted the drug as a successful preventative medicine for coronavirus - despite several studies disproving this

'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,' a press release read.

'Solidarity trial investigators will interrupt the trials with immediate effect,' the WHO said in a statement, referring to large multi-country trials that the agency is leading.'

The move follows the National Institute of Health, which stopped clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as an in-hospital coronavirus treatment in June.

NIH health officials 'determined that while there was no harm, the study drug was very unlikely to be beneficial to hospitalized patients with COVID-19.'

Additionally, 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.

The agency previously revoked its emergency authorization that allowed the drug to be used in hospitals.

A trial for HIV/AIDS medications lopinavir and ritonavir (pictured) was also halted by the World Health Organization

But this comes at odds with a recent study by the Henry Ford Health System that found coronavirus patients treated early with hydroxychloroquine were 50 per cent less likely to die.

President Trump spent much of the coronavirus pandemic touting hydroxychloroquine during daily briefings and press conferences as a serious medical contender.

He was repeatedly criticized for pushing hydroxychloroquine while a number of health experts and agencies pointed to mounting evidence of the drug's apparent lapses.

WHO added 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 said the decision won't affect possible trials on patients who aren't hospitalized, or on those receiving the drugs before potential exposure to the coronavirus or shortly afterward.

The initial trial started out with five branches looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: standard care; remdesivir; hydroxychloroquine; lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday that nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries had been recruited so far into its clinical trials and that interim results were expected within two weeks.

Some 18 experimental COVID-19 vaccines are being tested on humans among nearly 150 treatments under development.

Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert, said on Friday that it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready.

While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by year's end, the question was how soon it could then be mass-produced, he said.

Still, the latest study by the Henry Ford Health System suggests hydroxychloroquine could be a real contender to help coronavirus patients.

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 Trump campaign praised the new study that suggests hydroxychloroquine can improve survival odds for some coronavirus patients.

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

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.

'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 White House praised a single new study that found hydroxychloroquine, when taken early, made patients 50 per cent less likely to die

Hydroxychloroquine was first introduced to the public as a potential 'game-changer' by Trump in March - just as the virus overtook the country with quickly rising cases and deaths.

His handling of the pandemic was widely lambasted by citizens who've watched the number of cases rise to 2,793,435 and a death toll of 129,432.

Trump reportedly felt so strongly about the unproven drug that he began taking it himself and was set to finish his prescription in May.

'I'm taking it - hydroxychloroquine. Right now yeah. A couple of weeks ago, started taking it,' he told reporters at the White House at the time.

In addition touting the drug while it was still unproven, Trump faced backlash over a series of incorrect statements he made in reference to it.

Trump on at least one occasion declared the FDA 'feels good about it' and claimed they approved the drug.

'I'm not a doctor. But I have common sense,' said Trump in April.

'The FDA feels good about it. As you know, they've approved it, they gave it a rapid approval, and the reason [is] because it's been out there for a long time, and they know the side effects and they also know the potential.'

Although the agency did permit emergency authorization at the beginning of the crisis, they have since rescinded the authorization and have yet to approve of it.

Trump has also tried to boost hydroxychloroquine's popularity by saying it was a popular choice among medical staff and responders on the front lines.

'You'd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the frontline workers, he said.

The next day he claimed the drug 'is used by thousands and thousands of frontline workers.'

Dr. Bob Wachter, the chair of the University of California, San Francisco's department of medicine, told Factcheck.org that he didn't know 'any clinician' taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent the coronavirus.

Trump made several claims about hydroxychloroquine, but some were shot down by health experts

Similar answers were give by Dr. Neil Schluger of Columbia University in New York City and Dr. David Boulware of the University of Minnesota.

At one point, Trump appeared to try and minimize the number of 'bad' studies railing against the drug and repeatedly claimed there was only one.

Several studies have cropped up that have pushed back against the drug, including studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal.

Trump also appeared to avoid discussing any of the drug's potentially harmful effects.

Citing hydroxychloroquine's history as a malaria and lupus drug, he said it 'doesn't hurt people' and that if it doesn't work for COVID-19 'you're not going to get sick or die.

'What do you have to lose?' he added in May,

The FDA in April said in a press release that it was ' aware of reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, often in combination with azithromycin.

Apart from his controversial stance on hydroxychloroquine, Trump was criticized for his other reported ideas, including injecting people with disinfectant.

'And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that?' Trump said in late April. 'By injection inside or almost a cleaning.'

The White House later said the quote was taken 'out of context.'
A former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and three others died in a plane crash in rural Utah.

Ex-pitcher Tyson Brummett, 35, of Salt Lake City, was flying the small plane, which left from the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon just before 8am Friday, according to the Utah County Sheriffs Office.

A witness said the plane went into a downward corkscrew motion as it crashed.

Tyson Brummett, pictured in 2012, and three others died in a plane crash in rural Utah. The Utah County Sheriff's Office says the ex-pitcher was flying the small plane, which crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon just before 8 a.m. Friday

A witness said the plane went into a downward corkscrew motion as it crashed

TV station WPVI reports all four people on board did not survive. They are thought to have been killed on impact.

The passengers were identified as Elaine W. Blackhurst, 60, her husband Douglas Robinson Blackhurst, 62; and their nephew Alex Blackhurst Ruegner, 35. The three were from Riverton, Utah.

Ruegner is said to have got married just eight months ago.

In a statement police said: 'A man and two of his sons were hiking when they saw the plane begin to turn, then spiral downward. The witness said the plane spiraled out of his view and moments later he heard the impact.'

Eyewitness Gregg Rawlings told KUTV: 'It corkscrewed maybe one-and-a-half, two times and went below the tree level.

'And were like, 'what is going on?' I didnt know if it was a stunt plane trying to do something, but just moments later we heard the impact.'

'The Phillies organization sends heartfelt condolences to the family of and friends of former pitcher Tyson Brummett, along with three members of the Ruegner and Blackhurst families, who tragically passed away in a plane crash yesterday morning,' the team said in a statement released Saturday.

Elaine W. Blackhurst and her husband Douglas Robinson Blackhurst died in the crash

Victim Alex Blackhurst Ruegner is said to have got married just eight months ago

Brummett was drafted by the Phillies in 2007 out of UCLA

Chris Blackhurst, Elaine's sister-in-law, told KUTV: 'She was the perfect mom for four boys. I just adored her so much.'

Her nephew Scott Blackhurst added: 'I was always really close to Aunt Elaine. She beat to her own drum. And doesn't always go with what everybody else is doing, but wants to do what she does, and that's how I've always felt.'

Brummett was drafted by the Phillies in 2007 out of UCLA.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash.
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Armed Black Lives Matter activists and right-wing groups came together in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday in a united show of support for the 2nd Amendment at an Open Carry rally.

At least 200 people, the majority proudly toting rifles, semi-automatic weapons and other firearms, gathered outside Capitol Square to protest against gun control and the violation of constitutional rights.

The rally, organized by activist group Virginia Knights, also served as a memorial for Duncan Lemp, a 21-year-old man who was fatally shot in his Maryland home in March during a no-knock police raid.

United: Armed Black Lives Matter groups and right-wing activists came together at a Richmond rally on Saturday in support of the 2nd Amendment

Scores of activists, the majority armed with rifles, semi-automatic weapons, and other fire arms gathered near Capitol Square on July 4

The Open Carry March event was organized by activist group Virginia Knights who vowed to fight against 'unconstitutional laws' threatening their right to bear arms

'This rally on July Fourth is to show that gun owners will not be trampled on! We are citizens who demand our 2nd Amendment rights be protected by the very people who swore an oath to protect us. Any and all gun laws are an infringement and are unconstitutional!' the Facebook event read.

'Duncan Socrates Lemp was our brother unjustly murdered in his sleep [under] the same laws in Maryland that Governor Northam has signed into law in VA.'

Organizers said they aimed to show Governor Northam 'that we stand strong as patriots, Americans, and free men and women'.

Photos showed protesters, from both ends of the political spectrum, mingling as they exercised their right to bear arms.

Among the crowd of guests was Virginia state Senator Amanda Chase, who is running for governor.

The rally drew supporters from both sides of the political spectrum including armed Black Lives Matter activists and right-wing, conservative groups

The gun enthusiasts gathered to protest against legislation requiring background checks and purchase limits on firearms. Pictured: Protesters proudly exercise their 2nd Amendment right

Rival groups came together in a united show of support of the 2nd Amendment on Independence Day on Saturday

Black Lives Matter activists, many donning protective face coverings and masks, raise their fists in the air in support of the cause and gun rights

Activists group got together on July 4 to protest open carry laws and to honor in Duncan Lemp - a 21-year-old who was fatally shot during a no-knock raid

Chase, strapped with a rifle, spoke to activists on her stance on police and the ongoing protests taking place across the nation.

'We don't have any tolerance for bad apples,' she said.

'We mostly have good police officers that do the right thing. And I don't believe in defunding the police, but we need to help people who have mental health issues. We need to add more, not take away,' she added.

The event comes six months after a Virginia gun rights rally that drew more than 22,000 armed activists to the state's capitol building to protest gun-control legislation making its way through the newly Democratic-controlled state legislature.

The protest came after Governor Northam banned carrying weapons onto the capitol grounds.
The luxury hideout that was home to Ghislaine Maxwell prior to her arrest was purchased by a company that reportedly has ties to her wealthy lover, Scott Borgerson.

Maxwell - who is the accused procurer for convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein - was picked up by the FBI at the $1million property, named Tuckedaway, in Bradford, New Hampshire on Thursday. She has now been charged with six federal crimes, including enticement of minors, sex trafficking and perjury.

Maxwell vanished off the map following Epstein's arrest and subsequent suicide last year. In August 2019, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that she was hiding out at a home owned by Borgerson in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

It is unclear when Maxwell relocated to New Hampshire, but real estate records show Tuckedaway was bought with $1million in cash last December. The buyer is listed as Granite Reality LLC - a mysterious corporation that was set up just weeks prior the purchase.

The Sun reports that Granite Reality LLC is managed by Boston lawyer, Jeffrey W. Roberts, who is also the registered agent of a second company, Hopely Yealton.

Curiously, the publication reports that the manager of Hopely Yealton is Scott Borgerson.

It is not known whether Maxwell, 58, and the much-younger Borgerson, 44, are still an item.

The luxury hideout that was home to Ghislaine Maxwell prior to her arrest was reportedly purchased by a company with ties to her wealthy lover, Scott Borgerson

A source told DailyMail.com last year that Maxwell and Borgerson (right) began dating back in 2014, after he left his then-wife. The pair are both pictured speaking at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik in 2014

Maxwell has now been charged with six federal crimes in relation to her friendship with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The pair are pictured together in 1995

A source told DailyMail.com last year that the couple began dating back in 2014, . when Borgerson allegedly 'left his wife for Maxwell'.

The pair reportedly met five years ago through speaking engagements connected to ocean preservation, a subject on which they share a passion. They both are pictured speaking at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik in 2014.

Borgerson's shipping technology firm, Cargometrics, was valued at more than $100 million in 2016, according to the Financial Times.

The agent who sold Tuckedaway last December told CNBC on Friday that she never met Maxwell or Borgerson, and assumed the seller was 'a famous actress'.

Borgerson is pictured walking Maxwell's dog in Boston last July. It is unclear whether the pair are still an item, but the December 2019 purchase of Tuckedaway indicates that they may have been

Maxwell was arrested at the luxurious mountain top home  dubbed Tuckedaway  outside tiny Bradford, New Hampshire

It is unclear when Maxwell relocated to New Hampshire, but real estate records show Tuckedaway was bought with $1million in cash last December. The buyer is listed as Granite Reality LLC - a mysterious corporation that was set up just weeks prior the purchase

On Thursday federal prosecutors said that Maxwell had been hiding in New England since last July, when Epstein was arrested.

She changed her phone number to one registered under 'G Max,' changed her email address, moved at least twice and when she ordered delivery packages had them delivered to a different name, which they did not specify.

In a court document arguing that she should be refused bail, prosecutors said that she had at least 15 bank accounts which she owned or was associated with in the last four years.

At times their maximum total balance had been as high as $20million, they said, and said that her finances were 'opaque and indeterminate.'

It said that she had declared a foreign bank account in 2019 with a balance of more than $1million, and that she has French and British passports as well as an American one, having become a U.S. citizen in 2002.

The document also revealed that between 2007 and 2011  which includes the time he was behind bars - Epstein transferred more than $20million into Maxwell's accounts, which were then returned to his accounts, suggesting some sort of scheme to keep the money undisclosed to authorities.

Ghislaine Maxwell pictured with Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell is in jail and Epstein killed himself

THE ALLEGATIONS THE CHARGES Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years max sentence) Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (20 years) Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (20 years) Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (10 years minimum, life maximum) X 2 counts of Perjury (x 10 years) THE 'FACTS' Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein. They are not named in the indictment, but she allegedly targeted them in London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Maxwell, it is alleged, would befriend the girls by asking them about their life and their schooling. She would put them at ease by taking them to the movies and taking them shopping, winning their trust to later deliver them to Epstein, it's alleged. To 'normalize' the abuse that would come later, prosecutors say she undressed in front of the girls herself and asked them sexual questions. She then not only facilitated Epstein abusing them, prosecutors say, but took part in some of it herself. The alleged sex abuse includes 'sexualized group massages'. The indictment also says Maxwell made the girl feel 'indebted' to Epstein by encouraging them to take money from him and let him pay for their education and travel. Advertisement

Special Agent William Sweeney said at a press conference Thursday that the FBI swooped in the morning after 'discreetly keeping tabs' on Maxwell for some time and that she recently moved to the property.

A grand jury recently returned a sealed, six-count indictment against her which accuses her of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein's accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.

The charges relate to incidents that happened between 1994 and 1997 and involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14. The alleged abuse happened at Epstein's homes in New York, Florida and New Mexico and at Maxwell's home in London.

Epstein has been accused of abusing dozens more girls and Maxwell is tangentially associated with the decades of alleged horror because, the accusers say, she was always by his side or making arrangements for him and them.

Maxwell, the British socialite daughter of the late, disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell whose impressive international network of friends and acquaintances includes the Clintons, has been a ghost since Epstein was arrested last June on charges of sex trafficking. She is who introduced him to Prince Andrew and set up the 2001 London night out when the royal allegedly had sex with Giuffre.

On Thursday, Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss said the investigation into Epstein's decades of abuse is ongoing and that she'd 'welcome' Prince Andrew 'coming in to provide a statement', prompting speculation that he may among people investigators may focus their attention on next.

'We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us. We would like to have the benefit of his statement. Our doors remain open. We would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement,' she said.

It opens the door to questions of jurisdiction and whether or not US Attorney Strauss may charge for alleged incidents that happened in London and not America. Among the claims in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed one of the victims in London. At her press conference, Strauss said some of the sexual abuse also happened at Maxwell's house in London.

The charges against Maxwell are: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury.

If convicted, she could face life in prison on the most serious charge - transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity - which carries a minimum 10 year sentence.

The indictment alleges;

It reads in part: 'Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated Jeffrey Epstein's access to minor victims knowing that he had a sexual preference for underage girls and that he intended to engage in sexual activity with those victims'.

When she met Epstein, she had an astonishing network of influential and important friends and acquaintances around the world which many say is what drew him to her.

Among them are Bill and Chelsea Clinton.

She was photographed at Chelsea's wedding and she also flew with Clinton on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the 'Lolita Express' because it was used to ferry young girls to his private Caribbean island or ranch in New Mexico.

She has also been photographed with Epstein and Donald and Melania Trump at parties, years before Epstein became a social pariah.

Among the allegations in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed the girls, including one in London.

'Victim 1' met Maxwell when she was 14 in 1994, the indictment reads.

'Maxwell 'groomed [her] by taking her to the movies and on shopping trips.

'She also asked her about school, her classes, her family and other aspects of her life.

'She then sought to normalize inappropriate and abusive conduct by, among other things, undressing in front of her and being present when she undressed in front of Epstein,' according to the indictment.

The trio then engaged in 'group massage sex' on more than one occasion, the indictment claims.

'Victim 2' met Ghislaine in 1996 and groomed her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch.

'Victim 3' met Maxwell in London in 1994 and was groomed until 1995 where she had sex with them.

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District Audrey Strauss, said: 'Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them.

'She pretended to be a woman they could trust, all the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein in some cases, by Maxwell herself.

'Today after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes.'

FBI Special Agent William Sweeney said the bureau had been 'keeping tabs' on Maxwell 'for some time'.

'We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell for some time.

'She slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims continue to live with the trauma inflicted on them years earlier.'

Maxwell has not been seen since August 2019 when she was spotted at an In-N-Out Burger, ten days after Epstein' s suicide.

She has made no public comment about the scandal or about Epstein's death last August and her whereabouts have been largely unknown.

DailyMail.com tracked her down in a small New England town where she was living with tech CEO Scott Borgerson in August 2019 but aside from that, her movements have been a mystery.

Maxwell is who introduced Prince Andrew to Epstein and who facilitated the 2001 night out in London (pictured) when Andrew allegedly had sex with Virginia Giuffre Roberts, then 17. He denies they ever met

Maxwell with Prince Andrew at Ascot in the UK in 2000

Maxwell has an astonishing network of high profile friends and acquaintances. She is shown at Chelsea Clinton's 2010 wedding
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When they began planning their spring wedding last year, neither Heather McLaren nor Tom Hall imagined that hand sanitiser would be passed out to guests or that their witnesses would have to sign the register with separate pens.

But yesterday, surrounded by their closest family and friends at St George's Church in Leeds, the couple were delighted that, after months of uncertainty, they were able to tie the knot at all.

Among the first couples to get married after restrictions were relaxed, Heather and Tom had been due to celebrate their wedding just days after lockdown was imposed.

Guest list: 1 Rev Lizzy Woolf; 2 Bride Heather McLaren; 3 Groom Tom Hall; 4 Bride's brother Duncan; 5 Bride's mother Gillian and 6 father David; 7 Groom's mother Janet and 8 father Andrew; then the couple's friends: 9 Steven Dixon; 10 Tim and 11 Jessica Riman; 12 Tim and 13 Grace Hill; 14 Miriam Hurley; 15 Dav and 16 Hannah Williams; 17 Ellie Mae and 18 Dan Hebdon; and 19 Alex Booth

Happy couple Heather and Tom take their vows  a safe distance in front of rector Lizzy Woolf. They had hoped to marry at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh with 120 guests before enjoying a party afterwards, but were forced to scrap their plans when restrictions came into force

Tom and Heather during their wedding ceremony in Leeds, with guests seen socially distancing under the new measures

Guests entered and exited the church one at a time and each seat had a name label on the back to avoid people sitting down where others had sat

Heather and Tom pictured holding hands at their wedding. Receptions are limited to just two households indoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors

Guests wearing face masks take a selfie during Tom and Heather's wedding at St George's Church in Leeds

Heather and Tom pictured socially distancing from other guests during their wedding in Leeds

The newly married Mr and Mrs Hall, Tom and Heather, pictured after their wedding at St George's Church in Leeds. Ceremonies have been capped at 30 guests while receptions are limited to two households indoors

They had hoped to marry at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh with 120 guests before enjoying a party afterwards, but were forced to scrap their plans when restrictions came into force.

Worse still, as devout Christians, Heather, 28, and Tom, 29, did not intend to live together before marriage so besides video chats, they have barely seen in each in months.

Speaking together from their Leeds home last night, they said: 'It wasn't what we had planned but it was completely unique and really special. I know everyone's wedding day is memorable but this one feels particularly memorable.'

When the Government announced plans to ease the restrictions on weddings, St George's, where the couple are regular worshippers, scrambled to make preparations for their wedding.

'Ten days ago, we didn't think this would be possible,' Heather said. 'But everyone at the church has been so wonderful.

'They deep cleaned the church and set up a webcam so other friends and family could watch from home.'

The ceremony was pared back and singing was not allowed. Guests were also made to sanitise their hands at the church entrance.

Rector Lizzy Woolf, who officiated at the wedding, left notes on the register to indicate where each person should sign because she could not stand next to them.

Tina-Lynn Birch and Billy Bryant are pictured above are pictured above at their wedding ceremony in the Priory Church of St Peter, Dunstable, Bedfordshire on July 4

Guests not permitted to be inside take pictures from the window during Tracie Kenny and Neal Arden's wedding ceremony in Ironbridge, Shropshire

Tracie Kenny and Neal Arden are pictured above at their wedding ceremony at The Best Western Valley Hotel, Ironbridge on July 4

Gary Cheng and Sakiko Honda walk outside and celebrate after getting married at Marylebone Old Town Hall in London this morning. Wedding venues reopened today after having been closed for over three months during the pandemic

The wedding of Terry and Lindsay Armstrong at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Civic Centre. The new relaxed rules on social distancing mean some couples are finally able to say 'I do', as weddings are once again permitted in England

Louise Arnold-Wilson, right, and Jennifer, left, who were married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight as the lifting of restrictions came into effect, in what is thought to be the first post-lockdown wedding

Rupert Pearce (centre left) and Rebecca Pearce (centre right) celebrate after getting married at Chelsea Town Hall in London

The newly married Mr and Mrs Bones, James and Lucy, hold hands and raise their arms after their wedding in Ingram, Northumberland

Suzy Capogrossi (left) and Armando Capogrossi (right) celebrate after getting married at Chelsea Town Hall in London

The wedding of Terry and Lindsay Armstrong, both pictured, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Civic Centre today

The wedding of Terry and Lindsay at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Civic Centre, pictured with their 10-year-old son Jack Armstrong

James Travers and Stuthi Srinavasan in Kings Road after their wedding at Chelsea Town Hall, London

Guests entered and exited the church one at a time and each seat had a name label on the back to avoid people sitting down where others had sat.

Couples sat in 'clusters' at a safe distance from others.

'We were sent a very long email with all the health and safety rules several days before the wedding which we had to read very closely,' said Heather, a PhD student at the University of Leeds.

When the ceremony was over, guests were ushered out one at a time and the church was deep cleaned to prepare for another ceremony later that day.

Heather and Tom are now planning to have a honeymoon getaway to the Lake District in October and will throw a party for all their other guests next year.

'We obviously would have loved to have our party with all our friends and family,' Heather said.

'But it's lovely to be able to just spend some time together as a married couple.

'It was the kind of wedding we never could have imagined. But it was magical nonetheless.'

Wedding guest Christian Wilmot livestreams as Gary Cheng and Sakiko Honda say their vows as they get married at Marylebone Old Town Hall today. It comes as wedding venues in England reopen today

Gary and Sakiko sign the registry as officials, a photographer and a guest look on as they get married at Marylebone Old Town Hall today in London

Gary and Sakiko walk up stairs past a one way marker after getting married at Marylebone Old Town Hall today

Bride Tina-Lynn Birch uses hand sanitiser before entering the Priory Church of St Peter, Dunstable, Bedfordshire

MR Richard & Mrs Julie Dunne's socially distanced wedding in Gloucester. Members of different households must maintain social distancing

Tracie Kenny shows her wedding ring to her parents watching from outside after her marriage to Neal Arden at their wedding ceremony in Ironbridge, Shropshire

Chantelle and her groom, Matthew Greene, during their wedding ceremony at St Nicholas Church in Harwich today

The newly-wed couple, who are one of the first to marry since lockdown, kiss as they celebrate their marriage in Harwich

Guests throw confetti over Chantelle Haygreen and Matthew Greene after their ceremony in Harwich, Essex

Future Bride, Sharni wears a face mask as she tries on wedding dresses in Blush bridal boutique on July 4, 2020 in Leigh-on-Sea

Britain comes back to life...

By Ian Gallagher Chief Reporter for the Mail on Sunday

Midnight

All the shops along Hylton Road in Sunderland are in darkness  all, that is, except Cloud 9 hair salon, a beacon of activity.

Karen Colledge-Scott, 55, slides into a chair, face-mask drawn, for her first haircut in five months. Hovering at her side, salon owner Debra Anne Adamson, 49, assesses Karen's unruly mane and promises a transformative blow-dry, colour and cut.

Normally, says Karen, the two women talk holidays. Tonight they share lockdown stories. It's been as tough for Karen, a florist, as it has been for Debra and both are relishing the chance to get back to normal.

For the foreseeable future that means 12-hour shifts for Debra. 'I am booked up now for five weeks,' she says from behind a plastic visor.

'Karen works really hard and I just couldn't fit her in at a convenient time. So I said to her, 'You know what, why don't you just come at midnight?' It seemed the perfect solution.'

Smart new look: Three young men have their hair cut at Savvas Barbers in Streatham. South London, after the rules surrounding lockdown were relaxed yesterday morning

As she works, Debra says: 'I am still getting used to this. I am out of practice and I'm going slower to begin with, but it feels so great to be doing this again. This is what I am supposed to be doing.'

During lockdown, Debra battled to keep her business alive. She even gave away 100 free bottles of hair dye, leaving them outside her home for customers to collect.

'I didn't want clients going to supermarkets and getting dye that might have given them a reaction,' she says. 'We have a lot of clients who are a bit older, and so getting their hair dyed was really important.'

2.30am

Karen declares herself delighted with her hairdo. 'It looks lush. I absolutely love it and feel a million times better,' she says before thanking Debra and heading home to bed.

'You don't realise how much it means to get your hair done until you're deprived of it,' she adds. Elated but weary, Debra locks the door of the salon, but with 12 clients booked in for later in the day, she will return at 7.30am.

6am

The holiday exodus is under way. As congestion grows, lorry driver Jason Leake tweets that caravans and camper vans have taken over HGV rest areas at Taunton Deane services in Somerset.

'Nowhere for HGVs to park and take a break as this lot have taken over the place,' he says. 'The volume of traffic including caravans overnight has been worse than a bank holiday.'

At last, we do: James and Lucy Bone after marrying at St Michael and All Angels, Ingram, Northumberland

7am

At the Victoria Cafe, opposite Victoria railway station in Central London, waitress Sara Abdalla is finally taking orders. Never has she felt so gladdened by the hiss of an egg on a frying pan or, more importantly she says, to watch customers walk through the door and actually sit down. 'We've been doing takeaways but it's just not the same.'

At 7.10am, the 80-year-old manager  known to all simply as Luciano  breezes in, stops suddenly and breathes in bacon fumes with a satisfied grin. 'It's been a long time coming,' he says. 'Let's get to work.'

Chris White, 43, from Peckham, South London, says: 'I went into town because I wanted to have a look around, then I came here while I was waiting for my train. It's just nice to be able to sit down and have something. It's been far too long.'

8am

Appreciative murmurs greet the opening of Westminster Cathedral's wooden doors. Waiting since 7am, around 30 worshippers file inside, among them Mary O'Meara, 60, who before lockdown attended Mass daily.

Inside she finds most of the pews cordoned off, with only every fifth row available for worshippers.

Expressing a widely held sentiment, she says: 'Yes, they've had services streaming online, but it isn't the same at all.'

Before the day is over, the largest Roman Catholic church in England and Wales and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster, will have performed four Masses and heard lunchtime and evening confessions.

Father Daniel Humphreys welcomes his flock with enthusiasm. 'We are really pleased to be able to have Mass with a physical congregation,' he says. 'Among the clergy, there's a great sense of joy, a sense of relief, a sense of I don't know if it's peace but certainly normality.'

9am

Across the country museums and galleries are opening their doors, among them Bletchley Park, the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. Identical twins David and Daniel English were given tickets for their 23rd birthday in March but were unable to use them because of the pandemic.

Systems engineer David, from Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, says: 'We couldn't wait. We got up at 6.30am and managed to get here when it opened so it is quiet. We were so excited as we've been in the house for months and now we can finally enjoy our present.'

In common with other museums, a one-way system is in place. Visitors book tickets on the website and are then allocated a pre-timed slot to ensure people are let in in waves of three or four. Front-of-house staff wear plastic visors and there are Perspex screens at reception.

9.04am

The Silver Slipper amusement arcade at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk  open for just four minutes  greets its first customer. On a weekend break, Jessie Henry, 46, and daughter Jenny, six, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, try their luck on a pick-and-grab machine, winning a cuddly elephant.

'We were planning to go for a walk on the seafront when we saw the arcade was open,' says Jessie.

'We have been cooped up for so long, only going out for exercise. It's just nice to get out and do something different.'

The great getaway: Drivers of motorhomes and cars find it slow going on the southbound M5 at Exeter. The holiday exodus is under way. As congestion grows, lorry driver Jason Leake tweets that caravans and camper vans have taken over HGV rest areas at Taunton Deane services in Somerset

9.20am

The first campers arrive at Caffyns Farm in Lynton, Devon. Beset by gusty winds and fog, the 160-acre farm, mentioned in the Domesday Book, does not  for now at least  present the idyll many were expecting.

But despite a 210-mile dawn trip from Burbage, Leicestershire, Jane Booton and her partner Neil Todd, both 38, emerge from their car laughing along with seven-year-old twins Cayden and Conner, still in dressing gowns.

'We've been desperate to get away,' says Jane, a teaching assistant. 'We'd normally wait for better weather but at least we're here.'

Once the weather lifts, they will savour breathtaking views across the Bristol Channel and explore secluded coves. They are staying with other family members including Phillip Godfrey, 41, also from Leicestershire. 'I brought ID in case we were suspected of coming from the Leicester lockdown area,' says Phillip. 'We've heard of friends having holidays cancelled.'

The group are planning a barbecue party with chicken, kebabs and belly pork, washed down with Devon cider. 'There's just one worry. It's a new tent,' says Jane. 'We've never put it up before. Should be fun in this wind.'

Campsite owners Colin and Jill Harman lost 70,000 worth of sales during lockdown. 'And we had to throw away 4,000 of food and beer,' says Colin. 'A couple of people have asked us to guarantee there will be no risk. We can't do that.

'There's a risk with any shared facility. But we've worked hard to keep people safe and there has to be some personal responsibility.'

10am

First on the Wicker Man rollercoaster  the main attraction at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire  are adrenaline junkies Kim and Marc Roe, both 40, from Wolverhampton and their 11-year-old son Tristan.

Marc says: 'I'm so glad to be the first person to ride Wicker Man today  I'm a massive fan.'

At the Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth, Tyne & Wear, families follow the socially distanced orange spray-painted starfish markers towards the entrance.

Trudi Kennair, 37, from nearby Whitley Bay, and her four-year-old son Luke are among the first customers. As Luke's excited eyes search the glass tanks for sharks, his mother explains: 'There was so much excitement about this in our house, it was just like Christmas morning  in fact there was considerably more excitement than if Santa had been.'

11am

Truck driver Paul Shellabear, 54, reverently examines his pint of lager on the bar of his local, The Three Horses, in Keighley, West Yorkshire. 'This is my first pint that hasn't been from a can since March and it is not going to be the last,' he says.

'I've really missed this place and I'm looking forward to seeing some old faces and getting back to the pub banter.'

Tiler John Durkin, 48, agrees. 'I've been Zooming from home with mates and having the odd can of beer, but there is nothing to beat a proper English pub atmosphere and socialising.'

Their musings are shared by thousands across the land, among them, Nigel Farage, who, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the first through the door of his local near Biggin Hill, Kent, when it opened at noon.

By and large social distancing is observed, though few take their responsibilities as seriously as Bobby Kitson, 21, and his four friends, who arrived at The Wellington, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, wearing forensics-style suits and masks.

'It's making drinking a bit tricky  but we'll get there,' says Bobby, who works at Pinewood Studios.

1pm

Dan Edison, 27, and his partner Callum Perry, 21, both wearing masks, arrive at the Odeon cinema in Norwich for the first film of the day  the fantasy adventure Onward. Customers must sit in their social bubbles, leaving three empty seats between groups.

Dan, who works in publishing, says: 'I am quite anxious about going in because of everything that has been going on, but I can see that they are taking really strict precautions which is very reassuring.'

Callum, who works for the student union at the University of East Anglia, says: 'It is nice to come out and get back to doing the things we love. It is all about trying to get back to normality.'

Tunnel vision: Lynsey and Chris Todd with 14-month-old Flynn at the Tynemouth Aquarium

2pm

Wearing a bespoke silk duchess dress, a lace veil, and a mask to match, Debbie Curtis, 34, glides down the aisle of St John the Baptist Church, in Bisley, Surrey.

It usually seats 90 to 100 people but only 14 witness her big day. What was planned as a big communal celebration becomes a quiet, more intimate affair.

Debbie is given away by her widowed mother who has formed a 'bubble' with Debbie and her husband David Curtis, 44. A seating plan ensures that households remain two metres apart  with each bubble getting their own pew and being separated by an empty row.

With singing banned, the best man instead plays the banjo during the signing of the register. Despite the complications of holding a wedding during the middle of a pandemic, Debbie and David are eager to start married life. Debbie says: 'We can still have the party next year. It's a shame, but it's a one-in-a-hundred year type of unforeseeable issue.'

2.45pm

Stepping across the threshold of the White Horse Inn, Exford, in Exmoor National Park, David and Noreen Paveley, both in their 80s, can scarcely contain their glee.

'The thought of a break on Exmoor has kept us going,' says Noreen, from Honiton, Devon, who has been shielding. 'We've just been waiting for Boris to say the word.'

David adds: 'We've been coming here for 15 years. We know all the staff  they're excellent and they'll take care of us. It feels very safe.'

3pm

An exultant cry rings out across the vast, 1,200-seat Mecca bingo hall in Gateshead.

'Yes!' shouts the winner of the 109.80 jackpot.

'My husband doesn't even know I'm here,' her friend confesses, carried away by excitement.

'He thinks I've gone shopping but I wouldn't have missed this for the world.'

Another player, Marilyn Rutter, 67, who shielded for 90 days due to ill health, adds: 'It's like I've got my life back. There really is nothing better than bingo.'

Manager Angela Haggarty says that for some customers, 'this is the first human interaction they've had for months. It's not just about winning at bingo, it's a social lifeline for many'.

Additional reporting by Peter Henn, Andrew Young, Jacinta Taylor, Nick Constable, Holly Bancroft and Scarlet Howes
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President Donald Trump continued his crusade against protesters targeting statues and national monuments, in a fiery Fourth of July speech comparing the 'radical left' to Nazis and terrorists.

Speaking from the White House South Lawn on Saturday during the 'Salute to America' Independence Day celebration, Trump struck a combative tone as he doubled down on his attack on left-wing activists and members of the media, who he accused of slandering the legacy of war heroes.

'American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles, and chased down terrorists to the very ends of the earth,' he said.

'We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing.'

Despite calling for 'unity', Trump did not hesitate to use the country's birthday as an occasion to assail segments of the country that do not support him and said demonstrators were not 'interested in justice or healing.'

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.

President Donald Trump delivered another fiery speech during the 'Salute to America' event on the South Lawn of the White House on Independence Day

Speaking from the White House South Lawn on Saturday ahead of a night of fireworks and flyovers, Trump struck a combative tone, doubling down on his attack on the 'radical left' and members of the media

The president and First Lady Melania Trump host the 2020 'Salute to America' event on Independence Day

The president had enticed the masses with a 'special evening' of tribute and fireworks despite a surge of coronavirus cases across the country. Pictured: Trump and the first lady watch the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a flyover near the White House

A Trump supporter holds flags as a military aircraft flies over the White House and Ellipse during Independence Day celebrations

Eager to mobilize his political base, Trump doubled down on his attack on the 'radical left' and those he claims are trying to 'erase our history'

Trump's endorsement of big gatherings at the National Mall and at Mount Rushmore came as many communities decided to scrap fireworks

Support has been growing among Republicans to remove Confederate memorials.

'Our past is not a burden to be cast away,' Trump said.

Eager to mobilize his political base, he promised never to allow 'an angry mob' to tear down statues, 'erase our history, indoctrinate our children or trample on our freedom', and vowed to defend the 'American way of life which began in 1492 when Columbus discovered America.'

In a message to members of the media, Trump accused them of 'slandering' the American people by labeling their 'opponents' as racists.

'When you level these false charges you not only slander me, you not only slander the American people, but you slander generations of heroes who gave their lives for America,' he said. 'You slander people much braver and more principled than you.

'You are dishonoring their great legacy and their memory by insisting that they fought for racism, they fought for oppression. They fought for the exact opposite.

Saturday's speech at the White House was capped off by fighter jet air shows and a fireworks display over the National Mall

Many of the guests who attended the event were seated close together on the South Lawn and did not wear masks

Trump vowed to protect the legacy of American war heroes and military troops. Pictured: A U.S. military color guard stands on the White House South Lawn during Independence Day celebration

Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team displays an American flag while landing on the Ellipse near the White House on July 4

Paratroopers from the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team perform over the White House

On a day celebrating American Independence and unity, Trump went after enemies within, who he labeled leftists, looters, agitators'

People wait for US President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during the 2020 Salute to America at the White House

'We will not let the legacy of these people to be slandered by you.'

He 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.

Saturday's speech at the White House was capped off by fighter jet air shows and a fireworks display over the National Mall.

But the crowds wandering the National Mall for the night's air show and fireworks were strikingly thinner those the gathering for last year's jammed celebration.

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.

Meanwhile, Fourth of July protests erupted across the US, with heavily armed Black Panthers in Georgia descending on the country's largest Confederate monument to demand its removal, while demonstrators burned American flags near Trump Tower.

The president and first lady wave to the crowd ahead of the 'Salute to America' event on Saturday

WASHINGTON, DC: Fireworks explode behind the Washington Monument on Independence Day

WASHINGTON, DC: The impressive displays burst over Washington Monument at the National Mall

NEW YORK CITY: : Fireworks are launched from the Empire State Building as part of the 44th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show

NEW YORK CITY: Saturday's fireworks display marks the end of a week-long celebration in the Big Apple

Trump's Fourth of July event follows a Friday night speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota where he accused 'angry mobs' of trying to erase history and used the speech to paint himself as a bulwark against left-wing extremism.

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, he made little mention of the pandemic that has hit his re-election hopes, even as COVID-19 moved further into Trump's inner circle.

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.'

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA: Crowds gather to watch firework displays light up the sky on Saturday

JULY 4 PROTESTS: Gregory 'Joey' Johnson (right) whose burning of an American flag in Texas in 1984 led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the act as free speech, burns a U.S. flag near Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during an anti-Trump rally in in Los Angeles, California on July 4

JULY 4 PROTESTS: The burning of the American flag outside of Trump Tower is viewed as a direct act of defiance against an administration that has been criticized for being tone deaf on racial issues

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.

Joe Biden, Trump's Democratic rival in the November election, struck a contrasting note with the Republican president and accused him in a Fourth of July op-ed of finding every day 'new ways to tarnish and dismantle our democracy.'

'We have a chance now to give the marginalized, the demonized, the isolated, the oppressed, a full share of the American dream,' Biden said in a separate letter to donors.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser had tried to dissuade the Trump administration from holding the fireworks display over the National Mall and informed the Department of the Interior that it went against health officials' guidance amid the pandemic.

Apart from fireworks spectators, activists of different stripes also appeared willing to disregard the health warnings.

Roar of the Deplorables, a bikers group, said via social media that they, too, were planning to gather in Washington on Saturday to stand in protest against what they call 'the anti-Trump regime' and to celebrate the nation's birthday.

Freedom Fighters DC, a new activist group which seeks to rally an ethnically diverse generation of supporters behind liberty for all people, especially the Black population of Washington, is one of the anti-racism groups ignoring the mayor's heed to refrain from gathering.
A key person of interest in the brutal murder of dog walker Toyah Cordingley is living as a 'free man' in India nearly two years after fleeing Australia.

Ms Cordingley, then 24, was killed while she walked her dog at Wangetti Beach in Far North Queensland on the morning of October 21, 2018.

The pharmacy assistant's naked body was found battered and bruised by her father the following morning, and her dog was found tied to a nearby tree.

A full-scale homicide investigation was launched after Ms Cordingley's body was discovered.

But Australian police still haven't issued an arrest warrant or requested a global Interpol 'red alert' for key person of interest Rajwinder Singh, who fled to his native India 622 days ago.

Ms Cordingley, then 24, was killed while she walked her boyfriend's dog at Wangetti Beach in Far North Queensland on the morning of October 21, 2018. Pictured with her father Troy

Australian police still haven't issued an arrest warrant or requested a global Interpol 'red alert' for key person of interest Rajwinder Singh, who fled to India the day after Toyah Cordingley's body was found

The pharmacy assistant's naked body was found battered and bruised by her father the morning after, and her dog was found tied to a nearby tree

Without an official order or request, authorities can't arrest Singh - who is living as a free man in India, the Courier Mail reports.

Queensland Police have refused to disclose the details of the investigation or comment on why a formal manhunt for Singh hasn't been commenced.

'This is a complex ongoing matter in which police are taking an appropriately thorough approach to all aspects of the investigation,' police said in a statement.

It's believed Singh nurse quit his full-time nursing job at Innisfail Hospital, abandoned his wife and child and fled to India the day the body was found.

Last year a family spokesman said Singh - who worked as a nurse at Innisfail Hospital - could be hiding out in a Sikh temple.

'If someone wants to hide, it is easy to hide in India,' the spokesman said.

'He could be in any one of thousands of Sikh temples, where he can live under a fake identity and get work, free food and board.'

Pharmacy assistant Toyah Cordingley pictured with her boyfriend Marco Heidenreich

Ms Cordingley's family and friends have vowed never to give up the hunt for justice

Singh has extended family living in his home town of Amritsan in Punjab state, near the Pakistani border about 450km north of India's capital New Delhi.

Late last year, Singh's uncle told 7News that Singh had not been in contact with the family there.

Indian police have previously said they would be happy to search for him - but nobody has officially asked them for help.

Inspector Harsandeep Singh of Punjab Police said they were here for justice and ready to investigate, but even if they saw Singh, they couldn't arrest him without any order or request.

'There is no case against Rajwinder Singh in our police station. He is as clean as you and me. For us right now he is a law-abiding citizen of this country,' he told the Sunday Mail.

It's understood to be extremely difficult to extradite fugitives from India.

Puneet Puneet, an alleged hit-and-run killer, has been fighting extradition back to Australia for over a decade.

Last month he went missing before a final court appearance.

Ms Cordingley's family and friends have vowed never to give up the hunt for justice.

More than 100 people gathered last October to unveil a memorial on the anniversary of her death, not far from the spot where she was killed.

Days later, heartless vandals tore down a banner with Ms Cordingley's face on it on it.

They also tossed trinkets left at the site by loved ones in a nearby bin.

More than 100 people gathered last October to unveil a memorial on the anniversary of her death, not far from the spot where she was killed

Family friend Wayne 'Prong' Trimble noticed the banner - which was printed to help catch the killer - was missing.

He pleaded with the culprits to come forward.

'Does anybody know the lowlifes who stole Toyah's banner from near her monument in the last couple of days?' he asked on Facebook.

'That banner was given to Toyah's family to hang there. We want it back ... Just put it back to save your life if it's worth saving. I'm pi**ed off.'

Steve Parsonage from the Copy Shop Business Centre printed a new banner to take its place.

He also gave one to her devastated parents, Troy and Vanessa Cordingley.

The site also has a memorial stone and an area for visitors to sit on.
The mystery buyer of Sydney's controversial Sirius building is a reclusive millionaire banker with family links to Vietnamese fashion mogul billionaires and a glamorous Instagram influencer.

Until now, little was known about the buyer who snapped up the iconic public tower in The Rocks overlooking Sydney Harbour for $150 million a year ago.

While it was announced at the time it would be backed by investment firm JDH Capital, the New South Wales government was tight-lipped about the unknown company behind the deal, Sirius Developments Pty Ltd.

It's since been revealed the mystery buyer is former Macquarie banker Jean-Dominique Huynh, 36, who has quietly built his fortune without attracting media attention.

The iconic Sirius building (pictured) has remain unoccupied since the last public housing resident moved out in early 2015. The tower was sold for $150million last June

He was also part of the investment team at venture capitalists M.H. Carnegie & Co and uses founder Mark Carnegie's Sydney office as his registered business address, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

According to the newspaper's investigation, so little is known about Mr Huynh the state government's extensive checks on his history in the media, ICAC inquiries and Fair Trading shed little light, according to documents obtained under freedom of information.

The documents also revealed money is yet to change hands over the sale over the Siruis building and won't due so until 'key' milestones after the NSW government negotiated a delayed settlement.

Mr Huynh has family links to fashion mogul billionaires Johnathan Hanh Nguyen and wife, Le Hong Thuy Tien who sell global luxury brands to Vietnam's rich and famous through their business empire Imex Pan Pacific Group.

Mr Hanh Nguyen is also renowned for bringing Vietnam to the world after he negotiated the countrys first flight route to the Philippines in 1985.

Their daughter Tien 'Jacqueline' Nguyen is a social media influencer with 215,000 Instagram followers who made headlines earlier this year when she contracted coronavirus in London.

Sirius' buyer Jean-Dominique Huynh has family connections to fashion mogul billionaires Johnathan Hanh Nguyen and wife, Le Hong Thuy Tien, pictured with daughter Tien (centre)

Tien Nguyen (pictured) is the daughter of Vietnamese fashion moguls Johnathan Hanh Nguyen and Le Hong Thuy Tien

When the sale was announced last June, it was revealed the Sirius complex would be transformed into a luxury unit complex, adding 10 new apartments to the existing 79, along with retail and commercial spaces.

A NSW Department of Planning spokesperson told the publication its checks revealed JDH Capital had the 'credibility, capability and capacity' and offered 'best value for money and economic benefits'.

Mr Huynh declined to disclose investors involved in the sale, while his lawyer insisted there was 'no connection' to the Imex Pan Pacific Group.

JDH Capital development director John Green was also tight-lipped about the sale, citing strict confidentiality obligations.

'Sirius Developments Pty Ltd is excited to be working on this exciting project in Sydney's iconic Rocks area,' Mr Green said.

The iconic Sirius building will be transformed into a luxury unit complex

Opened in 1980, Siruis was put on the market for $100 million in December 2017.

The last Sirius resident, Myra Demetriou, then 91, moved out in February 2018 after a long-fought battle to stay after the NSW government revealed plans to sell the building to developers in 2014.

The legally blind great grandmother was the face of the long running Save Our Sirius community campaign which tried to save tenants from being evicted.

Ms Demetriou had lived on the top floor of the high-rise block for ten years before she was relocated to Pyrmont.

As the last resident to move out, a special farewell party attended by Federal opposition deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and state Sydney MP Alex Greenwich was held in her honour.

The mystery buyer has family connections to Tien 'Jacqueline' Nguyen (pictured), who is a social media influencer with 215,000 Instagram followers

'There's no use feeling sad about it, you've got to look to the future,' Mrs Demetriou told Daily Mail Australia in early 2018.

'The thing I'm going to miss the most is the friendships.'

Mrs Demetriou urged the NSW government at the time to keep public housing.

'We're going to end up the only city in the world without social housing. Even London and New York have it. We're not a poor country,' she said.

The Department of Family and Community Services was planning to use the proceeds from the sale of the building towards new homes for people on the waiting list for public housing.
Linford Christie has accused the Metropolitan Police of 'institutionalised racism' after two of his athletes were stopped and handcuffed while driving their car along with their three-month-old baby.

The Olympic champion left a message on Twitter demanding an explanation after the athletes were stopped.

Video footage from the scene showed how the athletes appeared to be manhandled by members of the Metropolitan Police during the stop.

Scotland Yard said their officers were on patrol in the area because of a 'an increase of youth violence involving weapons'.

The Olympic champion left a message on Twitter asking for an explanation after the athletes were stopped

This is the moment the Metropolitan Police stopped and handcuffed two of Linford Christie's athletes outside their home in London

Mr Christie questioned the reason behind the stop and suggested the police service were guilty of institutional racism

The Metropolitan Police said the stop was necessary as the car 'drove off at speed on the wrong side of the road' and had 'blacked out windows'

Mr Christie asked Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick to explain what happened

In a message addressed to the Met Police, Mr Christie wrote: 'Two of my athletes were stopped by the police today, both international athletes, both parents of a three-month-old baby who was with them and both handcuffed outside of their home.

Can Cressida Dick or anyone please explain to me what justification the Met Police officers had in assaulting the driver, taking a mother away from her baby all without one piece of PPE and then calling the sniffer dog unit to check the car over.

Was it the car that was suspicious or the black family in it which led to such a violent confrontation and finally an accusation of the car smelling of weed but refusing to do a roadside drug test.

'This is not the the first time this has happened. (second time in two months) And Im sure it wont be the last but this type of abuse of power and institutionalised racism cannot be justified or normalised any longer.

Linford Christie has accused the Metropolitan Police of 'institutionalised racism' after two of his athletes were stopped and handcuffed

Linford Christie, pictured, questioned whether the car was stopped in such a manner because there was a young black family inside the vehicle

The Metropolitan Police responded: 'At around 1325 on 04/07/2020, officers from the Territorial Support Group were patrolling in the W9 area in response to an increase in youth violence involving weapons.

'A vehicle with blacked out windows made off at speed from the officers, travelling the wrong side of the road. The officers eventually caught up with the vehicle which was stopped in LANHILL ROAD W9. The driver initially refused to get out of the vehicle.

'The occupants, a 25 year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, were informed that they were being detained for the purposes of a search under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

'After a search was conducted on the persons/ vehicle, no arrests were made and the occupants were allowed on their way. Each stop is dealt with on its own merits at the discretion of the individual officers involved taking into account various aspects including behaviour and compliance.

'Officers have to make these judgement calls regularly on a daily basis, often in difficult circumstances.

'They understand that their actions will be scrutinised as they go about their work and that the public have the right to hold them to account where appropriate. In this instance, officers from the Directorate of Professional Standards Unit have reviewed both footage from social media & the body-worn video of the officers on scene, and are satisfied that there is no concern around the conduct of officers.'
GPS are facing calls to resume face-to-face appointments amid concerns they are using the pandemic as a stealthy way of changing how they deal with patients.

Since March, surgeries have dealt with patients at arms length to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19.

Many have asked patients to fill in online forms before granting an appointment and subsequent consultations often take place on the phone.

Some surgeries have locked their doors to face-to-face appointments altogether.

Since March, surgeries have dealt with patients at arms length to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. Pictured: Stock photo of a GP in a remote consultation during lockdown

But critics say that the new system has made it harder for people to access GP care, particularly those who are less tech savvy.

Official figures show the number of GP consultations in England fell from 27.1 million in January to 16.4 million during May.

Face-to-face appointments plummeted from 21.7 to 7.7 million while those dealt with on the phone is up from 3.7 to 7.8 million. Video consultations fell from 194,206 to just 41,560.

The British Medical Association and the Royal College of GPs appear keen to continue with what they call new ways of working, including working from home, after the pandemic.

On June 12, they said that GPs should continue maximising remote consultations when the UKs Covid-19 Response Level drops from its current 3 to 2, signalling the situation is normalising.

When it drops to 1  the pandemic is over  the document states: All [GP] services in place. New ways of working established.

But former Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter, a Tory MP and doctor, said: Virtual consultations can bring benefits for patients, but are also fraught with dangers A GP cannot properly examine a patient through a computer screen or over the phone, so the danger is that more vulnerable patients do not receive the care they need, or are forced to attend A&E.

But former Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter (pictured), a Tory MP and doctor, said: Virtual consultations can bring benefits for patients, but are also fraught with dangers'

Tory MP and GP Dr James Davies said: Theres no question that, beyond the pandemic, there is scope for the ongoing use of remote consultations.

But remote working shouldnt be used as an excuse to abandon face-to-face consultations wholesale and not open up GP surgeries as lockdown is relaxed.

Louise Smith, 26, is one of tens of thousands with pernicious anaemia, which prevents Vitamin B12 absorption.

Sufferers need B12 jabs every two to three months or suffer nerve damage, fatigue and neurological problems, but many surgeries stopped the jabs after they were deemed lower priority.

Sufferers need B12 jabs every two to three months or suffer nerve damage, fatigue and neurological problems, but many surgeries stopped the jabs after they were deemed lower priority. Pictured: Stock photo of a GP giving a patient a jab

Miss Smith, from Chelmsford, whose last jab was in March, said: Ive been battling my GP for weeks for an injection.

She started getting pins and needles, an early sign of nerve damage, and limb numbness.

She now fears permanent problems if she does not get a jab. I feel like a ticking time bomb, she said.

Spitalfields Group Practice in East London has continued seeing many patients face-to-face, with a hot room for those who might have Covid-19.

Dr Anwara Ali said: You cant do everything remotely. I dont know whats happening elsewhere, but our patients know they can always see a doctor.

Dr Jonathan Leach, of the RCGP, said: We are acutely aware that some patients prefer seeing their GP in person, and this is a preference for many GPs, as well.
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Protesters in Baltimore hauled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into a harbor in defiance of President Trump hours after he compared them to 'Nazis and terrorists' in his Fourth of July address.

Just one day after Trump warned that people who 'damage or deface' statues will receive 'a minimum of 10 years in prison', a group of demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument and dump it into the city's Inner Harbor.

Police were reportedly at the scene but did not intervene, as a spokesperson for the Baltimore Mayor Bernard Young explained that protecting statues was not a priority for the police department who were more focused on homicides and other crimes.

Elsewhere, similar acts of defiance and demonstrations were held in several cities across the country.

Flag burnings were also seen in Washington, near to where the president was hosting hundreds at the White House for a July Fourth fireworks display, as well as in New York City outside the Trump Tower, and on Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

And at the nation's biggest Confederate monument, which has been used as a meeting place by the KKK, the Black Panthers gathered to demand the removal of the racist sculpture.

In Baltimore, cellphone footage shared to Facebook, showed the statue of the Italian explorer with two long ropes slung around it as a bustling crowd waits. The group simultaneously yells 'pull' and the gargantuan statue falls onto the brick ground.

A group of demonstrators in Baltimore used ropes (pictured around the statue) to topple the Christopher Columbus monument and dump it into the city's Inner Harbor

The empty plinth is all that remains after the statue was torn down on Saturday evening by a group of protesters in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimores Columbus statue gets dumped in the harbor pic.twitter.com/ZwuNcqAH6d  J. M. Giordano photo (@jmgpix) July 5, 2020

Loud cheers can be heard and several protesters were seen jumping out of joy.

From there, a group of protesters gathered around the now-broken statue, grabbed the ropes and began dragging it to Inner Harbor.

Several people can be hear cheering off camera when the statue crashes into the water and appears to sink.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the statue was owned by the city and dedicated in 1984 by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan.

A spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. 'Jack' Young said the toppling of the statue is a part of a national and global reexamination over monuments 'that may represent different things to different people.'

'We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative,' Lester Davis said.

'We understand the frustrations. What the city wants to do is serve as a national model, particularly with how we've done with protesting.'

The group protesting on Saturday were reportedly demanding funds from the police department be diverted to social services, the public education, housing for the homeless community, reparations for Black Americans and the removal of all statues 'honoring white supremacists, owners of enslaved people, perpetrators of genocide, and colonizers.'

For police officers in Baltimore, who like may other departments are facing increased scrutiny, reprimanding civilians over statues is not at the forefront of their agenda.

At lease three police officers with the Baltimore Police Department look into the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, after a statue of Christopher Columbus was rolled in on Saturday

The Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Piazza in Little Italy in 2015

'Our officers in Baltimore City, who are some of the finest in country, they are principally concerned with the preservation of life. That is sacrosanct. Everything else falls secondary to that, including statues,' said Davis.

But President Trump appears to disagree and last week, he said civilians caught toppling the Confederate monuments could face up to 10 years in jail. He authorized federal officials to 'arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison.'

His apparent distaste for Black Lives Matter protesters seeped into his Fourth of July address at the White House, where he compared them to Nazis and terrorists.

'American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles, and chased down terrorists to the very ends of the earth,' he said.

Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.

A large group of Black Panther Party members descended onto Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial in Georgia on Saturday

Protesters burn U.S. flags during a protest in front of Trump Tower, in New York City on Saturday, July 4

The Refuse Fascism group and protestors burn the American Flag outside of the White House in Washington DC. July 04. Kerrigan Williams: 'Black folks are not free from the chains of oppression, so we don't get to truly celebrate Independence Day'

Armed Black Lives Matter activists and right-wing groups came together in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday in a united show of support for the 2nd Amendment at an Open Carry rally

People rally in New Orleans, Louisiana, in front of Lusher Charter School to demand it changes its name because it honors staunch segregationist Robert Mills Lusher

Georgia

In Georgia, as many as 100 reported members of the Black Panther Party descended into Stone Mountain Park as calls to remove the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial boomed.

Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, a nine-story-high base-relief sculpture carved into a sprawling rock face northeast of Atlanta, is perhaps the South's most audacious monument to its pro-slavery legacy still intact.

Despite long-standing demands for the removal of what many consider a shrine to racism, the giant depiction of three Confederate heroes on horseback still towers ominously over the Georgia countryside, protected by state law.

It, as well as many other Confederate statues, have become a debate between Americans who argue they celebrate hate ideologies and those who believe it honors the traditions of the South.

The monument had been closed to public amid the coronavirus pandemic but reopened on Thursday, just in time for July 4. Photos taken at Stone Mountain Park showed a crowd of armed Black Panther Party members hidden behind various face coverings on Saturday.

The Black Panther Party, originally named the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was founded in Oakland, California, by then-college students Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in 1966.

Members of the Black Panther Party (pictured) arrived in Stone Mountain Park on July 4th as officials reopened the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial - a site commonly used by white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan

Pictured: Members of the Black Panther party armed with assault weapons arrive to Stone Mountain Park in Georgia as a controversial Confederate monument reopens on Saturday

The political group was initially founded to monitor the behavior of Oakland Police Department officers, who were accused of police brutality, with armed civilian patrols called 'copwatching.'

More than 50 years later, the current protests over police brutality have picked up where the founders left off after the death of George Floyd and several other Black Americans by law enforcement.

'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 civil rights group, which staged a march last week calling for the carving to be scraped from the mountainside.

'It's time for our state to get on the right side of history.'

Stone Mountain has long held symbolism for white supremacists.

The Ku Klux Klan, a hate group that was formed by Confederate Army veterans and has a history of lynchings and terror against Black people, held its rebirth ceremony atop mountain in 1915. The KKK was originally founded in 1865 but by the mid 1870s had all but disappeared after a federal crackdown during the Reconstruction era.

In 1915, former Methodist preacher William Simmons launched a campaign to relaunch the group. The relaunch culminated with a rebirth ceremony in November 1915 atpo the mountain where they set crosses ablaze. They set the date ahead of the Atlanta release of racist propaganda film Birth of a Nation.

Longer than a 100-yard American football field, it features the likenesses of Jefferson Davis, the president of the 11-state Confederacy, and two of its legendary military leaders, Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson, notched in a relief 400 feet above ground.

Gerald Griggs: 'Here we are in Atlanta, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement and still we have the largest Confederate monument in the world. It's time for our state to get on the right side of history'

The largest confederate memorial in America is carved out of the rock at Stone Mountain Park, as seen on February 3, 2019 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The site is linked to many Klu Klux Klan gatherings and the state of Georgia's resistance to the Civil Rights movement in the 1950's and 1960's

The Sons of Confederate Veterans is an organization that staunchly defends Stone Mountain and other Confederate statues and emblems.

Dedicated to teaching the 'Southern Cause,' according to its website, it believes their removal is akin to purging American history.

Klansmen still hold occasional gatherings in the shadows of the edifice, albeit now met with protesters behind police tape. Many of those cross-burnings took place on or around July 4.

But with the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, segregationist officials in the state pushed for the creation the Stone Mountain Memorial Association in 1958 and purchased the park. The carving was completed in 1972.

'This debate has been going on for years, and we're sensitive to it,' John Bankhead, a spokesman for the group, said.

'We want to tell history as it is, not as some say it is.'

New York City

Further north, residents brought their fight to the front steps of President Trump's 58-floor Trump Tower on Saturday with chants, protest signs and even several instances of flag burning.

Footage taken outside of Trump Tower near New York City's Columbus Circle showed a large group of demonstrators reportedly with the Revolution Club preparing to set the flags ablaze.

A speaker at the event cited 'police murder, terror and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people' as one of many for why the 'United States of America is irredeemable.'

A large America flag was set on fire while people chanted 'slavery, genocide and warAmerica was never great.'

The burning flag was then set on the ground and fellow protesters used to fire to lit smaller American flags.

Several American flags were torched on Saturday as protesters lit them ablaze near Trump Tower in New York City as citizens are becoming increasingly exhausted by divisive rhetoric

Several New Yorkers taking to the streets for peaceful protests wore face masks and coverings as states report surges in coronavirus cases across the country

Anti-racism protests continue at the Madison Square Park in New York City as people carry signs reading 'The Fourth of July is a National Lie' and 'The Police Should Not Be Above The Law'

According to FNTV, the group did one flag burning in Columbus Circle and one directly in front of Trump Tower.

New York City Police Department officers were reportedly at the scene and watched as the American flags were burned.

An NYPD truck stationed near Trump Hotel played the Star Spangled Banner through speakers afterwards.

In Brooklyn, New Yorkers held a 'Confronting July 4th' rally to honor Black and indigenous activists, USA Today reports.

A speaker at the event cited 'police murder, terror and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people' as one of many for why the 'United States of America is irredeemable'

New York City officials announced that traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge was temporarily stopped due to the several protesters with United New York Fourth of July Rally & March on Saturday

A man impersonating Donald Trump attends the Refuse Facism protest outside of Trump Tower near Columbus Circle in New York City

The groups reportedly 'refuse(s) to celebrate the whitewashing of this country.'

Event organizer Jo Macellaro referenced a speech by abolitionist Frederick Douglass, titled 'What to the slave is Fourth of July' as still relevant today.

'So much of it is still relevant,' said said. 'What does the Fourth of July mean to people who are still oppressed, marginalized  who don't have all the freedoms we're supposed to have in this country?'

The expansive and large protests even stopped traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening, CNN reports.

'Due to protest activity, all Brooklyn-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge are closed. Consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time,' the New York City Emergency Management announced on Twitter.

The New York Police Department said there's an estimated 1,200 orderly protests inundating the city as part of the United New York Fourth of July Rally & March.

Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to converge on Saturday in the heart of Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump will host an Independence Day fireworks display and military flyover

Disregarding the Washington mayor's warnings of the risk of gathering as many U.S. states mark a record number of new COVID-19 cases, crowds began to assemble early on a hot Saturday morning.

Police officers blocked off streets around the White House, Black Lives Matter Plaza and the Lincoln Memorial, where demonstrators planned to join one of the dozen organized protests in advance of Trump's nighttime address on the South Lawn.

Black Lives Matter protesters who gathered outside of the White House in Washington D.C., were joined by Trump supporters like Roar of the Deplorables, a biker group who wants to fight the 'the anti-Trump regime'

A small American flag and what appear to by copies of newspapers were set on fire outside the White House in a pointed critique of President Trump and his administration

Angela Moore (center), holds a US flag upside down and a sign that reads ' Stop Killing' while standing near policemen during a small standoff between police and protesters in front of Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC

A protester shouts at a line of policemen during a small standoff between police and protesters in front of Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC

Protesters in Richmond, Virginia, gathered near the now-defaced Robert E. Lee statue on July 4. The Confederate monument was one of many that have been damaged since protests began in May

Activist groups pledged to hold peaceful protests for reforms following the May killing of George Floyd.

Similar to New York City, protesters were pictured burning several American flags in defiance of both Trump and prejudice policies.

Trump's Fourth of July event follows a Friday night speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota where he accused 'angry mobs' of trying to erase history and used the speech to paint himself as a bulwark against left-wing extremism.

Roar of the Deplorables, a bikers group, said via social media that they, too, were planning to gather in Washington on Saturday to stand in protest against what they call 'the anti-Trump regime' and to celebrate the nation's birthday.

President Trump on Friday during his speech at Mount Rushmore railed against the 'angry mob' of Black Lives Matter protesters and anti-racism protesters who taken to the street for more than one month

Freedom Fighters DC, a new activist group which seeks to rally an ethnically diverse generation of supporters behind liberty for all people, especially the Black population of Washington, is one of the anti-racism groups ignoring the mayor's heed to refrain from gathering.

'Black folks are not free from the chains of oppression, so we don't get to truly celebrate Independence Day,' said Kerrigan Williams, 22, one of the founders of the group, which will host a march and an arts demonstration on Saturday afternoon.

'We're marching today to showcase that Black folks are still fighting for the simple liberties that the constitution is said to provide.'President Trump has repeatedly been critical of the Black Lives Matter movement and has unequivocally sided with law enforcement.

Richmond, Virginia

Armed Black Lives Matter activists and right-wing groups came together in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday in a united show of support for the 2nd Amendment at an Open Carry rally.

At least 200 people, the majority proudly toting rifles, semi-automatic weapons and other firearms, gathered outside Capitol Square to protest against gun control and the violation of constitutional rights.

The rally, organized by activist group Virginia Knights, also served as a memorial for Duncan Lemp, a 21-year-old man who was fatally shot in his Maryland home in March during a no-knock police raid.

Demonstrators fighting for Second Amendment rights on Saturday gathered in Richmond, Virginia, and were joined by members of other groups like Black Lives Matter and militia organizations

Scores of activists, the majority armed with rifles, semi-automatic weapons, and other fire arms gathered near Capitol Square on July 4

United: Armed Black Lives Matter groups and right-wing activists came together at a Richmond rally on Saturday in support of the 2nd Amendment

The gun enthusiasts gathered to protest against legislation requiring background checks and purchase limits on firearms. Pictured: Protesters proudly exercise their 2nd Amendment right

'This rally on July Fourth is to show that gun owners will not be trampled on! We are citizens who demand our 2nd Amendment rights be protected by the very people who swore an oath to protect us. Any and all gun laws are an infringement and are unconstitutional!' the Facebook event read.

'Duncan Socrates Lemp was our brother unjustly murdered in his sleep [under] the same laws in Maryland that Governor Northam has signed into law in VA.'

Organizers said they aimed to show Governor Northam 'that we stand strong as patriots, Americans, and free men and women'.

Photos showed protesters, from both ends of the political spectrum, mingling as they exercised their right to bear arms.

Activists group got together on July 4 to protest open carry laws and to honor in Duncan Lemp - a 21-year-old who was fatally shot during a no-knock raid

At least eight protesters part of the Second Amendment demonstration in Richmond, Virginia, brandish firearms as they walk in defiance of Gov. Ralph Northam

Virginia Senator Amanda Chase, who is running for Governor as a Republican, was the keynote guest at the rally. She is pictured arriving with her gun

Among the crowd of guests was Virginia state Senator Amanda Chase, who is running for governor.

Chase, strapped with a rifle, spoke to activists on her stance on police and the ongoing protests taking place across the nation.

'We don't have any tolerance for bad apples,' she said.

'We mostly have good police officers that do the right thing. And I don't believe in defunding the police, but we need to help people who have mental health issues. We need to add more, not take away,' she added.

The event comes six months after a Virginia gun rights rally that drew more than 22,000 armed activists to the state's capitol building to protest gun-control legislation making its way through the newly Democratic-controlled state legislature.

The protest came after Governor Northam banned carrying weapons onto the capitol grounds.

Gregory 'Joey' Johnson (right) burns a U.S. flag near Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during an anti-Trump rally in in Los Angeles, California . Johnson's burning of an American flag in Texas in 1984 led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the act as free speech

Pictured: the scorched remains of an American flag burned by protesters left on President Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles, California

Thousands of protesters across the United States sidestepped traditional barbecues and cookouts to participate in Fourth of July protests. Pictured; Black Lives Matter protesters march down Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando, Florida

People march to protest the name of the two educational institutions that comprise Lusher Charter School, marching from the elementary school campus on Willow Street to the high school campus of Freret Street in Louisiana

A sign reading 'Fight White Supremacy Free All Political Prisoners' is hoisted into the air at a Fourth of July Black Lives Matter demonstration in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Prince Charles today pays tribute to the 'costly sacrifices' made by doctors, nurses and paramedics during the coronavirus outbreak as he marks the 72nd anniversary of the NHS.

Ahead of this evening's 5pm 'clap for the NHS'  reprising the 'clap for carers' that swept the UK in lockdown  buildings across the country turned blue last night.

The landmarks lit up include Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, Wembley Stadium, SEC Glasgow, Blackpool Tower, Windsor Castle's Round Tower, the Shard in London and the Eden Project biomes in Cornwall.

Prince Charles marked the 72nd anniversary of the NHS today, paying tribute to the 'costly sacrifices' made by doctors, nurses and paramedics during the coronavirus pandemic

In a video message celebrating the NHS's anniversary that was recorded at Clarence House on Friday, the Prince of Wales also praises the 'renewal of our community spirit' that has seen volunteers helping the most vulnerable and key workers playing a vital role during the pandemic.

Charles, 71, says: 'Today marks the anniversary of the foundation of the National Health Service. On July the 5th, 1948, just four months before I was born, Trafford General Hospital opened its doors, providing care to all according to their need  not their ability to pay.

'After more than seven decades, that founding principle, though now familiar, is still a profoundly moving statement of our values  and it has never been more relevant than it is now.

'The current pandemic means that the NHS  and the entire country  has been through the most testing time in the service's history. Our remarkably selfless nurses, doctors, paramedics and countless other staff have made costly sacrifices to provide treatment for more than 100,000 patients with coronavirus and thousands more who needed other care.

The Eden Project Biomes illuminated in blue on Friday evening as part of the NHS's 72nd anniversary celebrations

Landmarks across the country, including Houses of Parliament, Blackpool Tower (left), and The Shard (right), illuminated in blue last night to pay tribute to the NHS

'And, in tribute to them, we have come together as a nation to thank them for their skill, professionalism and dedication.'

Charles also highlights how the pandemic had brought out the best in people, saying: 'Of course, our whole society has risen to this extraordinary challenge, from the farmers, fruit and vegetable pickers, delivery drivers and shop workers who provided our food, to the energy workers who kept the lights on, the transport staff and the public servants and business people who continued to provide vital services.

'Every new difficulty has been met with a new solution. Countless volunteers have come forward to help those in greatest need and, of course, all have had their part to play by heeding the official advice to help stop the spread of this cruel virus.

'This renewal of our community spirit has been a silver lining during this dark time.'

Charles, who met NHS workers when he visited a hospital in Gloucester last month, adds: 'During these past months, the phrase 'to shield' has taken on an emphasis it did not have before.

'But while the meaning may be new, the principle of protection for those in need is timeless.

The Round Tower at Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth is living during the coronavirus pandemic, joined other landmarks in turning blue on Friday night

'To all who have given so much during this present danger, I just want to say that it is you who have been our shield. It is your hands that have held us up. It is your gentleness that has made us great.

'Despite all that has been endured, there is deep cause for gratitude, and a true reason for pride. In the way we care for all members of our society, our greatness truly is in gentleness. So, thank you all for what you have done  more than I can possibly say.'

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said he hoped the public would use the anniversary as an opportunity to 'say a heartfelt thank you' to hospital staff.

Sir Simon said: 'This year has been the most challenging in NHS history, with staff displaying extraordinary dedication, skill and compassion.

'During this testing time, our nurses, doctors, physios, pharmacists and countless more colleagues were sustained by the support of the public, not least through the weekly applause for key workers.'
A mother battling cancer for a second time has lost her daughter, 11, to leukaemia.

Frances Thompson, from Southland in New Zealand, was recovering from bowel cancer last year when another tumour was found in her liver.

While undergoing chemotherapy during coronavirus lockdown, Ms Thompson's daughter Katherine was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Katherine was sent to Christchurch for treatment, but while in hospital a fungal infection invaded her tiny body.

Katherine (centre) was died on June 26 while her mother Frances was battling cancer for the second time. Pictured with her father Jack and sister Amelia

The gravely ill little girl was taken back to Southland to receive palliative care at Invercargill hospital.

She died on June 26.

'We cannot comprehend the pain and grief you are facing during this time,' a post on the Givealittle page set up by extended family said.

'Our thoughts and prayers of support, love and strength are continuing for Frances, Amelia, Jack and family.

'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away. Rest peacefully beautiful girl.'

Nearly $15,000 has been raised on the crowdfunding page in just two weeks.
A Black Lives Matter protester has died in hospital, less than 24 hours after they were struck by a car which plowed into a crowd of demonstrators in Seattle.

Summer Taylor, 24, succumbed to injuries sustained during the collision, which occurred on a closed-off section of Interstate 5 shortly after 1am on Saturday.

The protester was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in a critical injury, before passeing away on Saturday evening.

Taylor, who worked at a Seattle veterinary clinic, was described as 'an incredibly strong and independent spirit' in a GoFundMe account set up after the crash.

'Summer is a bright and caring person whose presence elicits joy and laughter in others', the account - which has raised more than $40,000 - reads.

Fellow protester, Diaz Love, 32, was also struck during the hit-and-run. Diaz remains in a serious condition at Harborview Medical center.

Love was filming the protest on Facebook Live when the white Jaguar sped through the crowd. Footage shows people screaming 'Car!' before Love's camera starts to shake and the sound of impact is heard.

The driver of the Jaguar, Dawit Kelete, 27, sped off from the scene, but was later apprehended.

Officials are trying to determine the motive as well as how Kelete got onto the interstate, which had been closed by the state patrol for more than an hour before the protesters were hit.

Summer Taylor, 24, has died in hospital, less than 24 hours after they were struck by a car which plowed into a crowd of demonstrators in Seattle

Love and fellow protester, Diaz Love, are pictured being put into an ambulances by first responders after they were hit by a speeding car on Interstate 5

Diaz Love, 32, (pictured) was also struck by the white Jaguar during the hit-and-run. They remain in a serious condition at Harborview Medical center

After the incident, another protester got in a car and chased Kelete for about a mile. The protester was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar.

Troopers arrived and Kelete was arrested.

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.

Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron 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 Love and Taylor.

The collision sent the two protesters flying into the air, leaving one of them with life-threatening injuries and the other with serious injuries

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

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.

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

'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.

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
Clothes workers in Leicester are being paid as little as 3.50 an hour to produce items for some of the UK's biggest fashion brands, an investigation has uncovered.

At one factory, where clothes at bound for online giant Boohoo and Nasty Gal, employees are said to work for less than half the national minimum wage.

The undercover report by The Sunday Times also found that no additional hygiene or social distancing measures were in place, despite the city being in a localised lockdown due to an outbreak of the virus.

Home Secretary Priti Patel called the allegations 'truly appalling' and vowed to clamp down on modern slavery.

Nasty Gal and Boohoo.com are renowned for affordable fashion, with crop top (left, example) going for as little as 4 in a sale, and dresses (right, example) as low as 8

In covert footage, the undercover reporter records himself packing garments clearly labelled as 'Nasty Gal'.

He is also approached by the factory foreman, who warns: 'These motherf***ers know how to exploit people like us. They make profits like hell and pay us in peanuts.'

'Take me for instance, I've been working for so many years in this industry, I've been here for five years but never could I take a proper pay packet. I'm still only on just over 5 an hour.'

Mahmud Kamani, the CEO of Boohoo and its subsidiaries Nasty Gal and PrettyLittleThing, is reported to be worth 1 billion and is set to be awarded a 50m bonus this year.

Boohoo has already come under fire for allegedly risking the spread of coronavirus in Leicester after claims that factories supplying the online retailer told staff to come into work during lockdown despite being sick.

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen raised the alarm about clothes factories in Leicester in January after being approached by whistleblowers about the illegal practices allegedly employed in some of the city's clothing factories.

Last week Priti Patel, the home secretary, asked the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate modern slavery in Leicester's clothing factories.

Responding to the investigation, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'These allegations are truly appalling and I commend the Sunday Times and local MP Andrew Bridgen for their roles in uncovering such abhorrent practices.

Responding to the investigation, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'These allegations are truly appalling and I commend the Sunday Times and local MP Andrew Bridgen for their roles in uncovering such abhorrent practices'

'I will not tolerate sick criminals forcing innocent people into slave labour and a life of exploitation.

'Let this be a warning to those who are exploiting people in sweatshops like these for their own commercial gain.

'This is just the start. What you are doing is illegal, it will not be tolerated and we are coming after you.'

A statement from Nasty Gal seen by the Times said the company would investigate the claims, but insisted that the factory was not a 'direct supplier'.

'Nasty Gal does not allow any of its suppliers to pay less than the minimum wage and has a zero-tolerance approach to incidences of modern slavery,' it said.

'We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of non-compliance with our strict code of conduct is found.'

MailOnline have contacted Boohoo.com for comment.

Leicester's fast fashion to die for: Cramped ragtrade workshops in the pariah city where staff on as little as 4 an hour reveal they dare not go home if they have Covid symptoms... is this the REAL reason it's been quarantined?

ByPaul Bracchi for the Daily Mail

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 9pm, 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.
Embattled Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick was last night at the centre of a Westminster mystery over which Government Minister made the disparaging declaration that the UK has had enough female Prime Ministers.

The story has been relayed by former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who has told audiences of Tory activists that during last years Tory leadership contest, an unnamed senior Tory had urged her not to run herself.

Ms Rudd claimed that the man had said that, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May had made it to No 10, there was no need for the party to prioritise a woman in the race.

Tory MPs claim that Mr Jenrick, currently embroiled in a cash for favours row over a housing development, was the MP who made the remark  which he denies.

Mr Jenrick, currently embroiled in a cash for favours row over a housing development, has denied being the minister to say that after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May had made it to No 10, there was no need for the party to prioritise a woman in the leadership race

At the time of the alleged comment, Mr Jenrick was working as Ms Rudds parliamentary aide, but backing Boris Johnson for the leadership. When The Mail on Sunday asked Ms Rudd the identity of the MP, she said: It seems mean to spill that one. When pressed further if it was Mr Jenrick, Ms Rudd declined to answer.

Mr Jenrick said: I dont believe I ever said that. Its not something I would say and is about as far removed from my own views as is possible.

At the time I was Ambers [adviser] and a hugely supportive one as well, as she would no doubt attest to. A spokesman for Mr Jenrick said last night: The idea that Robert would say that is frankly absurd and disgusting.

Hes one of the strongest male advocates for women in Parliament, was Ambers hugely supportive PPS when she was planning to run for leader and is the father of three daughters, one of whom he even gave the middle name Thatcher to encourage them to reach for the top.

Amber Rudd, pictured left with then-Prime Minister Theresa May, has told audiences of Tory activists that during last years Tory leadership contest, an unnamed senior Tory had urged her not to run herself

The cash for favours row followed Mr Jenricks approval of businessman Richard Desmonds proposal for a 1,500-home development in East London.

The Minister overruled the planning inspector and his own officials to grant permission in January, two months after he sat next to Desmond at a Tory fundraising dinner.

He subsequently had to quash his own decision, admitting apparent bias but denying any wrongdoing.

The Commons Housing Select Committee said last week that it disagreed with the Prime Ministers claim that the matter is closed, and summoned Mr Jenrick to appear to explain serious mistakes in his handling of the plan.
A second wave of COVID-19 is continuing to ravage Victoria, with 74 new cases recorded and 3,000 of the state's most vulnerable people placed in total lockdown.

The state was on tenterhooks after 108 cases were recorded on Saturday, three less than the peak total of 111 from March 28 - which came at the height of the first wave.

Saturday's increase led Premier Daniel Andrews to lock down nine public housing commission towers in the suburbs of Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne.

Mr Andrews announced on Sunday that all residents of these towers would receive a rent reprieve for the next fortnight.

Anyone who lives in the towers and is unable to go to work because of the lockdown will receive a $1,500 payment, while unemployed households will receive $750.

Mr Andrews had warned Victorians that if things did not improve he would return the state to lockdown, but residents were granted a reprieve with the drop in cases.

Victoria has recorded 74 new cases of COVID-19, a significant drop from a day prior when the second highest numbers of the pandemic were recorded

Towers in the suburbs of Flemington (pictured), Kensington and North Melbourne were put in a 'hard lockdown' on Saturday and will be closed for five days. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that people living in housing towers will not have to pay rent for the next fortnight

The 74 new cases in Victoria and 14 new cases in NSW take the total across Australia to 8.174

Premier Andrews praised the more than 21,500 people who were tested on Saturday.

'I thank each and every one of them for that seemingly small contribution, but I really massive part of our public health response,' Mr Andrews said.

'The whole strategy depends on knowing where the virus is putting in place the appropriate contact tracing and public health interventions to contain the virus.

'Without the testing numbers, without people coming forward and giving their time and consenting to a test, that is incredibly difficult to know.'

There are currently 543 active cases of coronavirus in Victoria.

Mr Andrews said that of the 74 new cases only one was a returned overseas traveller, four were picked up with routine testing and 53 are being investigated by the state's health officials.

New South Wales recorded 14 new cases, all of which were in returned travellers.

Public housing blocks in the suburbs of Flemington (pictured), Kensington and North Melbourne, where COVID-19 outbreaks have been recorded, were shut down on Saturday

A police officer speaks to a driver entering the housing commission flats in the suburb of Flemington

A team of hundreds of doorknockers and public health officials have been hitting the streets of Melbourne's hotspot suburbs to spread information and assess people for potential symptoms

There were distressing scenes outside one tower on Sunday morning as a women in one of the public housing towers was apprehended.

The distraught woman had to be pulled from her car by police after trying to flee the high-rise on Racecourse Road at Flemington, in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

Shocking photos show the woman driving her vehicle out of the carpark as a police officer chases after her.

Eventually catching up to the woman, he leans inside the open driver's side window and grabs her by the jacket at which point she slows down the vehicle.

Several other police officers rushed to help and the visibly shaken woman was taken away and questioned.

Premier Andrews locked the doors to nine housing towers at 4pm on Saturday amid fears the virus is spreading rapidly within their walls.

The 'hard lockdown' will see 3,000 people in towers across Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne forced to stay inside - with armed police on every single floor of every block ensuring they do not leave for any reason over the next five days.

The health concerns driving the stricter lockdown are attributed to crowded living and shared spaces, such as lifts.

Flemington (pictured), Kensington and North Melbourne were among the suburbs of the 2031 and 2051 postcodes of Melbourne to be placed into lockdown on Saturday

Dozens of Melburnians line up to be tested for COVID-19 in Brunswick West on Saturday, one of the suburbs that were locked down

A distraught woman has been pulled from her car by police after trying to flee a Melbourne public housing tower on Sunday

'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.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'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.'

Residents in the towers subjected to the 'hard lockdown' are among the state's most vulnerable.

Many have fled war or family violence and are dealing with mental illness, disability and low income.

They can only leave home to get food and medical supplies, or to attend school or work.

Melbourne City Councilor Rohan Leppert described the situation as 'terrifying'.

In a series of tweets by the Greens party member on Saturday evening, Mr Leppert said he believes police patrolling the inside of the building should not be armed.

'Please tell me these cops posted to every floor wont be armed,' he tweeted.

'If theres a cop on every floor I hope theres a social worker, counselor, DV (domestic violence) worker and translator on every floor too. This is legit terrifying.'
A notorious criminal caught up in a jailhouse brawl is alleged to have slashed a fellow inmate with a shiv because he mistakenly thought he was a rollover witness.

Farhad Qaumi, the former boss of the Brothers 4 Life crime gang, allegedly stabbed the 31-year-old prisoner, who cannot be named, repeatedly in the neck and face in a TV and utilities room in Goulburn Supermax, in New South Wales, on May 20.

The Daily Telegraph reported Quami believed the inmate had turned into a rollover witness, though both men have remained silent on the motivation behind the alleged stabbing.

Authorities had kept the pair in the High Risk Management Unit solitary cells, but granted them permission to meet as they were considered to be acquaintances.

Less than a month earlier, Quami and the inmate met without incident.

Farhad Qaumi, 37, allegedly stabbed the 31-year-old prisoner, who cannot be named, repeatedly in the neck and face in a TV and utilities room in Goulburn Supermax on May 20

The Daily Telegraph reported Quami believed the inmate had turned into a rollover witness, though both men have remained silent on the motivation behind the alleged stabbing

Quami - who is currently serving a 60-year jail service for a string of violent crimes, including the 2013 murder of Sydney dad Joe Antoun - and the inmate were led to the room in handcuffs at 9am.

Police allege prison staff removed Quami's shackles through a hole in the room door, before the inmate pulled a shiv from his pocket.

The fellow inmate is understood to have raised his arms to protect himself during the alleged stabbing.

Quami then allegedly placed the weapon on the table, knelt down onto his knees and places his hands in the air as officers stormed the cell.

The inmate refused anything beyond basic care from medical staff and has remained silent on the matter.

Qaumi has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, reckless grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and armed with intent commit indictable offence.

'The younger man sustained lacerations to his face and neck, while the older man was not injured,' a NSW Police spokeswoman said around the time of the incident.

'Both were treated by on-site medical staff.'

Quami's lawyer Simon Joyner said he would wait for CCTV vision from the day before he decided how to proceed with the case.

'I am waiting to be served with CCTV material from the police at which time I will speak with Mr Qaumi about how we will proceed with the case.'

Qaumi was jailed for at least 43 years for a 'violent underworld rampage' throughout Sydney's west in 2013 involving his two brothers and Brothers 4 Life gang members.

Those crimes included the murder of Antoun - who was shot five times after opening the front door to his home, with his daughters just inside - and the manslaughter of Mumtaz Qaumi, 32.

Since it opened in September 2001 there have been no escapes from Supermax

The High Risk Management Correctional Centre sits within the Goulburn prison complex. It may be the country's most secure prison but it is on the doorstep of houses and farming land

Describing the violence as 'outlandish and lawless', Justice Peter Hamill also jailed his brothers Mumtaz, 32, for at least 36 years and Jamil, 25, for at least 21 years for their role in some of the crimes.

Corrective Services NSW said Qaumi and the other inmate were the only two inmates inside the multi-purpose room at the time, as is procedure.

Qaumi will face Goulburn Local Court on Wednesday, August 12.

The violent fight comes less than two years after a similar brawl between Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy and convicted terrorist Talal Alameddine in an exercise yard of the high-security wing.
An organisation linked to Britain's only state-approved press regulator has given money to a website accused of publishing conspiracy theories about terror attacks.

The Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) handed a grant earlier this year to 5Pillars, a website that ran an article suggesting that MI5 may have arranged the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in 2013.

5Pillars also published pieces that questioned whether James Foley, an American journalist beheaded by Islamic State in 2014, was murdered by Western spies and that the 9/11 attacks were 'Israel's macabre, crowning glory'.

PINF is led by Jonathan Heawood, the founder of state-backed press regulator Impress. It was launched last year with Impress support to promote public-interest journalism.

5Pillars, which is regulated by Impress, was awarded a 3,000 grant funded by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust last month as part of a 'Covid-19 emergency fund' to help independent news providers.

The Public Interest News Foundation handed a grant to 5Pillars, a website that ran an article suggesting that MI5 may have arranged the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in 2013 (pictured, Michael Adebolajo after the killing of Lee Rigby)

Three days after the money was paid, Quilliam, a counter-extremism organisation, published a dossier of articles that have been published by 5Pillars, which it accused of being 'a fake news site with a track record of peddling conspiracy theories about terrorist attacks'.

The dossier included details of how in May 2013, shortly after Fusilier Rigby's murder in London by fanatics Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, 5Pillar's editor Roshan Muhammed Salih wrote an article headlined 'Was Michael Adebolajo an MI5 agent?'

He asked: 'Did Michael Adebolajo and his friend hack that British soldier to death on the orders of MI5 because they had some leverage over them and they were compelled to do it? Did MI5 set the whole thing up to demonise Muslims and Islam.'

5Pillars was set up in 2013 as 'a news, opinion and analysis-based website which concentrates on British Muslim news but also looks to the wider Islamic world'.

Mr Salih is a former head of news at Iran's Press TV in London.

Shortly after Lee Rigby's murder, 5Pillar's editor Roshan Muhammed Salih (pictured) wrote an article headlined 'Was Michael Adebolajo an MI5 agent?' according to the Quilliam think-tank

David Toube, Quilliam's director of policy said: 'It is unimpressive that the [PINF] panel did not conduct appropriate due diligence in advance of the award... to avoid this embarrassing mistake.'

In a statement, PINF said it was encouraging anyone with concerns about 5Pillars' journalism to inform Impress 'as a matter of urgency'.

It has told 5Pillars that it will have to repay the grant if Impress rules against it.

'We take extremely seriously the concerns that were raised about some of the material on the 5Pillars website and related social media accounts,' it added. 'PINF exists to promote active citizenship and community engagement by supporting public interest journalism with high standards. We do not wish to support journalism that does not provide a benefit to the public.'

Almost all newspapers, including The Mail on Sunday, are regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, an independent regulator free of state control. Other news organisations are regulated by Impress, which was founded by Mr Heawood in 2013.

It has been funded by former motorsport boss Max Mosley's family charity.

5Pillars did not respond to requests for comment. Its website says that being regulated by Impress 'means that we have to adhere to a rigorous set of journalistic standards'.
A bestselling childrens author has been sacked after expressing support for fellow writer J. K. Rowling in the bitter row over transgender rights.

In the latest example of cancel culture, novelist Gillian Philip was last week jettisoned from her role writing titles for a major publishing company.

It came after the writer, who has penned a popular series of books for eight-to-12-year-olds, added the hashtag #IStandWithJKRowling to her Twitter handle.

Gillian Phillip (pictured), a best-selling children's author, has been sacked after putting out a tweet with the hashtag #IStandWithJKRowling, amid the Harry Potter author's transgender row

Her move sparked a torrent of online abuse and emails to her employer Working Partners, a fiction packaging firm which devises series for publishing houses and commissions authors to write them.

Ms Philip, 56, had expressed her support for the Harry Potter creator after she retweeted an article referring to people who menstruate and questioned why the story did not use the word women.

Ms Rowling was subjected to trolling and accused of being transphobic.

However, Ms Philip  one of several authors writing under the name Erin Hunter on popular animal fantasy series including Warrior Cats, Survivors and Bravelands  found herself sacked for her support of Ms Rowling.

Ms Phillip tweeted her support for Ms Rowling (pictured) after the popular author retweeted an article referring to 'people who menstruate' and questioned why the story did not use the word 'women'

After Ms Philip received sexualised abuse and deaths threats from the trans lobby, she tweeted Bring it on, homophobes and lesbian-haters  which only inflamed the situation.

Within 24 hours, James Noble, managing editor of Working Partners, replied to the barrage of complaints saying: The worlds created by Erin Hunter are meant to be inclusive for all readers and we want to let you know that Gillian Philip will no longer be writing any Erin Hunter novels.

The decision was last night condemned by Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, who said: Every day, peoples livelihoods are being destroyed and their names dragged through the mud because theyve said something others disagree with.

'Anyone who challenges the view of these activists is immediately targeted for cancellation.

Erin Hunter books are published by HarperCollins, which was also targeted by online protesters.

Ms Philip has also written as Gabriella Poole for the Darke Academy series and Adam Blade for the Beast Quest books.

In a statement last night, she said: I am disappointed that the hard work and professional attitude I have brought to my work for HarperCollins and for Working Partners counted for nothing in the face of an abusive mob of anonymous Twitter trolls.

Ms Phillip said it was 'concerning' that her concerns about women's rights have been presented as 'transphobia'

'It is concerning that my concerns about womens legal rights and spaces have been presented as transphobia, and that this accusation has been allowed to stand by my former employers.

Chris Snowdon, managing director of Working Partners, said: Erin Hunter is not a single person but a diverse team of creatives and writers.

'We recently became aware that Gillian Philip had associated the Erin Hunter pen-name with her personal views on Twitter, thus associating them with the whole collective.

'In light of this situation, the decision was taken to no longer work with Gillian Philip.

The decision taken was not in direct response to the nature of Gillians personally expressed views.

HarperCollins UK distanced itself from the row, saying that it does not have a contract with this author  only an arrangement with Working Partners.

Visit the Free Speech Union website at Freespeechunion.org
A New Zealand woman has been arrested for escaping hotel quarantine after returning from Australia.

The 43-year-old ran away from the Pullman Hotel in Auckland on foot at about 6.20pm on Saturday night.

The woman, who was in coronavirus quarantine after returning from Brisbane on June 27, ran several blocks before she was caught by police at about 8pm.

The five officers who came into contact with her have now been tested for COVID-19 and have been forced to self-isolate, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The 43-year-old woman ran away from the Pullman Hotel (pictured) in Auckland on foot at about 6.20pm on Saturday night

The unidentified woman is in custody and police are considering charges.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, from the head of isolation management in New Zealand, said the woman's exact movements are still being determined.

'We recognise that managed isolation can be stressful for people who come to it with a variety of circumstances.

'However, wilfully leaving our facilities cannot and will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will be taken.'

He also said the woman, who will be assessed by a clinician, tested negative to the virus on June 30.

All travellers arriving in New Zealand are required to isolate for 14 days, and test negative to the respiratory virus before they are allowed into the community.
The UK is poised to end the use of Huawei technology in its 5G network as soon as this year amid security concerns, it emerged last night.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to strike a major policy change after GCHQ is believed to have reassessed the risks posed by the Chinese tech company, newspapers have stated.

A study set to be presented to Mr Johnson this week will declare that US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use technology that is 'untrusted', reports said.

The Prime Minister's decision to allow Huawei a limited roll in Britain's 5G network is believed to have caused tension between London and Washington DC in recent months.

A report by GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre has decided the US sanctions barring Huawei from using technology relying on American intellectual property has had a 'severe' impact on the firm, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The newspaper stated that officials are crafting proposals to prevent new Huawei equipment being installed in the 5G network in as little as six months.

The involvement of the Chinese tech firm in Britain's 5G network also caused concern among a number of prominent figures on the Conservative backbenches.

The Mail on Sunday reported that the National Cyber Security Centre was instructed to carry out a review on the situation.

It also reported the organisation found that US sanctions had a major impact on the firm's viability, the newspaper said.

In January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave Huawei the green light to build 35 per cent of Britain's 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 report's 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 Britain's 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 Johnson's 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 report's findings by Culture and Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden, pictured above, who has oversight of the NCSC

Some Ministers and officials are hoping Britain's change of plans could be temporarily shelved amid the political uncertainty in Washington.

One source said: 'It's 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 Britain's gigabit upgrade.'
Ghislaine Maxwell is understood to have hired ex-SAS guards after she was left with 'real fear' for her life due to her relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

She paid 154,345 to company The Next Step which gave her advice 'on the preservation of life and how to relocate', court documents reveal.

The Next Step helps veterans as they move back into civilian life.

There is no suggestion that the firm - run by army veteran Matt Hellyer - helped her escape authorities and it did not give her any personal protection, The Sun on Sunday reports.

It comes amid fears for her safety in jail, with one friend warning: 'There is too much power involved if she really talks.'

Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured in 2013) is understood to have hired ex-SAS guards after she was left with 'real fear' for her life due to her relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

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 Epstein, who killed himself in prison awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges

A source told the paper: 'Ghislaine lived in real fear something might happen to her, and with good reason.

They added: 'She sought help from former SAS professionals. The company did not provide personal protection people.'

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.'

Maxwell paid 154,345 to company The Next Step - run by army veteran Matt Hellyer (pictured) - which gave her advice 'on the preservation of life and how to relocate', court documents reveal

Mason, who is appearing in the new docu-series 'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' in August on Lifetime, added that the threat to Maxwell 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.

It was today revealed that during Maxwell's arrest, armed officers smashed down the front door of her secret hideaway before hauling her off in handcuffs.

As dramatic new details about the raid which led to the capture of Prince Andrews close friend emerge, it was also revealed:

FBI spy planes flew above the 800,000 home, Tuckedaway, where Maxwell was staying from 4.20am  four hours before the bust  to ensure she didnt flee;

The stunned socialite barely registered having handcuffs slapped on her wrists;

Maxwells capture followed a 4 million, year-long cat-and-mouse hunt for her by the FBI which saw her slip through their net at least once;

Lawyers for victims admitted a conviction is no slam-dunk and fear she will potentially seek to escape justice by using a controversial 2008 plea deal that allowed paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to serve just 13 months, mostly on day release;

Her legal team vowed This is war as she prepared for the possibility of life behind bars in one of New Yorks toughest jails.

Armed officers smashed down the front door of Maxwells secret New Hampshire hideaway before hauling her off in handcuffs

The raid on the 156-acre property where Maxwell was staying in Bradford, New Hampshire, swung into action at 8.20am on Thursday with 24 armed FBI agents and police officers

Christopher Mason, a friend of Maxwell's since the 1980s, said he feared for her safety

The raid on the 156-acre property where Maxwell was staying in Bradford, New Hampshire, swung into action at 8.20am on Thursday when 24 armed FBI agents, officers from the local police force, New York police and New Hampshires gang task force used bolt-cutters to break the lock on a metal gate leading to the secluded property that she bought for cash last December.

An officer told The Mail on Sunday: We drove at speed up the half-mile driveway in a convoy of 15 vehicles. And lets just say, we didnt knock politely on the door. It was smashed down.

Maxwell was up and dressed, in the living room, wearing sweat pants and a top. Strangely she didnt seem to have much reaction. It was like it wasnt registering with her.

She was turned around quickly and cuffed. She was in custody in a matter of seconds.
Labor's Kristy McBain has claimed victory to win the tight Eden-Monaro by-election battle.

She beat Liberal candidate rival Fiona Kotvojs, who was pipped at the last election by Labor's Mike Kelly, who has retired due to health issues.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Ms McBain said she had secured around 1000 votes more than her closest component.

She thanked Dr Kotvojs and the other 12 candidates that ran in Saturday's election.

The former mayor of Eden said it was an honour to represent the southeastern NSW seat.

Labor's Kristy McBain has claimed victory to win the tight Eden-Monaro by-election battle. Pictured speaking to reporters on Sunday after her win

The former mayor of Eden said it was an honour to represent the southeastern NSW seat. Pictured with Labor Leader Anthony Albanese

Labor's Kristy McBain has claimed victory to win the tight Eden-Monaro by-election battle. Pictured with Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese at Merimbula Primary School in Merimbula, NSW, Saturday, July 4

The Australian Electoral Commission website shows Ms McBain won by 50.8 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis compared Dr Kotvojs on 49.2 percent. Pictuted: Ms McBain with her family

'I'm very pleased and honoured to be the next member for Eden-Monaro,' she said on Sunday.

'It has been election that has been fought on local issues, first and foremost.'

She said it was fought on bushfire relief, on COVID-19 and its economic impact on the community and the drought.

'I know there is a lot of work to do,' she said.

The vast electorate has suffered from drought, bushfires and the coronavirus recession.

The Australian Electoral Commission website shows Ms McBain won by 50.8 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis compared Dr Kotvojs on 49.2 percent.

However, Labor's primary vote declined by 3.1 per cent, while the swing to the Liberals was just over one per cent.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese congratulated Ms McBain on the win and said she would be a champion for the people of Eden-Monaro.

'We saw the government, of course, throw everything at it, as we would expect them to do,' Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra.

NSW state Nationals Leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro admitted he was wrong after predicting a win for the coalition government on Saturday night

Mr Barilaro's change of heart comes after he declared during a television appearance on Saturday night that he would have won the seat if he had chosen to run. Pictured with his family

'I have been very proud to campaign over the last eight weeks side-by-side with Kristy McBain.

'I look forward to the big one,' he said in reference to the next federal election due in 2022.

The well-regarded Mr Kelly congratulated his successor and was delighted by the attention that has been drawn to Eden-Monaro's issues.

'As painful as leaving has been this has made it all a little bit easier,' he tweeted.

It comes as NSW state Nationals Leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro admitted he was wrong for predicting a win for the coalition government on Saturday night.

'I think the way it looks this morning, it's going to take a big effort but maybe Labor will hold on,' he told Channel Seven's Sunrise program.

Just hours ago Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon said it is an 'ugly win' for the party.

Kristy McBain beat Liberal candidate rival Fiona Kotvojs (pictured), who was pipped at the last election by Labor's Mike Kelly, who has retired due to health issues

'We are very cautious about that, but things are looking ... good for us, and they will continue to improve, I think, over the course of the balance of the counting,' he told the ABC.

'It is a bit of an ugly win for us, I concede, but it is a win just the same. It was a difficult election for us.'

Coronavirus safety measures meant the count was much slower than usual and many people lodged the votes before Saturday.

Ms McBain told supporters on Saturday night it was okay the results were still too close to call.

Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro Fiona Kotvojs votes at Jerrabomberra Public School polling station, north of Queanbeyan, NSW, Saturday, July 4

'We said we wanted to make sure that we shone a spotlight on people in Eden-Monaro that were doing it really tough, and I think this election campaign we have definitely done that,' she said.

Both candidates vowed to continue fighting for the people in the southeast NSW seat that has been battered by drought, summer's bushfires and the coronavirus recession, no matter the election outcome.

'We have still got, in our community, a tough couple of years coming ahead,' Dr Kotvojs said.

'A government that gives leadership, a government that gives direction, a government that sets a base that supports people is what we need.'

Ms McBain said her resolve would not fade when the spotlight on the region did.

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

'The lesson we have learnt from the Black Summer bushfires is that leadership matters. It matters when you show up and it matters that you listen to people,' she said.

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.

Mr Barilaro's change of heart comes after he declared during a television appearance on Saturday night that he would have won the seat if he had chosen to run.

The deputy premier had initially declared he would contest for the seat but then backed out of the race early on.

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.

VOTES COUNTED ON SUNDAY 88,031 (81.42% of enrolment) PRIMARY VOTE LABOR - Kristy McBain - 36.18 per cent LIBERALS - Fiona Kotvojs - 37.78 per cent NATIONALS - Trevor Hicks - 6.62 per cent GREENS - Cathy Griff - 5.63 per cent SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS - Matthew Stadtmiller - 5.42 per cent HELP END MARIJUANA PROHIBITION - Michael Balderstone - 2.37 per cent - TWO-PARTY PREFERRED LABOR 50.77 per cent LIBERALS 49.23 per cent Advertisement

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 battle was 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 decided what was a test-run for a federal election with the seat seen as a bellwether electorate.

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.

Voters and party representatives interact outside Bungendore Public School on July 04 in Bungendore

The seat of Eden-Monaro was vacated when Labor MP Mike Kelly (pictured) retired for medical reasons

'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.

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

'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.

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
Every child holed up in Melbourne's public housing units in lockdown will receive an activity box filled with toys and puzzles to keep them busy during their forced isolation.

Thousands of Melbourne public housing residents went into lockdown on Saturday as more areas have joined the COVID-19 'hot zone' after Victoria's daily increase in cases reached triple digits.

The state recorded 108 new infections on Saturday, the second-biggest daily rise since the pandemic began in January, followed by another 74 new cases on Sunday.

Premier Daniel Andrews has taken drastic measures to quell a cluster of up to 30 cases in public housing by shutting down nine buildings, which affects 3000 residents.

Police are guarding every entrance and floor of the North Melbourne and Flemington estates 24-7, where residents cannot leave their homes for any reason, including food.

On Sunday, the Victoria government announced a special surprise for every child who lives in the affected buildings, unable to leave home during the second week of school holidays.

Every youngster holed up in the nine public housing complexes in Flemington and North Melbourne that have gone into lockdown will each receive one of these activity boxes

'From this morning, well start delivering one of these activity boxes to every child in the nine restricted public housing towers,' Mr Andrews said.

'It's full of books and puzzles. Crayons. Lego. Ideas for exercising at home. Herb and flower seeds  and a special egg carton to grow them in.'

'No one wants to be in this situation  especially kids with lots of energy.

'But we'll do whatever we can to make it that little bit easier.'

Mr Andrews also announced that affected tenants will receive free rent and a $750 hardship payment.

A dedicated hotline has also been established to ensure help is available when needed by affected residents.

The lockdown will remain in place for five days and every single tenant will be tested.

This public housing complex in North Melbourne is one of nine buildings where residents cannot home for any reason

The government previously announced delivery of food and medical supplies to affected homes would be arranged.

However, residents with urgent needs have told AAP no one has yet asked them what they need.

Many were unable to get to the shops to get food and other necessities such as baby formula after the lockdown was announced late Saturday afternoon.

Residents in those buildings are among the state's most vulnerable with many having fled war or family violence and dealing with mental illness, disability and low income.

The health concerns driving the stricter lockdown in the public housing estates are attributed to crowded living and shared spaces, such as lifts.

Police speak to a woman outside the North Melbourne Public housing flats on Sunday, as Premier Daniel Andrew announced plans to support affected residents

Residents in postcodes 3031 and 3051 have joined the 10 other community transmission 'hot zones' under stay-at-home orders.

They can only leave home to get food and medical supplies, or to attend school or work.

With 108 new COVID-19 cases announced on Saturday, the state notched its second biggest daily increase since the pandemic began.

Another 74 were announced on Sunday.

'If we don't all follow the rules, every postcode will be locked down,' Mr Andrews said.
New South Wales has recorded 14 new coronavirus cases from returned travellers who are now in hotel quarantine.

The state has recorded 3,230 cases to date with only one case recently recorded outside of hotel quarantine after a test revealed on Saturday a Central Coast high school student had previously caught the virus, but was no longer infectious.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McNulty says four residents of the Sydney nursing home Newmarch House and an XPT passenger who were showing symptoms, all tested negative.

New South Wales has recorded 14 new coronavirus cases, but all were returned travellers from overseas who are now in hotel quarantine (pictured, a bus waits to pick up quarantined guests outside a hotel in April)

The state has recorded 3,230 cases to date with only one case recorded outside of hotel quarantine after a test revealed on Saturday a Central Coast high school student had previously caught the virus, but was no longer infectious (pictured, returning overseas travellers enter the InterContinental Hotel when mandatory hotel quarantine was brought in during March)

An outbreak at the western Sydney facility run by Anglicare was declared over in mid-June after 37 residents and 34 staff caught the virus, and 19 residents died.

Dr McNulty said although there were no community transmissions, people needed to remain vigilant with hygiene and social distancing.

'The virus is likely circulating among people in the community with mild symptoms, as such, the risk of outbreaks and a resurgence of cases remains,' he said.

'People who may show no obvious symptoms or have very mild symptoms can unknowingly pass it to others if they are incubating the infection.'

A further 18,144 tests were conducted as of 8pm on Saturday, taking the total to 942,432 tests in the state.

NSW reported six new cases on Saturday, an 18-year old student from a Central Coast high school and five returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

At midnight, international arrivals in Sydney were capped at 450 a day in a bid to ensure the hotel quarantining system was not stretched to breaking point.

The state has just 69 people being treated for COVID-19, while 2799 others have recovered from the illness.

Victoria recorded 108 new cases on Saturday, the second-highest daily number since the pandemic began (pictured, public housing blocks in the suburbs of Flemington, where COVID-19 outbreaks have been recorded, were shut down on Saturday)

Premier Daniel Andrews has taken drastic measures to quell a cluster of up to 30 cases in public housing in inner-Melbourne by shutting down nine buildings, which affects 3000 people (pictured, a group of officers outside public housing towers on Racecourse Road)

Police officers speak to drivers at an Ascot Vale roadblock (pictured) - one of several suburbs placed into lockdown

Dr McNulty again said people who have been in one of the Melbourne hotspots cannot travel to NSW and any NSW residents who has been in a hotspot location needs to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Victoria recorded 108 new cases on Saturday, the second-highest daily number since the pandemic began.

Premier Daniel Andrews has taken drastic measures to quell a cluster of up to 30 cases in public housing in inner-Melbourne by shutting down nine buildings, which affects 3000 people.

Dozens of suburbs in the city have also been issues with stay-at-home orders.

Albanvale, Brooklyn and West Footscray are just a few of the suburbs that have been ordered into lockdown.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said the state was doing the right thing by testing, tracing and isolating.

Dr Kidd says Victoria's case numbers aren't rising substantially despite the high volume of tests being conducted, in a hopeful sign.

Two residents look on from their window as they are placed in immediate lockdown on Saturday

Drivers queue to be tested for coronavirus at a Melbourne pop-up testing clinic

'The figures are showing some signs of stabilisation but it is too early to confirm,' he told reporters in Canberra.

'We hope they have, given the level of testing and contact tracing under way but we need to follow up for a few more days.'

A major medical association has also called for a temporary halt to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across the country after the alarming surge in Victoria's coronavirus cases.

Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone says the new outbreaks in Melbourne are a stark reminder that the battle against COVID-19 is far from over and Australians will need to learn to live with the virus in the community.

'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,' Dr Bartone said.

'Before rushing back to the pub, the footy crowds, or the big weddings and parties, Australia should pause and play it safe.'
Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night.

Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument near the Little Italy neighborhood, news outlets reported.

Cell phone footage shared to Facebook shows two long fastened around the statue as a bustling crowd anxiously waits.

Scroll down for video

A statue of Christopher Columbus was toppled over by protesters in Baltimore as part of larger nationwide protests against racism and prejudice

Protesters could be heard cheering and were seen jumping with joy when the statue was pulled down

The group simultaneously yells 'pull' and the gargantuan statue is swiftly tugged onto the brick ground.

Loud cheers can be heard and several protesters were seen jumping out of joy.

From there, a group of protesters gathered around the now-broken statue, grabbed the ropes and began transporting it to Inner Harbor.

Several people can be hear cheering off camera as the statue crashes into the water and appears to sink.

Baltimores Columbus statue gets dumped in the harbor pic.twitter.com/ZwuNcqAH6d  J. M. Giordano photo (@jmgpix) July 5, 2020

Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the statue was owned by the city and dedicated in 1984 by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan.

Officers with the Baltimore Police Department search the Inner Harbor on Saturday night for the toppled Christopher Columbus statue

Posted by Kelly Smith on Saturday, 4 July 2020

A spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. 'Jack' Young told The Sun the toppling of the statue is a part of a national and global reexamination over monuments 'that may represent different things to different people.'

'We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative,' Lester Davis said.

Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.
Elon Musk's ex-wife Talulah Riley is denying wild rumors that Ghislaine Maxwell procured her as a child bride for the Tesla CEO.

On Friday, a photo showing Musk and Maxwell at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party began circulating on social media, sparking speculation that the pair may have been friends.

Musk promptly denied knowing Maxwell, and insisted she simply 'photobombed' him when the image image was taken. At the time, Musk was married to Riley, leading to questions about whether she, too, was an associate of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged 'pimp'.

Riley, 34, took to Twitter Saturday blasting the rumors in a lengthy statement, which read: 'To my knowledge, I have never met Ghislaine Maxwell.

'A photo of Elon and Maxwell is doing the rounds, taken at a party where I was also present. It is possible I was briefly introduced to her, but not in any way that I can remember. Elon and I met thousands of people over the course of our relationship. There will be countless photos of Elon with people he doesn't know/happened to be stood next to at a party.

Elon Musk's ex-wife Talulah Riley is denying wild rumors that Ghislaine Maxwell procured her as a child bride for the Tesla CEO. The outlandish speculation was sparked after a photo of Musk and Maxwell at the 2014 Vanity Fair Party (left) resurfaced on social media. Musk and Riley are pictured together at right at the same event

Riley, 34, took to Twitter Saturday blasting the rumors in a lengthy statement, which read: 'To my knowledge, I have never met Ghislaine Maxwell

She continued: 'The other thing I have seen implied is that Maxwell procured me as some kind of child-bride for Elon. Again, I don't know Maxwell. Elon and I met when I was twenty-two and he was on a business trip to London. It was a chance meeting, engineered by no one.'

However, Riley admitted that she and Musk did make a trip to the New York City townhouse of Maxwell's confidante, Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell is accused procuring underage girls Epstein - the convicted pedophile who who killed himself in prison last year.

On Thursday, Maxwell was arrested by the FBI and charged with six federal crimes pertaining to her relationship with Epstein. The charges include enticement of minors, sex trafficking and perjury.

In her Saturday statement, Riley claimed she couldn't recall what year she and Musk visited Epstein. Riley and Musk were married twice - from 2010 -2012, and 2013- 2016.

'Elon and I went to Epstein's house in NYC once as part of an itinerary of appointments. I can't even date this to a year - we used to travel constantly for work and the situation was always pretty similar in any city/country: back-to-back meetings, a car with CPO drivers, and often a contact/ minder/ guide. This trip was no different. There was a man taking us round the city and introducing us to various people.'

Riley clarified to her followers that she had been in touch with her ex-husband prior to releasing the statement.

'I dont usually comment on such things, but given the truly horrific nature of what is being implied up and down my timeline today, I wanted to respond publicly with @elonmusk s permission. However, I speak only for myself,' she wrote.

British-born Riley - an actress who has appeared in Westworld and Thor:The Dark World - is currently believed to be single.

Musk, meanwhile, is in a relationship with musician Grimes. The couple welcomed their first child, X  A-12, back in May.

Riley and Musk are pictured together in 2011. The pair were married twice - once from 2010 -2012, and a second time from 2013- 2016

Riley admitted that she and Musk did make a trip to the New York City townhouse of Maxwell's confidante, Jeffrey Epstein. She could not recall what year the visit took place

Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest this week sparked speculation that she may reveal the names of high-profile figures whom she and the late Epstein fraternized with.

Maxwell was a close friend to Prince Andrew, who met with Epstein on many occasions. The prince and pedophile were pictured together in 2010, after Epstein was convicted for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Bill Clinton and President Trump also socialized with Epstein and Maxwell multiplr times.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has been adamant on not knowing Epstein or Maxwell, last year releasing a statement rejecting the notion that he had introduced the disgraced pedophile to Mark Zuckerberg during a private dinner in 2015.

The August 2015 dinner in Palo Alto was hosted by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. Hoffman invited Epstein - at the request of MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, he explained to Axios - along with Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel.

'Don't know Ghislaine at all,' he said in the late Thursday tweet. 'She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago. Real question is why VF invited her in the first place'

The sharp rebuke comes as Maxwell - Epstein's former girlfriend and alleged madam who is accused of procuring young girls for him - was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and perjury

In a 2019 statement to Vanity Fair, Musk denied having been the connecting link between Epstein and Zuckerberg.

'I don't recall introducing Epstein to anyone, as I don't know the guy well enough to do so, Epstein is obviously a creep and Zuckerberg is not a friend of mine,' he said in a statement.

'Several years ago, I was at his house in Manhattan for about 30 minutes in the middle of the afternoon with Talulah [Riley], as she was curious about meeting this strange person for a novel she was writing. We did not see anything inappropriate at all, apart from weird art. He tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.'

In a 2019 statement to Vanity Fair , Musk denied having been the connecting link between Epstein and Zuckerberg during a party hosted by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman

Hoffman invited Epstein - at the request of MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, he explained to Axios - along with Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel.

A spokesperson for Musk added in an emailed statement: 'Elon never introduced Jeffrey Epstein to Mark Zuckerberg and does not know either person well enough to do so. They simply happened to be guests at a neuroscience dinner organized by Reid Hoffman.'

Maxwell's dramatic arrest on sex-trafficking charges has raised hopes among Epstein victims that prosecutors will untangle a 'spider web' of rich and powerful associates of the pair.

The socialite and daughter of late British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was seized at a $1million home in New Hampshire and later appeared in court by video-link.

She is now awaiting transfer to New York to face charges of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to sexually abuse - and could even be held in the same Manhattan jail where Epstein died last year.

If convicted on all counts, Maxwell faces 35 years behind bars at a maximum. It would mean she'd be 93 by the time she'd be released.
A tradie who will never work again after he fell down an abandoned mine shaft during a trail bike ride has launched legal action over the life-changing accident.

Brad Osborne, 53, is still in constant pain from extensive injuries suffered after he plummeted 10 metres down the dark hole while riding with his son in the Sunny Corner State Forest, west of Sydney in May.

The concreter from the NSW Central Coast is preparing to sue Forestry Corporation of NSW, claiming there were no warning signs alerting of the potential danger.

He remains traumatised by the terrifying ordeal which almost cost him his life.

Brad Osborne (pictured recovering in Westmead Hospital) is still unable to feed himself

'I saw a light in the dark, like it was a few metres away, and wondered 'what's that?,' Mr Osborne said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'I thought I'd grab my phone out to light the way and just as I went to do that, I slipped and fell, and I was gone, I smashed my head, and I landed in one position and didn't move from that position for hours.'

Mr Osborne feared for his life as he spent three hours trapped in the dark hole in freezing conditions, which required a delicate rescue operation as his concerned son Brody, 23, watched on.

His injuries included two broken legs, fractured ribs, a dislocated arm and severed ligaments in his arm and shoulder.

Brody Osborne could only watch on as police and paramedics winched his father Brad to safety after he fell down a mine shaft in Sunny Corner State Forest on May 11

Mr Osborne suffered extensive injuries, including severed ligaments in his arm (pictured)

'I was praying they would get there because after a while the pain set in and I was shaking uncontrollably,' Mr Osborne recalled.

'When the rescuers got there they said 'mate we can't get you out, unless we drag you up the rock' and I said 'I can't stay here for another minute, I don't care, get me out!'

'My arm was out of my socket, and I was screaming, but they got me out of there and loaded me up with drugs, as we came over the crest I thought  'thank Christ it was over'.

Two months on, Mr Osborne still can't feed himself and has been told by specialists he will never work again.

He also suffers from flashbacks and is in constant pain two months on from the May 11 accident.

'I'm in pain all the time, it's like torture, even in the hospital,' he said.

Still in constant pain and unable to work again, Brad Osborne (in hospital) is preparing to take legal action for the mental and physical trauma he has suffered

Situated between Lithgow and Bathurst in central west NSW, the 13,000 hectare Sunny Corner State Forest was once a well used mining area.

It's now a popular spot for trail bike riders.

It's not the first time a rider has fallen down an old mine shaft in the state forest.

Go-Pro vision which went viral on YouTube captured Lachie Smith's 15 metre fall down an old mine shaft during a motorbike rally in 2016.

He miraculously escaped unscathed without any serious injuries.

Mr Osborne and his family have called on the Forestry Corporation of NSW to install warning signs and barriers so a similar accident doesn't happen again.

'One hundred percent, there is no doubt in my mind that I would never walked into that hole if I knew there was a mine there, it didn't even cross my mind that there might be a vertical shaft,' Mr Osborne said.

'I know the bush, and there is no way the average person would know that open mine was there  it needs to be filled in, otherwise it will kill someone for sure.'

Brad Osborne and his family have called for warning signs in Pictured in the abandoned mine shaft which almost cost him his life

The NSW Central Coast concreter suffered two broken legs in the horrific accident

Daily Mail Australia has obtained Forestry Corporation of NSW's emailed response to Mr Osborne's son.

Northern Softwoods regional manager Jason Molkentin says the safety and wellbeing of anyone entering the state forest is a priority by endeavouring to make site as safe as reasonable.

But citing the area's previous mining history, he also stressed that anyone who uses forest should be responsible for their own welfare.

'While we place a priority on safety, I deliberately use the phrase 'as safe as reasonable' because as a natural environment, the hazards are many and they can vary over time,' Mr Molkentin wrote.

'Despite our desire to make State forests safe for use, in practice there are and will continue to be hazards that we either are unaware of, in the process of making safe or possibly unable to minimise the potential hazard.'

'While the public can enjoy improved access and lesser restriction, there is a related burden of accountability and responsibility of those using state forests.

'Recognising the forest is a dynamic environment and there may be hazards neither identified or managed, individuals must also play a role in accounting for their own safety and wellbeing as well as ensuring their actions or activities do not unreasonably impact upon other users.'

Mr Molkentin added that the site of the accident will be assessed and that appropriate safeguards will be established when determined.

Brad Osborne still bears mental and physical scars (pictured) from the 10 metre fall

Mr Osborne spent three hours trapped 10 metres down the mine shaft as emergency workers (pictured) spent three hours trying to rescue him

Forestry Corporation of NSW said it was sorry to hear about Mr Osbornes accident.

'The public are welcome to use State forests for recreation and as a dynamic environment, forest users are asked to be aware of the potential hazards and mindful of their own safety in their use of the forest,' a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

Meanwhile, Shine Lawyers is preparing legal action on Mr Osborne's behalf.

'Our client went through terrible mental and physical pain while his traumatised son watched on, fearing his dad was dying,' senior Solicitor Elle Dalzell said.

'Shine Lawyers will fight for our client to be compensated because there should have been obvious warning signs, barriers and fencing in place to warn all park goers of the dangers,'
Residents locked inside Melbourne public housing towers linked to an explosion of coronavirus cases in the city have issued a 'list of demands' to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

Angry residents of nine high-rise blocks across the city say they should be able to leave their homes for essential reasons, just like others in locked down suburbs.

They have also demanded all police officers be removed from the buildings.

Mr Andrews announced the extreme decision after 108 new cases were recorded on Saturday - the worst result since March 28, the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The housing commission towers in Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne have been linked to at least 23 coronavirus cases across 12 households.

Videos shared to social media by residents give an insight into life inside the towers - including arguments with police and a swarm of health officials beginning the mass testing process.

A letter distributed to residents of the towers and seen by Daily Mail Australia states that anyone living in the buildings who refuse a COVID-19 test will be detained for 15 days - instead of the standard five days.

Residents locked inside the nine Melbourne public housing towers deemed to be COVID-19 hotspots have issued a 'list of demands' to Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured)

Footage shared by residents shows health officials dressed in protective gear beginning the testing process. Every resident of the nine public housing towers will be tested for COVID-19

A letter distributed throughout the towers and seen by Daily Mail Australia (pictured) states that any residents of the building who refuse a COVID-19 test will be detained for 15 days

One video also showed residents using stairwells to move throughout the buildings, despite police being stationed on every floor to prevent gatherings.

As they walked up and down a stairwell, the group of young residents played a song by rapper Akon that features the lyrics: 'I'm locked up, they won't let me out.'

Other footage shared by residents shows health officials dressed in protective gear beginning the testing process.

All residents of the towers will be tested for COVID-19 and with a negative test will be allowed to leave quarantine after five days.

If residents refuse to be tested they will be isolated for a further 10 days, a letter seen by Daily Mail Australia states.

'You will be detained for a further 10 days from the end of the initial detention period if you refuse to be tested for COVID-19 at the request of an authorised official,' reads the letter.

'This detention will be required because, having regard to the medical advice, this further detention is reasonably necessary for the purpose of eliminating or reducing a serious risk.'

Tensions were high on Saturday night as residents complained at not being prepared for the 'hard lockdown' and being left without supplies.

They say that almost immediately after Mr Andrews' announcement police began to swarm the towers to ensure none of the residents left.

Photos taken by residents inside the buildings showed police stationed at every exit out of the locked down towers

Public housing resident Najat Mussa (pictured) shared photos to social media giving an insight into life in lockdown

Food and drink packages (right) were delivered to residents by police (left) on Saturday night but some complained they did not receive essentials such as bread and milk

Victoria Police have confirmed officers will be stationed on every floor of ever tower.

In one exchange, as a father and daughter tried to leave to buy bread and milk they were told by a police officer: 'Go and sleep inside your building'.

'You have no right and authority to tell me what to do, or what not to do,' the young woman responded.

Signs have also been placed throughout the towers declaring an 'emergency area'.

'This building and immediate surroundings are the subject of a declared emergency area,' the sign read.

'Victoria Police are satisfied the building and surrounds are subject to an emergency due to the actual or imminent occurrence of an even endangering safety or health.'

Residents in the towers subjected to the 'hard lockdown' are among the state's most vulnerable.

Many have fled war or family violence and are dealing with mental illness, disability and low income.

More than 3,000 residents in towers across Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne will be couped up inside their homes for at least five days

The towers will be closed and contained, and the only people allowed in and out will be those providing essential services

A resident comes out to speak to police at the North Melbourne public housing flats on Sunday before returning inside

Police wearing masks speak to a woman outside the North Melbourne building before

Signs have also been placed throughout the towers declaring an 'emergency area' (pictured)

Within hours a list of 'lockdown residents' demands' began circling online, included on the list was a suspension of rent.

Mr Andrews announced on Sunday that residents will not have to pay rent in the next fortnight and that employed workers who can not go to work will receive $1,500.

I thank each and every one of them for that seemingly small contribution... Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to people who have been tested

The premier thanked those in the towers and those who have been tested for helping to stop the second wave that is currently ravaging the state.

'I thank each and every one of them for that seemingly small contribution, but I really massive part of our public health response,' Mr Andrews said.

'The whole strategy depends on knowing where the virus is putting in place the appropriate contact tracing and public health interventions to contain the virus.

'Without the testing numbers, without people coming forward and giving their time and consenting to a test, that is incredibly difficult to know.'

CORONAVIRUS IN AUSTRALIA: THE LASTEST LATEST DEVELOPMENTS * Australia has 94 new cases, with 74 of those recorded in Victoria on Sunday. * Residents of the inner Melbourne public housing estates put under a hard lockdown will have their rent waived and receive a hardship payment. A total of 27 cases have been detected in the nine towers which are home to 3000 people. * Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the decision to lock down the North Melbourne and Flemington housing estates as necessary to protect residents as the state tries to quell its coronavirus resurgence. * The Australian Medical Association has called for a temporary pause in the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across the country until Victoria gets its outbreak under control. * NSW has recorded 14 new coronavirus cases, but all were returned travellers from overseas who are now in hotel quarantine. * A Queensland nightclub operator could cop a hefty fine after video emerged of a packed dance floor with next to no social distancing. ECONOMICS * Victoria's coronavirus crisis, the lack of a solid lead from the US, and a Reserve Bank meeting on Tuesday are likely to contribute to a weaker start for Australian shares. SPORT * Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have begun the exodus of clubs out of Victoria amid the state's COVID-19 spike. All 10 Victorian teams will play interstate in round six, with the league establishing hubs in Queensland, Western Australia and the NSW. * American Frances Tiafoe has become the latest prominent tennis player to test positive for coronavirus. World No.1 Novak Djokovic and several others tested positive earlier this month after playing in an exhibition event in Europe. EASING OF RESTRICTIONS KEY DATES * July 10 - Queensland to reopen borders to all visitors except Victorians, who must undergo mandatory hotel quarantine for two weeks at their own expense. * July 17 - NT to reopen its borders. * July 18 - WA to lift all remaining virus restrictions except border closures. * July 24 - Tasmania to reopen its borders. AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS * Australia has recorded 8449 cases in total, with 946 active cases and 7399 people recovered. * The national death toll is 104: NSW 51, Victoria 20, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states) GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS * Cases: at least 11,271,021 * Deaths: at least 530,858 * Recovered: at least 6,064,394 Data current as of 1800 AEST July 5, taking in federal government and state/territory government updates and the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 World Map. - Australian Associated Press Advertisement

A distraught woman was pulled from her car by police outside a Melbourne public housing tower on Sunday

As the woman attempted to drive out of the carpark of one of the high-rise buildings, an officer chased her down and grabbed her by the coat

The woman sat outside the building on Racecourse Road and spoke with police for several moments before being taken away

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

A distraught woman was pulled from her car by police as she tried to leave the carpark outside one of the public housing towers on Sunday morning.

Shocking photos of the disturbing incident show the woman driving her vehicle out of the carpark on Racecourse Road, Flemington, as a police officer chases after her.

Eventually catching up to the woman, he leans inside the open driver's side window and grabs her by the jacket at which point she slows down the vehicle.

After several other police officers rushed to help, the visibly shaken woman was taken away and questioned.

The woman told Daily Mail Australia she was there to check on the condition and welfare of the residents inside the towers.

She left shortly after speaking with police.

Victoria Police said no individuals have been arrested since lockdown inside the public housing towers began.
The devastated widow of a man mauled to death by a shark on Fraser Island on Saturday has shared a photo of her late husband.

Matthew Tratt, 36, was attacked by a by a suspected great white shark off Indian Head at about 2pm while spear fishing with his brother.

Mr Tratt's brother dragged him up onto rocks on the headland where bystanders, and an off-duty doctor and nurse tried to revive him for nearly an hour.

An ambulance emergency team was winched down by a rescue chopper, but Mr Tratt's left leg injuries were too severe and he died at the scene.

Matthew Tratt, 36, was attacked by a shark off Indian Head at about 2pm on Saturday while spear fishing with his brother. Pictured with his widow Kayla

His grieving wife Kayla Tratt posted a photo of her and her husband to Facebook on Sunday night, before tributes from family and friends began

Mr Tratt, an air-conditioning contractor from Buderim, leaves behind two children and his wife Kayla.

Ms Tratt posted a photo of her and her husband to Facebook on Sunday night, before tributes from family and friends began.

'We can't comprehend what you are going though right now Kayla,' friend Stacey Bates commented.

'Our hearts are hurting for you and the kids so much. This is a gorgeous photo, you have so many pictures and beautiful memories to cherish in your heart forever.'

Mr Tratt's friend Wayne Stievano and fishing buddy said he wished he could have been there to save him.

'Still can't believe you're gone Matthew Tratt,' he posted on Facebook.

'You were taken way too early, you always had my back in the water, I only wish I could have been there today to have yours.

Mr Tratt, an air-conditioning contractor from Buderim, leaves behind two children and his wife Kayla (right)

'We love you and miss you buddy, until we meet again, rest easy mate.'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described Mr Tratt's death as 'brutal' and paid her condolences to his family,

'It's once again a reminder that, especially around that Fraser Island area, it is home to a lot of sharks, and great whites,' she said in Sunday.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the local community was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

'This a tremendously sad day for our community,' Mr Seymour wrote on Facebook.

'Our deepest condolences go to this young man's family and friends.

'The loss of a young life with his future before him is a tragedy beyond words and we share their sadness and grief.'

It is Australia's fourth fatal shark attack this year.

Last month, Gold Coast surfer Rob Pedretti, 60, died after he was mauled by the three-metre white shark at Salt Beach at South Kingscliff in northern NSW.

A shark also killed 23-year-old Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba in April off North West Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Experienced diver Gary Johnson, 57, was killed by a shark near Cull Island in Esperance on Western Australia's south coast in January.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Three men have died after their boat capsized and smashed into rocks in Sydney.

Emergency services were called to Henry Head Lane at La Perouse in south-east Sydney, near Botany Bay, at 12.30pm on Sunday.

CPR was performed on two of the victims, who have not been identified, but all three died on the scene.

Three men have died after their boat capsized and smashed into rocks in Sydney (pictured)

CPR was performed on two of the victims, who have not been identified, but all three died on the scene. Pictured: emergency workers with a body at the scene

A Westpac Rescue Helicopter and a Toll NSW Ambulance Rescue Helicopter were called to the scene and 'pulled multiple persons from [a] capsized boat', according to a tweet.

Helicopter vision showed an overturned boat smashing against rocks, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command are at the scene where an investigation into the incident is underway.

It is not believed there were other people on the boat at the time of the accident.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

More to come.

Officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command are at the scene where an investigation into the incident is underway
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Black Lives Matter protesters have returned to the mansion of a Missouri couple who last week drew guns on activists who broke into their gated community during a demonstration.

Photos of Mark and Patricia McCloskey standing outside their palatial St. Louis property armed with an AR-15 and a handgun were beamed around the world last Sunday, with the scene coming to symbolize the polarization currently gripping America.

Mark McCloskey, who is a prominent personal injury attorney, has defended drawing his weapon, saying he thought 'death was coming through his gate'.

But on Friday, he and his wife were far more passive as hundreds of demonstrators returned to their upscale neighborhood to stage a protest outside their lavish home.

The pair were seen tentatively peering out at the protest from the confines of their balcony, in the presence of their attorney.

Black Lives Matter protesters have returned to the mansion of a Mark and Patricia McCloskey who last week drew guns on activists who broke down a barricade and marched into their gated community during a demonstration. This time around, the couple were seen tentatively peering out from the confines of their balcony. Patrica is pictured left, and Mark is at far right. A friend, clad in a pink shirt, is seen center

Demonstrators chanted and brandished placards outside the residence for around 15 minutes before moving on. Private security was seen pacing up and down the balcony while keeping a watchful eye on the crowd

Hundreds of people turned out for the demonstration - five days after the couple drew weapons on protesters

It was a far different story last Sunday, as the pair drew weapons while protesters marched past their house

Private security was seen securing barriers outside the home prior to the protest.

Demonstrators chanted and brandished placards outside the residence for around 15 minutes before moving on.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, Mark McCloskey recalled the situation that led to his armed standoff with demonstrators last Sunday.

'My wife and I were preparing to have dinner, maybe 70 feet from the gate,' he told Carlson.

Protesters walk through the gate of a private street not far from the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey in St. Louis on Friday

Hundreds gathered outside the McCloskey residence on Friday - five days after the couple brandished weapons to scare off demonstrators

Private security was seen securing barriers outside the home prior to the protest

A gate that was kicked in by protesters last Sunday was firmly barricaded on Friday ahead of the protests

'By the time we looked up and we saw the marchers coming down Kings Highway and getting loud, we looked over the gate and there's no police there. Our private security wasn't there. Nobody's there.

'I look over to my wife and then the gate bursts open and then all these People start coming in. And then a flood of people start coming in,' he said.

'They are angry, they're screaming, they've got spittle coming out of their mouth they're coming toward the house.'

The married couple came out of their house armed on Sunday to prevent protesters from walking onto their property after they claim they broke their way into a gated community

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Thursday, Mark McCloskey recalled the situation that led to his armed standoff with demonstrators last Sunday

McCloskey continued that after watching a 7/11 be burned down with no intervention in a protest in the city on June 22, he felt that he and his wife had to act and they went into the home to grab a handgun and an AR-15.

'I turned to my wife and I said, "Oh my God, we're absolutely alone. There is nobody here to protect us",' he told Fox.

'When I saw that mob coming through the gate with their rage and their anger, I thought that we would be overrun in a second,' he said.

'By the time I was out there with my rifle, the people were 20 or 30 feet from my front wall. I've got a little wall that separates the house from my front yard. I was literally afraid that within seconds they would surmount the wall and come into the house, kill us, burn the house down and everything that I had worked for and struggled for the last 32 years.'

'I saw it all going up in flames and my life destroyed in an instant and I did what I thought I had to do to protect my hearth, my home and my family.'

McCloskey claimed that his actions had nothing to do with race and that he didn't care what race the protesters were.

'Here's the interesting thing, I spent my career defending people that are defenseless for people who are having a hard time making their oracle happen, for people that don't have a voice,' he continued.

'My black clients love us. The night this happened I had some of our black clients calling us, telling us how wrong it was the way the press was writing us up, telling us how wrong it was that we should be portrayed as racist.

'This is what I do for a living. I help people that are down or that need a hand and people that need a voice,' McCloskey added.

'To call us racist is ridiculous and it had nothing to do with race. I wasn't worried what the race was [of] the mob that came through my gate, I was worried that I was going to be killed. I didn't care what race they were.'

The video of the couple's standoff went viral with some supporting the pair's right to protect their private property and others claiming that they broke the law by threatening a peaceful protest.

Police said Monday that people in the crowd yelled threats at the couple and that the McCloskeys would not be charged.

They added that they are still investigating but labeled it a case of trespassing and assault by intimidation against the couple by protesters in the racially diverse crowd.

According to the NRA, state law does not prohibit the open carrying of firearms, but does prohibit exhibiting 'any weapon readily capable of lethal use' in an angry or threatening manner in the presence of one or more persons.

Exhibiting a weapon in this way would likely be a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine not to exceed $5,000.

According to the St. Louis American, however, the 'Castle Doctrine' allows people to use deadly force to attack an intruder on their property.
A Giza misdemeanour court on Sunday sentenced a driver involved in a car crash that killed five people to seven years in prison for vehicular manslaughter.

The incident occurred in January when a vehicle driven by the defendant on a highway near the capital collided with a microbus transporting 15 medical residents from the governorate to Minya to Cairo.

Three of the doctors, all women, were killed, as were the driver of the microbus and one other person.

Twelve others were wounded in the crash, which received national media coverage.

The Sunday sentence is not final and can be appealed by the defendant.

The incident provoked public concern at the time and resulted in a spat between the Doctors Syndicate and the health ministry after reports that the doctors, who had been travelling to Cairo for a compulsory training workshop, had been informed they must attend the event, or else face punitive measures.

The urgency of the order meant the doctors had to travel immediately by microbus, and did not have time to make train reservations or secure other, safer transport, critics said.

Traffic accidents in Egypt dropped to 8,480 in 2018, down 41.1 percent from 14,403 in 2014, according to an infograph by the cabinet released last year.

Deaths due to traffic accidents declined 50.5 percent between 2014 and 2018, from 6,236 to 3,087.

Egypt has allocated millions of pounds to developing and expanding road networks in recent years.

It is currently implementing a comprehensive traffic law to crack down on violators and improve safety.

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A man has been dramatically detained by two security guards at a busy shopping centre in Melbourne.

Shocked bystanders captured the incident outside the supermarket at Pakenham Central Marketplace, south east of the city, on Friday.

The man screamed 'get off me' as two security guards attempted to restrain him.

The shopper screamed 'get off me' as two security guards attempted to restrain him at Pakenham Central Marketplace on Friday afternoon

The man eventually fell to his knees before the guards pushed him onto his stomach, while a small crowd of shocked shoppers watched on

'The other one ran away,' an onlooking shopper said.

A tussle ensued as the guards held the man's hands behind his back, while he attempted to break free.

The man eventually fell to his knees before the guards pushed him onto his stomach, while a small crowd of shocked shoppers watched on.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that investigations into the incident are continuing, however it's not clear what spurred on the citizen's arrest.

'A man was restrained by security guards about 1pm. There has been no arrests or charges,' police said in a statement.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment.
Police broke up an illegal rave in a forest last night where more than 200 revellers had gathered to party on Super Saturday.

Officers cleared the crowds from a wooded area near Eston, Teesside, with the help of a police helicopter.

Cleveland Police scolded the revellers for heaping an unnecessary 'burden' on the NHS during the pandemic.

Superintendent Emily Harrison said: 'This incident is unacceptable and we won't tolerate illegal raves happening in Cleveland.

'Raves like these pose potential safety concerns for those attending, they are illegal and attending such an event places an unnecessary burden on our NHS colleagues who have been working hard to try to keep us all safe during the ongoing pandemic.'

Officers cleared revellers (pictured) from a wooded area in Eston, near Teesside, last night

Officers also appealed to parents and guardians to check the 'whereabouts of their children'

At 10pm last night, officers caught wind of the rave and took to Twitter to warn would-be rule-breakers 'not to attend' and 'ask parents and guardians to check on the whereabouts of their children'.

A spokesman added: 'Enquiries are ongoing and anyone found to be breaking the law will be dealt with appropriately.'

Police helicopters were also called in to help clear the woodland, reports the BBC.

Video from the night, that appears to have been posted on Snapchat, shows a swarm of youngsters yelling as they brandish beer cans and bottles.

In one scene, a reveller is seen falling to the ground. Cigarettes were also used at the event, footage shows.

At 10pm, they also told would-be law-breakers not to attend the late night rave

Officers also had to be scrambled to clear crowds of revellers from a bar in Hackney, London, as Brits downed pints on Super-Saturday.

Drinkers stood side by side, with scant regard for social distancing, as police swooped on the bar past 10.30pm.

They were seen herding drinkers away, as a police van also arrived on the scene.

Residents said they had made numerous calls to officers, and that bars were closed within ten minutes of their arrival. One greeted their arrival with: 'Yay we can sleep!'

The Met police has been contacted for comment.

Officers also swooped on a bar in Hackney, London, last night after revellers stood side by side to down pints with apparent scant regard for social distancing measures

Police disbursed the crowd of Super-Saturday drinkers within ten minutes, residents said

Pictured above are officers heading to clear away revellers from the bar yesterday

A police van pictured on the scene as drinkers are moved on and sent home

The raves took place on Super-Saturday, the day the government further relaxed social distancing restrictions by lowering the two-metre rule to one metre and allowing pubs and restaurants to re-open.

Pictures from Manchester, Bristol, London and other major cities show thirsty partygoers thronging the streets to get their first pint from a pub in 104 days.

A 20-year-old man died, a woman was raped and three people were stabbed during two illegal 'quarantine raves' attended by 6,000 people in Manchester last month.
Government experts warned in early April of the coronavirus risk posed by care home staff working in more than one location but guidance restricting them to one facility was not issued until more than a month later.

There are fears asymptomatic staff were unknowingly spreading the disease to the most vulnerable by working at different locations.

Advisers had raised the issue at a meeting on April 9 but it was not recommended until May 15 that staff should only work at one care home.

The revelations are likely to prompt further scrutiny of the Government's and Health Secretary Matt Hancock's approach to protecting the elderly during the outbreak.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock's Department of Health and Social Care did not recommend care home staff should work in only one location until May 15. He is pictured in Downing Street on July 1

Rishi Sunak handed poll boost over handling of coronavirus crisis Rishi Sunaks handling of the Covid-19 crisis has seen his personal poll ratings surge ahead of every member of the Government  including Boris Johnson. The findings, in an exclusive poll for todays Mail on Sunday, come ahead of a major speech by the Chancellor on Wednesday in which he will set out his plan for Britains post-Covid economic recovery. His jobs, jobs, jobs package follows last weeks build, build, build speech from the Prime Minister promising billions of pounds for major developments. Mr Sunaks composed performances in the Commons and at the special Covid press conferences, as he set out his emergency packages of economic support, have earned him an approval rating in the Deltapoll survey of plus 41, compared with plus eight for Health Secretary Matt Hancock and just plus two for Mr Johnson. The boost which Mr Sunak gives to the Governments ratings are also clear from the fact that while Labours Sir Keir Starmer beats Mr Johnson by 12 points in rankings of leadership ability, when voters are asked who they prefer  Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak versus Sir Keir and his Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds, the Tory pair, on 48, prevail over the Labour duos 31. Advertisement

Official statistics show more than 19,000 residents died with coronavirus in care homes across England and Wales between March 2 and June 12.

It is thought one of the reasons why infection may have spread early on during the outbreak is because of asymptomatic staff who were unaware they had the virus but were not identified because they were not being tested.

Staff with symptoms of coronavirus may well have self-isolated but they may have been replaced by asymptomatic 'bank' employees who worked at more than one location.

The minutes of an April 9 meeting of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) show experts talked about the issue of 'staff working between different care homes'.

They also warned of the 'apparent lack of success' in stopping infections in such settings, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

This was despite an expectation within the Government that shielding measures should have made care home residents the 'last to be infected'.

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jonathan Van Tam, who attended the meeting was apparently tasked with relaying the Nervtag concerns to the Department of Health and Social Care.

A meeting which took place just over a week later concluded that 'consideration still needs to be given on interhome transmission driven by staff moving between homes'.

Government guidance published on April 16 did not mention staff movement.

It was not until May 15 that the Government advised that 'subject to maintaining safe staffing levels, providers should employ staff to work at a single location'.

The findings are likely to prompt questions over why a ban on staff travelling between more than one care home was not imposed sooner.

Meanwhile, experts had apparently suggested that elderly hospital patients could be quarantined in Nightingale-style facilities before being discharged back to care homes.

However, the idea was never taken up by ministers. The decision to discharge elderly patients straight to care homes has been blamed as one of the main reasons for a surge in infections in care settings.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman insisted all decisions had been 'informed by the latest evidence available at the time'.

'It is our priority to protect care home staff and residents throughout this pandemic,' they said.

'Our guidance has always been informed by the latest evidence available at the time, and is regularly updated.

'On May 15, we published our care home support package which followed the latest evidence from PHE and recommended a range of measures care homes could take to limit the spread of the virus. This included limiting the movement of staff.'
A diary dating back to 1943 containing a pilot's memories of serving in the air force during World War Two has been returned to the author's family more than 400km away.

The handwritten notes penned by Margo Cooper were found at a Woolworths in Gordon, in Sydney's Upper North Shore, and was handed into police on May 20.

An investigation led police to Ms Cooper's daughter, Rosie Gibson, who lives in Dubbo in the Orana Region of New South Wales.

Ms Cooper's diary contained poetry, photos of loved ones and recounts her time serving in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.

Senior Constables Carisa Parker and Colin Mitchell took an interest in the diary and started searching on the ancestry website to find the owner.

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A diary dating back to 1943 containing handwritten poetry, photos of loved ones and a pilot's memories of serving in the air force during World War Two has been handed in to police

Extensive inquiries lead police to Ms Cooper's daughter, Rosie Gibson (left), who lives in Dubbo

'I was so pleased when we found Rosie  when we called, she was just ecstatic because it was her mum,' Senior Constable Parker said.

'The day I called Rosie to tell her, it was actually her mum's birthday and she would have turned 98.

'She said it was the best birthday present she could have had.'

Ms Gibson said she was ecstatic to have been given the diary and was stunned by how it was still in pristine condition, containing poetry written by her mother.

'I can't get over how beautiful my mother used to write,' she said.

Ms Gibson said she would love to meet Senior Constable Parker to thank her personally.

'It was like she won the lottery when she found me, because she was so excited,' Ms Gibson said.

Ms Gibson said she was ecstatic to have been given the diary and can't get over how was still in pristine condition

The 77-year-old diary of Margo Cooper was found at a Woolworths in Gordon, in Sydney's Upper North Shore, and was handed in to police on May 20

'MARGE'S MAN' DATED JUNE 21, 1943 With his hair so dark and his eyes of grey, She remembers him through his far away. Lonely at night as she sits by the fire, Reading his letters or maybe a wire. Now, again, will see her grin Or perhaps, a tear, a trickle down her chin. He's such a nice guy, the best in the world, With his sunburned face and his hair so curled. Maybe donkeys and he don't agree Or even the boule he gets for tea. But tanned and proud, through thick and thin He knows Marg is patiently waiting for him. Advertisement

Senior Constable Parker said she put in so much effort because she believes family history is very important.

'When I find things of really significant value to a family I just think it's really important to do everything you can to get it back to them and keep it within the family if you can,' the police officer said.

When asked by a social media user how the diary made its way to Woolworths in Gordon, police said it was a mystery.

'It's a mystery to us how the diary ended up in Gordon,' police wrote.

'The daughter had not seen this diary before, but we are so happy the diary has been returned to the family.'

Police are desperate to return the special diary to Margo Cooper, who they believe is the owner and writer of the diary

Ms Gibson was personally delivered the diary 400km away from where it was found

Police took to social media in the hopes of finding the family related to the diary.

'The beautifully written poems reflect a time gone by, 77 years ago, saying goodbye to a friend Rusty and memories of life with the 10 EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) at Temora, a country town in NSW,' police wrote.

'10 EFTS was set up by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in May 1941. Throughout WWII more than 10,000 personnel were involved at the school with upwards of 2,400 pilots being trained.'

10 EFTS was the largest flying school established by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during WWII and remained open up until March 12, 1946.
Generous Victorians have donated more than $250,000 in just 24 hours to 3,000 public housing residents locked inside their tower blocks as a second wave of COVID-19 continues to ravage the state and its most vulnerable people.

Premier Daniel Andrews has closed the doors to nine Melbourne housing towers from 4pm on Saturday as fears grow the deadly respiratory virus is being spread rapidly within their walls.

There are 543 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, with another 74 infections confirmed on Sunday.

The 'hard lockdown' has forced residents in the towers across Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne to stay inside for at least five days under the eye of armed police on every floor of every block.

Nine towers in the suburbs of Flemington (pictured), Kensington and North Melbourne have been closed for five days over fears they have become hotbeds for the state's COVID-19 second wave

The Victorian Trades Hall Council has established a fundraiser asking for financial aid for the impacted residents spread across 1,345 units

The Victorian Trades Hall Council, which represents trade unions across the state, has established a fundraiser asking for financial aid for the impacted residents spread across 1,345 units.

'The Victorian union movement will do whatever is needed to support residents,' the fundraiser reads.

'Be it employment advice, representation or financial support, we will work in solidarity to get people through.

'The burden of public crises is usually shouldered by those already in precarious situations. This is unfair. It should be our work to make sure this isnt the case again.'

By Sunday evening - barely a day after the campaign was set up on charity fundraising platform Raisely - $264,401 had been raised online by kind-hearted strangers.

Multiple donations were flooding through the website page every minute, with recent pledges ranging from as little as $10 to as much as $1,000.

Taking to its Facebook page on Sunday afternoon, the union body thanked donors for their 'outpouring of support'

A 'total' or 'hard' lockdown where residents are completely confined to their homes is a first for Australia during the pandemic. Pictured are police establishing a road block next to the Flemington housing blocks on July 4

As donations continued to stream into the fundraiser, the council took to its Facebook page on Sunday afternoon to thank donors for their 'outpouring of support'.

'Funds will be disbursed in consultation with the Victorian Multicultural Commission, community groups and residents and their representative associations and in consultation with community services support, and the government,' the council said.

'The fund is overseen by Victorian Trades Hall Council and a final report on the distribution of the funds will be publicly available.'

The union body is already well-known in Victoria for its work supporting asylum seekers - this week revealing it was delivering thousands of culturally-appropriate meals to asylum seekers during the COVID-19 crisis.

A man living in a flat is seen making a gesture with his arms crossed at the Flemington Public housing flats. Nine blocks across Flemington and North Melbourne are locked down entirely

Premier Daniel Andrews locked the doors to the nine housing towers amid fears the virus is spreading rapidly within their walls.

About 500 police will be deployed across the nine towers during each shift, or about 55 officers per unit.

The health concerns driving the stricter lockdown are attributed to crowded living and shared spaces, such as lifts.

While on Sunday he admitted he still could not 'rule out' that possibility, the drop in cases has at least granted the state a temporary reprieve.

Mr Andrews announced that residents of the public housing towers will not have to pay rent for the next fortnight.

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)

A 'total' or 'hard' lockdown where residents are completely confined to their homes is a first for Australia during the pandemic.

He also said that people who are unable to go to work because they are locked in their homes will receive $1,500 over the next two weeks. Unemployed residents in the towers will receive $750 payment.

In Flemington, the high density complexes at 12 Holland Court, 120 Racecourse Road, 126 Racecourse Road and 130 Racecourse Road went into hard lockdown immediately.

Likewise in North Melbourne, 12 Sutton Street, 33 Alfred Street, 76 Canning Street, 159 Melrose Street and 9 Pampas Street were put into hard lockdown also.

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

The premier praised those living in their towers and also the more than 21,500 people who were tested in all parts of Victoria on Saturday.

New South Wales recorded 14 new cases on Sunday.

'I thank each and every one of them for that seemingly small contribution, but I really massive part of our public health response,' Mr Andrews said.

'The whole strategy depends on knowing where the virus is putting in place the appropriate contact tracing and public health interventions to contain the virus.

'Without the testing numbers, without people coming forward and giving their time and consenting to a test, that is incredibly difficult to know.'
A catering supplier whose customers include TV cooking shows such as Bake Off, MasterChef and Saturday Kitchen has been refusing orders for the laughing gas nitrous oxide.

Chris Palmers, whose Manchester-based company Carrick exports the gas to companies across the UK, has added a number of suppliers to his banned list after becoming increasingly concerned with the high numbers being ordered.

The managing director has been working with Leicestershire Police for the past two years to help the authorities crack down on the growing number of people using the gas, which is also known as 'hippie crack', for criminal means and financial gain.

Mr Palmer described how his most recent order saw a coffee shop in Berkshire request a staggering 38,800 canisters of the trendy gas - which is also used as an anaesthetic by dentists and during childbirth.

Chris Palmers, whose Manchester-based company Carrick sells nitrous oxide to catering businesses across the UK, has been adding an increasing number of suppliers to his banned list

The amount ordered was enough to keep 39 coffee shops use their whipped cream dispensers for a year.

He told The Times: 'I got into this business so coffee shops could put whipped cream on their hot chocolate. Now they are using nitrous oxide bottles at raves and parties and they leave them scattered everywhere. It's a huge problem for my industry.'

In addition to this, Mr Palmer also received another order for 20,000 bottles from a Hampshire farm which did not appear to have any connection to catering business.

He added: 'There's no way a place like that needs so many. It's ridiculous.

'I'm getting big orders like this every single day. Farms. Ice cream shops. Newsagents. We're getting suspicious orders from all sorts of businesses.'

The UK manufacturer, which was founded in 1985 and also produces menu covers, now keeps its nitrous oxide canisters in a secret warehouse in an effort to stop mounting criminal interest in them.

As part of their operation, Leicestershire police are working with an East Midlands operations to trace suppliers in the UK which they believe are distributing the gas to gangs and young people.

Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas, commonly found in pressurised metal canisters, which is usually inhaled by thousands of young Britons in order to achieve feelings of euphoria, relaxation and calmness.

The colourless gas (nitrous oxide casings at Bakers Hill, Gloucestershire) is usually inhaled by thousands of young Britons in order to achieve feelings of euphoria

The drug is listed under the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act, which means it is illegal to give away or sell, and can lead to users falling unconscious or suffocating from a lack of oxygen.

The gas can lead to dizziness, a deficiency of vitamin B12 and anaemia and regular use can stop users from forming white blood cells properly.

Supplying the drug and trying to produce it can lead to up to seven years in prison.

Last month ministers were urged to clamp down on the booming craze after leading pharmacists called for a major tightening of the law.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the authors said the current law had 'not acted as a deterrent', and said that the situation had got worse in recent weeks as more young people stay at home.

The authors of the BMJ article  Royal Pharmaceutical Society chief scientist Luigi Martini, Amira Guirguis of Swansea University Medical School, and Mair Davies, former director for Wales at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society  wrote: 'The frequent presence of silver canisters on our streets  even during the Covid-19 lockdown  is a visible mark of the increasing incidence of nitrous oxide or laughing gas misuse.

'Tighter regulations around the sale of nitrous oxide online need to be imposed.'
State schools are set to limit the numbers of GCSEs their pupils study to just five or six as plans continue to be drawn up for the education catchup  but private school pupils will be taught nine or 10.

'Softer' subjects such as art, music, design and technology, drama and foreign languages could be withdrawn for many state pupils as head teachers try to make up for lost time.

With some state schools not having offered any online lessons since March, they will focus on getting pupils back up to speed with core GCSE subjects such as maths and English.

The chief executive of the Harris Federation, a successful chain of 43 academies, Dan Moynihan said he is planning to cut the number of GCSEs studied from the normal nine or 10, the Sunday Times reports.

Some state schools could limit the numbers of GCSEs their pupils study to just five or six by withdrawing 'softer' subjects such as art, music, design and technology, drama and foreign languages. Pictured: Harris Academy South Norwood, one of the Harris Federation schools

He told the paper: 'I do not think they [the pupils] will be pleased to look back when they are 40 and see that, because of a bit of art or French or design and technology, they did not get the qualification in English or maths they needed to get a job.'

The organisation - that 36,000 pupils in 48 academies - said this will only affect a 'tiny minority' of pupils in 'exceptional circumstances'.

The example given by the Foundation was of a pupil who was persistently absent from school before lockdown and couldn't reasonably be expected to pass 8 or 9 GCSEs given they have missed three months of schooling due to the pandemic.

The Harris Foundation added that the subjects dropped will be dependent on what the student wants to study for A-Levels.

Usually state school children are expected to take at least eight GCSEs but government guidelines published last Thursday allow for this number to be dropped in exceptional circumstances.

However, the head of Ofsted Amanda Spielman has warned against narrowing the curriculum and said that now more than ever pupils needed a comprehensive education.

She said: 'Schools should think about each child and what is right for them. I am not sure that focusing on English and maths is the kind of message anyone would expect for children at GCSE.'

However, the chairman of the Independent Schools Council Barnaby Lenon said that 'softer' subjects would not be dropped in private schools as the decision would limit A-Level choices.

Former Labour education minister Lord Adonis has also criticised the potential narrowing of the state curriculum claiming the move would increase the gulf between state and private education.

This news comes after it emerged this week that oral exams were set to be axed for modern foreign language GCSEs.

The chief executive of the Harris Federation, a successful chain of 43 academies, Dan Moynihan said he is planning to cut the number of GCSEs studied from the normal nine or 10

New plans outlined by exam watchdog Ofqual, will see oral exams, which usually make up 25 per cent of GCSE language grades, removed from the syllabus.

A 'teacher endorsement' will be given as evidence to exam boards to prove that students can speak the language, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Speaking to the paper, Dr Toy Breslin, a former chief examiner, said that scrapping oral exams would be 'like removing numbers from maths' and could damage the reputation of GCSEs as a qualification.

He described the move as: 'A bit slash and burn.'

In a consultation document, Ofqual said the decision was made after teachers informed them that recorded oral exams take time to arrange and manage.

Other changes to GCSEs include geography field trips being cancelled, practical experiments will be scrapped for science students in favour of teacher demonstrations and design and technology students will not be allowed to use tools and will instead have to observe a teacher at work.

History will also be reduced in size by up to 20 per cent as many topics will become optional.
The NHS and the Government's Treasury are stuck in an argument about the health service's demands for an extra 10billion to clear a backlog in surgery patients.

Sources say bosses at both organisations are 'at complete loggerheads' as the NHS tries to return to normality as the UK's coronavirus pandemic continues to shrink.

The Government had put 'protect the NHS' at the heart of its Covid-19 messaging earlier in the year and pledged to do whatever it took to get hospitals through the crisis.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in March: 'Absolutely categorically the NHS will get whatever resources it needs to get us through this'.

But now Covid-19 cases and deaths have fallen and hospitals return to routine work, the health service finds itself wanting money again, The Observer reports.

Health chiefs are desperate for a 400million-a-month deal with private hospitals to continue so surgical procedures can continue, but the NHS can't afford it alone.

Experts have warned that there could be up to 10million people on the surgery waiting list by winter and hospitals will only be able to operate at 60 per cent capacity because of new infection control measures.

NHS bosses also want funding to keep the temporary Nightingale hospitals around the country on standby, and to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today dismissed claims there is a 'row' ongoing and said he 'doesn't recognise' the 10billion figure.

NHS bosses want to keep the temporary Nightingale hospitals on standby in case coronavirus cases surge again but will need extra Government funding to do so (Pictured: Staff outside the Nightingale Hospital London)

Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured at Downing Street) said in March: 'Absolutely categorically the NHS will get whatever resources it needs to get us through this'

One source close to the discussions told The Observer: 'There's arm wrestling going on between the NHS and the Government... But the Treasury are playing hardball and aren't prepared to stump up the money.'

The disagreement appears to have strained the relationship between the NHS and the Government, which had become closer during the pandemic.

Health chiefs said that Chancellor Rishi Sunak's department did not seem to be sticking to its early promise that the NHS would get whatever it needed.

A senior figure said: 'There's a very, very significant difference between the phrase "the NHS will get whatever it needs" and the behaviour now being exhibited by the Treasury.'

Speaking in March on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Sunak said: 'I can say absolutely categorically the NHS will get whatever resources it needs to get us through this and to respond to the health crisis.'

But the health service now faces conditions for any money it receives from the Government, such as promises that it will keep the surgery waiting list down.

The NHS, unable to make the promises demanded of it, is now reported in stalemate with the Government.

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock - who is reported to be backing the NHS - said on Sky News today: 'I just dont recognise that story.

'We have been working very closely with the Treasury on making sure we have the funding we need, whether it is for PPE or for the extra support that is needed in hospitals or for the Nightingale project or for the use of the independent sector.

'We have an enormous amount of support from the Treasury. I am incredibly grateful to Rishi Sunak.

'We have been working throughout this to put literally record sums into the NHS. The NHS have worked alongside us, they have been brilliant throughout it.

'We have at pace needed very significant extra funding that they have put in. Just last week the Prime Minister announced another 1.5billion for the NHS.'

Mr Hancock added on the Andrew Marr Show today: 'We protected the NHS during the peak of the crisis and we will protect it in the future.

'We are constantly ensuring that the NHS has what it needs'.

Chancellor Mr Sunak already has to face an eye-watering hit to the economy caused by the pandemic and may be reluctant to spend more money.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted the devastation of the past four months will cost Britain as much as 298billion.

NIGHTINGALE HOSPITALS TURNED INTO CANCER SCREENING CENTRES Two newly-built Nightingale hospital are being converted into cancer testing centres to clear a huge backlog of potential cancer patients, the chief executive of NHS England said this week. Sir Simon Stevens revealed that the 200-bed Exeter Nightingale site will start screening multiple patients a day starting from Monday, July 6, to help cope with the growing number of people waiting for tests to find out if they have the disease. The hospital, originally built for Covid patients in the event intensive care wards were overwhelmed, will be open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm. It follows the 500-bed Nightingale in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, which started offering CT scans for suspected cancer sufferers on June 4. It comes amid fears of a cancer time bomb, with leading charities estimating 2.5million cancer patients have missed out on vital tests and treatment this year because of the coronavirus crisis. Charities have also warned there could be an additional 18,000 cancer deaths in 2020 because of the number of patients who have been diagnosed too late. Sir Simon told MPs that a number of private sector hospitals could be transformed into coronavirus-free cancer clinics in the coming months to clear the backlog. Sir Simon told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee today: 'It's worth remembering that four fifths of the patients who are on a waiting list are typically waiting for a test or an outpatient appointment, rather than waiting to be admitted to hospital for an operation. 'And given the pressures on hospitals and diagnostic teams are over the March, April, May period, there has been a big a big reduction in the flow of patients through those diagnostic services. 'We've got to do something different. We've got to expand diagnostic capacity. We've also got to do it in new ways.' Advertisement

One of the biggest challenges facing the NHS is the fast-growing waiting list for operations.

In a bid to make space for Covid-19 patients, hospitals turfed out patients and closed their operating theatres to most patients during the height of Britain's crisis.

As a result the waiting list, which officially sits at 3.94million, could surge to more than 10million by the end of the year, experts have warned.

A June report by the NHS Confederation, which represents represents health and care leaders, predicts 10million people on waiting lists by Christmas.

Bosses behind the projection said a best case scenario could see eight million people waiting for treatment, if a vaccine or therapy comes along before then.

Experts have warned it could take two years to clear the backlog, even if there is no second wave of coronavirus.

The report warned services will be operating at around 60 per cent capacity because of new NHS infection control and social distancing measures.

NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson wrote to Boris Johnson to prepare the public for the huge waits they will have to face for months after the crisis is over.

He has also called for assurances about personal protective equipment (PPE) and the effectiveness of the NHS Test and Trace programme.

And the report also called for an extension of the current deal with the independent sector until the end of the financial year 'to provide capacity to support the NHS to manage the backlog of treatment'.

Former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, Dr Nick Scriven, told the Observer: 'It would be a shame if the funding that seemed to be promised is now being attached to various measures and outcomes that were not in place when the initial announcement regarding extra funding was made.

'Of course funding needs to result in appropriate activity, but to tie money up that is really needed to get the acute and urgent services through the next few months with elective surgical output in appropriated private hospitals does not feel right.

'The government needs to follow its own advice and protect the NHS.'

NHS Confederatrion's Mr Dickson, speaking last month, said: 'Political leaders have a vital role to play in reassuring the public that every step possible is being taken to manage the virus, while safely bringing back services that had to be paused.

'Retaining public confidence and trust in the NHS will be vital over the next few months.

'The NHS wants to get back to providing these vital services - the virus has inflicted pain and suffering throughout the UK, but we also know the measures to combat it have come at a terrible cost to those who have not been able to access the care, treatment and support they need and to many whose conditions have gone undiagnosed.

'There is a real determination to rise to this challenge, but it will need extra funding and capacity, not least in rehabilitation and recovery services in the community where so much of the coming demand will be felt.'
A married British Hollywood actor has been questioned by police after a massage therapist claimed that he groped her bottom and rubbed his private parts against her during an appointment.

Officers interviewed the actor, who is well known in Britain and US, under caution at the end of last month in relation to the alleged sexual assault.

It took place at the actor's home in London, the Sunday Times reports, where the woman would come to give him a massage.

The alleged victim, a single mother who works for a reputable company, said the claimed assault left her 'frozen' and that it took a long time for her to realise what had happened.

An actor well known in Britain and the US has been questioned by police over allegations of sexual assault. The actor and the massage therapist have not been named

She explained to the Sunday Times how, on the day of the alleged assault, the actor had tried to kiss her before the treatment began.

'When I started to massage his upper legs, he started to ask me to go further up and close to his crotch and close to his sexual organs,' she said.

When she became visibly upset the actor, who was wearing an untied dressing gown, said he 'understood'.

But then, she claimed, he 'grabs my waist' and starts to 'touch me, touch my body, touch my bottom' and to 'rub himself on me'.

After the alleged incident, the woman claims the actor then told her he did not have enough money to pay for the massage session.

She said she had started working for the actor in early summer last year, and was soon attending regular appointments that earned her 500-a-month.

They developed a friendship, she explained, and began exchanging 'flirtatious' messages in August, which were often sent late at night and sometimes signed off with kisses by both. The woman said she had developed feelings for the actor.

The alleged assault took place in the Autumn.

She began working for the actor in early summer last year, before the alleged assault took place in Autumn. She reported it January 30. Above is a stock image of a massage

Afterwards, the woman said they continued to message and that she returned to his home for another appointment a week later, hoping he would apologise and pay the money he owed her.

'I just wanted to make things good and get paid,' she said. 'I went there again and I said, "He's going to apologise. Everything's going to be fine." I really needed to talk to him about what happened because everything was really fast.'

But, after arriving, the actor refused to talk about it, encouraged her to leave, and paid what he owed with a 40 tip.

The assault was reported to Scotland Yard on January 30. The man and massage therapist have not been named.

The Office for National Statistics says approximately 700,000 people aged between 16 to 59 years old were victims of sexual assault in 2018, a number which has tripled in recent years due to 'improvements in police recording and more victims being willing to report'.

'The number of offences recorded by the police remains well below the number of victims,' they said.

'Of the offences that do come to the attention of police, many don't progress further through the criminal justice system.'

The alleged assault took place in the actor's London home, that the woman regularly visited to give him massages. She earned around 500-a-month from the appointments

Around half of all sexual offences reported to police didn't proceed to court due to 'evidential difficulties', they said.

The NHS says that victims of sexual assault can contact voluntary organisations including Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Survivors UK (for men) for support.

Sexual assault referral centres are also available, which offer medical, practical and emotional support through trained doctors, nurses and support workers.

A spokesman for the actor, who has not been named, denied the allegations.

'Our client is aware of the allegations made,' they said. 'He is cooperating fully with authorities. Due to the ongoing investigation, he cannot comment further and hopes to resolve matters as quickly as possible.'
Victoria's Police Association secretary says police have 'no plan' on how to enforce the lockdown of nine Melbourne public housing towers at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Sergeant Wayne Gatt said on Sunday the association would be talking to Victoria Police about what approach to take on Sunday afternoon.

'We don't have a plan at this point,' he said.

A woman is questioned after attempting to flee from public housing towers under lockdown in Flemington, Melbourne, on Sunday. Police say they have 'no plan' on how to enforce the five-day coronavirus lockdown in which only essential services are allowed in or out

A man living in a flat is seen making a gesture with his arms crossed at the Flemington Public housing flats on Sunday

Pictured: a woman tries to avoid police at the Melbourne coronavirus lockdown in Flemington on Sunday. An estimated 3000 people are affected by the temporary emergency measure needed to stop Victoria's ballooning spread of the deadly coronavirus

Police attempting to stop the car of a woman trying to flee the lockdown on Sunday

'These are important tasks and the police don't in anyway relinquish their responsibility to actually help out.'

Nine public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne were locked down from 4pm on Saturday, with 500 police stationed across every floor.

Nobody is allowed in or out of the buildings except to deliver essential supplies and services.

The sudden move was deemed necessary to stop the spread of the highly infectious disease after more than 23 cases were found across a dozen households.

An estimated 3000 residents have been caught by the lockdown which will last for at least five days.

A total of 500 police have been put on rotation to patrol the lockdown. Pictured: Police on foot patrol at Flemington on Sunday

Pictured: a view of one of the nine housing commission flats under coronavirus lockdown, this one at Flemington in Melbourne's inner northwest

Pictured: the housing commission flats at Flemington when the surprise lockdown was enacted immediately on Saturday

The Police Association of Victoria is also concerned about the possibility of police catching and spreading the deadly virus.

On Saturday, Sergeant Gatt said the decision to use police to enforce the targeted lockdown was sprung without warning, and demanded an urgent safety briefing from Victoria Police.

'Health and safety protocols need to be put in 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,' he said.

Police speak to one of the residents of the housing commission flats. Baby formula is being provided along with money, children's toys, medications, essential food and counselling

Sgt Gatt told reporters on Sunday that police have had little more coronavirus training than the rest of the community.

So far, through good hygiene practices police had limited the spread of the disease among officers, he said, who are often in contact with the public at high-risk events such as at protests where the virus can spread.

'We have to take the same approach to a large scale operation like this, you just can't jump into it and throw caution to the wind without a plan to succeed,' he said.

Sgt Gatt has said he wants assistance from other organisations such as the Australian Defence Force to support police, but that it was up to the Victorian Government to decide which agencies could best help.

'Please remember (police are) not there to harm or hurt anybody, we're simply there for the safety of others,' he said.

The public housing estates at North Melbourne also among the nine towers under lockdown on Sunday. The only people allowed in or out are essential services

Daily Mail Australia asked Victoria Police on Sunday night if any framework for patrolling the lockdowns has yet been agreed on.

'Any meetings between Victoria Police and the Police Association are private so it would be inappropriate to make further comment at this time,' a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

Victorian health authorities have been working through the night to supply essentials including baby formula to the thousands of housing commission residents trapped by the lockdown.

Food, activity boxes for children, essential medications including methadone for registered addicts, counselling, domestic violence services, and drug and alcohol support are also being provided.

Pictured: Police talk to a housing commission resident on a mobility scooter in Flemington

Translators will be doorknocking to explain directions to tenants who don't speak English.

Some residents of the public housing estate are employed and they will receive a $1500 hardship payment to compensate for missing work.

Those without a job will receive $750.

Premier Daniel Andrews has said they would also receive free rent.

A crowdfunding campaign for residents by Victorian Trades Hall Council had raised more than $250,000 by Sunday afternoon.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday the lockdowns would not be pleasant but were necessary for public safety.

'If we have a large group of people who already have pre-existing and underlying health challenges infected with this virus then people will die. It is as simple as that,' he told reporters.

Public health workers are to go door-to-door testing every resident on every floor who has not tested positive.

Victoria has been recording daily double digit increases since the latest outbreak began with another 74 cases on Sunday taking the state's total to 2536 on Sunday night, making the drastic lockdowns necessary.

The spread is threatening to reignite the pandemic across other Australian states which have brought the disease under control.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Victoria's justice department is recruiting staff to work on the hotel coronavirus quarantine program, after it became a virus breeding ground.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is looking for casual resident support officers and team leaders to work 80-hour fortnights.

'The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent impacts on workforce availability mean that additional resources are urgently needed to undertake temporary frontline COVID-19 work for the department,' the job ad stated on Sunday.

'We are seeking people with great customer service skills to take on the role of a Resident Support Officer within a number of Melbourne CBD hotels, over the coming weeks and months.'

Successful candidates would have to work six 12-hour shifts over a 24/7 roster fortnight, according to the department's job advertisement.

The quarantine program was put on hold for a fortnight, with Corrections Victoria taking over its operation from private security companies.

The state government came under fire for the program after it was hit with infection protocol breaches while hosting returned travellers.

Instead of preventing the spread of the virus, the program was found to be central to the rise of the state's COVID-19 case numbers.

AAP understands that the Qantas Group provided a link to the Victorian Government's career page to staff that have been stood down.

It is understood grounded flight staff may have applied for the roles.
Matt Hancock today refused to commit to giving NHS workers a pay rise but insisted they must be 'rewarded' for their hard work during the coronavirus crisis.

Speaking on the 72 year anniversary of the creation of the health service, Mr Hancock said NHS staff had been 'incredible' during the outbreak and their efforts should be formally recognised.

Britain will tonight mark the NHS anniversary with a nationwide round of applause at 5pm.

It follows the success of the weekly Clap for Carers during the coronavirus outbreak and it is hoped the applause will become an annual tradition.

Meanwhile, Mr Hancock this morning dismissed reports of a funding row between NHS bosses and the Treasury.

Health chiefs have reportedly told Rishi Sunak they need an extra 10 billion to prepare for a potential second wave of coronavirus.

But talks with the Treasury are said to have hit an impasse, prompting accusations that the Chancellor is breaking his pledge to give the NHS 'whatever it needs' to tackle the disease.

Matt Hancock told Sky News this morning that NHS workers should be 'rewarded' but he refused to commit to a pay rise

Told that the best birthday present for the NHS would be to hand its lowest paid staff a pay rise, Mr Hancock told Sky News: Well, we absolutely want to reward NHS staff for what they have done.

On this 72nd anniversary we should remember that this has been the toughest year in the NHSs 72 year history.

The lengths that NHS staff have gone to have been incredible. But also the flexibility that they have shown, the amazing increase for instance in the use of technology which has improved many of the services.

The ability of people to step up when it was really needed and take on decision making.

So there is many things that we want to bottle from the good things the NHS has done in response to this crisis.'

He later told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'We will absolutely ensure that we recognise the work that frontline staff in the NHS have done.'

He added: 'Of course I want to see people properly rewarded, absolutely.'

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said he would want to see frontline health service staff 'properly rewarded' for their work.

Asked about pay rises, Sir Simon said: 'You would expect me as the head of the NHS to back staff across the health service. Of course we want to see NHS staff properly rewarded. Those will be decisions the Government will have to take later in the year.'

The comments came ahead of a nationwide round of applause this evening to pay tribute to NHS workers.

People will be encouraged to clap at 5pm as a way of saying thank you to NHS staff who have worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Annemarie Plas, who founded the #ClapforCarers initiative which lasted for 10 weeks following lockdown, said she thinks the NHS anniversary clap on Sunday will be a 'beautiful moment;.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: 'We have had this first part of the crisis, we don't know what lies ahead, so if we can have this one moment where we say thank you to each other and recharge our batteries for what may be a heavier time that lies ahead, then I think that is a beautiful moment.'

Ms Plas said she felt 'very honoured' to be joining the Prime Minister for the 'very special moment' outside Number 10 at 5pm.

She added: 'I came here as a new mum in a new country and they (the NHS) really went beyond to track me down, to show me around, and really helped me, and that was really touching because we don't have anything like that in the Netherlands.

'So I feel very happy to be in touch with the NHS this way.'

Meanwhile, Mr Hancock dismissed a report in the Observer which claimed talks over funding between the NHS and health chiefs had reached an impasse.

He said: I just dont recognise that story. We have been working very closely with thh Treasury on making sure we have the funding we need, whether it is for PPE or for the extra support that is needed in hospitals or for the Nightingale project or for the use of the independent sector.

We have an enormous amount of support from the Treasury. I am incredibly grateful to Rishi Sunak.

We have been working throughout this to put literally record sums into the NHS. The NHS have worked alongside us, they have been brilliant throughout it.

We have at pace needed very significant extra funding that they have put in. Just last week the Prime Minister announced another 1.5 billion for the NHS. That will be to expand our A&Es for this winter because with social distancing many A&Es across the country are going to need to be bigger.

It is also for maintenance which is much needed and to get on with capital projects. The Treasury, we have been working hand in glove with them throughout this.
Scientists in the UK will investigate the long-term effects of Covid-19 in a scientific study which launches this month.

The Department of Health has announced that up to 10,000 people will be involved in a study to look at how people who catch the coronavirus fare long-term.

Growing evidence suggests that even people who only get mildly sick may suffer long-lasting health effects including lung damage.

The UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has warned that Covid-19 patients could be left with 'extreme tiredness and shortness of breath for several months'.

The study, led by researchers and doctors in Leicester, will look at how people's mental health is affected by illness and whether factors like sex or ethnicity affect how well someone recovers from Covid-19.

Patients in the study, which will receive 8.4million in funding, will have medical scans, blood tests and lung samples so experts can look at how they are affected.

It comes as the NHS has announced it's launched a long-term recovery service called 'Your Covid Recovery', which will offer online advice to the public and more specialised physio and mental health support to some patients from this summer.

A study is being launched in the UK to look at the long-term effects of Covid-19 for people who recover from the disease (Pictured: A doctor at the temporary NHS Seacole Centre)

The study will start recruiting people from the end of July and will choose hospital patients, focusing on 'under-represented' groups, the Department of Health said.

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said: 'As well as the immediate health impacts of the virus it is also important to look at the longer-term impacts on health, which may be significant.

'We have rightly focused on mortality, and what the UK can do straight away to protect lives, but we should also look at how Covid-19 impacts on the health of people after they have recovered from the immediate disease.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock added: 'As we continue our fight against this global pandemic, we are learning more and more about the impact the disease can have not only on immediate health, but longer-term physical and mental health too.

'This world-leading study is another fantastic contribution from the UK's world-leading life sciences and research sector.

'It will also help to ensure future treatment can be tailored as much as possible to the person.'

There is growing evidence that patients diagnosed with even a mild case of Covid-19 may be left struggling with long-term health problems long after recovering from their initial illness.

One of these is potential long-term lung damage, which can leave survivors with reduced lung capacity.

NHS TO LAUNCH LONG-TERM COVID-19 RECOVERY SERVICE The NHS has revealed it will launch an online rehabilitation service for people who have had Covid-19. The tool 'Your Covid Recovery' will offer advice for the general public and also more specialised 12-week rehab programmes for seriously-affected patients. The widely available online advice section is expected to be available some time this month, with the specialist service - devised by experts based in Leicester - launching later in the summer. Some people who caught the virus will suffer with long-term health damage from being in intensive care, or may have mental health issues such as PTSD or depression. Tens of thousands of people could be eligible for the advanced support, the NHS said - around 129,000 people have been hospitalised with Covid-19 so far this year. The second, advanced phase of the rehab programme will put people in touch with physiotherapists and nurses over the phone and set up a 'survivors' community'. It will provide mental health support and also advice on how people can rebuild lung function and muscle strength. Matt Hancock said: 'We are learning about this disease all the time, and increasingly know that for some people, Covid-19 has debilitating lasting effects... 'I suffered from coronavirus first-hand so I know the impact it can have. 'I'm determined to ensure we have the best possible treatment for coronavirus, both to save lives, and to help anyone suffering from the aftershocks.' Advertisement

Other research has suggested that people may develop heart problems as a result of Covid-19 infection.

One small study in Wuhan found that 16 out of 36 intensive care patients had developed irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmia, which can weaken the heart's ability to pump blood.

Coronavirus can also cause blood clots, scientists say, which can raise the risk of stroke or heart attack.

'Covid-19 can affect the cardiovascular system through multiple pathways,' Dr Mohammad Madjid, a cardiologist at the University of Texas, told the Daily Mail's Good Health section.

'The virus may directly affect the heart muscle, which may not work as strongly as it should, causing the heart rhythm to become irregular.'

The study has been given urgent public health research status by the Department of Health.

It is being organised by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

UKRI chief executive, Professor Ottoline Leyser, said: 'We have much to learn about the long-term health impacts of Covid-19 and its management in hospital, including the effects of debilitating lung and heart conditions, fatigue, trauma and the mental health and wellbeing of patients.

'UKRI is collaborating with NIHR to fund one of the world's largest studies to track the long-term effects of the virus after hospital treatment, recognising that for many people survival may be just the start of a long road to recovery.

'This study will support the development of better care and rehabilitation and, we hope, improve the lives of survivors.'

The announcement of the study comes on the same day that the NHS has revealed it will launch an online rehabilitation service for people who have had Covid-19.

The tool 'Your Covid Recovery' will offer advice for the general public and also more specialised 12-week rehab programmes for seriously-affected patients.

The widely available online advice section is expected to be available some time this month, with the specialist service - devised by experts based in Leicester - launching later in the summer.

Some people who caught the virus will suffer with long-term health damage from being in intensive care, or may have mental health issues such as PTSD or depression.

Tens of thousands of people could be eligible for the advanced support, the NHS said - around 129,000 people have been hospitalised with Covid-19 so far this year.

The second, advanced phase of the rehab programme will put people in touch with physiotherapists and nurses over the phone and set up a 'survivors' community'.

It will provide mental health support and also advice on how people can rebuild lung function and muscle strength.

Matt Hancock said: 'We are learning about this disease all the time, and increasingly know that for some people, Covid-19 has debilitating lasting effects...

'I suffered from coronavirus first-hand so I know the impact it can have.

'I'm determined to ensure we have the best possible treatment for coronavirus, both to save lives, and to help anyone suffering from the aftershocks.'


A teenage murderer has escaped from jail and gone on the run, with police warning the public to keep away from him.

Haami Hanara was found guilty of murdering homeless man Kelly Donner in March 2018 and sentenced to jail for life.

The 16-year-old broke free from the Korowai Manaaki juvenile detention centre in South Auckland on Saturday night with another inmate.

New Zealand police have urged anyone with information on Hanara's whereabouts to contact them.

'Haami Hanara has known friends and family in Counties Manukau, Hamilton, Flaxmere, Hastings, Whakatane and Whanganui,' a police media release reads.

'He is considered dangerous and should not be approached.'

Convicted murderer Haami Hanara (pictured) has escaped from a juvenile detention centre in South Auckland

General manager of Youth Justice Services Ben Hannifin told The NZ Herald Oranga Tamaraki - who manage the facility - is aiding police to locate the boys.

'Oranga Tamariki is working with the police to determine how two teenage boys were able to escape from youth justice residence Korowai Manaaki on Saturday evening,' he said in a statement.

'We will be working further with police to return the teenagers into our care.

'The facility was fully staffed at the time.'

The statement did not mention how they escaped or why the public were not notified of the pair's escape until more than 24 hours later.

Hanara was jailed for life with a non parole period of 10 years after Mr Donner's murder.

Hanara escaped from the Korowai Manaaki juvenile detention centre in South Auckland (pictured) on Saturday night with another inmate while the facility was fully staffed

The teenager stabbed the rough sleeper four times, including twice in his neck which severed Mr Donner's carotid artery causing him to bleed out.

The fatal incident occurred after Hanara and a group of youths were out on a Sunday night planning to rob a liquor store.

The group met Mr Donner and asked to borrow a torch.

When Mr Donner asked for his torch back, a fight broke out.

CCTV footage was also played in court showing Hanara with a knife in his hand chasing Donner.

The teenager then returned into frame with the knife covered in blood.


Ministers are hoping Prince Andrew will speak to the FBI over his links to Ghislaine Maxwell and paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein without them having to intervene.

Maxwell appeared in court in the US on Thursday accused of helping disgraced financier Epstein 'identify, befriend and groom' multiple girls, including one as young as 14.

US prosecutors have lodged a formal request to interview Andrew, a friend of Epstein's, made through the filing of a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to the Home Office, as reported by The Sunday Telegraph.

An MLA is part of an agreement with the United States that means they can ask for assistance from British authorities in criminal matters.

The request causes something of a predicament for Home Secretary Priti Patel, with the Government keen that US authorities and Andrew sort the issue out between themselves.

US prosecutors have lodged a formal request to interview Andrew, a friend of Epstein's, made through the filing of a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to the Home Office. Pictured: Prince Andrew during his now infamous Newsnight interview

The Duke cannot be forced to talk to the FBI, but the submission of the MLA means it could turn into a diplomatic headache for the Government.

Andrew Campbell-Tiech QC, head of Drystone Chambers told the newspaper: 'I'm sure the Home Office would rather the two parties deal with it themselves without any ministerial involvement.

'The last thing they want is to find themselves caught between the Royal family on one side and the US authorities on the other. They do not want to navigate through that.'

Andrew has previously claimed he has offered two times to be a witness in the case.

A source close to the Duke said: 'We've been in contact with the US Department of Justice saying we're willing to offer assistance. The Duke has indicated his intention to cooperate with the investigation and the ball is now in their court.

'There is still a dialogue going on and we are sure the Home Office would not want to intervene.'

Andrew was friend's with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile, who killed himself last year

A spokesman for the prosecutors at the Southern District of New York declined to comment to the Sunday Telegraph on the question of Mutual Legal Assistance.

The Home Office told the newspaper it would not confirm or deny the existence of an MLA request.

It comes as one of Ghislaine Maxwell's friend's said she would 'never' disclose information about the Duke of York in the case surrounding paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, her friend has claimed.

Former investment banker Laura Goldman said the British socialite regarded Andrew as a friend and was 'never going to say anything' about him to investigators.

It comes as Maxwell appeared in court in the US on Thursday accused of helping disgraced financier Epstein 'identify, befriend and groom' multiple girls, including one as young as 14.

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, (middle) aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's (right) townhouse in London, on March 13, 2001

The duke, who is a former friend of Epstein, has since been urged to provide information to the investigation by a US attorney.

Ms Goldman, who claims to have known Maxwell since she moved to the US, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday she would 'have to' go for a plea deal with prosecutors.

Asked if Maxwell would speak about the duke as part of the investigation, Ms Goldman said: 'She has always told me she would never, ever say anything about him.

'I think she felt he was her friend and she was never going to say anything about him.

'She felt in the 90s when her father died that Prince Andrew was there for her.'

Ms Goldman said she last spoke to Maxwell 'a couple of weeks ago' prior to her arrest in New Hampshire on Thursday, adding: 'She knew she was coming to the end of the road.'

She claimed Maxwell was a 'victim' of Epstein and was always 'a little afraid' of him.

Ms Goldman said: 'I think she thought if she did one more grooming, found him one more girl, he would marry her. Is that okay? No.

'She honestly thought at the end of the day she would be Mrs Jeffrey Epstein and that was the prize she wanted.'

Maxwell, daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell, has previously denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct by her former boyfriend Epstein.

At a brief hearing on Thursday, a magistrate judge ordered her to remain in custody while she is transferred to New York for a detention hearing.

Four of the six charges cover Maxwell's dealings with Epstein from 1994 to 1997, when she was in an 'intimate relationship' with him, according to the indictment.

These include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

She is further charged with conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Epstein killed himself last August before facing trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, told a press conference that authorities would 'welcome' a statement from the duke.

But a source close to the duke said he was 'bewildered' by claims made by US authorities that he has not offered to co-operate with the Epstein case.

One of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by the financier, alleges the duke had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law.

The duke categorically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre.
The Freemason society has sought to distance itself from an elderly and once-powerful follower of the famously secretive organisation who mysteriously disappeared at sea after setting off in a small boat.

Dementia-sufferer Felicity Loveday, 84, vanished with her son Adrian Meneveau, 56, who had cared for her for the seven years up to their disappearance, after setting off from a wharf in Frankston, Victoria on December 11.

Their empty boat was found submerged at Ricketts Point - 24km away - four days after her daughter Christina Loveday took a photo of the pair as she waved off her relatives on their voyage.

Police have been told the trip was part of a plan to 'cleanse' the elderly former member of an affiliated Freemason body called Le Droit Humain of 'evil spirits' she had somehow 'awoken'.

Authorities also investigated if Ms Loveday was already dead when the picture was taken.

A leading figure in the Australian Federation of Freemasons on Sunday said her membership to the Masonic Order was in no way related to the events of last year.

Last photo: Felicity Loveday, 83 (on right) and her son, Adrian Meneveau, 56, were lost at sea during a bizarre three-day boat trip to 'cleanse' Ms Loveday of evil spirits

'The personal beliefs and practices are in no way associated with Freemasonry nor are they associated with her role as a former presiding officer of one of our Lodges,' the federation's Grand Commander and Supreme Council Representative said.

'Freemasonry has nothing to do with ''evil'', ''black magic'' and ''cleansing rituals".'

Ms Loveday was active in Freemasonry and had the influential title of a 'Worshipful Master' in the mid-2000's - the highest position in an individual lodge and master of ceremonies - until a few years ago, the Herald Sun reported.

Daily Mail Australia has been told Felicity was known on the Gold Coast for participating in a local choir and yoga, but suffered severe dementia and moved to Melbourne to be with her two children.

Victoria Police's Marine Investigation Unit is investigating the disappearance from Olivers Hill boat ramp.

Last month, six months after her loved ones were last seen, Christina Loveday took the remarkable step of breaking her silence to definitively state her mother was alive when she took the photo.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Christina was in any way involved or complicit in the incident involving her family members.

Ms Loveday was cared for by her son, Adrian, for seven years prior to their disappearance. The Freemason society has sought to distance itself from the elderly and once-powerful follower of the famously secretive organisation

'For the sake of accuracy, I took the photo and Felicity was very much alive,' Christina Loveday told Daily Mail Australia.

'She has dementia, and had spent a lot of time indoors, so she generally looked pale, and was mostly napping.'

Investigators have reportedly considered whether the pale dementia sufferer Ms Loveday, above, was dead when this picture was taken

Christina's explanation for her mother's washed-out appearance follow a report at the weekend that stated investigators have considered the possibility Felicity was dead when the photograph was taken.

Senior investigator Chris Obst, from the Marine Investigation Unit, told Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun: 'There are many aspects to this investigation that appear suspicious and strange.

'We just can't rule anything out at this stage.'

Felicity's daughter is a critical witness in the investigation, having both witnessed their departure in the small boat - which did not have a cabin or sleeping quarters for shelter - and raised the alarm after her relatives failed to return home on schedule.

Adrian, Ms Loveday's 56-year-old carer, had messaged Christina on December 13 claiming they were having a 'good time' together. But the pair were never heard from again.

The empty boat was found submerged 24km from where the pair set off. It had no sleeping quarters or shelter (pictured)

Emergency crews after retrieving the boat in December last year

Mr Meneveau had bizarrely purchased a second vessel (pictured) from an online seller between Melbourne and Adelaide just weeks before the voyage. Police do not know where the ship is

The mother and son's small boat was found submerged near Ricketts Point, some 24km north of where their voyage began, on December 15, two days after Adrian was last heard from.

Their bodies have never been found, despite what police have described as extensive sea and air searches, and a single life jacket was found inside.

Christina Loveday, above, was the last to see her loved ones

Detectives have not received evidence showing the pair are alive and family members have been quoted saying they believe the pair have perished.

In another twist, police have revealed that Mr Meneveau had purchased a second boat from an online seller, just weeks before the trip on the tiny open-air vessel. The second boat is yet to be located.

Likewise, the nature of the ritual the mother and son were hoping to perform remains unknown, but a family friend was told Adrian had been planning to perform a 'spiritual exercise' upon his mother.

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Felicity was once the 'worshipful master' of a Gold Coast branch of the secretive fraternal society, Co-Freemasonry.

Co-Freemasonry is an offshoot of Freemasonry which admits both men and women. Christina Loveday did not practice it, according to the Herald Sun's report.

Felicity Loveday (centre) is pictured with other members of the Co-Freemasonry lodge at Southport, on the Gold Coast

Asked for her thoughts on claims her mother could be dead in the picture released by police, Christine Loveday told Daily Mail Australia she had 'no control over speculation.'

She said she had been cooperative with the police investigation into her relatives' sudden disappearances.

'I have told the police everything I know, and don't wish to discuss it further,' she said.
Police are appealing for information as fears continue to grow for two schoolgirls from Slough who went missing this week.

Charlotte Phillips, 15, and Mirela Toros, 14, went missing from Slough on Wednesday July 1.

Thames Valley Police are searching for any information about the girls whereabouts.

Charlotte is described as being mixed race, about 5ft2ins, slim, with a small mole on her right cheek.

Thames Valley Police are appealing for information about the whereabouts of Charlotte Phillips, 15, (left) and Mirela Toros, 14, (right) who went missing from Slough on Wednesday

She was last seen wearing a black jacket with a fur hood, black ripped jeans, Nike Air Force trainers and a small round DKNY handbag.

Mirela is described as white, about 4ft9ins, slim, with red straight long hair, with nose piercings and a tongue piercing.

She was last seen wearing a t-shirt, grey shorts and a gold necklace cross.

Investigating officer, Police Sergeant Edward Elms said: The girls are from Slough, but are known to travel to London, so I would particularly urge those using public transport to and in London to please look at for Charlotte and Mirela.

Police also urge anyone with information to get in contact by calling 101 and quoting the reference number 43200198249.

Information can also be left for Thames Valley Police on their website.
Hundreds have gathered in car parks for the first large scale car meet up since lockdown, travelling in convoy to five different locations to admire each other's customised motors.

Car enthusiasts from across the country took part in the all-day 'cruise' beginning at 10am in Barking before motoring up the M25 to meet at a spot near Junction 30 and arriving at several locations in Harlow, Essex.

The meeting then returned to Barking where pictures show over two hundred revellers ignoring social distancing and flouting the government's limit of 30 people per gathering, no arrests have been made.

Scroll down for video.

Car enthusiasts from across the country gather in Barking (pictured) after a day of cruising

Several police cars and two ambulances attended the gathering in Barking where noise complaints were made after cars sped their way through the McDonald's drive-through.

Footage and pictures show revellers blaring music and using nitrous oxide before dumping the canisters on the car park in Harlow.

Although cruising events are not illegal under normal circumstances, the meetings are often treated as antisocial behaviour by police due to the likelihood of illegal speeding, handbrake turns and criminal damage.

Essex Police said in a statement: 'Officers attended The Oaks Retail Park on Howard Way, Harlow, on Saturday 4 July after receiving reports of a car cruising event with around 200 vehicles present.

Cruising events are not illegal under normal circumstances, however some of the behaviour that is known to take place at the events is - including speeding and handbrake turns

Social distancing is all forgotten as crowds gather to watch a car backfire

Large crowds mingle outside of their cars at the meet up which attracted hundreds from across London and Essex

Essex police warned that attending gatherings of this size could put extra pressure on our NHS and impact the health and safety of participants due to covid-19

A police officer talks with a member of the car meet up as social distancing rules are disregarded

The meeting far exceeded the government's social distancing limit of 30 people per public outdoor gathering, however no arrests have been made

Footage and pictures show revellers blaring music and using nitrous oxide before dumping the canisters on the car park in Harlow

Police were present in Harlow, Essex (pictured) and later in Barking as lots of wheel spinning and noisy antics carried on until the small hours

The events are organised on Facebook and Instagram with dates and locations released last minute in an effort to avoid attracting police

'The majority of vehicles then moved to South Way in the town, and officers stayed in both locations to monitor the event.

'No arrests were made but one ticket was issued for careless driving.

'We would like to remind everyone thinking of attending a similar event that gatherings of this size could put extra pressure on our NHS and impact the health and safety of participants.'

One witness said the police appeared to be 'powerless' against the crowds and were seen 'chatting' with them.

He said: 'People were spinning their wheels outside McDonald's and definitely breaking the acceptable level of decibels with the noise their car motors made.'

Adding: 'Lots of wheel spinning and noisy antics carried on until the small hours'.

The events are organised on Facebook and Instagram with dates and locations released last minute in an effort to avoid attracting police.

A stop in Barking on the morning of the car meet up, with one reveller popping his bonnet up to show the engine of his modified car

By evening a large car park in Barking was filled with the modified cars and revellers

A modified Subaru features LED blue lights on its undercarriage and a sticker reading 'outlaws'

A Subaru features red LED lights on its undercarriage as it arrives in Barking

A police officer chats to a reveller in Harlow, Essex, as crowds fill the industrial car park

A video taken at the event shows car enthusiasts performing a 'burnout', revving the engine to showcase its power and create clouds of smoke while crowds watched

A video taken at the event shows car enthusiasts performing a 'burnout', revving the engine to showcase its power and create clouds of smoke while crowds watch.

Car enthusiast Julien Macedo commented on the video: 'That's my car, don't like the burnout? so be it, one thing i know is the people there in person went crazy cuz they've never seen an american car like mine.

He added: 'Cops gave me a ticket at first and then took it down to a warning since i was respectful! morale of the story, know the place, know the time, and know how to be respectful cuz it goes a long way!! whoever didnt get to follow me yesterday, nows your chance! (sic).

The Metropolitan police have been contacted for comment.

Footage and pictures show revellers blaring music and using nitrous oxide before dumping the canisters on the car park in Harlow

Locations were shared for the event in mid-June but its date was not revealed until this week, with a change in location to Harlow, Essex

Earlier this week two men were charged in connection to a '70mph boy racer' crash at a 'Fast and Furious'-style car meet.

A Nissan 350z clipped a black Toyota GT86 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, at the monthly event in July 18 2019, sending both vehicles ploughing into huge crowds that had lined the roadside.

Julian Castano, 21, was driving at 70mph in the Nissan while the driver of the Toyota was Dominic Brown, 21, from St Albans, who works in a Toyota dealership.

Julian Castano, pictured left, 22, of Essex, and Dominic Brown, pictured right, who was visiting the event from St Albans, was driving the Toyota

The Nissan was sent flying across a central reservation while the Toyota went careering to its left by the impact, smashing into more spectators who were on the pavement and a grassy bank behind it.

Witnesses said the Toyota had performed a 'reckless donut stunt' moments before the crash, and the driver had to be cut free from the vehicle by emergency services.

The incident was been branded an 'accident waiting to happen' by residents who say they have warned police over the dangers 'hundreds of times'.
The Mayor of Leicester had been warned that some manufacturing companies were breaching Covid-19 social distancing guidelines three months ago, a former minister has claimed.

Sir Peter Soulsby, 71, and his Labour councillors received a letter from politicians in the Conservative Party warning them of the 'shuttered premises' in which textile workers were operating in amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Baroness Verma went on to claim that it was an 'open secret' that factories were open and were risking the health of their workers and the local population in Leicester.

The claims come just days after it came to light that clothes workers in Leicester were being paid as little as 3.50 an hour to produce items for some of the UK's biggest fashion brands including Boohoo and Nasty Gal.

Following the revelations, Home Secretary Priti Patel called the allegations 'truly appalling' and vowed to clamp down on modern slavery.

Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby, 71, and his Labour councillors received a letter from politicians in the Conservative Party warning them of textile factories breaching Covid-19 guidelines

Pictured: Workers at the Faiza Fashion factory in Leicester continue to work despite the newly reimposed lockdown

Earlier this week it was revealed that clothes workers in Leicester were being paid as little as 3.50 an hour to produce items for some of the UK's biggest fashion brands including Boohoo. Pictured: Boohoo models (left and right)

Today Baroness Verma, who served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development from 2015 until 2016, told The Sunday Telegraph: 'It was an open secret that the factories were open. The concerns were about the conditions in which some of them were operating.'

In an email sent to Labour councillors in Leicester on April 18, Conservative politicians questioned if the party was ensuring that the activities inside factories were being reported to the police and trading standards.

The letter, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, read: 'We have had a number of people contacting us in fear that factory owners are flouting the law by appearing closed but with employees still working behind shuttered premises.

'This is not only dangerous to the workers in the factories but also to the families and wider communities at large.'

Leicester's deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clark said: 'We are told that Public Health England have found no evidence to suggest that the rise in cases in the city is linked to the textile industry.

'Significant community testing is now under way in Leicester and workplaces and factory settings will be an important part of this in helping us to track and prevent the further transmission of the virus.

'Complaints about textile factories operating during the lockdown in April were referred to the Health and Safety Executive for investigation. Last week we were made aware of other allegations.

'These factories were visited by HSE and the police last week. Verbal advice was given, but no notices were served and none of the factories were required to close.'

Earlier today, Matt Hancock said he had 'quite significant concerns' about employment practices at clothing factories in Leicester amid reports one paid its staff less than the minimum wage.

The Health Secretary also told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme there had been coronavirus outbreaks at food and clothing producers in the city, as he stressed stopping the spread of coronavirus was 'the number one problem'.

Mr Hancock said: 'Well we've seen outbreaks in food factories and in clothing factories. There are some quite significant concerns about some of the employment practices in some of the clothing factories in Leicester.

'They are important problems to deal with, but the number one problem that we've got to deal with is getting this virus under control.'



His comments come after the Sunday Times reported allegations that workers in Leicester's Jaswal Fashions factory making clothes for Boohoo brand Nasty Gal were being paid as little as 3.50 an hour and operating without social distancing measures in place.

The findings have prompted an investigation by the National Crime Agency, with the allegations labelled 'appalling' by Home Secretary

Factory workers at Faiza Fashion in Leicester operate their sewing machines despite the risk of contracting Covid-19

Baroness Verma, who served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International said it was an 'open secret' that factories were open

Asim Ali (left), 34, who is manager of Faiza Fashion in Leicester, said he had not received any guidance from the government while Mohmed Talati (right), 55, who runs 21 F.C. Ltd, a cloth cutting company, also complained about the lack of official guidance

The undercover report by The Sunday Times also found that no additional hygiene or social distancing measures were in place, despite the city being in a localised lockdown due to an outbreak of the virus.

In covert footage, the undercover reporter recorded himself packing garments clearly labelled as 'Nasty Gal'.

He was also approached by the factory foreman, who warned: 'These motherf***ers know how to exploit people like us. They make profits like hell and pay us in peanuts.

'Take me for instance, I've been working for so many years in this industry, I've been here for five years but never could I take a proper pay packet. I'm still only on just over 5 an hour.'

Following the shocking footage, the NCA said in a statement: 'Within the last few days NCA officers, along with Leicestershire Police and other partner agencies, attended a number of business premises in Leicester area to assess concerns of modern slavery and human trafficking.'

This week manager of Faiza Fashion in Leicester, Asim Ali, told MailOnline that all the garments they manufacture are for Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing (PLT), two of the country's leading online clothing brands.

He said: 'All our work is for these two companies and it is the same for all the other garment manufacturers in Leicester. We do not deal directly with them but are given the orders by middle companies who liaise with them.

'We opened earlier than expected during the first lockdown because there was such an increase in online clothes shopping. Since then, work has not stopped. We are inundated with orders because so many people are buying online.'

Mr Ali added: 'In the old days we used to get orders for high street shops but all of that has now stopped. The fashion industry has now changed, there are constant demands for new lines which means we have to work even harder to make clothes.'

Nasty Gal and Boohoo.com are renowned for affordable fashion, with crop top (left, example) going for as little as 4 in a sale, and dresses (right, example) as low as 8

At a factory named as Jaswal Fashions, where clothes at bound for online giant Boohoo and Nasty Gal, employees are said to work for less than half the national minimum wage without health and safety protections against coronavirus

Meanwhile Mohamed Talati, 55, who runs 21 F.C. Ltd, a cloth cutting company that provides cloth to the factories told MailOnline: 'The whole industry is very busy at the moment because there are so many orders to complete.

'Most of them need to do be done within a week and since the coronavirus pandemic, online clothes shopping has increased, which is good for us.

'Factories around here simply cannot afford to close. Many did during the first lockdown but reopened early because there was such a huge demand for clothing.

'There are only two companies keeping the Leicester garment industry going and that is Boohoo and PLT. Without them there would not be any business. '

Boohoo, whose CEO Mahmud Kamani is reported to be worth 1 billion, has already come under fire for allegedly risking the spread of coronavirus in Leicester after claims that factories supplying the online retailer told staff to come into work during lockdown despite being sick.

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen raised the alarm about clothes factories in Leicester in January after being approached by whistleblowers about the illegal practices allegedly employed in some of the city's clothing factories.

Last week Priti Patel, the home secretary, asked the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate modern slavery in Leicester's clothing factories.

Responding to the investigation, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'These allegations are truly appalling and I commend the Sunday Times and local MP Andrew Bridgen for their roles in uncovering such abhorrent practices.

'I will not tolerate sick criminals forcing innocent people into slave labour and a life of exploitation.

'Let this be a warning to those who are exploiting people in sweatshops like these for their own commercial gain.

Responding to the investigation, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'These allegations are truly appalling and I commend the Sunday Times and local MP Andrew Bridgen for their roles in uncovering such abhorrent practices'

'This is just the start. What you are doing is illegal, it will not be tolerated and we are coming after you.'

A statement from Nasty Gal seen by the Times said the company would investigate the claims, but insisted that Jaswal Fashions was not a 'direct supplier'.

'Nasty Gal does not allow any of its suppliers to pay less than the minimum wage and has a zero-tolerance approach to incidences of modern slavery,' it said.

'We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of non-compliance with our strict code of conduct is found.'

MailOnline have contacted Boohoo.com for comment.

Boohoo previously told the BBC that it was maintaining closer ties with its suppliers and would be investigating the allegations.

In a statement to the BBC the UK manufacturer said: 'The Boohoo group will not tolerate any incidence of non-compliance especially in relation to the treatment of workers within our supply chain.

'We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of this is found.'

On Friday, Leicestershire Police said they had carried out routine visits at nine workplaces in the city to ensure health and safety.

No closure orders were issued and no enforcement was used, the force said.

Detective Inspector Jenni Heggs added: 'We are aware of recent reports in the media of factories in Leicester continuing their operational work despite being in a period of lockdown.

'We have been working with partners sharing information to carry out these visits which we will continue to do going forward.'

The shocking claims come in the same week it was revealed the Leicester mayor flouted the coronavirus lockdown to go and see his partner Lesley Summerland, 64, and carry out maintenance on her home throughout April and May.

Neighbours filmed the Labour Mayor at Ms Summerland's home on several occasions as he arrived 'carrying overnight bags and shirts.'

On Monday, Leicester and parts of the surrounding area were placed back into a local lockdown following a spike of Covid-19 cases.

People are also banned from staying overnight at another household, and those in the restricted area can no longer visit people in private gardens or indoors, and could face fines if they flout rules.

Leicester's fast fashion to die for: Cramped ragtrade workshops in the pariah city where staff on as little as 4 an hour reveal they dare not go home if they have Covid symptoms... is this the REAL reason it's been quarantined?

By Paul Bracchi for the Daily Mail

How do you turn a profit on a 5 party dress, a 6 miniskirt or 3 bikini top if you're 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.

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 9pm, 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 didn't want to tell the boss because they don't like it if we don't 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 wasn't 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, Britain's fastest-growing online fashion retailer, which incidentally during the lockdown advertises its 5 dress as 'perfect for transitioning from day to play'.

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.

The lockdown boundary map surrounding Leicester which has been enforced after spike in coronavirus cases

In an interview with LBC this week, the MP said: 'We've got a much bigger Indian subcontinent population in Leicester, it tends to be multi-generational households.

'So you've 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.'

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 Blake's famous verse describing the exploitative working practices after the Industrial Revolution.

The conditions are an open secret, or rather, Leicester's 'dirty secret' and were investigated by Channel 4's 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 Parliament's 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.

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.'

It's 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 I've 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.
The NHS is bracing itself for a second wave of Covid-19 later this year, its chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said today.

Health bosses are already preparing for a resurgence of sick patients and say the 'biggest ever' flu vaccination programme will be needed to keep hospitals running.

NHS chiefs feared in March that their hospitals would be overwhelmed with a staggering two million coronavirus patients, 660,000 of whom could have needed intensive care.

Scenes of patients in corridors in hospitals in northern Italy petrified officials in Britain who threw all their efforts into efforts to protect the NHS.

In reality far fewer Covid-19 patients needed hospital care - a total of 128,737 people have been admitted to wards with the disease so far, with the majority recovering.

But experts say the pandemic is far from over, and many more people are expected to catch the virus in future and regular localised outbreaks are unavoidable.

Even now, when the virus is at its lowest point for at least four months, up to 3,600 people in England are still catching the coronavirus every day.

Plans are already emerging to vaccinate everyone over the age of 50 - those most at risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19. The jab doesn't protect against coronavirus but reduces the risk of someone being hospitalised with flu and using up NHS resources.

Chief executive of NHS England, Sir Simon Stevens, said there was 'considerable concern' that the NHS would be totally overwhelmed with coronavirus patients in the peak of the epidemic (Pictured: Sir Simon at the NHS Seacole coronavirus treatment centre in Surrey)

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show this morning, Sir Simon said 'yes' the NHS is preparing for a second wave of Covid-19.

'It is entirely possible that there will be [a second wave],' he said, 'particularly if it is coexistent with flu.

'The risk is that many of the symptoms are interchangeable so one of the things that we clearly need is a very rigorous testing and tracing service available, the ability to give early warnings to hospitals where there are those local increases, and I think we're going to need the biggest ever flu immunisation season we've ever had.

'We don't know yet whether there will be a Covid vaccine available in time for winter.'

SECOND WAVE OF CORONAVIRUS IS A 'REAL RISK' FOR UK There is a very 'real risk' of a second wave of coronavirus striking the UK and the Government must start to prepare for it now, leading medics have warned. In a letter to the leaders of all of Britain's political parties, top doctors have called for a rapid review to prepare the country for another crisis. Sixteen leading surgeons, doctors, psychiatrists, scientists, nurses, other medical professionals and the editors of Britain's best medical journals put their names to a letter to officials. Published in the British Medical Journal, the piece said things needing 'rapid attention' are supplies of medical equipment, testing and tracing infrastructure, the disproportionate effect on ethnic minority people, and international co-operation. They said the Government must get 'ahead of the curve' before the virus rebounds and focus on areas of weakness that could be improved while it is in retreat. In their letter the experts wrote: 'Several countries are now experiencing Covid-19 flare-ups. 'While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare-ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk. 'Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain. 'The job now is not only to deal urgently with the wide-ranging impacts of the first phase of the pandemic, but to ensure that the country is adequately prepared to contain a second phase.' The team said it was 'crucial' that a review is carried out so the Government can address exactly what went wrong the first time. More than 53,000 people are known to have died in this outbreak of the coronavirus in the UK and around 3.3million are thought to have caught the disease (five per cent of the population). Britain has the worst officially confirmed death toll in Europe, considerably higher than countries like Italy and Spain which were hit earlier. All political parties should take part in the review and it should not be used to assign blame but to prepare for the future, doctors said. Advertisement

Experts have repeatedly warned that the coronavirus will return in Britain, but there are hopes that these will be broken down into local, containable surges and will not a require a drastic nationwide lockdown like the one imposed in March.

March's lockdown, out of which England made its biggest steps yesterday, Saturday July 4, was imposed after officials saw what was happening in Italy.

Scenes of overwhelmed intensive care units and hospital patients struggling to breathe being treated in corridors struck fear into the heart of British officials.

Sir Simon Stevens admitted today that he feared at the time that the UK would face two million people being hospitalised with coronavirus.

A third of these, he said - 660,000 people - might need intensive care according to predictions at the time.

He told Andrew Marr: 'In March we were looking at what was happening in Northern Italy, we were being advised by the epidemiologists and public health experts, and we could see as many as two million people requiring hospital care of whom perhaps a third might require intensive care.

'So yes there was considerable concern.

'If you think about the actions that had to be taken to free up hospital capacity so that in a few short weeks we were able to successfully look after 100,000 coronavirus patients who needed specialist emergency care, that was something that was not inevitable.'

One of the key plans to reducing the impact of a winter wave of Covid-19 is to vaccinate millions of people against flu.

The flu jab could be given for free to everyone over the age of 50, who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying if they get coronavirus.

Although the jab won't protect against Covid-19, it could prevent people getting hospitalised with bad flu - in hospital they would take up beds that could be needed for Covid-19, and may also be at higher risk of catching the virus inside the hospital.

Government advisers on SAGE had recommended that Number 10 contemplate vaccinating the 'entire population' against flu, but this was thought to be too difficult.

Insiders said in June that Downing St is planning to buy 10million extra doses for over-50s, which would still be a huge logistical challenge.

One source claimed expanding the scheme could involve Brits getting vaccinated in car parks and at drive-through centres - the same way coronavirus testing is done.

Last winter 25million people in England were offered the flu jab, with officials expanding the annual vaccination programme to include all Year Six children for the first time.

All over-65s, pregnant women, NHS workers and people with serious long-term illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and Parkinson's are eligible for the free jab.

Figures show there are around 10million people aged between 50 and 65 in the UK, meaning the vaccination scheme would have to increase by 40 per cent in size to catch all of them.

Professor Openshaw, part of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), said a bad flu season with coronavirus 'would be a huge burden on the NHS'.

Sir Simon's comments come after a group of leading medics warned in June that there is a very 'real risk' of a second wave of coronavirus striking the UK.

In a letter to the leaders of all of Britain's political parties, top doctors called for a rapid review to prepare the country for another crisis.

Sixteen leading surgeons, doctors, psychiatrists, scientists, nurses, other medical professionals and the editors of Britain's best medical journals put their names to a letter to officials.

Published in the British Medical Journal, the piece said things needing 'rapid attention' are supplies of medical equipment, testing and tracing infrastructure, the disproportionate effect on ethnic minority people, and international co-operation.

They said the Government must get 'ahead of the curve' before the virus rebounds and focus on areas of weakness that could be improved while it is in retreat.

In their letter the experts wrote: 'Several countries are now experiencing Covid-19 flare-ups.

'While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare-ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk.

'Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain.

'The job now is not only to deal urgently with the wide-ranging impacts of the first phase of the pandemic, but to ensure that the country is adequately prepared to contain a second phase.'

The team said it was 'crucial' that a review is carried out so the Government can address exactly what went wrong the first time.
A bottle was hurled at police sparking a tense standoff as hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters refused to leave Sydney's Hyde Park on Sunday.

More than 1000 people defied public health coronavirus restrictions to protest at the unauthorised rally.

It started peacefully with the crowd spread out on the grass at The Domain to hear speeches and take part in an Aboriginal smoking ceremony.

Pictured: a protester at The Domain on Sunday. The protest was not authorised because of concerns over holding mass gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, however the event was largely peaceful and police are not fining anyone for breaching the rules

The mood turned ugly however after the crowd marched from the Domain to Hyde Park.

Police issued 'a COVID direction to disperse' at Hyde Park but protesters ignored them.

A 16-year-old youth in a red T-shirt was removed from Hyde Park after he allegedly hurled an empty soft-drink bottle at police.

The crowd, some with their facemasks dangling under their chins, screamed and chanted 'let him go' as police led him away to waiting police van.

The mood turned tense at Hyde Park after police removed a 16-year-old youth for allegedly flinging an empty soft-drink bottle at them

Pictured: police gathered during the tense stand-off as the youth was taken to the Day Street Police Station to be officially cautioned. The crowds chanted 'let him go'

A Communist Party of Australia banner accusing Australia of genocide in Sydney on Sunday. Indigenous people make up 28 percent of the prison population but only 22 percent of deaths

Pictured: a protester at The Domain. Black Lives Matter believes police are to blame for black deaths. Australian Institute of Crime statistics show indigenous people are less likely to die in police custody than non-indigenous people.

A tense stand-off ensued with protesters shouting at police and banging on a bongo drum as an officer warned them through a megaphone they were breaching public health guidelines in an unauthorised assembly.

The youth was taken to Day Street Police Station where he was given an official caution under the Young Offenders Act, NSW Police said on Sunday.

The teen was one of two people removed from the protest.

The other was a 48-year-old man taken from The Domain after fellow protesters complained about him after he allegedly antagonised a man wearing an Aboriginal flag.

While some members of the crowd left after the event in the Domain and the gathering at Hyde Park, others continued to march along George Street, chanting 'too many coppers, not enough justice'.

Protesters wave an Aboriginal flag at the peaceful gathering in the Domain while wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Black Lives Matter is a US movement that seeks to abolish police

More than 1000 people gathered peacefully in The Domain, Sydney and largely kept to social distancing at the unauthorised gathering

The crowd marched to City Road near Sydney University, where they moved into Victoria Park about 5.10pm, police said.

Police continued to monitor the group until they finally dispersed about 5.30pm.

The standoff was an ugly end to a previously calm gathering at the Domain where activists generally kept to social distancing rules as they highlighted the 434 Indigenous Australians who have died in custody since 1991.

The protest was part of a national campaign that began on Friday.

An Aboriginal smoking ceremony was held in The Domain, Sydney, on Sunday

Crowds show some people not wearing facemasks properly and not social distancing during the smoking ceremony at The Domain on Sunday

Protesters at The Domain. The extreme Black Lives Matter protest movement calls for police to be defunded. The ACAB acronym stands for 'All Cops Are B**tards'. Not all indigenous people agree. Some want help to combat high levels of domestic violence in remote communities

Protesters gathered in Darwin, Brisbane and Perth on Saturday while other gatherings were held in Kempsey and Adelaide.

On Sunday hundreds more protesters gathered in Newcastle for an event which, unlike the Sydney protest, was authorised.

Black Lives Matter has a key goal internationally of defunding the police, the movement says on its US website.

Protesters in Australia also want to reduce police funding and redirect the money to social work and community health and welfare services.

The protesters want to shut youth prisons and implement the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

In keeping with the Royal Commissions recommendations, the Australian Institute of Criminology runs a National Deaths in Custody Program to keep track of deaths in custody statistics.

According to the Australian Institute of Criminology's 2020 report 'Deaths in custody in Australia 2017-18, of 21 deaths in police custody in 2017-18, three were Indigenous.

Protesters at the peaceful Domain gathering before the ugliness began at Hyde Park

The report said Indigenous people made up 28 percent of the prison population but only 22 percent of the deaths in prison custody.

'The death rate of Indigenous prisoners was lower than the death rate for non-Indigenous prisoners,' the report said.

Of the 16 Indigenous deaths in prison custody for 2017-18, 11 died of natural causes while three were self-inflicted (two hanging, one drugs/alcohol), and two were unspecified.

Protesters sitting in The Domain listening to speeches in Sydney on Sunday

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the year to June 2018, Aboriginal people made up 28 per cent or just over a quarter of Australia's prison population.

The most common charge for which Aboriginal people were in custody was 'Acts intended to cause injury' (34 percent) followed by unlawful entry with intent (14 percent).

Not all indigenous people support the protests, with Aboriginal activist Jacinta Nampijinpa Price saying the biggest threat to Aboriginal lives comes from domestic violence in remote Indigenous communities.

New South Wales recorded 14 new coronavirus cases on Sunday bringing the state's total to 3419.

ANU Professor Sanjaya Senanayake told Daily Mail Australia last Monday that although the risk of transmission outdoors was less than indoors, protests were still not a good idea at the moment.

'People can find new ways of showing solidarity with a cause they care about instead of attending mass rallies,' he said.
Australia is potentially facing a second nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 amid an alarming resurgence of cases in Victoria.

Melbourne is battling a horror second wave after 74 new cases were recorded Sunday, forcing Premier Daniel Andrews to shut down nine public housing estates.

Here are the latest developments across the country.

COVID-19 testing staff arrive at one of the public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington, Melbourne

Nine towers in the suburbs of Flemington (pictured), Kensington and North Melbourne have been closed for five days over fears they have become hotbeds for the state's COVID-19 second wave

Latest Developments

Australia had 94 new cases on Sunday, with 74 of those in Victoria.

Residents of the inner Melbourne public housing estates put under a hard lockdown will have their rent waived and receive a hardship payment.

A total of 27 cases have been detected in the nine towers which are home to 3000 people.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the decision to lock down the North Melbourne and Flemington housing estates as necessary to protect residents as the state tries to quell its coronavirus resurgence.

The Australian Medical Association has called for a temporary pause in the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across the country until Victoria gets its outbreak under control.

NSW has recorded 14 new coronavirus cases, but all were returned travellers from overseas who are now in hotel quarantine.

A Queensland nightclub operator could cop a hefty fine after video emerged of a packed dance floor with next to no social distancing.

Melbourne is battling a horror second wave after 74 new cases were recorded Sunday forcing Premier Daniel Andrews to shut down nine public housing estates (COVID-19 testing staff at one of the housing complexes)

Economics

Victoria's coronavirus crisis, the lack of a solid lead from the US, and a Reserve Bank meeting on Tuesday are likely to contribute to a weaker start for Australian shares.

Sport

Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have begun the exodus of clubs out of Victoria amid the state's COVID-19 spike.

All ten Victorian teams will play interstate in round six, with the league establishing hubs in Queensland, Western Australia and the NSW.

Victoria's Surge

Of the 74 cases recorded in Victoria on Sunday, 16 were connected to controlled outbreaks. The state recorded 108 new infections on Saturday.

Of the new cases on Sunday, one is a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, four were from routine testing and 53 are still under investigation.

The Saturday spike resulted in Premier Daniel Andrews announcing the lockdown of nine inner-Melbourne public housing blocks and more areas being added to the COVID-19 'hot zone'.

A man living in a flat is seen making a gesture with his arms crossed at the Flemington Public housing flats. Nine blocks across Flemington and North Melbourne are locked down entirely

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)

The premier warned that COVID-19 cases would likely remain high as widespread testing is carried out, particularly in hot spot areas.

'Obviously 70 odd cases is better than 100, but we are going to see some big days, big numbers in the days ahead,' he told reporters on Sunday.

A total of 27 cases have now been detected in the North Melbourne and Flemington towers.

Postcodes 3031 and 3051 have joined the 10 other community transmission 'hot zones' under stay-at-home orders.

A 'total' or 'hard' lockdown where residents are completely confined to their homes is a first for Australia during the pandemic. Pictured are police establishing a road block next to the Flemington housing blocks on July 4

New Cases in Western Australia

Six people who returned to Western Australia on a flight from Dubai have tested positive to coronavirus, with authorities examining their contact with other passengers.

The passengers, four women and two men aged between 40 and 64, arrived in Perth on Wednesday and returned positive test results two days later.

They are in hotel quarantine, along with the other passengers from the flight.

The WA Department of Health says it is interviewing all of the passengers to determine whether there were any close contacts with the people who tested positive.

Flight details, including the rows the passengers were sitting in, have been uploaded to the HealthyWA website.

All of the new cases are from the Perth metropolitan area.

There are now nine active cases in WA.

The WA Health Department is interviewing all passengers from the flight, and considers those in rows 26 to 31 to have been in 'close contact' with the infected passengers. Picture: stock photo of coronavirus testing

Queensland Nightclub Operator in Hot Water

A Queensland nightclub operator could cop a hefty fine after video emerged of a packed dance floor in breach of coronavirus restrictions.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Footage of clubbers dancing shoulder-to-shoulder is alleged to have been taken on Friday night at Prohibition in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley on the day pubs and clubs were allowed to reopen but dance floors remain closed.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is aware of the footage and police are investigating if the club has breached its own COVID safe rules.

'I thank those nightclubs that did do the right thing and, from all reports, the majority of them did,' Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Sunday.

'It is unfortunate that some did breach those rules so that's a matter for police.

'If they have breached those COVID safe plans there could be fines imposed.'

Easing of Restrictions and Key Dates

July 10 - Queensland to reopen borders to all visitors except Victorians, who must undergo mandatory hotel quarantine for two weeks at their own expense.

July 17 - NT to reopen its borders.

July 18 - WA to lift all remaining virus restrictions except border closures.

July 24 - Tasmania to reopen its borders.

Australian Coronavirus Numbers

Australia has recorded 8449 cases in total, with 946 active cases and 7399 people recovered.

The national death toll is 104: NSW 51, Victoria 20, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3.

Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states.

Police wearing masks speak to a woman outside the North Melbourne building before

Tasmania to Keep Borders to Victoria Closed

Tasmania appears likely keep its borders closed to Victoria.

The island state is planning to reopen to mainland Australia on July 24, but is reviewing the virus situation in other jurisdictions on a day-by-day basis.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein expects to on Friday provide more information about whether the state will reopen to Victoria, following a formal risk assessment this week.

'It would obviously be very difficult to lower our borders to Victoria at this current time,' he told reporters on Sunday.

The island state is free of active coronavirus cases, with its last recorded new case coming more than 50 days ago.

If Tasmania stayed closed to Victoria it could make life difficult for incoming travellers from other states, with many flights traditionally transferring through Melbourne.

A woman gets a COVID-19 test at a testing site at the shopping precinct in the locked down suburb of Dallas in Melbourne
A recently-emerged photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell and Kevin Spacey sitting on the Queen and Prince Philip's Coronation thrones during a private Buckingham Palace tour organised by Prince Andrew could backfire on the Duke.

Ghislaine Maxwell had a private tour of Buckingham Palace organised by the Duke of York and sat on a throne, in breach of royal protocol, it has been reported.

A photo obtained by the Telegraph appears to show the British socialite reclining in the throne beside actor Keven Spacey, who was a friend of Mr Clinton's, in 2002.

The apparently lighthearted image has taken on new significance following Maxwell's arrest this week, with some suggesting it alludes to the close friendship between Maxwell and the Duke.

Ghislaine Maxwell and Kevin Spacey sitting on thrones belonging to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace during a visit with Bill Clinton in 2002

The apparently lighthearted image has taken on new significance following Maxwell's arrest this week, with some suggesting it alludes to the close friendship between Maxwell and the Duke (pictured above)

Prince Andrew, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein pictured at the Royal Ascot in June 2000

The paper said that the pair were on a private tour of the palace organised by the Duke of York for former US president Bill Clinton.

It emerged after Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday over allegations she helped disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, her former boyfriend, 'identify, befriend and groom' girls, including one as young as 14.

Kevin Spacey's reputation was left in tatters after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards actor Anthony Rapp when he was just 14. Other men subsequently came forward alleging that Spacey had made unwanted advances and sexually harassed them.

Charges against Spacey were later dropped.

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton (left) waves as he arrives in Blackpool with U.S. actor Kevin Spacey (right) for the Labour party conference on October 1, 2002

Hollywood star Kevin Spacey jokes during Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair's reception at the Labour party conference in Blackpool. They are joined by former U.S. President Bill Clinton

The Telegraph said it was not thought that Epstein was on the palace tour when the picture was taken.

The photos emergence comes as Prince Andrew finds himself at the centre of a scandal over his association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The picture was perceived as lighthearted at the time of its original publication, yet it has taken on a new significance in light of Maxwell's arrest, with many interpreting it as indicative of the close relationship Prince Andrew had with the former British socialite.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the duke has been urged to provide information in relation to the investigation after his friend Maxwell appeared in court accused of facilitating Epstein's sexual exploitation of underage girls.

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, told a press conference that authorities would 'welcome' a statement from the duke.

But a source close to Andrew said: 'The duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the last month and to date we have had no response.'

Lawyers for some of Epstein's alleged victims on Friday added pressure on Andrew to speak about his friendship with the Epstein, who took his own life in prison last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Lawyers for some of Jeffrey Epstein's (pictured) alleged victims on Friday added pressure on Andrew to speak about his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in prison last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges

Spencer Coogan said his clients were 'relieved' that Maxwell, daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell, had finally been arrested and urged Andrew to speak up about what he witnessed while visiting Epstein's properties in New York, Palm Beach and the Virgin Islands.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'I certainly think Prince Andrew has a story to tell. On behalf of the victims we have continuously asked him to step forward, step up, be a man and tell us what he knows.'

At a brief hearing on Thursday, a magistrate judge ordered Maxwell to remain in custody while she is transferred to New York for a detention hearing.

Ms Strauss claimed that the socialite had helped Epstein to exploit underage girls and 'in some cases' would participate in the abuse herself.

Four of the six charges cover Maxwell's dealings with Epstein from 1994 to 1997, when she was in an 'intimate relationship' with him, according to the indictment.

One of his alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, claims she had sex with the duke at the socialite's London townhouse in 2001

These include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

She is further charged with conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

According to the indictment, three unnamed minors were allegedly 'induced and enticed' by Maxwell, who 'facilitated' for them to be groomed by Esptein at properties he owned.

These include residences in New York City, Palm Beach in Florida and Santa Fe in New Mexico, as well as Maxwell's personal residence in London, prosecutors allege.

The court papers claim that Maxwell 'developed a rapport' with the alleged victims, before encouraging them to give massages to Epstein, which often resulted in him sexually abusing the girls.

One of the girls was allegedly groomed and abused in London between 1994 and 1995, with prosecutors claiming this included a period of time when Maxwell knew she was under the age of 18.

Authorities also claim that Maxwell, who is also charged with two counts of perjury, lied when being questioned under oath in 2016.

She has previously denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct by Epstein.

One of his alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, claims she had sex with the duke at the socialite's London townhouse in 2001.

Maxwell, who has known Andrew since university and introduced him to Epstein, features in the background of a picture which apparently shows the duke with his arm around Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts.

Ms Giuffre has claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and alleges the duke had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law.

Andrew categorically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre, while his lawyers have insisted the duke has repeatedly offered to provide a witness statement to the investigation.
The remains of up to 500 people executed by guillotine in the French Revolution could be buried in the walls of a Paris monument, experts believe.

Bone fragments were discovered in the walls of the Chapelle Expiatoire which is a classified monument in Paris.

Archeologist Philippe Charlier examined the monument's walls with a small camera inserted through the stones, The Guardian reported. He said there was earth mixed with bone fragments.

Researchers will examine the walls of the Chapelle Expiatoire as experts believe the remains of up to 500 people executed by guillotine in the French Revolution could be buried in its walls

The monument is dedicated to King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette who were executed at the Place de la Revolution before being formally buried at the Basilica of St Denis.

French authorities called in an archeologist, who inserted a camera through the stones in the walls, so they didn't damage the building's foundations.

The chapel's administrator Aymeric Peniguet de Stoutz had noticed anomalies in the walls between the columns of the lower chapel.

Archeologist Charlier said the lower chapel had four ossuaries  chests or boxes  made of wooden boxes, which are filled with bones and were probably stretched out with leather.

The monument is dedicated to King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. King Louis XVI was executed in the Place de la Revolution in 1793 (pictured)

The Chapelle Expiatoire is a chapel in the 8th arrondissement of Paris near the Grand Boulevards on the site of the old Madeleine cemetery

Peniguet de Stoutz has requested further research at the building.

Founded in 1816, the Chapelle Expiatoire is a chapel in the 8th arrondissement of Paris near the Grand Boulevards on the site of the old Madeleine cemetery.

The Madeleine cemetery was closed in 1794 when it reportedly run out of space.

Historians believed the remains of 500 victims buried in the cemetery were eventually transferred to catacombs under the city.

The monument was built not far from a site where the guillotine was frequently used  the Place de la Revolution.

French authorities called in an archeologist, who inserted a camera through the stones in the walls, so they didn't damage the building's foundations

King Louis XVI was executed at the Place de la Revolution on January 21, 1793. Marie Antoinette, the final Queen before the French Revolution, was also executed there.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had been buried in Madeleine cemetery before Louis XVIII ordered their remains to be buried in the Basilica of St Denis when he became king in 1814.

Physician and opponent of the death penalty Joseph-Ignace Guillotin said capital punishment should always be decapitation and sought to introduce a humane way to carry out executions.

He proposed to the National Assembly on October 10, 1789, that this should be done by means of a simple mechanism.

The National Assembly started to look into a new method of capital punishment in 1791 with the aim of ending life without inflicting unnecessary pain.

The guillotine was deemed successful because it was considered a humane form of execution.
A virus 96 per cent identical to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 was found in an abandoned mine in China seven years ago, according to an investigation.

The bat-infested copper mine in Mojiang, western China, was home to a coronavirus that left six adult men sick with pneumonia and three of them dead.

Scientists took samples from the bats' faeces, found on the cave floor, and stored them in a laboratory 1,000 miles away in Wuhan for years while studying them.

And last December, Wuhan became the source of a global coronavirus pandemic which has now infected more than 11million people and killed 525,000.

That virus, named RaBtCoV/4991 at the time, now appears to be the closest relative to SARS-Cov-2, which is causing Covid-19, a Sunday Times investigation has found.

But Chinese researchers do not seem to have been forthcoming about the fact they found such a similar virus almost a decade ago in 2012, and especially not that it killed three men when it was discovered.

The virus has reportedly featured in only one widely-available scientific paper and that didn't mention the fact it had caused fatal pneumonia in humans.

One scientist said that the trail of research suggests Covid-19 may actually have broken out into humans in a rural area of China near Mojiang and then been transported to Wuhan, a city of 11million people, where it triggered a global pandemic

The discovery that something very similar to Covid-19 was circulating in bats in Mojiang - half of bats tested in the mine were carrying at least one type of coronavirus - has raised doubts about the true source of SARS-CoV-2.

The official story has been that the Covid-19 virus jumped from an animal - thought to be a pangolin - to humans at Hunan Seafood Market in Wuhan city.

From there it spread throughout the population in the densely-populated city, which is a transport hub, and then onto trains and planes and around the world within weeks.

But it could have been spreading elsewhere first, and even Chinese authorities have since admitted that the market was a 'victim' of the epidemic rather than its source.

Dr Peter Daszak, a British animal disease expert, told The Sunday Times: 'It didn't emerge in the market, it emerged somewhere else.'

He suggested it was already spreading somewhere around the mine in rural Mojiang and then broke out in Wuhan, which has a population of 11million people.

'Fair assumption is that it spilt into animals in southern China and was then shipped in, via infected people, or animals associated with trade, to Wuhan.'

The RaBtCoV/4991 virus appears to have caused an illness which sounds extremely similar to Covid-19, and has a genetic code 96.2 per cent matching with it.

The six men who fell ill with the virus in 2012 did so after being assigned to the mine to clear out the bat faeces - it is not clear exactly how it infected them.

But the men, who ranged in age from 30 and 63, all required intensive care treatment in hospital.

All had high fevers, body aches and coughs, and five of them were struggling to breathe.

All are symptoms that match those of Covid-19, and they tested negative for all the tropical diseases the doctors could think of, but two of them later tested positive in blood samples for having been infected with SARS or a SARS-like coronavirus.

The theory is the latest in a long line suggesting the possible origin of the Covid-19 virus, many of which lead back to wild bats in China.

Many scientific theories have linked Covid-19 back to bats, which commonly carry coronaviruses, and suggest that it passed through another type of animal which was taken to a busy market - possibly a pangolin (stock image of bats)

US CLAIMS THE PANDEMIC STARTED IN WUHAN LABORATORY US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in May that there was 'enormous evidence' that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a laboratory in Wuhan. 'There's enormous evidence that that's where this began. We've said from the beginning that this was a virus that originated in Wuhan, China,' Pompeo said on ABC's This Week. 'We took a lot of grief for that from the outset. But I think the whole world can see now. Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories,' he added. 'These are not the first times that we've had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,' Pompeo said. Pompeo, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said he agreed with a statement from the US intelligence community in which it concurred 'with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified'. But President Donald Trump has been critical of China's role in the pandemic, insisting that Beijing recklessly concealed important information about the outbreak and he demanded that China be held 'accountable'. Trump has reportedly tasked US spies to find out more about the origins of the virus, first blamed on a Wuhan market selling exotic animals like bats, but now thought possibly to be from a virus research laboratory nearby. That month Trump claimed that he had seen evidence that coronavirus started in the Wuhan virology laboratory and warned he could impose tariffs of $1trillion on China in retribution for the pandemic. 'Yes I have. Yes I have,' Trump said when asked if he had seen proof the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Technology. The lab is located near a wet market that has been identified as the likely epicenter of the outbreak that took place late last year. However, the president would not divulge what the evidence was that confirmed his suspicions, when asked by a reporter. 'I can't tell you that. I am not allowed to tell you that,' he responded. Advertisement

It's now widely accepted that the virus first began in bats, then infected another animal - such as a pangolin or a snake - and mutated into something that could be passed on to humans.

The Chinese Centre of Disease Control and Prevention has now judged that the market in Wuhan was a 'victim' of coronavirus rather than the source of it.

A study of the animals being sold there rules the theory out, they said, after all samples of the animals in the market tested negative for Covid-19, meaning they could not have infected shoppers.

'It now turns out that the market is one of the victims,' Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese CDC, told Chinese state media in a radio interview in May.

Colin Carlson, a zoologist at Georgetown University, said the outbreak of coronavirus being linked to the wet market was likely the site of a 'super-spreader' event, where one person spread the virus to many other people.

The revelation is likely to heighten speculation that the virus leaked from a Chinese research laboratory, including from US president Donald Trump, who said he'd seen evidence to prove it started in a virology lab.

However, both US and Chinese researchers say there is no evidence to support this theory.

A majority of the original 41 cases of COVID-19 reported to the World Health Organisation in December were linked to the 116-acre market in Wuhan.

This led to the wet market being shut down on January 1. The majority of its 3,600 shops had reopened by April 14, according to reports.

However, scientists at Harvard, MIT and the University of British Columbia examined four samples from the seafood market and found that traces of the virus were 99.9 per cent identical to those taken from a Wuhan patient.

This suggests the virus detected in the samples came from infected visitors or vendors, indicating Sars-CoV-2 had been imported into the market by humans.

The publicly available genetic data does not point to cross-species transmission of the virus at the market, said Alina Chan, a molecular biologist, and Shing Zhan, an evolutionary biologist, who were involved in the study.

Gao Fu appeared to contradict these findings - and the statement he has now made about the market not being responsible for the outbreak - in January in an interview for Chinese state television.

He said the virus had not just been found in people's bodies but on wild-meat stalls - prompting him to call for an end to the consumption of wild animals.

The study reinforces research published by a team of Chinese researchers in January, which showed the first person confirmed to have coronavirus was likely exposed as early as December 1 - showing symptoms on December 8.

The 'patient zero' - the first person to actually contract COVID-19 in Wuhan - has not been confirmed but authorities believe it may have been a 55-year-old man from Hubei province infected on November 17.

This suggests the virus was spreading undetected in the human population around Wuhan for weeks before the 'super spreader event' at the market.

'The novel coronavirus overturns much of what people have known and many of its patterns are beyond our cognition,' said George Gao Fu of the Chinese CDC.
Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has blamed Bill de Blasio for the city's recent rise in gun violence, accusing the mayor of 'surrendering' the city with hefty cuts to its police force as shootings surge across the US.



At least 41 people were injured and at least nine killed following a troubling spike of shootings in the Big Apple across the holiday weekend. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the majority of the incidents occurred within a 15-hour time period.

Shootings in New York City have doubled every week for the last three weeks. In the last seven days alone, the city has experienced a 142 percent surge in shootings compared to the same time period last year.

Speaking during a radio interview Sunday morning, Kelly blamed the cause of the chaos on de Blasio's decision to slash $1 billion from the NYPD budget earlier in the week.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has previously disbanding an anti-crime plainclothes unit that had focused on stopping people and searching for guns.

'Here, the mayor eliminated the anti-crime units, which were probably the most effective tool that existed in the department for decades to fight violent street crime,' Kelly said. 'So that was a direct signal of surrender.'

Earlier, President Donald also criticized de Blasio, in addition to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, warning them that he's 'ready' to intervene if necessary.

'Shootings up significantly in NYC where people are demanding that [Gov. Andrew Cuomo] and [Mayor Bill de Blasio] act now,' Trump continued. 'Federal Government ready, willing and able to help, if asked.'

Trump also reference the rise in violent gun crime in Chicago, which appeared to experience the worst of the violence this weekend as 77 people were injured in shootings and 14 were killed, including two children.

Memphis, Omaha, Cleveland and several other cities were also rocked by a spate of shootings amid the holiday revelry. In total, 37 have been killed in shootings across the US.

Speaking during a radio interview Sunday morning, Ray Kelly blamed the cause of the chaos on de Blasio's decision to slash $1 billion from the NYPD budget earlier in the week.

The Police Benevolent Association, the NYPD's largest union, also tweeted out against de Blasio Sunday, writing: 'Criminals with guns fear no consequences,' adding that the mayor owes his 'constituents an explanation'.

Hours earlier, two NYPD officers were injured in the Bronx late Saturday after a bullet was fired through the windshield of their marked SUV.

The officers had pulled up to a barricade outside Mott Havens 40th Precinct just before midnight on July 4 when the shot was fired.

Chilling surveillance footage shows two pedestrians crossing the street in front of the idling SUV just moments before the bullet is seen piercing the windshield, sending a puff of debris shooting up from the vehicle's hood.

The round passed between the two officers, who were sat in the front seats, and embedded into a divider between the back seats, authorities said.

One officer was cut in the face from shattered glass while the other suffered ringing ears. Both were treated for their injuries at local hospitals.

It remains unclear whether the vehicle was intentionally targeted or the bullet was a stray round. No arrests were immediately announced.

There were harsh words to be had among members of the NYPD for District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who failed to turn up at any of the city's shooting scenes Sunday.

'Manhattan DA Cy Vance where are you? No show at any shooting scene!!! Our community is being attacked, there have been 24 people shot in the city in the past 24 hours....Where Are You!!! the official account of NYPD Patrol Borough Manhattan South tweeted Sunday evening.

Patrol Borough Manhattan Norths commanding officer, Assistant Chief Kathleen OReilly added: 'Complete No Show in Manhattan North!! Shame!!'

Two cops were injured in the Bronx after a bullet smashed through the windshield of their SUV

The cops had just pulled up to the intersection on Alexander Ave. at E. 138th St. outside the 40th Precinct station house when the bullet pierced through the windscreen

Chilling surveillance footage shows two pedestrians crossing the street in front of the idling SUV just moments before the bullet is seen piercing the windshield, sending a puff of debris shooting up from the vehicle's hood

The shocking wave of violence came as the city was still reeling from anti-police brutality protests and weeks of lockdown brought on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In the first shooting of the night, young father Jose Cepeda was shot in the chest shortly after midnight on Sunday in East New York, Brooklyn, the Daily News reported.

The 20-year-old reportedly had a 'disagreement' with a friend outside of his home on Atkins Avenue before shots rang out.

Cepeda taken to Brookdale University Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

In Harlem Sunday, a 23-year-old was fatally shot on West 116th St. near Morningside Park around 2:40am.

Police were made aware of the shooting after the victim checked himself into a hospital and died minutes later.

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot in the chest and a 27-year-old left injured after being struck by a bullet to his left shoulder at 4:20am, following a dispute on East 39th St. in Flatbush.

While the teen was pronounced dead at King's County Hospital, the older victim was said be in a stable condition.

A 22-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were later shot a short distance away on nearby Euclid Ave earlier the same evening.

The man was shot in the chest and the woman was wounded in the right leg around 2:30. Both victims were taken to Brookdale University Hospital and were expected to survive, police said.

In another chaotic scene, six people were wounded during a shootout that erupted at a party in Harlem, on 131 Street and Lenox Avenue.

All six of the victims were taken to hospital. One of the victims, a 26-year-old male was said to be in a critical condition and likely to die.

A triple shooting also reportedly took place at 306 East 171 Street in the Bronx just before 8:30pm on Sunday.

Two victims of the victims are 'likely to die', law enforcement sources said. The nature of their injuries or the circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear.

A 15-year-old boy was also shot in the chest on Madison Avenue, in East Harlem, and was rushed to Mount Sinai-St. Luke's Hospital in a stable condition.

Gunfire broke out in cities across the US during Independence Day celebrations on Saturday, leaving dozens of people injured and at least 27 dead. Police are pictured at the scene of a shooting in Chicago's Austin neighborhood where eight people were struck by gunfire

Seven-year-old Natalie Wallace (pictured) was among the at least 17 people killed in shootings in Chicago on Saturday

In New York City at least four people were killed and 37 were injured in shootings during July 4th revelry. Police are pictured at the scene where a 23-year-old man was killed in Harlem

Meanwhile, one of the children killed in Chicago was identified by her family as seven-year-old Natalie Wallace.

The girl was playing outside her grandmother's house in the city's Austin neighborhood during a Fourth of July party when a vehicle pulled up and three men emerged and began shooting indiscriminately at about 7pm.

Natalie was shot in the head and rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Chicago Tribune.

'Chicago's heart is broke,' Chicago police Chief Fred Waller said. 'A 7-year-old girl was taken from us. She was here visiting family. Now she's gone.'

Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted: 'Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun.

'We cannot grow numb to this. We are making progress in slowing shootings, but we have to do better, every single one of us.'

Seven other people were wounded in the same Austin attack, including a 32-year-old man who is now in fair condition.

Waller said police are reviewing video of the incident and no arrests have been made.

Gun violence unfolds across the US over July 4 weekend New York City: 41 injured, 9 killed Chicago: 77 injured, 14 killed Philadelphia: 14 injured, 5 dead Baltimore: 8 injured, 1 killed Detroit: 5 injured, 2 killed Greenville: 8 injured, 2 killed Memphis: 4 injured, 1 killed Omaha: 8 injured Cleveland: 4 injured St. Louis: 11 injured, 3 killed As of 8pm EST, July 5 Advertisement

Another shooting in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood left four people dead, including a 14-year-old boy who has not yet been identified.

Four others were wounded in that shooting, including boys ages 11 and 15.

The Tribune reported that four men stormed a holiday gathering and opened fire before fleeing the scene. They have yet to be arrested.

Three other shootings in Chicago on Saturday killed a 34-year-old woman, a 31-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, per ABC7.

A total of 63 people were injured and 17 killed in the Windy City from Thursday afternoon to Sunday 6am.

In a shooting in Lawndale, on the citys West Side, six people were shot at about 1.15am after someone in a vehicle fired into a group shooting off fireworks.

A 20-year-old woman was killed and three men were left in critical condition. Two other men are in good condition following the shooting.

Last year in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend six people were killed and 63 were wounded by gun violence.

Saturday marked the city's third consecutive weekend where a child under 10 has been fatally shot.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted about Natalie Wallace's tragic death on Saturday night

The Chicago Police Department deployed 1,200 additional officers over the weekend with a goal of reducing violence that accompanies the holiday each year.

'It's not just on the police department. Not just on the fire department. Not just on elected officials,' Mayor Lightfoot said in announcing the increased police presence.

'All of us have to embrace our notion of community and think about what we can do, each of us in our own way, to make our communities safe and healthy and vibrant.'

Many other cities reported an alarming increase in gunfire mixed in with the celebratory fireworks on Saturday.

Fireworks go off near the scene of a shooting in Harlem early Sunday morning

Police officers and witnesses stand near where a 23-year-old man was shot dead in Harlem hours after Independence Day celebrations wound down

Members of the New York Police Department examine a bullet hole in the front windshield of a marked police vehicle outside the 40th Precinct on Sunday in the Bronx

NYPD officers are pictured in Brooklyn after a report of shots fired

In Detroit two people were killed and five were injured in gun violence over the holiday weekend.

A family of five people was driving home from a cook out when they were shot around 1am on Saturday in the 8300 block of Homer Street when someone pulled up beside them and started shooting.

A 39-year-old woman died in the shooting. A 40-year-old man is in critical condition and the three other male victims  aged nine, 12, and 15  are expected to survive, according to ClickOnDetroit.

Also in Detroit a 15-year-old boy was shot early Saturday around 12.10am when a vehicle pulled up and a passenger asked the victim a question then shot the teen, according to Fox2. He is in stable condition but that shooter has not been caught.

On Friday around 7.30pm a 19-year-old woman was shot and killed on the citys west side after someone fired shots into the car she was a passenger in.

Gun violence also rocked Baltimore, leaving one person dead and eight injured.

Baltimore Police said a woman was killed and a man were wounded in a double shooting on Saturday morning.

Hours earlier on Friday night four women were shot in a quadruple shooting in southwest Baltimore.

On Saturday evening a 20-year-old man and a 21-year-old man were injured in a shooting around 7.30pm.

A 28-year-old man was found in the southeast side of the city early Sunday suffering gunshot wounds.

In St. Louis, three people were killed and 11 injured across a 15 hour period. Four of the injured victims were children.

In one of those shootings, a four-year-old has been left in critical condition after being shot in the head by a stray bulletin the Vandeventer neighborhood around 10.45pm Saturday.

Thirty minutes later, a seven-year-old girl, a 45-year-old woman and a 25-year-old were shot on the 1100 block of East Gano.

They had been standing outside when two suspects fired shots at them from an alley, police said. Their conditions weren't given, but police said their vitals were stable.

A family of five people was driving home from a cook out when they were shot around 1am on Saturday in the 8300 block of Homer Street when someone pulled up beside them and started shooting. A 39-year-old woman died in the shooting. A 40-year-old man is in critical condition and the three other male victims  aged nine, 12, and 15  are expected to survive

At least seven shootings were reported in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, leaving four people wounded. A police officer is pictured at the scene of one of the shootings

At least seven shootings were reported in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, leaving four people wounded and one dead, according to WREG.

A woman was fatally shot while watching fireworks on Saturday night.

A teenager in the Whitehaven neighborhood was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after neighbors reported hearing an argument at a home before gunfire broke out.

'We were over here,' a witness to that shooting said. 'We were just fixing up our tables, and next thing we know, we see the ambulances come all around, and then the police came. I said: "What's done happened here?"'

'I could just imagine what the other people's family is doing, what they're going through,' the witness added.

About 30 minutes later, a woman was driving on Interstate 240 when a man driving a gold Pontiac began shooting at her vehicle.

Police said that woman is okay but the suspect has not been captured.

Another shooting in South Memphis on Saturday night left two men injured.

One of the men told WREG he was backing out of his driveway on Alcy Road when he was shot at by three men driving by in a Saturn Vue.

'When I backed into the middle of the street, I kind of paused for a little bit because I heard a lot of fireworks, what I thought were fireworks, but they were gunshots,' the man said.

The first victim said the attack appeared to be random.

Two people were fatally shot when gunshots rang out at the Lavish Club in Greenville, South Carolina just before 2am Sunday

A press conference near the Lavish Club pictured on Sunday where local council members condemned the violence that rocked the city over the Fourth of July weekend

An investigation is also underway in North Carolina after a 74-year-old woman was killed by what police described as reckless 'celebratory gunfire'

'They're just shooting,' he said. 'The car was in front of them, and they're just shooting. They don't know those people. They're just shooting at those folks because they were in front of them.'

No arrests have been made in any of the Memphis shootings, police said.

At least five shootings were reported in Cleveland in the first five hours of July Fourth, leaving four people wounded.

And in Omaha, Nebraska, police have asked the public for information on six separate shootings reported between Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Eight people were injured in those shootings and all are expected to recover.

In Philadelphia, five people, including a six-year-old boy, were killed and 14 were hurt in 12 separate shootings across the weekend.

The first shooting was reported around 10.30pm on Saturday where a 37-year-old woman was shot twice in her legs and a 21-year-old male was grazed by a bullet in the head. Both are in stable condition.

A second shooting left two men, 26 and 22, suffering gunshot wounds to the leg. Both are in stable condition.

Then on Sunday, around 1pm, a six-year-old boy was shot in the chest at a home on the 4600 block of Kendrick Street, in the city's Upper Holmesburg neighborhood.

The boy died hours later from his injuries after being rushed to a hospital by a family member.

It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting or if police had identified any suspects.

Just over an hour later, a 37-year-old woman was on the 1900 block of Clarence Street when a gunman opened fire at 2:13pm.

The woman was shot 12 times in the torso. She was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital at 2:38pm.

A weapon was recovered and a person was arrested in connection to the shooting. Police have not yet revealed the suspects identity or revealed any details in the circumstances that led to the shooting.

At least five shootings were reported in Cleveland in the first five hours of July Fourth, leaving four people wounded. Police are pictured at the scene of one of the shootings

An officer investigates the scene of a shooting in Chicago on Sunday, July 5, 2020

Chicago, which appeared to experience the worst of the violence this weekend as 77 people were injured in shootings and 14 were killed, including two children

Chicago police officers investigate the scene of a deadly shooting where a 7-year-old girl and a man were fatally shot in Chicago on Sunday

Authorities in Greenville County, South Carolina, are currently investigating a shooting at a nightclub that left two people dead and eight wounded.

Video footage posted to social media showed people at what appeared to be a rap concert inside the club. The clip shows people inside the club hurrying toward the exit before the screen goes blank and gunshots are heard in the background.

Two Greenville County sheriff's deputies noticed a disturbance at Lavish Lounge just before 2am, and saw a large crowd running out of the building, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said at a press conference.

Lewis told Greenville News the incident was 'probably gang related'. He said authorities are searching for two suspects, though no physical description of the gunmen has been released as of Sunday morning.

An investigation is also underway in North Carolina after a 74-year-old woman was killed by what police described as reckless 'celebratory gunfire'.

Durham police were called at 11pm Saturday to a report of a gunshot wound along the 500 block of Burlington Avenue. The victim, Paulette Thorpe, was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

Last night as people throughout Durham peacefully celebrated the July Fourth holiday with their friends and family, a small few chose to put our community at risk by carelessly firing guns into the air,' Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said

'This reckless behavior led to the tragic death of Ms. Paulette Thorpe,' she said. 'Ms. Thorpes death reminds us that we as a community must work together to prevent these senseless acts, so that no family suffers such a tragedy ever again.'
A 36-year-old man and 41-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder after officers were called to reports of a stabbing in Sheffield.

A 55-year-old woman was found with stab wounds in Ravenscroft Place, near the city's Richmond area, after 10.30pm last night.

She was rushed to hospital for treatment but died shortly after 11.30pm.

South Yorkshire Police have launched a murder investigation in relation to the death.

Officers rushed to the scene in Ravenscroft Place, Sheffield, and rushed the 55-year-old woman to hospital. She died an hour later

A spokesman for the force said: 'An investigation is now underway and the woman's family are being supported by specially trained officers.

'We are urging anyone with any information about her death to contact us.'

Social media users have paid tribute to the woman, and offered their condolences to the family.

If you have information in relation to the crime, police are asking you to call 101 and quote the incident number 1202 of 4 June.
A grandmother has died after her cat licked scratches on her arm, causing her to fall into a coma.

The 80-year-old Melbourne woman was scratched by her pet, named Minty, and suffered bacterial meningitis when the animal licked the wounds in May.

The woman was found unresponsive in bed by her family as the cat slept nearby.

She fell into a coma at Box Hill Hospital in the city's east but woke after nine days and spent one day with loved ones before she died.

Devastated family are now rallying to stop other pet owners from meeting the same tragic fate, the Herald Sun reported.

The 80-year-old Melbourne woman was scratched by her cat, named Minty, and suffered bacterial meningitis when the animal licked the wounds in May, spending nine days in a coma at Box Hill Hospital (pictured)

Doctor's found the cat had given the woman bacterial meningitis, also known as pasteurella multocida, which is not treatable by regular antibiotics.

Austin Health's director of infectious diseases, Lindsay Grayson, said at least one person a week is dying because of the unknown dangers of cat saliva.

Cat saliva can cause horrific complications, including heart failure or blindness, which can be devastating for people with weakened immune systems.

Prof Grayson said cats carry deadly bacteria such as pasteurella and bartonella, which cause the 'cat scratch disease'.

He said people should be wary about letting cats lick open wounds.

'It is a big deal and it is emerging more and more now as an unrecognised cause of heart valve infection, which is obviously fatal if untreated,' Prof Grayson said.

Austin Health's director of infectious diseases, Lindsay Grayson, said at least one person a week is dying because of the unknown dangers of cat saliva (stock image)

Prof Grayson said anyone who has an open wound licked by a cat should talk to their doctor immediately.

The woman's daughter said her mother often slept with the cat in her bed.

'Obviously through the night it has licked the wound and it was the saliva going into her bloodstream that has caused the damage,' the daughter said.

'I was in shock for a good couple of weeks. I've tried not to hate the cat  but then I was sitting with it trying to be nice and it lashed out at me as well for no reason.'

The grandmother had suffered other medical issues due to cat scratches because of her age and blood-thinning drugs.
A young mother who refused to shake Scott Morrison's hand after her home was razed by flames during Australia's unprecedented bushfire season has told of how she is still living in a van with her newborn baby.

Volunteer firefighter Zoey Salucci-McDermott, 21, and her partner Michael lost their rental property on New Year's Eve when bushfires tore through the town of Cobargo on the New South Wales south coast.

On January 2, Ms Salucci-McDermott made international headlines when she was filmed refusing to shake the prime minister's hand when he visited the town, demanding he provide more funding to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Mr Morrison yanked the 28-weeks pregnant woman's hand as she spoke, before briefly patting her on the shoulder and moving on to speak to someone else.

More than six months on from the fatal bushfires that swept through her small town Ms Salucci-McDermott - who also has a two-year-old daughter Uma - said her young family's housing situation was still uncertain.

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Zoey Salucci-McDermott, 21, (pictured) and her partner Michael lost their rental property on New Year's Eve of last year when their home was razed by flames which swept through their tiny New South Wales town of Cobargo

'Currently we're living in a van which has been donated from some beautiful people who were strangers but I now consider them family,' she told SBS News.

'So, that's where we're currently living. And at the moment we're not really sure where we're going or what we're doing.

'It's just living in everyday at the moment. I like to remind myself that it's hard for us right now but at least we have this beautiful space, this bigger than average van that we're living in with them. I like to stay humble for that fact.'

Ms Salucci-McDermott said while she still experiences 'a lot of sadness and depression', the birth of her baby son Phoenix has brought joy to an otherwise disastrous six months.

'I used to call this year ''the worst year thats happened so far'' but I cant, because hes one of the best things to ever happen,' she said.

'Hes been so amazing  such a good baby. After all thats happened, if it wasnt for him wed be in a dark place.

'Hes come at the perfect time. A lot of people said to me "what a horrible time to have a baby", but to me theres been no better time to have him.'

The mother also called on Mr Morrison to come back to see the damage the bushfires have wrought on the town - which was one of the worst affected during the 2019/20 horror season.

The town of fewer than 800 people lost several buildings on its main street, while a local father and son were killed trying to defend their home.

Patrick, 29, and Robert Salway, 63, died while trying to protect their 600-acre home in the tiny farming hamlet of Wandella near Cobargo.

Ms Salucci-McDermott made national headlines when she was filmed refusing to shake the prime minister's hand when he visited the town unless he increased funding to the Rural Fire Service

'My message [to Scott Morrison] now would be... come and visit this area and see who is missing out and who is receiving,' she said.

'I've heard of a few people, business-wise, aren't eligible for grants even though they've been burnt out.'

A fundraiser launched at the time of the fires by freelance photographer Sean Davey described Ms Salucci-McDermott's experience during the bushfires as 'harrowing'.

The mother called on Mr Morrison to come back to the town to see the damage the bushfires have wrought on the small town

At that point, the family were staying with her mother at her Cobargo home which narrowly avoided being destroyed by the blaze.

'There is so much to say about this young woman I don't know where to start,' his GoFundMe post - which has drawn donations of nearly $32,000 - read.

'Thoughtful, compassionate, strong, eloquent are only a few words that I can think of right now, yet there are so many more.'

A Cobargo resident, Gary Hinton, looks lost as he stands by rubble after a fire tore through the town on New Year's Eve

On the same day Mr Morrison was spurned by the young woman, he was also abused by angry Cobargo residents who told him he 'should be ashamed of himself' while others called him 'Scum-mo' for 'leaving the country to burn'.

The prime minister's popularity has since surged amid his government's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

More than 18 million hectares of land burned in the Australian bushfire season, destroying almost 6,000 buildings and 2,800 homes.

Ms Salucci-McDermotts home was one of almost 2,500 which burned in New South Wales during that season.
A majority of Scots are in favour of Scottish independence, according to a new poll, with support for splitting from the UK now having been ahead for six months - the longest period ever recorded.

The Scottish independence referendum in 2014 resulted in 55 per cent voting 'No' to independence and 45 per cent voting 'Yes'.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has called for a second vote to take place before the end of this year.

But Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to budge on the issue, with the UK Government declining to grant permission for another ballot.

A Panelbase poll published in the Sunday Times today put support for a 'Yes' vote in an independence referendum at 54 per cent and support for 'No' at 46 per cent.

Meanwhile, polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice said support for independence has now nudged ahead of support for the Union over a sustained period of surveys.

Nicola Sturgeon has called on the UK Government to agree to holding a second referendum on Scottish independence before the end of 2020

But Boris Johnson is adamant he will not agree to holding a re-run of the ballot held in 2014

Sir John said the average of the Panelbase polls over the last six months, including the latest one, put 'Yes' on 51 per cent and 'No' on 49 per cent.

He said it is the first time in polling history that 'Yes' had been ahead for such a long period.

In an article for the Sunday Times, Sir John said: 'Never before have the foundations of public support for the Union looked so weak.

'Our latest poll from Panelbase confirms other recent polling that has suggested those who intend to vote Yes in a second independence referendum have nudged ahead.

'Support for the SNP is also at a record high. Panelbase's polls conducted over the past six months, including today's, have on average put "Yes" on 51 per cent and "No" on 49 per cent.

'This is the first time in polling history that "Yes" has been ahead over such a sustained period.

'Support for independence is up three points on that recorded on average last year - and six points on 2018.'

He said those who had switched from 'No' to 'Yes' were among people who voted both Remain and Leave in the EU referendum.

The latest survey also found that the Scottish public appeared to support the Scottish Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis much more than that of the UK Government.

The poll of 1,026 voters in Scotland, conducted between Tuesday and Friday last week, found strong backing for Ms Sturgeon's handling of the coronavirus crisis, with the First Minister's approval rating on the issue at 60 points.

However, Boris Johnson's approval rating on the crisis was at minus 39 points.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said: 'The majority of polls since the Westminster election have had "Yes" in the lead - majority support for independence is now the established position of the people of Scotland.

'On the basis of this sustained record support, it's impossible for the UK Government to deny Scotland a choice over its future.'
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Pope Francis is praising the UN Security Council efforts for worldwide ceasefires to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

In remarks to the public in St Peter's Square today Pope Francis hailed the Security Council's 'request for a global and immediate cease-fire, which would permit the peace and security indispensable for supplying so urgently needed humanitarian assistance'.

Pope Francis called for the prompt implementation 'for the good of the so many persons who are suffering'.

He also expressed hope that the Security Council resolution be a 'courageous first step for the future of peace'.

The Security Council resolution calls on parties to armed conflicts to immediately cease fire for at least 90 days.

This is to enable safe, sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, including medical evacuations.

Pope Francis praised the UN Security Council efforts for worldwide ceasefires to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic

Pope Francis also expressed hope that the Security Council resolution be a 'courageous first step for the future of peace'

Pope Francis waves from his studio window overlooking St Peter's Square at the Vatican as he leaves at the end of the Angelus prayer

Pope Francis stands in his studio window of the apostolic palace overlooking St Peter's Square and addresses the crowd

Nuns, who are wearing protective face masks, gather in St Peter's Square during Pope Francis's Angelus prayer in Vatican City

The nuns stand in a line in St Peter's Square as they hold a sign saying 'seminare misericordia' and wear face masks

Two nuns wearing face masks take a picture as they gather in St Peter's Square during the Angelus prayer of Pope Francis

Nuns wearing protective masks take pictures as they wait for the Angelus prayer celebrated by Pope Francis from his studio window

People gather in St Peter's Square, the Vatican, as they listen to Pope Francis deliver the Angelus prayer today

Someone in a floral face mask refills their water bottle during the Angelus prayer in Vatican City today
People are banned from entering and leaving the region of La Marina in Galicia from midnight tonight

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A second Spanish region made up of 70,000 people is going back into lockdown after a new coronavirus outbreak.

Entry into and out of La Marina, which lies 90 miles east of La Coruna in Galicia, will be banned from midnight tonight and gatherings of more than ten people will be banned to limit the possibility of contagion.

Locals will not be stopped from moving within the 14 municipalities that make up the region.

The use of face masks will also be made mandatory at all times outdoors, including on beaches and swimming pools.

Bars and restaurants will have to respect new closing times and tighter restrictions on the number of customers.

The lockdown follows a new Covid-19 outbreak which has seen 106 people test positive for the virus.

Entry into and out of La Marina, a region which lies north of Lugo in Galicia will be banned from midnight tonight

A view of La Marina port. The use of face masks will be made mandatory at all times outdoors, including on beaches and swimming pools

Bars and restaurants will have to respect new closing times and tighter restrictions on the number of customers. Above, La Coruna port in Galicia

Local reports say all those who don't live in La Marina will have to leave the area at midnight tonight or stay for the next five days.

It comes after Spain's Catalonia region yesterday locked down a county of more than 400,000 people following a surge in coronavirus cases - just as Brits prepared to go there on holiday.

The western Catalan city of Lleida and the rest of Segria county was put under lockdown from midday on Saturday.

'We have decided to confine the del Segria zone following data confirming a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections,' Catalonia's regional president Quim Torra told reporters, adding that no one would be allowed to enter or leave the area.

Around 431,183 people live in Lleida, according to 2019 figures, which is 173.9km inland from Barcelona.

It comes after the UK Government lifted restrictions to let people living in England travel to the country on 'air bridges' - meaning holidaymakers won't have to go into quarantine as long as they return to England on or after July 10.

'We are taking a step back to protect ourselves and control the outbreak,' said Torra, who described the measure as a 'difficult decision.'

There have been 62,057 confirmed cases in Catalonia since the outbreak began, with 5,673 related deaths.

On Twitter the president added: 'The people of #Segria should remain calm. You can count on our support. We need to take every measure possible to protect you and prevent an even larger rise in the number of new cases.'

The western Catalan city of Lleida and the rest of Segria county was put under lockdown from midday today. Pictured, police officers check the documents of people travelling on vehicles at the entrance of Lleida

The situation became so serious in recent weeks the health emergencies service had to preemptively build a field hospital (pictured) outside Arnau de Vilanova hospital to treat up to 105 patients if needed

Passengers arrive on EasyJet and Ryanair flights to Palma Majorca today from London Stansted and Luton in the UK as Brits make the most of 'air bridges'

Miquel Buch, the Catalan interior minister, said anyone in Segria county who wanted to leave needed to do so before the strict lockdown was imposed at 12pm.

He asked anyone in the county not to travel between towns, visit retirement homes or meet in groups of more than ten.

Segria county, an agricultural hotspot with a number of slaughterhouses, has faced a sudden jump in cases compared to the rest of the region.

Lleida's main hospital had six Covid-19 patients in regular rooms and four in the ICU, health minister Alba Verges said on June 22.

On Friday the figure jumped to 21 Covid-19 patients in regular rooms and six in the ICU, but the department of health denied they were going to lockdown parts of Lleida. In a dramatic U-turn the ministry announced a lockdown of the entire county this morning.

The situation became so serious in recent weeks the health emergencies service had to preemptively build a field hospital outside Arnau de Vilanova hospital to treat up to 105 patients if needed.

The Catalonian government shared an image of ministers at Palau del Parlament de Catalunya in Barcelona as they made the decision to lock down the 1,396 km-wide area

A member of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra controls a checkpoint on the Corbins highway near Lleida

Cars were stopped by regional police at a checkpoint on the Corbins highway near Lleida after the border into the region was closed amid a coronavirus lockdown

The number of cases is not currently a concern, health officials said, but they want to curb the community spread before the virus becomes out of control.

On Friday, the ministry of health announced 276 newly confirmed Covid-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, 60 of which came from Lleida. Some 4,030 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the province of Lleida.

Many of those infected are believed to be seasonal fruit pickers, with the outbreak also hitting an apartment building, a nursing home, and a shelter for homeless people, according to Anadolu Agency.

'The virus is being transmitted, we really want to flatten the curve in Lleida,' Ms Verges said during a press conference on Friday.

The county borders the Spanish region of Aragon, which was the first Spanish region to declare local lockdowns when the countrys state of emergency came to an end on June 21.

Catalonia's regional president Quim Torra (pictured) told reporters his government had decided to 'confine the del Segria zone' after a rise in cases, adding that no one would be allowed to enter or leave the area

A passenger wearing a face mask arrived to board Ryanair flight FR2190 to Malaga at London Southend Airport in Essex on Wednesday

Holidaymakers returned to Portals Nous in Mallorca yesterday as Spain's tourism industry opened amid coronavirus

It comes after a Covid-19 outbreak last month in Lleida's Castrillon care home. Tests found five workers and 13 elderly persons tested positive. Four people had to be hospitalised.

Spain's mortality rate had recently returned to normal compared with the same period over the previous five years, with no excess deaths since 18 May.

Some 174 infections have been diagnosed in the country in the last 24 hours, an increase compared to yesterday when 134 were registered. In total 250,545 have been infected in Spain.

After almost 100 days of confinement, Spain had reached the so-called new normal. Restrictions were lifted and borders with the EU and 15 non-Schengen area countries were opened.

Arrivals from the UK don't have to self-isolate on arrival but will have to wear face masks on public transport and public spaces where it is not possible to maintain a five-foot distance.

Travellers from England can now visit 73 destinations with no mandatory quarantine upon their return from July 10 - including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Malta and Barbados.

A spokesman for Spain's Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare told MailOnline: '[Coronavirus chief] Fernando Simon has always maintained that the virus has not disappeared, that it is still there, so the fact that cases are diagnosed means that the detection systems are working.

'The key in this phase is early detection and case tracking. 60 per cent of the cases that are now detected are asymptomatic, that is, with less impact on the individual.

'Outbreaks are and will remain as long as there is no vaccine, the most important thing is to detect them quickly and trace contacts to keep it under control.'

In Catalonia, the government had given individuals the responsibility to avoid contagion. The restrictions on capacity in bars and restaurants no longer applied but venues did have to ensure a distance of five feet between people.
President Trump on Saturday said it was 'likely' that either a vaccine or a therapeutic to treat patients infected with the coronavirus would be available long before the end of the year.

'I want to send our thanks to the scientists and researchers around the country and even around the world who are at the forefront of our historic effort to rapidly develop and deliver life-saving treatments and ultimately a vaccine,' the president said at the second annual July 4th Salute to America event at the White House on Saturday.

'We are unleashing our nation's scientific brilliance and we'll likely have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year.'

But a member of Trump's coronavirus task force declined to endorse the president's prediction on Sunday.

'I can't predict when a vaccine will be available,' Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn told ABC's This Week.

'Yes, we are seeing unprecedented speed for the development of a vaccine.

President Trump (seen above on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday) said that either a vaccine or a therapeutic to treat COVID-19 will be available 'long before the end of the year'

A nurse poses with a nasal swab at JFK International Airports Terminal 4 XpresCheck, the first airport-based COVID-19 testing facility in the United States, last week

'But as you know we issued guidance this past week about vaccine development, because we want to be very clear: our solemn promise to the American people is that we will make a decision based upon the data and science on a vaccine, with respect to the safety and effectiveness of that vaccine.'

'When those data become available, and I hope those data are available sooner rather than later, we will make that judgment based upon those data and that science,' Hahn said.

On Thursday, Hahn told ABC News that the US may not see a coronavirus vaccine finish development until next year.

'We are on target to reach a vaccine by years end or early next year,' Hahn told Good Morning America on Thursday.

'So, I'm cautiously optimistic.'

The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said this week that 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 news comes as Moderna Inc, which is at the forefront of the countrys 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,' Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview to JAMA Network.

'Multiple (vaccine) candidates are at different stages of development,' Fauci said.

'We are hopeful that one or more of them may actually show a good degree of safety... and efficacy.'

But Dr. Stephen Hahn, the director of the Food and Drug Administration, declined to back up Trump's claim during an interview on television on Sunday

On Thursday, Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the US National Institutes of Health, said the Trump administrations vaccine-acceleration program could generate a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by year-end.

Companies including Pfizer and AstraZeneca are racing to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus that has killed more than 531,000 worldwide, according to a Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tally.

Typical vaccine development can take as long as a decade.

But a vaccine is the best hope to stop the ever-climbing coronavirus death toll, so countries, companies and scientists the world-over have been racing to trim the timeline to a year, or less.

Globally, there are more than 145 potential vaccines in development.

About 10 vaccines are underway in the US, and several US companies have partnered with international firms or universities.

The WHO considers the vaccine developed by Oxford University with AstraZeneca the leader of the pack, but the agency's chief scientist said that Moderna's is close behind.

Moderna's is considered the lead candidate vaccine in the US, both in terms of timeline and promising earlier trial results

Moderna's vaccine was meant to enter phase 3 trials to test its safety and efficacy in humans next week, but the trial will be delayed due to changes to the study plan, starting instead by the end of the month, the company said on Thursday

'The furthest along in US testing is an experimental vaccine from NIH's vaccine research center in partnership with Moderna,' Collins said at Senate Appropriations hearing earlier on Thursday.

'This month we'll seek to enroll 30,000 volunteers with results expected in a few months.'

The US has dipped under 50,000 new daily infections for the first time in four days, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, but experts fear celebrations for the July 4th weekend will act like rocket fuel for the nations surging coronavirus outbreak.

Johns Hopkins on Sunday counted 45,300 new coronavirus infections reported Saturday in the US after three days in which the daily count reached as high as 54,500 new cases.

The lower figure does not mean the situation in the US is improving, it could be due to reduced reporting on a national holiday.

The US has the most infections and virus-related deaths in the world, with 2.8 million cases and nearly 130,000 dead, according to the university.

Experts say the true toll of the pandemic is significantly higher, due to people who died before they were tested and missed mild cases.

To show just how steep the US infection curve is, authorities were reporting under 20,000 new infections a day as recently as June 15.

On Saturday, Florida and Texas reported more record daily increases in confirmed cases and virus-related deaths have begun to rise.

Despite warnings by health experts to limit gatherings, Trump went ahead with a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday and an evening of tribute and fireworks Saturday on the National Mall in Washington.

'We got hit by the virus that came from China,' the president said on Saturday.

'And we've made a lot of progress, our strategy is moving along well.

'It goes out in one area and rears back its ugly face in another area.

'But we've learned a lot. We've learned how to put out the flame.'

Trump said that the US has tested 'almost 40 million people' and that the increased testing explains the rise in the number of cases.

'By so doing, we show cases 99 per cent of which are totally harmless,' the president said.

When Hahn was pushed on if he would say if Trump's statement were 'true or false,' Hahn again dodged the question.

'What I'll say is that we have data in the White House Task Force, those data show us that this is a serious problem. People need to take it seriously,' he said.

Pat Lee of Upper Dublin, Pennsylvania, and two friends, none in masks, gathered near the event in Washington.

'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.'

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 per cent of the confirmed cases reports it received were in the Americas, which includes the US and Brazil.

Faced with rising infections, many US communities canceled parades and fireworks and cautioned people against hosting large gatherings.

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 - also closed beaches through the weekend.

Other beaches remained open.

At St. Pete Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, parking spaces were scarce and hundreds clustered under umbrellas and in cabanas on the sand.

Keisha Pereira came to the beach from Osceola County - more than 100 miles inland - with her daughter and two other children.

'Were going to stay with each other,' she said. 'I feel pretty safe outside.'

The holiday weekend coincided with a big step back this week for Californias efforts to reopen the states economy.

A police officer walks away from local residents protesting closed beaches on the 4th of July in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday

Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a three-week closure of bars and many indoor establishments in counties where some 30 million people live.

In several California regions, 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 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 lounges near the pool.

'Tourism is not dangerous,' Luedtke said.

'I think people not following the rules is dangerous.'
Archaeologists in Mexico have found some of the oldest mines in the Americas and 13,000-year-old human remains, after exploring an underwater area in the Yucatan peninsula.

In a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, the scientists told of finding ocher mines in underwater caves.

They had been intrigued by the 2007 discovery in the caves of a young woman they named Naia, who died 13,000 years ago, and wanted to know more about the circumstances of her death.

Eight other sets of skeletal remains added to the mystery, with archaeologists wondering how they wound up in the then-dry caves.

The underwater caves near Tulum in Mexico hold the oldest mines ever found in the Americas

The caves, near the resort of Tulum, were flooded about 8,000 years ago due to rising sea levels.

In Friday's research the scientists suggested they may have found an answer.

They detailed the recent discovery of about 900 meters of ocher mines, with the remains of human-set fires, stacked mining debris, simple stone tools, navigational aids and digging sites.

The evidence suggested humans went into the caves around 10,000 to 13,000 years ago, seeking iron-rich red ocher, which early peoples in the Americas prized for decoration and rituals.

Such pigments were used in cave paintings, rock art, burials and other structures among early peoples around the globe.

Research published in the journal Science Advances showed evidence of the ocher mine

Stone tools used by the Ice Age humans were found in the caves, which are now under water

The early miners apparently brought torches or firewood to light their work, and broke off pieces of stalagmites to pound out the ocher.

They left smoke marks on the roof of the caves that are still visible today.

'While Naia added to the understanding of the ancestry, growth and development of these early Americans, little was known about why she and her contemporaries took the risk to enter the maze of caves,' wrote researchers from the Research Center for the Aquifer System of Quintana Roo, known as CINDAQ for its initials in Spanish.

'There had been speculation about what would have driven them into places so complex and hazardous to navigate, such as temporary shelter, fresh water, or burial of human remains, but none of the previous speculation was well-supported by archeological evidence,' they wrote.

'Now, for the first time we know why the people of this time would undertake the enormous risk and effort to explore these treacherous caves,' said CINDAQ founder Sam Meacham.

At least one reason, Meacham said, was to prospect and mine red ocher.

The journal mapped out the area showing where the caves were located

Roberto Junco Sanchez, the head of underwater archaeology for Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, said the discovery means the caves were altered by humans at an early date.

The early miners may have removed tons of ocher, which, when ground to a paste, can be used to color hair, skin, rocks or hides in varying shades of red.

'Now we know that ancient humans did not risk entering this maze of caves just to get water or flee from predators, but that they also entered them to mine,' Junco Sanchez said.

However, James Chatters, forensic anthropologist, archaeologist, and paleontologist with Applied Paleoscience, a consulting firm in Bothell, Washington, noted that none of the pre-Maya human remains in the caves were found directly in the mining areas.

The skull of Naia, who was found in 2007 in the underwater caves near Tulum

Dr Spencer Pelton, a professor at the University of Wyoming and the state archaeologist, has excavated a slightly older ocher mine at the Powars II site near Hartville, Wyoming.

Pelton agreed that among the first inhabitants of the Americas, ocher had an especially powerful attraction.

Red ocher mining 'seems especially important during the first period of human colonization... you find it on tools, floors, hunt sites,' Pelton said.

'It's a substance of great power - everybody likes shiny red things.'

Pelton said the ocher gave them a reason to go into the caves.

'Considering the massive scale of this mining, it's the first thing I would go for,' he said.
Stephen Hahn wouldn't comment Sunday morning on President Doanld Trump's claim that the vast majority of coronavirus cases are 'totally harmless.'

'So, I'm not going to get into who's right and who's wrong,' the Food and Drug Administration commissioner told CNN when asked if there was any evidence to back up the president's claim.

In a separate interview with ABC's This Week Sunday morning, Hahn said when talking about the continuing threat and increase numbers: 'We are certainly concerned, at the White House corona task force, about this.'

ABC News host Martha Raddaz asked: 'We have more than 129,000 dead and more than 2.8 million cases. How many cases would you say are harmless?'

'Well, what I'd say is, you know, any case, we don't want to have in this country,' he continued to avoid directly answering the question. 'This is a very rapidly moving epidemic, rapidly-moving pandemic. And any death, any case is tragic. And we want to do everything we can to prevent that.'

During a White House speech Saturday to commemorate Independence Day celebrations, Trump reasserted that the U.S. has more confirmed cases than any other country due to bolstered levels of testing.

'Now we have tested almost 40 million people,' the president said during his address. 'By so doing, we show cases 99 per cent of which are totally harmless.'

FDA Commissioner and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force Stephen Hahn refused to comment Sunday morning on if there is any validity to Donald Trump's claim that 99 per cent of coronavirus cases are 'totally harmless'

'So, I'm not going to get into who's right and who's wrong,' Hahn told CNN as the number of infections continue to skyrocket over the last two weeks

During Independence Day remarks at the White House, Trump said: 'Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99 per cent of which are totally harmless'

When Hahn was pushed on if he would say if Trump's statement were 'true or false,' Hahn again dodged the question.

'What I'll say is that we have data in the White House Task Force, those data show us that this is a serious problem. People need to take it seriously,' he said.

Instead of commenting on Trump's claims, Hahn, who is a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said he would reiterate that COVID-19 is a 'serious problem' in the U.S.

'We've seen a surge in cases, we must do something to stem the tide  and we have this in our power to do it by following the guidance of the White House Task Force and the CDC,' Hahn told fill-in State of the Union host Dana Bash.

Conversely, Trump asserted during his address Saturday night, 'We've learned how to put out the flame' of coronavirus  even though the U.S. has recorded daily record-highs in cases.

As states ended their lockdown orders, began reopening and massive protests ensued across the country over the death of George Floyd, coronavirus cases, which were on the steady decline, began to surge.

Some states, like Florida, experienced their highest number of new daily cases in the past two weeks.

Trump also continued, during his remarks, to put the onus for the coronavirus pandemic's scale on China, claiming they engaged in a 'cover-up.'

'China's secrecy, deceptions and cover-up allowed it to spread all over the world [in] 189 countries and China must be held fully accountable,' the president asserted.

Trump held a large event at the White House for July 4, including a flyover of the National Mall

Massive protests ensued outside the White House as demonstrators burned American Flags on the anniversary of the U.S. declaring independence

Trump also insisted that the U.S. would develop a vaccine or some other therapeutic solution to treat the virus 'long before' the end of 2020.

The president traveled to the Mount Rushmore Memorial in South Dakota on Friday, July 3 for the Independence Day celebration there.

When Hahn was asked if he's uncomfortable with Trump holding massive events that those on the task force, including himself, have warned against.

'Well, I think, in terms of that specific instance at the White House, it's important for everyone to remember that it's a different set of circumstances,' he assured. 'People are tested regularly. The president is tested regularly. That is a different set of circumstances.'

'But, in general, following those guidelines, particularly if you find yourself in events where there's more than 10, 25 people, is very important,' he conceded.

'What about Mount Rushmore?' Bash pushed. 'I don't think that everybody there was getting tested.'

'My understanding is that they followed local and state guidelines at that event,' he excused.

The event  where Trump delivered remarks, there was a flyover and fireworks  was limited to 7,500 attendees, according to the state's official travel website.

Trump plans to travel to Jacksonville, Florida in August after the Republican National Committee moved the convention there.

When asked if holding the convention were safe, Hahn said: 'I think it's too early to tell.'

'We will have to see how this unfolds in Florida and elsewhere around the country,' he said.

Florida is one of the states seeing the biggest surge in cases and deaths over the last few weeks.

Jacksonville issued a mandate last week where people are required to wear masks at all indoor locations and venues and outdoor areas where social distancing is impossible, like the beach.
The zoo reopened at the end of June following the coronavirus lockdown

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed 'all humans and animals are safe'

A zoo in Fife says all of its animals and staff are safe after a fire broke out on Sunday afternoon.

Fire crews were called to Fife Zoo near Ladybank shortly after midday as the roof of a building caught fire.

Photos on social media showed smoke billowing from the site.

A zoo in Fife says all of its animals and staff are safe after a fire broke out on Sunday afternoon. Photos on social media showed smoke billowing from the site

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said one person was treated for smoke inhalation

A spokeswoman for the fire service said: 'We were alerted at 12.11pm on Sunday July 5 to reports of a fire at Fife Zoo near Collessie in Fife'

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said one person was treated for smoke inhalation, though the zoo's owners later posted on Facebook saying everyone was safe.

They said: 'Some of you may have already seen the news, but sadly we have had a fire at Fife Zoo. We are currently closed and will keep everyone updated as best we can.

'All humans and animals are safe. All emergency teams are on site to contain the fire. Thank you for the concern.'

The zoo reopened at the end of June following the coronavirus lockdown.

A fire engine pictured at Fife Zoo as firefighters worked to tackle the blaze. Lemurs and zebras are among its animals

Lemurs and zebras are among its animals.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said: 'We were alerted at 12.11pm on Sunday July 5 to reports of a fire at Fife Zoo near Collessie in Fife.

'Operations control mobilised four appliances, a height appliance and specialist resources.

'Crews are working to extinguish a fire within the roof space of a building.

'One casualty suffering from smoke inhalation has been handed to the care of the ambulance service. Firefighters remain at the scene.'
The Australian Government is facing calls to ban TikTok amid concerns the social media platform poses a national security threat and users' data may be being shared with China.

The popular video app, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, is used by more than 1.6 million Australians.

A federal MP has revealed plans to put TikTok before the Foreign Interference through Social Media senate inquiry over fears it is collecting data and storing the information on Chinese servers.

The Australian Government is facing calls to have TikTok banned amid concerns it is a national security threat that could be sharing users' data with the Chinese government (stock image)

The MP said TikTok has flown under the radar in Australia and should be taken seriously as an effort by the Chinese Communist Party (the flag pictured) to collect data

The unnamed MP said TikTok has flown under the radar in Australia and should be considered as an effort by the Chinese Communist Party to collect data.

'It might be dressed differently but it's the same beast,' the MP told the Herald Sun.

According to the MP, multiple members of parliament are pushing to have the app banned, arguing it poses a bigger threat than Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat.

Committee chair Senator Jenny McAllister said TikTok should comply with the request to be hauled before the senate inquiry as Australians will expect a response from the company.

'Part of the job of this Committee is to get all of those stakeholders in the room and create a forum where we can have a really good discussion about what are the boundaries, about what is and isn't acceptable on these types of matters,' Ms McAllister said.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Users post videos of themselves and broadcast them on the app

Anyone can find these videos and post comments on them

It also allows you to message that person privately

Some of the most popular videos are watched more than 10 million times

Each TikTok video is generally 15 to 60 seconds long

The videos are typically set to music, often showing the user dancing, doing a trick, or lip-syncing Advertisement

Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Fergus Ryan said TikTok was full of mass surveillance and propaganda.

The app also censored all anti-China opinions and had the ability to feed information straight to Beijing, Mr Ryan said.

He said it was 'no question' the Chinese Communist Party had a hold of the data as there are members of the party within the company.

Foreign Interference committee member Kimberley Kitching said Australians do not understand what apps like TikTok do with their personal information.

'Given that there is credible evidence to suggest that TikTok users' data has been sent back to servers in China where it can then be analysed and used by authorities to identify and build profiles to track users, it would be entirely appropriate for senior representatives from that company to appear before the committee to answer questions on this,' the Labor Senator said.

Liberal MP and chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee Andrew Hastie in February claimed the app was a national security threat.

'China's National Intelligence Law of 2017 means the Chinese Government can compel businesses to share information with them,' he told ABC's 7.30 at the time.

'So, I doubt if our information is secure when it's owned by Chinese companies.'

TikTok is a Chinese social media app where users can live stream, create short videos and music videos and Gifs with a host of functions. Pictured: A video shared by soldiers

In January TikTok was banned among all Australian Defence Force personnel over security fears.

Mr Hastie, who served in the ADF and is a vocal critic of the Chinese state, said he was worried that users' information such as their name, age and location could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.

'TikTok is largely used by teenagers but they're our future leaders... and we need to protect their information long-term,' he said.

The father-of-two, 37, also expressed fears for his own children, saying: 'I certainly don't want my children's data going to a foreign country who might use it for nefarious purposes.'

TikTok is the international version of Chinese app Douyin where users create and upload short videos and Gifs with a host of functions.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie (pictured) in February slammed the app for being a national security threat

The app asks users for access to their phone's camera, microphone contact list and location when they sign up.

The company says it stores its data in the US and Singapore, not China - but experts fear it could still be accessed by the Chinese state.

Users of the app, which is now more popular than Snapchat, only have to be 13 years old to sign up - and can be contacted by anyone unless they make their profile private.

Even then, anyone can request to look at their pictures and videos, and even pretend to be another child.

General Manager of TikTok Australia Lee Hunter told Daily Mail Australia the company does not share information of Australian users with any foreign government.

'Today's news report is based on an unnamed source, supported by an organisation which has disclosed the receipt of foreign funding to publish its reports,' he said.

'We prioritise building next generation security programs to protect our users' privacy, and we understand the importance of being transparent with our community in order to build and maintain trust.'

Mr Hunter said Australians love TikTok because the experience is 'safe and fun'.

'We already have multiple safety measures in place for consumers, and we are continuing to invest in making it even safer,' he said.

'We always welcome the opportunity to meet with policy makers to talk about TikTok, including the steps we're taking to make it an even safer and more creative place.'

He said TikTok data is stored in SIngapore and the Chief Information Security Officer outlined efforts to minimise data access across regions.
Ghislaine Maxwell sobbed 'why is this happening, how could this happen?' when she appeared in court last week claims sex abuse victim Virginia Roberts.

Maxwell appeared in court in the US on Thursday accused of helping disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein 'identify, befriend and groom' multiple girls, including one as young as 14.

Due to restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic reporters could only listen-in to proceedings.

Virginia Roberts, now known as Giuffre, said you could hear a 'very loud British woman screaming why is this happening, how is this happening ,how could this happen' in court.

Despite Ms Giuffre' claims that Maxwell was sobbing on the phone call to the court, reporters who listened in were unable to determine for certain it was her.

Indeed, some reporters said that the British voice that sounded upset was different to Maxwell's voice when she answered questions and identified herself to the judge on the call.

And the voice did not sound like she had been sobbing moments before.

Ms Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by the financier, alleges Prince Andrew had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law.

Appearing in an interview with 60 minutes (pictured) Ms Giuffre said Prince Andrew would be 'panicking'

The duke categorically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre.

In an interview with 60 minutes, she said: 'Prince Andrew should be panicking at the moment because Ghislaine doesn't really care about anyone else but Ghislaine.

'I think he would be quite shook up.'

The arrest has piled more pressure on US authorities to question the duke about his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself last August before facing trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Andrew has previously claimed he has offered two times to be a witness in the case and has said he is willing to co-operate.

But US prosecutors say he has declined their request to schedule an interview.

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London, on March 13 2001

On Maxwell, Ms Guiffre added: 'She ruined so many lives. She belongs in jail. You want to hurt kids? That's where you go.'

A grand jury returned a sealed, six-count indictment against her on June 29, almost a year after Epstein was charged.

It accuses her of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein's accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.

Despite Epstein being dead and Maxwell now in custody, Ms Guiffre still thinks there are more people culpable.

She said: 'There were so many women in Epstein's organization that participated, who procured and who benefited from his sickness.

'I think Jeffrey was dirty, was sick. He was a pedophile. Ghislaine, she is the wicked one, and these women with her, they deserve the same punishment. They should be taken down as well.'

It comes as Ministers are hoping Prince Andrew will speak to the FBI over his links to Maxwell and pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein without them having to intervene.

Epstein killed himself last August before facing trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges

Despite Epstein being dead and Maxwell now in custody, Ms Guiffre still thinks there are more people culpable

US prosecutors have lodged a formal request to interview Andrew, a friend of Epstein's, made through the filing of a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to the Home Office, as reported by The Sunday Telegraph.

An MLA is part of an agreement with the United States that means they can ask for assistance from British authorities in criminal matters.

The request causes something of a predicament for Home Secretary Priti Patel, with the Government keen that US authorities and Andrew sort the issue out between themselves.

Andrew has previously claimed he has offered two times to be a witness in the case.

A source close to the Duke said: 'We've been in contact with the US Department of Justice saying we're willing to offer assistance. The Duke has indicated his intention to cooperate with the investigation and the ball is now in their court.

'There is still a dialogue going on and we are sure the Home Office would not want to intervene.'
Security guards are set to be replaced by airline staff in Melbourne's quarantine hotels after a sex scandal was linked to Victoria's second coronavirus wave.

A job advertisement posted by the Department of Justice on Qantas' internal job is calling on airline staff to take over from trained security guards who were tasked with enforcing mandatory 14-day quarantine for returned travellers.

Claims that guards were sexually active with guests in isolation are being investigated as part of a probe into the state's bungled quarantine program.

The advert reads: 'You will work within a number of Melbourne CBD hotels to support the compulsory hotel quarantine arrangements for people arriving from overseas. This includes following infection prevention and control processes.

'Reporting to a team leader, you will use your positive influencing skills to ensure that physical distancing measures and good hygiene practices are being adhered to at all times.'

Premier Daniel Andrews has launched an inquiry into hotel quarantine breaches which may have contributed to the state's spike in community transmission cases.

Frontline health care workers wearing full personal protective equipment in Flemington on Sunday during Victoria's second wave surge in coronavirus infections

Police speaking with a relative of a resident of the housing commission tower at 120 Racecourse Road in Flemington after the building was put into lockdown on Sunday

It has been claimed security guards were sleeping with locked-down guests in the lead up to the second coronavirus outbreak.

The Herald Sun reported airline staff are already replacing security guards at several major hotels.

A Qantas Group spokeswoman confirmed staff who had been recently stood down had been offered resident support roles by the government.

Transport Workers Union Victoria branch secretary John Berger did not support putting untrained staff on the front line.

'In a time of economic and social uncertainty, the chance of employment is one aviation workers do not take for granted,' he said.

'However, during a global pandemic and in performing a frontline role as residential support officers  the safety of workers must be paramount.'

There were 74 new cases of the disease recorded on Sunday with 3,000 of the state's most vulnerable people in nine public housing commission towers in the suburbs of Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne placed in total lockdown.

An emergency field hospital is being erected at Melbourne Showgrounds to cater for a feared spike in cases from the housing commission towers.

Nine public housing commission towers in Flemington (pictured), Kensington and North Melbourne placed in total lockdown

Police and emergency services at Flemington housing commission tower wore face masks on Sunday after the spike in COVID-19 cases in the area

All residents of the towers will be tested for COVID-19 and with a negative test will be allowed to leave quarantine after five days.

If residents refuse to be tested they will be isolated for a further 10 days, a letter seen by Daily Mail Australia states.

'You will be detained for a further 10 days from the end of the initial detention period if you refuse to be tested for COVID-19 at the request of an authorised official,' reads the letter.

'This detention will be required because, having regard to the medical advice, this further detention is reasonably necessary for the purpose of eliminating or reducing a serious risk.'

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton expected case numbers from the towers to continue to grow.

'I do expect more to be found,' he said. 'The reason why these measures are in place is because this environment, this specific setting, has genuinely explosive potential for the spread of this virus.'
General Michael Flynn celebrated the Fourth of July by reciting the oath to the Constitution - followed by the slogan for the far-right QAnon movement.

Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, shared a video of himself leading five friends and family members in the oath on Twitter on Saturday night while they celebrated Independence Day in a backyard.

Each member of the group held up their right hand as they repeated after Flynn: 'I, [insert name], do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.'

At the end of the oath they added: 'Where we go one, we go all' - the slogan for the QAnon conspiracy theory movement which promotes baseless allegations about a 'deep state' plot against Trump that involves satanism and child sex trafficking.

The use of the slogan appeared to bolster mounting claims that Flynn is embracing his fan base within the QAnon movement.

General Michael Flynn (third from left) led his friends in reciting the oath to the Constitution and the slogan for the QAnon movement during a Fourth of July celebration on Saturday

Flynn tweeted a video of the group reciting the oath before they cheered 'God Bless America' and pumped their fists in the air

WHAT IS QANON? Origins: Q Anon started on fringe website 4chan, where a poster calling themselves Q left messages claiming to be a senior federal official and purporting to reveal a 'deep state' cabal intent on bringing down Donald Trump. Q grew out of the discredited Pizzagate conspiracy that top Democrats were involved in pedophilia and cannibalism from the basement of a Washington D.C. restaurant, but quickly picked up steam with 'Q' leaving 'clues' and claims that Trump was going to bring down the deep state. Whenever the conspiracies turn out to not be true, followers rationalize that the inaccuracies are part of Qs larger plan. Who is Q?: There may now be multiple people posing as Q on the anonymous 4chan boards. Advertisement

The QAnon theory has ricocheted around the darker corners of the internet since late 2017 and in recent months has entered into the mainstream of the Republican Party as Trump himself has retweeted promoting accounts.

The theory centers around an anonymous, high-ranking government official known as 'Q' who constructs a world in which Trump and his allies are engaged in a covert war against a cannibalistic sex trafficking ring involving celebrities and top Democrats.

Flynn has long played a central role in QAnon lore, which includes the belief that the government persecuted him by charging him with lying to the FBI about his dealings with Russian officials under Special Counsel Robert Mueller's sweeping investigation into members of Trump's campaign.

Flynn initially pleaded guilty but reversed his stance earlier this year. He won a major legal victory last week as an appeals court panel ordered a federal judge to end the Justice Department's case against him.

Some QAnon followers believe that Flynn could be 'Q' himself, with some of them adding three star emojis to their Twitter handles in a nod to his military rank.

In recent weeks Flynn has appeared to send out signals of support to the movement - sprinkling references in his internet column and purportedly signing his new book with the QAnon slogan, according to The Daily Beast.

'I think these dog whistles are subtle enough that if you don't know anything about Q, you can read this piece and not feel like he's talking to a bunch of violent conspiracy theory maniacs,' Mike Rothschild, a journalist who tracks the QAnon movement, told the outlet.

Flynn has long played a central role in QAnon lore, which includes the belief that the government persecuted him by charging him with lying to the FBI about his dealings with Russian officials under Special Counsel Robert Mueller's sweeping investigation into members of Trump's campaign. Flynn is pictured after his sentencing hearing in 2018

While Flynn has not directly expressed his support for the movement, his latest video will likely fuel speculation that he's involved.

After reciting the oath and the QAnon slogan, the group cheered 'God Bless America!' and pumped their fists in the air.

Flynn tagged several people in his tweet, including his attorneys Sidney Powell and Molly McCann, his sisters Barbara Redgate and Mary O'Neill, brothers Joseph and Jack Flynn and his wife Lori Andrade.

He also included the hashtag #TakeTheOath, a trend where people renew their pledge to uphold the constitution in the face of growing unrest in America.
Chinese state media said Saturday the double US aircraft carrier deployment to the South China Sea is 'at their pleasure'.

In a tweet The Global Times also warned: 'China has a wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like DF-21D and DF-26 "aircraft carrier killer" #missiles.'

Two U.S. aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the U.S. navy had said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the Pentagon and neighboring states.

The state run Global Times said analysts noted and they could destroy the carriers at any moment with missiles in a chilling threat.

The paper wrote: 'The South China Sea is fully within the grasp of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and any US aircraft carrier movement in the region is solely at the pleasure of the PLA, which has a wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like the DF-21D and DF-26 "aircraft carrier killer" missiles.'

Chinese state media shared these images Saturday and said the double US aircraft carrier deployment to the South China Sea is 'at their pleasure'

The state run Global Times said analysts noted and they could destroy the carriers at any moment with missiles in a chilling threat, posting these images

In a tweet The Global Times warned: 'China has a wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like DF-21D and DF-26 "aircraft carrier killer" #missiles'

China and the United States have each accused the 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 900 miles and 90 per cent 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 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 criticized 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.

The navy did not say exactly where the exercises were being conducted in the South China Sea, which extends for some 900 miles and 90 per cent of which is claimed by China despite the protests of its neighbors

The flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, USS Nimitz, pictured the Philippine Sea on June 23

The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, pictured in October last, 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

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 Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's 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'.
Veteran Australian broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson has issued a withering attack on the royal family and urged Prince Andrew to co-operate with authorities following the arrest of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges.

The 'madam' of disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in hiding in a $1million property in the US state of New Hampshire on Thursday.

She is accused of helping Epstein 'identify, befriend and groom' girls as young as 14, but has previously denied all allegations.

If convicted of trafficking and perjury, she faces 35 years behind bars.

Wilkinson on Sunday hit out at Prince Andrew, a former friend of Epstein and Maxwell, while calling on the palace to push him to 'front up unconditionally'.

Pictured: Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his 'madam' Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Australian TV host Lisa Wilkinson has hit out at the royal family and urged them to push Prince Andrew - a former friend of Epstein - to co-operate with authorities

'This story will simply not go away,' she said on The Project.

'As of Friday, the woman accused of providing Jeffrey Epstein with underaged girls, is in custody and with Epstein's death, Ghislaine Maxwell may be the only one alive who knows all the secrets.'

Epstein's Australian-American victim Virginia Giuffre has accused Maxwell of forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew - which he denied in a BBC interview last year.

Prince Andrew claimed in that interview he had in fact been at a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking in Surrey south of London when Ms Guiffre alleged the forced sex took place.

Maxwell has also previously denied all wrongdoing in several civil suits against her.

'If... Maxwell doesn't give up information on Prince Andrew, then it's up to the Queen's second son to do so himself,' Wilkinson said.

'Not likely, given Andrew claims he doesn't even remember meeting Virginia, even casting doubt over photograph figure evidence.'

Prince Andrew and Virginia Guiffre, then known by the surname Roberts, aged 17 at Maxwell's townhouse in London, on March 13, 2001

Veteran Australian TV broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) on Sunday hit out at Prince Andrew, a former friend of Epstein, while calling on the palace to push him to 'front up unconditionally'

Maxwell's arrest has piled more pressure on US authorities to question the duke about his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself last August before facing trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Prince Andrew has previously claimed he has offered two times to be a witness in the case and has said he is willing to co-operate.

But US prosecutors say he has declined their request to schedule an interview.

Wilkinson noted the palace has stopped answering requests for comment and has 'emphatically denied' the Duke of York had 'any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts'.

'So, who do we believe?' Wilkinson ended her emphatic monologue to camera.

'Well, as long as Andrew remains under palace protection, we will never know. By any standard, that is simply not good enough.

'For 68 years, the Queen has demonstrated herself to be someone who chooses duty over family. The greater good over personal interests.

Prince Andrew has denied Ms Guiffre's claims and said he had been at a Pizza Express restaurant on the night she alleged she was forced to have sex with him

'Surely in 2020, for Her Majesty and the royal family to retain any authority and respect, if she believes child sex slavery is a scourge that needs to be eradicated, and has any empathy for the dozens of victims of Jeffrey Epstein, then she simply has no option but to compel Andrew to fully co-operate with authorities.

'To quote former Australian of the Year, David Morrison: "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept."'

On Sunday night, Ms Guiffre claimed in an episode of 60 Minutes Maxwell sobbed 'why is this happening, how could this happen?' when she appeared in court last week.

Due to restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic reporters could only listen-in to proceedings when Maxwell appeared in court.

Ms Giuffre said you could hear a 'very loud British woman screaming why is this happening, how is this happening,how could this happen' in court.

The young woman, who claims she was trafficked by the financier, alleges Prince Andrew had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law.

Prince Andrew has denied each of the allegations.

Prince Andrew's lawyers say they've been 'ghosted' by US authorities investigating his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein - and insist Duke has offered to help 'on a number of occasions  including in the last ten days

ByPaul Thompsonand Mark Duelland Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter For Mailonline

Prince Andrew has seen his legal team 'ghosted' by US prosecutors as they claim to have made repeated offers of help in the Jeffrey Epstein case  including in the last 10 days.

Sources close to the Duke of York's legal team say they have contacted Department of Justice representatives in the US on a number of occasions since they were first contacted at the beginning of the year.

Andrew, 60, whose close friend Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested and accused of assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom underage victims, was described as 'bewildered' by the US prosecutors claims of non co-operation.

Prince Andrew and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell attend Ladies Day at Ascot in June 2000

The informed source said they had been in touch with the DOJ once Geoffrey Berman was replaced as US attorney for the Southern District of New York by Audrey Strauss.

Ms Strauss was appointed on June 22 after Mr Berman was 'fired' by Donald Trump.

The initial contact was made at the turn of the year when the DOJ confirmed that the Duke of York was being represented by legal firm Blackfords.

The Prime Minister batted away the suggestion that the US authorities should ask him for help to access to the Duke of York claiming: 'It's a matter for the Royal Family'

Once contact had been established, the Duke's team offered co-operation and asked for a framework as to how the US wished to proceed, but there was no reply. The source said his team feel they have 'effectively been ghosted.'

Another source added today that the prince was still happy to help: 'The Duke remains willing to offer his assistance.'

Last month outgoing Mr Berman clashed with Andrew's legal team when he claimed the Duke had 'yet again sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co-operate'.

Berman claimed Andrew had repeatedly declined requests to schedule an interview.

Last month the Duke's lawyers said Berman had breached his own confidentiality rules on three occasions and in doing so further diminished their trust in the DoJ's willingness to play a straight bat.

Victims of Epstein, including Virginia Guiffre have urged the Prince to co-operate in the investigation into those people who helped the multi millionaire abuse young girls in New York, London, Florida and his home in New Mexico.

Boris Johnson today denied the FBI has approached him for help to interview Andrew over his links to the paedophile as he expressed sympathy for their alleged victims.

The Prime Minister batted away the suggestion that the US authorities should ask him for help to access to the Duke of York claiming: 'It's a matter for the Royal Family' as it was revealed the Queen is said to be anxious about the crisis engulfing her son.

But earlier this year Dominic Raab gave tacit confirmation that he would be the point of contact for the US government - but the Foreign Secretary said that there was no 'deal to be done' over Prince Andrew.

In contrast London Mayor Sadiq Khan today called on the duke to provide information to the American authoritie and said: 'I think it's really important for those of us in positions of power and influence to lead by example. Anybody who's got information helps the FBI and that includes Prince Andrew as well.'

Boris Johnson was asked about Prince Andrew's case as US lawyers today piled more pressure on the Duke of York to reveal what he witnessed at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's mansions following the arrest of Maxwell and declared: 'He Andrew has a story to tell'.

The Prime Minister told LBC: 'I think everybody's sympathies are very much with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein - but you wouldn't expect me to comment on matters affecting the Royal Family.'

Asked what he would do if the US were to approach the Government to broker talks he said: 'No such approach has been made and otherwise it is really is a matter for the royal family. No such approach has been made. It is a hypothetical question.' He added: 'Of course the law must be carried out and the law must be observed.'

US lawyers Gloria Allred and Spencer Coogan, who are representing alleged victims of Epstein, urged Andrew to give evidence after Maxwell was detained in New Hampshire.

The move piled fresh anxiety on the Queen about what Maxwell's arrest and knowledge of the alleged activities of Epstein mean for her 60-year-old son.

Daily Mail editor-at-large Richard Kay revealed there will be anger at the prospect of the Royal Family's good name being dragged through the mud once again.

Andrew secretly met Maxwell at Buckingham Palace on June 6 last year - a fortnight after US prosecutors said they would reopening their inquiry into Epstein.

Maxwell was in London for the Cash and Rocket rally for '80 of the world's most successful women', and was pictured before a photocall at Wellington Arch.

Later that day she and Nettie Mason, the wife of Pink Floyd drummer Nick, left in a Ferrari for the rally which finished in Monaco on June 9, via Paris and Geneva.

One lawyer for some of Epstein's victims has called on the Duke of York to come forward and speak to US prosecutors about his friendship with the financier.

Spencer Coogan said his clients were 'relieved' that Maxwell, who had introduced her friend Andrew to her former partner, had finally been arrested on charges of facilitating Epstein's sexual exploitation of underage girls.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I certainly think Prince Andrew has a story to tell. On behalf of the victims we have continuously asked him to step forward, step up, be a man and tell us what he knows.

'He has been hiding behind not only the royal family but his attorneys.

'Regardless of his position we, on behalf of the victims, hope that he will step forward and speak up about what he witnessed, at the very least when he was visiting the (Epstein) mansion in New York, when he visited the home in Palm Beach and when we know he was down visiting the Virgin Islands' mansion.'

Lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing some of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims, told ITV's Good Morning Britain today that the Duke of York is subjecting them to a 'torture test'

And lawyer Gloria Allred, who is also representing some of Epstein's alleged victims, claimed the Duke was subjecting them to a 'torture test' by not speaking out about 'what he knows'.

Ms Allred, who represents some of the victims, said Andrew is 'avoiding and evading' US law authorities by not providing a statement.

She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'The question is, Prince Andrew when is he going to tell what he knows?

'He needs to do that. He needs to do it without delay. It is so traumatising and difficult for the victims not to know the truth.

'And this kind of torture test that Prince Andrew is subjecting the victims to, like will he or won't he give a statement, if he will, when?

'More excuses, more delays, it really is painful for many of the victims. It's just not fair.'

Andrew (second left) has said he became friends with Jeffrey Epstein (right) in 1999, after being introduced to him through Ghislaine Maxwell. Pictured: Melania Trump, Andrew, Epstein's friend Gwendolyn Beck and Epstein at a party at the Mar-a-Lago in Florida in 2000

Ms Allred also told how the Duke could be interviewed in the UK by US law authorities.

She said: 'I have no doubt they want to talk with him. They've indicated they would like to speak with him and this is what acting US attorney Strauss said.

'This idea that somehow he wants to but he's not able to - he can do that right there in the UK. I'm sure they would facilitate the interview there.

'I'm just so tired of the excuses. The victims want the truth, they want the transparency, they want him to tell law enforcement what he knows.'

She added: 'We know that Prince Andrew was at Epstein's home in London and in Manhattan and elsewhere.

'So he is an important person in all of that and if Ms Maxwell decides that she is going to co-operate and talk about Prince Andrew and what he did there, Prince Andrew might want to get to the prosecutors first.'

Andrew is photographed with the disgraced Epstein in New York's Central Park in 2010

And royal author Nigel Cawthorne said that Andrew will lose all credibility and should be stripped of his title if he does not turn up as a witness if required.

Mr Cawthorne told Good Morning Britain today: 'If he doesn't testify he will be discredited and if he does who knows what will come out?'

Andrew has previously claimed he has offered three times to be a witness in the case and has denied any wrongdoing.

It comes as US prosecutors last night urged Andrew to 'talk to us' after the FBI arrested Maxwell on child sex charges.

They pounced on the British socialite in a dawn raid on her hideaway in New Hampshire yesterday.

Hours later she appeared in court charged with the sordid abuse of girls as young as 14, including one in London.

Epstein is pictured with Ghislaine Maxwell in New York in 2005. Lawyers for Miss Maxwell have previously said she denies any wrongdoing

In a bombshell press conference, the prosecutors called Andrew's former friend an 'unspeakable villain' who groomed girls for abuse by Epstein and, at times, herself.

But investigators suggested the alleged madam might now become a 'co-operator' in their probe into Epstein's accomplices.

And they renewed their calls for Andrew to talk to them about Epstein as they promised the surprise arrest of Maxwell would not be the end of their inquiries.

A source close to Andrew told the Mail: 'We remain bewildered that despite our difficulties with the Department of Justice earlier in the year, we have twice in the last month reached out to them to re-engage with the process of the duke helping the inquiry  and have received no response. We remain willing to engage.'

Maxwell has strongly denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein's crimes and in 2011 released a statement that said: 'The allegations made against me are abhorrent and entirely untrue.'

Andrew spoke to the BBC's Emily Maitlis for a Newsnight interview in November last year

Amid speculation she could strike a plea-deal to lessen a potential 35-year sentence:

Maxwell was charged with the sex abuse and trafficking of three children;

The daughter of the late Robert Maxwell was accused of befriending underage girls and 'luring' them into her sordid 'trap';

She spun a web of lies to cover her 'unspeakable' crimes against children, it was alleged;

Maxwell was found hiding in New Hampshire, where the FBI said she had 'slithered' away;

She had '15 different bank accounts' boasting $20million (16million), according to a memo from prosecutors. Her 'substantial resources'  she transferred $500,000 between accounts in a single day  made her a high risk of fleeing, according to the memo.

Maxwell last night appeared via video link  owing to coronavirus rules  before the US district court in Concord, New Hampshire.

Asked if she could see the judge and her lawyer, she said 'I can' in a cut-glass accent.

Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone read Maxwell her rights and no plea was entered.

When asked if she needed consular assistance from another country  she has British, American and French citizenship  Maxwell appeared to indicate 'No'. At the end of the 20-minute hearing, the judge told Maxwell she would be sent to New York where the charges have been laid.

She added: 'You're remanded to the custody of the United States marshals.'

Virginia Roberts Giuffre is not among the three alleged victims.

She alleges that she was Epstein's sex slave and was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, a claim he has emphatically and repeatedly denied.

At the press conference, Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, said of Andrew: 'We would like to have the benefit of his statement.

Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell yesterday

'Our doors remain open. We would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement.'

Last night the threat of a legal move in this country was still hanging over the prince. Sources confirmed a special legal request sent to the UK by the US was still being processed.

A specialist unit of civil servants within the Home Office is considering Washington's application for so-called 'mutual legal assistance'.

This could potentially lead to Andrew being required to give evidence in a British court regarding Epstein's activities.

Miss Strauss claimed Maxwell had lied to cover up her crimes 'because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable'.

Epstein, who was Maxwell's former boyfriend, hanged himself last August after he was charged with multiple child sex crimes.

One of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, alleges she had sex with the Duke of York three times when she was 17 at the behest of the billionaire paedophile

The charges against Maxwell were yesterday dubbed 'the prequel' to that case by prosecutors.

They said Maxwell had groomed three underage girls for abuse in London, New York, Florida and New Mexico between 1994 and 1997. She was last seen ten days after Epstein's suicide.

William Sweeney, an FBI assistant director, said last night: 'We announce the arrest of one of the villains in this investigation.' He said the Crimes Against Children Taskforce had been 'discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell'.

He added: 'We learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago.

'Miss Maxwell was arrested without incident. Like Epstein, Miss Maxwell chose to blatantly disregard the law and her responsibilities as an adult, using whatever means she had at her disposal to lure vulnerable youth into behaviour they should never have been exposed to.'
Donald Trump threatened Saturday night that CNN 'watch what happens' after he accused the network of misrepresenting the 'meaning' of his Independence Day speech.

'Wow. @CNN got caught cold manipulating the words and meaning of my 4th of July Speech. They were brazen, desperate. Watch what happens!' the president tweeted in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Trump did not make clear what he was talking about and whether he was referencing his speech on July 3 at Mount Rushmore, which were widely criticized, or his July 4 remarks in front of the White House.

But the network issued a response to the president's tweet  claiming that it actually defended Trump by fact-checking claims where people asserted he said Desert Storm occurred in Vietnam.

'What. Are. You. Talking. About?' CNN Communications tweeted, confused by why the president was attacking the network.

'CNN fact-checked and dispelled the video clip that made it seem like you'd said Desert Storm happened in Vietnam,' the official account cleared up, with images of their defense.

Donald Trump accused CNN of 'manipulating the words and meaning' of his White House remarks on July 4, and threatened: 'Watch what happens!'

'What. Are. You. Talking. About?' CNN Communications responded to the president's tweet, asserting they defended him when a video circulated with a misleading message about his July 4 events

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale tweeted his defense of the president, claiming when looking over the transcript the president did not say Desert Storm happened in Vietnam

This references his Independence Day speech at the White House, where a short video clip made it seem Trump has made a faux-pas regarding the two military engagements, which are separated by about two decades.

CNN denied that the president made the mistake after he discussed the 1990 invasion of Iraq to push back Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Desert Storm directly following the mention of the 'dense fields and jungles of Vietnam.'

A fact-check reporter for CNN, Daniel Dale, issued a defense of the president, claiming he did not make a 'substantive error.'

'No, he didn't,' Dale said in a response to a now deleted tweet including the clip. 'He stumbled when trying to say the word 'sweeping' while talking about Desert Storm, but he was just listing wars - he mentioned Vietnam, then, stumbling, mentioned the sweeping victory in Desert Storm. Didn't make a substantive error.'

'People are sharing a short clip that makes it seem like Trump said Desert Storm happened in Vietnam,' Dale continued in a second tweet. 'He did not, though he stumbled. Here's the transcript of that section.'

During Trump's remarks at the White House, he listed wars military aircraft had engaged in e before they did a flyover of the National Mall. He stumbled over words as he spoke of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, which some interpreted as him mistaking the events

The transcript shows Trump was listing wars America was involved with and stumbled when going from talking about Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm.

'In a few moments, we will bear witness to awesome aircraft representing every major military conflict over the last 75 years,' Trump said ahead of the military aircraft National Mall flyover.

'These planes once launched off massive aircraft carriers in the fiercest battles of World War II. They raced through the skies of Korea's MiG Alley. They carried American warriors into the dense fields and jungles of Vietnam. They delivered a swift and swip- -- and you know that sweeping  it was swift and it was sweeping like nobody has ever seen anything happen  a victory in Operation Desert Storm. A lot of you were involved in that. A lot of you were involved. That was a quick one. And they have gone on to dangerous missions around the world to take out enemy terrorists and bring our soldiers home safely,' Trump said, according to the White House transcript of the remarks.

CNN was highly critical of Trump's speech the day before, where he made remarks at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The network called the president's remarks a 'jaw-dropping speech that amounted to a culture war bonfire.'
The United States has dipped under 50,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four days, but experts fear Independence Day celebrations will act like rocket fuel for the nation's surging outbreak.

Johns Hopkins University, which tallies confirmed cases, counted 45,300 new coronavirus infections in the U.S. on Saturday.

The new count came after three days in which the daily count reached as high as 54,500 new cases.

The country was reporting under 20,000 new infections a day as recently as June 15.

Texas saw a record 8,200 new cases on Saturday, as music lovers gathered in Round Rock

Few people wore face masks at the Granger Smith concert in Texas on July 4 in Dell Diamond

Experts warned, however, that the lower figure on Saturday does not necessarily mean the situation in the U.S. is improving, as it could be due to reduced reporting on a national holiday. They also expect a further spike after the long weekend.

The United States has the most infections and virus-related deaths in the world, with 2.8 million cases and nearly 130,000 dead.

Yet the true toll of the pandemic is believed to be significantly higher, due to people who died before they were tested and missed mild cases.

President Donald Trump celebrated Independence Day with little heed for health warnings, beginning on Friday with a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and marking the occasion Saturday with an evening of fireworks on the National Mall in Washington.

In Fourth of July remarks, Trump said the U.S. was testing too much and falsely asserted that 'by so doing, we show cases, 99 per cent of which are totally harmless.'

The U.S. now has more than 2.8 million cases of COVID-19 confirmed

The World Health Organization has said about 20 per cent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 progress to severe disease, including pneumonia and respiratory failure.

Those with mild or no symptoms, meanwhile, could spread the virus to others.

The mayor of Austin, Texas, where COVID-19 cases are surging, called Trump's remarks 'dangerous' and 'wrong.'

Mayor Steve Adler urged people to listen to local officials for public safety guidance rather than the 'ambiguous message coming out of Washington.'

The Food and Drug Administration commissioner on Sunday declined to back up Trump's claim.

Dr Stephen Hahn said that he's 'not going to get into who is right and who is wrong,' but that government data clearly show 'this is a serious problem.'

He adds that 'any case is tragic' and that to stem the tide of surging cases people should follow government guidance to practice social distancing and wear a mask.

The U.S. is failing to get the pandemic under control as numbers surge to ever-higher levels

Almost 130,000 people have now died from COVID-19 in the United States

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska, Missouri, Idaho and Alabama all registered new daily highs on Friday, while Texas hit a new peak for hospitalizations.

Florida health officials on Sunday said the state had reached a grim milestone: more than 200,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19.

State statistics show about 10,000 new people tested positive - a record new single-day high. More than 3,700 people have died.

Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases in the state has increased by 5,323 - an increase of 184.1 per cent.

About 43 per cent of the cases in Florida are in three counties: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

People visit Jacksonville Beach in Florida on July 4, ignoring advice to wear face masks

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week' that the high numbers of positive tests both in his county and the state are 'extremely worrisome.'

Suarez, who had the virus in March, says it is clear the growth is 'exponential at this point' and officials are closely monitoring hospitalizations.

They are also closely watching the death rate, which 'give us the impression' that 'much stricter' measures have to be taken.

Florida's death count is the ninth highest in the country overall and the 27th highest per capita, at 17.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

Walt Disney World's theme parks are set to reopen next week, for the first time since March, but three firefighters for the theme park resort's private government have tested positive for COVID-19.

Up to 10 other firefighters for the Reedy Creek Improvement District are in quarantine, said Tim Stromsnes, an official with the Reedy Creek Fire Rescue IAFF Local 211.

Firefighters are upset since they are expected to use up sick or vacation days while in quarantine, instead of getting paid time off.

They also said Disney's private government has done a poor job of communicating their coronavirus-related policies and informing other firefighters about their sick colleagues.

'They can't manage COVID in the fire department. How is Reedy Creek going to protect visitors?' Stromsnes said.

Florida's problems came as Texas also reported its biggest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with 8,258 new infections.

A rodeo in Mississippi, held to celebrate July 4, in the town of Thaxton

A young bull rider competes during a God and Country Rodeo at the Hayseed Cowboy Church

Texas now has a total of 191,790 confirmed cases.

The state also reported 33 additional deaths linked to COVID-19, bringing its death toll to 2,608.

Texas has similarly reported a rise in hospitalizations, with 7,890 people in hospitals for coronavirus-related ailments, an increase of 238 from Friday.

Two counties in the Rio Grande Valley area, Starr and Hidalgo, said their hospitals had reached full capacity.

Much of Texas began mandating face coverings Friday on the orders of Governor Greg Abbott. Failure to obey the mask order carries a $250 fine.

The order is the most dramatic about-face that Abbott has made as he retreats from what stood out as one of America's swiftest re-openings.

Mississippi reported 226 new cases and five deaths from COVID-19, and a rodeo was held to mark July 4.

In Arizona, cases also continued to rise.

The mayor of Phoenix, Kate Gallego, said there was a 'crisis' involving coronavirus testing shortages in her city due to surging cases, which leads the U.S. in new coronavirus cases per capita.

Gallego, a Democrat, said some residents over the weekend had to line up for eight hours by car to get COVID-19 tests and that the federal government has been slow to help.

Gallego told ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday that Arizona went from 'zero to 60' by being one of the first states to reopen after it was among the last to implement stay-at-home orders.

She said that led to an explosion of cases, citing crowded nightclubs with free champagne and people unwittingly spreading the virus at large family gatherings.

She blamed Trump for giving mixed public messages.

He visited Phoenix while she was urging people to stay at home and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, holding a large event and not wearing a mask.

Long lines of traffic in San Diego, California, as people prepare for the July 4 holiday weekend

In New York - previously the epicenter of the virus - Andrew Cuomo, the governor, said on Saturday there were more than 530 new confirmed cases and eight deaths.

At the height of New York's virus outbreak, new infections reached daily totals of more than 10,000 and deaths topped 700.

And worldwide, a record 212,326 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed on Saturday, according to the World Health Organization.

The biggest contributors to Saturday's rise in cases were the U.S., where there were 53,000 more positive tests; Brazil, with 48,000; India with 23,000 and South Africa with 9,000.

The figure was an 11 per cent rise on the previous record of 190,566, which was set on June 28.

June was the most devastating month for the global pandemic and saw cases top 10 million and deaths surge past 500,000.

The 10 million milestone was hit only last Sunday and the total has since risen to 11.3m, meaning more than 1.3 million people have been diagnosed in a week.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, a leading scientist advising politicians in Britain, said even the harrowing official figures are 'in reality underestimates'.

He said in a tweet that the figures were 'sobering'.

Sir Jeremy wrote: 'More than 10 million confirmed cases and 500,000 deaths globally directly attributed to COVID19 in ~6 months. In reality both underestimates.

'Highly populated regions of [Central and South] America, South Asia, Africa not yet experienced full impact of 1st wave. Globally accelerating.'
Police are today investigating after a woman was found stabbed to death before a man fell 'five storeys' from the window of a London hotel.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the Holiday Inn on Bugsby's Way, Greenwich, south-east London, shortly after 10am this morning.

A woman was found with serious injuries and was declared dead at the scene.

A man, who officers believe to have been known to the woman, fell from a height while emergency services were at the scene.

There were conflicting reports tonight over if the man fell inside or outside the hotel.

A Met Police spokesperson said the force was not releasing any further details at this time, other than to confirm the man has been taken to hospital under police guard and that his condition is being treated as life-threatening.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the Holiday Inn on Bugsby's Way, Greenwich, south-east London, shortly after 10am on Sunday

Witnesses are said to have photographed a broken window five storeys up on the hotel.

A local, who did not want to be named, passed the scene while jogging and said emergency services gathered on a ledge on the second floor.

'I think there were three ambulances, three police cars and one ambulance helicopter and one fire brigade... this is around 11.10am.'

Scotland Yard said they do not believe anybody else was involved in the incident and have asked anyone with information to come forward.

Police are continuing their enquiries and a police cordon remains up at the scene.

Detectives from Specialist Crime have launched an investigation.

Anyone who has information that could assist police is asked to call 101 ref CAD 3272/5 July.
Nigel Farage told Ed Davey to 'get a life' after the Lib Dem leader reported him to the police claiming he had broken lockdown rules by going to the pub yesterday.

Mr Farage, 56, denied breaking lockdown by having his 'first proper pint in 103 days' - after critics claimed he did so less than two weeks after he returned from a trip to the US.

Acting Lib Dem leader Davey reported him to Kent Police after many questioned how he could already be out of quarantine if he was in the US at a Donald Trump rally on June 20.

Upon hearing about the report put forward by Davey, Farage told The Sun: 'Sad Ed Davey. Needs to get a life.'

Nigel Farage told Ed Davey to 'get a life' after the Lib Dem leader reported him to the police claiming he had broken lockdown rules by going to the pub (pictured) yesterday

Mr Farage, 56, denied breaking lockdown by visiting a pub on Super Saturday - after critics claimed he did so less than two weeks after he returned from a trip to the US (a picture shared by Farage on June 20 of him in the USA)

Acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey (pictured) reported Farage to Kent Police following claims that he had been in America on June 20 with many questioning how he could already be out of quarantine.

The Brexit Party leader proudly posted a picture online of himself at lunchtime yesterday holding a pint and declaring '12 o'clock, first customer in. Love it.'

The outcry 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.

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

'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 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.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating after a teenage girl died in a car crash while a police vehicle was close by.

The silver Suzuki Swift crashed into a tree on Mundy Bois Road in Egerton on Saturday night, killing the 17-year-old, from Ashford, and seriously injuring three others.

Kent Police force made a mandatory referral to the IOPC because there was a police vehicle in close proximity when the accident happened.

Pictured: Two mourners in Ashford standing near flowers set down for the 17-year-old who died in a car accident in Egerton

On Saturday night a Silver Suzuki Swift crashed into a tree on Mundy Bois Road (sign pictured) killing the teenager and seriously injuring three others

The three injured people, a 19-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and another 17-year-old girl, were all taken to a London hospital where they remain in a serious but stable condition.

Kent Police told the IOPC they saw a car with six people in it which then headed off at speed.

Officers said they turned around to follow the silver Suzuki Swift and called the ambulance service when they found the car crashed.

The IOPC said: 'Our investigators attended the scene of the collision and attended the post-incident procedures.

'Part of our investigation will be to establish whether or not the police were actively pursuing the vehicle.

'Our thoughts are with the family of the young woman who has died and all of those affected.'

Pictured: Some roses left for the 17-year-old girl who was killed in the tragic car crash. The IOPC said their thought are with her family

Officers have arrested a 19-year-old man from Ashford and a 17-year-old girl from Maidstone who had previously been discharged from hospital.

They were arrested on suspicion of driving offences and remain in custody.

Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are also carrying out enquiries and want to hear from anyone who saw Suzuki Swift before the accident.

They are hoping to place the car's movements and get an idea of how it was being driven.

Please call the appeal line on 01622 798538 quoting reference DB/LB/60/20 or email sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk.
Hundreds of scientists say there is evidence that novel coronavirus can linger in smaller particles in the air and infect people indoors, which could mean that masks may be required while inside.

The new findings have prompted researchers to call for the World Health Organization to revise recommendations that could radically affect how people go about their days while indoors in confined spaces.

If their conclusion is accurate, people may need to keep wearing masks indoors, even when they are socially distanced, according to The New York Times.

It would also mean that ventilation systems in schools, nursing homes, residences, and businesses would need to add new filters to their air conditioning units.

Another possibility is that ultraviolet light would be deployed to kill tiny, infected particles.

A healthcare worker tends to a patient in the COVID-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on Thursday. A group of scientists is urging the World Health Organization to revise its recommendations to reflect that airborne coronavirus particles can cause infection

The WHO has said the coronavirus disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with COVID-19 coughs, sneezes or speaks.

In an open letter to the agency, which the researchers plan to publish in a scientific journal next week, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence showing smaller particles can infect people, Times reported on Saturday.

The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Whether carried by large droplets that zoom through the air after a sneeze, or by much smaller exhaled droplets that may glide the length of a room, the coronavirus is borne through air and can infect people when inhaled, the scientists said, according to the NYT.

However, the health agency said the evidence for the virus being airborne was not convincing, according to the NYT.

'Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence,' Dr. Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead of infection prevention and control, was quoted as saying by the NYT.

There is debate about whether enough viral particles can survive in the air to infect people who breathe them in hours later.

The above file photo is a computer-generated image of coronavirus as seen under a microscope. There is fierce debate among scientists as to whether coronavirus can linger in the air

In March, US government researchers claimed that the coronavirus was capable of surviving in the air for three hours and on plastic and steel surfaces for up to three days.

Tests showed the virus can survive on copper for four hours, cardboard for an entire day and up to 72 hours on plastic and steel.

Fears the virus, called SARS-CoV-2, can survive on surfaces have existed since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, last December.

The findings have not been reviewed by other scientists yet and were posted on a site where researchers can quickly share their work before publication.

The tests were done at the National Institutes of Health's Rocky Mountain Lab in Hamilton, Montana.

It involved experts from NIH, Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, with funding from the US government.

Other experts have welcomed the results of the study, with one saying: 'It's a solid piece of work that answers questions people have been asking.'

Julie Fischer, a microbiology professor at Georgetown University, added that people need to keep washing their hands to contain the crisis.

Study author Dr Neeltje van Doremalen said scientists are still looking into the best way to kill the virus.

But she added cleaning surfaces with solutions containing diluted bleach is likely to get rid of it.

Understanding the virus and how to destroy it  and doing so  are crucial to stopping the pandemic and controlling the illness.

In April, Chinese researchers found that the coronavirus can linger in the air of crowded places.

Experts in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the pandemic began, analyzed air samples from different parts of two hospitals.

Results showed the virus, called SARS-CoV-2, was undetectable everywhere except two areas 'prone to crowding'.

Researchers found viral particles floating in the air of hospital toilets, which had very little ventilation.

They also discovered especially high concentrations in the rooms where medical staff put on and took off protective gear.

The latter suggests the virus can latch onto clothing and become airborne again when when masks, gloves and gowns are removed.

Researchers behind the study say the findings highlight the importance of ventilation, limiting crowds and proper disinfection.

There is debate about whether enough viral particles can survive in the air to infect people who breathe them in hours later.

The latest study, led by researchers at Wuhan University, suggest it may be possible, without proper ventilation.

It follows a wealth of studies that have suggested the highly contagious disease does not just spread via droplets in a cough or sneeze.

So far, more than 2.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the US. Nearly 130,000 Americans have died.
John Bolton suggested Donald Trump listened more to television than his advisers as he said he would be 'interested' to see the statistic on how much time he watches television versus working in the Oval Office

John Bolton suggested Sunday morning that Donald Trump pays more attention to television than his advisers, claiming he would be interested to see a statistic on how much time the president spends in the Oval Office compared to watching television.

'I think that if you could clock the amount of time spent actually in the Oval Office versus the amount of time he spends in a little dining room off the Oval Office with the cable news networks, one form or another, on  it would be a very interesting statistic,' Bolton told CBS News' Face the Nation.

Trump's former national security adviser was asked whether the president's thinking is shaped more by what he watches in the media or by his aides and advisers.

'I think it's a combination of television and listening to people outside of the government that he trusts for one reason or another,' Bolton told CBS host Margaret Brennan.

Trump often spends his morning tweeting about what is said and featured on Fox News' Fox & Friends and other morning news shows.

He also tweets and expresses his ire in other ways toward networks and newspapers he calls 'fake news,' including CNN, the Washington Post, New York Times and MSNBC.

'I think that if you could clock the amount of time spent actually in the Oval Office versus the amount of time he spends in a little dining room off the Oval Office with the cable news networks, one form or another, on  it would be a very interesting statistic,' the former national security adviser told CBS

Trump spend much of his days tweeting about ;fake news media' and what is covered on network news shows

The former national security adviser served in Trump's administration from April 2018 to September 2019, and Trump continuously asserts he fired Bolton.

The president and Bolton often aired their differences in opinion regarding national security and how to engage in foreign affairs, and Trump often points to an April 2018 comment from Bolton where he said the U.S. should pursue a 'Libya model' when dealing with North Korea.

Trump told Fox News it was 'one of the dumbest things I've ever seen on television.'

Bolton says he stand by his comments.

'I don't think I could be clearer in talking about the Libya model of 2003-2004, we had a clear strategic decision for Muammar Qaddafi to give up Libya's nuclear weapons program, we have never had that from North Korea,' Bolton told Brenner.

'One day the president will learn a little history and we'll be better for it,' he added.

Bolton, who insists he resigned, has launched himself back into media relevance as he released a book last month about his 17 months in Trump's administration.

'The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir' included a plethora of revelations about Trump's thinking and his interaction with world leaders as Bolton accompanied him on several international trips.

Democrats and Republicans have bashed Bolton for releasing the book, claiming he should have revealed that information when the House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Bolton.
Three bears are still stuck in a cage at a holiday resort despite a British animal charity coming within hours of an agreement to free them.

The bears have been held for years in The MJA Resort, a restaurant and hotel complex in the south of the country.

Animal charity workers say that the bears are psychologically damaged and need to go to an animal sanctuary.

The bears have been held for years in Resort MJA, a restaurant and complex in the south of the country

But they claim that the owner of the resort 'suddenly changed his mind' about getting rid of the bears.

Alan Knight of International Animal Rescue said: 'The owner is using the bears to attract guests, but he cares more about the health of his bank balance than these poor animals.

'He was worried about lockdown under coronavirus and wanted to get rid of the bears, but clearly he's had second thoughts. The bears are in poor shape.

'It's a female and two younger males. Their teeth and general health need urgent attention'.

The bears are seen above in their enclosure. The British animal charity International Animal Rescue came within hours of an agreement to free them

Charity workers claim that the owner of the resort 'suddenly changed his mind' about getting rid of the bears

The MJA Resort has reportedly claimed to the charity that it is treating the animals well.

The International Animal Rescue charity, based in Sussex, works with the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets to cut bears free in Armenia and takes them to a sanctuary in the hills.

Some of these animals are then released back into the wild.

Mr Knight said: 'We're currently expanding our sanctuary because there are so many bears that need help'.
An off-duty police officer has been filmed opening fire on a Walmart customer suspected of shoplifting.

Shocking footage taken Saturday in Oklahoma shows as the alleged thief tries to flee in his car before being shot at '10 or 11 times'.

Del City police confirmed they are investigating after a clip of the incident was posted online.

Neither the shooting victim, who is understood to have been taken to a local hospital in a stable condition, or the off duty officer involved have been named. The man shot at was described by onlookers as a black male.

He attempted to leave the store with more than he had paid for, police said.

Scroll down for video

The footage was taken Saturday outside a Walmart in Del City, Oklahoma. It shows an off-duty police officer opening fire on a Walmart customer suspected of shoplifting

In the clip posted to Facebook, the two men seem to engage in a struggle before the suspected shoplifter attempts to drive away. With his door still open the cop opens fire, shooting at the vehicle a number of times before the car drives away

The off-duty Langston University cop is understood to also work at the Walmart where the incident took place.

In the clip posted to Facebook, the two men seem to engage in a struggle before the suspected shoplifter attempts to drive away.

With his door still open the cop opens fire, shooting at the vehicle a number of times before the car drives away.

Witness John Hamilton told News On 6 that 'about 10 or 11 shots' were fired at the suspect.

Shannon Hicks added: 'I was standing at a 45-degree angle from where the shots were fired. If I was in the wrong place, I could have been a target as well.'

Del City Police Commander Bradley Rule said: 'The suspect was hit. He received non-life threatening injuries. He arrived at a hospital and we have detectives there now speaking to him.'

The footage was taken Saturday outside this Walmart in Del City, Oklahoma

Neither the shooting victim, who is understood to have been taken to a local hospital in a stable condition, or the off duty officer involved have been named. The man shot at is described by onlookers as a black male

A Del City police spokesman told DailyMail.com Sunday that the man shot at did have a receipt for purchasing a BBQ but attempted to leave the store with more than he had paid for.

Langston University officials said in a statement: 'The officer was not performing duties on behalf of Langston University at that time of the incident.

'The Langston University Police Department intends to cooperate with the Del City Police Department if assistance is requested.'

A Walmart spokesman told DailyMail.com: 'We are working with law enforcement as part of an ongoing investigation and performing a review of our own.'
A variety of remarkable documents belonging to a British conscientious objector who was honoured by the French during the Second World War has been discovered.

The diary, documents and photos of William 'Bill' Spray, who refused to fight in World War Two due to being a Quaker, have been brought to light after being held for decades by a private collector.

Instead of going into battle as a solider, Mr Spray was stationed with the Friends Ambulance Unit in 1943, and aided troops in the French 2nd Armoured Division based in Algeria.

Documents belonging to British contentious objector William 'Bill' Spray (pictured) during the Second World War have been discovered after several decades in the hands of a private collector

The collection will be sold by C&T Auctions on July 8 and is expected to cost around 600

He was awarded the Croix De Guerre, the highest and most prestigious French military honour, for bravery in rescuing injured soliders under heavy German fire.

The sale of the archive, arranged by by C&T Auctions will take place on July 8 and the collection is expected to cost around 600.

C & T Auctions specialist Tim Harper said: 'This is a probably unique collection belonging to a conscientious objector who served with the Friends Ambulance Unit as the leader of a group of ambulances.

'No one could ever question his bravery as on numerous occasions he rescued wounded men under fire.

'It is a remarkable story and an archive of considerable historic interest.'

Mr Spray refused to fight during the war due to being a Quaker but was assigned to the Friends Ambulance Unit where he acted as a medic for troops stationed in North Africa

The Cambridge graduate kept a diary (pictured) of his stories during the war. He was presented with the Croix De Guerre, the highest French miltary honour for bravery in saving hurt soldiers under heavy German fire

Mr Spray was one of 60,000 men who registered as conscientious objectors during World War Two, with many choosing to work in bomb disposal units, mines and farms in wartime Britain.

Around 5,500 objectors were arrested and branded as cowards due to their refusal to fight.

After training as a paramedic and spending two years working in a hospital, Mr Spray was called up to the Friends Ambulance Unit to support Allied soliders during the war.

Mr Spray kept other documents and photographs, including the grave of fellow medic David Frazer (top row, second right), who died trying to save a soldier in Strasbourg in February 1945

Mr Spray returned to England in 1944 in time for D-Day and worked as a headmaster of school in Berkshire before passing away in the 1980s

The Cambridge graduate was also present at Normandy in 1944, while he also led a team of medics in Morocco and Algeria.

He kept a diary during the war and also took several photos of his experiences on the frontline, including an image of the grave of fellow medic Dave Frazer, who died trying to move a casualty under fire in Strasbourg in February 1945.

After returning to England in May 1944 ahead of D-Day, he became headmaster of the Quaker Leighton Park School in Berskhire before passing away in 2012.
A woman dubbed 'Costco Karen' sat on the floor of the superstore, refused to move and declared 'I have constitutional rights!' after she was asked to put on a face mask.

Shocking video of the confrontation, believed to have unfolded at the returns desk of a Costco in Hillsboro, Oregon, shows an employee asking an older woman to wear a mask in the store to follow its coronavirus policy.

The woman had a face mask dangling from one ear but refused to put it on completely to cover her mouth.

'You just have to tell me that you have one. Well, then you have to wear it. You have to wear your mask in public. This is private property,' the female employee said in the video posted on June 30.

'I am not a member of Costco,' the woman is heard snapping back.

A woman has been dubbed 'Costco Karen' (right) after she was filmed throwing a furious tantrum in the superstore after she was asked to wear a face mask and refused to. Costco has a store policy mandating all employees and customers wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19

Video of the confrontation which took place in a Hillsboro, Oregon Costco was shared on Facebook on June 30. The woman (right) had a face mask dangling from one ear but she refused to put it on fully to cover her mouth

The clip shows an employee ask the woman to put on a face mask to follow store policy but she became angry and said, 'I will not' and sat on the ground refusing to leave until she was helped

'Want me to get that taken care of for you? Well, then youre going to have to put your mask on,' the employee says.

'I will not,' the woman says curtly, adding the mask requirement is 'your problem'.

'Well then come back another time,' the employee says.

'I want to speak to your boss,' the outraged woman replies.

'Hes gonna require the same. If you want to step outside here Ill have him come meet you outside. You need to do that its our policy. Were going to walk outside,' the employee says.

The woman is heard admitting that she does not have a medical condition that could make it unsafe for her to wear a mask.

But instead of following the employee, the outraged woman plops onto the floor and sits cross legged in a sit-in protest.

The woman is pictured sitting on the floor as the employee calls for the manager to help out

It's not clear what the woman entered the store for. She told the female employee that she was not a Costco member

'I am an American. I have constitutional rights!' she says angrily before the camera cuts off

The employee tries to help her saying: 'Can I get you a chair outside? Theres a place to sit. Want me to help you up?'

Instead the woman gets up and sits in another place on the main floor of the store, further away from shoppers, refusing to leave the store.

People leaving the store with their carts are seen maneuvering around the woman.

At the end of the clip the manager is seen walking towards her saying: 'Hello what can I do for you?'

It's not clear what she wanted to do in store, but the manager repeatedly asked if she had a membership to the store.

Costco initiated a policy requiring all customers to wear face masks, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization say is an effective way to reduce the spread of the contagious COVID-19

Costco's policy mandating customers wear masks above

At one point the woman retorts: 'I'm not leaving. Do you want to carry me?'

'I am an American. I have constitutional rights!' she says angrily before the camera cuts off.

Costco initiated a policy requiring all customers to wear face masks which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization say is an effective way to reduce the spread of the contagious COVID-19.

The video comes as the US is seeing a startling resurgence of cases in some states after reopening and lifting coronavirus lockdown orders.

As of July 2 there are over 9,200 cases of COVID-19 in Oregon and and over 200 deaths.

Nationally there are over 2.8million coronavirus cases and over 129,000 deaths fatalities from the deadly virus.
A Washington lobbyist with ties to the Trump administration has declined to help Prince Andrew handle the fallout from his relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Robert Stryk held talks with London-based law firm Blackfords, who represent the Duke of York, in recent weeks, a source familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

The source said that while Stryk has a history of helping clients with unsavory reputations, the lobbyist 'expressed discomfort' with intervening in Prince Andrew's circumstances, so talks of representation fizzled.

Stryk has represented a number of international figures in sensitive legal and diplomatic issues, though it's unclear what kind of assistance he could have provided to Prince Andrew.

The Duke has been embroiled in a months-long standoff with federal prosecutors in New York who have asked to speak with him as they investigate alleged sex trafficking by Epstein and his associates.

One of the dozens of women allegedly sex trafficked by Epstein, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claims that the financier's 'pimp' Ghislaine Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 in 2001.

Prince Andrew, who has never been charged in the case, denies Giuffre's allegations and insists he was unaware of crimes committed by his longtime friend Epstein.

Lawyers for Prince Andrew (left) reportedly consulted DC lobbyist Robert Stryk (right) about potentially helping the Duke of York handle fallout from his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

Prince Andrew has been embroiled in a months-long standoff with federal prosecutors in New York who have asked to speak with him as they investigate alleged sex trafficking by Epstein and his associates. The Duke is pictured with Epstein in Central Park in 2011

Maxwell was arrested last Thursday in New Hampshire on charges of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions. She has denied all criminal allegations.

It's believed she could be transferred to the same Manhattan lockup where Epstein died by apparent suicide last August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Maxwell's arrest appeared to turn up the heat on Prince Andrew, as prosecutors have repeatedly criticized him publicly for refusing to agree to an interview about the case.

Prince Andrew, through Blackfords, has publicly indicated that he will help US officials in anyway he can and denied prosecutors claims that he's offered 'zero cooperation'.

Blackfords hit back last month by accusing former US attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of making 'inaccurate' statements about their client and suggesting Berman and his colleagues were 'perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered'.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims that Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Prince Andrew at her London townhouse in 2001. The Duke has unequivocally denied Giuffre's allegations, despite a photo (above) appearing to show the three of them together that year

Prince Andrew (left) is pictured with Maxwell (second left) and Epstein (right) in 2000

The Times source indicated that Blackfords began speaking to Stryk behind the scenes of their public spat with prosecutors.

Stryk, a former Republican aide who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Yountville, California, has been one of the top lobbyists in Washington during the Trump administration.

His firm, Sonoran Policy Group, worked as an unpaid adviser to the Trump campaign in the last election and has billed more than $10.5million to foreign clients since the start of 2017.

In recent years the firm has become known for taking on clients that other Washington consultants consider too hot to handle.

Among those clients are a jailed Saudi prince who fell out of favor with his country's powerful de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Earlier this year the firm signed on to represent the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose regime is considered illegitimate by the Trump administration.

Stryk also represents Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of Angola's former president who is accused of embezzling millions of dollars from a state oil company she once helmed.

He also represented the government of former Congolese president Joseph Kabila as it faced US sanctions for corruption and human rights abuses.

Stryk did not immediately return messages from DailyMail.com but declined to comment when approached by the Times about his purported talks with Blackfords.

The law firm and Prince Andrew's representatives also did not immediately return messages from DailyMail.com.
Theatres, museums, galleries and other cultural ventures will get a 1.6billion bailout to stop them going under as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Thousands of venues will be able to seek emergency grants and loans in what ministers say is the biggest ever one-off investment in UK arts.

With no live performances and more than 350,000 staff furloughed, the industry has warned that it will be devastated without cash aid.

A man wearing a face mask is pictured above walking past the London Palladium. With no live performances and more than 350,000 staff furloughed, the industry has warned that it will be devastated without cash aid

Boris Johnson has promised to set out a timetable this week for when mass events can resume, but it is thought theatres, concerts and festivals may have to wait until 2021 to restart.

The UKs cultural industry is the beating heart of this country, he said.

This money will help safeguard the sector for future generations, ensuring arts groups and venues across the UK can stay afloat and support their staff whilst their doors remain closed.

Thousands of venues will be able to seek emergency grants and loans in what ministers say is the biggest ever one-off investment in UK arts

Decisions on sharing out the bailout money will be made by bodies such as the British Film Institute, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.

Last week 1,500 artists including Sir Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran (pictured above) wrote to the Government warning that the music industry faces a bleak future without more aid

Venues will be able to apply for 880million in grants and 270million in loans.

There will be 100million targeted at museums, galleries and heritage sites, 120million to restart infrastructure projects and extra money for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: Our world-renowned galleries, museums, heritage sites, music venues and independent cinemas are not only critical to keeping our economy thriving, employing more than 700,000 people, theyre the lifeblood of British culture. Thats why were giving them the vital cash they need.

Last week 1,500 artists including Sir Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran wrote to the Government warning that the music industry faces a bleak future without more aid.
John Bolton insisted Sunday that Donald Trump needs to learn about history so he can better conduct national security and foreign policy.

The former national security adviser made the comments Sunday morning during an interview with CBS News' Face the Nation when defending his decision to follow the 'Libyan model' when dealing with North Korea.

'I don't think I could be clearer in talking about the Libya model of 2003-2004, we had a clear strategic decision for Muammar Qaddafi to give up Libya's nuclear weapons program, we have never had that from North Korea,' Bolton told host Margaret Brenner.

'One day the president will learn a little history and we'll be better for it,' he added.

Trump and Bolton often clashed on how to deal with foreign leaders, especially North Korea's Kim Jong Un  with whom the president claims to have good rapport.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said Donald Trump need to 'learn a little history' when responding to criticism over his theory of dealing with North Korea's defiance on nuclear weapons

Trump said at the time that Bolton suggesting using the 'Libyan model' on North Korea was 'one of the dumbest things I've ever seen on television'

Bolton, who served in the Trump administration for 17 months and was known as a national security hawk, wanted to have a heavy hand in forcing the authoritarian regime to give up its nuclear weapons, but Trump has not demanded such a commitment.

The president and Bolton often aired their differences in opinion regarding national security and how to engage in foreign affairs, and Trump often points to an April 2018 comment from Bolton where he said the U.S. should pursue the 'Libya model.'

Bolton, who was serving as George W. Bush's 3rd Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairsat the time, is referencing the Bush-era deal to eliminate Libya's weapons of mass destruction program  and Bolton had a key role during initial negotiations with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

While Bolton did oppose the deal, he supported the NATO-led military intervention in the Middle Eastern country that toppled Gaddafi's regime.

Bolton later served as Bush's Ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump told Fox News that Bolton making the comments about the so-called 'Libyan model' was 'one of the dumbest things I've ever seen on television.'

Brennan asked Bolton if that was the moment his relationship with the president was ruined.

'Well, who knows? I guess the president's discontent with me ought to have him asking who hired that guy to begin with? Maybe he's the one who needs to be fired,' Bolton said, referencing that Trump was keen on hiring him in the first place.

Trump continues to claim he fires Bolton while the former national security adviser insists he resigned.

Bolton has launched himself back into media relevance as he released a book last month about his 17 months in Trump's administration.

'The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir' included a plethora of revelations about Trump's thinking and his interaction with world leaders as Bolton accompanied him on several international trips.

Democrats and Republicans have bashed Bolton for releasing the book, claiming he should have revealed that information when the House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Bolton.
A British Falklands War hero was shot dead while protecting his partner during an armed raid on their farm in South Africa.

Former Royal Navy sailor Julian Stobbs, 59, was shot in the head and chest after four robbers broke into his home near Lanseria as he slept on Friday.

His long-term partner Myrtle Clarke, 53, was left unharmed in the attack after the noise of gunshots alerted neighbours and forced the gang to flee the remote Jazz Farm.

The gang had stolen two phones, two laptops and jewellery from the home, before returning for an unknown reason and Mr Stobbs was shot in 'a struggle'.

Despite the efforts of paramedics who rushed to the home, which is 30 miles north of Johannesburg, nothing could be done and Mr Stobbs was declared dead.

The hotelier's son, originally from Keswick, Cumbria, and his partner had lived at the farm - which had been used as a private members and social club - since 1994.

Mr Stobbs and Ms Clarke were known internationally as 'The Dagga Couple' after winning a five-year battle to make the smoking of cannabis legal in South Africa.

Former Royal Navy sailor Julian Stobbs (pictured), 59, was shot in the head and chest after four armed robbers broke into his home near Lanseria in Johannesburg as he slept on Friday

A Neighbourhood Watch response team member said: 'The gang broke into the farm and stole two phones and two laptops and jewellery and other valuables.

'They had left the farm leaving the two alive but for some reason they came back again, perhaps for the woman, and there was a struggle and the man was shot.

'His injuries from the bullets were bad and nothing could be done to save him. The woman was in a very bad state but fortunately had not been hurt' he said.

Head of Community Safety at AfriForum civil rights group Ian Cameron confirmed Mr Stobbs had been shot dead during a robbery at their farm in Lanseria.

He said: 'They stole everything in the house and it seems they left and then they came back again and went into the bedroom and shot and killed the husband'.

The attack on Mr Stobbs marked the first of three farm deaths to take place in South Africa this weekend. Afrikaans singer Wynand Breedt, 45, was killed in Worcester on Friday and pregnant woman Zakiyya Ahmedjan, 26, died after an attack in Weenen last night.

Mr Stobbs served two tours of duty in the Falklands in 1982 and 1983, and as the aircraft traffic controller on board HMS Penelope.

He helped launch and retrieve the Lynx helicopter several times a day for sorties against the Argentinian forces, including one in which it destroyed an enemy fast torpedo boat with a Sea Skua missile.

His long-term partner Myrtle Clarke (pictured with Mr Stobbs) was unharmed in the attack after the noise of gunshots alerted neighbours and forced the gang to flee the remote Jazz Farm

Despite the efforts of paramedics who rushed to the home (pictured: Jazz Farm), which is 30 miles north of Johannesburg, nothing could be done and Mr Stobbs was declared dead

How South Africa has suffered wave of violent killings South Africa has suffered a surge in rapes and killings in recent weeks which president Cyril Ramaphosa has blamed on the easing of lockdown measures, including the end of an alcohol ban. One woman, pregnant 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule, was found stabbed and hanging from a tree in Johannesburg last month in a case which has shocked the country. A 31-year-old man is suspected of the killing. In another case, 34-year-old mother-of-three and former beauty queen Naledi Phangindawo was killed in an axe attack while attending a function in KwaNonqaba. The killer allegedly murdered her after luring her to his house under false pretences. Ramaphosa also highlighted the case of Sanele Mfaba, who was found dead in Soweto with her body dumped under a tree. Other cases reported in local media in recent weeks included an elderly woman who was raped, two young women shot dead in KwaZulu-Natal province, and an Eastern Cape woman who was believed to have been the victim of a mob killing. The president said South Africa had suffered a 'dark and shameful week' after the ban on alcohol sales was lifted. Meanwhile, farmers' lobby group AfriForum says there has been a surge in farm killings since coronavirus lockdown measures were relaxed. Afrikaans singer Wynand Breedt, 45, was shot dead in Western Province as he parked his car on his return to his farmland on Friday night. His body was found beside the vehicle with a gunshot wound to the chest. At another smallholding in KwaZulu-Natal province, a gang of three men armed with knives and balaclavas broke into remote Ayors Farm. Two of the men attacked the husband while the third dragged his heavily pregnant wife Zakiyya Ahmedjan, 26, into a bathroom and slit her throat, killing her and the unborn baby. The husband was rushed to hospital for treatment to serious knife wounds but their two children, aged four and eight, were unharmed. Advertisement

The navy veteran served his country for 12 years before moving to South Africa in 1993 where he fell in love, married a school teacher and bought a farm north of Johannesburg.

A former shipmate who served with Mr Stobbs in the Falklands said: 'He was the life and soul of the ship off-duty but a total professional when we were at battle stations.

'He was in control of the Lynx helicopter was launched often several times every day to attack the Argentinian forces and he was responsible for its safety at all times on deck and when in the air.

'It is a total shock to hear of his murder but no surprise he died bravely' he said.

Mr Stobbs and Ms Clarke were known internationally as 'The Dagga Couple' after winning a five-year battle to make the smoking of cannabis legal in South Africa.

The couple were busted in a police raid at their six-acre farm in 2010, which was run as a private members club and 'hippy retreat' where cannabis was openly smoked.

Despite a five-hour search in which Ms Clarke was strip searched three times and Mr Stobbs was held at gunpoint, officers could not find a 'superweed drug lab' they claimed existed.

But they did find a quarter pound of cannabis - known as 'dagga' in South Africa - and charged them with drug dealing.

But the retired air traffic controller and his partner, who faced a 10-year prison sentence, refused to plead guilty and accept a lenient sentence offered by cops.

Instead they set up a non-profit making organisation called 'Fields of Green for All' to fight through the courts to make the personal use of cannabis legal.

The high-profile case was launched in 2013 and ended in 2018 with the law being changed to decriminalise the use, growing and possession of cannabis for personal use.

It was dubbed 'The Trial of the Plant' and made the couple household names. Their private club at Jazz Farm became well known for its cannabis bashes.

Mr Stobbs and Ms Clarke's Facebook page said: 'During the early hours of Friday, July 3, an armed robbery took place at the property of Jules Stobbs and Myrtle Clarke.

'The attackers entered the couple's bedroom and shot and fatally wounded Jules Stobbs. Myrtle was physically left unharmed and the attackers made off with two cell phones and two laptops.

'The Cannabis community is mourning the passing of our hero. The family is requesting that the public respect their privacy and allow Myrtle some space during this difficult time.

'Thank you for the outpouring of love we have already received' it said.

When Mr Stobbs - known as Jules - left the Royal Navy in 1990 he travelled to Tokyo, Japan and played jazz on his guitar outside nightclubs.

He made enough money to fly to South Africa in 1993, where he met and fell in love with Ms Clarke and used his busking money to buy Jazz Farm outright.

The gang had stolen two phones, two laptops and jewellery from the home, before returning for an unknown reason and Mr Stobbs was shot in 'a struggle'

Mr Stobbs (pictured) and Ms Clarke were known internationally as 'The Dagga Couple' after winning a five-year battle to make the smoking of cannabis legal in South Africa

The navy veteran served his country for 12 years before moving to South Africa in 1993 where he fell in love, married a school teacher and bought a farm north of Johannesburg

They turned it into what locals called a 'hippy commune', with live music, parties and a 'sweat lodge' for large groups to 'detox in' at regular events.

The couple also became involved in the South African TV and film industry, working on the local version of Big Brother and on the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda.

Both became art directors known as a 'greensman' which was providing foliage both real and artificial such as plants, trees, flowers and vines for film sets.

Then came their arrest in 2010 and their subsequent campaign to legalise personal 'dagga' use which went global with funds pouring in from around the world.

In 2017, the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town ruled that prohibiting the use and possession of cannabis in private was against the nation's constitution.

The State appealed, but in 2018 Mr Stobbs - who had been arrested eight years earlier as a drug dealer - won his case when the Constitutional Court upheld the ruling.

Neither he or Ms Clarke were ever convicted after arguing their arrests were illegal.

After the court battle, the smoking of cannabis for personal use was made fully legal in South Africa.

Fellow activist Gareth Prince said: 'The murder of Julian is a huge loss to us all and I understand Myrtle is distraught and wants time alone to mourn his death.

'He will be remembered by so many people and is now a legend.'

The couple believed the use of cannabis and cannabis oil had a medicinal effect on users and that it should be legal to cultivate it and use it.

Ms Clarke said after the drugs raid on their home in 2010: 'We had a very heavy handed visit from the South African police acting on a tip off searching for a "drug lab".

'What they found was a quiet middle aged couple in their pyjamas with some "dagga" and we were arrested after a five-hour ordeal in our kitchen.'

Mr Stobbs added: 'I found myself with a revolver in my cheek and the more we thought about it the more we realised it was a gross invasion of our privacy.

'We were so indignant at our treatment at the hand of the police that we then sued seven government departments on charges of enacting unlawful laws.

'We have been full time drug policy activists since 2011 travelling nationally and internationally to give a voice to society's concerns around drug policy reform'

South African cannabis activist and businessman Tony Budden said: 'This really is a tragedy for the cannabis culture in South Africa and is desperately sad.

'Jules worked tirelessly to bring awareness about the plant and its potential to the fore in order to create an open industry that benefitted all South Africans.

On Friday night in Worcester, Western Province, Afrikaans singer Wynand Breedt, 45, was shot dead when he arrived back at his farm at 10.30pm as he parked his car

'We will use Jules' passing to inspire us and to work even harder to see that his dreams don't die and that his work on cannabis will continue through Myrtle.

'We will pick up his sword and make sure South Africa sees the 'fields of green for all' that he envisioned and as a community we will work towards that'.

South African Police were unavailable to comment on the death.

South Africa suffers some 21,000 murders a year - which averages out at 58 a day - but activists claim the authorities turn a blind eye to attacks on white farmers.

The latest figures on farm attacks in the country from the South African Police Service state in 2017 there were 357 carried out with 74 farmers murdered.

Civil rights group AfriForum claim last year there were 552 farm attacks and 57 murders and say that the violence carried out is so violent it is unreportable.

Mr Cameron of Africa Forum added: 'The figures for this year show 156 farm attacks so far and 23 murders but during the Covid-19 lockdown the attacks stopped.

'Since we have gone down to Level 3 and with the reopening of the country it has become like open season on the farmers again and the attacks are flooding in' he said.

The attack on Mr Stobbs marked the first of three farm deaths to take place in South Africa this weekend.

Chris Pappas, the Democratic Alliance spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development for KZN province, said: 'We are shocked and appalled at these brutal murders.

'The brutality of farm attacks as well as the vulnerability of farming and rural citizens should be a top priority for the Government however true to form they deny or ignore it is happening

'Why does the President of the country remain silent and continue to deny farm murders are happening.

'And why have these attacks and murders not been classified as hate crimes" he said.
New York Police Department has released shocking footage of a gunman shooting dead a man in broad daylight in Brooklyn, then wandering away.

Rodney Harrison, chief of detectives for NYPD, published footage of the shooting on Friday.

In the clip, filmed on Thursday, a man casually walks through the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, seeming to have his hands in his pockets.

NYPD have released footage of a man in a gray t-shirt gunning down Deondraye Moore, 20

The second man, in white shirt and shorts, watches the grey-shirted man then leaves with him

A second man in a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts walks behind him.

The first man, in a gray polo shirt and jeans, pulls out a gun and fires.

The two men then turn and walk away.

The incident happened at 6:45pm on the corner of New Lots Avenue and Mother Gaston Blvd.

Deondraye Moore, 20, was shot in the head just as he was about to step into his gated Plaza Residences building, police said.

Shaquana Fields, 36, was shot in the chest and arm as she stepped out of a nearby store.

Both victims were rushed to Brookdale Hospital where Moore died of his wounds.

Fields, believed to be an innocent bystander, was expected to survive.

'I'm still trying to wrap my head around it,' said Derrick Moore, the dead man's father.

'I'm shocked.'

Moore said he spoke to his son just a week ago. The two talked about his burgeoning music career and how Deondraye wanted to do a duet with his father.

Deondraye Moore was shot in the head just as he was about to step into his gated residence

'He wanted me to sing and he would rap,' Moore told the New York Daily News.

'I said "I'll think about it."

'I don't like rap, but I support him.'

New York City is seeing a surge in violence, with the bloodiest June in almost 25 years.

There were 205 shooting incidents in New York City during the month of June alone, according to the NYPD.

'We have to go back to June of 1996 to get a worse start for June,' said Michael LiPetri, chief of crime control strategies. In June 1996 there were 236 shootings recorded.

'That is a telling stat.'

Moore died in Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn on Thursday evening after the 6:45pm shooting

New York City has seen more than 500 shootings so far this year.

Between June 19 and 27, 83 shootings happened, injuring or killing 112 people.

NYPD Chief of Department Terry Monahan said while other crimes are down, violent crimes and shootings are up.

'Shootings have been up in the month of June,' he said on June 22, adding that there were a number of reasons for the increase including bail reform, the George Floyd protests and the animosity toward police officers.

'If you listen to the city council, they want less policing,' he said. 'They want to defund the police, but as I look out there right now with the violence going on, it's not a good sign.

'We need some clarity from the city council and from the communities we serve, exactly how they want to be policed.'
Holidaymakers hoping to take advantage of long-awaited air bridge plans are facing a 'maze' of red tape after it emerged that fewer than half of the approved destinations allow travel without any restrictions.

On Friday, the Government finally announced that travellers would be able to visit 59 countries without having to quarantine for two weeks in the UK upon return.

These include popular holiday destinations such as Spain, France and Italy, but analysis reveals that the plans  last week branded 'utterly shambolic' by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon  are likely to confuse travellers further, as only 25 countries allow travel without any restrictions.

The remaining countries named as part of the Department for Transport's (DfT) 'travel corridors' list place a varied range of stipulations  from quarantine measures to outright bans on UK visitors.

On Friday, the Government said travellers would be able to visit 59 countries without having to quarantine for two weeks in the UK upon return. Pictured, Gatwick Airport on June 15

But only 25 countries allow travel without any restrictions. Above, a guide to the travel restrictions that are being enforced by some countries

To add to the confusion for holidaymakers, the Foreign Office has published its own list of 67 countries where advice against 'all but essential travel' no longer applies.

Countries such as Australia appear on both lists, despite the country's borders being all but closed to anyone who is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

On Sunday Paul Charles, a travel consultant behind The PC Agency which led the Quash Quarantine campaign, said the messages were 'utterly confusing.'

He added: 'It's great that progress has been made in removing the blanket quarantine and showing which countries it is possible to visit, but for the consumer it is a complete maze at the moment.

'It's significantly complex. The consumer is unlikely to do all of the research needed. They just want to know where they can go to.

'Further confusion has been created by the two separate lists. Plus, the fact you have to check with the country you intend to visit that there aren't extra restrictions.

Measures UK holidaymakers will face when they land abroad Britons can travel to 73 destinations - including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Malta and Barbados - with no mandatory quarantine upon returning to England from July 10. The government's official website does not immediately specify whether the countries on the list will reciprocate the quarantine-free arrangements. It instead urges travellers to check the individual rules for arrivals to their destination as measures will differ from country to country with some enacting a ban on arrivals from Britain all together. Here is a breakdown of holiday destinations and what rules they have in place for arrivals from the UK... Andorra: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Antigua and Barbuda: Travellers without dual-nationality and who have a particular travel history will not be allowed to enter Aruba: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Australia: UK arrivals must quarantine for 14 days Austria: UK arrivals must quarantine for 14 days unless a test proves they are negative Bahamas: Arrivals must be able to show they have tested negative for coronavirus or they will not be able to enter Barbados: Arrivals from Britain must remain quarantined as they await coronavirus test results (a test is compulsory) Belgium: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba: Borders are shut meaning no-one can enter the country Croatia: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Curacao: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Cyprus: A ban is in place on anyone who has travelled to the UK in the last 14 days Czech Republic: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Denmark: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Dominica: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Faroe Islands: Anyone arriving from the UK will be given a Covid-19 test when they arrive Fiji: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Finland: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Guadeloupe: Arrivals will be screened and may need to quarantine Hong Kong: Arrivals from Britain could be made to quarantine for 14-days Hungary: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Iceland: Arrivals can choose to be tested - which they must pay for - or self-isolate for 14 days. Children do not need to do either Italy: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Jamaica: All arrivals are tested for coronavirus. Those with positive results will be isolated Japan: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Liechtenstein: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Lithuania: Arrivals from Britain must quarantine for 14 days Luxembourg: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Macau: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Malta: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Mauritius: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Monaco: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Netherlands: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain New Caledonia: Travel certificate must be completed - limited flights New Zealand: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Norway: No entry at all for arrivals from Britain Poland: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain San Marino: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Seychelles: No commercial flights South Korea: Arrivals must be tested and quarantine for 14 days St Barthelemy: Travel certificate St Kitts and Nevis: Borders are closed St Lucia: Borders are closed St Pierre & Miquelon: Travel certificate Spain: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Taiwan: Arrivals from Britain must quarantine for 14 days Trinidad and Tobago: Borders are closed Turkey: Arrivals from Britain will be tested when they land Vatican city: Quarantine-free travel for arrivals from Britain Vietnam: Arrivals from Britain must quarantine for 14 days at least Advertisement

'The Government needs to produce a list or map of where you can go  without inbound or outbound restrictions  as of now. That would be the most sensible option.'

Despite the Foreign Office granting travel to the Cayman Islands, all airports at the destination are closed to international flights 'until further notice'.

New Zealand is named on the DfT's approved list, but official advice says the country is closed 'to almost all arrivals.'

On arrival in Austria, visitors will have to hand over a negative coronavirus test taken within the previous four days or self-isolate for two weeks.

Passengers in protective masks wait for their flight at the Larnaca International Airport after reopening, Larnaca, Cyprus

Passengers getting ready to check in at Arlanda airport in Stockholm, Sweden

Noel Josephides, the chairman of Sunvil, which runs breaks in Greece and Cyprus, said the two differing sets of advice were 'very odd'.

'It is highly confusing for travellers,' he told The Sunday Times.

'It's as though Government departments don't actually speak to each other. All we want is one list.'

A DfT source last night said the making of one list was under 'active consideration'.

Jetting off: Dame Helen Mirren wore a mask and goggles on an airplane as she took advantage of the easing of air restrictions to fly off at the weekend

Travellers hoping to rely on the DfT guidance are also urged to check the latest FCO advice to see whether self-isolation measures are in place for their outbound journey.

It came as holidaymakers were warned that their flights could be cancelled because of the continuing uncertainty.

Airlines are said to be planning their services 'hand to mouth' because of confusion over regulations, plunging travel plans into chaos.

Airlines expert John Strickland, director of JLS Consulting, told The Mail on Sunday: '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.'
Qantas has launched discount flights in the hope of getting people back on planes following months of lockdown during the coronavirus crisis.

Routes between Sydney and Brisbane, Hamilton Island and the Sunshine Coast have been slashed, as have fares to South Australia and rural New South Wales.

In total, 77 domestic routes will be discounted.

A one way flight between Sydney and the Gold Coast has been reduced to $109, while travellers can snap up a trip from Sydney to Hobart for $149.

Qantas has launched a flight deal to help resurrect the aviation industry following months of interstate lockdowns amid the coronavirus crisis. Pictured: Staff walking through Sydney airport on June 19

The Love Australia sale comes after Virgin Australia launched its own resurrection sale after the airline was saved from collapse last week.

Qantas-owned Jetstar also launched a 200,000 seat sale to coincide with the reopening of most borders across Australia in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Residents in most states will be able to travel freely from July onwards, though Victorians have been largely left out of any deals due to a recent spike in cases.

Would-be travellers will need to be quick to snap up a bargain, though. The sale will end on Friday, July 10.

Other routes included in the sale include:

Sydney to Hamilton Island: $179

Brisbane to Fraser Coast: $109

Sydney to Darwin: $219

Sunshine Coast to Sydney: $129

Hobart to Melbourne: $125

Sydney to Ballina (Byron): $129

Sydney to Wagga Wagga: $129

Fares are available for use throughout August, September and October - including the September school holiday period.

A one way flight between Sydney and the Gold Coast (pictured: Women coming out of the surf on a Gold Coast beach) has been reduced to $109

Qantas will also allow customers to change the date of their flight once without incurring a change of date fee.

Stephanie Tully, who works as Qantas' chief customer officer, explained the sale was part of an ongoing effort to revive the sector, which was devastated by COVID-19.

Qantas is facing the prospect of laying off 6,000 of its 29,000 staff following the crisis.

'The response we saw to the recent sales exceeded our expectations and showed just how much demand there is for people to get on an aircraft and get away,' Ms Tully said.

'We expect this sale will help stimulate demand even more and encourage Australians to go on holidays and visit family and friends while also helping get more of our people back working again.'

To see more deals, visit the Qantas website.
A former chief prosecutor has urged Scotland Yard to investigate Dominic Cummings' trip from London to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.

Lawyers for Nazir Afzal, former chief prosecutor for the North West, have written three letters to Met commissioner Cressida Dick, Durham Police chief constable Jo Farrell and director of public prosecutions Max Hill QC calling for a 'thorough investigation' into the 264-mile journey made by the prime minister's chief adviser on March 27.

The letters describe the investigation carried out by Durham Police as 'short, narrow and limited,' and call on the Metropolitan Police to engage in their own investigation.

The three-day investigation found that Mr Cummings had probably breached regulations when he took a 52-mile round trip to Barnard Castle with his wife and son. The force decided no further action would be taken, however.

Lawyers for Nazir Afzal (pictured), former chief prosecutor for the North West, have written three letters to Met commissioner Cressida Dick, Durham Police chief constable Jo Farrell and director of public prosecutions Max Hill QC

Mr Afzal, whose brother Umar died from the virus on April 8 while isolating at home, said he was concerned police and prosecutors had not received all relevant information about the case so their decision-making would be incomplete.

He said he has found new information that 'reflected poorly' on the people who had considered the allegations so far, and that public confidence in the law had been damaged by the affair.

'I am concerned that the police and prosecutors have not received all relevant information and that their decision making will be incomplete as a result,' Mr Afzal said in a statement posted to Twitter.

'I am troubled that previous correspondence from people including MPs has gone unanswered. Public confidence is damaged as a consequence.

'We have already had new information from reliable sources that reflect poorly on everybody who has considered the allegations thus far, including the likelihood that there are other relevant events.'

In a letter to Met commissioner Cressida Dick, Mr Afzal's lawyers argued the 'continuing pressing public imperative to ensure strict compliance' with advice about the coronavirus crisis 'makes this matter urgent.'

'I am concerned that the police and prosecutors have not received all relevant information and that their decision making will be incomplete as a result,' Mr Afzal said in a statement posted to Twitter

The Durham police investigation found that Dominic Cummings (pictured) had probably breached regulations when he took a 52-mile round trip to Barnard Castle with his wife and son

They also noted the three-day investigation by Durham Police only took in Mr Cummings' movements in County Durham and did not consider why he left London, the Guardian reported.

His wife Mary Wakefield had been displaying symptoms of the virus at the time.

'The apparent wrongdoing included actions in London, including Mr Cummings leaving his home without reasonable excuse on 27 March,' the letter says.

The note to Max Hill, written by Hodge Jones & Allen, added: 'We emphasise on behalf of Mr Afzal that it would be misconceived for the police or the Crown Prosecution Service to approach Mr Cummings conduct as if it were insufficiently serious to warrant prosecution at this stage.

'The seriousness of Mr Cummings wrongdoing is an assessment for prosecutors to make, once they have been given the relevant evidence by police and other investigators.'

The letters each had a nine-page annex explaining what is currently known about Mr Cummings' movement during the lockdown, alongside detailing the measures at the time.

All three recipients have been given a 14-day timeframe in which to respond.

A spokeswoman for Number 10 told the Guardian it would not comment on the letters. A CPS spokesman added: 'It is not the function of the CPS to investigate allegations of crime. Investigations into alleged criminal conduct are a matter for the relevant police force.'
Huawei technology will be axed from Britains 5G network after an intelligence report warned that the security risks surrounding the Chinese telecoms giant are too severe.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has concluded that Huaweis products are not secure after the US issued new sanctions against the firm, which will make its microchips unsafe.

The Daily Mail can reveal that intelligence chiefs have also warned that they can only guarantee the security of the 5G mobile phone network from Chinese spying for seven years.

Huawei technology will be dumped from Britain's 5G network due to fears over security risks

Ministers are expected to be asked to approve the ban on the purchase of any new Huawei kit by the end of this year in a dramatic U-turn, according to The Mail on Sunday.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who has received the NCSC report, is also planning to recommend that Huawei technology is stripped out of all Britains telecom networks, possibly by the end of 2029.

The Government is facing a rebellion from more than 60 Tory MPs who have signalled that they will vote against including Huawei in the telecoms security bill.

The NCSC review was launched after US sanctions outlawed any US patented technology used in the firms microchips.

Intelligence officials believe this will render them unsafe because Asian alternatives  considered less trustworthy  will have to be used instead.

The National Cyber Security revealed that Huaweis products are not secure after the US issued new sanctions against the firm, meaning its microchips are unsafe

A security source told The Sunday Times: Huawei is in a position without any easy fixes or loopholes. This fundamentally changes the calculation.

The impacts are so severe that, given the need to give clarity to industry, there will be a decision taken and Parliament will be notified this month.

The NCSC  part of GCHQ, the Governments intelligence and security organisation  has long-standing concerns that after seven years they may not be able to minimise the security risks of using Huawei equipment.

Spy chiefs blamed uncertainty over fast-evolving technologies.

A source privy to a conversation among spy chiefs about the seven-year time limit told the Mail: They can only guarantee the security of the network for seven years.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the Government wanted to be confident the network was secure when it made a decision about Huawei.

In an article for the Financial Times, former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers wrote: There are now sound technical reasons for the UK to change Januarys decision, which would have allowed Huawei to have an up to 35 per cent stake in the UKs 5G market, and exclude the company instead.

Intelligence chiefs at NCSC  part of GCHQ, has long-standing concerns that they may not be able to minimise the security risks surrounding Huawei after seven years

He said the US sanctions meant that UK intelligence services can no longer provide assurances that Chinese equipment is safe to use in the UKs network.

US officials have warned repeatedly that they believe Huawei could be used as a backdoor for spying by the Chinese state.

Huawei hit back yesterday. Spokesman Paul Harrison accused the UK of allowing President Donald Trump to dictate its policy.

And Victor Zhang, vice-president of Huawei, said: All our products and solutions use technology and components over which the UK government has strict oversight. Our technology is already extensively used in 5G networks across the country
American Girl said it is 'disgusted' by an online advertisement parody that features a gun-wielding Walmart shopper dubbed 'Karen' who refuses to wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic.

The parody features an American Girl doll altered to wear a purple track suit, hold a semi-automatic handgun and appears to be in a Walmart store without a face mask.

'Meet Karen,' the fake image reads. 'She's an independent thinker who refuses to wear a mask in public places!'

The image was shared to Facebook by Adam the Creator and quickly picked up steam across social media.

An American Girl parody advertisement shared to social media shows a doll carrying a handgun and refusing to wear a face mask

The name 'Karen' has been used to describe entitled middle-aged white women in modern slang, but can apply to people who use their privilege to exert power in oftentimes unnecessary instances.

The pop culture phrase has skyrocketed in recent months after several 'Karen' incidents were shared online, including one incident when Amy Cooper of New York City falsely reported to police that a black man was attacking her in Central Park after he asked that she leash her dog.

In this case, the term 'Karen' has been used as a catch-all moniker to target a number of Americans who now refuse to wear face masks in public during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cooper was filmed falsely telling police that Cooper, who is not related to her, was threatening her life after he told her to leash her dog

A woman dubbed 'Costco Karen' was recorded throwing a tantrum and sitting on the floor because she refused to wear a face mask inside

Several such instances have cropped up in recent weeks as the public health measure became politicized amid a particularly divisive time in the United States.

One such incident involved a white woman dubbed 'Costco Karen,' who threw a tantrum and sat on the floor of a Oregon-area store because she was asked to wear a face mask per store protocol in June.

As of Sunday, the United States has recorded 2,839,917 coronavirus cases and 129,676 deaths.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention 'recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who dont live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.'

Several companies have required staffers and shopper to wear the protective measure while inside store locations.

The parody advertisement continued to circulate across social media, but got American Girl's attention after a Twitter user became confused by the image.

'I saw a post of an American Girl doll, Karen, who refuses to wear a mask and carries a gun as disgusting. Is this what we want to teach our children?' the user asked.

American Girl said that it was 'equally disgusted' by the altered image in a Twitter post last Wednesday

The company also said was ensuring that the 'copyright violation is handled appropriately'

American Girl has shared images and YouTube videos encouraging customers to wear recommended masks during the pandemic

American Girl responded some hours later to condemn the altered image and assured they were aware of it.

'Donna, we were equally disgusted with this post. Please be assured we are taking the appropriate steps to ensure this is removed,' the company wrote on July 1.

On Sunday, the brand added that the incident has evolved into a copyright violation and is being looked into.

Unlike the advertisement, American Girl has already vocalized support for following recommended public health safety measures.

The company shared an image of a face mask-wearing American Girl doll on June 24, as well as published a YouTube tutorial in May explaining how to create a DIY face mask for the dolls.

The official 2020 American Girl of The Year is a new doll named Joss Kenderick, an avid surfer who was born with partial hearing loss.
She's never at a loss for words when it comes to speaking out about politics, social issues, civil liberties and, of course, her large breast size.

And in celebration of America's Independence Day, Chelsea Handler lived up to that reputation by flaunting her ample assets, along with her right to legally smoke marijuana, on Instagram.

The comedian, 45, posted a series of July 4th photos and videos of herself in celebratory mode, smoking a joint, while floating in a pool dressed in a cannabis bikini.

Festive: Chelsea handler, 45, celebrated America's Independence Day by sharing videos and photos of herself in a marijuana leaf bikini while smoking a joint

'Happy #4thOfJuly!' she said to her 3.9 million followers and fans in the caption of the first photo showing her with her arms stretched out seemingly in a festive mood.

'You know what would be a super patriotic thing to do @gewhitmer?' she added in a direct message to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer: '#FreeMichaelThompson'

Back in the 1990s, Michael Thompson was arrested for dealing marijuana to an informant and is still serving a sentence of up to 60-years.

His conviction also included illegal possession of a firearm as a felony offender, for guns found at his home during a warranted search, not on his person or in his car during the botched drug deal.

Thompson was most recently denied clemency two years ago by then-Governor Rick Snyder, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Using her voice: The former Chelsea Lately host also used the post to urge Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to #FreeMichaelThompson, a man serving up to 60 years in prison for charges that includes dealing marijuana to an informant in the 1990s

Gratitude: The comedian also shared a video where she thanked the person for sending her the weed-inspired swimsuit

Let's be clear: Handler made sure to distinguish that she was smoking a joint, not a cigarette

Lightening things up as she smoked a joint in a short video, the former Chelsea Lately host thanked the person who sent her the 'beautiful marijuana leaf bathing suit.'

In an effort to make sure people didn't have the wrong idea she wrote: 'I do not smoke cigarettes. This is a joint,' just under the clip.

It's at this point that she told the bikini makers that the largest size they have is never going to fit her.

'So while it's nice to receive gifts, I can't wear this out because I don't want my breasts [out],' the New Jersey native said.

'You have to understand that I'm dealing with two giant cannonballs. So whatever they have; whatever their biggest size is; if it's a D-plus or a K, double that.

Step it up: During her rant she made light of her large breasts and told the bikini makers that the largest size they have is never going to fit her

Bursting out: The comedian flaunted her cleavage a number of times in the video

Her breakout gig: Handler is best-known for hosting the late night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! network from 2007 to 2015

To prove her large breast size, Handler shared a boomerang video of herself shaking her cleavage from side to side while still laying in her small water raft.

She also shared a photo of her beloved four-legged family member, Bernice, lounging in the raft in the pool.

Handler is best-known for hosting the late night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! network from 2007 to 2015 and her Netflix talk show Chelsea between 2016-2017.

Recreational marijuana is legalized in 11 states that includes California, Michigan, Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, along with the District Of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

The medicinal use of cannabis is now legal in 33 states, the District Of Columbia and four out of the five permanently inhabited U.S territories.

Working it: To prove her large breast size, Handler shared a boomerang video of herself shaking her cleavage from side to side while still laying in her small water raft

The daughter: Handler also shared an adorable snap of her pet pooch, Bernice, in the raft
White Lines stars Laura Haddock, 34, and Tom Rhys Harries, 28, are dating according to reports.

Sources claim the pair sparked up a romance during filming for the Netflix drama, which told a sordid tale of drugs and murder on the island of Ibiza.

The relationship comes following Laura's split from her husband Sam Claflin in August 2019 following six years of marriage.

Surprise! White Lines stars Laura Haddock, 34, (left) and Tom Rhys Harries, 28, (right) are dating, it has been reported, after the pair played siblings on-screen

A source told The Sun On Sunday: 'The couple have been spending a lot of time together in London and are really loved-up.

'They've been hanging out a lot and are keen to shoot another series together.

'She's introduced Tom to all her friends and sees a future with him despite being seven years older.'

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Laura Harrier and Tom Rhys Harries for comment.

Gorgeous: Sources claim the pair sparked up a romance during filming for the Netflix drama, and Laura (pictured February 2019) has reportedly introduced Tom to her friends

In the series, Laura plays mother-of-two Zoe who travels to Ibiza to discover the truth about the death of her brother Axel, played by Tom, and discovers some of the darker truths to the notorious party island.

Laura was previously married to The Hunger Games star Sam and they share son Pip, four, and daughter Margot, two, but they split in August 2019 after six years of marriage.

Sam wrote on Instagram: 'Laura and I have decided to legally separate. We will move forward with nothing but love, friendship and a deep respect for one another whilst we continue to raise our family together.

'We won't be commenting on this further. Thank you in advance for your support and respecting our privacy at this time. Both of us x'

Over: Laura was previously married to The Hunger Games star Sam and they share son Pip, four, and daughter Margot, two, but they split in August 2019 after six years of marriage

The couple first met back in 2011 at an audition and claimed it was love at first sight, with the Peaky Blinders star declaring he knew he wanted to marry 'perfect' Laura the moment he clapped eyes on her.

They wed in 2013 after two years together and Sam described getting married as 'easily one of the greatest achievements'.

Sam previously admitted that he currently likes 'anything that distracts' him from his everyday life, as he discussed his career with the Radio Times.

He explained: 'I love the characters and the world that Im not that familiar with. I enjoy anything that distracts me from my own life at the moment, and gives me an insight into how the other half live.'
Alessandra Ambrosio was born and raised in Erechim,Brazil, which is in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

But on Saturday the former supermodel, 39, showed her love for her adopted home in the U.S. by celebrating Independence Day with family and friends.

The group got to enjoy the spoils of her successful modeling career, and another warm and sunny Southern California day, at the oceanside social club, SoHo House, in Malibu.

Celebratory: Brazilian-born supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio celebrated America's Independence Day at a social club in Malibu with family and friends

With her eight-year-old son Noah by her side, the one-time Victoria's Secret catwalk queen was all about flaunting her legs in a navy blue ensemble that was cinched in at the waist with a colorful scarf.

She also donned a pair of white open-toe sandals, stylish sunglasses and tied a white sweater around her neck, just in case it got chilly later in the day.

On this day she wore her brown tresses long but styled back off her face.

Safety first: The former Victoria's Secret catwalk queen and her group were wearing protective masks or about to put them on during their walk to Soho House, along Pacific Coast Highway

Family matters: The mother of two arrived with her son Noah, eight, by her side; it appears her daughter Anja, 11, did not attend this particular holiday excursion

In adherence to COVID-19 safety regulations, Ambrosio and the rest of her group were either wearing protective masks or about to put them on during their walk to the establishment.

Before entering the members only social club, set along Pacific Coast Highway, everyone had to stop at the door to have their temperatures checked.

Once they were all cleared they went inside to enjoy the food, drinks, conversation and the gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean.

Also known as Little Beach House Malibu, management is boasting new rules on its website, such as masks and social distancing requirements, in order to partake in the club in this post coronavirus world.

Leggy: The former top earning model was all about flaunting her legs in a navy blue ensemble that was cinched in at the waist with a colorful scarf

Sometime the early afternoon, Ambrosio took to her Instagram Story and shared a July 4th celebrator snap of herself dressed in Daisy Dukes and a striped bikini top.

For the image, she stretched her arms out wide and flashed a big beaming smile in front of America's red, white and blue stars and stripes.

Ambrosio has been been trying to make the best of the coronavirus lockdown by spending quality time with with her beau, Nicolo Oddi, son Noah, and 11-year-old daughter Anja, who are both the result of her previous relationship with former fiance Jamie Mazur.

Showing her colors: The former supermodel rocked Daisy Dukes, a bikini top and heels in a photo celebrating the July 4th holiday

Say cheese: Ambrosio and her son Noah posed with friend and famed photographer Stewart Shining during their celebration at SoHo House
Big Brother Australia star Daniel Gorringe made a shock announcement to his girlfriend Ana Cannon during an emotional phone call on Sunday's episode.

During the brief exchange during the special COVID-19 lockdown episode, Daniel told Ana of his desire to make her his wife.

'I want to marry you. I want you for my whole life. I want you forever and ever and ever- for every single day,' the former AFL player, 27, said in the diary room.

Scroll down for video

'I want to marry you!' Big Brother star Daniel Gorringe, 27, made a shock announcement to girlfriend Ana Cannon during Sunday's nights COVID-19 lockdown episode

In a series first for Australia, Big Brother production was halted for three days as the crew abandoned the set after a COVID-19 scare was being accessed.

The remaining nine housemates, including Dan, were given the opportunity to speak with their loved ones during a short phone call.

'I can't wait to come home and give you a big kiss and a hug - I love you so much,' Daniel began his phone call.

However things soon escalated, as he said: 'Trust me. I want you. I want all of you. I want to marry you. I want you for my whole life. I want you forever and ever and ever for every single day.'

'I want you forever and ever and ever for every single day': During the brief exchange, Daniel told Ana (right) of his desire to make her his wife when he leaves the show

Daniel also expressed his desire to buy a big property and a golden retriever to live their happy life together on the outside.

Ana responded: 'We're going to be in a bloody recession [after COVID-19], so how about you just focus on winning Big Brother, because now we need $250,000.'

Daniel previously professed his love for on-again-off-again girlfriend Ana in a tearful video-call reunion last week on the show.

Big Brother Australia first! Housemates (PICTURED) were put on COVID-19 lockdown for THREE DAYS on Sunday's episode as they were allowed to speak to their loved ones

He later reconciled with Ana in April after filming ended.

'We broke up because I wasn't mature enough,' Daniel said on the show. 'It's so scary to lose the thing you love the most, and not to know if it will ever come back.'

When he entered the Big Brother house, Daniel told host Sonia Kruger: 'I am single, but there's somebody on the outside that I want to try and get back with.'

Wedding bells? Big Brother star Daniel (left) hinted at plans to propose to his girlfriend Ana Cannon (right) after the live finale this month

'I want to be with her forever': The former AFL player, 27, told Big Brother in the diary room that he couldn't picture a future without Ana and missed her terribly

Daily Mail Australia understands that he and Ana reunited as soon as he returned home to Victoria once filming wrapped in April.

The couple are believed to have first started dating in early 2019.

He told WHO magazine last week: 'I think first and foremost we get through the Big Brother experience together and once we've come out the end of that, then we'll reassess. But for me, she's definitely the one I want to be with forever.'

Front-runner: Daniel has long been the bookies' favourite to take out the title. The winner will be decided in a public vote during the live finale in July

There are now only nine housemates left vying for the $250,000 cash prize.

Daniel has long been the bookies' favourite to take out the title. The winner will be decided in a public vote during the live finale next month when there are three contestants left.

Big Brother Australia continues Monday at 7:30pm on Channel Seven
Big Brother Australia lovebirds Sophie Budack and Chad Hurst's relationship only appears to be getting stronger during their time in the house.

And on Sunday's episode, international model Chad invited 'girlfriend' Sophie to move in with him after the show.

Fearing she couldn't return to see her mother or study abroad in the Netherlands amid Europe's COVID-19 outbreak, Chad offered his home to the former gymnast.

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What a gentleman! Big Brother star Chad Hurst (pictured) invited Sophie Budack to live with him after she received troubling news from her mother in the Netherlands during Sunday's COVID-19 lockdown episode

In a series first for Australia, Big Brother production was halted for three days as the crew abandoned the set after a COVID-19 scare was being accessed.

The remaining nine housemates were given the importunity to speak with their loved ones, as Sophie chose to call her mother - who resides in the Netherlands.

Sophie, who had been living and studying abroad in Europe before appearing on Big Brother, was told things were not looking good.

'I'm not going to be able to come back until everything is done with,' Sophie said, returning to the backyard visibly upset.

'I'm not going to be able to come back': Sophie, who had been living and studying abroad in Europe before appearing on Big Brother, was told things were not looking good in the Netherlands by her mother, Kara

'You've got a spot at my joint if you get stuck': Chad appears to offer Sophie a place to stay if she struggled after leaving Big Brother amid the COVID-19 crisis

'No one is working, no one is going to school or university... I can't go back,' she told Chad and Mat Garrick.

Chad then responded: 'Alright, you've got a spot at my joint if you get stuck.'

'Knowing what's going on with my mum and my sister, I'm so stressed. But having Chad, I'm so thankful,' Sophie told Big Brother.

'Having Chad, I'm so thankful': Chad helped cheer Sophie up as she heard her mother and sister were in complete lockdown in Europe during an emotional phone call

Sophie has previously denied claims that her connection with Chad was a 'showmance' orchestrated by producers.

The 25-year-old told New Idea last month: 'The feelings are definitely genuine!'

Male model Chad, 27, struck up a romantic bond with Sophie after they entered the house as latecomers in the second episode.

Genuine: Big Brother contestant Sophie (right) denied rumours she was in a 'showmance' with model Chad (left) last month

Despite rumours their romance had fizzled out after filming the show, Sophie insisted they were as close as ever.

She confirmed they were living in separate states, but said they were still speaking on the phone every day.

They've even made plans to live together in Sydney after the coronavirus pandemic ends, she added.

TV romance: They have previously been filmed cuddling and kissing on the show, and last week Sophie was busted falling out of their bed topless

Separation makes the heart grow fonder? Sophie hopes to relocate from Darwin to live with Chad in Sydney once the coronavirus pandemic is over

Last week on Big Brother, the couple spoke about taking the next steps in their relationship, leaving their housemates shocked.

Sophie casually said they had decided to get engaged despite only knowing each other for two weeks.

'Chad last night, I dont know if you recall this Chad, he asked for my hand in marriage,' Sophie said with a giggle.

Chad laughed off the comments, as Sophie joked: 'Youre all invited to the wedding!'

They have previously been filmed cuddling and kissing on the show, and last week Sophie was busted falling out of their bed topless.

Big Brother Australia continues Monday from 7:30pm on Channel Seven
They were forced to delay their impending nuptials thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Lala Kent and Randall Emmett are still making the most of their pre-wedded life, with the couple heading out of Los Angeles to La Quinta, California for a vacation with the film producer's two daughters on Saturday.

The Vanderpump Rules star, 30, went casual in a vintage Tupac Shakur T-shirt for the getaway.

Modern family: Lala Kent and Randall Emmett are still making the most of their pre-wedded life, with the couple heading out of Los Angeles to La Quinta, California for a vacation. Seen here with Emmett's daughter London, 10

She paired the garment with dark leggings and white sneakers, and shielded her eyes with aviator shades.

The reality TV star's blonde tresses were pulled back in a bun for the outing with her man and his kids.

The couple were joined by Randall's girls London, 10, and Rylee, 6, both of whom he shares with ex Ambyr Childers.

Lala and Randall got engaged during a vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in September 2018.

Thug life: The Vanderpump Rules star, 30, went casual in a vintage Tupac Shakur T-shirt for the getaway

She gushed of her fiance the following year, 'Randall is the most incredible human in the world. Like, I have to pinch myself that he's mine because I'm like, "What did I do right in my short lifetime to get someone who supports everything I do, even when I may mess up?"

She told Us Weekly, 'He's totally there to pick me up and get me back on my feet.'

The duo planned a big 'extravagant' wedding in April 2020 but had to put their plans on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Marking the day they were meant to get married, Randall took to Instagram with a sweet tribute.

'This was the most magical night of my life when I asked you to be my wife,' he wrote. 'Today was the day we were supposed to get married. COVID had other plans for us. I want you to know Lala your [sic] the love of my life and I cant wait to become your husband in July! I love you to the moon and back! You always have been and always will be my everything.'

Now the couple plan on tying the knot towards the end of the summer.

Stepdaughters-to-be: The couple were joined by Randall's girls London, 10, and Rylee, 6 [2L], both of whom he shares with ex Ambyr Childers

Randall told Us Weekly, 'I think we've accepted that whatever the version of our wedding day is going to be due to safety protocols, just like in the movie business that I'm dealing with right now in going back to work, it's going to be a different world.

'It's not going to be what we thought it was going to be, in the sense of a 300-person packed ballroom. We've already discussed moving it outdoors to anticipate what the guidelines are going to be like. It's about becoming one, it's not about all the other stuff.

'I was like, "November," she was like, "January." And then we were both like, "September." And now, we both are like, "For sure, we are getting married, end of August, early September, as long as the State of California and the City of Orange County allow us to." If they tell us we can only have 10 people, then probably we'll have to push again.'
Eiza Gonzalez recently returned from a romantic getaway with her new flame Timothee Chalamet.

And the Mexican actress was serving some chic looks as she returns to her routine at home in Los Angeles.

Eiza he put on a leggy display Saturday in a stunning sundress as she met up with a friend at the exclusive West Hollywood clubhouse San Vicente Bungalows.

Legs for days: Eiza Gonzalez put on a leggy display Saturday in a stunning sundress as she met up with a friend at the exclusive West Hollywood clubhouse San Vicente Bungalows

The 30-year-old donned a white spaghetti strap dress with a festive print, featuring a sweetheart neckline, a built-in belt and a thigh-high leg slit.

She complemented the look with a pair of brown wayfarers, some gold earrings and chunky green alligator skin heels.

Gonzalez carried a structured burgundy leather handbag over her shoulder, while sporting a red face mask.

She was spotted last week, packing on the PDA with Chalamet, 24, in Cabo San Lucas for a five-day trip.

Stunning display: The 30-year-old donned a white spaghetti strap dress with a festive print, featuring a sweetheart neckline, a built-in belt and a thigh-high leg slit

Hell on heels: She complemented the look with a pair of brown wayfarers, some gold earrings and chunky green alligator skin heels

In the bag: Gonzalez carried a structured burgundy leather handbag over her shoulder, while sporting a red face mask

A source told E! News that the pair 'couldn't keep their hands off of each other and had many romantic moments.'

The insider added: 'They swam together and took walks on the beach. He brought his guitar with him and was carrying it around wherever he went. He loved to serenade Eiza and she looked on adoringly.'

It comes after it was revealed in April that he split with girlfriend and The King co-star Lily-Rose Depp, 21, after dating for more than a year.

Gonzalez previously dated Josh Duhamel, 47, for a few months back in 2018, following his split from wife of eight years Fergie, 45.

A source told ET of their split: 'While they did end things partially because of their work schedules, they also called it quits because they truly are on different pages and the timing just wasn't right.'
She has been using social media as means of keeping her fans updated on her life in quarantine with husband James Rothschild, 35, and their two daughters.

But Nicky Hilton took a break from lockdown life on Saturday to celebrate the Fourth Of July with her husband and her parents Kathy, 61, and Richard Hilton, 64, in Malibu.

The 36-year-old socialite wore a ruffled, floral print sundress that highlighted her glowing tan as she strolled barefoot along the shoreline with her family.

Family time: Nicky Hilton took a break from lockdown life on Saturday to celebrate the Fourth Of July with her husband and her parents Kathy, 61, and Richard Hilton, 64, in Malibu

Nicky accessorized her look by layering a few chain necklaces around her neck and a a pair of silver stud earrings.

She had a designer purse dangling from her arm and a pair of clear framed sunglasses on er face.

Her bright blonde hair was neatly braided and she appeared to be wearing little to no makeup.

Sunset stroll: The 36-year-old socialite wore a ruffled, floral print sundress that highlighted her glowing tan as she strolled barefoot along the shoreline with her family

Fashionista: Nicky accessorized her look by layering a few chain necklaces around her neck and a a pair of silver stud earrings

James walked alongside his wife of nearly five-years, while Nicky's parents followed in tow.

He kept it extra casual by wearing a plain white tee, some purple board shorts, and a pair of sneakers that he carried in his hand.

Meanwhile, Nicky's big sister Paris, 39, was spending some quality time with Nicky and James' two daughters, Lily-Grace, four, and Teddy, three.

Paris is here: Nicky and Paris were clearly very excited to be 'reunited,' since they both uploaded a photo of themselves hanging out on the Fourth to their Instagram pages

Paris recorded her nieces on her Instagram Story as they hung out at Nicky and James' Malibu home - which was decked out in Fourth Of July decorations.

Also in attendance was Paris' boyfriend Carter Reum, 39, who she captured playing around on the beach with her nieces on Instagram.

Earlier in the day, she also happened to record footage of Nicky, James, and their daughters hanging out by the water.

That's hot: Meanwhile, Nicky's big sister Paris, 39, was spending some quality time with Nicky and James' two daughters, Lily-Grace, four, and Teddy, three

Cute: Paris recorded her nieces on her Instagram Story as they hung out at Nicky and James' Malibu home - which was decked out in Fourth Of July decorations

Nicky and Paris were clearly very excited to be 'reunited,' since they both uploaded a photo of themselves hanging out on the Fourth to their Instagram pages.

'A selfie that never gets old,' captioned Nicky, who donned a chic black jumpsuit for the pic.

Paris wore a black mini skirt and a plunging lace top that showed off her blue bra.
She went public with her personal trainer beau in May by sharing a couples' workout video on social media.

And Laura Anderson looked smitten as she headed out for a long-awaited date with new beau Tom Brazier in London as lockdown restrictions were eased on Saturday.

The Love Island 2018 star, 31, put on a leggy display as she held hands with her handsome man, while clad in a black high-necked mini dress.

Date: Laura Anderson looked smitten as she headed out for a long-awaited date with new beau Tom Brazier in London as lockdown restrictions were eased on Saturday

The dress featured structured shoulders and cinched in at her slender waist.

Rising high to reveal her toned legs, the star completed the ensemble with towering nude heels.

Her newly brunette tresses were styled in soft waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a rich palette of make-up.

Tom donned a navy shirt and grey suit for the pair's date in Mayfair.

Strut: The Love Island 2018 star, 31, put on a leggy display as she held hands with her handsome man, while clad in a black high-necked mini dress

In May the couple revealed their romance in a couple's workout video.

The pair performed a series of lunges and planks before hunky Tom used his girl as a weight on his shoulders to engage in some squats.

The blonde beauty's clip ended with the pair sharing a sweet smooch after working up a sweat at her home.

Since then they have been spotted enjoying quality time together as well as having a romantic picnic in a London park.

After leaving the Mallorcan villa in the summer of 2018, the bombshell dated series one winner Max Morley in October.

Glow: Her newly brunette tresses were styled in soft waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a rich palette of make-up

Wow: Laura showed off her chic look in an Instagram video for her followers

The duo were in an on-off relationship, with the stars splitting in December, reuniting in May 2019, and eventually calling it quits for good in July last year.

During her time on ITV2 dating series, she forged failed romances with Wes Nelson, Jack Fowler and Paul Knops.

Her new romance with Tom may come as a shock to fans, as she recently announced she planned to move back to Scotland permanently after lockdown is over, due to feeling lonely in the English capital.

Laura also shared that she was desperate to go on holiday by posting a throwback snap on Friday from her previous getaway to Dubai.

Laura, who lived in the United Arab Emirates for many years as a flight attendant, has previously posted a throwback snap from the country, with the reality star last month joking that 'it's been 84 years' since she's visited the holiday hotspot.
Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at claims he is too old to become a father, saying he wants even more children.

Speaking four days after the birth of his son Ace, the former Formula 1 supremo, 89, even believes he is better placed to be a father now than he ever was.

His wife Fabiana Flosi, 44, gave birth on Wednesday to her first child and Bernie's fourth, weighing a healthy 7lb 1oz.

New addition: Bernie Ecclestone, 89, welcomed his fourth child Ace this week with wife Fabiana Flosi

He told The Sun on Sunday: 'Now I have more time on my hands and I hope I can spend it with my son as he grows up. I don't know if we will stop here. Perhaps he should have a little brother or sister.

Discussing his first chats with his now-wife about starting a family when they firsy met eight years ago, he said: 'Fabiana said she wanted a family, and I told her, "That's no problem for me. Half a dozen kids is great".'

Bernie is already father to Petra, 31, Tamara, 36, from his second marriage to Armani model Radic, and also shares daughter Debora, 65, with Ivy, his first wife.

Not done yet? The Formula 1 supremo says he may want more children, saying Ace could want a little brother or sister

He admitted that he was previously more worried about running his business than looking after his children.

And he believes this time around he will be a hands-on dad.

He said: 'I will be listed to do lots of things by Fabiana, like changing nappies and so on, and that's fine.'

Family affair! The father-of-four's latest arrival is 65 years younger than his first child Deborah (pictured L-R Bernie, Fabiana, Tamara and Tamara's husband Jay Rutland in 2018)

Bernie, who turns 90 in October, has been isolating in his ski chalet in Switzerland for the past three months.

The former Formula 1 mogul married marketing director Fabiana in 2012 - three years after he divorced Croatian model Slavica.

They met through the World Motor Sport Council, where she regularly attended meetings.

They knew each other professionally for a few years before a mutual friend invited Fabiana on a cruise around Croatia with Bernie and others in 2009.

Fabian recently told the Daily Mail: 'Like all parents, we have only one wish: the child must be born healthy. 'Hopefully he will never express the intention to do something with Formula 1.'

Bernie added: 'After my Formula 1 time, we've had plenty of time to practice!'

He went on to speak about the current coronavirus pandemic, and said he 'just wants everything to be good with Fabiana' should the isolation go on longer.

Family: Bernie is proud dad to daughters Tamara, 35, and Petra, 31 (pictured in 2010) as well as his eldest child Deborah

'Fortunately the farm never runs out of work,' he added. 'Fabiana also looks after her own coffee plantation.'

'I'm very happy for my wife. She's been looking forward to this happening for quite a few years, so I'm happy she'll have someone after I'm gone. It's fun, I've got grandchildren and I'm looking forward to having another baby.'

When asked about his fears of Fabiana being pregnant in the midst of the pandemic, Bernie told MailOnline in April: 'You hope it's not going to happen but these things do happen so you just have to cope, what else can you do?

'You have to hope that the people who are looking after everything have not caught anything themselves.

Bernie and his wife spent the beginning of lockdown at his farm near Sao Paul, Brazil, and then travelled to Switzerland.

Bernie - dubbed 'F1 Supremo' - is a former chief executive of the Formula 1 Group, which manages Formula 1 and part-owns Delta Topco.

He entered two Grand Prix races as a driver himself in 1958, but ultimately failed to qualify for either of them.

Former flame: His eldest, Deborah, 65, was born to his first wife Ivy Bamford before he welcomed socialites Tamara, 35, and Petra, 31, with his second wife Slavica Radic (pictured)

The former F1 boss later became the manager of drivers Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt before he purchased the Brabham team in 1972, which he went on to lead for 15 years.

Bernie's daughter Petra announced last month that she had given birth to her first child with fiance Sam Palmer, 37.

She is already mother to daughter Lavinia, seven, and five-year-old twin sons James and Andrew with ex-husband James Stunt, whom she divorced in 2017.

Tamara  who is married to art mogul Jay Rutland, 38, with whom she has a six-year-old daughter called Sophia  said she was 'absolutely thrilled' for her father.

After being told that her father was set to welcome another child, Tamara told the Mail On Sunday that she was 'surprised but not totally blindsided.

Tamara, who revealed they were told over a family lunch, said: 'We had no idea what was going on. We just thought we were meeting Dad and Fabi for a meal. We were in the middle of eating when Fabiana told us.

'My husband missed it. he was like, "hold on a minute, what's going on? Have I missed something?"

Always keen to treat his offspring equally, Bernie immediately called his youngest daughter, Petra, who was pregnant with her fourth child and living in Los Angeles.

Tamara said: 'He wanted us all to know at the same time, It was all done very diplomatically.'

One member of the family who had already guessed, though, was Tamara's own daughter Fifi, who predicted she would be getting a new aunt or uncle in the near future, 'because that's what married couples do'.

'Fifi had said to Fabiana: 'have you got a baby in your tummy?'. Fabiana replied, saying: 'Maybe one day, who knows what will happen.' But she was pregnant.

'It goes without saying that it's an unusual family situation.'

Tamara added: 'Three of his five grandchildren are girls, too. My sister has two boys but this will be Dad's first  so you can imagine how excited he is.

'It's going to be very different for him, you know. He is used to being surrounded by women so this will be a big change. I guess it starts to even things out a bit for him.'
Kim Kardashian West appeared to endorse her husband's claim he was running for US President on Saturday.

The reality TV star, 39, retweeted the 43-year-old rapper's statement he was throwing his hat in the electoral ring, along with her own addition to the message.

Kim simply tweeted an emoji of the United States flag in her July 4th message.

A thousand words: Wife Kim Kardashian had little to say immediately after Kanye's announcement he would run for US President, but showed her support by tweeting an American Flag emoji in response

The mother-of-four had previously claimed she'd warned her Gold Digger rapper husband off entering politics.

In September 2016, Kim told Wonderland, 'Look at all the awful things theyre doing to Melania [Trump], putting up the naked photos [of her] Ill say to Kanye: "Babe, you know the kind of photos theyd put up of me!" Haha.'

West announced on Saturday he is running for president of the United States, just four months before election day.

The 21-time Grammy winner celebrated Independence Day with the announcement on Twitter, which was met with mixed reactions and skepticism.

No way Ye: The mother-of-four had previously claimed she'd warned her Gold Digger rapper husband off entering politics. Seen in November last year

'We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION', he tweeted on Saturday.

The rapper has sparked speculation over the years that he would potentially enter the presidential race one day, most recently in November, when he said he planned to run in 2024.

It is unclear if he has filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots this year.

While there is no official deadline to enter the presidential race, candidates must meet certain filing requirements under Ballot Access Laws that vary by state.

The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states, including California.

Campaign launch: Kanye West has announced that he's running for president of the United States, with just four months until election day (pictured in February, 2020)

Presidential bid: The 21-time Grammy winner celebrated Independence Day with the announcement on Twitter, which was met with mixed reactions

Saturday's announcement, which came amid Fourth of July celebrations and protests across the country, immediately caused a stir on social media.

Fellow eccentric billionaire Elon Musk was among the first to endorse the rapper and sparked rumors that he could be Ye's running mate after replying: 'You have my full support!'

Earlier this week West had visited the Tesla founder and posted a photo on Twitter from their possible meeting of minds.

Several fans replied to the announcement, proposing: 'and can @elonmusk be your VP?'

Kanye's tweet was met mostly with skepticism, one user referencing his infamous snub of Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs: 'Imma let you finish but no.'

Kanye infamously revealed his support for Donald Trump in 2018 before paying a visit to the White House. Above he is pictured in Trump Tower in December 2016

Potential first lady? Wife Kim Kardashian (pictured in June 2019) would be no stranger to the White House either, having met with president over the years lobbying for criminal justice reform

Biggest supporter: Fellow eccentric billionaire Elon Musk sparked rumors that he could be Ye's running mate, as he responded to the tweet: 'You have my full support!'

Meeting of minds: West took to Twitter this week after visiting the Tesla founder, posting a photo from their possible meeting of minds

'Is this a ploy to try and get trump re-elected,' another follower wrote, accusing him to try and split the vote in Trump's favor.

Some theorized the move could be just a publicity stunt to help promote a new line of shoes or an upcoming album.

'I feverishly hope [that] this just a publicity stunt for new album because ... No! Don't you dare 2020, don't even think about it, you've done enough for one year ...Kanye stay home,' one user said.

West did not provide further details on his campaign or his party affiliation with his announcement, both he and Musk have thrown their support behind Trump in the past.

Twitter immediately blew up with memes reacting to the Kanye's announcement on Saturday night

Back in May, Musk thanked Trump for suggesting on Twitter that the Tesla plant in California should be allowed to remain open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2018, Kanye infamously revealed his support for Donald Trump following a bizarre Twitter rant that sparked concerns for the rapper's mental state.

Soon after, he paid a visit to Donald Trump himself at the White House, wearing the president's trademark MAGA hat and delivered a rambling, profanity-laden speech in which he discussed alternate universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he said was actually sleep deprivation.

The reality star-turned activist first paid a visit to the Oval Office in May 2018

Speaking to a crowd of reporters in the Oval Office he said the hat was like a Superman cape and said that Trump made him a billionaire.

Kanye also joked about running for president in 2024 during the visit - an idea he would later confirm during an appearance at the annual Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City last November.

West had been promoting his new line of biodegradable shoes at the event before casually mentioning to the crowd he was running for president in 2024, prompting laughter from the audience.

Reality star-turned-activist Kim Kardashian would be no stranger to the White House either, having met with President Trump on more than one occasion lobbying for criminal justice reform.
Billionaire James Packer and his ex-wife Erica were joined by a group of close friends as they soaked up the sunshine in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Tuesday.

The Australian casino mogul, 52, and his entourage boarded a speedboat before making the short trip out to his $200million luxury yacht.

James, who has been keeping a watchful eye over the construction of his controversial $50million beachfront mansion in the resort town, looked relaxed as he enjoyed some downtime with his nearest and dearest.

Out and about: Billionaire James Packer (centre right) and his ex-wife Erica (second from right) were joined by friends as they soaked up the sunshine in Cabo, Mexico, on Tuesday

James dressed for the weather in a navy T-shirt and printed shorts, and completed his laid-back look with a pair of shades.

Meanwhile, Erica, 42, looked casually chic in an oversized white blouse.

The friendly exes, who split in 2013 after six years of marriage, chatted for a while on the harbour then stepped on to a speedboat.

They were shuttled to James' $200million superyacht, which was finally completed in April last year after four years of construction.

All aboard! The Australian casino mogul, 52, and his entourage boarded a speedboat before making the short trip out to his $200million luxury yacht

Keeping it casual: James soaked up the sunshine in a navy T-shirt and printed shorts, and completed his laid-back look with a pair of shades

James named the impressive boat IJE for his three children, Indigo, 11, Jackson, 10, and Emmanuelle, seven.

The yacht was built by the Benetti shipbuilding company in Livorno, Italy, and measures 108 metres in length, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Meanwhile, James' $50million beachfront mega-mansion in Cabo is still under construction.

Looking good: His ex-wife Erica, 42, looked casually chic in an oversized white blouse

Setting sail: The friendly exes, who split in 2013 after six years of marriage, chatted for a while on the harbour then stepped on to a speedboat

Travelling in style! They were shuttled to James' $200million superyacht, which was finally completed in April last year after four years of construction

He had purchased three oceanfront blocks of land, each for about $9.7million, to make room for the large project.

Building officially started in December 2018, making James the latest super-rich star to put down roots in the resort town, which is popular among Hollywood celebrities.

But construction hasn't been without controversy, as it was reported at the time that Mexican locals were concerned they could lose access to the public beach.

Work in progress: James' $50million beachfront mansion in Cabo is still under construction

Splashing the cash: James had purchased three oceanfront blocks of land, each for about $9.7million, to make room for the large project

Palatial project: Building officially started in December 2018, making James the latest super-rich star to put down roots in the resort town, which is popular among Hollywood celebrities

Some expats have also been voicing concerns over the size of the project.

The home is located near the One&Only Palmilla resort and the area's only public beach, where James' good friend Karl Stefanovic got married in late 2018.

The businessman already spends about three months a year at the exclusive resort, after being introduced to the town by his ex-fiancee Mariah Carey.
Lucy Liu has discussed how she used her differences to stand out during her early days in Hollywood.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, the American actress coined herself a 'black sheep' as she recalled a friend of hers would have an average of 10 auditions per day, compared to her measly three or four auditions per month.

Revealing she was usually in an audition room with women who didn't look like her, the 51-year-old explained that she realised she 'had nothing to lose because they [casting directors] weren't necessarily looking for her anyways'.

'I was the black sheep': Lucy Liu, 51, has discussed how she used her differences to stand out during her early days in Hollywood [Pictured at New York Fashion Week in February]

After nabbing the lead role in her college production of Alice in Wonderland during her final year at the University of Michigan, Lucy decided to pursue a career in Hollywood.

However, the star - who is of Taiwanese descent - admitted that when she arrived in Los Angeles, she was 'too naive and didn't know what was ahead of me or what I was going to be up against'.

After noticing the discrepancy in auditions compared to her friend, Lucy found herself in some auditions where she admittedly thought: 'I don't even understand why I'm here, but I'm going to give it my all.'

'I think when you are somewhat the black sheep, you don't really have anything to lose, because they are not necessarily looking for you. So you may as well go for it!'

Differences: The actress recalled a friend of hers would have an average of 10 auditions per day, compared to her measly three or four auditions per month [Pictured 1999 during the premiere of Man On The Moon in Hollywood]

'Go for it': Revealing she was usually in an audition room with women who didn't look like her, Lucy explained that she realised she 'had nothing to lose because they [casting directors] weren't necessarily looking for her anyways' [Pictured 1998]

Lucy went on to become a major success story, starting out with roles on the likes of ER and Ally McBeal.

The talented beauty then saw massive success in the 2000 flick Charlie's Angels with Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz.

Lucy was last seen in the TV series Why Women Kill, where she plays wealthy Simone, whose seemingly perfect marriage is turned upside down after she discovers her husband had cheated on her with a man.

She learnt fast! However, the star - who is of Taiwanese descent - admitted that when she arrived in LA, she was 'too naive and didn't know what was ahead of me or what I was going to be up against' [Pictured at the 1999 Emmy Awards]

The series chronicles three different relationships from the 1960s, 80s, and 2018, all of which have been impacted by the presence of infidelity.

Ginnifer Goodwin plays a housewife from the 1960s, while Kirby Howell-Baptiste plays a lawyer in an open marriage.

Lucy will next be seen in the comedy drama Stage Mother, alongside Jacki Weaver and Adrian Grenier.
They recently returned to Berlin to resume filming for the highly anticipated Matrix 4.

And Keanu Reeves and the cast of the sci-fi thriller enjoyed a celebratory July 4 meal in the German capital on Saturday night

The actor, 55, was joined by his girlfriend Alexandra Grant, 47, and Carrie-Anne Moss, 52, who starred as Trinity alongside Keanu in the previous three films of the series.

The Matrix Reunited: Keanu Reeves and his girlfriend Alexandra Grant enjoyed a dinner on Saturday in Berlin with the Matrix 4 cast

Neil Patrick Harris was also spotted later on as the cast met at a private apartment in the edgy Kreuzberg district.

Keanu cut a low-key figure in a smart suit and shirt, while his long hair and beard look a world away from the clean cut Neo of the first film in 1999.

His philanthropist girlfriend was similarly suited and booted for the get-together in a dark jacket with white detailing on the arms.

Suited and booted: The couple had dressed to impress with Alexandra in a smart black suit with polka dots

Dinner date: The John Wick star rocked up in a grey shirt and a dark suit for the get-together in the Kreuzberg district

Cast dinner: Keanu's Matrix costar Carrie-Ann Moss rocked up in a denim jacket and a shirt as they celebrated July 4

Friendly face: Carrie-Anne, 52, starred as Trinity alongside Keanu in the previous three films of the series

The Matrix 4 will be released in 2021 and production began in early January with Lana Wachowski returning as co-writing and director, and while filming stopped in Berlin in March the stars returned to Berlin last month.

When the new movie was announced, Lana said in a statement: 'Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now...

'I'm very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.'

Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell co-wrote the Matrix 4 script alongside Wachowski. Keanu is again playing Neo with Carrie-Ann back as well.

Mixing in: Many passersby and tourists appeared oblivious to Keanu as he walked down the street

Return: The Matrix 4 will be released in 2021 and production began in early January with Lana Wachowski returning as co-writing and director

Heading home: Later on in the evening Keanu cut a low-key figure as he made his farewells and left the party

Catching up: Carrie-Anne Moss shortly followed Keanu and Alexandra after they enjoyed their dinner together

Highly anticipated: The Matrix 4 will be the first film in the hit series since 2003's Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix 4 will also also feature Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's best known to audiences as Black Manta in 2018's Aquaman.

Reeves' next film is the next Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure with Alex Winter.

Ever since Reeves and Grant went public with their relationship in November, there has been much speculation about when their romance.

Some publications said they had been together for only a few months but in June, Jennifer Tilly told Page Six that they had been an item for 'years.'

Close couple: Keanu and Alexandra have kept much of their relationship out of the public eye

Returning: Keanu starred as as Neo in the hit 1999 film as he tried to free humanity from the Matrix, a virtual reality system

Way back when: Joe Pantoliano, Laurence Fishburne, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss pictured in the poster for the original Matrix in 1999

Blockbuster: The philosophical thriller was a huge hit, winning four Oscars and plaudits from viewers and critics

Grant is an artist and philanthropist. Born in Ohio, she has been working in the arts since graduating from Swarthmore College in 1994 with a BA in history and studio art.

The artist is known for her use of language and exchanges with writers as a source for imagery in her sculpture, painting, drawing, and video works.

The talented artist fostered her love for the spoken word as a child, after growing up around the world, living in Mexico, Spain and France.

She has exhibited at prestigious spaces around the world including Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Galerie Gradiva in Paris and The Harris Lieberman Gallery in New York.

Couple goals: Ever since Reeves and Grant went public with their relationship in November, there has been much speculation about when their romance

In 2008, Alexandra founded the philanthropic grantLOVE project which produces and sells original artworks and editions to benefit artist projects and arts non-profits.

Alexandra and Keanu have a history that goes back years, first collaborating together on a grown-up's picture book, Ode to Happiness, in 2011.

The book was a success, sparking the poet-artist duo to create their second book together, Shadows, in 2016, with Grant photographing Reeves while he was filming John Wick.

Perfect match: Alexandra and Keanu have a history that goes back years, first collaborating together on a grown-up's picture book, Ode to Happiness, in 2011

Since then, the two have been spotted together at art galleries, book signings, posed for Vogue Spain and even traveled to Germany to work together.

Speaking of working together on their second book, Grant told W Magazine: 'We can spend a lot of time debating. Like, A raspberry hue? And should it be darker? We can get obsessive.'

Shadows is compiled of dark silhouette images of Reeves taken by Grant and poetry written by the Matrix actor.

The Matrix 4: The Matrix franchise is the brainchild of transgender sisters Lana and Lilly Wachowski who created and wrote the billion dollar trilogy and the pair are returning to helm the fourth film which began filming in San Francisco in February (pictured)

Grant told the LA Times of her collaborator: 'No one can move the way he can. He's a really extreme performer. That's a huge piece of why those images are so interesting...

'I knew that if I moved the camera as we danced together, as photographer and subject, we could create these wonderful optical illusions.'

The two founded publishing company X Artists' Books in 2017, with a focus on 'unusual collaborations' and books that 'don't really have a place because they're between genres'.
They have recently started afresh in a new home after the tragic loss of their puppy.

And Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury looked romantic as ever while walking to get some lunch in Hale Village, Cheshire, on Sunday.

The Love Island couple, both 21, dressed in black for the occasion - the first time they have been out for a meal during lockdown.

Loved up: Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury looked romantic as ever while walking to get some lunch in Hale Village, Cheshire, on Sunday

Molly-Mae looked laid back and sophisticated in a pair of black and white striped tracksuit bottoms that she paired with a white crop top.

She added an oversized Palm Angels bomber jacket and teamed her outfit with a pair of chunky black trainers.

The blonde beauty, who recently lamented about her dark roots growing out, scraped her locks up into her signature sleek high bun and went makeup free for the day out.

Eating out: The Love Island couple, both 21, dressed in black for the occasion - the first time they have been out for a meal during lockdown

She accessorised with a pair of rectangular Chanel sunglasses and a mini Louis Vuitton luggage bag over her shoulder.

Tommy kept things simple in a pair of black exercise trousers that he paired with a black jacket with a padded gilet centre.

The couple both took to their Instagram Stories to document their outing. Tommy posted a picture of Molly sitting at a restaurant table and pouting alongside the caption: 'Lunch'.

Relaxed: Molly-Mae looked laid back and sophisticated in a pair of black and white striped tracksuit bottoms that she paired with a white crop top

Molly then posted a video of Tommy holding her hand on top of the restaurant table with the caption: 'How I've missed this'.

The pair stopped to pick up a newspaper on their walk before tucking into Eggs Benedict and a Full English at The Village Cafe.

Tommy posted a picture of the food on his Instagram Story with the caption: 'Yes it's all for me'.

Selfies: She added an oversized black Palm Angels bomber jacket and teamed her outfit with a pair of chunky black trainers

Laid back: Tommy kept things simple in a pair of black exercise trousers that he paired with a black jacket with a padded gilet centre

Sunday outing: The pair hopped into a cab to take them back home from The Village Cafe in Hale Village

Molly recently shared a sweet snap of her and Tommy kissing on another stroll earlier in the week.

She wrote: 'Fooling around but turned out cute. Thats my best friend x.'

Last week Molly-Mae was left emotional when one of her fans claimed to see the spirit of her late puppy Mr Chai in one of her Instagram videos.

The star took to the app to share a view of the setting sun from the expansive balcony of her and boyfriend Tommy's smart new Cheshire home.

Cute: Tommy posted a picture of Molly sitting at a restaurant table and pouting alongside the caption: 'Lunch'

Her post stirred up memories of her late puppy among fans, as one responded: 'There is an orb on your screen... That's your dog,' along with a heart emoji.

Showing that she was moved by the response, Molly-Mae captioned the post: 'My followers,' along with a white heart and crying face emoji.

Proving that the beloved pooch wasn't just on her fans' minds, she added: 'I was literally speaking about him when I was taking this video.'

The social media exchange comes after Molly-Mae revealed she received a special gift commemorating her dog Mr Chai, who died three weeks ago.

Molly-Mae, who was given the pooch by her boyfriend Tommy Fury, was gifted with a set of the adorable Pomeranian's paw prints from her manager.

Hungry! Tommy posted a picture of the food on his Instagram Story with the caption: 'Yes it's all for me'

The prints came with a note that read: 'To Molly and Tommy, something you can keep forever. A memory never fades xxx'.

The kind gesture touched Molly-Mae's heart as she revealed she thinks about Mr Chai 'every day'.

She also wrote: 'My heart. Our little baby Chai's paws. I just believe you managed to do this for us. The best surprise ever'.

Molly-Mae and Tommy were left devastated when their pet pooch passed away just six days after they got him.

Adorable: Molly then posted a video of Tommy holding her hand on top of the restaurant table with the caption: 'How I've missed this'

An autopsy revealed Mr Chai's skull was not fully developed and had left part of his brain exposed.

Tommy bought the dog through Cheshire-based business Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, which is licensed by Cheshire Council but not a Kennel Club assured breeder.

The dog's death was met with backlash from followers, forcing the pair to take a break from the public eye for a few days.

Cute couple: Molly-Mae and Tommy looked closer than ever as they went on a romantic stroll on Wednesday

Addressing his sudden death, Molly-Mae said: 'Whilst we completely understand everyone's opinions about being shipped over from Russia, what you need to understand is that is not what made him die.

'He was going to die regardless. The autopsy results showed his skull wasn't fully developed and part of his brain was exposed. He didn't have a single white blood cell in his body.

'If we had the time again we would have got a dog from the UK or got a rescue dog from the UK.'

Tears: Last week Molly-Mae was left emotional when one of her fans claimed to see the spirit of her late puppy Mr Chai in one of her Instagram videos

A representative of Molly-Mae and Tommy confirmed Mr Chai had died of 'a seizure and neurological issues.'

A statement read: 'Chai died of a seizure and neurological issues. This probably relating to the puppies skull not being fully formed (see note on anterior fontanelle below).

'Chai passed away with a number of health issues outlined below and the puppy clearly was not at full health and potentially had been carrying an infection and fighting it for some time before reaching Molly and Tommy.'

Sunset: The star took to the app to share a view of the setting sun from the expansive balcony of her and boyfriend Tommy Fury's smart new Cheshire home

It then listed a number of ailments the dog suffered from, including: 'no white blood cells present in blood, anterior fontanelle not completely ossified, body condition 3/5, liver congested, spleen enlarged congested, adrenal glands enlarged, kidneys congested, colon congested, lungs congested and Heart right ventricle dilated.'

Molly-Mae and Tommy met and embarked on a romance during the 2019 series of Love Island.

They went on to place second, behind Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea.

Commemorate: The Love Island star was gifted with a set of the adorable Pomeranian's paw prints from her manager to commemorate the late Mr Chai
Fan favourite Poh Ling Yeow was eliminated from MasterChef Australia: Back To Win on Sunday.

Her departure resulted in an outpouring of support on social media from celebrities, judges and former contestants alike, all of who are keen fans of the cook.

Actress Magda Szubanski shared a photo of the pair together and Tweeted: 'I am gutted devastated broken-hearted and bawling.

Love her! Fan favourite Poh Ling Yeow (pictured) was eliminated from MasterChef Australia: Back To Win on Sunday. Her departure resulted in an outpouring of support on social media from celebrities, judges and former contestants alike including Magda Szubanski (left)

'I'm so glad we are mates @PohLingyeow so I can see you in real life even if I can't see you on #MasterChefAU. You are a top top Sheila and a major inspiration. Love you to bits! '

Radio star Em Rusciano was emotional, Tweeting: 'Okay I'm going to watch Babysitter's club. I need soothing.

'So long darling Poh, your time necromancy and self doubt despite your brilliance will not be forgotten.'

Actress Magda Szubanski shared a photo of the pair together and Tweeted: 'I am gutted devastated broken-hearted and bawling'

So sweet! Her departure resulted in an outpouring of support on social media from celebrities, judges and former contestants alike, all of who are keen fans of the cook

Former MasterChef star Adam Liaw Tweeted of the 47-year-old: 'There should be a #MasterChefAU spinoff series where all the judges have to cook for Poh.'

Author Benjamin Law wrote: 'Hard to put into words what Poh even being on TV meant to me  this part Chinese-Malaysian kid, growing up in a sea of white  and so many other Asian-Australians.

'What an absolute icon of Australian food. Gonna eat a goddamn century egg this week in her honour.'

Contestant Tracy Collins shared a photo of herself with Poh, and a lengthy tribute on Instagram, writing in part: 'Oh Poh, you are an absolute champion in my eyes!'

Chef and MasterChef contestant Rose Adam shared a photo of Poh and wrote on Instagram: 'Fast forward 12 years and I'm so proud to call you my friend and my wifey.'

MasterChef judge Melissa Leong Tweeted: 'Poh. A true trailblazer, a whole hearted human, and one of the most beautifully vulnerable and strong people I have ever met.

'You fly the flag for misfits like us and what we are capable of achieving. You're a fierce, defiant warrior woman, and I love you for it.'

Julie Goodwin, winner of MasterChef in 2009, shared her thoughts simply, Tweeting: 'I'M NOT CRYING'.

Contestant Tracy Collins shared a photo of herself with Poh, and a lengthy tribute on Instagram, writing in part: 'Oh Poh, you are an absolute champion in my eyes!! You were always an inspiration inside and outside the kitchen!!'

Oh no! Poh faced a shock elimination after her culurgiones with a half-parsley pasta and truffle, brown butter and lemon sauce failed to impress the judges

The chef was graceful in defeat, saying: 'It's been everything that I wanted it to be. I'm a risk taker, and that's what happened today, you know'

Chef and MasterChef contestant Rose Adam shared a photo of Poh and wrote on Instagram: 'Wifey, you've been an inspiration for me since season 1 of Masterchef and fast forward 12 years and I'm so proud to call you my friend and my wifey.'

Poh faced a shock elimination after her culurgiones with a half-parsley pasta and truffle, brown butter and lemon sauce failed to impress the judges.

The chef was graceful in defeat, saying: 'It's been everything that I wanted it to be. I'm a risk taker, and that's what happened today, you know.

'I met my demise finally. But I've had such a fantastic time. It's just been such a joy to cook with these guys.'
She's been keeping busy looking after her horses amid the UK's coronavirus lockdown.

And Summer Monteys-Fullam looked incredible as she shared a candid snap of herself on a sunkissed stroll on Sunday.

The ex girlfriend of GBBO star Paul Hollywood, 25, teased a glimpse of her washboard abs in a tiny white crop-top, which also displayed her cleavage.

Work it: Summer Monteys-Fullam looked incredible as she shared a candid snap of herself on a sunkissed stroll on Sunday

She paired this with white and black flared trousers, which cinched in at her slender waist.

The beauty wore her auburn tresses in soft waves with her trademark blunt fringe.

Her pretty features were enhanced with a radiant palette of make-up.

She captioned the snap: 'Only look back to see how far youve come.'

Last month Summer switched things up as she posed for a radiant photoshoot shared to Instagram.

The social media influencer caught the eye in a strapless green dress in ruched material, which accentuated her sensational frame.

Working it: Last month Summer switched things up as she posed for a radiant photoshoot shared to Instagram

The ex-girlfriend of chef Paul Hollywood added even more glamour to her appearance as she teamed her stunning ensemble with perspex heels.

Matte foundation complemented her tanned complexion, while her curly fringed tresses framed her heart-shaped face.

Alongside the stunning photo, the model shared a message about positivity as she encouraged her fans: 'What ever is good for your soul, do it.' (sic)

'Whatever is good for your soul, do it': Alongside the stunning photo, the social media influencer, 25, shared a message about positivity

Incredible: The ex-girlfriend of Paul Hollywood is no stranger to sharing striking photos on her platform

Maintaining her figure: Later into the day, the auburn-haired beauty displayed her toned abs in orange gymwear following a workout

Summer has been staying at her family home ever since moving back in following her break-up with Paul last year.

During lockdown, the redhead focused on caring for her horses, which helped cure her heartache after her bitter split with Paul, 54.

Last month, Summer welcomed two foals; Rainbow and Storm, with the delighted star littering her Instagram with updates on her latest additions to the family.

Friends of Paul's revealed his new girlfriend - pub landlady Melissa Spalding, 36 - is self-isolating with him in his 1 million farmhouse, just eight months after splitting from Summer.

Friends say she immediately accepted his invitation to relocate from the nearby Chequers pub in the village of Smarden where she lived, amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

Paul bought the Grade II-listed house last year for him and Summer to live in.

A friend told The Mail on Sunday: 'Paul and Melissa got together soon after his split from Summer and they are really happy together. Actually its looking like this one could very well last for Paul.'
Shirley Ballas revealed she was rushed to hospital after breaking her ankle on Sunday.

The Strictly judge, 59, was joined by her boyfriend Danny Taylor, 47, as she documented her admission on Instagram.

Walking with the help of crutches and a medical boot, the choreographer expressed her gratitude towards the NHS and reassured fans she'll 'be fine' to return to the BBC show in autumn following a six-week recovery.

'I'm going to be absolutely fine': Shirley Ballas revealed she was rushed to hospital after breaking her ankle on Sunday

In a clip filmed by her partner, the media personality said: 'Hi everybody, I've just finished at A&E after a clean break, on my right ankle.

'We're not using Plaster of Paris anymore, using a boot, so I'm learning to walk on these crutches - crutches, right foot, close, a bit like the Waltz. Anyway, I'm going to be absolutely fine for Strictly.'

The TV star reiterated her comments in the post's caption, where she also thanked her actor beau for lending a helping hand after she sustained her injury.

Brave face: The Strictly judge, 59, expressed her gratitude towards the NHS and reassured fans she'll 'be fine' to return to the BBC show in autumn following a six-week recovery

In good company: The choreographer was joined by her boyfriend Danny Taylor, 47, as she documented her admission on Instagram

Grateful: The TV star reiterated her comments in the post's caption, where she also thanked her actor beau for lending a helping hand (pictured with NHS staff)

Shirley penned: 'So a clean break. Six weeks to heal. Thank you to NHS and all staff who took care of me.

'@danieltayloresq thank you for being there. Painful but Ill trolly on. #cleanbreak #brokenankle. Ill be fine for @bbcstrictly thank you for all the messages. #gratitude.' (sic)

Danny championed his 'brave soldier' in a separate message, penning: 'In A&E with this brave soldier @shirleyballas !

'You can never say it enough but thank you to our amazing #NHS for your time and care and of course all the sacrifices you all make on a daily basis to look after our country. #livingangels.' (sic)

Ouch! The media personality put a cushion over her leg as she rested in bed after sustaining the injury

Her support system: Danny also championed his 'brave soldier' in a separate message

Shirley has experienced a tough couple of months after she removed her breast implants over cancer fears late last year.

In a recent interview, the dance expert, who said she's gained 20lbs after eating 'all day and night' during lockdown, claimed her enhanced chest left her 'ill with the flu or a cold', but insists she's been 'feeling fine' ever since she underwent surgery.

She said: 'This was the first time I have not been sick all winter. On last years tour I was really poorly but, touch wood, I have been fine.'

The former Latin dance champion ignored doctor's orders when she appeared on the BBC competition series just days after her procedure.

'I have been fine': Shirley has experienced a tough couple of months after she removed her breast implants over cancer fears late last year (pictured in May)

As well as having her implants taken out, Shirley also underwent a breast lift and was discharged just 18 hours after having the surgery.

She first announced her decision to go under the knife in September 2019 after suffering a cancer scare as well as learning there was a history of the disease in her family.

The dance adjudicator told The Mirror: 'I was always ill with the flu or a cold. A lady who did my book said it could be the breast implants. Then I got that job on Strictly and did Who Do You Think You Are? and I realised I had cancer going back in my family.

'At the mammogram the nurse said they could not see behind the implants. What people dont know is that it is not the implant but what grows around it. I have all the photos of what grew around my chest.'

Side effects? The former Latin dance champ claimed her enhanced chest left her 'ill with the flu or a cold' (pictured in September 2019 before the surgery)

'This was the first time I have not been sick all winter': As well as having her implants taken out, the dance adjudicator also underwent a breast lift (before and after images above)
MasterChef fans were left devastated when Khanh Ong was eliminated last month.

But the 27-year-old is already looking far beyond a cooking career, revealing his goal to 'change the world' in an interview with The Herald Sun on Sunday.

'It is a ridiculous thing to say openly, but I want to change the world,' the writer and former DJ said.

'It's a ridiculous thing to say openly': MasterChef star Khanh Ong (centre right), 27, told The Herald Sun on Sunday that he hopes to 'change the world'. Pictured with Emelia Jackson, Simon Toohey (centre left) and Brendan Pang

'I want to push diversity, I want to push the LGBTQI+ community, I want to push the issue of refugees, and I want to share my story,' he continued.

Khanh was born to Vietnamese parents in an Indonesian refugee camp, and moved to Melbourne with his family at age two.

The chef went on to say that it's important to represent a minority.

'I did not grow up with a gay Asian refugee on my TV screen and I think it is needed.'

Crusade: 'I want to push diversity, I want to push the LGBTQI+ community, I want to push the issue of refugees, and I want to share my story,' the writer and former DJ said

Shock exit: Khanh was eliminated on an episode of MasterChef: Back To Win last month, leaving fans devastated

Khanh has already started his crusade as the 2020 ANZ & Mardi Gras Community Grants ambassador, promoting Volley's Pride shoes and sock collection.

However, his journey hasn't always been smooth sailing, having struggled to fit in while growing up in Australia.

'It's hard enough growing up gay, but then there's this whole refugee element,' Khanh previously explained to TV WEEK. 'No-one grows up choosing to be an outcast or picked on - it just happens.'

Childhood: Khanh was born to Vietnamese parents in an Indonesian refugee camp, and moved to Melbourne with his family at age two

Khanh revealed how he spent most of his life pretending to not be gay.

'Being gay in our culture isn't really a thing, so that was hard for me,' he said.

'You go through the first half of your life pretending you're not gay; that what you're feeling isn't normal.'
Georgia Love has called for stricter social etiquette when it comes to asking pregnancy questions.

The former Bachelorette star didn't hold back on Instagram as she revealed it was rude for fans to continually ask her whether she was expecting, despite having already shot down rumours she was expecting with fiance, Lee Elliott.

'Just another reminder because apparently, I have to constantly repeat myself on this - the only time it is ever OK to ask me whether I am, or comment that I look pregnant, is when I have said I am pregnant. Which again, I am not,' she expressed.

'It's never okay!' Georgia Love (pictured) has called for stricter social etiquette when it comes to asking pregnancy questions

Georgia has long been plagued by pregnancy rumours, first brushing off the speculation by fans in 2017 by claiming she had just had a 'big breakfast'.

The following year, Georgia said: 'I'm not fat, I'm not a big girl' in response to a new surge of rumours.

Just last year the reality star emotionally revealed she was 'sick of being made to feel like its [her figure] was not good enough,' after fans once again thought she was expecting.

Having her say: The former Bachelorette star didn't hold back as she revealed it was rude for fans to continually ask her whether she was expecting, despite having already shot down rumours she was expecting with fiance, Lee Elliott [pictured]

Meanwhile, Georgia has been keeping herself busy with wedding preparations, after revealing she and fiance Lee, 38, were forced to change the location of their upcoming nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Georgia told the Ben, Rob & Robbo show that the couple have been forced to change the location of their dream wedding in Italy, to Tasmania.

'We were planning on a wedding for Italy next year so in 2021,' she explained.

'But we've gone back on those plans, so we figured there's just too many 'what-ifs' in the world at the moment.'

The show must go on: Georgia has been keeping herself busy with wedding preparations, after revealing she and fiance Lee were forced to change the location of their upcoming nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic

The television presenter added that even if international travel opens the couple still plan to hold their nuptials in Georgia's home state of Tasmania instead.

'Even if Italy is fine by then we do not want to put it on our family and friends that they have to find the money to do so in such uncertain times with people losing their jobs,' she added.

At this stage, the wedding is still set to go ahead in 2021.

Georgia chose Lee in the finale of The Bachelorette in 2016 and the pair announced their engagement in 2019.
Brad Pitt proved to be ahead of the curve in a recently resurfaced video from a 2019 Tokyo press conference, in which he talks about the benefits of face masks.

While promoting his film Ad Astra, the two-time Oscar winner praised audience members for being 'so considerate' for covering their mouths and noses when sick.

'When I first came here and I saw all the people in the faces masks at the airport, I thought, "Thats a bit paranoid," the actor admitted in the interview from September.

Pre-coronavirus: Brad Pitt proved to ahead of the curve in a recently resurfaced video from a 2019 Tokyo press conference, in which he talks about the benefits of face masks

He continued: 'Then I came to understand its when you have a cold and protecting others and I think thats so considerate.'

As he reflected on the longstanding practice in many Asian countries, even before the global coronavirus pandemic, Pitt remarked, 'I dont know why the rest of the worldI don't know why we dont do that.'

Wearing a face mask has proven to be 'the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission,' according to Science Daily.

Thinking ahead: As he reflected on the longstanding practice in many Asian countries, even before the global coronavirus pandemic, Pitt remarked, 'I dont know why the rest of the worldI dont know why we dont do that'

Earlier this week, his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston urged her more than 34.4 million Instagram followers to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask.

'I understand masks are inconvenient and uncomfortable,' the 51-year-old Friends alum wrote on Tuesday. 'But don't you feel that it's worse that businesses are shutting down... jobs are being lost... health care workers are hitting absolute exhaustion.'

'And so many lives have been taken by this virus because we aren't doing enough,' she added.

Speaking out! Jennifer Aniston, 51, has urged her fans to 'wear a damn mask' in a lengthy post on her Instagram account Tuesday

Jen expressed her belief that it really 'shouldn't be a debate' and this is just down to 'basic goodness' and having respect of others to put on a face mask when outside, as advised by most health experts.

'If you care about human life, please... just #wearadamnmask and encourage those around you to do the same,' she concluded.

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted Americans to don surgical, cotton or even makeshift masks when they leave the home to buy groceries or exercise with the majority of the US now in various stages of lockdown due to the pandemic.

Jen's message: The 51-year-old Friends star posted this lengthy caption to her Instagram account

Despite the CDC and the World Health Organization recommending that healthy people don't need masks, some health experts are advocating for the need to wear some form of mask out in public to reduce the risk of asymptomatic spreading.

They argue that people who have no idea they are infected are spreading the virus because they either have no symptoms or have not begun to experience symptoms.

Her post came amid pressure mounting on Donald Trump to 'set a good example' and wear a mask, after some Republicans have shifted their stance on the matter.
She's been keeping busy filming scenes for her new show Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer.

And Maya Jama enjoyed a well-deserved night out as restaurants, pubs, cafes, and cinemas in England reopened for the first time in three months amid the COVID-19 crisis on Saturday.

The TV and radio presenter, 25, rocked a bright yellow suit by Balmain as she treated herself to dinner with her pals at 202 Kitchen in Birmingham.

In her element: Maya Jama enjoyed a rare night out as restaurants, pubs, cafes, and cinemas in England reopened for the first time in three months amid the COVID-19 crisis on Saturday

Flashing a hint of her toned abs, the host stunned in a tiny crop top, which she teamed with a kooky hooded blazer and matching flared trousers.

The brunette ditched her natural curls in favour of poker-straight tresses, while her complexion was enhanced with matte make-up.

The media personality captioned her image: 'Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better - Maya Angelou.' (sic)

Watch her glow: The TV and radio presenter, 25, rocked a bright yellow suit by Balmain as she treated herself to dinner with her pals at 202 Kitchen in Birmingham

Looking good: Flashing a hint of her toned abs, the host stunned in a tiny crop top, which she teamed with a kooky hooded blazer and matching flared trousers

Radiant: The brunette ditched her natural curls in favour of poker-straight tresses, while her complexion was enhanced with matte make-up

As well as scoring big name campaigns for brands such as Adidas and Aussie, Maya is set to up her bank balance further with a massive new TV deal.

After she stepped down from her Radio 1 show earlier this year, BBC bosses are reportedly keen to offer the brunette a big money deal to keep her from going to a rival network, believing she can be as 'big as Holly Willoughby'.

A source told The Sun: 'Maya is seen as one of the biggest stars on the box right now and could easily go on to be as big as Holly Willoughby.

Having fun: Maya has been keeping busy filming scenes for her new show Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer, but let her hair down during a outing with her friends

'At the moment shes tied to the BBC with her Saturday night show and the door remains open for her to return to Radio 1.

'But other major channels would also love to have her so the BBC know they need to make sure they dont lose her, she appeals to a younger audience and has a massive following on social media too so she ticks a lot of boxes for the BBC.'

Last month, BBC Radio 1 confirmed the DJ had 'made the difficult decision not to continue her contract' after two years due to other commitments.

She's back! After a few days off social media, the brunette has since returned to her online platforms, with the TV star documenting a make-up session in the studios

And just a few days ago, Maya signed off social media to take a detox because she was 'feeling overwhelmed'.

She has since returned to her online platforms, with the TV star documenting a make-up session in the studios.

MailOnline has contacted the BBC and Maya's representatives for comment at the time of publication.
Hugh Jackman is currently on holiday in the Hamptons after a lengthy lockdown in coronavirus ravaged New York.

It appears the actor is missing his homeland however, as on Sunday, Hugh, 51, attempted to finish a puzzle showing the Sydney Opera House.

In a video shared to Instagram, Hugh showed off his puzzle and sang a little song which went: 'My city of Sydney. I miss the warmth of you!'

Missing home? Hugh Jackman is in New York but appears the actor is missing his homeland however, as on Sunday he attempted to finish a puzzle showing the Sydney Opera House

He then showed the lid of the 500-piece puzzle and said: 'I miss you Sydney. What I am missing more is this piece' - before pointing to an empty slot on the puzzle.

'I've lost it!' the Wolverine actor said with a moan, before adding, 'I've lost a piece of my heart'.

In apparent frustration, Hugh then smashed up the entire finished puzzle while letting out an animalistic groan.

In a video shared to Instagram, Hugh showed off his puzzle and sang a little song which went: 'My city of Sydney. I miss the warmth of you!'

He then showed the lid of the 500-piece puzzle and said: 'I miss you Sydney. What I am missing more is this piece' - before pointing to an empty slot on the puzzle

Angry! In apparent frustration, Hugh then smashed up the entire finished puzzle while letting out an animalistic groan

Hugh has recently been using his time self-isolating in New York to help others in need.

After becoming an ambassador of mental health organisation Gotcha4Life in 2017, the actor has been hosting secret web seminars to promote 'messages of connection and conversation' through the charity.

'I've learned so much from being on the board and we are planning on more of those talks,' Hugh told News Corp Australia of his passion to help people.

Helpful: After becoming an ambassador of mental health organisation Gotcha4Life in 2017, the actor has been hosting secret web seminars to promote 'messages of connection'

Break: Hugh is currently on holiday in the Hamptons after a lengthy lockdown in coronavirus ravaged New York

'Our need to look after each other, not just financially and physically, but mentally is a priority. There's a lot of loneliness out there and this only adds to that,' he said.

Hugh, wife Deborra-Lee Furness and their children, Oscar and Ava, were in Melbourne when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March.

They initially flew there from New York on a work trip as Deborra-Lee directed several episodes of Neighbours. They then returned to America after just four days.

'No one really knew what was going on it was all a bit of a shock,' said Hugh after being advised to return to his American home before the borders closed.
Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper has woken from his coma.

Good Morning Britain star Kate, 53, has told Hello! Magazine that her beloved spouse, 52, has finally opened his eyes and is now in 'a minimum state of consciousness' following his ongoing battle with COVID-19.

She told the publication: 'We're keeping positive and doing everything we can to bring him round. The children and I communicate with him every day on FaceTime, while a nurse holds his iPad.

Awake: Kate Garraway revealed to Hello! magazine that husband Derek Draper has woken from his coma

Awake: Kate said that her beloved spouse, 52, has finally opened his eyes and is now in 'a minimum state of consciousness' following his battle with COVID-19 (pictured last year)

'I really believe he can hear. When medical staff say, "Good morning, Derek!, he sometimes opens his eyes. We and the doctors are doing everything we can so that he can start to recover.'

Piers Morgan confirmed on Monday's Good Morning Britain that Derek remains in a 'serious and critical condition'.

Kate sparked hope when she revealed on Sunday that Derek, 52, had woken from a coma over 13 weeks after first contracting coronavirus.

But the TV personality's GMB co-star, 55, insisted that the situation is not as positive as people think and said Derek remains on a 'very slow and uncertain path'.

Piers said: 'A few papers are doing a lot of coverage today on our colleague and friend Kate Garraway and the situation involving her husband Derek.

'It's probably not quite as positive a story as the papers perhaps believe and we've just got a little clarification from Kate's representative.'

The statement read: 'These headlines give a level of optimism that may not yet be justified, we hope, as does Kate there will be more evidence of a recovery but it will be a very slow and uncertain path.'

Derek's initial admission to hospital happened back in March - with Kate and her family painstakingly waiting for hopeful news ever since. The couple have two children - Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10.

'It's not as positive as you might think': Piers Morgan said on GMB on Monday that Derek remains in a 'serious and critical condition' after he woke from his Covid: 19 coma

Kate revealed at the time that the last thing he said to her before he was put in a medically-induced coma, was 'I love you, you saved my life'.

'I have been living at the end of the phone 24/7, waiting for news of Derek,' Kate went on. 'But the doctors have warned that his condition could persist for years so I have to get on with life whilst we are waiting for him to get better.

'Billy starts secondary school in September, but Derek's doctors say he won't be out of hospital by then.'

She went on to tell Hello! that she has been urged to return to routine and not put her life totally on hold, suggesting she go back to work on GMB and Smooth Radio soon.

Kate added that she has to continue to provide for her children and to ensure there is still 'light in their lives and hope for the future'.

She also explained that it was harder still to remain strong for the family when Derek was always their 'rock'.

Family: Derek's initial admission to hospital happened back in March - with Kate and her family painstakingly waiting for hopeful news ever since. The couple have two children - Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10 [pictured in May]

Kate recently broke her social media silence to respond to a fan who urged her to 'keep hanging on' as her husband remains in intensive care.

The TV personality had stepped back from all platforms in recent weeks, as her husband's condition had caused 'extraordinary damage'.

Kate replied to a follower's tweet who encouraged her to watch a YouTube video of Australian mountaineer Lincoln Hall who explains the stages of unconsciousness he came back from.

Support: It comes after Kate broke her social media silence to respond to a fan who urged her to 'keep hanging on' as her husband remains in intensive care

Miracles do happen: The fan had encouraged Kate to watch a video about Lincoln Hall, who survived a night at the summit of Mount Everest after his team had to abandon him

The fan wrote: 'Keep going with the messages he is hanging on, for a reason, for you, the kids, he has to come back to you all and he will.

'Try to watch the YouTube clip about Lincoln Hall, he explains about the stages of unconsciousness that he came back from. Big hugs xxx'.

Kate typed back: 'Thanks - will do xxx'.

Lovely surprise: The GMB host previously revealed the couple were set to renew their wedding vows after Derek popped the question again after she left the I'm A Celebrity jungle

The fan had encouraged Kate to watch a video about Hall, who reached the summit of Mount Everest on his second attempt in 2006, miraculously surviving the night at 8,700m on descent, after his family was told he had died.

Kate's husband was in a comatose state in intensive care for 12 weeks after contracting coronavirus, before the recent developments.

Former lobbyist Derek is now free of COVID-19, but is suffering from serious residual complications.

REVEALED: HOW THE CRUEL LEGACY OF COVID MAY LAST A LIFETIME Covid-19 could leave survivors with debilitating illnesses that last for years, doctors have warned since the outbreak spiralled out of control. One leading medic called it 'this generation's polio' - a disease that killed thousands and left a generation with life-long mobility issues. Patients who spend weeks fighting for life in intensive care can suffer from long-term complications caused by permanent damage to their lungs and liver. Physiotherapists also warn patients can suffer a loss of mobility, if they are stuck on hospital wards for weeks, or endure flashbacks and emotional distress. But even patients who endure symptoms so mild they don't get admitted to hospital are plagued by fatigue, headaches and breathlessness that can linger for weeks. Several recent studies have highlighted proof Covid-19 causes fibrosis - scarring of the lung tissue that makes it harder for the organs to work. A research paper published in a Chinese journal in March said 'pulmonary fibrosis may be one of the major [long-term] complications in Covid-19 patients'. Evidence is also emerging that the virus may affect the brain, causing seizures and stroke, as well as harming the liver, kidneys, heart and blood vessels. A paper in the journal JAMA Cardiology in March reported one in five of 416 Covid-19 patients hospitalised in Wuhan, China, had suffered heart damage. The heart problems are thought to occur as a result of the virus triggering a 'cytokine storm', where the immune system overreacts to the infection. Number 10's panel of leading scientists - SAGE - called for studies to investigate the lasting effects of the illness. Advertisement

The presenter became overcome with emotion during a recent instalment of GMB as she admitted she 'doesn't know' if Derek can recover from the damage COVID-19 has inflicted on his body, and may be in a coma for a year.

Kate said: 'Well there will be tears, I'll try to keep them down, he's still with us, he has fought the most extraordinary battle, the fact that he's still here and holding on.

'I am so grateful that he's still here, and I've got the option of praying while others have lost that.

'He's very, very sick and as time goes on, it's a virus, it's like a computer virus, the doctors manage one but there seems to be a flicker of hope and other things emerge and they're fighting that.

'It has affected him from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.

She added: 'He is now COVID-free, he has tested negative, the fight with the virus is over but it's wreaked extraordinary damage on his body and we don't know if he can recover from that.'

Brave: Kate spoke for the first time about Derek's initial admission to hospital in March

Struggling: The GMB presenter has talked about how her children - Darcey and Billy - are struggling while missing their father

Kate previously spoke for the first time about when Derek was admitted, saying: 'In that first week it looked like he was rallying. But then he was very bad, he couldn't really speak to me, he could shout things to me on speakerphone.

'He was begging me, he said "I can't take this, I feel like I'm suffocating", he said "please let them put me in a coma" and they didn't want to do that. On Sunday they said "we're going to put him in a coma as overnight we think we have to do that."'

'He said: "I love you, I'm sorry I have to leave you, you've saved my life". I think he thought I had asked the doctors to put in him in a coma. He said "being married to you, the children, you saved my life".'

Derek has previously credited Kate for saving him from depression which started during his career as a political advisor and led to a nervous breakdown and a stint in The Priory in the late 1990s.

Kate and Derek have been married for 14 years, with the former lobbyist cheering his wife on for the duration of her stint on I'm A Celebrity last year.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org

Louise Redknapp has penned a heartfelt tribute to Caroline Flack with a moving throwback snap of the late star.

The 45-year-old shared the photo to Instagram on Sunday almost five months after the tragic death of her close friend.

The image sees Caroline and Louise smiling playfully toward the camera with pals Keith Lemon and Claire Denby also getting in the frame.

Emotional: Louise Redknapp has penned a heartfelt tribute to Caroline Flack with a moving throwback snap of the late star almost five months after the tragic death of her close friend

Louise added an emotional caption to the post which simply read: 'I miss you. Always in my heart.'

Keith uploaded the same photo to his own social media story as he wrote: 'Last time I saw Flack x'.

In February, Caroline took her own life, age 40, at her new flat in Stoke Newington, London, hours after she was told she would face trial over the alleged assault of boyfriend Lewis Burton last year.

In a post the day after the news broke, Louise revealed the pair became good friends after Caroline reached out to her when she was going through a tough time after the breakdown of her 19-year marriage to Jamie Redknapp in 2017.

Throwback: In February, Caroline took her own life, age 40, at her new flat in Stoke Newington, London , hours after she was told she would face trial over the alleged assault of boyfriend Lewis Burton last year

Louise wrote: 'I'm not quite sure where to start with this it is so heartbreaking.

'Caroline when things were tough for me and you were going through equally such a tough time you reached out to me and it was so nice to have someone that had been there and been through the same emotions and feelings as me even though different circumstances.

'I always think it takes a certain soul to be able to reach out to someone who they don't really know that well and speak from the heart but you did that for me and from that moment a close friendship was founded.

'I feel so proud that I was someone that you felt you could trust and that you could speak to at any time about anything.

Support: In a post the day after the news broke, Louise revealed the pair became good friends after Caroline reached out to her when she was going through a tough time after the breakdown of her 19-year marriage to Jamie Redknapp in 2017

'I know what really mattered to you was being loved and being cared for and I just wish you could see how loved you were by so many people . You didn't deserve any of this what has happened.

Louise praised Caroline for giving her the confidence to restart her music career after years out of the industry, and for empowering her during the journey.

She continued: 'You were the kindest, brightest fun and sincere friend I've met in this industry. You turned up to every show I ever did coming back in to the industry you helped me believe I could go back and do something I never thought I could do again.

'Whether it was a little DJ set, a west-end show or a music gig you were there being the brightest loudest biggest loyalest supporter.

There for you: Louise praised Caroline for giving her the confidence to restart her music career after years out of the industry, and for empowering her during the journey

'We spoke often about the people we wanted to become about being strong women about not letting people hurt us about standing up for what we believe in and supporting each other.

'And I'm gonna do my best to be that person that you and I spoke about. I'm gonna try and do this for us for all the good things we said and the positive conversations we had you were an absolute star a nugget of gold.

'I feel really lucky to have had you as a friend, you were the girl that everybody wanted to be friends with and be in your corner on a night out. We would always have so much fun.

'I know this will be hard for everyone to come to terms with but all I can say is I will try and speak your messages, I will try and live by all the things that we spoke about and I will try to be your voice and best be person I can be for you . Caroline I was so proud to be your friend you were our girl!'

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
She announced her plans to divorce her husband Jay Cutler back in April.

And Kristin Cavallari was on her own with her children over the weekend as they celebrated America's Independence Day back at her childhood home in Barrington, Illinois.

The 33-year-old Very Cavallari star marked the occasion with multiple photos and videos of her children celebrating the 4th of July outside.

Family vacation: Kristin Cavallari, 33, shared photos of her idyllic trip back home to Barrington, Illinois, to celebrate the 4th of July with her three children: Camden, seven, Jaxon, six, and Saylor, four

She posted a snapshot of all three kids  sons Camden, seven, and Jaxon, six, and her daughter Saylor, four  as they played in the sand by a lake at dusk.

'And a beautiful 4th it was ,' Kristin captioned the photo.

Her children couldn't wait for the fourth to set of fireworks, and she shared a photo of the trio launching launching them from a driveway in the evening.

Camden jumped up and down in the short boomerang, which his mother captioned: 'Just pure joy.'

Old digs: Kristin, who announced she was divorcing her husband Jay Cutler in April, lived in Barrington with her mother through her sophomore year of high school before moving to Laguna Beach

Jumping for joy: Her children couldn't wait for the fourth to set of fireworks, and she shared a photo of the trio launching launching them from a driveway in the evening

Cooling down: On Sunday, she posted a lovely image of Saylor with a bucket on the lake shore

Country home: Another daytime picture of the lake was captioned, 'It's nice to be home.'

On Sunday, she posted a lovely image of Saylor with a bucket on the lake shore.

Another daytime picture of the lake was captioned, 'It's nice to be home.'

Though Kristin was born in Denver, Colorado, and spent her early years out West, she moved to Illinois with her mother after her parents divorced.

She stayed in Barrington through her sophomore year of high school before moving to Orange County's Laguna Beach, where her brother and father were located.

Shortly after, she appeared on MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which led to later stints on The Hills

Solo flight: Although Kristin and her estranged husband Jay Cutler recently reunited for Father's Day celebrations, they went their separate ways for the 4th of July

Party time: While she was enjoying family time in the Midwest, Jay was in Colorado celebrating with friends

Splitsville: The couple announced in April that they were ending their marriage of seven years, which they claimed was simply due to growing apart over time; shown in 2017

Although Kristin and her estranged husband Jay Cutler recently reunited for Father's Day celebrations, they went their separate ways for the 4th of July.

While she was enjoying family time in the Midwest, Jay was high up in Colorado celebrating with friends.

The couple announced in April that they were ending their marriage of seven years, which they claimed was simply due to growing apart over time.

But Kristin later claimed in her divorce filing that Jay was 'guilty of such inappropriate marital conduct as renders further cohabitation unsafe and improper.'

In addition, Kristin claimed in the filing that Jay insinuated misconduct on her part. The document, obtained by TMZ, says, 'Any misconduct alleged or implied against her in the complaint for divorce was in response to and/or as a result of misconduct on behalf of her Husband,'

The reality star requested primary physical custody of their children, child support and payments for their health insurance, while Jay requested joint custody of the children.

'Back in front of the camera': Despite the ongoing divorce drama, Kristin looked to be in great spirits in recent Instagram posts

Elegant: She shared a short video to Instagram on Wednesday of a camera dollying in on her while she wore one of her own Uncommon James bathing suits and gave it a seductive look

Despite the ongoing divorce drama, Kristin looked to be in great spirits in recent Instagram posts.

She shared a short video to Instagram on Wednesday of a camera dollying in on her while she wore one of her own Uncommon James bathing suits and gave it a seductive look.

'Back in front of the camera today,' she wrote.

She was more playful in a snap with with her friend Justin Anderson as she puckered up for a kiss.

'Early morning sweat sesh with my bestie,' she captioned it.
It's been 15 years since Adam Saunders shot to fame playing teen heartthrob Heath Carroll in ABC drama Blue Water High.

Now 33, the former child actor looks very different to how fans may remember him.

These days, Adam is a beefed-up male model and fashion photographer based in Sydney.

What happened to Heath from Blue Water High? Early 2000s heartthrob Adam Saunders is now a beefed-up male model (right). Pictured left on Blue Water High

His once-boyish looks have been replaced by a chiselled six-pack, peroxide blond hair, a nose ring and an array of tattoos.

While he may no longer be an actor, his confidence in front of the camera is clear in the myriad of shirtless photos on his Instagram.

Speaking to Vice in 2016 about his memories of Blue Water High, Adam said: 'Every now and then there will be an article on Facebook about shows from the early 2000s, which always feels strange because it's not like it affects me day to day.'

Transformed: His once-boyish looks have been replaced by a chiselled six-pack, peroxide blond hair, a nose ring and an array of tattoos. Pictured left on Blue Water High, right in 2020

If you've got it, flaunt it! While he may no longer be an actor, his confidence in front of the camera is clear in the myriad of shirtless photos on his Instagram. Pictured in 2019

He added: 'I started with Blue Water High when I'd just turned 18. I'd finished school and that was my first big acting role. I was still getting to know myself.'

After leaving Blue Water High in 2006, Adam went on to pursue a career in music with his now-defunct band, Prince of Thieves.

'I remember saving up money from doing Blue Water High and buying a home recording studio,' he told Vice.

Surreal: In 2016, Adam said it was 'strange' reflecting on his acting career as a teen. Pictured: Blue Water High cast members (back from left) Kate Bell, Adam Saunders, Christopher Foy, Tahyna Tozzi, Mara Scherzinger, (front from left) Khan Chittenden and Sophie Luck

Unsuccessful: After leaving Blue Water High in 2006, Adam pursued a career in music with his now-defunct band, Prince of Thieves. Unfortunately, the band never found success and Adam decided to give up his dreams of being a musician. Pictured in 2019

Unfortunately, the band never found success and Adam decided to give up his dreams of being a musician.

Eventually, he stepped behind the camera to film other groups performing.

He has since launched a production company called Killa Kreative, which specialises in creating photography and video content for brands.
in the opinion of the Federal Minister of economic Affairs, Peter Altmaier, could have the economic downturn in the Corona of a pandemic in the autumn to an end. "I'm sure that we can stop the downturn of our economy after the summer break, and at the latest from October, the economy in Germany is growing again," said the CDU politician of the "Bild am Sonntag". Although the German economy will shrink by 2020 by six percent, according to the Minister. For 2021 but he expected to see growth of more than five percent.

Confident Altmaier was also with a view to the development of the labour market. Here he was expecting an improvement from November. "I expect that we will experience this year, to about October, the peak of the unemployment figures by Corona. Starting in November, you can go back slowly, said the Minister of economy of the newspaper. As the target Altmaier called to reach out to 2022, the employment level from before the crisis.

Recently, with the Ifo Institute, after the severe Corona-recession for the second half of the year, had forecast a strong upturn in the German economy. The Munich-based Economists expected for 2020, with a decline in German economic performance of 6.7 percent compared to the year 2019. For 2021, the Ifo Institute expects a growth of 6.4 percent.

"of Great concern" if the pandemic device in America is out of control

The Federal Minister of Economics warns, however, faced with far-reaching consequences of the Corona ends-spread in the United States for the world economy. "I big Worried about the rising number of new infections in the United States," said Altmaier, the "picture on Sunday". "A pandemic, the device there out of control, has great consequences for the world economy."

At the same time, the Minister criticised the decision of President Donald Trump, the drug Remdesivir in a large scale for the Corona-patients in the United States to buy. "Alone in the fight against Corona to help anyone," said Altmaier. "The empty buy from markets and Monopolize vaccines are a particularly bad idea." Maybe should be distracted by the actions of the us government "only of the major problems in his own country". The world community could combat the novel Coronavirus is only together, said Altmaier. "The white, hopefully, the American President."

Remdesivir was developed by the American company, Gilead, actually, for the treatment of Ebola. According to the United States and Japan, the EU has approved the funds for the treatment of Corona patients. The EU-wide supply with the means, however, is questionable. The American government had notified a few days ago, to have almost the entire production of the Means for the next few months backed up. The United States is the strongest of the Corona pandemic affected country in the world. There almost 130,000 Infected died were already demonstrated more than 2.8 contagions,.

Updated Date: 05 July 2020, 10:19
In the event of sudden water intrusion in a height in the Italian Region of three men to have been included Abruzzo, one was killed. The helpers were able to mountains, two men in a night rescue operation live. The third was later found dead, according to the news Agency Ansa reported on Sunday.

The firefighters and other rescuers had been called on Saturday to the Risorgiva cave in Roccamorice, in the province of Pescara. Heavy rain was probably the reason that parts of the cave were quickly full. The three Italian cavers from a private Club were included in the Reports, about 70 meters from the entrance. There had filled a passage with water and blocked the way back. The fire brigade had to pump out the water.

The two Rescued were in a hospital, but it is good for you physically. Other members of the team were waiting outside of the cave, had triggered the Alarm. The 42-year-old man who could only be recovered dead, was, according to the Ansa still a novice cavers.

Updated Date: 05 July 2020, 10:19
Charlottesvilles Human Rights Commission is planning small meetings with the City Council ahead of a joint work session later this summer to discuss changes to its structure.

A committee of the commission recently held a virtual meeting to discuss developments ahead of the commissions next meeting.

Last month, the commission began discussing changes to its structure and a job description for a director of the Office of Human Rights.

The commission was established, along with the Office of Human Rights, in 2013. The commission is largely an advisory and community outreach panel, while also investigating discrimination complaints.

The commission and office have been scrutinized since inception, with some saying they dont do enough to investigate complaints and others faulting the council for limiting its powers.

The changes under consideration include hiring a director with legal and civil rights credentials; conducting one major study on systemic discrimination per year; and reducing membership to seven or nine members.
Trump alienated European leaders with his anti-NATO rhetoric and U.S. tariffs on imports from Europe. Biden believes in cooperation with Europe and will make those views known in coming months.

Chinas ambitions in Asia

There is consensus in Congress and the business community that China is a dangerous long-term threat to U.S. interests in Asia and potentially in Europe. In just 20 years, communist China has become an economic power, with spreading trade relations across the globe. It builds a formidable military force, including cyber warfare capability, to confront commercial shipping in the South China Sea and in Japanese and South Korean seas. It sponsors a global espionage network that steals technology from U.S. and European businesses and laboratories

As on Russias ambition in Europe, Congress attitude on China is openly negative, especially after Beijings clampdown in Hong Kong. Biden hasnt criticized Trumps handling of rocky relations with North Korea or its pressure on South Korea. But Trump and some members of Congress think 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea is excessive and should be reduced.

Iran and the Persian Gulf
Rosario insisted on head coverings in the kitchen. Youd want to make a quick exit if he ever found a strand of hair on food. He regarded the human hair as dangerous as diphtheria, no exaggeration. Rosario drilled into all 12 of his children the Principle of Skeevy and Hyper-Vigilant Cleanliness. That way of life persisted through the generations.

When Rosarios daughter, Aunt Angie, set the table, she always re-washed the clean dishes she took from her cupboard. A great-aunt, who will remain nameless, was such a germaphobe that she rarely ate anywhere other than her own home. If she happened to dine elsewhere, lets just say that her body rejected the meal soon after.

Even though the DiMarco family lived through the Depression, the five-second rule did not apply. If a food item grazed the floor, it would get thrown out immediately.

My maternal grandfather, Gaetano, caused a delay at every Sunday dinner. At the exact moment we were told the food was ready, hed head off to the bathroom to wash his hands. This mans thoroughness would put surgeons to shame. He always said grace, so we had to wait for him. He scrubbed for ages as we watched the roast congeal or the spaghetti solidify.
Critics complained at the time that the initial board had spent months trying to create the best bylaws and ordinance possible, while the council made its changes in a matter of only weeks.

After City Council made its decision, then the process of appointing new members began. That process itself took months. In December 2019, the council had to extend the application period for potential members to express their interest; the final member was not appointed until early June.

In the meantime, the CRB had been scheduled to meet in March. Then the coronavirus hit, canceling or delaying numerous city meetings  including the review boards.

As a result, the board held its first meeting last week, amid local and national protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, as well as other killings of African Americans by police. Many on the board say these examples show exactly why the CRB should be stronger, and this is exactly the time to make that point.

They therefore signaled their rejection of both the bylaws and the City Councils enabling ordinance.

Its clear that very strong sentiment exists for expanding the boards scope. But whether that push will succeed  or even if it should  is far less clear.
@MarkCavitt on Twitter

Mark Cavitt is a multimedia journalist at The Oakland Press and MediaNews Group in Michigan. He covers Oakland County government as well as the communities of Commerce Township, Lyon Township, Milford, Novi, South Lyon, Walled Lake and Wixom.
The newly-appointed heads of Egypt's press and media organisations were sworn in before parliament on Sunday.

The list of heads, who were named by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on 22 June, include Karam Gabr, head of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation; Abdel-Sadeq El-Shorbagi, head of the Higher Press Organisation; and Hussein Zein, head of the Higher Media Organisation.

Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the procedure comes in line with the media and press laws, which stipulate that these heads take the constitutional oath before parliament ahead of exercising their duties.

Abdel-Aal said the appointment of the new heads come at a very difficult time for Egypts national media and press organisations.

"We have the coronavirus crisis which hit the national media and press organisations very hard, not to mention that Egypt faces very severe hostile media attacks and this requires the national media to stand firm in the face of these attacks, said Abdel-Aal, telling the new media heads that I think this is not an easy job but I am sure that you will do this job very sincerely and honestly.

Abdel-Aal described Gabr as one of the journalists who declared war against the terrorist group, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, very early on.

This came through the weekly magazine of Rose El-Youssef which led the battle against the terrorist organisation, he said, expressing hope that the Egyptian national television and press organisations will be back playing a pioneering role in shaping in Arab public opinion.

We need Egypts soft power to be used again to stand up to the media war we face, said Abdel-Aal, adding that I also hope that Egyptian radio stations broadcasting in African languages will come back.

Gabr commented: Egypt needs the unity of all national forces because we are all partners in correcting misguided conceptions and enlightening the public opinion.

I assure you that we will do our best to stand up to all negative practices and make sure that there is no media chaos in Egypt, said Gabr, adding that the coming period is very critical because Egypt will see the election of a new parliament and a new Senate.

Information Minister Osama Heikal said there will be greater cooperation between the state and press and media organisations in the coming period.

The problems facing the Egyptian media are at the top of the states priorities and we hope that we all will be able to solve them, said Heikal.

The minister also said that he and his family have fully recovered from the coronavirus. He had been in self-isolation after contracting the disease.

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NEW HAVEN  Hopeful that the worst is behind them, city officials have begun to ease restrictions around social distancing as they prepare for summer activities.

On a virtual press conference Thursday, Mayor Justin Elicker said there has been a rough daily average of four new COVID-19 infections over the last few weeks, a disease that has claimed the lives of 112 city residents and infected 2,712.

Our trending is in a very good place, Elicker said. Ive been seeing people wearing masks everywhere I go.

The next challenge for the city when it comes to containing the spread of the virus will be the July Fourth holiday. Because the holiday ordinarily lends itself to mass gatherings, Elicker said city residents must be careful and vigilant.

The city is expanding its maximum capacity at Lighthouse Point Park to 250 vehicles and has turned on its splash pads.

Elicker said a lightly-advertised testing center on the Green Wednesday tested 98 people, a result he was pleased with as large-scale testing centers have begun to close.

When the city moved to empty its shelters, people experiencing homelessness were placed into two hotels. Elicker said that, since then, roughly 120 to 130 people who have not been rehoused have been placed into just one hotel. Each hotel had only one person experiencing homelessness test positive, a good sign cases are pretty low.

Elicker said 222 people have been rehoused since the start of the pandemic in March.

A ton of work went into that, the vision of ensuring the people that needed a shelter before dont have to go back to a shelter, and doing that in a really comprehensive way is inspiring and were seeing that come to fruition, he said.

The city also has eased up on using two of its local university partners for temporary housing purposes: the city closed its operations in dorms at the University of New Haven in West Haven, where public safety officers potentially exposed to the virus were residing, and a site at Albertus Magnus College for people testing positive who have no other location to self-isolate is on standby, Elicker said.

Scott Jackson, the citys chief administrative officer, said several departments in City Hall will reopen to the public, but he urged residents to call those departments ahead of time.

Just because youve come to City Hall to pay your taxes the last 10 years doesnt mean you need to come this year, he said.

City Health Director Maritza Bond said there has been a slight uptick in positive cases at two nursing homes in the city, but no increase in fatalities related to COVID-19.

Fire Chief John Alston said his department received nearly 10 times as many noise complaints related to fireworks in the last week of June than it did last year, and warned against the use of fireworks as a public safety issue.

Were concerned about that from the health and safety side, because fireworks for the most part are illegal in the state of Connecticut. If it goes boom or goes up in the air, its illegal, he said.

The city has formed a task force, he said, and it has the noise ordinance on its side as a tool.

Elicker also discussed progress the city has made or will make on reforms around police accountability. He said the Board of Alders will have a full list of names to consider for the Civilian Review Board, which was established last year but is not yet operational because of vacant seats, and there has been consideration around civilianizing parts of our police force.

There is potential for a crisis response team, he said.

The city also is working on creating a more interactive site to make police statistics more readily available, and recently added a Spanish form for residents to make incident reports, he said.

Were all doing some broader thinking about how to keep communities safe, Elicker said. Its a more long-term approach.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com


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Tirupati: Reiterating that not even a single devotee has tested positive for COVID-19 since resumption of services at the Venkateswara temple in Tirumala on June 8, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy announced that 17 employees of the devasthanams have tested positive so far.

Speaking to media after an emergency board meeting at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala on Saturday, Subba Reddy disclosed that one assistant priest, a couple of musicians, and vigilance and security staffers have been infected. After an extensive enquiry, we found that none of the 17 employees who tested positive hails from Tirumala, he underlined.

Subba Reddy maintained that revenues and hundi collections are not important for the TTD, and there would be no compromise on the health of employees. We have already instructed officials to provide the affected employees the best of treatment. We will also put in place top quality measures to ensure that pilgrims on a visit to Tirumala do not fall prey to the coronavirus."

Subba Reddy announced that instead of week-long shifts, TTD is contemplating two-week long shifts for employees to ensure their health. Every employee will be tested for corona and only then allowed to discharge their duties. Additional safety measures will be ensured at Kalyanakatta with barbers being given gloves and PPE kits. The same will also be issued to Vahana bearers and those at prasadam distribution counter, he stated.

Keeping in mind the spike in cases of coronavirus in the country, the TTD chairman said no more than 12,000 devotees will be allowed to have darshan of the deity in the foreseeable future.
Vijayawada: TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and save the Amaravati Capital City from destructive strategies of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the state.

He told the PM that it is the duty of Central government to protect Amaravati in accordance with the spirit of AP Reorganisation Act, which recommended a single capital for the residual state of Andhra Pradesh and not multiple capital cities, as is being proposed now.

Mr Naidu recalled that PM Modi himself had brought divine soil from the Parli-amentary grounds in Delhi and sacred water from Yamuna River as mark of the entire nation's blessings for the new capital for AP when its foundation stone was laid at Amaravati.

The TD chief, addressing a national-level webinar organised to coincide with the 200th Day of Protests for retaining Amaravati as the sole capital, underlined the need for Central government to consider Amaravati as a national project. It is not just a concern of a few thousand farmers or local people, it is will of the entire population of Andhra Pradesh to develop a potentially strong capital for AP at a single place. This is evident from people of AP living in over 200 cities across the world taking part in the 200th Day for Amaravati protests.

Mr Naidu told the centre that while in opposition prior to 2019, Jagan Mohan Reddy had stated on the floor of the AP Assembly that he approved formation of the capital city at Amaravati. However, after coming to power, the Chief Minister has chosen to break this promise with the sole aim of destroying Amaravati.

The former chief minister pointed out that central funds of Rs. 2,500 crore have already been spent in Amaravati. Together with the states expenditure, a total Rs. 9,500 crore have already been invested on various Amaravati project works.

The centre had promised to give more funds for Amaravati, but the YSRC government is overlooking the same with the ulterior motive of destroying Amaravati for political reasons.

Naidu claimed that all political parties except the ruling YSRC in the state are opposing the three-capitals proposal. He further asserted that as per the Reorganisation Act, the then democratically elected government (of TDP) has already decided on the capital for AP at Amaravati and there is no scope to reverse this decision.
Maintaining respiration during chloroform delivery was vital to prevent unnecessary deaths, a technique perfected by Dr Lawrie in 20 years of practice. Representational Photo, AFP.

Over 130 years ago, a significant scientific event was recorded in the medical history of Hyderabad, and indeed the world. It would have an enduring effect on the science of anesthesiology and its applications in painless surgery.

In the 19th century, chloroform was being increasingly used for surgical procedures, but its safety profile was yet to be established. Doctors could not understand why some healthy patients died at the operating table after being administered chloroform, and wanted to know if its toxic effects affected the lungs or the heart first before causing death, so that a technique could be developed to avoid these complications.

This was, of course, a major issue and led to scientific debates and studies around chloroform and its safety.

In those days, the practice of medicine at Hyderabad was flourishing, with the fully functional Hyderabad Medical School, established in the reign of the 4th Nizam, Mir Farqundah Ali Khan Nasir-ud-dawlah. When the Nizam fell ill, probably from diabetes, the then British Resident suggested he be treated with Western medicine by the Residency Surgeon, Dr William Campbell Maclean.

The Nizam recovered fully, and, impressed with allopathic medicine, ordered the establishment of the Hyderabad Medical School (later Osmania Medical College) in 1847, with Dr Maclean as its first principal.

By 1885, it grew to become the premier institution for the teaching and practice of medicine, along with Afzalganj Hospital (later Osmania General Hospital).

This was the year the famous Scottish surgeon, Dr Edward Lawrie, was appointed Residency Surgeon in Hyderabad. He also became principal of the medical college and changed the language of instruction from Urdu to English. He also pioneered a technique of delivering chloroform to patients which wouldnt compromise their breathing.

It was a technique that impressed Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, the 6th Nizam. Safe and painless techniques of operation were always sought after that. In 1888, at Dr Lawries request, the Nizam sponsored the first Hyderabad Chloroform Commission, that oversaw medical experiments to prove that the toxicity of chloroform would first affect the respiratory system rather than the heart.

Therefore, maintaining respiration during chloroform delivery was vital to prevent unnecessary deaths, a technique perfected by Dr Lawrie in 20 years of practice.

The first commissions findings were published in Lancet, a prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal.

The early experiments were criticised by Western doctors, who felt chloroforms toxic effects were cardiovascular in nature, not respiratory. They argued that, in lethal doses, it was the heart that stopped first, followed by the respiratory system. Undeterred, Dr Lawrie insisted on repeating the experiments for a second chloroform commission, this time in the presence of a medical observer of Lancets choosing.

The journal agreed and appointed as its representative Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton, an eminent physician whose work on the effect of drugs on the heart was well recognised. The Nizam welcomed the appointment and famously paid 1,000 to Lancets expenses (about 130,000 today), which the journal gratefully acknowledged.

The team conducted nearly 600 experiments in October-December 1889, when Sir Thomas stayed in Hyderabad observing them. He was also treated to lavish get-togethers organised by the medical fraternity and Hyderabads nobility.

He left in December of 1889, convinced of Dr Lawrie's anesthesia techniques, and in the following year presented the findings of the Hyderabad Chloroform Commission in London.

By 1890, the study results were published in Lancet, and discussions on it published in two other reputed journals  Nature and Cambridge Universitys Journal of Laryngology & Rhinology.

In 1891, a 400-page book Report of the Hyderabad Chloroform Commission was published by the Nizams government, a copy of which is now in the library of Americas Yale University.

The Second Hyderabad Commission had concluded that in toxic doses, chloroform would cause respiratory paralysis (and asphyxia), that could be managed by adjusting the dose or by artificial respiration devices. It also advised protocols for safe administration of the anaesthetic agent.

A general consensus that formed after the second commission was when chloroform is given in the ordinary way by inhalation, respiration stops first, so care must be taken while delivering it as an anaesthetic agent.

Today forensic experts agree that in lethal doses chloroform initially does cause death due to respiratory failure in a majority of cases, and cardiac arrhythmia (palpitations) in others.

Over the century we have moved on from chloroform as the anaesthetic agent of choice.

However, this evidence-based study remains a testament to the progressive nature of Hyderabad and its people, especially towards the promotion of scientific knowledge, as shown by the proactive role of the leadership that backed this study. These days, such clinical studies are mostly sponsored by companies who are stakeholders in outcomes.

The Nizam, however, sponsored the Chloroform Commission with no bias, and in his own words, to save peoples lives, which Lancet also acknowledges.

Dr Edward Lawrie continued to work in Hyderabad until his retirement in 1901, and died in London in 1915, aged 69. A Dr Lawrie Lecture Hall was named in his honour in Osmania General Hospital by the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, in recognition of his services to Hyderabad and to medical science.

In 1988, Osmania General Hospital celebrated the centenary of the Hyderabad Chloroform Commissions. Obviously, this achievement is of great significance to the medical world and of course to the people of Hyderabad and Telangana. After all, its placed Hyderabad and India in the pages of modern medicine for posterity.
We can only visualize what positives would have been there in a situation like todays if the area sabhas were in existence and active. PTI Photo

During these challenging times of the entire mankind facing difficult times, one thing which has emerged clearly is the importance of communication. When the Prime Minister addresses the nation, people get a clear understanding as to where we stand with regard to preparedness and what is the direction we are taking.

Similarly when a state Chief minister addresses, there is a certain reassurance to all the citizens as to the strategy to handle the virus and how it is working.

How nice and purposeful it would have been in todays circumstances if the residents of each small area of a city, say each polling booth area representing about one thousand voters, could get direct communication from the urban local body as to what all are being done to fight the virus, what is the citizen cooperation and contribution expected and in turn the residents of each area could highlight the specific requirements of the area.

A strategy like this would have worked much better not only in eliciting the participation of the citizens but also in building trust between the governance system and the governed.

Years back when the national urban renewal mission was launched in 2005, noting that our urban local bodies have generally not thought of and introduced reforms in the way they work and deliver services, a twenty three reforms agenda was introduced for states and cities to be taken up during the course of the mission period so as to bring about the much needed positive changes in the interest of urban residents.

One such reform namely enactment of community participation law was to provide for institutionalization of citizen participation and introduction of the concept of area sabha  in urban areas. Each area sabha was to consist of all registered voters of a polling booth which means about 800 to 1000 voters per each such area.

It was for the state governments to determine the areas within each of the wards of the municipality. So the territorial extent of each area could be either the entire geographical territory in which all persons listed in the electoral roll of a polling booth live or when voter numbers are less, the state could decide to have two or more contiguous polling booth areas combined into an area, not exceeding five such booths clubbed together.

Among the functions and duties proposed for such area sabhas, each one of which will be part of a ward, was generating proposals for development programs, identifying the most eligible persons to be beneficiaries of welfare programs, suggesting location of street lights, community water taps and such other public conveniences, identifying deficiencies in water supply and street lighting and suggesting remedial measures, assisting activities of public health centers and to undertake and support tax mapping.

These sabhas could get information from officials about services, impart awareness on matters of public interest and promote harmony and unity among various groups of people in the area. The idea behind introducing this new layer of governance was to institutionalize citizen participation, to provide platforms to citizens to influence program development and implementation, promote transparency and accountability in governance and ensure that citizens have a say in determining how information is shared, policies are set, resources are used and programs are implemented.

What happened to the implementation of the reform?

Six years after the mission was launched it was found that only nine states had taken measures to bring in the legislation, work relating to having the legislation in position was significantly in progress in four states, it was making progress in some thirteen states and Punjab was one state which had not done it. Some states placed more emphasis on having the ward level committees only which is chaired by the ward councilor.

No great enthusiasm was visible in most states to have the area sabhas constituted and make them functional. And the citizens in such states neither had any avenue to ask for a platform like this nor were they much bothered.

However there are four states which moved forward on this agenda. The then composite state of Andhra Pradesh made an amendment in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act to provide for the constitution of ward committees and area sabhas. Thus area sabhas came into existence in Hyderabad.

But in the other urban bodies of the state except for Visakhapatnam, nothing much happened. Provision for constitution of area sabhas and ward committees was made in Karnataka through an amendment to the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act. However there was not much in notifying how the area sabhas are to be constituted for a city like Bengaluru.

In a separate action in Mysuru a citizens committee was constituted for every polling booth level and the next higher level committee, the zonal committee had members from the citizen committees.

Maharashtra also amended the law to provide for area sabhas but even after some eight years or so after this step, the state government was yet to notify rules in this regard. Kerala decided that ward sabhas are enough and there is no need for another level below that in the form of an area sabha. It is understood ward sabha meetings are convened which are attended by of one to two percent of the ward members.

We can only visualize what positives would have been there in a situation like todays if the area sabhas were in existence and active. If not statutorily provided, it could even have been desirable to administratively form these area entities.

Then it would have been possible to maintain data relating to the voters and families of the 800 to 1000 people residing in an area, a functionary of the municipal corporation working in that area could have acted as the convener, the city body would have had ready access to details about the senior citizens in the area, differently abled, single persons who all would need to be assisted and also would need medical linkage sometimes even at very short notice.

Data would have got maintained about the slum dwellers and if any in the area, maids, delivery persons, cleaners, drivers etc who keep coming to the area or are living within, types of shops including medical shops either within or by moving out of the area and a whole lot of details which would have facilitated better decision making to make life easier even in a lock down situation.

There could have been better flow of communication both from the municipal commissioner to the residents of each area and the other way as well so that area specific actions needed would have got timely attention as well. Sharing of information among these one thousand or so residents and enabling them to come together to implement the special requirements during times like this would have been easier and smoother.

As we get back to normalcy, it would be desirable to act seriously to have area level arrangements like the area sabha even as administrative units if there is hesitation in providing for it through legislation, so that urban governance system becomes stronger, more participative and capable of taking better cognizance of the area specific issues and requirements.
Hyderabad: The ideal time period required for the development of a vaccine is two and a half years. In the fast-track mode, it will take eight months to a year for completing the process of clinical trials, data testing, accuracy and efficacy of vaccine, experts say.

Human trials of the inactivated BBV152 or Covaxin, a vaccine candidate being developed by Bharat Biotech along with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, Pune, that begin on July 7 will be required to follow these processes. The globally accepted fast-track mode allows for eliminating one or two steps that are repetitive in nature but does not allow for any process or data to be sidelined.

The adverse effects of vaccine, discrepancies in human body reactions and antibody studies will make the basis of going forward in every step.

All of this may not be completed in the 38-day timeline set by ICMR, and may put paid to its plan of secure a vaccine by August 15, Independence Day. Animal studies of Covaxin have been encouraging and that has given confidence for human trials but there cannot be over-confidence, warn scientists who are keen that scientific norms cannot be bypassed.

Dr Rakesh K. Mishra, director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad said, If everything goes absolutely as per textbook plan we have six to eight months for a vaccine. We must also remember that the number of people enrolled must be high as that will give us better data analysis. At the same time, there are different strains and whether the vaccine candidate works for all the strains needs to be evaluated. The efficacy of the vaccine will be derived on its ability to create antibodies, how it works on different virus strains and if it will work on all humans is what the researchers have to look for.

Dr Ahmed Kamal, formerly a scientist at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, said, We have to evaluate the risk versus benefit situation in development of a vaccine. While the processes must be followed there is now an opinion that fast-track methods will help. If we can protect the maximum population without causing harm, the benefit is a priority in these times.

Processes which take time and require cross-verification can be expedited and more resources must be put in place, urge scientists from different sectors. The confidence of the people to opt for vaccine will come from safety standards that are followed.

A senior scientist said, Safety is a priority for all of us. In making a vaccine it must be protection from the virus and not creation of another problem. This aspect must be kept in mind. Hence it is a responsibility on all of us and fast track methods require double protection schedules and alertness.

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US Customs and Border Protection detained a shipment of weaves believed to be made in a Chinese detention camp. The shipment is suspected to be human hair. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP)

New York: Federal authorities in New York on Wednesday seized a shipment of weaves and other beauty accessories suspected to be made out of human hair taken from people locked inside a Chinese internment camp.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told The Associated Press that 13 tons (11.8 metric tonnes) of hair products worth an estimated $800,000 were in the shipment.

The production of these goods constitutes a very serious human rights violation, and the detention order is intended to send a clear and direct message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States that illicit and inhumane practices will not be tolerated in U.S. supply chains, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBPs Office of Trade.

This is the second time this year that CBP has slapped one of its rare detention orders on shipments of hair weaves from China, based on suspicions that people making them face human rights abuses. The orders are used to hold shipping containers at the U.S. ports of entry until the agency can investigate claims of wrongdoing.

Rushan Abbas, a Uighur American activist whose sister, a medical doctor, went missing in China almost two years ago and is believed to be locked in a detention camp, said women who use hair weaves should think about who might be making them.

This is so heartbreaking for us, she said. I want people to think about the slavery people are experiencing today. My sister is sitting somewhere being forced to make what, hair pieces?

Wednesdays shipment was made by Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co. Ltd. In May, a similar detention was placed on Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd., although those weaves were synthetic, not human, the agency said. Hetian Haolins products were imported by Os Hair in Duluth, Georgia, and I & I Hair, headquartered in Dallas. I & Is weaves are sold under the Innocence brand to salons and individuals around the U.S.

Both of the exporters are in Chinas far west Xinjiang region, where, over the past four years, the government has detained an estimated 1 million or more ethnic Turkic minorities.

The ethnic minorities are held in internment camps and prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce their religion and language and physically abused. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harboring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion.

Reports by the AP and other news organizations have repeatedly found that people inside the internment camps and prisons, which activists call black factories, are making sportswear and other apparel for popular U.S. brands.

The AP tried to visit Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. more than a year ago during an investigation into forced labor inside the camps. But police called the cab driver taking AP journalists to the area, ordering the driver to turn back and warning that the cabs coordinates were being tracked.

From the road, it was clear the factory  topped with Haolin Hair Accessories in big red letters  was ringed with barbed wire fencing and surveillance cameras, and the entrance was blocked by helmeted police. Across the street, what appeared to be an educational facility was topped with political slogans declaring the country has power and urging people to obey the Communist Party. It was unclear whether the factory was part of a detention center, but former detainees in other parts of Xinjiang have described being shuttled to work in fenced, guarded compounds during the day and taken back to internment camps at night.

The Chinese Ministry of Affairs has said there is no forced labor, nor detention of ethnic minorities.

We hope that certain people in the United States can take off their tinted glasses, correctly understand and objectively and rationally view normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises, the ministry said in a statement.

Last December, Xinjiang authorities announced that the camps had closed and all the detainees had graduated, a claim difficult to corroborate independently given tight surveillance and restrictions on reporting in the region. Some Uighurs and Kazakhs have told the AP that their relatives have been released, but many others say their loved ones remain in detention, were sentenced to prison or transferred to forced labor in factories.

While tariffs and embargoes over political issues are fairly common, its extremely rare for the U.S. government to block imports produced by forced labor.

The 1930 Tariff Act prohibited those imports, but the government has only enforced the law 54 times in the past 90 years. Most of those bans, 75%, blocked goods from China, and enforcement has ramped up since then-President Barack Obama strengthened the law in 2016.

Rep. Chris Smith said that while the allegations of forced labor are appalling, sadly they are not surprising.

It is likely that many slave labor products continue to surreptitiously make it into our stores, said Smith, a New Jersey Republican who has taken a lead on anti-human trafficking legislation.

On June 17, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, condemning gross human rights violations of specified ethnic Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region in China.

Earlier, calling for its passage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decried what she described as Chinas mass incarceration, forced sterilization and journalist suppression.

Beijings barbarous actions targeting the Uyghur people are an outrage to the collective conscience of the world, she said in a statement.
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OPINION

The Strange Case of Justice Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Bishop of Derry today said he was 'unclear' on whether baptism services can resume.

Public church services resumed this week in the latest easing of the coronavirus restrictions.

Pubs and restaurants were also allowed to reopen on Friday.

Speaking at Mass today at St Eugene's Cathedral, the Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, said there was still confusion in relation to some religious services.

This last week, I have been trying to work out whether the NI Executive has now given us permission to baptise, said Bishop McKeown.

I know that it sounds ridiculous that Churches have to get political clearance to baptise a baby or an adult!

Of course, I can understand the thinking behind the earlier temporary baptism ban because, for some, sacramental events seem to refer to the large parties afterwards.

Now we can have the baptism parties  but I am unclear whether we can actually have the baptism before the party!

Bishop McKeown said he was not sure whether the legal restrictions have changed or whether people still waiting for further clarification.

When politicians accuse others of not understanding government messages, that might suggest a lack of clarity in the messaging rather than merely culpable deafness on the part of the listeners, he added.
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Sushant Singh Rajputs Family Confirms His Father Is Not On Twitter; Will Turn Actors Childhood Home Into A Memorial

A tweet from a fake account demanding CBI inquiry into the Sushant Singh Rajputs death recently went viral on social media. The handle claimed to be the late actors father K K Singhs account. However, his family has released a statement clarifying that it is nothing but a fake social media handle. In fact the familys source has made it very clear in a chat with PTI that they are still coping with the tragic loss and have not been giving interviews or participating in media interactions.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sushant Singh Rajput (@sushantsinghrajput) on Jul 6, 2019 at 3:02am PDT

Sushants family will be maintaining his social media accounts as legacy accounts to keep his memories alive and have also decided to turn his childhood home in Rajiv Nagar into a memorial for fans. His personal memorabilia and belongings, including his telescope, will be put for his admirers. Even Instagram added the word Remembering to Sushants bio, memorializing it as a place to remember the actor's life.

Sushant Singh Rajput was not only an incredibly talented actor and dancer, but also an extremely humble, energetic and hard-working human. His fans adored him and his co-stars had the sweetest things to say about him. He left the entire nation heartbroken when he bid adieu to the world on 14th June. Sushant was reportedly suffering from depression and the police found medical prescriptions at his house on the day of his death.
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There are more cliches about Australians than you can throw a Flat White at. Likewise, loudmouths American travelers, fall victim to some unfriendly stereotyping too.

How much of it is justified well leave up to you.

But despite both being turned into tropes, there are a number of areas American and Australian travelers diverge.

In light of the short-circuiting of the travel industry recent events, particularly regarding the ongoing shakeup of the restaurant and hotel industries, we spoke to Group Director of Food and Beverage at Ovolo Hotels, Vincent Lombino, to understand the differences in Australian and American travelers expectations when it comes to hospitality.

RELATED: The Coffee Skill Australians Think They Know But Really Dont

While Vincent tells us the gap may not be as big as you think (I used to think there were big differences) he also admits there are a number of interesting ways in which demands diverge across the pond.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lucia Lopez (@lucialucelucira) on Oct 1, 2018 at 12:27am PDT

First up is ego anxiety: American travelers get kind of anxious and want that polish your shoe service you get in America, topping up your water every 5 seconds, wheres the prices kind of freaked out.

Australians, on the other hand, Vincent tells us, respect and appreciate good service  particularly the finer points without necessarily expecting it. They also, in Vincents experience, live up to their reputation for being so kind and getting to know the staff, opening up and endearing themselves to people, even if an establishment must first earn their trust.

Aussies will be funny, theyll come in and be standoffish anywhere you go, but once you crack that thing theyre lovely.

Americans, conversely, come in and want it right up front. They go, Hey, whats going on? Theyve got super expectations that if you dont [match them] perfectly it goes down quite quickly.

Aussies dont have as big an expectation [typically], but when you exceed it you blow them away.

I love to watch that and I watch how people over the years build this loyalty with people that come back, Vincent adds.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@gabrielleklpt) on Jun 24, 2020 at 1:18pm PDT

He also mentions that, though Australia, in the past, tended to follow American trends, now the relationship  when it comes to hospitality  flows more both ways. As Vincent confirms, avocado on toast isnt the only Aussie foodie feature that has caught on in the US: it has; the killer cafe culture and some of the bar culture [has caught on].

Everything [used to] come from America: copy this; lets do that. Now its going the other way around.

All that said: its not as if Australians  particularly our own branch of foodies  are immune from error. There is a growing cultural divide in Australia between those who believe social media exposure is a legitimate currency and those who dont  something which was brought to a head recently via The Australian food critic John Lethleans influencer spat.

Food for thought.

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Theres one thing you might send and that is a dozen handkerchiefs and of course any candy or gum would be really appreciated and thats not kidding theres nothing sweet over here not even the girls.

Boy mail sure comes slow maybe it will start coming in sometime soon. Ive had plenty of letters but all of them were over a month old except one I got from Leona on the 9th and that was written on the 29th and was V-Mail, so I advised them at home to write that way. Im trying air mail, dont know how long it is going to take. Well I know I havent written anything but try and write a letter, now you cant say this, you cant say that, one thing I can say is so long for now, Ed.

Days later, Ed entered Anzios Operation Shingle (Jan. 22-July 5, 1944) and the next communication brother Dick got was from their hometown newspaper:

The body of Edward D. Adams, 20, who lost his life in World War II arrived in Decatur on the Monday train from Chicago. It was taken to the Newell and Sons funeral home where services were conducted Tuesday afternoon at two oclock by Rev. Henry Houseman. Veterans from three wars attended the service and the Legion and VFW gave the military funeral service at the grave in Hamilton cemetery.
The acting presiding circuit judge has closed offices within the Houston County Courthouse to the public through July 10 after two individuals who work in the courthouse tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

Judge Henry D. Butch Binford issued the order Sunday, providing guidance for employees and others who might have been exposed to the virus.

The order says courthouse employees should work from home if possible. If that is not possible, they should keep a six-foot distance from others, wear face coverings at work until they are at their work stations, go directly to their work stations, use the back stairwell if their health and fitness will allow it, and avoid contact with fellow employees unless it is absolutely work related.

The order said offices within the courthouse are closed to the public and all in-person hearings and related matters are suspended with some exceptions.

Law enforcement personnel seeking probable cause determinations for arrest warrants should report to Room 109 of the clerks office. Absentee voting will be conducted in the courthouse lobby.

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Specified court proceedings and matters are also exempt from the order.
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
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Today

Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
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 ...
Last week, as coronavirus infected a growing number of Oregonians for the fourth week in a row, the Oregon Health Authority shared reassuring 
Just after his first week of official practice, new transfer Jesse Miritello persuaded sever
Charles Mills can be reached at charles.mills@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 217-347-7151 ext. 126.

Charles Mills can be reached at charles.mills@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 217-347-7151 ext. 126.
Uber is a mainstay in numerous giant cities, but it hasnt had a foothold in Tokyo  a combination of strict limits on ridesharing and public wariness has kept it out of Japans best-known metropolis. Now, however, its part of the landscape. Bloomberg reports that Uber has launched its first service in Tokyo despite operating in Japan for about six years. This isnt ridesharing, though. Instead, its offering Uber Taxi through 600 vehicles in the central business district as well as popular city areas like Akihabara, Asakusa and Shinagawa.

Coverage should reach all of Tokyos central districts by the end of 2020.

This could be important for both Uber and Japanese transportation as a whole. Uber doesnt have many big markets left to serve, and this fills an important gap even as Tokyo slowly comes back to life after pandemic lockdowns. Theoretically, this also helps Tokyo residents leap into app-based ride hailing. Many locals still hire taxis by flagging them down. This could get them used to technological creature comforts such as live ride tracking without forcing them to give up a familiar experience.
The UK was already having second thoughts about Huaweis involvement in its 5G networks, and now it appears ready to completely change its stance. According to The Telegraphs sources (via The Guardian), the government is crafting proposals that would block the use of new Huawei gear in 5G networks as soon as six months from now, and would accelerate the removal of any equipment already in place. It would come after the GCHQ intelligence agency revised its previous belief that the country could manage any security risks from Huawei products. Stricter US sanctions blocking access to chips would force Huawei to use untrusted tech and make the risk impossible to manage, the newspaper said.

A report outlining the revised ideas will reportedly reach Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week. Days earlier, a spokesman said a review of the new US sanctions would be ready soon. The Mail on Sunday added that Johnson may have to present the review to Parliament by the end of July given the seriousness of the claims.

The UK had decided in January that it would allow equipment from Huawei and other high risk companies in non-core parts of the nations 5G networks, limiting their involvement to 35 percent in networks connecting devices and other hardware to mobile masts. Reports later emerged that the UK might phase out Huawei over the space of three years.

The US has maintained that Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese companies are dangerous as they could potentially help China spy on sensitive communications. Officials have been publicly reluctant to outline just what (if anything) Huawei is capable of, however, and unofficial reports of access to carrier backdoors suggested these may have been common networking tools. Huawei has maintained its innocence.

Whoever is telling the truth, this could be a further blow to Huaweis international plans. While Huaweis forced exit from the US wasnt surprising, its foothold elsewhere has been relatively safe, if sometimes limited. A UK rethink would kick it out of another major market, and it wouldnt be surprising if other US allies followed suit.
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.
The New Siberian Islands were the birthplace of the MOSAiC floe: the sea ice in which the research vessel Polarstern is now drifting through the Arctic was formed off the coast of the archipelago, which separates the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea to the north of Siberia, in December 2018. Sediments, and even small pebbles and bivalves, were incorporated into the ice during the freezing process, which the on-going melting process has brought to light on the surface of the MOSAiC floe. This is an increasingly rare phenomenon as nowadays most of the "dirty ice" melts before it even arrives in the Central Arctic. These are among the main findings of a study that MOSAiC experts have published now in the journal The Cryosphere, and which will provide the basis for numerous upcoming scientific assessments.

At first glance, it looks like a group of people with dirty shoes had left tracks all over the snow. But in reality, they are sediments, and even small pebbles and bivalves, which the on-going melting process has brought to light on the surface of the MOSAiC floe. When the sea ice formed, they were frozen inside; accordingly, they hail from the nursery of sea ice along the Siberian Shelf, which the experts have now used a combination of model simulations and satellite data to describe in detail.

The MOSAiC floe had already drifted over 1200 nautical miles in a meandering course when the research icebreaker Polarstern moored to it on 4 October 2019, at the coordinates 85 North and 137 East, and began to drift with it through the Arctic Ocean. While the current expedition team is busy taking readings in the Arctic, their colleagues back at home are analysing the data gathered. The precise analysis confirms the first impressions from the beginning of the expedition: "Our assessment shows that the entire region in which the two ships looked for suitable floes was characterised by unusually thin ice," reports Dr Thomas Krumpen, a sea-ice physicist at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Last autumn, the first author of The Cryosphere study coordinated research activities on the Russian icebreaker Akademik Fedorov, which accompanied the flagship of the MOSAiC expedition, the Polarstern, for the first few weeks. The Akademik Fedorov was also instrumental in deploying monitoring stations at various locations across the MOSAiC floe - collectively referred to as the 'Distributed Network'.

"Our study shows that the floe we ultimately chose was formed in the shallow waters of the Russian shelf seas in December 2018," Krumpen explains. Off the coast of Siberia, strong offshore winds drive the young ice out to sea after it forms. In the shallow water, sediments are churned up from the seafloor and become trapped in the ice. Ice formation can also produce pressure ridges, the undersides of which sometimes scrape along the seafloor. As a result, stones can also become embedded in the sea ice. Now that the summertime melting has begun, all of this material is being revealed at the ice's surface: "At several points we've found entire mounds of pebbles measuring several centimetres in diameter, plus a number of bivalves," reports MOSAiC expedition leader Prof Markus Rex directly from the Arctic.

Meanwhile, back home in Bremerhaven, Germany, Thomas Krumpen is thrilled to see that the now emerging 'bivalve ice with pebbles', as he has affectionately dubbed it, so clearly confirms the study's findings. The team of authors led by the AWI expert used a combination of satellite imagery, reanalysis data and a newly developed coupled thermodynamics backtracking model to reconstruct the floe's origins. Now Krumpen and his colleagues are devising a strategy for gathering samples of the sediments. The extent to which these 'dirty' and therefore darker patches accelerate melting on the floe is an important question, and answering it could enhance our understanding of the interactions between the ocean, ice and atmosphere, of biogeochemical cycles, and of life in the Arctic in general.

In addition to mineral components, the sea ice also transports a range of other biogeochemical substances and gases from the coast to the central Arctic Ocean. They are an important aspect of MOSAiC research on biogeochemical cycles, i.e., on the formation or release of methane and other climate-relevant trace gases throughout the year. However, as a result of the substantial loss of sea ice observed in the Arctic over the past several years, precisely this ice, which comes from the shallow shelves and contains sediments and gases, is now melting more intensively in the summer, causing this material transport flow to break down. In the 1990s, the Polarstern was often in the same waters where the MOSAiC expedition began its drift. Back then the ice was still ca. 1.6 metres thick at the beginning of winter, whereas it had shrunk to ca. 50 centimetres last year - which made the search for a sufficiently thick floe in the autumn of 2019 all the more difficult.

"We were fortunate enough to find a floe that had survived the summer and formed in the Russian shelf seas. This allows us to investigate transport processes from the 'old Arctic', which now only partly function, if at all," says Krumpen. Particularly in the higher latitudes, global warming is causing temperatures to climb rapidly: in the summer of 2019, the last summer before the expedition, Russian meteorological stations reported record temperatures. These high temperatures sparked rapid melting and significantly warmed Russia's marginal seas. As a result, many parts of the Northeast Passage were ice-free for a 93-day period (the longest duration since the beginning of satellite observation). The experts predict that if CO2 emissions remain unchecked - as they have in the past several years -the Central Arctic could be ice-free in summer by 2030.

###

Original Publication:

Krumpen, T., Birrien, F., Kauker, F., Rackow, T., von Albedyll, L., Angelopoulos, M., Belter, H. J., Bessonov, V., Damm, E., Dethloff, K., Haapala, J., Haas, C., Harris, C., Hendricks, S., Hoelemann, J., Hoppmann, M., Kaleschke, L., Karcher, M., Kolabutin, N., Lei, R., Lenz, J., Morgenstern, A., Nicolaus, M., Nixdorf, U., Petrovsky, T., Rabe, B., Rabenstein, L., Rex, M., Ricker, R., Rohde, J., Shimanchuk, E., Singha, S., Smolyanitsky, V., Sokolov, V., Stanton, T., Timofeeva, A., Tsamados, M., and Watkins, D.: The MOSAiC ice floe: sediment-laden survivor from the Siberian shelf, The Cryosphere, 14, 2173-2187,https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 5194/ tc-14-2173-2020

Further reading:

The faltering Transpolar Drift: https:/ / www. awi. de/ en/ about-us/ service/ press/ press-release/ the-transpolar-drift-is-faltering-and-sea-ice-is-now-melting-before-it-can-leave-the-nursery. html

Expected ship drift in next months: https:/ / www. meereisportal. de/ en/ mosaic/ sea-ice-ticker/

Background information on MOSAiC:

On the MOSAiC expedition, experts from 20 nations will study the Arctic for an entire year. For this purpose, from autumn 2019 to autumn 2020 the German icebreaker Polarstern will drift across the Arctic Ocean, trapped in the sea ice. MOSAiC is being coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). In order for the unprecedented project to be a success and produce as much valuable data as possible, over 80 scientific institutes are working together in a research consortium. The expedition's total budget is over 140 million euros.

For the latest news straight from the Arctic, check the MOSAiC channels on Twitter (@MOSAiCArctic) and Instagram (@mosaic_expedition) using the hashtags #MOSAiCexpedition, #Arctic and #icedrift.

For further information on the expedition, visit us at: https:/ / mosaic-expedition. org/
I came across your post because I'm basically in the same situation, and would also like to know what we'd need to do to travel, so I'm not much more knowledgeable than you are, and you can take what I say with a grain of salt because of this.



I've looked at the UK government guidance and I believe you'd be able to return to the UK, but would need to quarantine for 14 days upon return. You also apparently need to provide your contact details (looks like this is via a government website) before you travel (up to 48 hours ahead of travel).



I'm less certain about how entering the US would go. I agree with your reading of the presidential proclamation that your wife should be allowed to enter the US, as she's the spouse of a US citizen, but it is unclear how this actually works (i.e. ESTA? a visa?). If anyone can shed light on this bit, I'll be interested to know.



The other thing we've been thinking about is travel insurance, as most 'normal' insurance won't cover travel to the US when the government is advising against it. It is possible to get insurance that covers the trip, including Covid-19 related cancellations and medical issues (see Trailfinders, for example), but it's probably worth reading the fine print.



Anyway, if you find out more, or do end up traveling, please do keep us updated!
Are hospitals willing to pay nurses more to work during the COVID-19 crisis?

They might not have a choice if the number of hospitalizations continues to rise.

They are stretched to the limit, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff at a briefing Wednesday. We think we have maybe two more weeks of this, but its not sustainable.

Bob Owen /Staff photographer

While San Antonio hospital officials would not discuss specific job offers or pay rates, nearly all hospitals have started to offer incentive pay for nurses willing to work extra shifts during the coronavirus crisis.

Methodist Healthcare System officials said they are trying to recruit an additional 200 experienced nurses to boost its workforce. Others hospital systems are cross-training workers and redeploying them from other departments throughout the hospital. Some hospitals are bringing in traveling nurses to meet staffing demands.

On ExpressNews.com: An extremely dangerous time  Bexar County reports 1,268 new coronavirus cases, largest one-day total since start of pandemic

Nurses have been in short supply in Texas for years. Data from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration shows a statewide shortage of nearly 16,000 nurses by 2030.

Bob Owen /Staff photographer

The United States has nearly 4 million licensed registered nurses, 82 percent of whom work in health care facilities, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.

As of Wednesday, more than 75 percent of staffed hospital beds in Bexar County were filled with COVID-19 patients.

Metro Health reports more than 12,000 positive cases, resulting in more than 1,000 hospitalized patients and at least 111 deaths.

Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, which has been coordinating the COVID-19 response, is reportedly bringing in more than 800 critical care nurses to help with the expected influx of severely ill patients.

The medical personnel are coming from the Navy and Texas Department of State Health Services, and are working in overwhelmed hospitals. And if hospitals hit capacity, theyll help staff a 250-bed field hospital at Freeman Coliseum.

University Health System, which operates Bexar Countys public hospital, said it is not offering hiring bonuses but has already added a dozen nurses through the states program.

Baptist Health System, owned by Dallas-based Tenet Health Corp., said its six San Antonio-area hospitals currently have adequate staff to manage the expected surge of coronavirus-infected patients.

Cross-training staff, use of outsourced nursing pools and incentive pay are among the solutions we are investigating and potentially putting into action, said Baptist spokeswoman Patti Tanner.

Employees may be willing to undergo additional training to work in COVID-19 units because they fear being furloughed as a result of Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on nonemergency surgeries.

On ExpressNews.com: Amid coronavirus pandemic, will retired nurses and new nursing grads offset shortage?

Christus Health, a nonprofit hospital operator with three Christus Santa Rosa Hospital locations and the Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, is offering supplemental staffing bonuses to meet the increased demand.

Other strategies include offering part-time registered nurses the opportunity to switch to full time, spokeswoman Katy Kiser said.

Since March, the system has redeployed specialty nurses from other areas of Christus hospitals to support its COVID-19 response. That includes certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses and nonclinical staff.

We know we cant do anything without those people on the front lines, Kiser said. They offer healing holistic care, bravery and compassion like no one you will ever meet.

It also helps that Christus can lean on resources and staffing from its other hospitals, including 30 in Texas.

Methodist spokeswoman Cheri Love-Moceri declined to comment on pay ranges but says the system is working to address staffing shortages.

The nine-hospital system plans to offer incentives for all full-time and part-time registered nurses, respiratory therapists, techs and other staff for scheduling shifts above their normal schedules.

Methodist operates under a 50-50 ownership agreement between Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare and San Antonio nonprofit Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

We are incredibly proud of the hundreds of staff members that stepped up immediately to participate to extend themselves even more than they already have to care for our community, she said.

Methodist also hired contract nurses who are expected to arrive in the next week or so.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio nurse returns from COVID-19 hot zone

These temporary jobs can be lucrative, with nurses making well over $100,000 per year. Offers from staffing agencies often include uniform and travel reimbursement, bonuses, health insurance and 401(k) benefits.

One recruiter on Facebook was looking for registered nurses to work in a intensive care unit for the next eight weeks in San Antonio. The job would pay $3,380 a week, or $65 an hour, plus weekly stipends of $450 for housing and $200 for meals.

The pay is attractive in part because the work is risky.

Health care workers are at higher risk of infection because of the prolonged, close contact with COVID-19 patients, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cindy Zolnierek, CEO of the Texas Nurses Association, said while the organization supports hazard pay for nurses, incentive pay programs fail to recognize the long-term nature of the COVID-19 crisis.

Zolnierek said TNA is encouraging employers to support their nurses by ensuring safe staffing, adequate rest breaks, appropriate personal protective equipment and other resources.

Paying a much higher amount per hour can also incentivize nurses to work beyond what is safe, such as working longer shifts and working several days in a row without adequate time off for rest, she said.

Laura Garcia covers the health care industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
Pastor Al Smith of San Antonios historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church looks into a camera to record his weekly sermon.

Quoting what he calls one of my favorite gospel songs, by Marvin Gaye, he pointedly asks his small congregation and online followers: Whats Going On?

Its a question any preacher might ask his flock these days. The nation is reeling from a global pandemic and the protests after the May 25 death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

But along with that, Smith, who leads one of Bexar Countys oldest Black churches, is savoring joy and curiosity over what he calls the find: the recent discovery of one of St. James original church sites, dating to the early 1870s, during construction of Bexar Countys massive San Pedro Creek Culture Park project.

In a June 28 sermon drawing on biblical passages from Isaiah, Chronicles and Ephesians, with one reference to Patti LaBelles Ive Got a New Attitude, Smith, St. James pastor for the past four years, compares the recent unrest to wildfires in his home state of California.

Delivering his sermon, recorded in his apartment with help from his wife, he likens the broad-based outpouring of support for police reform and social justice to firefighters from all over the world coming to extinguish the flames of chaos.

To my brothers, to my sisters, to our children, to our nation, its time to repent. Its time to restore. Its time to renew ourselves, he says.

The February discovery of the historic foundation of one of the earliest worship spaces of St. James parishioners, many who likely had previously lived in bondage as slaves, has put a spotlight on the church, now located just west of downtown, Smith said.

On ExpressNews.com: Early site of historic San Antonio church may get national recognition

He describes the find  the church foundation unearthed near Houston and Camaron streets, across from the Alameda Theater  as a ray of light in a tumultuous period. St. James has always celebrated its heritage as one of the first Black congregations in Texas, having been founded in 1867. But knowing the site will be interpreted as part of the San Pedro Creek flood control and beautification project is cause for celebration.

The majority of the congregation is excited. Our young adults are probably the most excited, Smith said.

Raba Kistner, the archaeological consulting firm working on the creek project, has been studying the sites eligibility for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Meanwhile, the San Antonio River Authority, manager of the creek project, is working with the Texas Historical Commission, the citys Office of Historic Preservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine how the foundation and a weathered cornerstone that says AME Church can best be interpreted.

The Conservation Society of San Antonio has called on SARA to try to conserve the full foundation footprint of the church, which covers nearly 2,400 square feet, to provide a visceral connection to an important chapter in our past.

While this will require changes to the design, the Conservation Society feels that this opportunity to present such an exciting find to the public in perpetuity and in the context of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park cannot be missed, Patti Zaiontz, society president, said in a letter to SARA and project consultants.

Zaiontz said its rare to come across a complete, intact foundation of a historic church.

Im also very excited that the church is still in existence today as a worshipping congregation, she said.

Vince Michael, executive director of the conservation society, is participating in a focus group advising the project team on interpretation of the site. He compared it to an 1869 schoolhouse for children of freed slaves, built by the Freedmens Bureau near the San Antonio River with funds from the sale of an abandoned Confederate tannery that once stood in the area of todays Frederick Douglass Academy. A state historical marker at St. Marys and Convent acknowledges a connection to African American history that is too often overlooked in Texas, he said.

Theres a plaque there, and thats all weve got, Michael said. To actually have these foundations, compared to that early Freedmens school, to have this church that was actually built by the congregation, that has the cornerstone, its such an exciting opportunity to rescue that underrepresented narrative.

A find like this is pretty special, Michael said.

According to a history of St. James written in the 1980s, the churchs founding members worshipped in a rented building in a soap factory owned by German immigrant Simon Menger, then moved to their own building at Camaron and Travis, then to the recently discovered site at Houston and Camaron. Research by Raba Kistner indicates that St. James bought the site in 1873 and expanded it in 1875.

By 1878, St. James had moved to a cathedral structure described in the church narrative as an elegant building in the area of todays Christus Santa Rosa hospital complex downtown. A dynamic pastor, the Rev. Abraham Grant, who later became an AME bishop, led St. James in paying off debt for the new building.

The church moved again, in 1928 to its present site at 402 N. Richter St. and completed its church building there in 1935. Smith said the church has stained-glass windows, believed to have been brought over from the previous site, that are buckling from years of deferred maintenance.

Nationally, the AME church organized in Pennsylvania in 1816 but didnt form churches in Texas until after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. The first AME missionary in Texas, M.M. Clark, arrived at Galveston in 1866. By the 1920s, membership in Texas had reached 34,000, ranking second to Baptists among Black churchgoers.

Smith has a vision for attracting Hispanic neighbors and students from the University of Texas San Antonio Downtown Campus on the near West Side. But he realizes the pandemic is here to stay for a while. The church had about 400 members in its heyday but now is down to about 40 active members.

On ExpressNews.com: Discovery adds intrigue, challenge to San Pedro Creek project

But Smith said he gets 400 to 500 viewers of his online sermons posted on the churchs Facebook page and YouTube.

The AME church has been a listening ear for the Black community, he said. It hosted the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his travels during the civil rights movement and has always had alliances with the NAACP, Black colleges and African American newspapers.

If you know anything about the AME Church as a whole, historically, weve always been about social justice, Smith said.

The church also has struggled with violence targeting people of color. Smith mentioned the 2015 shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., by a 21-year-old white supremacist who joined 12 other people in Bible study, then began firing a gun, killing nine of them. The recent deaths of Floyd and others also left Smith, a former Navy chaplain, struggling to prepare a sermon for the Fourth of July weekend, he said.

For the first time in my life, I was in a state of awe, where I just didnt feel like celebrating because of all the killings, and then with the violence and how it affects the African American and Latino communities, he said.

But hes grateful for individuals who were like a rainbow that have offered support all across the country with the movement for justice and equality.

They were not just African American, but they were young people and they were of all nationalities, and all different faiths. And so living and correlating it with the find, that expresses a message of hope, Smith said.

Thinking about the discovery of St. James old foundation really gave me a boost, and I was able to create a sermon and find joy in it, he said.

Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
In the days after George Floyds 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 Abbotts chief of staff to pass along a message.

I want you to give a message to the governor, Hotze told Abbotts 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 Abbotts office declined to comment on the voicemail.

A Hotze spokesperson said he was not immediately available for comment. However, several hours after the publication of this story, Hotze shared it on his personal Facebook page and another Facebook page affiliated with him.

Its not about race but has everything to do with the future of America  the freest and most progressive country in the world, Hotze wrote on the second Facebook page. Its about those who burn homes and businesses, including those owned by African-Americans, and attack law enforcement. Enough is enough.

Hotzes voicemail brought a sharp rebuke Saturday from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who called it absolutely disgusting and reprehensible via Twitter.

The voicemail brings into sharp relief the incendiary views of Hotze, a staunch critic of Abbotts response to the coronavirus pandemic who has repeatedly challenged the governors emergency orders in court. The latest lawsuit came Friday, taking aim at Abbotts statewide mask mandate announced a day earlier.

This draconian order is contrary to the Texas spirit and invades the liberties the people of Texas protected in the constitution, the lawsuit says.

In a Facebook post early Saturday morning, Hotze continued to take aim at Abbott, saying the governors mask is starving his brain of oxygen.

Hotze is one of most prolific culture warriors on the right in Texas. He is a fierce opponent of same-sex marriage and was a key figure in the 2015 defeat of Houstons nondiscrimination ordinance  and then in the unsuccessful push for the 2017 bathroom bill in the Texas Legislature.

More recently, Hotze and his allies have been in the headlines for the lawsuits he has been filing amid the pandemic. Hotze sued Abbott over his stay-at-home order in April. In late May, Hotze asked the Texas Supreme Court to strike down the law that gives Abbott broad executive power to respond to disasters. And earlier this month, Hotze sued over the states contact tracing program.

The lawsuit over Abbotts mask order was filed Friday in Travis County District Court.

In his home county, Hotze also sued Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in late April over her mask order for county residents. Abbott later gutted that order by prohibiting local officials from fining people who do not wear masks.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
The alarming surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations in San Antonio  where at least one in four new patients has the disease  is growing at a faster rate than in other major Texas cities.

For the last week, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the trauma-care region that includes San Antonio rose by 55 percent, state health department figures show.

If the surge continues, it could overload the local health care system in the next week or two.

The increase in hospitalizations over the past seven days was 44 percent in the Houston region, 34 percent in the Austin region and 21 percent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In Houston, the largest medical center in the world exceeded its normal intensive care capacity Wednesday.

Texas has emerged as a hotbed for the coronavirus pandemic, adding more than 43,000 cases in the past week alone. It was one of the states most aggressive about reopening its economy, but Gov. Greg Abbott has been forced to pause further business reopenings, shutter bars and suspend nonemergency surgeries in hard-hit areas to save resources for COVID-19 patients.

Abbott signed an executive order Thursday requiring nearly all Texans to wear masks in public, a reversal of his order earlier in the pandemic that barred local officials from enforcing their own mask mandates.

The states major metropolitan areas arent the only communities swamped by COVID-19 patients. Cities across South Texas, which rely on San Antonio as a medical hub, are experiencing some of the highest spikes, painting a dire picture of the stress on hospitals.

In the Corpus Christi area, the state reported last week that just nine intensive care beds were available for a dozen counties with a combined population of more than 600,000 people. Hospitalizations there increased by 100 percent over the past week.

In Laredo, the health department director announced Thursday that hospitals had reached maximum capacity. The next day, government leaders said hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley were full, too.

If we get to that point, where we truly run out of capacity in our hospitals, it means that we wont be able to care not just for COVID patients, but we wont be able to care for patients that we care for all the time  that means patients with heart attacks, or strokes or cancer or trauma, said Dr. Bryan Alsip, vice president of University Hospital in San Antonio. When were full, were full.

For more than two weeks, San Antonio has experienced some of the fastest COVID-19 case growth in the country, ranking fifth in the U.S. and first among large Texas cities.

One in 10 people who tested positive for the disease since the start of the pandemic in Bexar County has been hospitalized, the Metropolitan Health District reported.

In less than three weeks, the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in area hospitals has increased more than five-fold  from 176 on June 15 to 1,120 as of Saturday.

There are more COVID-19 patients in San Antonio hospitals now than there are in hospitals in New York, the original epicenter of the pandemic in the United States.

To keep pace with the surge, San Antonio leaders have tapped the state health department and the military to send more than 800 nurses to help staff hospitals. Nearly 180 arrived last week. Seventy more are expected Monday.

Area hospitals are scrambling to add new beds. Recovery rooms normally reserved for surgical patients are being converted into intensive care units. Pediatric intensive care units are being reconfigured to accommodate dozens of adult patients.

Without enough hospital beds or staff, patients could wait hours in emergency rooms before overnight rooms become free.

But hospital leaders say the efforts to rapidly add beds and staff will hit a limit. A disease model developed by Sg2, a health care consulting group, and UT Health San Antonio forecasts 1,800 COVID-19 hospitalizations by mid-July under the best-case scenario.

Initially, that model predicted a worst-case peak of 1,900 hospitalizations in mid-August.

If San Antonians dont wear masks and continue to spread the disease, the worst-case trajectory now envisions 2,400 hospitalizations around July 21  more than twice the current patient volume.

The die is cast probably for the next 11 days. Those folks are infected. They will be coming in, said Dr. Ian Thompson, CEO of Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-Medical Center. What you do today will determine what happens two weeks from now  whether youre in the emergency room with no beds in the inn.

San Antonio area hospitals had just 647 available staffed beds as of Saturday. The disease model health officials rely on projects that 600 more COVID-19 patients will need hospitalization by next weekend.

Eric Epley, executive director of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, said hospitals need to create staffed beds out of thin air to see San Antonio through the peak. The advisory council, known as STRAC, oversees trauma and emergency care in a 22-county area.

Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

But if the worst-case scenario unfolds and hospitalizations continue to double almost every week, officials will be forced to exercise last-resort options, such as sending patients to specialty hospitals and the 250-bed field hospital at Freeman Coliseum. Eply said San Antonio wasnt near that point yet.

The reality is, if youre in the hospital in the cafeteria in a bed, you still have radiology. You still have respiratory therapy. You still have imaging, lab capability, Epley said. You have lots of things that are in the hospital that become much more difficult once you leave the property.

Catastrophe foretold

Public health experts saw a catastrophe in hospitalizations looming weeks before Metro Health did.

A few days after Memorial Day  and nearly two weeks before then-Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick acknowledged the arrival of a second wave of the virus  the Bexar County Medical Society sent a warning to Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

Upon review of local data presented regarding current hospitalizations in the STRAC region due to COVID-19 positive cases, we see a concerning trend developing with an uptick of cases, said the May 29 letter. This may be in response to the recent reopening of the economy.

The letter recommended officials keep a close watch on COVID-19 hospitalizations and post a warning indicator on the city website whenever the numbers increase five days in a row.

They thanked us for the input and passed it along to the appropriate committee, said Dr. Vince Fonseca, a member of the organizations board who signed the letter along with two others. At that time, they were still touting, We flattened the curve, were on the downside of the peak, and we thought that was incredibly unlikely just by the nature of respiratory pandemics that appear in the spring.

Fonseca said the societys concerns largely were dismissed. He believes Metro Health officials were lulled into a false sense of security at a time when they should have been fortifying the citys defenses, upgrading outdated technology and hiring more case investigators to track the spread of the disease, as recommended by a city-county health transition team.

We wasted our time, Fonseca said. We wasted those weeks. And now were scrambling.

In the weeks that followed, the doctors worst fears were realized. Early on in the pandemic, experts had warned that San Antonio, which in 2018 had the highest poverty rate among the nations 25 largest metro areas, could be devastated by an uncontrollable outbreak of the virus.

San Antonio for years has been one of the most economically segregated cities in America, where many families live in crowded conditions, with grandparents, parents and young children under one roof.

The poorest residents are more likely to have pre-existing conditions  such as asthma and diabetes  that put them at higher risk if infected with COVID-19. The situation is similar in other South Texas communities, including Corpus Christi, Laredo and cities in the lower Rio Grande Valley, where hospitals are inundated with patients.

Dr. Erika Gonzalez, an allergy and immunology specialist and a board member at CentroMed, a nonprofit health network with clinics throughout Bexar County, said soaring COVID-19 hospitalizations in San Antonio are likely related to the prevalence of underlying medical conditions.

Asthma rates here in San Antonio, were about 400 percent higher than the rest of the state as far as asthma exacerbations and asthma hospitalizations. Its dramatic, she said. Its not an environmental thing because we all have similar air quality. Its something more internal, and a lot of it has to do with access to health care, and were seeing it mostly in the Latino and African American community.

Latinos make up about 60 percent of Bexar Countys population but account for about 74 percent of COVID-19 infections. Black residents no longer account for a disproportionate number of cases, but they still account for 15 percent of COVID-19 deaths  even though they are 9 percent of the population, according to Metro Health data.

Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

People of color also are more likely to be infected in part because they are less likely to be able to work from home, Gonzalez said.

The majority of the essential workers, almost 80 percent of front-line workers at grocery stores, are either African American or Latino, Gonzalez said. They are exposing themselves more. That really is a socioeconomic thing. They dont have the luxury of staying home and sheltering.

Young infecting old

Over the past few weeks, the average age of patients who require hospitalization has changed. Hospitals have seen a surge of patients under 40. A significant portion have no underlying health conditions that would put them at greater risk from the disease.

Dr. Jan Patterson, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonio, said it appears younger people let their guard down when Texas reopened.

After Memorial Days large gatherings, the disease began to spread rapidly. And across the state, mixed messaging on masks from state and federal leaders meant many people didnt wear face coverings in public or when gathering with relatives and friends.

These younger people are getting infected, but the thing of it is, San Antonio is really big on family and we have a lot of multigenerational households, Patterson said. So even though that parent or grandparent may have not necessarily been out, its brought to their household by people who have been out.

Patterson said more young people are being hospitalized  and when they arrive at the hospital, they often bring with them parents or grandparents who also contracted the disease.

The trend has spurred San Antonios health executives and government officials to beg residents to heed warnings  such as avoiding large gatherings, staying 6 feet apart and wearing masks.

Allen Harrison, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare System, put the danger in starkly personal terms.

My dad died when I was in college. He never saw me graduate. He never saw me get married. He didnt meet any of my kids, Harrison said. San Antonio is a family-centered city. There are a lot of people who regard their members of their family as precious to them irreplaceable.

Why would you gamble those relationships with your family in the midst of a pandemic right now?

Brian Chasnoff is an investigative reporter based in San Antonio. To read more from Brian, become a subscriber. bchasnoff@express-news.net | Twitter: @bchasnoff
Cops uncomfortable?

Re: East Side town hall considers justice and police brutality, Metro, June 28:

Staff Writer Vincent Davis reports that no white police officers attended the town hall. When Officer Richard Odoms was asked why no white officers were in attendance, Odoms asked the attendees to consider how uncomfortable they might feel.

I wonder how uncomfortable George Floyd felt in the last nine minutes of his life while a police officer knelt on his neck. I wonder how uncomfortable Philando Castile felt when being pulled over at least 48 times for minor traffic infractions, most of which were dismissed, before finally being shot to death during the 49th stop.

I wonder if 12-year-old Tamir Rice felt uncomfortable in the seconds between a police car racing to a stop in front of him and an officer shooting and killing him for playing in a park with a toy gun. I wonder if Marquise Jones was uncomfortable in the last moments of his life before being shot by a San Antonio police officer at a Chachos drive-thru.

Talking about race is not comfortable, but if not one single white police officer can attend a community forum to talk with the people they are supposed to serve because they are uncomfortable, then there is something wrong with policing in this city.

Maybe Chief William McManus needs to start divesting the department of officers who are so uncomfortable and replacing them with officers who are willing to have an open dialogue with the community they serve.

Becky Niendorff

On ExpressNews.com: East Side town hall takes on criminal justice reform and preventing police brutality

Truth about heritage

Re: What is heritage if not truth to history? by columnist Cary Clack, Other Views, June 28:

Mr. Clack, I was fascinated with the story of your familys history here in Texas. I was moved by the description of your great-great-great-grandmother as property and suggest that your Sunday column on your heritage should be required reading in all Texas history classes. The dichotomy of your familys heritage is the real story of Texas. Not some sanitized, homogenized, one-size-fits-all, 30-second sound bite of approved state history.

Your descriptions of the monuments and symbols of the lost cause are spot on. There is no place in Texas today for anything that glorifies involuntary servitude  historic or not. These symbols of our past must be laid to rest by all Texans and Americans, and your column distributed and discussed statewide. In state-mandated Texas history classes would be a good place to start.

William Schiller

On ExpressNews.com: Clack: What is heritage if not truth to history?
GREENWICH  Greenwich resident Lile Gibbons has been elected to serve a four-year term on the Board of Trustees at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Gibbons and other six new members began their duties on July 1.

Gibbons describes the four prongs of her adult life as family, community, politics and Smith, according to the college.

Gibbons was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly six times and served for 12 years as a state legislator from Greenwich, retiring as an assistant minority leader in 2013. Before that, Gibbons was active in both local and state education, chairing the Greenwich Board of Education and serving as a member of the Connecticut Board of Higher Education.

She also served on numerous nonprofit boards in Greenwich and continues as a board member for Audubon Connecticut. A 1964 graduate of Smith, Gibbons remains active with the college as past president of her local Smith Club; a past director of Smiths Alumnae Association; and as a panelist at Smiths Womens Global Leadership forum in October 2012.

Gibbons is currently co-chair of the Presidents Library Roundtable at Smith. Gibbons is a retired trustee of the John A. Hartford Foundation in New York City and is on the board of the Rasmuson Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska.

The other new four-year board members are Anu Aiyengar, Class of 1991, global co-head of mergers and acquisitions at J.P. Morgan; Andrea Auerbach, Class of 1991, a partner and head of the private investment practice at Cambridge Associates; Pamela J. Craig, Class of 1979, who held many leadership roles in a 34-year career at Accenture, before retiring in 2013 as the companys chief financial officer; Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education; and Kimberly A. Scott, Class of 1991, a professor of women and gender studies in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University.

Joining the board for one year is Abigail Edwards, who graduated from Smith magna cum laude in May 2020 with a self-designed major in race, health and society. She was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society upon commencement.

Kids In Crisis receives $15K grant

SafeHaven for Kids, a core program of Kids In Crisis in Greenwich has received a $15,000 grant from the New Canaan Community Foundation.

SafeHaven for Kids provides 24-hour crisis helpline counseling and referrals, in-person crisis intervention and a comprehensive emergency shelter program for Connecticut children  from newborn to age 18  of any race, ethnicity, religion, community of origin, socio-economic status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Anyone concerned about the safety and well-being of a child can call the SafeHaven for Kids Crisis Helpline at 203-661-1911 and receive immediate help. Many issues can be resolved with SafeHavens immediate and ongoing counseling and intervention. For those that cant, children may enter its emergency shelter program  a safe, nurturing and therapeutic environment that provides individualized care to meet the physical and mental health needs of the children, and works to safely reunite them with their families.

We are enormously grateful for this new funding from the New Canaan Community Foundation, said Shari L. Shapiro, executive director of Kids In Crisis. The steadfast support it has shown us over the years has been generous and essential to our ability to provide critically needed services to children and families.

For more information about SafeHaven for Kids, visit www.kidsincrisis.org.

UDel honors local students

A number of local students have been named to the Deans List for the Spring 2020 semester at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

The honored students are Dylan Dreher of Greenwich, Melissa Fraioli of Greenwich,Jacob Miller of Greenwich, Amanda Nielsen of Riverside, Mallory Reinken of Greenwich and Erica Vigliano of Old Greenwich.

To make the Deans List, a student must be enrolled full-time and earn a GPA of 3.5 or above.

GHS students ride for pride

In celebration of Pride Month, the Greenwich Democracy In Action club from Greenwich High is raising awareness and money through a virtual event and fundraiser in support of Kids In Crisis Lighthouse.

The students sponsored Pride Ride throughout June by setting exercise goals for themselves and raising funds for Lighthouse, a program acquired by Kids In Crisis in 2018 to support LGBTQ+ youth in Fairfield County. It provides a safe and confidential space to encourage all LGBTQ+ young people to live their best, healthiest, and most authentic lives.

While many of the community events have been canceled due to social distancing, our pride is not canceled and we can celebrate virtually. It is more important than ever to bring the community together, so we invite everyone to exercise daily and share yourself in action on our Facebook page, says Andrew Bailey, a rising senior at GHS and co-president of the Democracy In Action club. Ride your bike outside, or a stationary bike indoors, run around your neighborhood, or on a treadmill, take your mom, dad, or dog for a walk. Do whatever exercise you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, and please donate to our Gofundme.

I am so thrilled to be working with Andrew and the Democracy in Action group on this Pride Ride initiative, said Joe Belisle, Lighthouse coordinator of Kids In Crisis LGBTQ+ Teen Group. We are honored that they chose us to be the beneficiaries of their efforts as we celebrate Pride Month this June.

To support Pride Ride, visit www.facebook.com/Pride-Ride-to-benefit-Kids-in-Crisis-Lighthouse-114071647006064/ or gf.me/u/x8ukw7

Greenwich Democracy In Action club seeks to empower youth to get involved in their community and bring awareness to issues that they are passionate about.
TRUMBULL  Trumbull celebrated independence in style Saturday. Colonial style.

About 300 residents attended the towns annual reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of Town Hall. The event, featuring mandatory social distancing and many masked readers, had a different feel than previous years, while still featuring plenty of scripted affirmations and unscripted huzzahs.

Nine years ago a group of us came together, and stood in a circle, passing around a single copy of the declaration, said Pamela Discko.

Like the Founding Fathers, those first few participants had the sense that they were starting something, and the event has grown over the years. Saturdays rendition featured live musical interludes, the Pledge of Allegiance led by a Cub Scout Honor Guard, a rendition of John Adams address to the second Continental Congress, scripted conversations between costumed re-enactors and a roll call vote of the 13 original colonies.

Though the event is traditionally is non-political, attendees of all partisan leanings also took the opportunity to express their support at various times during the declarations recitation of grievances against King George III, cheering such lines as the clauses on restricting immigration, judicial impropriety and taxation, among others.
Related Egypt says no breakthrough reached on second day of AU-sponsored GERD talks Egypts team of irrigation experts who are taking part in the bilateral talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance held an online meeting on Sunday with the talks observers and experts to explain the Egyptian position and Egypts concerns concerning the filling and operations of the mega-dam, the irrigation ministry said.

According to the ministrys statement, the team, headed by Egypts Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Atti, asserted that Egypt did not oppose any development projects in the Nile Basin countries, including in Ethiopia, but rather it supports the efforts of its sister countries to achieve what their people aim to.

The Egyptians explained to the experts and observers the water situation in Egypt and how sensitive the GERD issue is for the Egyptian people. They also asserted Egypts aims to reach a balanced and fair agreement to serve the interests of the three countries.

They also discussed the Egyptian proposal in the talks which enables Ethiopia to achieve its goal in generating electricity without harming Egyptian and Sudanese interests in the framework of the Declaration of Principles, as well as the ways to deal with any future project on the Blue Nile in a way that is compliant with international laws.

The observers presented a number of questions at the meeting which were answered by the Egyptian team.

Talks have resumed between the three countries under the auspices of the African Union and with the attendance of 11 observers.

The observers including representatives from the EU, the US, the AU, as well as legal and technical experts.

Short link:


Randeep Hooda is one of the most versatile actors in the industry. His range as an actor is commendable and hes showcased it time and again in films like Highway and Sarbjit. He was last seen in the Hollywood action-thriller Extraction, directed by Sam Hargrave.

Taking to his social media on the special occasion of Guru Purnima, Randeep recalled his first release, Monsoon Wedding. Directed by Mira Nair, the film released in 2001 and premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film also starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shefali Shah, Vijay Raaz, Rajat Kapoor, Vasundhara Das, Tillotama Shome and many more. Randeep recalls how he shadowed Naseeruddin Shah from the very beginning and considers him a mentor ever since. He wrote, Enroute to the premier of my 1st movie Monsoon Wedding directed by the great @pagliji at #venicefilmfestival with the then costar #naseeruddinshah @naseeruddin49 Saab..not knowing then what a profound, lasting impact he was to have on me as an actor, like he has had on countless others .. I followed him like a puppy to so many workshops he has been conducting for free for decades and still does in #NSD #FTII @motleyproductions and at various other places .. for the love of it Naseer bhai #GuruPurnima eternally grateful pic courtesy @dabasparvin."

Now isnt that a sweet message for a great actor to a living legend.
By Ana Mano and Jake Spring SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - China has suspended imports from two Brazilian pork plants owned by meatpackers JBS SA and BRF SA, according to the Chinese customs authority, as it cracks down on meat shipments amid concerns about the new coronavirus. China is temporarily halting imports from a BRF plant in Lajeado and a JBS-owned Seara brand plant in Tres Passos, both in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state, according to a posting dated Saturday on the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) website.

COVID-19 concerns" src="https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/reuters/07-2020/06/2020-07-05T174339Z_1_LYNXMPEG640JT_RTROPTP_2_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-BRAZIL-MEATPACKERS.jpg" alt="China halts imports from two more Brazil meat plants amid COVID19 concerns" width="300" height="225" />

By Ana Mano and Jake Spring

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - China has suspended imports from two Brazilian pork plants owned by meatpackers JBS SA and BRF SA, according to the Chinese customs authority, as it cracks down on meat shipments amid concerns about the new coronavirus .

China is temporarily halting imports from a BRF plant in Lajeado and a JBS-owned Seara brand plant in Tres Passos, both in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state, according to a posting dated Saturday on the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) website.

The posting, which only identified the plants by registration numbers, gives no reason for the suspension. But Brazil is reeling from the second worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world behind the United States.

China is the largest buyer of Brazilian pork, beef and chicken. It has requested that meat exporters globally certify their products are coronavirus free, which BRF, JBS, and other Brazilian meatpackers have already done.

A total of six Brazil meat plants have now been blocked from exporting to China amid rising concerns over thousands of cases of COVID-19 , the disease caused by coronavirus , among slaughterhouse workers in the country.

A JBS representative said the company would not comment on the decision and stated it was taking various measures to ensure its food is of the highest quality and that its workers are protected.

BRF and Brazil's Agriculture Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Ana Mano and Jake Spring; Editing by Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Johnny Depp is suing publisher, News Group Newspapers, and executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article claiming the actor was violent and abusive to Amber Heard.

Johnny Depps lawyers have failed to stop the American actors ex-wife, Amber Heard, from attending his libel trial against the British tabloid newspaper The Sun until she is called to give evidence.

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 Suns 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.

Depps 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.
Chris Hemsworth was last seen in Netflix's action-thriller Extraction, helmed by Sam Hargrave.

Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth says he is really excited about the biopic on WWE legend Hulk Hogan, which is currently in development.

The Thor actor revealed that he will bulk up his physique for the much-anticipated Netflix film to be directed by Joker helmer Todd Phillips.

This movie is going to be a really fun project. As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor."

''And then there is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude. I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I'm really looking forward to doing, Hemsworth told British magazine Total Film.

The project was announced last year, with 8 Mile scribe Scott Silver and John Pollono attached to pen the script.

The 36-year-old actor, however, said that the team is still quite a way away from starting production on the film.

I haven't even seen a script yet. The project is deep in development. Todd Phillips and I met to chat about it maybe a year or two ago. We talked about the idea for the film, which I think was going to be a TV series at one point.

''There were a few different ideas about what portion of his life it was going to be set in, so we spitballed about what it could be and what I thought it might be. Thankfully, they ran with a few of those ideas and the script is in the process of being written but Hulk Hogan is still quite a way away.''

The biopic will be produced by Michael Sugar through his Sugar23's first-look Netflix deal along with Joint Efforts' Phillips and Bradley Cooper, Eric Bischoff, and Hemsworth.

It was previously reported that rather than encompassing his entire life, the biopic will focus on Hogan's ascent to international fame and becoming a cultural icon in the late 1970-8os. It will be the origin story of the "Hulkster", whose was born as Terry Gene Bollea. The 12-time world champion in wrestling, Bollea has also starred in popular films such as Rocky III, No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny. The term "Hulkmania" was coined to denote his mainstream popularity throughout this period.

Hogan was embroiled in a sex tape scandal in 2012, but it would not be included in the biopic, the report has confirmed.

The former wrestler will also serve as executive producer along with Sugar23's Ashley Zalta. Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman will serve as co-producers.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)
Three-time National Award winner and renowned choreographer Saroj Khan passed away early on Friday morning due to cardiac arrest.

Many reigning Bollywood actresses in the late 80s and 90s  Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala...felt secure if choreographer Saroj Khan was on board, and if in case she wasnt, there have been instances where she was called at the last minute even if the film was being shot in a foreign locale.

I loved it when Saroj ji was doing any of my songs; I had complete faith in her. If she was doing the song I knew for the fact that it would turn out amazing, or I would look amazing in it at the least. I wasnt the only one, every actress before me, including Sridevi, Madhuri felt the same, says Kajol.

(Also read on Firstpost Saroj Khan passes away: A masterful choreographer, who spruced up traditional dance forms with 'a dazzle of Bollywood')

Kajol met Khan when she was 18-years-old and shooting for Baazigar's title track. "I remember her telling me, Arre, tu heroine kaise ban gayi? (How did you become an actress?). She treated me like a baby, who I was at that point of time." I used to hug her and sit in her lap. And one thing that struck me about her was that she was such a fantastic teacher. I tried my best to learn as much as I can but I dont think I was able to achieve even the one-tenth of that.

Sometime in the late 90s, Juhi Chawla insisted upon having Khan for Rakesh Roshan directed Karobar (also starring Anil Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor) especially for a 'seductive' song that she wasnt too comfortable doing without the choreographer she trusted the most.

We were shooting for Karobar in South Africa, and we were supposed to do this seductive number. I was feeling self-conscious and was very nervous. I started crying and insisted that I will do the song provided Saroj ji directed it. Rakesh called Saroj ji who was in India and already overloaded with work. She was shooting back-to-back, doing three shifts in a row because most actresses wanted her on their projects. We waited for her for a day and she came down to Cape Town and shot the song for us, reminisces Chawla.

Much earlier, Khan had won Chawlas trust when the latter went for an image makeover, from a girl-next-door to a more glamorous avatar for Lootere, alongside Sunny Deol. I had to do this song Main Teri Rani Tu Raja. I was nervous because I had to wear just a white shirt and shoot while frolicking on the beach. Now I was coming from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. For me it was an entire image makeover to go from ghagra cholis to wear just a shirt on a beach. But Saroj ji handled it so well. The way she shot it and what it turned out like, I looked like a million. She could make everything look classy and aesthetic. It didnt look cheap, or just a song, says Chawla.

Mr India director Shekhar Kapur is most certain that the film would not have been the same without Saroj Khan. Sarojs genius lay in her dance. All art is the way you express yourself. And Sarojs art was dance. And not only was she like a teacher on the set. She loved what she did. Just because its Bollywood it should not make a difference. She adapted her genius, her art, to Bollywoodwhere she grew up in and further defined a generation of heroines, says Kapur, furthering, You had to see her dance as she rehearsed with Sridevi. She was not just a genius at movement. She was a genius at expressions. She was mesmerising and what energy. With Saroj Khan went the particular Indian style of body movement. Her choreography defined the Indian woman in all her forms."

Many years ago when Khan was asked to describe Anil Kapoors dance skills, she had called him a practical one at that and someone who wouldnt try or experiment what didnt suit him.

Says Kapoor, She made the most beautiful dance compositions and turned many non-dancers into dancers. I was fortunate enough to work with her in many films (Mr India, Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Beta, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja) and got to learn a lot from her. She brought out the dancer in me that I didnt even know I had those skills. Her movements were magic and her face could express so many beautiful emotions.

With her grace and artistry, Saroj-ji found a place in all our hearts that no one has ever been able to take. She has left her mark and will be remembered forever..I will miss her a lot, Kapoor adds.

The first song that Mahima Chaudhry ever shot for a film was with Saroj Khan for her debut film Subhash Ghais Pardes, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. I did both, I Love My India and Mere Piya with her. I was extremely nervous and told her upfront on the first day that I havent learnt any form of dance and I don't know dance at all. She told me not to worry and further stumped me with the words, 'Maine achche achhon ko dance karwaya hai' (I have made many non-dancers dance). Then she told me that she would give me simple steps and I shouldnt do too much rehearsal because my character was a normal girl that didnt demand the steps of an experienced dancer. Yet, I was so afraid of messing up that I used to take her assistant on the side and tell her to rehearse with me. But she would give you steps and movements as per your capacity. Then, she taught me six or seven basic steps telling me that all Bollywood songs were based on these steps. There was something called a 'dip' and all Bollywood songs were based on that dip movement, she said. Rehearse them and you will never have trouble, she said, and trust me those six or seven steps held me through," says Chaudhry.

(Also read on Firstpost Saroj Khan passes away at 72: From Ek Do Teen to Tabaah Ho Gaye, a look at her most memorable works)

But getting the expressions right was more important for her. She believed that if you got the expressions right then it didnt matter how perfect your body movements were. She would give very soft expressions almost like dialogue delivery, so you could understand what the song meant by her expressions. She made women look very sensuous and that was her appeal, Chaudhary adds.

Saroj jis forte was expressions, says Sanjay Kapoor who grooved on her hit songs like Akhiyaan Milaoon Kabhi' and Nazrein Mili Dil Dhadka. His first Bollywood song 'Aata Nahi' from Prem (1990) was also shot by Khan.

She used to always say, Sanjay, rehearse and get the steps right but the main thing was your expression. If that is right in front of the camera only then you will look like a good dancer. And even if you are a great dancer but you cant give the best of expressions then it wont work. You must first enjoy the song. Saroj ji used to often give the example of Bhagwan Dada (veteran actor-director and one of the first dancing superstars of Indian cinema) saying how graceful he was and how he never put an effort. You could feel that he was enjoying the shot, she would say, he says.

I have done over 25 songs with Saroj ji and many of those were hit tracks, he adds. Nazrein mili song was basically style. She told me to just enjoy the steps which were very basic and I did most of it myself because she rightly believed that nobody can teach you the rhythm and you have to just let go of yourself. She gave steps and moves depending upon the capacity and skill of the actor and not just because she liked something. Now, she knew that I cant match Govinda or Hrithik Roshan in dancing, so she would give me something that I looked great doing. She ruled the industry because of her expressions.

Tusshar Kapoor, who worked with Khan in Kuch To Hai and Shart: Challenge, says the latter's song 'Dil Tera Badmaash' was one of the best dance numbers of his career because of its choreography. He adds that the song is special for him especially due to its 'old school style' and the expressions, which he says were 'amazingly shot'.

Watching Khan dance was a treat for the actresses those days and they would insist that she show them the moves while rehearsing. "It was such a joy to watch somebody with their body movement and facial expressions in so much sync with the entire song whatever the song it didnt matter, says Kajol.

She continues, I remember waiting for my shot at the Filmalaya Studio. Saroj jis team was rehearsing for this song called Rang De from Takshak which was eventually done by Tabu. I loved the song and I asked her assistants around if Saroj ji was coming. She came for the rehearsal and I told her to dance for me and she did so. She always danced for me whenever I asked her and I would sit awestruck like a little child in front of her and watch. She was fantastic on the dance floor. She was one of the hardest disciplinarians, one of the hardest teachers but she also gave you that much amount of knowledge, it was all so worth it.

Chawla shares a similar experience, calling Khan's dance performances 'mesmerising': Saroj ji, like a lot of other choreographers was short, little plump, with not the perfect beautiful figure or the perfect beautiful face but when she would begin to dance you just couldnt take your eyes off her. Everybody else around faded into oblivion, she was so mesmerising and she had the finest sense of how to take shots from the direction point of view, to expressions, whether that had to be naughty, or seductive or sad. She was superlative."

Kajol believes Khan tried keeping herself relevant by learning new dance forms, and recruiting young dancers in her troupe. She had the experience of classical, jazz, hip-hop styles of dancing but she made sure that she was updated with the current and contemporary trends. And if she wasnt then she made sure that people around her could give her pointers and help her. She was intelligent enough to understand that she needed people who knew the contemporary style, says the actress.

Most importantly, she had a lot of technical knowledge of shooting a song and it was amazing how she was able to get the mood of the song and she would shoot it exactly how it would look on screen. I dont think anybody got sexy and naughty the way she did, she adds.
Real-time RT-PCR continues to be the most accurate method available for the detection of the COVID-19 virus.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on 5 July, and has been republished on 9 July with a correction made to TrueNat's limitations. The story now reflects, as per the ICMR advisory dated 19 May 2020, that TrueNat is a comprehensive assay for screening and confirmation of COVID-19 cases.

The scale and accuracy of ongoing COVID-19 testing in India are in a gradual state of evolution, with new and improved kits developed by biotech companies worldwide coming into existence. Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research recommended ELISA (short for 'enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay') for labs to test for COVID-19 .

ELISA falls under one of two broad categories of testing being used by every country around the world to stay on top of their pandemic control:

Antibody testing (a.k.a serological testing)

Antigen tests

Polymerase Chain Reaction-based tests (like RT-PCR and TrueNat)

While some are more reliable than others, no single test is 100 percent accurate. There are key differences between them  in the way they work, but also their advantages and limitations, which are unique to each.

How antibody or 'serological' tests work

Antibody testing (or serological testing) is an examination of proteins in the bloodstream, to find out whether an individual has been infected with COVID-19 . An infected person will have specific antibodies to pathogens they have been exposed to. The immune system produces antibodies as part of a larger process to defend itself from an infection.

That said, antibody tests may not be able to show whether the virus is currently infecting the body. Unlike a nasal or throat swab test, which looks for genetic signatures of the virus in the body, an antibody test looks for traces of the body's response to the virus.

Antibodies are abundant in the blood, so a sample of blood is collected by either a finger prick or a blood sample drawn with a needle. Two specific antibody types are sought out in an antibody test:

IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which develops early on in an infection.

in an infection. IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which are mostly found after someone has recovered from the infection.

Antibody testing has many uses in a pandemic

First and foremost, antibody tests can give authorities and individuals clarity as to their COVID-19 status.

At the community and national levels, widespread antibody testing gives researchers and authorities estimates of the rate of infection (how quickly the virus is spreading in a population), and how fatal COVID-19 is . This data informs important decisions around testing, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19 .

Along with other information collected from patients in hospitals, antibody testing can also offer information on what factors affect the severity of infection, and why some people are more severely impacted than others.

Vaccines are developed under the principle that a shot imitates a mild case of the infection itself, and once injected, it helps the immune system mount a stronger attack against a pathogen when it does attack. This offers some protection from a full-scale attack of COVID-19 . Antibodies are made more quickly and copiously as part of this vaccine-enabled response.

Limitations of antibody testing

Margin of error: Antibody tests are important for establishing who has had the virus, especially because a percentage of people infected seem to show no symptoms. An antibody test can give results in under an hour. For instance, the ICMR-approved antibody testing kits show results within 30 minutes. The test can be used 7 to 10 days after someone is infected, but do have a larger percentage of error than swab tests.

Antibody tests that look for IgM antibodies are usually rapid finger prick tests that can deliver results in under 20 minutes. But IgG tests require a blood sample to be sent to a lab  a process that could take a week to deliver results. IgG tests are more reliable than IgM rapid tests, but don't reveal as much information about someone's COVID-19 infection.

False negatives and false positive: The many diagnostic kits in circulation currently are a necessity  but they are also products of fast-track approval and developing research into COVID-19 , where the priority is public health demand and speed.

Considering the developing nature of ongoing COVID-19 research, there is no assurance of quality, or guarantee that a test result is 100 percent accurate. Some kits will perform better than others.

There may be cases where exposure to COVID-19 isn't followed by the production of antibodies in an individual, showing up as a 'false negative'. Tests that aren't of high-quality may also show a 'false positive' if an individual has another, very similar virus in the body.

Currently, ICMR is the authority recommending the most suitable kit for widespread antibody testing after making these due considerations. A report in the Hindu highlights multiple instances of quality assurance of testing kits being severely lacking.

Overwhelming inaccuracies in testing asymptomatics: There have been a few dozen studies that measure the accuracy of antibody tests compared with a reference standard to detect an ongoing or past COVID-19 infection. In a review of these studies, authors found that antibody tests one week after the first symptoms appeared only detected 30 percent of positive COVID-19 cases. The accuracy increased in the second week, with 70 percent of cases detected. It was highest in the third week, with over 90 percent of cases detected.

We know that it takes anywhere between 1-3 weeks to develop antibodies after symptoms occur, which makes the test as good as a coinflip in people who don't show symptoms.

False sense of security: While this isn't a challenge of antibody tests exclusively, it is one that needs to be considered. On getting a positive COVID-19 antibody test, a person may very well think that having COVID-19 antibodies gives them immune to the virus and wont catch it again. There is currently no evidence to suggest that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are immune to catching it again.

Even if studies show antibodies are found to offer immunity, it is difficult to establish how much antibody is needed to offer this protection, or how long the protection might last. Scientists world over are carrying out research studies to answer these questions.

There are also rapid tests in use in some countries to diagnose active COVID-19 cases, since the tests would be much quicker and less invasive than the current swabs. The two kinds of rapid tests being used in India currently are the antigen test and RT-PCR test.

How antigen testing works

Antigen tests seek out specific proteins only found in the virus, which the bodys immune response recognises as 'foreign'. Most COVID-19 antigen tests target the 'spike protein' that studs the surface of the coronavirus .

A swab from the nose is collected for this test, where there's a high likelihood of virus particles being present. The swab is then dipped in a solution that inactivates the virus, and then transferred onto a test strip. The test strip houses antibodies that bind to coronavirus proteins and hold them in place as the fluid spreads.

If the sample is positive for coronavirus , colored lines will show up on the paper strip in 15-20 minutes.

Antigen testing has some key advantages

One of the major advantages of using antigen is that it reduces the burden of relying on just RT-PCR tests to identify COVID-19 patients.

"Antigen testing is useful because even if its less sensitive, it is rapid and the results that are positive will be positive," Dr Gagandeep Kang, executive director of the Transnational Health Service and Technology Institute, told thePrint in an interview. "So, patients who test positive can get into isolation faster."

Antigen tests remove about half of the positives from the testing load, she added.

Antigen tests are also inexpensive compared to RT-PCR, costing around Rs 450 per test.

Limitations of antigen testing

An antigen test can only reveal whether a person is currently infected with SARS-CoV-2. Before or after the infection has passed, antigens won't be present.

Since antigen testing doesn't involve any processes of amplifying the virus or its genetic material, a swab sample may have too little antigen to be detected. This could produce a false negative result. As a precaution, a negative test should be followed up by the more accurate RT-PCR test, to confirm a true negative for COVID-19 .

Accuracy is the single largest problem with antigen tests, which are much less sensitive than RT-PCR as a diagnostic tool.

How a PCR test works



A PCR test is a widely-used, highly sensitive test that seeks out traces of genetic material from a specific pathogen, if the pathogen is present in the body. The technique is a powerful diagnostic tool that can identify both DNA or RNA from specific microorganisms, irrespective of whether they are bacteria or viruses.

A PCR can capture a specific gene from genetic material (DNA or RNA) in a swab sample, and multiply it through a series of chemical processes so it can be detected using fluorescent dyes.

RT-PCR, a variation of the PCR test

The version of PCR testing used to detect viruses like the COVID-19 -causing SARS-CoV-2 is called RT-PCR (reverse-transcription PCR).

While some viruses have only DNA, others like SARS-CoV-2, only contain RNA. Viruses infect a healthy cell and hack into the natural machinery that cells use to process our own RNA, so the virus particle can multiply and survive. Once inside a cell, the virus uses its RNA to take control of the cell's machinery and reprogramme the cell into a virus-making factory.

To detect an RNA virus like SARS-CoV-2, scientists use an enzyme (reverse transcriptase) to convert the virus's RNA into DNA, in a simple and widely-used one-step process called reverse transcription. This allows a single molecule of DNA to be amplified exponentially (millions of times), which is the main goal of the PCR process, so even virus particles in single digits can be detected in the final result.

An RT-PCR test is considered very reliable because it can detect even a single virus particle in swabs taken from inside the mouth or nose, where the virus particles are most prevalent.

Advantages of RT-PCR testing

Swift, sensitive and specific: There are real-time variations of the RTPCR technique that are quick, super sensitive, and specific. They can deliver a reliable diagnosis in three hours. That said, the process on average takes around eight hours to produce a conclusive result.

More accurate, less prone to contamination: Compared to other methods to isolate and detect viruses, RTPCR is much faster and less likely to be contaminated or cause errors during the testing process. This is because the test  start to finish  is carried out in an enclosed tube, inside a specialised, automated machine.

Real-time RT-PCR continues to be the most accurate method we have to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Severity of infection can be estimated: A standard real-time RTPCR set-up usually goes through 35 cycles, which means that, by the end of the process, around 35 billion new copies of the sections of viral DNA are created from each strand of the virus present in the sample.

Limitations of RT-PCR testing

Only detects ongoing infection: The main limitation of RT-PCR testing is that it cannot be used to detect a past infection with SARS-CoV-2, which is important for understanding the development and spread of the virus, as viruses are only present in the body for a specific window of time.

Other methods are necessary to detect, track and study past infections, particularly those which may have developed and spread without symptoms. Once you have recovered, the virus is eliminated and these tests can no longer tell if youve been infected. This creates significant uncertainty, especially if someone has self-isolated due to mild and unclear symptoms.

Requires specialised equipment, training: Unlike antibody testing, which requires a kit and medical/paramedical personnel trained in using the kit, RT-PCR testing needs specific instruments in a laboratory, which makes it more time-consuming. Even if the test itself takes just a few hours, the process of collecting and labeling samples, transporting them to a lab, and processing the samples in bulk ensure that it is days before the results from a single sample are known.

Portable, rapid RT-PCR machines are at the cutting edge of diagnostic technology, and often require specialised training to ensure the machine isn't misused, which requires some level of expertise and training. Tests are only now being developed and made available for these advanced instruments.

Quality control is not a guarantee: In a pandemic, the use of even very accurate diagnostic tools is more error-prone than daily diagnostic tests. RT-PCR, while a revolutionary tool in diagnosis, can also be easily misused or misinterpreted. It depends on a reliable existing DNA sample of the virus, as a reference, to find the pathogen in a test. It is also sensitive enough to pick up on contamination as a false positive.

Back when the outbreak first began to spread in India, the National Institute of Virology in Pune was the only laboratory testing for COVID-19 . Today, there are 1,000. The validity and accuracy of a test depend entirely on the laboratory's quality. The Hindu reports multiple instances of private and public testing labs (including quality assurance labs) returning false positives at an alarming rate. Experts have called for internal quality control and external quality assessment as an urgent requirement if PCR testing is to be considered reliable.

Quantity meets quality with TrueNat testing

Most modern PCR tests can detect a wide range of pathogens in real-time, with results visible as the chain reaction is underway. TrueNat is a chip-based, portable RT-PCR machine, originally developed as a portable diagnostic tool for tuberculosis by Goa-based startup Molbio Diagnostics.

The device is on its way to becoming one of the main diagnostic tools for COVID-19 as India looks to expand its testing capacity. It is the fastest available PCR-based technique recommended by ICMR till date.

The latest versions of the TrueNat machine can detect an enzyme (called RdRp) found in the RNA of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The ICMR has ruled that these tests can be treated as a confirmation for the presence of the coronavirus .

TrueNat can return results faster time than the standard RT-PCR tests, according to Sriram Natarajan, CEO of Molbio Diagnostics.

In a letter shared by ANI dated 4 July, ICMR has advised private laboratories in states and Union Territories that intend to use TrueNat for COVID-19 testing to apply for NABL accreditation immediately, to ensure reliable results.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has written to all states/UTs saying that all private laboratories in their state who intend to initiate TrueNat/CBNAAT based testing for #COVID19 should be encouraged to immediately apply for NABL accreditation to ensure quality testing. pic.twitter.com/zm3Xlva3Av  ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020

Most countries have turned to PCR-based testing because they are reliable and the fastest to develop. Since antibody testing is often a quicker, inexpensive, and easily-scalable option, the number of reported cases climbs steeply as antibody testing is expanded, and gaps in testing are addressed.

Big differences in testing strategies from country-to-country make the net numbers between countries incomparable in any real sense. But nationally, standardised procedures and equipment for widespread testing can ensure that consistent data is released.

Testing capacity continues to be a challenge for India considering the scale of the outbreak, the rapidly developing nature of the outbreak in some states, the slow evolution of research and reliable test kits, and quality control of testing procedures.
Coronavirus Updates: However, students unable to appear in the final year exams in September will get another chance and universities will conduct special exams 'as and when feasible,' said the guidelines.

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Gunn, a Republican, said in a video posted Sunday to Facebook that he got tested because he had been in close proximity to another member of the House who tested positive.

House Speaker Philip Gunn says he has tested positive for the coronavirus as state health officials report more than 200 new infections and five deaths linked to the pandemic.

His son Umesh told the weekly Sunday Tribune that his father passed away less than a week after he was admitted to hospital after an antibiotics course failed to address an influenza infection.

Jayraj Bachu, a founding member and national leader of South Africa's only Hindu political party, has succumbed to COVID-19. He was 75. The Durban resident Bachu was cremated on Saturday, reports PTI.

With over 28.5 lakh reported cases to date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, India, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 1.13 crore, 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 5.3 lakh.

Through an amendment brought to the Epidemic Diseases Act, the state government said the regulations for the public will remain in effect until July 2021. The norms have been issued under the 'Kerala Epidemic Disease Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Additional Regulations, 2020.'

The Kerala government has made it mandatory for the public to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines such as wearing masks for the next one year, as part of its measures to tackle the spread of the virus in the state.

Monuments in Agra like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort will remain closed until further orders as they fall in buffer zone, says the district magistrate, according to ANI. All monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India are set to open from today.

Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero, who specialized in playing tough guys on Broadway in such shows as Waitress, A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway, has died in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus, reports AP. He was 41.

India is all set to cross Russias tally and become the third worst-affected nation. India added a record number of cases on Sunday. On Sunday, the health ministry said the country reported close to 25,000 cases and 613 deaths in the last 24 hours. This was the biggest daily surge in fresh infections.

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala will be going into triple lockdown from Monday for a week, reports PTI. People should not venture out, says Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. We need strict restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. During triple lockdown, there will be more restrictions. Only necessary services will be allowed.

As many as 1,80,596 samples were tested on Sunday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research. Till 5 July, India has tested 99,69,662 samples.

Indias coronavirus total on Monday rose to 6,97,413 with a record 24,248 new cases over the last 24 hours, says the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The toll rises by 425 to 19,693. The overall recoveries are now 4,24,432 and the reported active COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 2,53,287

The clip also showed a graph of rising coronavirus cases, making India the third worst-hit nation in terms of infection count.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the former Congress chief also tweeted a clip which included portions from the PM's addresses to the nation on the COVID-19 crisis, including his remarks that the Mahabharata war was won in 18 days and the war against coronavirus will take 21 days.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the government over rising coronavirus cases, saying future Harvard Business School case studies on failure would include the government's handling of COVID-19, reports PTI.

With 2,06,619 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,11,151) and Delhi (99,444).

Currently, samples for COVID-19 testing are collected only at the district hospitals in Margao (South Goa) and Mapusa (North Goa), and the sub-district hospital in Ponda (North Goa). Goa reported 77 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total count to 1,761. There have been seven deaths so far due to the disease in the coastal state.

The Goa government plans to expand the scope of COVID-19 testing in the state by designating special teams at the primary health centres and community health centres to collect samples of suspected coronavirus patients, health minister Vishwajit Rane has said.

Rajasthan on Monday reported 99 new coronavirus cases and three deaths in 24 hours, ANI reports. This takes the total number of cases in the state to 20,263 and the toll to 459.

Of the 10, three are from the Capital Complex comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa, while two each are from Namsai, Changlang and Lower Subansiri districts and one from Upper Subansiri, the official said.

Ten more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern state's tally to 269, a senior Health department official said on Monday, reports PTI.

He further added, that out of 25,000 active patients, 15,000 are being treated at home. "Death rate has also come down. We've also started the country's first corona plasma bank. Our trials have shown that plasma therapy can help moderate patients improve significantly," he said.

The COVID-19 cases have crossed 1 lakh mark in Delhi but there is no need to panic as around 72,000 people have also recovered, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Indian Council of Medical Research says Covid-19 tests in India have crossed the 1 crore mark. As many as 1,00,04,101 tests have been conducted till 11 am.

He also said, "Our team is calling up people requesting them to donate plasma, if you receive such a call please don't refuse. Hospitals should also give counselling to patients who have recovered and encourage them to donate plasma."

The number of people who need plasma is more than those coming forward to donate it, said Delhi chief minister on Monday. "I urge all those who are eligible to come forward and donate plasma. It will not cause any pain or weakness. Those donating plasma are doing selfless service to society," said Arvind Kejriwal.

Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday warned private hospitals of action if they denied admission to coronavirus patients or declined to carry out swab tests. "If denied admission, the patient can call 1912. It is a 24x7 helpline number. Whoever calls the number will get immediate relief," Sudhakar told reporters.

The Karnataka government has set up a toll-free round-the-clock helpline to lodge complaints about hospitals refusing to accept suspected coronavirus cases,r eports PTI.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services, the number of confirmed cases reached 231,818 after 3,344 new infections surfaced in the country, but 131,649 patients have also fully recovered from the COVID-19.

Pakistan's coronavirus cases on Monday crossed the 231,000-mark after 3,344 new infections were detected in the last 24 hours, while 50 people died of the deadly disease, taking the death toll to 4,762, the health ministry said on Monday.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 42,420 after 1,878 more people tested positive for the disease, officials said on Monday, reports PTI. Thane city accounts for over 25 per cent of the total cases in the district, as per an analysis of the data.

Odisha reports 456 new coronavirus cases and 290 recoveries in 24 hours, ANI reports. This takes the states total to 9,526.

As many as 114 Indians who were stranded in Pakistan amid the coronavirus crisis would be repatriated to India via the Attari-Wagah border on 9 July, ANI reports.

The Karnataka government on Monday relaxed its quarantine norms, now, all people coming from other states including Maharashtra will be on 14-days compulsory home quarantine.

The total number of coronavirus cases stood at 1,009 excluding two patients from Puducherry undergoing treatment in Villupuram in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Puducherry has reported 65 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally past the 1,000-mark, the Health department has said.

A COVID-19 patient fled from L1 COVID hospital in Basantpur on Sunday, Virendra Yadav, SHO, Sukhpura said. He said efforts are on to trace the patient.

A coronavirus patient admitted in a government hospital fled after giving a slip to the hospital staff, police said on Monday. The patient, a resident of Revti area of Ballia, was admitted at the L1 COVID hospital in Basantpur on 2 July.

Pakistans Minister of State for Health Zafar Mirza tests positive for the coronavirus, reports The Associated Press.

Thackeray made the remarks as he launched the state government's MahaJobs portal that aims to make available job opportunities to the 'sons of the soil' or domiciled persons.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday expressed concern over several industries sacking workers at a time when the government is allowing resumption of business activities in the state, and said it was not right, reports PTI.

A letter to this effect, addressed to the Principal Secretary (Health), was written on 3 July by the state-run power giants Regional Executive Director (East II) Asit Kumar Mukherjee.

The NTPC has shot off a missive to the Bihar government complaining about the reluctance of private hospitals in state capital to admit patients testing positive for, or showing symptoms of, COVID-19, and sought intervention in the matter, reports PTI.

Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary (Home), Awanish Awasthi on Monday said that in the last 24 hours, 933 new COVID-19 positive cases and 24 deaths have been reported in the state. There are 8,718 active cases, 19,109 discharges so far and 809 patients have succumbed to the infection.

Reports said 279 police personnel of the Maharashtra Police tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, "taking the total number of infections in the force to 5,454 out of which 1,078 cases are active. A total of 70 police personnel have died so far," News18 reported.

"All guidelines, including social distancing and sanitisation measures, will be followed at these heritage sites. Wearing of masks will be mandatory and no one will be allowed to enter without it, an official said," the report said.

The Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and other monuments in Delhi were "reopened for visitors after being shut for over three months due to the COVID-19 crisis", News18 reported.

The Maharashtra government said that hotels and other entities providing accommodation services including lodges, guest houses outside containment zones, with restricted entry will be allowed from 8 July. "These establishments will operate at 33 percent capacity and certain conditions," the statement said.

The process of e-registration for all travellers to the state has been made mandatory from midnight today. Travellers can self-register online from the comfort of their homes, as per the guidelines issued by the government, and ensure hassle-free travel for themselves, a government statement said here on Monday.

Besides, the travellers will have to undergo 14-day home quarantine.

People travelling to Punjab from other states will have to compulsorily register themselves on the state government's web portal or COVA Punjab' mobile application from Monday midnight, an official statement said.

Mission Director, National Health Mission issues notice to Apollo Hospital, Bengaluru, asking it give an explanation for 'charging Rs 6,000 for a COVID-10 test'. The government has fixed upper limit of fee for coronavirus test at Rs 4,500.

The process involves infusing blood from recovered persons to those affected with coronavirus. Incidentally, the Delhi government had last week launched the country''s first plasma bank.

Tamil Nadu has successfully performed plasma therapy on 18 COVID-19 patients at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here, a senior Health official said on Monday. The convalescent plasma clinical trial had begun here in May as per Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines.

Telangana recorded 1,831 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, of which 1,419 were from Hyderabad, taking the state's total to 25,733, according to a bulletin by the health department. The toll rose to 306 with 11 deaths. Over 14,000 persons have been discharged till date and the number of active cases stands at 10,646, it said.

Deeply saddened by the passing away of Dr. Suresh Amonkar, former President of BJP Goa Pradesh and Former Cabinet Minister of Goa Govt. His contribution to the state of Goa is immense and will never be forgotten. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Former Goa health minister Suresh Amonkar died of COVID-19 infection on Monday, a health official said. He was 68. "Amonkar remained admitted in the ESI hospital (in Margao) after testing positive for coronavirus since the last week of June. He succumbed to the infection on Monday evening," the official told news agency PTI, adding that Amonkar had been critical since the last few days.

Passenger flights to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad have also been suspended from Monday till July 19 over the COVID-19 situation.

Frequency of special trains between Howrah and Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad will be reduced from daily to weekly on the request of the West Bengal government in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, railway officials told PTI.

It is the second such initiative in the country. A plasma bank had been recently set up at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi.

A plasma bank for treating COVID-19 patients has been set up at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital (KMCH), the first of its kind in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday. So far, around 12 people who have recovered from COVID-19 have donated their plasma in the state to help in the treatment of coronavirus infected people.

University Grants Commission (UGC) issues revised guidelines on examinations and academic calendar for the universities in view of #COVID19 . pic.twitter.com/XpdGBenh3g

The UGC in its revised guidelines said that final/terminal exams should be conducted by universities in offline, online or in combined mode by September end.

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol on Monday askedthe Kalaburagi and Bagalkote district administrations not to permit weddings with gatherings as it could lead to the spread of the virus and instead hold it at the sub-registrar offices concerned. Karjol is also the in-charge minister of both the districts.

Patna district has reported the highest number of 12 deaths so far, followed by Darbhanga (seven), Samastipur (six) and Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, East Champaran, Rohtas and Saran (five each). It also accounts for the highest number of cases (1,058).

The COVID-19 death toll in Bihar inched towards the three-digit-mark on Monday when the state health department confirmed seven more casualties, even as the total number of cases reached 12,140 with 276 fresh infections.According to a statement issued by the department, the death toll has risen to 97 with fatalities being reported from Samastipur and Darbhanga (two each) and Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and Gaya (one each). Details like age, sex, co-morbidities and the time of deaths were not shared.

The latest fatality was an Assistant Sub-Inspector (43) who was posted in the general department of Bhoiwada Police Station. The ASI lost his almost a month-long battle with novel coronavirus on Sunday, the official said. A resident of Naigaon police quarters, the ASI had been on leave since 28 April, he added.

One more personnel of Mumbai Police has succumbed to COVID-19 infection, taking the total toll in the city police force so far to 43, an official said on Monday.

On 29 June, the Union Home Ministry had said that the door-to-door survey would be done in containment zones on priority basis by 6 July, followed by a similar exercise across the city. The earlier deadline to complete the door-to-door survey in city's containment zones was 30 June.

The Delhi government has completed the door-to door health survey in the city's COVID-19 containment zones, covering around 3.68 lakh people, officials said on Monday. Over 1.66 lakh antigen tests have been conducted in 445 COVID-19 containment zones, according to an official.

"People are seen stepping out of their houses without wearing masks and are violating social distancing norms. If this continues, the district administration will have to take some stringent steps which include imposing stricter restrictions," said district collector Naval Kishore Ram, adding that cases have also spiked in rural parts of the district. "We have decided to form flying squads in the district to check whether lockdown guidelines are followed or not," he added.

The Pune district administration on Monday warned of imposition of stricter restrictions if people continue to flout social distancing norms amid rising COVID-19 cases. Pune district has reported 29,844 COVID-19 cases and 890 deaths so far.

Coronavirus Updates: "The final year examinations will be conducted by the universities or institutions by the end of September in offline, online or blended mode. The students having backlog will compulsorily be evaluated by conducting examinations in offline (pen and paper) online blended (online and offline) mode as per feasibility and suitability," according to the UGC guidelines.

The examinations were scheduled to be held in July.

In a statement, the MHA said it has sent a letter to the Union Higher Education Secretary permitting universities and institutions to conduct examinations.

"The final-term examinations are to be compulsorily conducted as per the UGC guidelines on examinations and academic calendar for the universities and as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," the statement said.

People travelling to Punjab from other states will have to compulsorily register themselves on the state government's web portal or COVA Punjab' mobile application from Monday midnight, an official statement said.

Besides, the travellers will have to undergo 14-day home quarantine.

The process of e-registration for all travellers to the state has been made mandatory from midnight today. Travellers can self-register online from the comfort of their homes, as per the guidelines issued by the government, and ensure hassle-free travel for themselves, a government statement said here on Monday.

The Maharashtra government said that hotels and other entities providing accommodation services including lodges, guest houses outside containment zones, with restricted entry will be allowed from 8 July. "These establishments will operate at 33 percent capacity and certain conditions," the statement said.

The Karnataka government on Monday relaxed its quarantine norms, now, all people coming from other states including Maharashtra will be on 14-days compulsory home quarantine.

The Indian Council of Medical Research says COVID-19 tests in India have crossed the 1 crore mark. As many as 1,00,04,101 tests have been conducted till 11 am.

Indias coronavirus total rose to 6,97,413 with a record 24,248 new cases over the last 24 hours, says the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The toll rises by 425 to 19,693. The overall recoveries are now 4,24,432 and the reported active COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 2,53,287

India is expected to pass Russia to become the third worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic with the country's tally of infections currently at 6.7 lakh. Only the US and Brazil are ahead of India in terms of total coronavirus infections.

With a record single-day surge of 24,850 coronavirus infections and 613 fatalities, India's COVID-19 case count shot up to 6,73,165, while the toll mounted to 19,268 on Sunday, according to the Union health ministry.

As cases continued to spike, the Kerala government issued regulations, including compulsory use of masks and ban on spitting in public places, to be followed for a year.

In Thiruvananthapuram, a strict lockdown will come into effect at 6 am on Monday and will continue for a week, while in Assam, a two-week lockdown will be imposed in Dima Hasao district.

Restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the contagion had been relaxed from 1 June under the Centre's Unlock-1 plan, while Unlock-2 came into force from 1 July.

However, some states have imposed additional restrictions in areas or cities with high case load. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, vehicles remained off the roads in many cities as Sunday lockdown was followed to contain the infection. Bengaluru is also under a total lockdown till 5 am on Monday.

Recovery rate reaches 60.77 percent, says health ministry

According to PTI, India recorded over 20,000 cases of the infection for the third consecutive day on Sunday.

Maharashtra crossed the grim milestone of two lakh COVID-19 cases, recording a single-day increase of 7,074, the health ministry's updated data at 8 am showed. Tamil Nadu registered 4,280 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, while Delhi, Telangana, Karnataka, Assam and Bihar added a total of 7,935 cases in a day. These seven states accounted for around 78 percent of the fresh cases.

With a steady rise, the number of recoveries stands at 4,09,082 in the country while one patient has migrated. There are 2,44,814 active coronavirus cases in the country, the data showed. The number of recovered cases exceeded that of the active cases by 1,64,268 as of Sunday, the ministry said, adding that the recovery rate has reached 60.77 percent.

In a release issued later, the health ministry said that the recovery rate in 21 states and Union Territories, including Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal and Chandigarh, was more than the national average. The recovery rate is 85.9 percent in Chandigarh and 82.2 percent in Ladakh, it said.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 97,89,066 samples were tested for the disease in the country till 4 July, with 2,48,934 tested on Saturday.

Of the 613 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 295 are from Maharashtra, 81 from Delhi, 65 from Tamil Nadu, 42 from Karnataka, 24 from Uttar Pradesh, 21 from Gujarat, 19 from West Bengal, 12 from Andhra Pradesh, nine from Bihar, eight from Jammu and Kashmir, seven from Rajasthan, five each from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab and Telangana, two each from Goa and Jharkhand and one fatality was registered in Himachal Pradesh.

Of the 19,268 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for 8,671, followed by Delhi (3,004), Gujarat (1,925), Tamil Nadu (1,450), Uttar Pradesh (773), West Bengal (736), Madhya Pradesh (598), Rajasthan (447) and Karnataka (335).

Maharashtra continues to account for the highest number of 2,00,064 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,07,001), Delhi (97,200), Gujarat (35,312), Uttar Pradesh (26,554), Telangana (22,312) and Karnataka (21,549).

"Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said, adding that 4,629 cases are being reassigned to states.

Delhi LG inaugurates10,000-bed COVID care centre

Meanwhile, Delhi's fight against the virus got a boost with the inauguration of the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre, touted as one of the "largest" facilities in the world.

The Delhi government has also decided to set up a 'COVID War Room' to closely monitor the prevailing situation and suggest measures to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus .

The national capital recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the tally to 99, 444, while the toll from the disease mounted to 3,067 with 63 fatalities. . However, 71,339 people have recovered from the virus so far.

Lt Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the 10,000-bed facility on the Radha Soami Satsang Beas compound in south Delhi and said it will play a crucial role in the fight against the pandemic.

On the first day, around 21 patients belonging to Delhi was admitted to the centre and the condition of all these patients is stable, said officials.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that lesser people were requiring hospitalisation and 9,900 beds were available for coronavirus patients.

Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home. Whereas there were around 2300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6200 to 5300. Today, 9900 corona beds are free  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 5, 2020

Kejriwal also thanked the central government for a 1,000-bed COVID-19 hospital prepared by the DRDO. "The DRDO corona hospital of 1000 beds is ready. Thanks to the Central government on the behalf of Delhi people. It has 250 ICU beds that are much needed in Delhi," he said in another tweet.

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka observe Sunday lockdown

Tamil Nadu recorded added 4,150 new cases while 60 people succumbed to the virus even as shops, including those selling vegetables and groceries remained closed in many parts and vehicles remained off the roads under the intense lockdown imposed on Sundays this month.

A similar situation prevailed in Karnataka where roads wore a deserted look, people stayed indoors and all commercial activities came to a

grinding halt in response to the first complete Sunday lockdown.

The Karnataka government has announced the full shutdown barring essential services on Sundays till 2 August in the backdrop of steady increase in COVID-19 cases in the past over one month, taking the tally to 23,44 and the toll to 372 as on Sunday.

Two-week lockdown imposed in Assam's Dima Hasao

In light of the surge in cases in Assam, officials said that a two-week lockdown will be imposed in Dima Hasao district from Monday, making it the second district after Kamrup to go under lockdown.

A two-week lockdown from 28 June to 12 July has been imposed in Kamrup Metropolitan.

Addressing a press conference, Dima Hasao Deputy Commissioner Paul Barua said strict restrictions will be imposed to curb any possible community transmission of COVID-19 after six positive cases were detected, five of whom are frontline workers and one is a family member.

"During the lockdown, grocery shops have been allowed to operate from 11 am to 4 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with requisite 30 per cent shops open on these days. Wearing of face masks, using sanitiser and maintaining social distancing will have to be ensured," he added.

"Roadside vending of any fruits, vegetables, fish, etc. will not be allowed. No haats, fairs, weekly markets shall be allowed," he said. As per the lockdown guidelines, all private offices, institutions, business establishments, outlets other than grocery shops and all public, private and commercial vehicles have been shut during this period.

Kerala issues regulations to be followed for a year

As cases continued to rise, the Kerala government issued additional regulations which will remain in force for a year. According to the regulations, wearing masks is mandatory in all public places, workplaces and while travelling, reports. Only 50 people can attend weddings while a limit of 20 persons has been fixed for funerals.

Kerala Health Department issues notification extending the enforcement of state's #COVID19 regulations till July 2021. pic.twitter.com/e2lrVTK9rI  ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2020

Kerala on Sunday reported second-highest single-day rise of 225 COVID-19 cases, including seven jawans of an Army unit in the state, taking the total to 5,429, the government said.

Spitting in public places has been banned and a six feet distance has to be maintained in all public places and functions According to the guidelines, no social gatherings inlcuding processions, dharna will be allowed without prior written permission of authorities and not more that 10 people can participate.

The number of people in shops, commercial establishments at a time must not exceed 20, stated the guidelines.

The regular operation of Inter-State Stage carriage road transport from and to Kerala by public and private sectors shall remain suspended, said the regulations. All persons intending to travel to Kerala from India and abroad will have to register on the E-Jagratha platform.

Referring to the COVID-19 situation in capital Thiruvananthapuram, state tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said "It's like we are sitting on top of an active volcano which can burst anytime. Just because there has been no community spread till now doesn't mean it will not occur," adding that the restrictions in force in containment zones would be tightened.

A 'triple lockdown' (with additional restrictions) will come into force in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation area from 6 am tomorrow and will continue for a week, reported ANI quoting the Chief Minister's Office. "All medical shops and shops selling essential items will remain open during the triple lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram. Major roads leading to the city, except for an entry and exit road, will remain closed. The secretariat will not function during the triple lockdown," said the news agency.

All medical shops and shops selling essential items will remain open during the triple lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram. Major roads leading to the city, except for an entry and exit road, will remain closed. Secretariat will not function during the triple lockdown: Kerala CMO https://t.co/8CmqmDolj0  ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2020

State-wise figures



Cases continued to rise throughout the day in many states and UTs, with Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. Karnataka and West Bengal recorded their highest single-day jump in cases.

Uttar Pradesh reported a record 1,153 coronavirus cases, pushing the tally to 27,707, while the death count in the state reached 785 with 12 fresh fatalities, officials said.

Andhra Pradesh recorded a new single-day high of 998 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking the overall tally to 18,697.

Gujarat reported 725 new coronavirus cases, its highest single-day rise, taking the overall count to 36,123, while in Madhya Pradesh, 326 more people tested positive and its tally rose to 14,930.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally has crossed the 9,000 mark with 469 fresh cases, while two more fatalities due to the infection pushed the death toll to 36, a health department official said.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 cases rose to 2,06,619 after a single-day spike of 6,555. With the death of 151 more patients, the state's fatality count rose to 8,822, according to a bulletin issued by the state health department.

With inputs from agencies
While the ICMR has said it is important to expedite the clinical trials for a promising indigenous vaccine in the public interest and that all other vaccine candidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked, scientists in one voice have cautioned against being over-optimistic

The Indian Council of Medical Research's 15 August deadline for "a usable coronavirus vaccine" coming just a handful of days after Bharat Biotech's announcement of a successful vaccine candidate 'COVAXIN' has not gone down well with medical experts who have stressed the need to adhere to the highest scientific and ethical standards and conveyed worry about the unfeasibility of such a timeline.

While the ICMR has said it is important to expedite the clinical trials for a promising indigenous vaccine in the public interest and that all other vaccine candidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked, scientists in one voice have cautioned against being over-optimistic while Bharat Biotech officials have, in an action that speaks louder than words, refused to comment on the ICMR's deadline.

The Hyderabad-based organisation, one of seven Indian companies involved in the indigenous production of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus , said that phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of 'COVAXIN' in COVID-19 patients will begin this month after a go-ahead from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

'Unfeasible, without precedent'

On Sunday, the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc) slammed the ICMR's letter, saying while it welcomes the exciting development of a candidate vaccine and wishes it is quickly made available for public use, it strongly believes that the deadline is unfeasible and it has raised "unrealistic hopes and expectations" in the mind of citizens.

The IASc, outlining a whole host of reasons in its press release "issued in the public interest", called the timeline unfeasible and without precedent. "The academy strongly believes that any hasty solution may compromise rigorous scientific processes and standards will likely have long-term adverse impacts of unforeseeable magnitude on the citizens of India," the statement, put out by IASc president Partha P Majumder, read.

The IASc is just the latest of the experts in the scientific community to raise concerns about the ICMR's letter and the 15 August deadline.

'Could take years'

On Saturday, hours before the ICMR attempted to walk back its earlier statement, saying its letter to investigators of the clinical trial sites was meant to "cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process" and speed up the recruitment of participants, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, raising alarm bells in an interview with The Wire, warned that scientific and ethical standards could not be sacrificed in the name of speed. Swaminathan, coincidentally the immediate predecessor of ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava, told The Wire that as per her understanding, phase 1 trials of the Bharat Biotech's drug have not yet begun and that people cannot be given this vaccine by 15 August. "Our process to develop a vaccine to fight COVID-19 is as per the globally accepted norms of fast tracking," ICMR, had said in its Saturday statement. Swaminathan emphasised the importance of following all ethical and scientific guidelines and said the public needs to believe that the most rigorous processes have been followed. She said as per the WHO, phase 3 trials, often considered the most important in the entire process, should involve between 20,000 and 30,000 people and "could take years." She further told The Wire 150 attempted vaccines are at the pre-clinical stage of testing, 17 to 18 are in clinical stages and one or two in phase 3. She added that a vaccine would be discovered only in early 2021 and that too "if we are lucky". She said a vaccine would be available in sufficient volume only at the end of 2021 and that who would first get it still needs to be worked out. 'Not how science works' As per Scroll, the expected duration of the trial, according to the governments official clinical trial registry, is one year and three months. Even doctors entrusted with conducting the trial called the timeline in the ICMR letter "unrealistic". I dont think anywhere in the world has anyone ever given a date in advance for the release of a new vaccine before a clinical trial has even begun, Amar Jesani, editor of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics and a public health activist, told Scroll. That is not how science works. Vasantha Muthuswamy, chairperson of the ethics advisory committee of the ICMRs bioethics cell, said she had not seen Bhargavas letter, but allowed that the timeline was far too short. By general experience, a month to decide whether to release a vaccine is a very short time, she said. Even if you fast-track it, it will take a minimum of one year," she told Scroll.

'Almost impossible' Speaking to Firstpost, Dr Anant Bhan backed up Swaminathan. "We cant compromise on the safety and the efficacy aspects," Bhan, a a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy said. "Minimum standards around safety, efficacy and quality need to be followed. Collapsing the entire process to just 45 days is unlikely and almost impossible." Bhan also questioned the way in which the ICMR and the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), which has allowed phase 1 and 2 (human) clinical trial of 'COVAXIN', are approaching the process, saying it would raise questions on the vaccine's efficacy. How can the clinical trial recruitment for such a vaccine be starting on 7 July and the vaccine itself launched on 15 August?" Bhan wondered in an interview with Firstpost."Are we pre-deciding the efficacy of a vaccine trial, which is completing in little over a month? Bhan also said it is surprising that the CDSCO allowed a clinical trial of this scale to be expedited over such a short period. It could also be that they have permitted phases 1 and 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, Bhan pointed out. Bhan, in a series of tweets, further said, "To my knowledge, such an accelerated development pathway has not been done EVER for any kind of vaccine, even for the ones being tried out in other countries. Even with accelerated timelines, this seems really rushed, and hence with potential risks, inadequate attention to process." 'Letter reads like a threat' AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, head of the clinic research group of the national taskforce on COVID-19 , speaking to Indian Express, seemed taken aback. It will be a very challenging and difficult task, considering that we have to look at both efficacy and safety of any vaccine that is introduced. Also, if we get the desired results, the other challenge is the process of mass production of the vaccine, Guleria told Indian Express. Virologist Shaheed Jameel minced no words, telling the newspaper that the ICMR's 15 August timeline is "ridiculous.".Jameel, chief executive of the Wellcome Trust-DBT Alliance, which funds health research in India, said he fears that the global scientific community would "laugh at us" for this. "It should not have happened. India is a serious player in science. Who is going to trust us if we behave like this? Who is going to believe us even if we indeed come up with a good vaccine tomorrow?" Jameel added, further stating that the language in the letter reads "like a threat". Make haste, but slowly Virologist Upasana Ray noted while an accelerated launch or promise for launch for a vaccine against novel coronavirus deserved applause, careful consideration must also be given to whether the process is being rushed and its possible public impact. 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, Ray, senior scientist at CSIR-IICB, Kolkata, told PTI. "From now till 15 August, 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.

ICMR undaunted

The ICMR has responded to these concerns by pointing to its reputation and track record, saying the process is in accordance with globally accepted norms.

"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," it said in its letter. It further added that its trials would be conducted following best practices and rigour and would be reviewed, as required, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)."

"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 India's medical professionals and research scientists should not be second guessed for their professionalism or adherence to the highest scientific rigour," the statement further read. "ICMR is committed to treat the safety and interest of people of India as a topmost priority."
The FAO said that spring-bred locust swarms that migrated to Indo-Pakistan border and travelled east to northern states, are expected to return to Rajasthan.

New Delhi: India, which is tackling the worst locust attack in 26 years for the last three months, should remain on "high alert" during the next four weeks, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Meanwhile, the Indian government has stepped up efforts and is using latest technology and equipment like drones and Bell helicopters for control of the menace.

Rajasthan is the most affected state in the country. The other affected states are Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

In its latest update, the FAO said that spring-bred locust swarms that migrated to Indo-Pakistan border and travelled east to northern states, are expected to return to Rajasthan with the start of monsoon in coming days.

These swarms will return to Rajasthan to join other swarms still arriving from Iran and Pakistan, which is expected to be supplemented by swarms from the Horn of Africa in about mid-July, it added.

"Early breeding has already occurred along the Indo-Pakistan border where substantial hatching and band formation will take place in July that will cause the first-generation summer swarms to form in mid-August," FAO said.

India and Pakistan as well as Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia should remain on "high alert during the next four weeks," it noted.

According to the Union Agriculture Ministry, swarms of immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are active in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Dausa, and Bharatpur of Rajasthan, and Jhansi and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh.

However the government is continuing the control operations to check damage to crops from locust attacks.

On 4 July, a Bell Helicopter took its first sortie in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan and completed its mission of chemical spraying in targeted areas, thereby augmenting the locust control efforts.

In the intervening night of 3-4 July, control operations were carried out at 25 places in six districts (Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, and Dausa) of Rajasthan and two places in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh by the Locust Circle Offices (LCOs), it said.

Besides this, State Agriculture Departments also carried out control operations at four places in Jhansi and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh and at two places in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan against small groups and scattered population of locusts.

So far, locust control operations have been done in a total 1,35,207 hectares area in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana by the Locust Circle Offices (LCOs).

The state governments have also taken control measures in 1,13,215.5 hectares area in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

"No significant crop losses have been reported in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana. However, some minor crop losses have been reported in some districts of Rajasthan," the ministry said.

Presently, 60 control teams with spray vehicles are deployed in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. More than 200 central government personnel are engaged in locust control operations.

Besides, five companies with 12 drones are deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides.

India is the first country which is using drones for locust control, the ministry said.

Weekly virtual meetings on desert locust of South-West Asian countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan) is being organised by the FAO.

So far, 15 virtual meetings of the technical officers of these countries have taken place, the ministry added.
Prime Minister Narendra 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

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."

Prime Minister Narendra 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 3 July," 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 MM 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 15 June. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.
Jayaraj and his son J Benicks died days after being arrested on 19 June and lodged in Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their shop in the Sathankulam open despite the lockdown

Thoothukudi: Five accused in case of alleged custodial torture leading to deaths of a father-son duo were transferred from Tuticorin jail to Madurai Central Jail on Saturday.

Earlier today, Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) Inspector General Shankar said that after analysing the evidence in Tuticorin custodial death case, all accused will be taken into custody. "Five arrested so far, after analysing evidence we will take them in our custody (from judicial custody). We inquired about the approver (Constable Revathi) yesterday," said the Inspector General.

Earlier this week, the Thoothukudi District court ordered a 15 days remand for three police officials - Inspector Sridhar, Sub-inspector Balakrishnan and Constable Murugan in Perurani Jail in connection with the alleged custodial deaths of a father and son.

Jayaraj (59) and his son J Benicks (31), were arrested on 19 June and lodged in Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their mobile phone shop in the Sathankulam main bazaar area open during a curfew imposed during coronavirus lockdown.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday relieved the revenue officers who were deputed to Sathankulam police station by the Thoothukudi Collector, as per the court's order in connection with the Thoothukudi custodial death case.

This comes after the court was informed by the state government that the CB-CID had collected the clue materials from the police station. "There appears to be force in the submission of Chellapandian, learned Additional Advocate General and we, accordingly, relieve the Revenue Officers deputed by the District Collector, Tuticorin, of the said duty," the court said in its order.

On the special mention made by Chellapandian, additional advocate general, the matter was taken up for hearing on Friday.

The court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer K Chellpandian in connection with the court's order that the Sathankulam police station shall be brought under the control of the revenue officer to prevent tampering of evidence and documents relating to Thoothukudi custody death case.
'Agnihotri was carrying a cash reward of Rs 25,000. He was named as an accused in the firing incident on the policemen,' a senior police official said.

Lucknow/Kanpur: The main aide of gangster Vikas Dubey involved in the attack in which eight police personnel were killed was arrested in a pre-dawn encounter in Kanpur, a senior police official said on Sunday.

The officer also said the cash reward announced by the police on Dubey's arrest has been increased to Rs 1 lakh.

"Dayashankar Agnihotri alias Kallu, the main aide of Dubey, has been arrested during an encounter. Agnihotri always used to accompany Dubey and was staying at Dubey''s house (which was demolished Saturday)," Inspector General, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal told PTI.

"Agnihotri was carrying a cash reward of Rs 25,000. He was named as an accused in the firing incident on the policemen. In the encounter, he got bullet injuries on his leg, Agarwal said.

Additional Director General of Police, Kanpur, JN Singh told PTI that the encounter took place at around 4.30 am in Kalyanpur area of Kanpur.

Agnihotri was admitted to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital and police recovered a country-made pistol and two cartridges from his possession, said Superintendent of Police (west) Anil Kumar.

Agnihotri told reporters that Dubey had got a call from someone in the police department informing him about his imminent arrest, and after that he called his men for a face-to-face confrontation with the police.

Allegations had earlier surfaced against Vinay Tiwari, Station Officer (SO) of Chaubeypur police station in Kanpur district in whose jurisdiction the incident took place, for alerting Dubey that a police team was moving towards his house to arrest him, following which the gangster and his men attacked the police personnel resulting in the slaying of eight of them. The SO was suspended on Saturday.

In the early hours of Sunday, police got a tip-off and tried to stop Agnihotri on the Kalyanpur-Shivli road when he opened fire on them. While no police personnel was hurt, Agnihotri got bullet injuries on his leg in retaliatory firing.

Meanwhile, IG Agarwal said, "The cash reward on Vikas Dubey has been increased to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 25,000.

When asked about the action being taken against suspended SO Tiwari, Agarwal said, "He (Vinay Tiwari) has been sent to Police Lines. He has not been detained. Investigations are going on. If any evidence is found which suggests that Tiwari was part of the conspiracy, then he will be detained."

On the demolition by police of Dubey''s house on Saturday, the IG said, "Police had information that Dubey had hidden a lot of arms and ammunition in a bunker. There was also information about him hiding arms and ammunition in the walls of the house. The walls were broken in order to search for the weapons. When the walls were broken, the roof also collapsed. Large amount of ammunition was recovered in the digging.

Shortly after midnight on Friday, eight policemen had walked into a trap set by Dubey and fell to a hail of bullets fired from rooftops. They were given a tearful farewell on Saturday as police began demolishing the criminals lavish hideout in Bikru village, the scene of the bloody crime.

Seven others, including a civilian, were injured in the attack that took place in the dead of night on Thursday. Later, police sealed the entire area and began a combing operation, which led to another encounter with Dubeys men in Nivada village in which two of them were killed.

The eight men killed in the line of duty, mostly in their 20s and 30s, included Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra (54).

The others are Mahesh Kumar Yadav (42), Sub-Inspector Anoop Kumar Singh (32), Sub-Inspector Nebu Lal (48) and Constables Jitendra Pal (26), Sultan Singh (34), Bablu Kumar (23) and Rahul Kumar (24). Their bodies were taken back to their homes where senior police officers attended their last rites.
'Ableism is violence,' as Lydia XZ Brown notes.

What is normal? In this fortnightly column, Srinidhi Raghavan explores the understanding of bodies-minds and navigating spaces as disabled, chronically ill and sick people. Read more from the series here.

***

I was in a workshop a while ago when someone defensively said, Just because I am disabled doesnt mean I am not smart. This is a complex and difficult to break down stereotype. To do this we need to begin at the beginning (the middle and almost certainly, the present): Ableism. So, what is ableism?

In my previous columns, I have used the word liberally. However, if we were to understand ableism better, we need to explore how people with disabilities define it and challenge it. The many forms ableism takes are important to slowly make our way through.*

Ableism can be defined in many ways. Some define it as: A system of oppression that favours being ablebodied/ableminded at any cost, frequently at the expense of people with disabilities. Rebecca Cockley, director of Disability Justice Centre at the Center for American Progress, defines ableism in this tweet as: I think part of ableism that we dont talk about is being ignored. Being erased. Not just mocking but when acting like we arent in the room [is] even worse than being teased.

Talila TL Lewis, an attorney, writer, organiser and educator, has a working definition of ableism: A system that places value on peoples bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence and excellence. These constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence and excellence are deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, eugenics and capitalism. This form of systemic oppression leads to people and society determining who is valuable or worthy based on people's appearance and/or their ability to satisfactorily produce, excel and behave. Importantly, you do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.

Understanding and (un)learning ableism is an ongoing process, one we must work on every day, especially within our movements. A lot of ableism is rooted in decades of oppression of people with disabilities as they were understood as not able. This also takes shape in the language we use. Language, as we can imagine, is a tool of oppression. For decades, the queer movement, the disability rights movement have aimed to take back language that is weaponised against us. Words like cripple, queer, mad are among a few. But these same words are used to belittle someone and remind them of their lack.

Unlearning that disability is not just lack is a long, ongoing process, even for many of us within the movement.

Lydia XZ Brown writes on their blog, Autistic Hoya, about language as a tool to oppress disabled people. They say: Being aware of language  for those of us who have the privilege of being able to change our language  can help us understand how pervasive ableism is. Ableism is systematic, institutional devaluing of bodies and minds deemed deviant, abnormal, defective, subhuman, less than. Ableism is *violence.*

This takes me back to the opening line and that workshop. I found myself struggling for words to explain accurately that through this sentence, we are dehumanising and harming other disabled people by stating categorically that we are better. This fight for our acceptance in society, to be seen as able individuals, as creative and joyful, cannot be at the expense of other disabled people. In short, we cannot and must not throw fellow disabled people under the bus in order to be taken seriously  by most probably non-disabled people.

During an interview, writer, speaker and activist Eli Clare explains the complicated nature of the conversation and the deep rootedness of our prejudice:

On a community level, we need to commit to sustained access for intellectually disabled people, neurodivergent and neuroqueer people, and mad people. We need to fight for good housing, education, employment, liveable benefits, health care; resist violence; complicate our reproductive justice politics and question disability selective abortion, while defending access to abortion more generally. On an individual level, I try (with mixed success) to disengage from attacks on my intelligence, to say so what rather than no, really, Im smart. I also think we need to never name our oppressors, bullies, or political opponents idiots or call them stupid. To do so is to participate in weaponising intelligence.

In many ways, in responding with the oh-so-common, But I am not dumb, we are relegating our battles to who is to be taken seriously, instead of learning to detach intelligence from our worth as human beings.

So where do we begin this process of unlearning, learning and challenging our language? We begin with understanding the words we use and the power they have over defining peoples worth. We can visit Autistic Hoyas page to see a list of ableist words, slurs and learn the history behind them. This workshop presentation by University of Arizona, Disability Rights Centre is also a good place to start.

This is the first in a three-part series on ableism. Parts 2 and 3 will focus on structural and medical ableism, and ableism and intersectionality, respectively.

Srinidhi Raghavan is a writer, researcher and trainer. She works at the intersections of sexuality, gender, disability and technology. She works on programme development with Rising Flame and is the co-founder of The Curio-city Collective.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities in a city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning on Sunday, one day after a hospital reported a case of suspected bubonic plague. The health committee of the city of Bayan Nur issued the third-level alert, the second lowest in a four-level system. The alert forbids the hunting and eating of animals that could carry plague and asks the public to report any suspected cases of plague or fever with no clear causes, and to report any sick or dead marmots.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities in a city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning on Sunday, one day after a hospital reported a case of suspected bubonic plague.

The health committee of the city of Bayan Nur issued the third-level alert, the second lowest in a four-level system.

The alert forbids the hunting and eating of animals that could carry plague and asks the public to report any suspected cases of plague or fever with no clear causes, and to report any sick or dead marmots.

Sunday's warning follows four reported cases of plague in people from Inner Mongolia last November, including two of pneumonic plague, a deadlier variant of plague.

The bubonic plague, known as the "Black Death" in the Middle Ages, is a highly infectious and often fatal disease that is spread mostly by rodents.

Plague cases are not uncommon in China, but outbreaks have become increasingly rare. From 2009 to 2018, China reported 26 cases and 11 deaths.

(Reporting by Min Zhang, Tony Munroe and Roxanne Liu, Editing by William Maclean and Timothy Heritage)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
If airborne transmission of coronavirus is a significant factor in the pandemic, especially in crowded spaces with poor ventilation, the consequences for containment will be significant. Masks may be needed indoors, even in socially distant settings.

The coronavirus is finding new victims worldwide, in bars and restaurants, offices, markets and casinos, giving rise to frightening clusters of infection that increasingly confirm what many scientists have been saying for months: The virus lingers in the air indoors, infecting those nearby.

If airborne transmission is a significant factor in the pandemic, especially in crowded spaces with poor ventilation, the consequences for containment will be significant. Masks may be needed indoors, even in socially distant settings. Health care workers may need N95 masks that filter out even the smallest respiratory droplets as they care for coronavirus patients.

Ventilation systems in schools, nursing homes, residences and businesses may need to minimise recirculating air and add powerful new filters. Ultraviolet lights may be needed to kill viral particles floating in tiny droplets indoors.

The World Health Organisation has long held that the coronavirus is spread primarily by large respiratory droplets that, once expelled by infected people in coughs and sneezes, fall quickly to the floor.

But in an open letter to the WHO, 239 scientists in 32 countries have outlined the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people and are calling for the agency to revise its recommendations.

The researchers plan to publish their letter in a scientific journal.

Even in its latest update on the coronavirus , released 29 June, the WHO said airborne transmission of the virus is possible only after medical procedures that produce aerosols, or droplets smaller than 5 microns (a micron is equal to 1 millionth of a metre).

Proper ventilation and N95 masks are of concern only in those circumstances, according to the WHO. Instead, its infection control guidance, before and during this pandemic, has heavily promoted the importance of handwashing as a primary prevention strategy, even though there is limited evidence for transmission of the virus from surfaces (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says surfaces are likely to play only a minor role).

Dr Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHOs technical lead on infection control, said the evidence for the virus spreading by air was unconvincing.

Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence, she said. There is a strong debate on this.

But interviews with nearly 20 scientists  including a dozen WHO consultants and several members of the committee that crafted the guidance  and internal emails paint a picture of an organisation that, despite good intentions, is out of step with science.

Whether carried aloft by large droplets that zoom through the air after a sneeze, or by much smaller exhaled droplets that may glide the length of a room, these experts said, the coronavirus is borne through air and can infect people when inhaled.

Most of these experts sympathised with the WHOs growing portfolio and shrinking budget, and noted the tricky political relationships it has to manage, especially with the United States and China. They praised WHO staff for holding daily briefings and tirelessly answering questions about the pandemic.

But the infection prevention and control committee in particular, experts said, is bound by a rigid and overly medicalised view of scientific evidence, is slow and risk-averse in updating its guidance and allows a few conservative voices to shout down dissent.

Theyll die defending their view, said one long-standing WHO consultant, who did not wish to be identified because of her continuing work for the organisation. Even its staunchest supporters said the committee should diversify its expertise and relax its criteria for proof, especially in a fast-moving outbreak.

I do get frustrated about the issues of airflow and sizing of particles, absolutely, said Mary-Louise McLaws, a committee member and epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

If we started revisiting airflow, we would have to be prepared to change a lot of what we do, she said. I think its a good idea, a very good idea, but it will cause an enormous shudder through the infection control society.

In early April, a group of 36 experts on air quality and aerosols urged the WHO to consider the growing evidence on airborne transmission of the coronavirus . The agency responded promptly, calling Lidia Morawska, the groups leader and a longtime WHO consultant, to arrange a meeting.

But the discussion was dominated by a few experts who were staunch supporters of handwashing and felt it must be emphasized over aerosols, according to some participants, and the committees advice remained unchanged.

Morawska and others pointed to several incidents that indicate airborne transmission of the virus, particularly in poorly ventilated and crowded indoor spaces. They said the WHO was making an artificial distinction between tiny aerosols and larger droplets, even though infected people produce both.

Weve known since 1946 that coughing and talking generate aerosols, said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne transmission of viruses at Virginia Tech.

Scientists have not been able to grow the coronavirus from aerosols in the lab. But that doesnt mean aerosols are not infective, Marr said: Most of the samples in those experiments have come from hospital rooms with good air flow that would dilute viral levels.

In most buildings, she said the air-exchange rate is usually much lower, allowing virus to accumulate in the air and pose a greater risk.

The WHO also is relying on a dated definition of airborne transmission, Marr said. The agency believes an airborne pathogen, like the measles virus, has to be highly infectious and to travel long distances.

People generally think and talk about airborne transmission profoundly stupidly, said Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

We have this notion that airborne transmission means droplets hanging in the air capable of infecting you many hours later, drifting down streets, through letter boxes and finding their way into homes everywhere, Hanage said.

Experts all agree that the coronavirus does not behave that way. Marr and others said the coronavirus seemed to be most infectious when people were in prolonged contact at close range, especially indoors, and even more so in superspreader events, exactly what scientists would expect from aerosol transmission.

Precautionary principle

The WHO has found itself at odds with groups of scientists more than once during this pandemic.

The agency lagged behind most of its member nations in endorsing face coverings for the public. While other organisations, including the CDC, have long since acknowledged the importance of transmission by people without symptoms, the WHO still maintains that asymptomatic transmission is rare.

At the country level, a lot of WHO technical staff are scratching their heads, said a consultant at a regional office in Southeast Asia, who did not wish to be identified because he was worried about losing his contract. This is not giving us credibility.

The consultant recalled that the WHO staff members in his country were the only ones to go without masks after the government there endorsed them.

Many experts said the WHO should embrace what some called a precautionary principle and others called needs and values  the idea that even without definitive evidence, the agency should assume the worst of the virus, apply common sense and recommend the best protection possible.

There is no incontrovertible proof that SARS-CoV-2 travels or is transmitted significantly by aerosols, but there is absolutely no evidence that its not, said Dr Trish Greenhalgh, a primary care doctor at the University of Oxford in Britain.

So at the moment we have to make a decision in the face of uncertainty, and my goodness, its going to be a disastrous decision if we get it wrong, she said. So why not just mask up for a few weeks, just in case?

After all, the WHO seems willing to accept without much evidence the idea that the virus may be transmitted from surfaces, she and other researchers noted, even as other health agencies have stepped back from emphasizing this route.

I agree that fomite transmission is not directly demonstrated for this virus, Allegranzi, the WHOs technical lead on infection control, said, referring to objects that may be infectious. But it is well known that other coronavirus es and respiratory viruses are transmitted, and demonstrated to be transmitted, by contact with fomite.

The agency also must consider the needs of all its member nations, including those with limited resources, and make sure its recommendations are tempered by availability, feasibility, compliance, resource implications, she said.

Aerosols may play some limited role in spreading the virus, said Dr Paul Hunter, a member of the infection prevention committee and professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in Britain.

But if the WHO were to push for rigorous control measures in the absence of proof, hospitals in low- and middle-income countries may be forced to divert scarce resources from other crucial programs.

Thats the balance that an organisation like the WHO has to achieve, he said. Its the easiest thing in the world to say, Weve got to follow the precautionary principle and ignore the opportunity costs of that.

In interviews, other scientists criticized this view as paternalistic.

Were not going to say what we really think, because we think you cant deal with it? I dont think thats right, said Don Milton, an aerosol expert at the University of Maryland.

Even cloth masks, if worn by everyone, can significantly reduce transmission, and the WHO should say so clearly, he added.

Several experts criticised the WHOs messaging throughout the pandemic, saying the staff seems to prize scientific perspective over clarity.

What you say is designed to help people understand the nature of a public health problem, said Dr William Aldis, a longtime WHO collaborator based in Thailand. Thats different than just scientifically describing a disease or a virus.

The WHO tends to describe an absence of evidence as evidence of absence, Aldis added. In April, for example, the WHO said, There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

The statement was intended to indicate uncertainty, but the phrasing stoked unease among the public and earned rebukes from several experts and journalists. The WHO later walked back its comments.

In a less public instance, the WHO said there was no evidence to suggest that people with HIV were at increased risk from the coronavirus . After Joseph Amon, a longtime WHO associate and director of global health at Drexel University in Philadelphia, pointed out that the phrasing was misleading, the WHO changed it to say the level of risk was unknown.

But WHO staff and some members said the critics did not give its committees enough credit.

Those that may have been frustrated may not be cognizant of how WHO expert committees work, and they work slowly and deliberately, McLaws said.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the WHOs chief scientist, said agency staff members were trying to evaluate new scientific evidence as fast as possible but without sacrificing the quality of their review. She added that the agency will try to broaden the committees expertise and communications to make sure everyone is heard.

We take it seriously when journalists or scientists or anyone challenges us and say we can do beairbortter than this, she said. We definitely want to do better.

Apoorva Mandavilli c.2020 The New York Times Company
ZAGREB (Reuters) - Croatia's centre-right party Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won most seats in the parliamentary election held on Sunday, the state television exit poll showed. According to the poll, HDZ won 61 seats in the 151-seat parliament ahead of the top opposition party the Social Democrats (SDP) and its small allies which won 44 seats.

ZAGREB (Reuters) - Croatia's centre-right party Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won most seats in the parliamentary election held on Sunday, the state television exit poll showed.

According to the poll, HDZ won 61 seats in the 151-seat parliament ahead of the top opposition party the Social Democrats (SDP) and its small allies which won 44 seats.

(Reporting by Igor Ilic; Editing by Ivana Sekularac)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will not allow Serbian visitors in from July 6 until July 15, the government said on Sunday, as it moved to contain the spread of coronavirus during its peak tourism season. Serbia declared a state of emergency in Belgrade on Friday, reimposing some restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 after a surge of infections in the capital. Athens said all but essential travel from Serbia would be suspended from Monday 0300 GMT

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will not allow Serbian visitors in from July 6 until July 15, the government said on Sunday, as it moved to contain the spread of coronavirus during its peak tourism season.

Serbia declared a state of emergency in Belgrade on Friday, reimposing some restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 after a surge of infections in the capital.

Athens said all but essential travel from Serbia would be suspended from Monday 0300 GMT. The restriction includes all entry points.

Greece, which emerged from a decade-long debt crisis in 2018, relies heavily on tourism to drive its economic recovery. The country lifted most travel restrictions on July 1, but said that it will be reviewing the rules frequently.

"The government, in coordination with relevant authorities, constantly analyses and evaluates data, in order to open up to foreign visitors without compromising public health," a government spokeswoman said in a statement on Sunday.

So far, the Mediterranean nation has managed to contain the spread of the virus to just over 3,500 cases, faring better than other European Union countries mainly due to an early nationwide lockdown.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Jan Harvey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Tehran has built underground 'missile cities' along the Gulf coastline, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy chief said on Sunday, warning of a 'nightmare for Iran's enemies'. 'Iran has established underground onshore and offshore missile cities all along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that would be a nightmare for Iran's enemies,' Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri told the Sobh-e Sadeq weekly

DUBAI (Reuters) - Tehran has built underground "missile cities" along the Gulf coastline, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy chief said on Sunday, warning of a "nightmare for Iran's enemies".

"Iran has established underground onshore and offshore missile cities all along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that would be a nightmare for Iran's enemies," Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri told the Sobh-e Sadeq weekly.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Michael Georgy and Timothy Heritage)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's police chief and his deputy were fired on Sunday, the transitional government said, days after large protests demanding more measures against officials linked to ousted President Omar al-Bashir. Adel Mohamed Bashaer, director-general of Sudan's Police Force was 'relieved of his duties' and replaced with Ezz Eldin Sheikh Ali, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Twitter without elaborating. Later, the cabinet said in a statement that Othman Mohamed Younes, Bashaer's deputy, was also dismissed

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's police chief and his deputy were fired on Sunday, the transitional government said, days after large protests demanding more measures against officials linked to ousted President Omar al-Bashir.

Adel Mohamed Bashaer, director-general of Sudan's Police Force was "relieved of his duties" and replaced with Ezz Eldin Sheikh Ali, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Twitter without elaborating.

Later, the cabinet said in a statement that Othman Mohamed Younes, Bashaer's deputy, was also dismissed. No further details were given.

One person was killed and several others injured during largely peaceful demonstrations across Sudan on Tuesday, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets demanding faster reform and a greater role for civilians in the country's transition towards democracy.

Protesters and pro-democracy groups link the two fired police officials with the administration of Bashir, who was removed from power in April 2019 after months of protests.

The two men could not be immediately reached for comment.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir; Writing by Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Frances Kerry)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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What happened

Skyrocketing more than 59% in December 2019, shares of Virgin Galactic Holdings (NYSE:SPCE) extended their upward trajectory and climbed 42% through the first six months of 2020, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. In addition to an analyst's positive take on the stock, the company's progress in its flight test program and its burgeoning relationship with NASA motivated investors to pick up shares of this high-flying space stock.

So what

While shares of Virgin Galactic significantly outperformed the S&P 500, which fell 4%, in the first half of the year, it hadn't exactly been smooth sailing for the stock. Hitting an intraday high over $42 in late February, shares subsequently plummeted nearly 70% and closed at $12.97 on March 23 as COVID-19 fears gripped the market, shaking investors' resolve. Things, however, started to look brighter the next day. Believing the sell-off in shares had left them undervalued, Adam Jonas, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "even weight," assigning a price target of $24, according to Thefly.com. Investors rejoiced at the analyst's take, and the stock closed 26% higher from the day before.

Besides the vote of confidence from Wall Street, investors celebrated the company's success in proving the capability of its spacecraft. In early May, for example, Virgin Galactic announced that it had completed the first successful solo flight of the VSS Unity in New Mexico, the location of the company's Spaceport America. Then, in late June, the company announced that it had scored another victory: a second successful test flight of SpaceShipTwo from Spaceport America.

Virgin Galactic's success in building a partnership with NASA gave shareholders more cause to send the stock skyward. In early May, for example, Virgin Galactic signed a Space Act Agreement with the space agency to produce supersonic aircraft for non-military applications. Speaking to the merits of the agreement, George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said the company sees "this as an area with tremendous growth potential that we will continue to invest in, alongside our commercial spaceflight operations."

Recently, the company announced the signing of another Space Act Agreement with NASA -- an agreement that aims higher: the International Space Station (ISS). According to the agreement, Virgin Galactic "will develop a new private orbital astronaut readiness program," which "will include identifying candidates interested in purchasing private astronaut missions to the ISS, the procurement of transportation to the ISS, on-orbit resources, and ground resources."

Now what

For investors with keen eyes on investing in the burgeoning space economy, Virgin Galactic represents a worthy opportunity -- especially since there are few publicly traded companies of its kind from which investors can choose. Nonetheless, like most growth stocks, future volatility is to be expected, suggesting that the stock should only remain an option for those investors with long-term investing horizons.
Former Vice President Joe Biden appears to be well ahead of President Donald Trump in the 2020 race for the White House. RealClearPolitics' average of national polls shows Biden with a 9.6-point lead over Trump. Biden is also winning in the latest polls in several key swing states that are critical to Electoral College victory. Even GOP pollster Frank Luntz thinks the presidential race is "Joe Biden's to lose."

Who wins the presidency is important to investors because the candidates have different priorities. If you think Joe Biden will defeat Donald Trump in November, here are three great stocks to buy.

1. Renewable energy: Brookfield Renewable Partners

Joe Biden wants to put the U.S. on track to achieve "a 100% clean energy economy" by 2050 at the latest. To accomplish this, he plans to sign executive orders and push for Congress to pass legislation that establishes milestones for meeting key clean energy goals by 2025 if he's elected as president.

Renewable energy stocks could be big winners under a Biden presidency. Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE:BEP) stands out as one stock positioned to perform especially well. Roughly three-quarters of the company's funds from operations (FFO) comes from its hydroelectric facilities. However, Brookfield also owns solar and wind power generation operations. Its pending acquisition of Terraform will give it an even bigger presence in these arenas.

Brookfield Renewable's goal is to generate total returns of between 12% and 15% annually. These returns include the company's attractive dividend, which currently yields nearly 4.4%. I think Brookfield should be able to surpass its goal if Biden takes residency in the White House in 2021.

2. Infrastructure: Vulcan Materials

One of Biden's top campaign promises is to "revitalize America's infrastructure". He wants to spend $1.3 trillion over a 10-year period on infrastructure projects. At the top of his list is repairing highways, roads, and bridges. Biden also wants to upgrade airports, rail infrastructure, and ports, as well as modernize schools across the country.

These infrastructure initiatives would almost certainly boost sales for Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC). The company ranks as the largest U.S. producer of construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand, and gravel and is one of the top producers of construction materials including asphalt and ready-mixed concrete.

The states in which Vulcan operates are poised to generate 72% of the total U.S. population growth this decade. Nineteen of the 25 fastest-growing markets in the U.S. are served by Vulcan's operations. It makes sense that these areas will be a primary focus of federal infrastructure initiatives.

3. Healthcare: UnitedHealth Group

Unsurprisingly, another major focus for a Biden administration would be healthcare. Biden was a champion for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when he was vice president. If he becomes president, Biden wants to protect and build upon the ACA, including giving Americans the option to buy a public health insurance plan similar to Medicare.

Such prospects could be music to the ears of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). The nation's largest health insurer benefited tremendously when the ACA was first enacted. Nearly 28% of UnitedHealth's revenue currently stems from its Medicare programs, including Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplement, and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

Other aspects of Joe Biden's platform could also help UnitedHealth Group. His plans to lower prescription drug prices and promote the development of generic drugs would likely reduce the company's expenses.

But what if President Trump is re-elected?

The U.S. presidential election is still four months away, though. That's a long enough time that the political winds could change. It's still quite possible that Joe Biden's current lead could evaporate. How would these three stocks perform if President Trump is re-elected? Probably quite well.

Brookfield Renewable Partners appears to be in a good position to deliver strong total returns whichever candidate wins the presidency. Several key U.S. states along with major countries have renewable energy goals that work to the company's benefit.

It's a similar story for Vulcan Materials. Like Joe Biden, President Trump says that he wants a major infrastructure effort and is reportedly considering proposing spending close to $1 trillion.

UnitedHealth Group probably wouldn't fare quite as well in a second Trump term as it would in a Biden administration. However, the health insurance stock has soared more than 80% since President Trump took office.

The bottom line is that if you think Joe Biden will defeat Donald Trump in November, Brookfield Energy Partners, Vulcan Materials, and UnitedHealth Group should be pretty good bets. And even if you're wrong, all three stocks still have solid prospects.
Why settle for an average dividend stock when you can hold a great one in your portfolio? A great dividend stock provides investors with a better yield than what they could typically earn from the average S&P 500 stock, has a solid track record of raising its payouts, and produces a sustainable dividend.

Today, I'll look at whether medical distribution company Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) falls into the category of a great dividend stock and whether it belongs in your dividend empire.

Cardinal currently pays a dividend yield of 3.7%

Investors who hold shares of Cardinal currently receive quarterly payments of $0.4859. That equates to an annual payout of $1.9436 per share, for a dividend yield of about 3.7% -- which is well above the 2% the typical S&P 500 stock pays.

A good dividend yield is important; otherwise, it may not be worth an investor's time to even consider an income-generating stock like Cardinal Health. On a $10,000 investment, the difference between a stock paying 2% and 3.7% is $170 per year in dividend income.

The current payout is important, but long-term investors will also want to see their payouts grow over time, which is why a dividend stock can't be great if it doesn't increase its dividend payments.

The stock's been increasing its payouts for decades

Cardinal's been hiking its dividend payments for more than 30 years in a row, making it a Dividend Aristocrat. The Ohio-based company has raised its payouts even amid the pandemic. Its latest increase came back in May, when Cardinal announced it would now be paying a quarterly dividend of $0.4859 -- a 1% increase from the $0.4811 that it paid previously.

Five years ago, Cardinal was paying $0.387 every quarter. Since then, the company has increased its dividend payments by 26%. That averages out to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7% per year. The latest increase of 1% shows that the company has slowed down recently, which is not all that surprising given how long it's been raising its payouts and the uncertainty that lies ahead for the economy.

A more important question, especially amid a pandemic and a recession, is whether Cardinal can continue paying (and increasing) its dividend payments.

Is the dividend safe?

There are a couple of ways to assess the safety of a payout. One is to look at the company's cash flow; the other is to consider its dividend payments in relation to profits.

Over the past four quarters, Cardinal's net income is in the red, because in its first-quarter results of fiscal 2020, which the company released in November, it accrued a $5.6 billion charge related to opioid lawsuits. It's a nonrecurring expense that has skewed the company's recent results.

But investors can adjust for that by looking at the company's two most recent quarters, during which Cardinal's diluted earnings per share (EPS) totaled $1.94. Extrapolating that over a full year would result in an EPS of $3.88. That's well above the company's annual dividend payments of $1.9436 and comes out to a payout ratio of 50%. The one caveat, however, is that this payout ratio assumes Cardinal's financials aren't weighed down by more lawsuits, which at this point is difficult to predict.

A quick look at the company's statement of cash flow also shows that Cardinal's in good shape from a cash perspective to handle its current dividend payments. Aside from Q1, the company's free cash flow has come in well above the cash dividends that Cardinal's paid out to shareholders over the past two years.

Not only is the current dividend safe, but there's definitely room for the company to continue raising its dividend payments in the future.

Cardinal Health ticks off all the boxes and is a great dividend stock to buy today

The healthcare stock definitely falls into the category of being a great dividend stock. Not only do the company's payouts look strong, but so does the business itself. In each of its past 10 quarters, Cardinal has reported an operating profit (which comes before net income and nonoperating expenses like litigation), and its top line hasn't fallen below $33 billion.

The company's even been doing well amid the pandemic. When Cardinal released its third-quarter results on May 11, sales were up 11% year over year, as the company believes consumers were stocking up on pharmaceuticals due to COVID-19.

Year to date, the stock's up 2% thus far, which is impressive given the S&P 500 is down around 4% over the same period. Whether you're an income investor or just looking for a safe stock to hold in your portfolio, Cardinal Health looks to be a great buy today.
What happened

Shares in heavy performance materials and components manufacturer Allegheny Technologies (NYSE:ATI) soared 17.4% in June, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The move comes after the market took a more positive outlook on the industrial stock's end market prospects.

It's not been an easy year for the company. The company's significant exposure to aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas markets has negatively affected sentiment around the stock. In fact, it would be hard to find three sectors of the industrial economy that have seen their near-term earnings prospects affected more by the COVID-19 pandemic. For reference, the commercial jet engine and airframe segments contributed 43% of Allegheny's sales in the first quarter, with energy contributing 18%.

During 2020, automotive plants have been shut down, the price of oil has slumped (negatively affecting capital spending projects), and the commercial aerospace market has been dealt a blow that will take years to recover from.

However, the gradual recovery in the economy since April has encouraged investors to hope for ongoing improvement, and Allegheny stock rose in concert with the aerospace sector. Meanwhile, the gradual recovery in the price of oil to around $40 a barrel has encouraged a bit more confidence in the long-term sales outlook.

So what

It's bad -- it's just not that bad. In other words, it's become clear that some of the apocalyptic scenarios feared by the market aren't likely to come true. That said, Allegheny's key priorities now are to preserve cash and maintain liquidity while management hopes and waits for a recovery in its core end markets. Meanwhile, Allegheny will look to take advantage of demand in smaller end markets such as medical and electronics. A return to service of the Boeing 737 MAX would certainly help matters -- something for Allegheny investors to look out for.

Now what

Investors need to keep an eye on the outlooks from its commercial aerospace customers such as Raytheon Technologies, General Electric, and Boeing. Without confidence in the end-market prospects for its customers, it will be hard to get excited by the outlook for Allegheny in the next few years.
What happened

Proclaiming itself as the "gold investment that works," Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) proved that its branding was well warranted over the past six months. While the S&P 500 has ticked down 4% in the first half of the year, shares of Franco-Nevada have climbed 35%, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. In addition to the rise in the price of gold, the company's strong first-quarter earnings report and dedication to its dividend have inspired investors to pick up shares.

So what

Unlike mining companies that dig the yellow stuff out of the ground, Franco-Nevada operates more like a specialized financier. The company provides up-front capital to the mining companies, and in return, it obtains the right to purchase a certain amount of gold (or other metal) at a previously determined discounted price, or to receive a percentage of mineral production from a mine.

While the company's portfolio includes silver, platinum group metals, and oil and gas assets, it's gold that figures most prominently, representing 65% of revenue and 63% of adjusted EBITDA in 2019. It's no wonder, therefore, that investors turned to the stock as the price of gold climbed 15.4% during the first six months of the year.

Another factor that encouraged investors was the company's Q1 report. Reporting revenue of $240.5 million, Franco-Nevada recognized a year-over-year increase of 34% on the top line. The bottom line also glittered brightly in investors' eyes as the company reported adjusted EBITDA of $192.7 million, a 37% increase over the same period in 2019. And it wasn't only the income statement that investors found alluring; Franco-Nevada also shined in terms of cash flow, reporting operating cash flow of $195.2 million -- 36% higher than its $143.6 million from Q1 2019.

Lastly, Franco-Nevada distinguished itself among investors in terms of its commitment to its dividend. While the COVID-19 outbreak forced many companies to cut or suspend their quarterly dividends, Franco-Nevada continued to reward shareholders. In May, management announced that the company would be raising the quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share, a 4% increase over the previous amount.

Now what

Although Franco-Nevada has withdrawn 2020 guidance because of the uncertainty stemming from the global pandemic, the company's debt-free balance sheet suggests that it's well-suited to withstand the near-term headwinds. In fact, for those looking to increase their exposure to gold, Franco-Nevada represents one of the best investment opportunities at the moment.
(CNN) -- The Mississippi State House passed a resolution on Saturday that will begin the process to change the state's flag.

By a vote of 85-34, the newly passed resolution suspends the chamber's rules so that lawmakers can consider a bill that would change or remove the flag. As the resolution passed, loud cheers could be heard throughout the chamber.

Saturday's vote is the first step toward removal of the state's flag. The measure now moves to a Senate committee before going to the chamber.

Mississippi lawmakers in recent weeks have been weighing removing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag amid the continued racial justice protests.

Mississippi is the last state in the country whose flag features the Confederate emblem. The state flag features red, white and blue stripes with the Confederate battle emblem in the corner. It was first adopted in 1894.

Earlier on Saturday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said in a tweet that he would sign a bill to remove Confederate imagery from the state flag if the legislature sends him a bill this weekend.

"The legislature has been deadlocked for days as it considers a new state flag. The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it's time to end it. If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it," Reeves said.

"We should not be under any illusion that a vote in the Capitol is the end of what must be done  the job before is us to bring the state together and I intend to work night and day to do it," Reeves said.

"It will be harder than recovering from tornadoes, harder than historic floods, harder than agency corruption, or prison riots or the coming hurricane season  even harder than battling the Coronavirus," he added.

CNN's Allison Gordon and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
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GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina)- The Greenville City Police Department says they arrested a suspect after one person was killed during a fatal shooting on Saturday on Jenkins Street.
ANDERSON, SC (FOX CAROLINA) -The Anderson County Sheriff's Office says a man threw about 80 grams of meth out of the window while he was trying to flee from deputies during a traffic stop.
Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below.
STATE FARM AGENTS HELP WITH INTERNET ACCESS

Five State Farm Agents have donated $1,900 to the Mayfield Civic Association to help provide internet service to students living in the area. The association plans to boost its signal so residents in the neighborhood can access it for virtual learning.

According to Trudy Smith, president of the association, many households in the Mayfield community dont have the ability to pay for internet service in their home, which created challenges for students when they were sent home due to COVID-19. She is working to help fill that gap before the start of next school year.

Xavier Richardson, a Fredericksburg native and senior vice president and chief development officer of Mary Washington Hospital Foundation, is a supporter of the association and has been collaborating with Smith. He worked with State Farm agents Jarrett Bailey, Gary Boxley, Bryan Carroll, Buster Nelson and Michael C. Smith to secure their donation.
GRANT HELPS HOSPICE PATIENTS CONNECT

Mary Washington Healthcare Hospice Services will purchase 25 iPads using part of a $10,000 grant it received from the Community Relief Fund of The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region.

The devices will be used to allow virtual communication between clinicians, hospice patients and their families, which has been restricted because of the coronavirus.

Our hospice services team would much rather be able to care for our patients and families in person, but the iPads will augment our telehealth capabilities, making it easier to connect with our patients and provide updates to family members and loved ones located anywhere in the world, said Marie Frederick, vice president of ambulatory services for MWHC.

PATIENT FIRST OFFERS ANTIBODY TESTING

Patient First is offering COVID-19 antibody testing at all of its medical centers on a walk-in basis, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily. Appointments are not needed for the blood tests, which are used to determine if someone previously had COVID-19and not to diagnose an active infection.
Larsen says her kitchen counter looks like a doctors office. She has disposable masks and gloves, antibacterial wipes and Lysol, an oxygen meter, blood pressure cuff and thermometer. She gets groceries once a week after placing her order online.

No more running out to pick up that one item I may have forgotten, Larsen said.

No more shopping with her sisters, either, or gathering for birthday celebrations. The trip to Denmark this fall, to see her husbands family, is off.

This pandemic is scary, she said. It scares me to read that people think it is not real. I never in my life thought I would see people in our country wearing PPE [personal protective equipment]. Not sure I even knew what PPE was before this.

Compare that reaction to Jeff Bueche, a member of the King George County Board of Supervisors who regularly emphasizes that while the disease is deadly to a small portion of the population, 99 percent of people in his county who had it recovered.

He said he looks forward to a return to normal as what we have now is anything but. Bueche still hangs out with friends, grills on the weekends, takes road trips and goes up to neighbors for a cold beverage most afternoons.
Seven Fredericksburg-area lawyers are working together to provide free representation to the 50 people who were arrested on misdemeanor charges related to protests against police violence in late May and early June.

This is something that we feel like, as lawyers, we have an obligation to help our community with, said Lesley Fierst, an attorney working with the group. I think we feel like this is a critically important moment in the fight for social justice and we want to do our part.

Through meeting with defendants as they appear in court for their arraignments and reaching out to protest organizers, Fierst said the group has reached approximately 20 of the people facing criminal charges.

The overwhelming majority have been charged with curfew violation and a subset have been charged with curfew violation and additional related charges, such as resisting arrest or obstruction of justice, Fierst said.

Fredericksburg City Manager Tim Baroody declared a local state of emergency and put in place an 11:30 p.m. curfew on May 31 in response to civil unrest, according to the order. The city announced that the emergency order and an 8 p.m. curfew was being extended through June 8, then lifted them on June 6.
Christine Mitchell, who takes care of two people in a private home, described how scary it is to be an essential worker while also dealing with family considerations. She wasnt able to see her mother for weeks after the older woman was hospitalized this spring.

It was heart-wrenching, she said.

Her sons, 9 and 20, have suffered from the loss of social and education interaction, and while her family is better off than some financially, theyre worse now than they were before the crisis.

I personally feel like its time to move forward as much as possible, Mitchell wrote. My story is not different than anyone elses, but it is my COVID life. Scary at one moment and the other, you just want normalcies of life back, like play dates, swimming and going to the beach without the worry of how bad is this really going to be.

Joe Saitta, who came out of retirement to work with the Rappahannock Area Health District, said people have to make their own choices, but should remember that each decision has consequences, some serious, perhaps even deadly.

While not being paranoid, I view everyone I meet as either being potentially a high-risk individual with a life-threatening illness or someone with an active case of COVID-19, wrote Saitta, whos 74. That helps me remember my responsibility to them and to me, as well as to my family.

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Asked about diversity initiatives at the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper County, the community college president said Germanna is committed to the success of all of its students.

National data show that African American student success in higher education has lagged for economic and cultural reasons that were working to address, Gullickson said.

In Germannas 50th anniversary year, the school is engaged in fundraising to keep its Gladys P. Todd Academy focused on first-generation students from low-income families, many of them students of color, she said.

We have also begun a Black Minds Matter initiative to open a dialogue about how Germanna can be a local engine for positive and transformational change, Gullickson said. Dr. KayWyatt will be a key adviser in these efforts..

After graduating from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, KayWyatt taught special education students at Culpeper Middle School for the 199697 school year, her first job before doing the same at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg. She later became principal of WalkerGrant Middle School in Fredericksburg.

KayWyatt holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University; a master of education in educational leadership from the University of Mary Washington; and a master of science in education from Old Dominion University.
It would be the first of many efforts Greven and other Grafton Village Elementary staffers would undertake to reach out to students, staffers and parents as a way to maintain connections as most hunkered down at home.

For her part in inspiring, coordinating and sometimes creating those efforts to keep the schools staff and families connected, Greven is a Hometown Hero.

Amy Pisciotta, the school nurse at Grafton Village who nominated Greven, said she did so because once COVID-19 hit, Greven went above and beyond to be a shining light for our school at a time when teachers, parents and students felt adrift.

We have all felt the impact of not being actively involved with our students, parents, and staff. Jen immediately jumped in to find ways that we could still be connected to each other, said Pisciotta. [She] helped form a school Facebook page that families and staff could be a part of. It allowed parents to post some of the work that their children have done, give us news or just to check in. I cannot express how much this helped.

I know she is not your typical hero in this coronavirus pandemic, but here is a nurse nominating a teacher that is truly a hero in my eyes, Pisciotta added.
THE NARROW channel and shifting sands of the passage into the Great Wicomico River down at Smith Point make for tricky navigation. My husband and I were on our 32-foot sailboat headed for an anchorage. We were both tired and somehow, looking down at the charts and up at the channel markers, we misinterpreted where we were and got off course.

Take Two came to a dead stop, its keel lodged firmly in the sand and mud at the bottom of the river.

I thought about that the other day as I reacted to yet another bleak news story. We are all tired. COVID-19 and the isolation imposed on us, the upheaval in our lives, the deaths and distress of loved ones, the job losses, the economic strain, the bickering over masks or no-masks, images of elderly people dying alone  all these realities have wearied us.

And then came the killing of George Floyd, and generations of outrage poured into the streets.

Unless we as a nation carefully navigate this period in our history, we will end up in a bad place. Were all on the same boat. We can work together, using our chart (the Constitution), our brains, and our hearts, or we can sink. Navigating carefully often means setting a rational course between two seemingly opposite ideas.

Can we manage that?
They were all Americans. Decoration Day, now Memorial Day, started in 1868 in Arlington. Children placed flowers on the graves of the soldiers from both North and Southa symbol remembering the ultimate sacrifice made by those Americans.

Why were the soldiers there? Because their government told them to go to war. Volunteers or draftees, they all went because politicians told them to go. They suffered shot and shell, starvation, unimaginable wounds and indignities most cannot imagine. They were told they were doing it to protect their country and way of life.

Most had no understanding about the politics of the day. They fought for their country. They stood for bravery, loyalty, honor and duty.

Whether it was Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. Stonewall Jackson, Pvt. Thomas Garland Jefferson of the VMI Corps of Cadets, or Sgt. Frederick Fritz Niland [Pvt. Ryan] on Omaha Beach, they all fought for their country, not their politicians.

Now we blame them for the injustices those politicians created. We no longer look at their sacrifices. We only see the uniform of the country for which they fought.

Why do we blame soldiers? They were instruments of politicians elected by the people. They were our neighbors, sons, daughters, Americans all.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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...
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.
House Resolution 7120, introduced by the House of Representatives last month, would end qualified immunity.

THE SAME BRUSH

Its unfortunate and its sad, but a fact of law enforcement is that we get painted with the same brush when a police officer does something so obviously wrong, said Benton County Undersheriff Greg Ridler.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Ridler has been in law enforcement for 37 years and said chokeholds have been banned for nearly as long.

We dont train in them, he said. But it is a deadly force issue that if you are in a position where that is your only option, you would use it. But it would be considered deadly force, so you have to follow the same protocol as if you were to shoot someone. It has to be that your life or someone elses life is in danger.

And thats what makes the 8 Can't Wait campaign so complicated, local officials say  there are no absolutes in law enforcement.

But in May, Harnden said, an unusually uniform wave washed over departments across the nation. She noted that the death of Floyd brought a consensus among law enforcement personnel who were solidly against the officers' actions.
Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with widely scattered showers or thunderstorms possible overnight. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with widely scattered showers or thunderstorms possible overnight. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
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.
The Real Jackie Kennedy Her style and grace were legendary, and her image came to define the 1960s. She captured the hearts of world leaders, fashion icons and people all over the planet, who knew her as Jackie Kennedy, Jacqueline Onassis, or simply Jackie O. But who was the real Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis? Take our quiz and find out. Take The Quiz 
Plagiarism can cause challenges in all sectors of society, including government organizations. To combat plagiarism in government documents such as grants, reports, reviews and legal documents, government organizations will find iThenticate to be an effective yet easy-to-use tool in their arsenal.
At least for the next eight races, Formula 1 will stick with what Carlos Sainz described in Austria as a "very aggressive new normal".

The entire Formula 1, Formula 3 and Formula 3 circus at the Red Bull Ring is limited to just 2000 people, with race director Michael Masi confirming that 57 separate 'bubbles' and "several hundred sub-groups" are keeping the coronavirus risk down.

Mercedes reserve Stoffel Vandoorne is in the region, but is confined to his hotel room with two laptops.

"I cannot even talk to our Formula 2 and Formula 3 drivers," said Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko.

Toto Wolff commented: "All this setup seems very weird in a country where there are no cases anymore, or at least around here."

Indeed, movement is tightly controlled, social distancing enforced, and the wearing of masks mandatory.

"To the outside world it looks like an overreaction, especially in countries where there is already a lot of relaxation in normal life," Masi admitted.

"But we have a responsibility. We want to show the outside world that we act according to the highest safety standards. If we didn't and something happened, we would have fingers pointed at us.

"Austria is in a good position but it's not the same in Britain. We want a procedure that works everywhere. It would make no sense to readjust it every week," the FIA official added.

Masi said he is confident that the setup could easily manage a coronavirus infection, unlike in Australia where the entire event was called off.

"The situation in Melbourne caught us off-guard," he admitted. "Now we have processes that can intercept positive cases in good time.

The strange 'corona era' in Formula 1 looks set to remain in place at least for the first eight confirmed European races.

"Of course we want the fans back in the stands as soon as possible, but I do not expect any major changes in our process," said Masi.

"We want to be consistent for all the upcoming events and not change it depending on the situation in the respective country."

(GMM)
Red Bull is looking into getting a Mercedes-style 'DAS' steering system up and running on its 2020 car.

On Friday in Austria, the energy drink owned team's official protest against the technology was not successful.

"We are not appealing," Dr Helmut Marko told Speed Week. "For the fans, the matter is over.

"Our approach was that DAS is not just for steering, but also for adjusting the car."

FIA president Jean Todt praised Red Bull for protesting on Friday rather than after qualifying or the race.

"I believe the approach they took was very correct," he said in Austria.

Marko explained: "If we had done it today (Saturday) instead, they could theoretically have been out of qualifying and the whole race.

"We still have our doubts, but it is banned for next year. Now we have to think about whether we can recreate it.

"The advantage is that we can use the knowledge of another team, but the disadvantage is the extra weight, and according to our calculations it is significant - at least two kilograms."

With the DAS system up and running, Mercedes easily qualified one-two on Saturday.

It is not clear how much performance the reigning champions gain from DAS, but it is believed one main benefit is the warming up of tyres.

The question now is whether Red Bull will get its version running soon.

"Well, with such a short calendar it would be hard to implement but let's see," Max Verstappen said.

(GMM)
Two breaches of F1's strict coronavirus measures have emerged from Austria.

The first is footage by Germany's RTL broadcaster depicting McLaren driver Lando Norris failing a mandatory forehead temperature check at the Red Bull Ring.

The 20-year-old is then seen holding a cold water bottle to his forehead before being checked again and passing the test.

As for the second incident, footage emerged of Sebastian Vettel casually meeting in the Red Bull team area with Dr Helmut Marko and Christian Horner.

None were wearing masks.

When asked about the meeting, Red Bull official Marko insisted: "We have a good relationship with Seb so why should we not greet each other nicely?"

The FIA responded by writing a letter to both Ferrari and Red Bull warning that "any individual who does not agree to comply with the COVID-19 code will not be granted access to and may not attend any covered event".

(GMM)
Toto Wolff has played down Sebastian Vettel's hopes of switching to the works Mercedes team for 2021.

To be ousted by Ferrari at the end of the year, the quadruple world champion said in Austria that moving to the Wolff-led German team is "an option".

"I don't know what Mercedes' plans are, but I'm not in a hurry," said Vettel. "Let's see what the first races bring."

However, Mercedes team boss Wolff suggests he wants to keep both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas on board for 2021.

"I assume that we will continue with Lewis and Valtteri," he is quoted by Sky Deutschland.

"I do not want to write Sebastian off, but we are very happy with our drivers," Wolff added.

He said Vettel will become a more serious option "if one of our drivers says he doesn't feel like continuing".

That is probably a reference to Wolff's negotiations with Hamilton. Reportedly, the six-time world champion is demanding $50 million per year - with Wolff only willing to offer half that amount for a new deal.

Vettel's candidature is therefore a convenient bargaining position for Wolff.

"I like Sebastian a lot," Wolff insisted. "He's my neighbour in Switzerland and one of the great drivers of F1.

"But at the moment our priorities lie with Lewis and Valtteri. We would very much like to extend their contracts."

(GMM)
The United Nations on Saturday said two civilians including a five-year-old child were killed and an aid helicopter damaged in a jihadist attack in restive northeast Nigeria.

Islamist fighters waging a decade-long insurgency in the region launched the attack in the town of Damasak on Thursday.

UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon said both the fatalities and several others who were injured in the attack were on the ground.

"A UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter was hit by bullets during the attack. No aid workers were on board at the time and crew members are all safe," Kallon said in a statement.

A UN communication seen by AFP said the aircraft was shot as it approached Damasak and the pilots managed to fly back to regional capital Maiduguri 150 kilometres (90 miles) away.

The memo said the UN was suspending rotational flights for one week "to engage with government partners and conduct new risk assessments".

Helicopters provide a vital link carrying humanitarian personnel and delivering aid to an estimated 7.8 million people in urgent need of assistance across northeast Nigeria.

The 10-year jihadist conflict has killed 36,000 people and forced some 2 million from their home in the region.

Key roads remain too dangerous to travel despite the Nigerian military repeatedly insisting it has largely defeated the insurgents.

The UN has complained of an uptick in attacks targeting aid workers in the northeast of the country.

The area around Damasak on the border with Niger is dominated by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which broke away from jihadist group Boko Haram in 2016.

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A record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21% in just five years, according to the UNs Global E-waste Monitor 2020.





The new report also predicts that global e-waste (discarded products with a battery or electrical plug) will reach 74 Mt by 2030almost a doubling of e-waste tonnage in just 16 years. This makes e-waste the worlds fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fueled mainly by higher consumption rates of electric and electronic equipment, short life-cycles, and few options for repair.

Only 17.4% of 2019s e-waste was collected and recycled. This means that gold, silver, copper, platinum, and other high-value, recoverable materials conservatively valued at US $57 billiona sum greater than the Gross Domestic Product of most countrieswere mostly dumped or burned rather than being collected for treatment and reuse.

According to the report, Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019some 24.9 Mt, followed by the Americas (13.1 Mt), Europe (12 Mt), Africa (2.9 Mt), and and Oceania (0.7 Mt).

For perspective, last years e-waste weighed substantially more than all the adults in Europe, or as much as 350 cruise ships the size of the Queen Mary 2, enough to form a line 125 km long.

E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and/or coordination system.

Other key findings from the Global E-waste Monitor 2020:

Proper e-waste management can help mitigate global warming. In 2019, an estimated 98 Mt of CO 2 -equivalents were released into the atmosphere from discarded refrigerators and air-conditioners, contributing roughly 0.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In per capita terms, last years discarded e-waste averaged 7.3 kg for every man, woman, and child on Earth.

Europe ranked first worldwide in terms of e-waste generation per capita, with 16.2 kg per capita. Oceania came second (16.1 kg), followed by the Americas (13.3 kg), while Asia and Africa were much lower (5.6 kg and 2.5 kg, respectively).

E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and/or coordination system. An estimated 50 tonnes of mercuryused in monitors, PCBs, and fluorescent and energy-saving light sourcesare contained in undocumented flows of e-waste annually.

E-waste in 2019 mainly comprised small equipment (17.4 Mt), large equipment (13.1 Mt), and temperature exchange equipment (10.8 Mt). Screens and monitors, lamps, and small IT and telecommunication equipment represented 6.7 Mt, 4.7 Mt, and 0.9 Mt, respectively.

Since 2014, the e-waste categories increasing fastest in terms of total weight were temperature exchange equipment (+7%), large equipment (+5%), and lamps and small equipment (+4%). According to the report, this trend is driven by the growing consumption of those products in lower income countries, where those products improve the living standards. Small IT and telecommunication equipment have been growing more slowly, and screens and monitors have shown a slight decrease (-1%), explained largely by lighter flat panel displays replacing heavy CRT monitors and screens.

Since 2014, the number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation, or regulation in place has increased from 61 to 78. While a positive trend, this is far from the target set by the International Telecommunication Union (which is to raise the percentage of countries with an e-waste legislation to 50%).

The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), formed by the United Nations University (UNU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), in close collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) also substantially contributed to this years Global E-waste Monitor.
In fact, according to research conducted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the trend is actually a persistent myth.

Fireworks are actually not anywhere high on the list of reported causes for lost pets, according to the research.

But its a myth we welcome because it gives us the opportunity to talk about how pets get lost every day, said Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of research and development at ASPCA.

What researchers think is driving the myth, Weiss said, is that shelters see an uptick in July potentially due to summer thunderstorms.

Survey findings by the ASPCA found that nearly one-in-five lost pets goes missing after being frightened by loud noises in general, which could include the sound of thunderstorms, fireworks or other noises  but this isnt specific to the Fourth of July.

However, some shelters like the Atlanta Humane Society do report an uptick of potential increase in injuries around this time of year, specifically when fireworks are used.

Pets that become frightened at the boom of fireworks, Dorsey said, have hurt themselves going through windows to escape to a safe place.
DONT MISS: American Experience: The Vote  Timed to the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, this two-part, four-hour documentary series tells the dramatic story of the epic  and surprisingly unfamiliar  crusade waged by American women for the right to vote.

Focusing primarily on the movements militant and momentous final decade, it charts the determined march to the ballot box, and illuminates the many social, political and cultural obstacles that stood in its path.

The Vote is narrated by Kate Burton and features the voices of Mae Whitman (Alice Paul), Audra McDonald (Ida B. Wells), Laura Linney (Carrie Chapman Catt) and Patricia Clarkson (Harriot Stanton Blatch) portraying some of the unsung warriors of the movement. (9 p.m. Monday, PBS).

Other bets

SUNDAY: Desus & Mero emerges from its hiatus with all-new episodes as the quick-witted pals return to deliver their takes on the days hot topics and chat up their celebrity guests. In a schedule change, the late-night show will now air on Sundays and Thursdays. (11 p.m., Showtime).
I didnt know her when she was in the Runaways. She was trying to reinvent herself as a solo artist. Shes rock. Shes punk rock. Shes kind of like an Elvis type of character. Black hair and a little heavy on the eyes back then. She wore leather. Just a cool chick. ... She made punk mainstream, just like the Ramones. They both kind of crossed over at the same time. And she was very, very easy. She did whatever I asked her to do. She always said, You sure you got it, Mark?

You just got to keep your eye on him. And make sure you get the shot. ... You only have 36 chances on the film roll. Thats why I had two or three cameras. Its that one epic moment where a half-second earlier and a half-second later, it wouldnt be that shot. These days, you can just grab it and spend two hours editing it, and youll find that shot. But back then you really had to wait and just go for it. The lighting was right. I even love that Brians in the background. You can see him. Hes soft. When I angle myself in the photo pit, I dont just angle myself so Im in front of the person. So I have a choice. Do I want to hide that light behind Angus? If I did, I would just go a foot to the left. But if I did that, I wouldnt see Brian back there.
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.
The act of protesting itself also can take a toll, said Dr. David Gutterman, clinical director of LeBauer Behavioral Medicine, part of the Cone Health Medical Group.

Its physically demanding, its not comfortable and in some cities they are also facing a lot of opposition, Gutterman said. Its not only physically taxing; it can be very emotionally taxing as well.

Thats something Morgan has seen during the nonviolent Greensboro protests hes organized. At the Battleground Avenue protest, where protesters blocked the street, Morgan said there were three incidents where white people were trying to run us over.

Still, Morgan, Gutterman and Harris all said they see positive things coming out the protests  especially people gathering from different backgrounds.

Whats been so encouraging, when you look into the crowds of people, you literally can see everybody, Harris said.

Gutterman said: At a time when peoples emotional reserves were at a pretty low level, after months of being quarantined and the fears and anxieties around the virus  (the protests have) created  what psychologists call a moral elevation.
OCRACOKE  A preservation group plans to add trails at Springers Point, a tract of land in Ocracoke where Blackbeard partied with other pirates on rum and roasted pig.

The 124-acre property lies along the Pamlico Sound on the highest part of the island, where gnarled live oaks more than 200 years old grow.

It was once slated for development, but instead is home to the oaks, the Georgia sun rose, a tiny, bright yellow flower rarely seen in these parts and a stand of tidal red cedar, one of only seven like it in the state.

It is an ecological as well as a cultural gem, said Lee Leidy, an attorney and northeast regional director for the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.

The group bought two acres in May along the waterfront between two larger sections, allowing for a new trail to less-accessible areas, including where the tidal red cedar grows.

It really had an impact on the rest of the preserve, Leidy said.

As it is now, one half-mile long trail begins off Loop Road, within sight of the Ocracoke Lighthouse and not far from the village. It winds through a thick canopy of trees and past the grave of Samuel Jones, a long-time owner of the tract.
At memorial, pastor says Darrin Patricks recovery process was flawed, talks grief

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As the South Carolina-based Seacoast Church remembered Pastor Darrin Patrick, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound earlier this month, at an online memorial service held Sunday morning, Pastor Greg Surratt shared biblical ways to grieve a friends death.

At the beginning of his message, the founding pastor recalled how he met Patrick, who founded The Journey in Missouri and later served as a teaching pastor at Seacoast and died at the age of 49 on May 7.

Surratt said he first met Patrick in New York City at a gathering of church planting organizations. He sat at the dinner table with Pastor Mark Driscoll, founder of Mars Hill Church, and Pastor Patrick. They both were young, great communicators, and had written books, he said. Surratt and Patrick exchanged numbers, and Patrick started seeing Surratt as his spiritual mentor.

Four years ago, Surratt said, he received a call from Patrick after the church asked him to resign.

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.

Surratt admitted that Patrick entered into a deeply flawed recovery process of which I was a part of.

"At times, honestly, I wanted to pull him out," he noted. "I felt like it was destructive at times. I would talk to Darrin about that but Darrin would say, 'I want to stick it out.' The landscape was littered at that point with leaders who fell and chose not to submit to a process of restoration. And he didn't want that. He felt like that maybe, somebody sometime can benefit from his story."

Patrick began sharing his testimony and eventually joined the staff at Seacoast. He and Surratt started The Pastors Collective to reach out to pastors, helping them have a safe place to process challenges they go through.

Earlier this month, Patrick was target shooting with a friend at the time of his death. Surratt said its still not known whether the gun going off was intentional or not. The circumstances are complicated, but theres an ongoing investigation. We may know soon, or we may never know. We're learning to trust God and we will be honest with you in the process but the bottom line is that our friend is gone and our hearts are broken, he said.

In his sermon, titled What to do when you lose a friend? Surratt shared that the first thing to acknowledge is that God weeps when you hurt.

He quoted John 11:35, which reads, Jesus wept, and refers to the death of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus.

We need to give time to ourselves to mourn, the pastor continued. We dont need to do anything but sit and mourn, he explained.

Surratt also said we need to learn to focus our anger in the right place.

There are five stages of grief, though not linear, he said. At first, theres denial and isolation, then comes anger, then bargaining and guilt, then sadness and depression and then acceptance.

But these normal responses are based on incorrect subconscious thoughts and feelings, he stressed. They are normal, but we cannot let those thoughts become hardened, he said.

Concluding his message, the pastor underlined, Remember that death is not the final word.

Pastor Patricks family also joined the service remotely.

The police investigation into the May 7 incident is ongoing and its unknown whether the self-inflicted gunshot wound was intentional or unintentional, a representative from the church earlier told The Christian Post. The church stated earlier that no foul play is suspected.

We are heartbroken beyond belief, terribly confused, and missing Darrin in ways that feel unbearable, Patricks wife, Amie, wrote on Instagram last week, adding that the congregations kind remembrances of him, photos, stories, and encouraging words are healing to our souls.

Amie said Patrick 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.

In 2016, the elders at The Journey said while Patricks sins did not involve adultery, he did violate the high standard for elders in marriage through inappropriate meetings, conversations, and phone calls with two women.

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.

The church has started an online fundraiser to support the Patrick family. As we process our grief and heartache, we want to provide a way for others to give assistance to the Patrick family, and show their deep love and appreciation for what Darrin meant to them, it says.
The petition also calls for replacing the road names with those of Black historical figures, providing the suggestions of Harriet Tubman Drive and Nat Turner Lane.

But some Facebook users seemed to be against the renewed push.

People need to grow up, one person wrote in a comment on the Port City Daily page. Changing everything is ridiculous.

Some residents dont support the figures behind the street names but want to avoid the hassle of updating their drivers license and other personal documents, Port City Daily reported.

The main response from locals who live in the neighborhood is: (Northerners) dont have to live here and they can move out if they dont like the street names, Amanda Boomershine told the news site. Not everyone feels that way; some say it is time for change.

The Pine Valley neighborhood surrounds a country club that opened in 1956, according to the Star News newspaper.

Mayor Bill Saffo said he doesnt have a formal petition about the street names and said residents would have to ask for a change in a public process. The process would involve new addresses, which hasnt sat well with everyone, according to the mayor.


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Maybe if you unsee it and unhear it, it will go away.

Maybe if you cross your fingers  and wish upon a star ... and close your eyes and click your heels three times, it will have been just a dream about something that never happened, in a place that never was.

Somewhere. Over the rainbow.

This, in a nutshell, seems to be President Trumps strategy for managing a pandemic: Ignore. Deny. Pretend. Look the other way.

So, when Gov. Roy Cooper balked at the presidents insistence that the Republican National Convention be held in a packed arena in downtown Charlotte, despite the risks it would present for attendees and anyone with whom they should come into contact, the president took his ball and stormed away. He will give his speech in Jacksonville, in his newly adopted home state of Florida.

The RNC still will hold convention business meetings in Charlotte because it is contractually bound. But most of the pomp and celebration  culminating in the presidents big acceptance speech as the GOP nominee  is scheduled to occur in Florida, where an adoring throng will cheer the Return of American Greatness. With no silly worries about this COVID-19 nonsense.
Ive written a monthly column for the News & Record since February 2012, but by the time you read these words (if you read these words), my wife and I will have moved to Charlotte. Ill no longer be a monthly N&R contributor, but hope to submit an occasional piece to be considered for publication. Its been a privilege and an honor to write for the newspaper and to work with Editorial Page Editor Allen Johnson.

Many thanks also to many of you whove given fair and constructive criticism and been so encouraging with your emails, letters, phone calls and in person kindness. Im grateful and I will miss you.

Ive spent much of my life studying an ancient holy book called the Bible. In the Bible we repeatedly encounter political leaders whose leadership is judged by how well they care for the people entrusted to their stewardship, especially the weakest people in society. Do the leaders merely say and do what is best for themselves and their cronies, or for the people as a whole? Meanwhile, faith leaders in the Bible are judged by how they respond to political leaders. If the political leaders are abusive and corrupt, do the faith leaders fawn over them, as the false prophets do? Or, in the name of God, do they call them to account, as the true prophets do?
RALEIGH  Conventional wisdom has it that progressives champion urbanity and conservatives disdain it. Theres some truth to that. Progressives are far more likely than conservatives to prefer walkable, high-density communities over automobile-dependent, detached-dwelling neighborhoods. Urban areas tend to vote heavily Democratic and rural areas Republican. Even in the more-competitive suburbs, those closest to downtowns tilt blue while outer-ring suburbs and exurbs are red.

But in day-to-day life, the polarities arent so stark. For example, plenty of both conservatives and progressives work in downtown offices, dine or go to shows downtown, and then spend most nights and weekends elsewhere. We may disagree about transportation or zoning policy, but few wish anything other than vitality and success for our major urban centers.

For these reasons and more, I confess to being dismayed at how much damage progressive politicians are blithely wreaking on their downtowns, in North Carolina and beyond.

COVID-19 was going to be a challenge for the neo-urbanist movement regardless of how policymakers responded. A viral disease that spreads primarily by lengthy interactions in confined spaces  people sharing buses, trains, offices or small apartments  was always going to hit downtowns particularly hard.
For four months, elected officials have known that nursing homes are a hotbed for COVID-19. And still today, North Carolina nursing homes and long-term care facilities face shortages of personal protective equipment for residents and staff.

With more than 50,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities already dead, Congress cannot allow this disgrace to continue.

It is past time for our elected officials in Washington to ensure regular testing and sufficient supplies of PPE for residents and staff; daily public reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths; and options for families to visit virtually with their loved ones.

No one should face this struggle, and no state can combat this virus alone. Families want elected leaders to take action now to protect residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Mark Hensley

Greensboro

The writer is associate state director for AARP, Triad Region.
I feel like my life has made me stronger and adapted me into being a better leader, she said. She is also an honor graduate.

Even the disappointment of having her senior year cut short because of the pandemic didnt faze her.

I knew it was going to come to an end, but not so soon, she said. I had to live with it, and there was no need in being upset. Im happy to start a new life.

Trinity helps her mother with the care of her brother and father, which, Tambra said, has made her a better Girl Scout and able to deal with emergencies.

Now a lifetime member, Trinity enjoyed all her years as a Girl Scout, from Daisy, to Brownie, Junior, Cadet, Senior and Ambassador. Although shes ready for a break now, she said being a Girl Scout leader in the future is a possibility.

I figured I liked it because of the cookies, plus all the activities, she said.

She used to go to summer camp with the Scouts until marching band demanded her summers, plus she works as a model with a company in Raleigh.

A cookie CEO
A demonstrator then said to Fogler, We will not shop here anymore.

Todd Jones, the chief executive officer at Publix, issued a statement amid the recent protests against police violence and racial injustice.

Like you, Im saddened and unsettled by any racial injustice or events that divide our country, Jones said in part. There are many emotions we are feeling  fear, anger, anxiety and impatience. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to listen with open hearts and to lead with empathy  toward each other, toward our customers and toward our communities.

At Publix, we reject racism and discrimination of any kind, Jones said.

After the protesters demonstrated for nearly 50 minutes inside the store, they left the supermarket. The demonstrators then walked about three miles on Miller Street, Stratford Road, Oakwood Drive and Cloverdale Avenue. Police officers blocked other streets and parking lots driveways to protect the protesters from the traffic.

About 40 protesters then drove to the citys western section and arrived about 9 p.m. in front of Joines home
We just acquired our first K-9 dog in the community, Rutherford said. And that was mostly done through ... donations through community partners and almost no funds from taxpayers at all.

According to Myers, the municipality has around 2,000 citizens, but only about 1,100 taxpayers, making budgeting a challenge. However, Rutherford has ably navigated the shortfalls with the hamlets board of aldermen.

Hes done very well in bringing to the board what he needs without over-exaggerating a budget requirement for equipment and people and training, Myers said.

Having worked alongside Rutherford since 1999, Captain Jason White succeeds Rutherford as the towns new chief.

And White said Rutherford made sure his officers were engaged in their work and ready to assume authority.

He allows us to put our mark on it to achieve his goals or his vision, White said. And I think thats the most important thing, allowing people to become managers and supervisors.

White said he will continue and expand upon Rutherfords community initiatives through the police department.
Passing of Pastor Darrin Patrick: Wife Amie, Pastor Josh Surratt share heartache of loss

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As the South Carolina-based, multi-site Seacoast Church is making plans to hold a memorial service for Pastor Darrin Patrick, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday, his wife, Amie Patrick, and the megachurchs Lead Pastor Josh Surratt shared how they're grieving the loss and how they are dealing with it.

We are heartbroken beyond belief, terribly confused, and missing Darrin in ways that feel unbearable, Amie wrote on Instagram, adding that the congregations kind remembrances of him, photos, stories, and encouraging words are healing to our souls.

Patrick, who founded The Journey megachurch in Missouri and served as a teaching pastor at Seacoast, died at the age of 49 on Thursday.

Darrin was target shooting with a friend at the time of his death. An official cause of death has not been released but it appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected, Seacoast Church shared in an update Friday evening after announcing his death earlier in the day.

The police investigation into the incident is ongoing and its unknown whether the self-inflicted gunshot wound was intentional or unintentional, a representative from the church told The Christian Post on Saturday.

Amie said Patrick 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.

Ahead of weekend church services, Pastor Josh Surratt, one of Seacoast Churchs teaching pastors who serves on the Executive Team as the Seacoast Lead Pastor, went live to share why the Saturday evening and Sunday services would not be live.

Surratt was wearing a T-shirt with the title of Patricks book, The Dudes Guide to Manhood written on it. It was gifted to him by Patrick.

Surratt said Amie is one of the strongest women hes known.

After Darrin died, he said, we all ... have been wrecked. Were all having our private moments  I've cried more in the last couple of days  than, I think, I ever have in my life.

Surratt said the church will continue with its Mothers Day observance this weekend, but there will be a tribute to Pastor Patrick at the end of the service.

He explained that the church had already planned to host a pre-prerecorded service prior to Patricks death, and his wife, Lisa, will preach the sermon. Actually her message is very much relevant to what we all are walking through, he said.

This is because many who join the online service do not know about Patricks story and would be seeking hope for their own lives. The church and Darrins family are not ready yet for a service dedicated to his passing, Surratt added.

Following the weekend's service message led by Lead Pastor Lisa Surratt, the church announced that a service celebrating Patrick's life and legacy will be held on May 16-17.

The church added: God allowed us to be a part of Darrins story in a time when he needed a church family. He was a gift to us and we are thankful for the time the Lord gave him to us. His influence and impact cannot be measured. The Patrick family will always be part of ours.

In a message to the church on Friday, Surratt wrote: On Thursday night we learned the tragic news that our friend, Pastor Darrin Patrick, went to his eternal home in heaven. We do not have the words to describe what our family has been processing  we know that will take some time. We all loved Darrin as an incredible teacher and pastor and for many of us on staff, Darrin was a close friend. This loss is a heavy one for Seacoast and we are going to feel it for a long time.

He continued: We are experiencing heartache beyond words. It is during these tragedies that we lean even more deeply into the hope that Jesus provides. 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.

The church has started an online fundraiser to support the Patrick family. As we process our grief and heartache, we want to provide a way for others to give assistance to the Patrick family, and show their deep love and appreciation for what Darrin meant to them, it says.
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
Charter schools like to straddle the line between public and private. When it comes to obtaining taxpayer dollars, they portray themselves as public schools. However, when it suits their purposes, such as when they want to avoid federal labor law or freedom of information requests, they contend they are private organizations beyond the reach of those laws that apply to public entities.

When it comes to pandemic aid, Connecticut charter schools have used their hazy public/private status to their advantage, obtaining millions in federal dollars as public schools and private small businesses.

With the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress provided federal aid to public schools, and specifically directed that charter schools receive aid as public schools. Connecticut public school districts and charter schools are receive comparable aid under the CARES Acts Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSERF). For example, New Haven will receive about $8 million, so a little more than $400 per student, and Amistad and Elm City charters, part of the Achievement First chain, will get similar per-pupil amounts. Bridgeport will receive about $9 million, or about $450 per student and Achievement First Bridgeport will be allocated a similar per-pupil amount. Hartford will get a little more than $10 million, or about $547 per student, and Achievement First Hartford will receive about the same per pupil. The per pupil amounts in Stamfords public schools and charter school are similar as well. Stamford will receive $2.74 million for its approximately 16,600 students and Stamford Charter School for Excellence will receive a little more than $100 per pupil for its approximately 395 students  about the same as Stamfords per-pupil allocation.

These charter schools, however, decided that when it comes to going after more federal dollars, it pays to be private entities as well. So each of these charters applied for and received significant forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans offered to small businesses in dire need as a result of the crisis.

Amistad Academy was approved for a loan of $2.7 million. So Amistad, a charter with a little more than 1,000 students, will receive a forgivable loan for more than the entire ESSERF allocation for Stamford Public Schools more than 16,000 students. Elm Citys loan is for $1.24 million; Achievement First Bridgeports loan totals $1.4 million, Achievement First Hartfords loan is for $2.36 million and Stamford Charter School for Excellences loan is for $520,648. All these loans are forgivable, thus unlikely to be repaid.

In total, these loans total more than $8.2 million, covering 4,544 students. To compare, New Havens $8.5 million in ESSERF aid has to spread over 20,6675 students.

It is unclear whether other Connecticut charters have also applied for these private business loans. Several charter schools have not posted updated board meeting minutes.

Are these charter schools really private small businesses in dire need? Last year, claiming charter schools were public schools, Dacia Toll, CEO of the Achievement First charter chain, complained that her schools were starving without more state funding. Looking at the most recent publicly available federal tax documents, Amistad has more than $30 million in net assets and reserves. Elm City, another Achievement First school, has more than $34 million in net assets and reserves, Achievement First Bridgeport has more than $6 million and Achievement First Hartford has almost $2 million. Stamford Charter School for Excellence has more than $2 million in net assets and reserves.

Meanwhile, public school districts across the state are facing massive funding cuts  some predicting cuts as high as 30 percent of their budgets. They also face steep increases in costs associated with reopening  from ensuring a clean and safe environment, to addressing the increased academic, social and health needs of their students. And now, with Gov. Ned. Lamonts order that public schools reopen fully, in person, in the fall  without any promises to increase state aid  public school districts are in an even more precarious financial position. Public school districts are funded by local, state and, to a small extent, federal dollars. They have no options to tap into money intended for private businesses. Because public schools are public.

When charter schools are allowed to act as both private businesses and public schools, taxpayers end up paying twice. In these dire financial times, there are surely better uses for public funds than to double pay to pad the reserve funds of well-resourced charter schools.

Wendy Lecker is a columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group and is senior attorney at the Education Law Center. This headline has been updated to reflect that this column represents her opinion.
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
Does your phone turn into a tablet?

Some say all phones kind of look alike these days. Their features might be different, but overall, were stuck with the glass slab design. The push towards maximizing the feature set has more or less lead to standardizing the smartphone design robbing us of the variety we enjoyed in the past.

But these phones, all of them, have one huge downside that no one talks about - they dont turn into tablets. I'm only half joking there - smartphones have now gotten to a place where their looks and general feature set are commoditized. Thats great if you enjoy slow iterative changes year to year, but can also be slightly boring.

Enter foldables. Because foldable handsets had been rumored to be just around the corner for many, many years I had practically given up on this ever actually becoming a thing, prior to that fateful February of 2019, when both Samsung and Huawei announced the first consumer-ready devices.

Huawei is now on its second-generation foldable with minor improvements compared to the first, and after using the Mate Xs for a few weeks I have to say - its incredibly hard to go back to any traditional smartphone. It feels like the Mate Xs is just straight up from another world - or from another more advanced time, if you will.

Of course its not the only foldable that turns into a tablet, the Galaxy Fold also does that, but, in my opinion, the Mate Xs has by far the better design. You can feel that a ton of small details have been carefully considered, whereas the Galaxy Fold seems like it was designed in a time when Samsung did not expect to have any real competition in this space and then was taken by surprise by Huaweis announcement of the Mate X.

The Mate Xs has no awkward side-notch when opened, and it doesnt need a laughably bezel-endowed small and cramped external screen, because the internal screen is also the external one. Thats a very smart design, which also means youll be taking selfies with the main camera array. The cameras fit very nicely the elongated slab of glass on top of the frame, this side of the phone makes it very easy to hold in one hand when in tablet mode, and the bottom fits the USB-C port for charging. The stereo speakers are as far away from each other as possible when the Mate Xs is opened up, and theyre top and bottom when you use it like a phone. See, its the little things - and they do add up.

The complaints about this device are obvious: people assume the Mate Xs is more fragile than the Galaxy Fold because of the exposed screen. However, while scratches might be an issue the fact that Mate Xs screen is plastic, not glass, means that even if you drop it, it won't shatter - you know, like every traditional flagship device out there. I will confess to not having tried intentionally dropping it just to see what would happen, but I also dont see that happening a lot.

When closed, its hefty but not unwieldy, and because of the 11mm thickness its actually one of the phones that are easiest to grip securely. The chunkiness was never an issue for me, but the weight is a lot for the size, when its closed. I wish it was lighter, then again that problem goes away when you open it up because now the same weight is spread out over far larger surface area.

The Mate Xs is definitely not all rainbows and sunshine. Aside from the weight (which isn't that bad), theres also the fact that the screen is mounted sideways (the bottom of the display panel is in the side that houses the power and volume buttons), which means scrolling when you use the phone with the earpiece up is quite janky, because of the way the panel refreshes. You do get used to this eventually, but it did take me over a week.

The issue is gone if, when opened up, you rotate it such that the side with the buttons is the bottom one, and in tablet mode the device works in all possible orientations so thats easy to achieve if you leave auto-rotation on. I usually turn that off the second I set up a new phone, but in this case I left it on and thankfully it wasnt too trigger happy when jumping from one orientation to the next.

The auto-brightness also needs constant tweaking, at least for my liking, which is weird because the P40 Pro I long-term reviewed here is one of a very small number of phones that required essentially no manual intervention when it comes to brightness. Then theres the fact that, if you hold the Mate Xs closed as a phone, because of where the software is programmed to make the phone screen end, you get a small curve on the left side, but no such thing on the right side, where the side bezel is actually quite prominent.

On the flip side, as a tablet there are no notches, no hole-punches, just uninterrupted 8-inch goodness, which is great. The crease is there in the middle and you can feel it, but its rarely actually visible. As for the feeling it part, you get used to it in a few days.

Youre not touching glass, though, at any point when using the Mate Xs, but if youve ever used a phone with a pre-installed plastic screen protector youll know exactly what it feels like. Its not in any way worse than that, and while bare naked glass just feels better to touch, it just doesnt fold. At least not yet.

Battery life on the Mate Xs has been surprisingly good, but then again all Huawei and Honor phones have this in common - numbers greater than what the capacity would suggest, compared to the Android competition. Im going to assume EMUI has something to do with that, as well as Huawei subsidiary HiSilicons Kirin 990 chipset, which has 5G on the chip and not in a separate modem like the Snapdragon 865.

And then theres the software. First off, as this is (inherently, because of its price) a niche device, it seems to get less update love from Huawei than classic-looking flagships like the P40 series. The Mate Xs is still running EMUI 10, although the P40 handsets launched with EMUI 10.1. The improvements are minor, but this just goes to show that the Mate Xs is more of a hobby product than a main money maker for the Chinese company, and that may be reflected in how fast (or rather, slow) it gets subsequent updates. I hope Im wrong about this one, because if youre a techie who spends over 2,000 euros on this, youre going to be quite disappointed if it is forgotten in the first wave of the Android 11 rollout.

Speaking of Android, the Mate Xs is devoid of any Google apps and services, which creates a ton of issues, most of which are fixable, but require some patience. Some apps will just not work at all because they depend on the missing Google Mobile Services, and for most apps youll need to do some hunting in at least two different app stores. The situation is detailed in full in this page of my P40 Pro long-term review, if youre interested.

In the meantime, Huawei has released a new app called Petal Search in its App Gallery, which you can use as a meta search engine for apps - it will point you to the specific app store you can grab an app from, or to the app makers website if you can download it straight from there. Its a kludge, this, but a very necessary one, given the political situation. If youve ever used Huaweis MoreApps for the same purpose, think of Petal Search as a more refined version of that - since it also handles updates, as in, you can see which of your installed apps have new versions available across different app stores and websites.

Clearly then, the Huawei Mate Xs is not perfect. But it is a showcase of where the future of smartphones is headed, and it also doesnt feel like a beta product at all. You are paying a lot of money for it, but the experience is very polished and it feels like Huawei gave some real thought to a lot of things here, including various ways of interacting with the device. Its a mature smartphone (if crippled somewhat by the lack of Google services, although this isnt Huaweis fault), its a joy to use in day to day life. Oh, and did I mention it also turns into a tablet.

The amazingness of that cant be overstated. Sure, you can buy another flagship smartphone plus an iPad Pro for around the same money, or even less. Ive heard that argument before, except it misses the point entirely, because then you end up carrying two different devices with you. And how often are you really going to do that? Yes, an iPad Mini is around the same size as the opened up Mate Xs, and yes, its cheap. But the convenience of having one product that is both a phone and a tablet is just impossible to replicate.

Ive been doing the mobile thing for a while now, and I was there when phone cameras were starting to first get adequate for casual shooting, and Ive heard a similar argument then. Something along the lines of but this cant match my DSLR for quality, why would I need a camera in a phone?. In response to that, the phrase the best camera is the one you have in your pocket was coined, and I think this can be easily repurposed as the best tablet is the one you have in your pocket, as your smartphone, or something similar.

Overall my time with the Mate Xs has proven that after years of incremental advances in the smartphone world, were now standing at the precipice of a huge shift in usability, triggered by the advent of foldable screens. These will only get better with time, as foldable smartphones will become more and more affordable for more and more people. Its a very exciting future that the Mate Xs has revealed for me, and I cant wait for the time when everyone can afford a foldable - be that of the phone turns into tablet variety like the Mate Xs or Galaxy Fold, or the phone becomes easily pocketable option pioneered by the Motorola Razr and the Galaxy Z Flip.

Im ready for even more craziness to come, as LG is now rumored to bring to market a rollable smartphone early next year. The flexible display panels will hopefully enable a lot of experimentation with form factors, which will be very interesting to see. Its not that we havent had any experimentation lately, we have - but it was still confined to the glass sandwich slab footprint. From now on, though, the sky seems to be the limit.
Week 27 in review: OnePlus Nord rumors, iPhone 12 won't have charger in the box

The OnePlus Nord was the talk of week 27. We saw a few teasers for it and we know it packs a triple camera on the rear as well as a dual camera on the front, that it's powered by the Snapdragon 765G and that it will cost under $500.

We already had a good idea that Apple is planning to ditch the earbuds from the iPhone 12 retail package, likely to boost AirPods sales. Well it seems Apple will also ditch the in-box charger from its future iPhones, with the pretext of a reduced environmental hit. Analysts believe the move aims to offset the added cost of 5G in the iPhone 12.

In more positive news the iPhone 12 series will be able to shoot 4K video at up to 240fps for some next-level slow-mo footage.

In Samsung rumors, we got our first look at the Galaxy Note20 Ultra in Mystic Bronze and also a side by side look at the cases for the Galaxy Note20+ and Note20 Ultra, driving home just how much bigger the Ultra model will be.

We also saw the 45mm Galaxy Watch3 from all angles, its new watch faces, period tracking in the calendar app and features like Spotify, ECG monitoring and new notification icons.

We'll close with the first rumors about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 875. It seems it will be mass produced by TSMC on a 5nm node, have the new Cortex-X1 prime core, support 100W fast charging and reportedly cost 40% more than the Snapdragon 865.

Those were the highlights of the week! See you next one.



OnePlus Nord will cost under $500, prototypes shown in new video The company released the first part of its short documentary series detailing the development of the upcoming model.





Redmi 8 is now getting Android 10 update It's still running MIUI 11, but with the most up to date base OS now.





Kuo: Apple will ship iPhone 12 without chargers, earphones Ming-Chi Kuo and analysts at Barclays both say so. Also, Kuo predicts a new iPad is coming this year, a new iPad mini next year.





Moto G 5G specs leak, Plus variant also coming We could see the new Moto G series members debut as early as next Tuesday.





Galaxy Note20+ and Note20 cases show their relative sizes The Note 20+ will come in Copper color with a matte finish, in addition to its several glossy finish colors.





The Snapdragon 875 will reportedly support 100W fast charging, cost dearly There are rumors of a significant price hike. The fast charging will be geared towards gaming phones, which typically have large batteries.





Poco M2 Pro arriving on July 7 with quad cameras It's rumored to be a rebadged version of the global Redmi Note 9 Pro.





iPhone 12 series will record 4K videos at up to 240 FPS It remains to be seen if all 12-series models will get this feature or if it's strictly for the Pro versions.


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A mid-level restaurant, like Chilis, Red Robin or Panera.

Light industry to keep jobs in the area.

More retail so we don't have to go to Tucson.

Better and more mass transit options.

All of the above.

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Miss. Christians reflect after state lifts alcohol ban

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Prohibition will officially come to an end in Mississippi next January thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Tate Reeves this week that has left some Christians mixed in their responses to the news.

Mississippi House Rep. Trey Lamar, a Republican, proposed the bill that essentially flips the current law created in 1972. The possession of alcohol will no longer be illegal by default in all counties across the state. But individual counties can vote to become dry counties once again.

From and after January 1, 2021, prohibition is renounced as to the possession of alcoholic beverages, Lamars bill reads. It shall thereafter be lawful to possess alcoholic beverages throughout the state. 

Until 2021, Mississippi is one of three states that remain entirely dry states by default, joining Tennessee and Kansas. Twenty-nine out of 82 counties in Mississippi are dry counties. However, many dry counties contain municipalities that allow alcohol sales.

For example, alcohol is illegal in Tate County. But in the county seat of Senatobia  Lamars home district  alcohol sales are permitted because of a municipal vote.

I think no matter what you do, someone will always find a loophole, Allen Lentz, a youth leader at LaBelle Haven Baptist Church in Olive Branch, told The Christian Post in an interview. Its not an issue for me, I guess, but when it gets in the hands of young people, it's a problem.

Lentz has lived in both wet and dry counties. He said the laws have not impacted his life much at all, but he has seen the destructive qualities of alcohol addiction among other Mississippians.

Ron Horner is a friend of Lentz and a deacon at Wyatte Baptist Church in Tate County, just outside of Senatobia city limits in northern Mississippi. Before Horner was devoted to the Christian faith, he was addicted to drugs and alcohol. He described it as bait from the devil.

Its so, so sad. When they allowed alcohol in Senatobia, they promised to bring in nice new restaurants and all these great things, Horner said. But instead, weve probably got the worst Applebees on the planet, and the only reason they stay open is the bar.

Horner became a heavy drinker when he followed his passion for professional wrestling. He would often travel with local wrestlers, party and drink at bars on a nightly basis.

An alcohol addiction soon played a part in Horners drug addiction, sex addiction and marital issues. Horner said that some Christians can be OK with alcohol, but he believes it is a terrible thing.

If I was to sit down at a restaurant and have beer with my meal, I mean, what would that do to my testimony? said Horner. I think people glorify drinking, especially in country music. I think if alcohol is involved, the likelihood of something bad becomes much, much greater.

Horner and Wyatte Baptist now host fundraisers featuring professional wrestling. Horner said he delivers the Gospel during wrestling events, so he can give wrestling back to God and not to himself.

The new bill still strictly prohibits the unlicensed sale, resale and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages. According to The Tax Foundation, Mississippi has the 12th highest beer excise tax in the country.




Haiti - Environment : Reopening of 15 of the 24 prohibited sand quarries





Friday July 3 at a press conference Abner Septembre the Minister of the Environment, accompanied by his Director General Astrel Joseph and that of the Bureau of Mines and Energy (BME) Claude Prepetit announced the reopening of 15 sand quarries on the 24 banned of operations in several regions of the country.



This decision follows a joint technical assessment mission from several quarries https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31041-haiti-notice-closings-of-the-sand-quarries-at-morne-a-cabris.html which made it possible to adopt drastic and reasonable provisions, said Minister September



Aware of the contribution of entrepreneurs and operators in reducing the unemployment rate in the country, Septembe said he was determined to correct the drifts due to the abusive exploitation of quarries endangering human lives, the ecosystem, public investments important in these areas, in particular electricity pylons, and road infrastructure.



Claude Prepetit explained that these reopenings will be reasoned, ordered and controlled stressing that out of the 24 quarries listed, only fifteen (15) were considered eligible for exploitation, subject to the adoption of certain corrections that will have to be made at the level of development of operating space and access routes. "The other 9 are permanently closed due to their poor location, close to electricity pylons and the national road."



"From now on, any operator at the quarry level must first apply for an operating permit from the BME as well as an environmental no objection certificate issued by the Ministry of the Environment. Entrepreneurs and truckers must also honor their tax fees to the Ministry of Finance and the DGI, in accordance with the finance law," concluded Prepetit.



Astrel Joseph insisted on the environmental aspect and clarified that the operating model recommended at each site is the tiered one, which minimizes the risk of collapses or landslides. In addition, before starting the exploitation of a quarry, it is up to the entrepreneur to first identify a degraded site in a well-defined area to support or directly carry out a reforestation activity. The latter will be supervised by the Ministry of the Environment for three months after obtaining the permit.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Sunrise Airways adds flights

The Haitian airline Sunrise Airways announced "To serve you better, we are adding even more flights between Port-au-Prince and Santo-Domingo, from July 6, 2020" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31123-haiti-flash-sunrise-airways-resumes-flights-between-haiti-and-the-dominican-republic.html

Online booking on www.sunriseairways.net



Insecurity : the Court of Appeal relocates

Due to the situation of insecurity, the Superior Council of the Judicial Power (CSPJ), informs the judicial actors and the litigants in particular and the general public, that the court of Appeal currently located at the Bicentenary is transferred to #6 of rue Casseus.



DR : 36 fighting cocks seized...

A truck traveling to Haiti via the Dajabon border post in the Dominican Republic was stopped. During the search of the truck, a stolen motorcycle and 36 fighting cocks were found and seized by the Dominican authorities. The roosters are said to belong to Franslin Francois, a Haitian trader. The Haitian driver and trader were arrested and taken into police custody.



USA : 244th anniversary of independence



Pradel Henriquez Minister for Culture :

"The United States celebrates July 4, 2020, the 244th anniversary of its Independence day. Its a time of great demonstrations everywhere in this country always very hospitable towards thousands of our Haitian compatriots. This year marked by a global health crisis, the American people, deeply bruised by this pandemic, celebrate their independence in a special way. On behalf of the Government and people of Haiti, I wish our friends in the United States of America a happy Independence Day celebration."



Chancellor Claude Joseph :

"On behalf of the government and people of Haiti, we wish all of our American friends a happy Independence Day," Chancellor Claude Joseph.



This day also reminds us that nearly 800 Haitian soldiers fought alongside the Americans to defend the independence of the United States, of which Christophe, Beauvais and Rigaud were particularly famous during the battle of Savannah in 1779.



Covid-19 : The Ministry of Health ready to help manufacturers of medicines

"The Ministry of Public Health is ready to support all manufacturers and distributors of drugs in the process of approving their products intended to prevent or cure Covid-19," declared Mrs. Jisette Letelier, Director of pharmacy at the Ministry, stressing that the Department wants to ensure before all drugs are effective and do not pose a danger to the population.



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Published on 2020/07/05 | Source

Trip.com, China's largest travel agency, is going to promote package tours to Korea again in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization.

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This is the first time a big Chinese travel agency has launched a massive promotion for Korea since China banned group tours to Korea in March 2017.

The KTO will sell discounted hotel room vouchers and tickets to tourist attractions through Ctrip, China's biggest online travel agency run by Trip.com, beginning Wednesday, a spokesman said.

The promotion will be announced at a live online event by Trip.com co-founder James Liang.

The vouchers give travelers 30-50 percent off at luxury hotels like Shilla and InterContinental and tickets to theme parks such as Everland and Nami Island.

But Chinese tourists will need to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival for now, and flights between the two countries have not returned to normal yet.

The promotion suggests that China's unofficial boycott of Korea over the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense spat is more or less over.

The news sent the stock prices of cosmetics giant Amore Pacific and Hotel Shilla soaring 9.5 percent and 7.6 percent on Tuesday.

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Published on 2020/07/05 | Source

Lotte Department Store has joined the red-hot competition for fast delivery of products. The chain launched a trial service in Seoul on Monday delivering products within three hours of purchase on its website.

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Customers who order before 4:30 p.m. can get them within three hours by motorcycle courier. Around 90,000 products on Lotte's website can be delivered that way.

Purchases over W100,000 are delivered free of charge, while cheaper ones cost W10,000 extra (US$1=W1,203).

Kim Myung-koo at Lotte said, "We plan to expand the service to Busan, Daegu and other major provincial cities next year".

Rival Hyundai Department Store plans to launch a similar service in August of this year focusing on food. If cooking ingredients are ordered before 11 p.m., they will be delivered to doorsteps before 7 a.m. the next morning, while food sold by restaurants in its malls will be delivered within an hour.

So far department stores have only delivered products after on-site purchases, often within an epic timeframe. But now, according to a staffer, "We felt the need to join the race after lockdown changed the landscape of private consumption".
Published on 2020/07/05 | Source

A train stands at Sanggye Station after colliding with another train in Seoul on June 11.

Subway drivers have been ordered by Seoul Metro to leave their smartphones in the office, sparking furious protests from drivers.

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Seoul Metro issued the order on June 14 to ensure the safety of passengers. Drivers were ordered to turn in their smartphones before boarding their train and collect them after work.

About 2,700 drivers are subject to the new policy. A spokesman said, "This is for the safety of subway trains that some 7.5 million Seoul citizens are using every day".

It was prompted by a crash that took place on June 11 when a train on Line No. 4 hit another that was standing by at Sanggye Station in Seoul's Nowon District.

The driver of the train is believed to have failed to look out because he was checking his phone.

But some drivers are complaining that the phone ban is a panic decision or even a violation of their human rights.

"This policy, which was hastily worked out after the accident, makes all train operators look like potential criminals", a union official complained. "It's too much to ban adults from using smartphones".

Seoul Metro worries that there is no other way to force drivers to turn their phones off or ignore them as there are no CCTV cameras in the train cabin. Railway safety laws band drivers from using their electronic gadgets while operating trains, but enforcement is difficult.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/07/04

The father of director Kim Lyang hails from the seaside town of Dancheon in the Hamgyeong province of North Korea. Back then, of course, it wasn't North Korea, it was just Korea. He ended up on the wrong side of the demilitarized zone through the time and tide of war. In "Forbidden Fatherland", we see Kim Lyang observing her father's meek depression. From staged flashbacks where Kim Lyang is portrayed as a child who resents her father, the documentary transitions to asking what made him this way.

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The subject matter of "Forbidden Fatherland" is extremely similar to "My Father's E-mails" from a few years back. Both documentaries go over a father figure isolated from his hometown, and the mental issues this evoked in his family life. Yet the tone between the two movies is markedly different. Where "My Father's E-mails" was more of a biographical film, going over the title's character life story, "Forbidden Fatherland" is much more fleeting when it comes to the subject of Kim Lyang's own vocational history.

That's because ultimately "Forbidden Fatherland" is less about Kim Lyang's father and more about the cultural milleu within which he's survived over the past several decades. Kim Lyang pieces together old footage of South Korean educational material, propaganda, and even cartoons, all dedicated to making North Koreans out to be these devilishly monstrous and evil figures. Kim Lyang's father was exposed to a lot of this, and it did a huge number on his self-esteem, to the point he became reluctant to talk about his hometown at all.

"Forbidden Fatherland" is the beneficiary of bizarre timing. While Kim Lyang got the funding necessary to finish the film in anticipation of normalizing relations between North Korea and South Korea, now that the documentary is finally complete, that project is once again on a downswing. It's discouraging and even a little enraging to get to the ending, with Kim Lyang's father tentatively expressing hope of maybe going on a roadtrip to North Korea before he died, knowing how the reunification project never even made it to that level of planning.

Yet it's hard to begrudge Kim Lyang's father any level of minor hope. As the historiography gets into the eighties, and we see a heretofore unfathomable level of warming relations between North and South Korea, we see how even that wasn't enough to fully smooth over the emotional scars Kim Lyang's father had already endured. He comes off throughout the whole documentary as a strange, sad little man, who really just wanted someone to commiserate with.

Him and the other North Korean refugees spotlighted here make for a very different portrait of the defector mindset than the one we're used to. They don't think much about politics, yet the entire trajectory of their lives was ineffably decided by larger forces quite beyond their control. While Kim Lyang's father was a tragic figure, the truly sad part about that is how his life didn't need to go that way, and neither did anyone else's.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Forbidden Fatherland" is directed by Kim Lyang, and features Jo Young-jin, Choi Joon-woo. Release date in Korea: 2020/06/18.
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I remember when I first heard about Boko Haram activities in Northern Nigeria and the havoc the group wreaked. In the beginning, it seemed like Boko Haram only operated in the North in states like Borno until suddenly there were attacks in the South, in states like Lagos, where my mom, dad, and brothers lived. The president at the time, Goodluck Jonathan, did not declare the attacks terroristic until 2013 after thousands had been brutally killed. In 2018, the Buhari administration claimed that it had won the war against Boko Haram, but to date, the militant group carries on with its attacks in Nigeria.

The Muslim Fulani militants bear a striking resemblance to Boko Haram, and their attacks are a vivid reminder of the struggles Nigeria has had in the past and is still having with Boko Haram. In the past two years alone, over 4,000 people have been killed in the so-called herder-farmer clash, while everyone focused only on Boko Haram attacks, the Muslim Fulani militia became stronger and powerful. The Nigerian government and media repeatedly try to downplay the situation by calling the butchering of hundreds of babies, young girls and boys, unarmed men and women, the burning down of homes, churches, livelihoods, infrastructure a mere clash between farmers and herders.

The number of people who died from the COVID-19 pandemic (about 400 now) in Nigeria is nothing compared to the hundreds that have been murdered and maimed by Muslim Fulani militants in Nigeria this year alone. The Christians in the North do not have the level of safety and peace of mind to worry about washing their hands and keeping safe from the virus because they could be physically attacked at any moment and lose their lives. And those who miraculously survive the Fulani-herdsmen attacks, have lost their home, families, and belongings. They have nowhere to go and no hope for the future. Many are displaced and in constant danger of attacks because of their vulnerability.

There is always more to the story. If we are to trace the roots of the problem, one source would be the lack of conflict resolution mechanisms to hold people accountable for their actions immediately and justly. Before terroristic groups can have a hold on a nation, there has to be a breakdown of the governing system to find what caused the uprising. A fly does not just appear in ones house, it uses the breaks of open doors, windows, broken screens to enter the home. The governments failure to investigate and prosecute enables the continued violence and banditry that overflows from the collapse of Nigerias security. While most times, it is clear from the victims testimonies that Fulani militants raided their community, there are times when bandits attack instead and use the unstable situation to create fear and loot homes for their benefit.

Attacks on communities that resulted in burnt homes destroyed churches and infrastructure and the murder of hundreds of people has forced more than two million people in Nigeria to flee their home, creating an enormous population of internally displaced people (IDP) and counting. IDP camps are now overwhelmed, unsanitary, and lack adequate resources and health services to meet the needs of the families it holds. The children at IDP camps are not able to go to school, and their parents are not able to provide for them because there are no employment opportunities. Without a way to provide for their family, parents, and children alike, many settle for illegal ways of putting food on the table, which would only exacerbate the security problem in Nigeria.

On June 12, 2020, President Buhari gave a speech about the status of affairs in Nigeria. He only spoke about insurgents in three northern states (Yobe, Borno, and Adamawa) without addressing the issues in the middle belt region of the country or the situation with IDPs. Because the government is not addressing these issues, NGOs have been some of the most prominent players in raising awareness and humanitarian efforts to help the communities affected by Fulani militants, Boko Haram, and bandits.

Bottom Line: These attacks have strong religious undertones and are terroristic. The government needs to do something about it before it is too late. Unless the Nigerian government wants what ISIL did to Iraq and Syria to be our reality, the government needs to investigate, prosecute perpetrators, and root out evil now.

The recommendations provided by the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief in its report can help solve some of the issues in Nigeria if they are adequately executed. We can also be part of the change by creating awareness to hold the Nigerian government accountable. We need to act, before it is too late.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/07/04

At the start of "Innocence" we're treated to a horrific scene wherein various members of a funeral banquet start vomiting rice wine, having clearly been poisoned. The apparently senile Hwa-ja (played by Bae Jong-ok) is the main obvious culprit, as the woman who prepared the food for the friends of her departed husband. So it is that Hwa-ja's daughter Jeong-in (played by Shin Hye-sun) returns to the outskirts of Daejeon, determined to prove that her mother is innocent.

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Why exactly Jeong-in believes her mother is innocent is...less than clear. While the movie's story sounds like that of an accomplished professional adult coming home to learn the true reasons behind her dysfunctional childhood, the family elements in "Innocence" are surprisingly underemphasized. At the same time, the family scenes are unfortunately by far the movie's most compelling. The flashback wherein it's explained how, exactly, Jeong-in's younger brother Jeong-soo (played by Hong Kyung) came to be mentally retarded is particularly dark and heavily laced with moral ambiguity.

In general, though, "Innocence" is a legal thriller where the fundamental aspects of the case just aren't that interesting. We get lots of endless relitigating of an old shady real estate deal. The deeper Jeong-in gets into the case, the less obvious it is how any of the new information actually relates to the mass poisoning. The villainous Mayor Choo (played by Heo Joon-ho) even calls Jeong-in out on this during the climax. Mayor Choo's corruption is ultimately weirdly besides the point. A scene wherein his goons physically menace Jeong-in and her brother serves little purpose save to establish that Mayor Choo is evil.

The one-dimensional portrayals get to be irritating if only because they start to feel so arbitrary. Corporal Choi (played by Han Yi-jin) and Constable Yang (played by Tae Hang-ho) both know Jeong-in from their school days. Both speak in outrageous dialect. But Corporal Choi is coded as a bad guy and Constable Yang as a good guy because...well I'm honestly not sure really. The movie just takes it for granted that Jeong-in should trust one and not the other.

Jeong-in herself suffers a lot as a character just because writer/director Park Sang-hyun-III simply assumes that we should be on her side. I felt like she was a bit condescending, personally, and her competence being established by her interviewing an expert witness in English didn't do a whole lot to impress me. I never disliked Jeong-in but it's telling how the only times I could really identify with the woman were when she expressed vulnerability and guilt over having abandoned her home so long ago, implicitly blaming herself for the nasty events that followed.

"Innocence" is a perfectly watchable legal thriller. It also has that nice ripped from the headlines quality going for it, as murder by dousing farming chemicals in rice wine has, indeed, happened in real life Korea. But the movie makes the mistake of consistently misidentifying its most compelling worldbuilding, instead becoming a fairly dull tale of political corruption, and consequently, a disappointment.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Innocence" is directed by Park Sang-hyun-III, and features Shin Hye-sun, Bae Jong-ok, Heo Joon-ho, Hong Kyung, Tae Hang-ho, Ko Chang-seok. Release date in Korea: 2020/06/10.
Published on 2020/07/05 | Source

Some 200 check-in counters at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 for 10 foreign carriers plus Korean Air are deserted as what is normally the peak summer season gets underway.

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Last year, 187,754 people came and went through the airport every day in May, according to Incheon International Airport Corporation. But the number fell 98 percent in May this year to just 4,449 people.

Flights to Las Vegas, Rome, Madrid and other top destinations have been halted since March. Before the coronavirus pandemic, around 77,000 people worked at the airport, including staff in restaurants, duty-free shops and banks. How are they faring now that business has ground to a halt?

One flight attendant who worked for a carrier for more than 15 years has been resting at home for the last three months after flying back from Atlanta, Georgia in early March. She was able to get some work recently flying from Gimpo to Jeju Island for a day and on another flight to Vietnam. But she only worked 50 hours this month, compared to 95 on average before the coronavirus epidemic.

After a flight to and from Los Angeles later this month, she has to rest for another three months. Her pay has declined significantly from about W6 million a month to W2.2 million (US$1=W1,200). She is able to make even that amount thanks to government subsidies supporting airline industry workers. The problem is that even those subsidies may be halted after October. "If the coronavirus situation does not improve, many flight attendants are afraid they will stop getting paid and even get laid off", she said.

Korean Air employs about 6,000 flight attendants. Between 12 to 15 make up a team on a big overseas flight, and there are 380 teams at the carrier. After the epidemic started, around 90 teams were placed on rotation every three months. Asiana Airlines, which employs around 2,700 flight attendants, is placing just 20 percent of them on planes since the number of flights has declined to just nine percent of previous levels.

The situation is even more serious at low-cost carriers. One 34-year-old flight attendant at a budget airline said, "I haven't flown since April and I haven't been paid since then.

Pilots are getting paid or not, depending on the type of aircraft they operate. One pilot who flies the jumbo Boeing 777 aircraft has not flown since March. Due to safety concerns, domestic carriers allow each pilot to operate only one kind of aircraft. Those who fly Airbus A380 or B777, which are usually deployed on long-haul flights, are suffering the most.

Korean Air owns 10 A380s and employs 200 pilots for them, and Asiana six and 130. Flights on large passenger planes like the B747-400 or B777-300 have dropped by half. But pilots flying the smaller A330 or B737 are faring better as the number of flying hours returned to 70 to 80 percent of previous levels because of a rise in domestic passengers.

More than half of the workers preparing inflight meals have been put on leave. Korean Air employs around 160 workers, and only 60 are working. The number of inflight meals served daily declined from 75,000 a day on average to just 3,400 this month. Asiana outsources its inflight meals, which declined from 34,000 to 1,300.

Duty-free shops were hit hard as well. One staffer at a cosmetics duty-free shop said, "Since April, we have seen zero sales every other day". Lotte used to generate W1 billion in daily revenues at Incheon, to cover the W20 billion in rent and wages for around 1,000 workers. But daily sales have plummeted to W30 million, resulting in snowballing losses.

One beverage stand at the airport said the daily number of customers fell from 600 to just 100.

But not everyone is in immediate trouble. The 11,300 regular staff at Incheon are on leave on full pay. One airline worker who is on unpaid leave said, "It feels like they're living in a different world".
Published on 2020/07/05 | Source

Gachon University President Lee Gil-ya (right) receives the Lions Humanitarian Award in Seoul on Monday. /Courtesy of Gachon University

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The president of Gachon University, Lee Gil-ya, on Monday received the Lions Humanitarian Award from Lions Club International, a social welfare organization with some 1.4 million members worldwide.

A ceremony was supposed to be held with 20,000 members in Singapore, but it was held in Seoul on a smaller scale due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Lee was recognized for her exemplary humanitarian efforts, including providing free medical services to the poor and the establishment of medical research institutes.

Lee said she will use the grant of US$250,000 to help children with heart-related diseases, and to provide medical treatment for premature infants of foreign workers in Korea.

Previous recipients include Mother Teresa and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Published on 2020/07/05 | Source

People hold umbrellas in Gwanghwamun, Seoul on June 24, as the rainy season starts. /Newsis

The population of the Seoul metropolitan region will likely outnumber the entire rest of the country's for the first time.

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According to Statistics Korea data published Monday, the number of people moving into the Seoul region has been increasing again since 2017 after a brief period of migration out of the city.

If this trend continues, the population in the Seoul area will reach 25.96 million this year, outnumbering the 25.82 million in the rest of the country.

By 2070, the population in the Seoul area is expected to reach 19.83 million compared to 17.99 in the rest of the country, Statistics Korea estimated.

The recent surge in the population of greater Seoul is attributed to difficulties in finding jobs in provincial regions.

Some 64,000 people moved into the Seoul region to find jobs last year, out of a total of 83,000, mostly younger people.

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Too many people across the country are left behind because they dont have reliabl




We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
Linda McKinnish Bridges: Why I oppose asphalt plant

The Reverend Harold L. McKinnish, my Dad, was the designer and stonemason for the entrance sign to the community of Highland Hills, off the Spartanburg Highway, on Oak Grove Road.

This community of more than 40 families is one of several communities in the East Flat Rock, Flat Rock and Green River area potentially impacted by the proposed rezoning and building of the Southeastern asphalt plant.

Bro. Harold, as he was called by many, went Home in 2013 and left a tremendous legacy in the lives of people and in the places he loved. Gifted to preach and sing, his calling was to speak holy words to help shape holy space into lives of the dear people of Henderson County. Almost as powerful as his words were his strong hands that created special monuments to the people and land in the Highland Hills neighborhood. Stone walls, stone driveway pillars, stone waterfalls  he created monuments to the beauty of the landscape of Reed Drive, Highland Hills, East Flat Rock.

My Dads family came to Howard Gap Road from McKinnish Cove in Leicester in 1920, where the McKinnishes have lived for five generations. Mom and Dad built their first and only home, in Highland Hills, where my mother, age 87, still lives. Prior to that, we lived in Baptist parsonages.

Harold was pastor of Tuxedo Baptist Church, just a short drive away down Highway 25. Lois would later become founding librarian at Blue Ridge Community College. The Highland Hill location was perfect for travel in both directions.

Right there on top of the continental divide, with the help of Ted Reed, builder, educator, preacher and friend, they built a home, raised their children, filled the yard with azaleas and mountain rhododendron, and loved their neighbors. Watching the sun rise from this ridge are still ritual moments for our family and for the entire neighborhood.

Bonds of friendship grew deep. R.L. and Sara Levi, now Home too, were dear friends who helped build the neighborhood sign. Alda and Bob, Ralph and Gail, Mac and Judy, Gladys and Bruce, just to name a few, shared lifes sorrows and joys as they shared the same street address for over 50 years.

Some of these families have remained in Highland Hills to age in place because the quality of life is so good and bonds of the neighborhood so strong. The Highland Hills Walkers, several young 70-80-year-olds  Grace, Gladys, Lois, Judy, Genevieve  have walked around the neighborhood at least twice every day for years. Every Thursday morning, a group of neighbors walks down to Orrs Restaurant, a crowd sometimes needing more than four tables for breakfast, celebrating birthdays and family milestones together.

This community is now facing a tremendous challengea challenge to their quality of life and perhaps a challenge to their very existence. SE Asphalt Company, Mr. Jeff Shipman, wants to purchase 13 acres on the property next to Highland Hills community for the purpose of building a plant to produce asphalt. The Henderson County Commissioners must approve the rezoning of this property from residential/commercial to industrial in order for this plant to be built. Asphalt production plants do not belong in residential areas.

My dear friends, this simply cannot happen. While we believe in the free market and the opportunity for strong business to grow thriving communities and nations, the desire to maximize profit cannot and must not override the needs of our mountain people and our mountain land.

In less than one week after learning about this proposal, over 1,000 citizens of East Flat Rock, led by Michelle Tennant Nicholson, have gathered on social media, socially distancing in the roads, and in neighbors yards to say NO, this cannot happen. Signs have been posted. A protest walk through the neighborhood is being planned.

This rezoning will be detrimental to the community for the following reasons:

 Quality of air. The production of asphalt releases toxins in the air that cause cancer, respiratory problems and other major illness. Many of the residents are over 80 years of age. Fugitive emissions are released into the air as the asphalt is moved around in trucks, conveyor belts, and stored in stockpiles. Stagnant air and weather patterns of this mountain ridge increase the harmful exposure.

 Quality of water. The safety of the water is a tremendous risk with the daily cleaning of truck beds. To place the water table at risk for both drinking and recreational use is a huge price for the citizens of both East Flat Rock and Green River to pay. Green River Gamelands and the tributaries to the mighty Green River will be greatly impacted.

 SoundAsphalt production produces large sounds; asphalt trucks coming and going produce huge sounds. The tranquility of this neighborhood would be lost to both humans and animals.

 Traffic. The owner plans to produce 200 tons of asphalt per hour, as stated by Mr. Warren Sugg, proxy for Mr. Shipman, at the citizens meeting on June 8. That would require approximately 185 loads/trips in dump trucks to move that much asphalt per day, calculated Terri Reed, whose great-grandfather owned the property as a large farm, and whose father, Ted, developed the homes and roads in the late 1960s. Imagine the traffic flow; imagine the damage to existing roads; imagine the potential traffic accidents; imagine the deaths on the Spartanburg Highway.

No advantages to the proposal can been seenno, not one. Not even possible employment opportunities for the community. Shipman projects that only 6-7 new employees will be hired (although only three parking spaces are stated in the design plan). He refuses to give a projected salary range and makes no pledge to hire from within the community.

Furthermore, Shipman refused to speak directly to his potential neighbors during the four-hour neighborhood compatibility meeting via Zoom on June 8. He used his proxy, Sugg. While we understand that arrangement is not uncommon, a common courtesy would have been to at least introduce himself, his company, and his vision to the community residents before his proxy responded to the questions from his potential neighbors.

And I and a host of others are hoping to keep the air as clean as we can and the water safe to drink for Mom and her elderly neighbors to continue to age in place on the beautiful ridge.

* * * * *



Linda McKinnish Bridges traces her Henderson County roots on the maternal side to the Revolutionary War, through the Griffin and Jones families to John Peter Corn. Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Salem College in Winston-Salem, she was previously president of Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
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This is the biggest logistical challenge the world has ever faced. This is how Toby Peters, an engineering and technology expert at Britains Birmingham University, describes the task of manufacturing and delivering a vaccine for COVID-19 to the world. The Reuters article calls this the biggest medical manufacturing challenge in history.

Our focus since the start of the pandemic has understandably been on a vaccine to stop the disease. Researchers are developing more than 140 vaccines against coronavirus. Vaccines typically require years of research and testing before reaching the clinical stage, but scientists are working to produce an effective and safe vaccine by next year.

Of the vaccines currently under development, only three are in Phase III (large-scale efficacy tests), the last stage before being approved for use. Trial results will indicate whether regulators approve a candidate for public use.

Now we know that making and distributing a vaccine, should one be produced, is a daunting task as well.

In the meantime, the CDC says COVID-19 cases in the US could be ten times higher than reported. In other words, the true number of infected Americans may top twenty million. The Texas governor said this week that his state is facing a massive outbreak of the virus. State health departments reported more than 37,000 new cases yesterday, setting a one-day record.

This local story especially touched me: Betty and Curtis Tarpley of Fort Worth, Texas, were married for fifty-three years. Both contracted the virus. Nurses wheeled Betty into Curtiss ICU room so they could be together. They died this week within an hour of each other.

The glue that holds our potentially unstable society together

We have been focusing on the theme of encouragement in discouraging times. As we face an escalating pandemic, ongoing recession, and divisive debates over policing, statues, and autonomous zones, Christians can find ways to rejoice in hope (Romans 12:12) and then share their hope with a hopeless world.

Today, lets close by claiming the hope we find in Gods presence, whatever our circumstances might be.

In Civilization: The West and the Rest, historian Niall Ferguson identifies six factors that contributed to the growth and success of Western civilization:

Decentralized competition that created a launch-pad for nation-states and capitalism

A commitment to science, especially in military applications

Property rights and the resulting rule of law and representative government

Advances in medicine and thus life expectancy

A consumer society that drove the Industrial Revolution

A work ethic and moral framework derived from (among other sources) Protestant Christianity, which provides the glue for the dynamic and potentially unstable society created by the first five factors.

When we remove this moral glue from the culture, we should not be surprised when the culture comes unglued.

My King and my God

Conversely, when we live all of life under the sovereignty of our King, we find that his word, wisdom, and provision give us contagious hope in the most hopeless of times.

When Paul and Silas sang hymns to God at midnight in a Philippian jail, the prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:25). When a group of Moravian Christians continued to sing and worship God in a fearful storm, John Wesley was deeply impressed and eventually made their faith his own.

In the midst of his groaning and cry, David turned to my King and my God (Psalm 5:12). Note the order. A deity can be our god without being our king and master, as many religions across history can attest. But if a deity is our King, he must also be our God.

I can have a transactional relationship with a god, as the Romans did with their pantheon of deities. We can separate such religion from the real world, Sunday from Monday. But I must have an unconditional relationship with a true King. All that is mine is his. All that I am is under his sovereign authority.

Would God say he is your King today?

God sends angels when we are doing the dishes

James Koester of the Society of St. John the Evangelist writes: We often discount the ordinary in our lives, forgetting that God is as likely to send angels when we are doing the dishes, working at some task, or having coffee with a friend, as when we are engaged in some grand and mighty scheme. The challenge is for us to pay attention.

If we trust that God is King over and in every circumstance we face, the worst that can happen leads to the best that can happen. Dying from COVID-19 or anything else leads to life, eternal and glorious.

And we find hope in Jesus that will draw others to our Lord.

Max Lucado writes: In May of 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, lost their five-year-old daughter in an automobile accident. They were deluged by messages of kindness. One in particular gave Steven strength. It was from a pastor friend whod lost his son in an auto accident. Remember, your future with your daughter will be greater than your past with her.'

Max adds: Our final home will hear no goodbyes. Gone forever. Let the promise change you. From sagging to seeking, from mournful to hopeful! From dwellers in the land of goodbyes to a heaven of hellos!

This is the hope we find when we make God our King. Ill ask once more: Would God say he is your King today?

Originally posted at denisonforum.org
Huntington, WV (25701)

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Christian father, son die after alleged police torture in India; 5 officers arrested

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Five police officers in India have been arrested in connection with the killing of a father and son who were allegedly brutalized after their arrest last month for keeping their store open past permitted hours during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to reports, P. Jeyarj and his son, Bennicks (Fenix), were arrested on June 19 in Tamil Nadu state in southern India and kept overnight in police custody. The father, believed to be in his 50s, and son, believed to be in his 30s, died two days after being released within hours of each other.

I condemn the brutal killings of Mr. Jeyaraj and his son, Fenix in Sathankulam, Tuticorin. Let us raise our voice and demand justice. pic.twitter.com/gFdDiy2Pea  Felix Raj (@FelixRa77947814) June 29, 2020

The father and son were jailed at the Sathankulam police station in Tuticorin and family members say their loved ones were tortured.

The death of the Jeyarj and his son has fueled protests and demonstrations against police brutality in India, which have occurred since the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

An investigation was launched by a local court. The Madras High Court, the highest court in the state, ruled there was enough evidence to charge the officers with murder.

The court found there were serious injuries listed in the two men's autopsy reports.

CNN reports that court documents show that the son was admitted to the hospital just before 8 p.m. on June 22 and died less than two hours after being admitted. About an hour after the son passed, the father was admitted to the hospital and died the next morning.

The court reprimanded the officers after a local magistrate said they were uncooperative and tried to tamper with evidence.

According to Hindustan Times, Kovilpatti judicial magistrate M. S. Barathidasan issued a four-page report to the Madras High Court that cited testimony indicative of torture and an attempted cover-up.

The magistrate cited testimony from an anonymous constable who said the father and son were beaten throughout the night.

The magistrate reported that security camera footage from the night in question had been erased and that officers refused to hand over batons that were alleged to have been used to beat the men.

In fact, [the police] were emboldened enough to even intimidate the judicial officer to put spokes in the wheel of his enquiry, the court argued, according to The Hindustan Times.

Court documents show that the state government transferred the case to federal authorities.

BBC reports that the police station in question has been implicated in several other instances of custodial torture and at least two allegations of custodial deaths. The court admits that it has received multiple complaints about the police station.

The death of the father and son drew scrutiny from Christian organizations as people nationwide have protested against Indias problems with police brutality in recent weeks.

"It is only when the community has confidence in the integrity and capacity of the law enforcement that the community is governed by the rule of law," R. Joseph Kennedy, the general secretary of the All India Christian Forum, said in a statement.

The All India Catholic Union, the largest body of Catholic laypeople in India, released a statement on Monday stating that police brutalization has shocked the country, according to Vatican News.

AICU warns that there are police atrocities in other states which have gone unchecked under the cover of the COVID curfew.

Father Mariadas Lipton of the Diocese of Tuticorin, told Catholic news outlet Asia News that everybody  no matter their religion or caste  should be outraged by the deaths of the father and son.

Jignesh Mevani, a deputy from the legislative assembly in Gujarat, called on people to protest against the killing of the "many George Floyd of India.

Such violence from those who should defend citizens is unacceptable, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the president of the Indian Bishops' Conference, told Asia News. Justice must run its course and punish the guilty.
Greenville, TX (75401)

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Franklin Graham lauds election of theologian Lazarus Chakwera as president of Malawi

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Evangelist Franklin Graham has lauded the election of former pastor and Assemblies of God President Lazarus Chakwera as the new president of the Subsaharan African nation of Malawi.

Writing on Facebook Sunday, Graham congratulated the new president, saying that he did a great job chairing a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association outreach in 2010 called My Hope Malawi.

"President Chakwera said, 'My victory is a win for democracy and justice.' Will you join me in praying that God will bless, direct, and protect this man as he leads his country?" Graham asked.

The 65-year-old Malawian entered politics in 2013 without any previous experience and was the leader of the Malawi Congress Party, according to the BBC. His career in public service follows 24 years of leading the Assemblies of God denomination in the landlocked country in southeastern Africa. The Assemblies of God is one of the largest religious groups in that nation.

Chakwera won the presidential race, defeating incumbent President Peter Mutharika with 58.57% of the vote. He previously ran for president in 2014 and came in second.



From 1983 to 2000, Chakwera was an instructor at the Assemblies of God School of Theology. He became the school's principal in 1996.

According to Premier Christian News, Chakwera was named Lazarus after his two older brothers died while they were infants. Convinced he would live, Chakwera's father named him after the biblical character whom Jesus raised from the dead.

When he won the election on June 27 he tweeted: "Thank you, my Lord Jesus."

After being sworn in on Sunday, Chakwera promised to unite the African nation of approximately 18 million people and address government corruption.

"There's no cause for fear because I will be your president and my policy for inclusivity means we are building a new Malawi for all of us. I'm not a president of a faction, I'm a president of everyone in the country. I want to provide leadership that makes everybody prosper, that deals decisively with corruption and theft of public funds and a leadership that will follow the rule of law," Chakwera said in an interview with the BBC.

The new Malawian president added: "I do feel like Lazarus, I've come back from the dead, it's been a long journey and we feel vindicated in a way."



Malawi is sandwiched between Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia and was formerly known as Nyasaland, a British protectorate, and was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953-1963. Upon its dissolution, Nyasaland gained its independence from the British and was subsequently renamed Malawi.
One year ago, Bobby Allen returned home from his job at a Wise County, Virginia, coal mine with bad news: His employer, Blackjewel, had declared bankruptcy, and the miners didnt know if they still had jobs.

As the countrys sixth-largest coal producer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2019, most of the companys 1,700 employees were told not to return to work until further notice.

Then a precarious situation turned catastrophic when Blackjewels checks to employees from the end of June bounced. Some families saw the bad checks clawed back from bank accounts and many fell behind on bills.

Allen, 45, was one of about 480 people Blackjewel employed at sites across Southwest Virginia. He worked at the companys Osaka mine, near the town of Appalachia.

He and his fiance, Leanna Parsons, lived in Pennington Gap with two young children and a baby on the way.

As weeks went on, it just started turning into months, and we both looked at each other around August, and we were like, Something is going to have to give, Parsons, 33, said last month.

Allen knew someone who found a coal job in Alabama, and he moved to join the coal industry there in early September. The rest of the family followed him the next month.

A year later, the family is settled into their home in Tuscaloosa County. Allen has a steady coal job, the couple welcomed a baby boy into the family earlier this year and the family has access to resources in the community for their 3-year-old-son, who has autism, Parsons said.

As far as the year, looking back where we are now, were very blessed, she said.

Still, many of Blackjewels laid-off workers endured a variety of personal hardships and some decided to leave the coal industry, which is already under pressure from challenging market conditions.

Timeline  July 1, 2019: Blackjewel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; employees told not to return until further notice  July 29, 2019: Laid-off Blackjewel employees blocked train in Harlan County, Kentucky, to protest unpaid wages  August 2019: Blackjewel auctions off assets in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming  September 2019: Blockade of railroad tracks in Harlan County ends, but workers continue to seek pay  October 2019: Checks issued to former Blackjewel employees after company reached an agreement with federal officials  March 2020: Settlement for workers announced, but remains under seal  May 2020: Court approves a deadline of July 27 for Blackjewel to file a plan of reorganization

In the months after Blackjewels bankruptcy filing, workers in Virginia shared stories of struggling to pay for basics like diapers and utilities, selling prized possessions and navigating the unemployment system. Some transitioned to new trades or found jobs in fields like welding and plastics manufacturing.

After failing to pay its employees for work completed in the final weeks of June, Blackjewel finally issued paychecks last fall as part of an agreement with federal officials.

In the past year of proceedings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, most of the companys assets  in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming  have been auctioned off to new owners. Knoxville, Tennessee-based Kopper Glo Mining and Lexington, Kentucky-based Rhino Energy are two of the main buyers of Blackjewels Virginia assets.

But as the bankruptcy case proceeds, there are still some unresolved issues relevant to Southwest Virginia.

Compensating former employees

During the bankruptcy proceedings, Blackjewel faced a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, a federal law that requires employers to provide a 60-day notice before a mass layoff.

A settlement was reached earlier this year, according to Ned Pillersdorf, a Kentucky attorney who represents the companys former workers, including those in Virginia.

But that settlement remains under seal and its unclear what workers may ultimately receive.

Citing the ongoing proceedings, Pillersdorf said in a recent interview that its going to be a while until this [the settlement] is finally consummated.

In general, he said wage earners do not fare well in bankruptcy proceedings because their claims often carry less priority than other creditors.

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I have told my clients from day one  bankruptcy court is like a funeral home, nobody leaves happy, he said.

Still, Pillersdorf is cautiously optimistic miners will do well in court, which is the exception to the rule, he said. He recalled the miners who blocked Blackjewel coal from being moved along train tracks in Harlan County, Kentucky, last year in protest of not receiving their owed pay. This activism, he said, was a factor that prompted the U.S. Department of Labor to become involved with helping workers get their paychecks.

Questions about permit transfers and environmental violations

Environmental and community groups in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia have documented a number of issues when it comes to Blackjewels transfer of mining permits to new owners. The bankrupt company has also incurred a number of environmental violations, according to a 15-page letter the Appalachian Citizens Law Center submitted to the bankruptcy court on June 17.

Of the 71 permits Blackjewel held in Virginia, only 34 permits had been transferred, according to the letter, which relied on state data. The process had started for eight permits and no transfer applications had been submitted for 29 permits.

Theres some confusion described in court filings about who owns about 20 of the Virginia permits, with a company called Eagle Specialty Materials saying the permits belong to Rhino Energy, which, in turn, has claimed that it does not control these permits.

The letter also said that the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy recorded 25 notices of violations for Blackjewel permits since December. All of these occurred on sites that either remain in estate  meaning they have not been sold to a new owner  or were in the group of permits whose ownership is under dispute.

The most frequently cited problems included 13 violations of failures to submit water monitoring reports and five notices for effluent limit violations.

A central concept of U.S. mining regulation is that the company that controls a permit is responsible for the sites environmental cleanup and that a permit holder posts reclamation bond to ensure that the cleanup occurs.

On paper, Blackjewel is supposed to be accountable for the permits it still hasnt transferred, but the lengthy bankruptcy proceedings and incomplete permit transfers pose challenges for ensuring reclamation work is actually completed.

The biggest issue here is that this has taken so long that these permits are just sitting there with no one being responsible for them, said Erin Savage of Appalachian Voices, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that has closely monitored the Blackjewel bankruptcy and provided analysis for the ACLCs letter.

Savage works as the Central Appalachian senior program manager at Appalachian Voices.

Just because theyre not producing coal doesnt mean that the situation on the ground isnt dynamic, isnt changing, she said about Blackjewels sites. These permits clearly need active management, and, ideally, active reclamation that theyre just not getting right now and they basically havent been getting for a year.

Attorneys for Blackjewel didnt return a request for comment about the issues raised in the letter environmental groups submitted to the court last month.

An industry under pressure

Blackjewel was one of several U.S. coal companies to file for bankruptcy last year, and it is only one chapter of coals decline in Virginia.

Virginia mines produced more than 45.9 million tons of coal in 1990, and by 2019, that annual figure fell to 12.4 million, according to federal data. As production fell, so did employment in the states mines, from about 10,662 workers to 2,576 over the same 30-year period.

For those who stayed in the industry after Blackjewels demise, coal continues to provide higher earnings relative to other jobs in the region.

In this area right here, if you want to make decent money, thats what you have  the coal mines, said Ronnie Lester, a 43-year-old who was laid off from a Blackjewel plant in Honaker last year and now works at a coal operation near Caretta, West Virginia.

Lester, who lives in Grundy and also previously worked at Blackjewels affiliate, Revelation Energy, said he experienced a three- to four-month layoff with that company as well.

Recalling the stress hes experienced with mining layoffs, Lester admits his faith in the industry has been tested. He said he hopes the region will continue to create new job opportunities like developing factories on former mine sites and building up the tourism economy.

For their part, economic development leaders across the region have been working to attract and grow sectors like manufacturing, information technology, tourism and renewable energy. The federal governments Abandoned Mine Land Pilot Program, for example, has awarded millions of dollars in grants to community and economic development projects in Southwest Virginia.

But as the COVID-19 crisis threatens to accelerate coals challenges, people whove experienced the ups and downs of the industry say creating new economic opportunities may be more important than ever.

We have the same exact sceneries around here as youd find in Pigeon Forge, Lester said about the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Why cant we have that here?

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I think a lot of white people need to do anti-racism work right now, said Bush, who, along with her husband, is white. We need to have dialogue in towns as small as Blountville.

The messages provoked negative reactions from some community members.

Two men drove past them a couple times, yelling expletives, she said.

At one point, a police officer told her she could not be in the middle of the street. You cannot be out here blocking traffic, the officer says in a video that Bush shared with the Bristol Herald Courier.

A volunteer firefighter also arrived in a Sullivan County fire rescue vehicle before the parade and proceeded to wash some of the chalk messages off the street. Video from Bush shows her lying down on top of one of the chalkings while the man sprays it away.

In another video, Bush says she was just trying to peacefully protest, and the man says he was asked to remove the messages.

Chief Lance Bellamy with the Sullivan County Volunteer Fire Department said in a phone interview Saturday that he first learned of the incident when contacted by the newspaper, and he did not believe the person who washed the messages intended to interfere with free speech.
People in the largely informal gathering downtown shared a variety of reasons for coming  some said they were there to simply celebrate the Fourth of July and picnic, while others talked about supporting law enforcement, standing up for Confederate history and counterprotesting the Black Lives Matter rally later in the day.

Early Friday afternoon, Afnan Beauti, a 23-year-old Emory & Henry College student and Marion resident, was one of the few people downtown with a Black Lives Matter sign. She said some people had flipped her off with middle fingers driving by, but others had stopped and talked with her.

Ive always been for the movement that advocates for the oppressed, which is Black lives, minorities, people who have been discriminated against and underprivileged for so long in this country. So Ive always stood for that, and being a future health care provider, thats something that I have to do, she said.

Later in the afternoon, dozens started to meet at a downtown farmers market for the Black Lives Matter rally, which was also held in solidarity with the LGBTQ community.

Brown and other organizers with the New Panthers Initiative  a recently formed racial justice organization that has also been active in Johnson City, Tennessee  addressed the diverse crowd.
Hagerstown, MD (21740)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies and light rain after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies and light rain after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Matthew Umstead

mumstead@herald-mail.com

MARTINSBURG, W.Va.  The Peking restaurant building in Martinsburg has been sold to the owners of the longtime downtown business.

The property at 139 S. Queen St. was sold by owner Mary Lewis to brothers Daowen Lin and Daowu Lin for $292,500, according to a deed filed Wednesday with the Berkeley County Clerk's office.

The sale comes about two years after the Lin family took over the Chinese restaurant business in 2018.

Lewis and her husband, the late Martinsburg City Councilman Roger Lewis, purchased the property near the intersection of Queen and King streets in September 2001.

The Lewises renovated street-level space in the building with the intent of keeping Peking downtown, where it has operated since the 1970s.

Lewis said Wednesday that she and her late husband had always hoped that the restaurateurs would ultimately buy the property.

"Roger and I always promoted owner-occupied properties as does our city and Main Street (Martinsburg)," Lewis said.

"The Peking has a history of bringing family and friends together," she said. "I am thrilled and look forward to the Lin family serving downtown Martinsburg for another 48 years."

Originally known as Gateway Peking Restaurant, the business was started by Mike Chan and a couple of friends at 100 W. Martin St., in what then was known as the Gateway Inn. The hotel building's original Shenandoah name has since been restored.

The restaurant, now known as New Peking Restaurant, moved to its present location in 2002 and Kin Sang Wong took over the business from Chan.

Wong retired in 2018 and turned the business over Daowen Lin and his brother.When the Peking first opened, the business was the only Chinese restaurant in the Martinsburg area, Wong said in 2018.

The Peking's move to the South Queen Street property came about after the Shenandoah hotel building's sale to a new owner, according to Lewis.

The former lodging rooms of the hotel now are being converted into apartments as part of a mixed-use redevelopment and renovation project.

The sale of the Peking restaurant property comes about a week after The Peppermill restaurant property at 200 W. Burke St. in downtown was sold to the owners of a chain of Thai restaurants in Virginia for $315,000.

The new owners of the West Burke Street property confirmed plans on Monday to open a Thai restaurant there in the coming months.
2019 Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) annual awards conference was held in Christchurch.

These were the New Zealand 2019 ARPA Gold awards and one young writer Bronze.

CATEGORY 4 Best News Story - GOLD Helping Out Those in Debt by Jade Reidy in SPANZ, Spring 2018 Jade Reidy examines the experience of local churches helping vulnerable people deal with debt, manage money and achieve nancial independence. This report is realistic and informative without feeling didactic. Over the course of the story, the reader develops empathy and understanding; a powerful combination.

CATEGORY 5 Best Feature, Single Author GOLD Us not Them: the church and homophobia by Ingrid Barra in The War Cry, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, (Samoa Territory) A most worthy and outstanding winner out of 22 entrants in this category. Using as its basis a personal story, this is a courageous and confronting article on a vexing issue within the church. Balanced, contextual, and with appropriate sources, the structure, ow and writing are near-impeccable. The nal, three-sentence paragraph is especially superbly crafted in a way that is both thought-provoking and challenging

CATEGORY 10 Best Faith Reection - GOLD Live your best ordinary life by Greg Liston, NZ Baptist (Baptist Churches of New Zealand) Live your best ordinary life is an extraordinary article that well and truly deserves rst place. It is thought provoking, well-written, balanced, and deeply relevant to all  especially to those of us who are faithful plodders.

Category 11 Best Theological Article GOLD Who is this Man By Ingrid Barra9 in War Cry, NZ, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa Territory This is one of the most eective articles I have read on the theology of the incarnation. It thoroughly places Jesus as a human being as well as giving a believable divine dimension without taking away from the humanity. It rightly has an inclusive element showing Jesus as accessible to all cultures and types of humanity.

New Young Writer - Bronze - the Press Service International young writer Matthew Thornton from Auckland who was awarded BRONZE in the category of New Best Writer  the judges said of his article which was titled Overcoming Shame - This article has a message from which many in times of doubt and trouble could find strength. Dont give up on yourself, with faith find strength and hope.

ARPA President - New Zealands Sophia Sinclair was elected President of ARPA. See full remarkable story  https://christiantoday.com.au/news/sophia-sinclair.html

Next year ARPA is being held in Perth, Western Australia 4-6 September, 2020.
Sherry Greenfield

sgreenfield@herald-mail.com

As the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic, the debate over wearing masks has become divisive.

Some consider mandates to wear face coverings in prescribed settings a violation of constitutional rights. Others believe wearing masks in such settings is a matter of protecting others.

In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan has ordered the wearing of masks in indoor public areas, retail stores and on public transportation.

Public health officials from Meritus Health in Washington County said wearing masks,along with following social distancing guidelines and washing hands,are an essential part of limiting the spread of the virus.

"You have to do all three," said Maulik Joshi, president and chief executive officer of Meritus Health. "Wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands. ... Until we get a vaccine, there is no other solution ... there is no cure."

Joshi joins doctors and public health officials across the country urging people to take these precautions.

Many businesses in Washington County require employees and customers to wear masks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings, and when around people who dont live in the same household.

The evidence is clear, masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the CDC states. The more people wear face coverings, the better chance of fighting the disease.

Dr. Shaheen Iqbal, the interim chief medical officer at Meritus, said science shows that covering your nose and mouth is vital in preventing others from getting infected.

Though there's been debate about the effectiveness of different face coverings, such as the popular use of bandanas, Iqbal said, whatever covers your nose or mouth works.

"You breathe in and you breathe out of your nose and mouth, and the virus comes out," he said. "So anything you can use to cover your nose and mouth will work. All of them work."

Meanwhile, Joshi praises Washington County officials for taking the virus seriously.

"We're trying to be proactive instead of reactive," he said. "... I think the county absolutely is taking this seriously. We track it daily."

As of Thursday, Meritus Health had administered 17,544 COVID-19 tests, according to the Washington County Joint Information Center.

Less than 5% of those tests have come back positive for the virus, Joshi said.

Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown is also braced for the possibility of increased COVID-19 cases in Washington County.

"I think we're very well prepared,"Iqbal said. "We have 61 ventilators ... in our critical care unit. We're ready."

Finally, Iqbal said it's important that officials communicate the same message  social distance, wash hands and wear masks.

"We should all be saying the same thing," he said. "We must be unified."

It's currently the only way to combat the virus.

"Until we have it under control, we will never be safe. Until we have a vaccine, we will never be safe. And until we have the antibodies, we will never be safe,"Iqbal said.

Expansion plan

Meritus currently has one floor dedicated for COVID-19 patients.

As of Thursday, the floor housed three patients confirmed to have the coronavirus, Iqbal said.Another six patients were being cared for, but it was unclear if they had the disease.

Work is underway to increase capacity at Meritus Medical Center through renovation of existing space and construction of a $12.5 million, approximately 15,000-square-foot addition. The space will establish a 20-bed, negative pressure and ventilator-capable unit adjacent to the wound center.

COVID-19 testing will also continue this summer.

The drive-thru screening center at Meritus Medical Plaza, 13620 Crayton Blvd., north of Hagerstown, now is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, a news release stated. The screening center is no longer open on weekends.
Kellen Stepler

For the Public Opinion

Fulton County residents gathered for a town hall meeting Friday evening at the band shell inMcConnellsPark in reference to Confederate monumentsand markersin the county.

The event was sparked by recent media coveragestating that Confederate markers in McConnellsburg, Pa., were being removed by the state.

Thats how Fulton County Commissioner StuartUlshand Pennsylvania state Rep. Jesse Topper found out about it, as well. Topper said that when he talked to someone in the governors office about the removal, the official was not aware of it at that time.

Not everyone in the administration knew, Topper said. And it was not like this was a priority. I think when people saw (The Inclines) article, the fear was, oh my gosh, this was some priority thats coming in and going to happen right now. I wanted to ensure people ... thats not the case.

Everything is on hold, we are now engaged in the conversation, and we will ensure that your voices are heard at theCapitolsteps in the room where this is discussed, Toppertold the crowd.

Topper, who servesthe78thDistrict of Pennsylvania, which includes Fulton County, said that he would continue to meet with the commission and the administration in Harrisburg to make sure everyone is on the same page in terms of what could be happening in McConnellsburg.

Talking to the commission, they said very clearly that they didnt want to take any monuments away, Topper said. The wordConfederacy has drawn a lot of attention.They want to make surethat the context of what theyre looking at actually appreciates what this is,which is not a celebration of anything, except the history of the people here.

The markers, Topper said, reflect theactions of thecitizens of McConnellsburg during the Civil War era.

What they symbolize are what the people of McConnellsburg did, Topper said.Not the Civil War, or ... which side of the Civil War we were on,or what any side our ancestors were on;it was about what the people did here,in showing what they still show to this day: which is a remarkable test of compassion and dignity and respect. And thats what these are about andthats what our history is about and thats why were having this conversation.

Topper andUlshwere joined by state Rep. Judy Ward, Ayn Township Supervisor Thurman E. Nesbitt,and Mark Sheffield from the Fulton County Historical Society in making comments to the public.

Were working very hard to make sure that these monuments are staying right where theyre supposed to stay and thats right here, Ward told the crowd.

Sheffield explained that the monument along Pa. 16 reflects where the townspeople buried soldiers; giving them a proper Christian burial.

The people of McConnellsburg showed the compassion, dignityand the respect to bury soldiers who had looted, robbed ... McConnellsburg, Sheffield said. Do we have that decency today?

Hesaid that the markers represented McConnellsburg, not the Confederacy. There are not markers commemorating J.E.B. Stuarts three-day encampment west of McConnellsburg, or a similarencampment in Needmore, because those are Confederate things and not McConnellsburg things, Sheffield said.

Its not made up, its not trash, its real, Sheffield said. Its researched and documented.

A marker along U.S. 522, Sheffield said, was to commemorate the Confederates leaving Fulton County.

It is not a Confederate monument, Sheffield said. The Confederates left; that is our Independence Day from the Confederates. Why would anybody want to tear it down?

Ulshsaid that the county commissioners planned to have meeting next week, but had it Friday night due to the immediate reaction of county residents to the article.

The commissioners were talking, our phones were ringing off the hook,Ulshsaid. On Facebook, everything was blowing up. ... We needed something because people needed to know whats going on.

The markers,Ulshsaid, need to stay.

The majority wants them up,Ulshsaid. Were going to support it, and do anything in our power to keep them there, and they need to stay there.

Topper voiced similar sentiment.

I just want to ensure (the people of Fulton County)that we are fully engaged in this, we understand the importance of preserving the history here, and we understand as elected officials what those markers represent, Topper said.
Mike Argento

Hanover Evening Sun

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  The Fourth of July is usually a big day in Gettysburg, coming, by coincidence, a day after the anniversary of the end of hostilities in town.

Usually, the holiday follows areenactmentof the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point in the Civil War, and a pivotal moment in American history.

This Fourth of July was exceptionally busy in Gettysburg, with trafficmoving at glacial speedall over town, but for different reasons.

This year,rumors circulated on social media that antifa, the anti-fascist organization, was heading to Gettysburg on the Fourth of July with plans to tear down statues anddesecrateConfederate graves.

One social media post showed a poster thatadvertised a flag-burning, complete with antifa members doing face painting, of all things. Another postsuggested that 30,000 members of antifa were planning to invade Gettysburgand its suburbsto kill white people and Trump supporters. That post also suggested that antifa members hadbeen setting off fireworks for weeks leading up to the holiday to inurepeople to the sound of gunfire so they wouldnt call the police when antifa began executing white people.

Both things turned out to be fake.The flag-burning post had been taken down by Facebook, and antifa claimed it knew nothing about it. The post about antifas supposed invasion of Gettysburg which claimed that the borough police had confirmed it  turned out to be a fever dream of a far-right-wing conspiracy theorist. For their part, the Gettysburgpolice said they had never confirmed any such information and called it complete nonsense.

Heavily armed people who called themselvespatriots did show up to defend the monuments to the Lost Cause, as its called.

Antifa never showed and only a small group of protesters materialized. Only one skirmishapparently occurred, a reportedshouting match betweenone of the patriots anda man wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.The combatants were quickly separated by authorities, witnesses said.

Obviously, it was all made up, said Kurt Andresen, a physics professor at Gettysburg College who visited the battlefield Sunday wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.(The flag-burning event) was made up by a right-wing group to try to geta rise out ofpeople.They got what they wanted.

Gettysburg was besieged by heavily armed people, some members of right-wing militias and others just people who have a lot of guns.

Asizeable group of people armed with military-style semi-automatic weapons stood in the shade of a largeoakby the entrance to the parking lot across Taneytown Road from the National Cemetery.They flew American and Confederate flags. Many wore T-shirts expressing their support of gun rights and Donald Trump.

Asmallcontingent of armed people had stationed themselves at the Virginia Memorial on Confederate Avenue on the battlefield. A half-dozen agents of the U.S. DepartmentofHomelandSecurity called in by the National Park Service to provide security kept watch over them.

Among them was a guy named Nathan who made the nearly seven-hour drive to Gettysburg fromCuyahogaCounty in Ohiowith three of his buddiesto protect the Confederate monument from attack by protesters. He didnt want to give his last name because hiswife was angry with him for spending the holidayin Gettysburg rather than with his family.

He and his friends said they were members ofthe Ohio Militiamen, and they felt compelled to come to Gettysburgto protect monuments at the battlefield from vandalism.

Its history, he said. We learn fromitso it doesnt happen again.

As he spoke, he said it was no different than people havingtolearn the history of Nazi Germany. When it was mentioned that there are no monuments to Hitler or other Nazis in Germany, he said, The United States is a different culture. Its different here.

Across the street, Chuck and Kathy Miller kept watch. Chuck was wearing camouflage with Mercenary stitched above one of his shirts pockets andhad anAR-15slung on his back.Cathy was packing a 12-gauge shotgun and had a 9 mm Glock on her hip.(Chuck said hes retired but that he couldnt say what he did for a living.)

They drove to Gettysburg from Shippensburg, Chuck said, to back up law enforcement.

Scott Hancock, a history professor at Gettysburg College,and a friend both of them Black  went to Confederate Avenue to plant Black Lives Matter flags at the monuments to the Confederate troops from North Carolina, Virginia and Mississippi. He saidcounter-protesterstook them down and tore them up within minutes.

They dont care about freedom ofspeech; they care about their freedom of speech, he said.

They also got followed by bikers, and Hancock saidit wasscary.

Jason Martz, the acting public affairs officer for the park service at the battlefield, said the park service prepared for the worst and hoped for the best, working with law enforcement fromthelocal, state and federalgovernments to keep the peace.

Asked what this gathering says about our times, Martz thought for a moment.

Thats the $30,000 question, he said. I guess its very representative of whats going on now."

Hanover Evening Sun Staff Writer Mariana Veloso contributed to this story.
LLOYD "PETE" WATERS

The Herald-Mail

The year was 1967, and I found myself at Long Binh, Vietnam, assigned to the First Aviation Brigade. Back in the day, Uncle Sam, recognizing the stress of an assignment to a war zone, offered those young soldiers a little reprieve by giving them a week of rest and relaxation (R&R).

It was November and Harold Clancy and I were deciding on where to go for R&R. We thought about Hawaii, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, Australia.

Hawaii would cause too much homesickness; Kuala Lumpur would have a strange language; but down under in Australia might be just perfect.

Australia would be our destination with the kangaroos, aborigines and a taste of mutton.

We made our preparations.

Upon arrival in Sydney, we booked a room at the Australian hotel. The bathtub looked inviting, so I took a long soak and then went out to explore.

The next night I decided to go to the Whiskey A Go Go nightclub in the Kings Cross section of town; a soldier always has priorities.

I know you old-timers remember the Whiskey A Go Go era with dancing girls, short skirts, and those platforms, loud music, and some unique dance moves. It was a teenagers paradise in 1967, and I was 19.

It for sure was a place to unwind. Now I know you city folk dont believe this old Dargan Boy could dance, and maybe he really wasnt a very good dancer at all, but after a few libations back in those days, I could dance like Fred Astaire.

One of the most popular songs back then was Gimme Some Loving by the Spencer Davis Group.

The lights were flashing, the dance floor was crowded, and the sound system had Steve Winwoods lyrics blaring:

Remember the song?

Hey, Well my temperatures rising; And my feet left the floor; Crazy people knocking, cause they want some more; Let me in baby I dont know what you got; You better take it easy; This place is hot; And Im So glad you made it; So glad you made it; You gotta Gimme some lovin, Gimme, Gimme some lovin', Gimme some lovin' every day.

It was a great night. I was dancing to the beat and dont remember exactly how I made it back to my hotel, but I did.

I really liked Sydney but soon would be heading back to Vietnam.

Toward the end of the week, I thought maybe I should go to church before going back, so I searched the yellow pages and the first church listed was an Apostolic Pentecostal Church.

I dialed the number, told the preacher I was visiting from Vietnam and would like to attend a service before leaving Sydney.

Pastor Bill said, Ill pick you up tomorrow, you can spend some time with my family, and well go to church.

The next day he arrived at the hotel, took me to his house, fed me, showed me some picture slides from his recent missionary trip with Aborigines, and then took me to an evening church service.

He introduced me to his congregation saying that he had a guest from Dargan, Maryland who was visiting Sydney from Vietnam. They all applauded.

Maybe they heard about Dargan, I thought.

I neglected to mention to the preacher my story about those Fred Astaire moves, but I soon discovered a few of those Pentecostals had some moves of their own.

He began to deliver his sermon.

And it was a story about a man and his search for a lost sheep.

He said the man once had a hundred sheep, but one had strayed and got lost. The man was most concerned and spent a lot of time looking for that one sheep.

While the congregation gave him a few loud amens, I just sat there quietly and listened.

It was a pretty good sermon, and I agree it was more than a little nice that someone would spend so much time looking for one stranded critter.

As the preacher concluded his message, all the congregation members came up to give me a hug and extended their well wishes for my safety before I left.

It was a pretty neat evening, and I kept in touch with Pastor Bill with a letter or two for a good number of years.

Clancy and I said our goodbyes to the land down under and we returned to Vietnam. I came home in August 1968.

I will always remember that song Gimme Some Loving and the sermon about that lost sheep.

And I will never forget the more than 58,000 soldiers who didnt come back home alive from Vietnam.

Freedom is never really free, is it?

Happy Fourth of July weekend.
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The bible is beautifully poetic in the alignment and symbolism of major events. A mentor of mine recently revealed to me how this poetry leaps beyond the bibles pages into milestones in our lives today.

The First Pentecost

Fifty days after the angel of death swept through Egypt and slaughtered all first-born sons, Moses ascended Mount Sinai for the first time (Exodus 19:2-7) and received the Law laying laid out in explicit detail how the Israelites should treat each other (e.g. not killing their neighbours, not raping others daughters, not robbing or destroying each others property etc.). By outlining how His people should respect and honour each other, God gave Moses a manifesto of how much He valued human beings.

The Second Pentecost

Fifty days after Christs crucifixion on the day of Passover, the disciples gathered in an upper room to pray. Acts 2:1-13 describe the sound of a mighty wind and how the Holy Spirit fell upon them in tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit not only rested upon disciples, but started to dwell in them, transforming and empowering them with the spiritual fortitude to value what God values: human beings.

The Third Pentecost

On the First Pentecost, God showed how much He values human beings.

On the Second Pentecost, God enabled the disciples to value human beings.

It is no coincidence that, on this Third Pentecost (May 2020), the world erupted in a wave of George Floyd protests starting on Pentecost in 2020. Amidst the anger and frustration at the horrific injustice, and the systematic racism that fueled it, we were reminded of how far we have fallen short of valuing other people by our own fleeting, weak human will.

George Floyds murder was an 8 minutes-26 seconds long testimony of the futility of human righteousness. Decades of legislation, policies, affirmative action, anti-discrimination campaigns and government programmes failed to change or eliminate the sin of racism and prejudice. Without the grace of God, we cannot truly respect, love or value other human beings who differ from us in race, gender, class, nationality.

The heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), so the anger of man cannot bring about the righteousness of God (James 1:20). Anger at the atrocity of George Floyds murder is perfectly justified. But instead of solving the problem of racism, it merely highlights the need for a solution outside of ourselves.

Tongues of Fire

The church as we know it was birthed in similar conditions to the ones we face today. From the disciples huddled in a room, quarantining themselves from a dangerous and potentially fatal pandemic of Roman military backlash to the second Pentecost, when again, the disciples were locked away in a house praying, the Holy Spirit has no less reason, and no less power, to rest upon us with tongues of fire.

In the same way fire consumes everything in its path while providing light and warmth along the way, we, as the church, must release the fire of truth from our tongues.

Truth, when spoken boldly and unapologetically, burns up and consumes the legacy of lies left by a cacophony of fake news and multi-faceted political agendas cloaked cleverly in diplomatic journalism. True equality stems from understanding that all human beings are made in the image of God. True diversity is appreciating the various physical manifestations that the Imago Dei may take in each human being. When the church doesnt raise its voice in the public square (Proverbs 1:20), it leaves room for others who are blinded by the god of this age to take matters into their own hands.

Without the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth (John 16:13), well-intentioned activists can quickly slip into endorsing all behaviours and lifestyles (including sinful ones) under the umbrella of equality and diversity. By pursuing noble ends with carnal means, they end up deceived and go about deceiving (2 Timothy 3:13).

Truth, when seasoned with grace, lights a path to Love Himself and leads lost children home to their Heavenly Father. The soul of one man in Minneapolis is more precious in Gods eyes than the whole world (Mark 8:36). His death can therefore deservedly command the attention of the whole world.

Ruthlessly kneeling on an innocent mans neck is depraved and monstrous. Only the impartial justice of God can appropriately punish the brutal sin of murder. Only the relentless grace of God can forgive the act of murder. And only the transformative love of God can heal and renew the heart of the murderer.

Uniquely Positioned

No other organization or institution on the planet is positioned or equipped to share Gods truth; that is a privilege and responsibility only the believers bear. Only we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have been chosen and called to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1) who is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (John 4:16). My fellow Christians, the word of truth is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart (Deuteronomy 30:14). Obey it, and speak it, because the world cant breathe without it.
The Delhi anti-Hindu riots have been one of the brute and macabre displays of street violence displayed by the Islamist mobs in recent times. Over 50 people died in the riots from both communities, Hindus and Muslims. The most ghastly cases that emerged from the riots were the murders of IB staffer Ankit Sharma and sweet-shop worker Dilbar Negi. While Dilbar Negi was dismembered and burnt alive, Ankit Sharma was mutilated, murdered and dumped in a Chand Bagh drain by a Muslim mob spearheaded by AAP leader Tahir Hussain.

In the charge sheet filed in the case of Ankit Sharmas murder, it was found by the Delhi Crime Branch that Tahir Hussain had met Khalid Saifi and Umar Khalid in January at Shaheen Bagh. It was there that the plan for the riot was hatched between the three. It has also been revealed that Khalid Saifi had met Islamist preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia to ask for funding for the riots. Moreover, it was revealed that Tahir Hussain got money in shell accounts that were then used to fund the anti-Hindu riots.

So far, Tahir Hussains involvement was revealed to the extent of planning the anti-Hindu riots in Chand Bagh and funding the riots. It was also found that he was instigating the mobs to pelt stones, acid bottles etc against Kafirs (Hindus).

The charge sheet filed in the Ankit Sharma murder case now reveals that Tahir Hussain not only planned the riots and instigated the mobs, but he was also at the roof-top pelting stones and acid bombs at Hindus of Chand Bagh himself.

Pradeep Kumar Verma, a Hindus whose garage was gutted by Tahir Hussain and other Islamists has told the police that first, Shah Alam, Gulfam, Riyasat Ali and others broke open the shutter of his parking, burnt and damaged vehicles and also looted Rs 20-22 thousand.

While this was happened, Tahir Hussain and others like Liyakat Ali were throwing stones, petrol bombs towards the parking lot and also instigating others to do so.

Pradeep had earlier went on record and attested to journalists that he had heard the mob chanting Hindu hai, maaro, (kill them, they are Hindus).

Here is what the mob did to Pradeeps parking space.

Another witness, Surendra Singh, who was present at the parking space that belonged to Pradeep also corroborated the chain of events in his statement to the police. He too said that Tahir Hussain was pelting stones and petrol bombs at the parking space.

The witness statements as recorded in the charge sheet completely shatter the defence that was mounted by Islamists and Leftists for Tahir Hussain when videos of him walking about on his terrace surfaced during the Delhi riots.

In a so-called exclusive interview with the Leftist propaganda portal The Wire, Tahir Hussain claims that he is innocent and a victim of communal violence myself. He is heard saying in the video clip, relayed by The Wire on Twitter, that he should not be targeted for being a Muslim. He says he has full faith in the judiciary and claimed that justice will be done.

Interestingly, Tahir Hussain had made similar appeals in another exclusive interview with India Today, just before surrendering in court.

Several Islamists had pled the case for Tahir Hussain and claimed that he was innocent and had actually called the police to save him from the rioting mobs during the Delhi riots.

However, now, the details that have emerged in the charge sheet prove that not only was Tahir Hussain planning and coordinating the riots that broke out in Chand Bagh, but was also throwing stones and petrol bombs at Hindus who he deemed as Kafirs.
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modis speech in Ladakh on July 3, where he addressed Indian Army personnel and commended them for their professionalism and valour, even while asserting that the era of expansionism is over, marks the beginning of a definitive reset in the troubled but the, up to now, violence-free India-China relationship.

The cordial tenor changed with the Galwan Valley incident in May/June where the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops moved into previously uncontested locations in eastern Ladakh, taking advantage of the thin Indian tactical presence. This resulted in the loss of 20 Indian lives (PLA is yet to confirm the casualties it has sustained) and led to the surprise Modi visit to Nimu in Ladakh. The signal to Beijing is that Delhi will not blink and that the Galwan knot, triggered by PLAs pre-meditated belligerence, will have to be untied by China.

On current evidence, it appears that PLA has hunkered down for an extended stay in the areas it has occupied and the two armies will be monitoring each other for compliance as per the agreed disengagement and return to status quo protocols. The received wisdom is that this going to be a long haul into the winter months, even as the freshly-minted Chinese claim to Galwan is on the territorial expansion anvil.

While Modis reference to this expansionist characteristic refers to the unresolved territorial dispute on land across 3,800 kilometres which has morphed into a Line of Actual Control (LAC) and shifting claim lines, Beijing has already set a precedent in the maritime domain in an audacious and innovative manner.

The South China Sea (SCS) dispute that pitted Chinese Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and fishing rights claims against those of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) began with the adoption of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).

China then invoked a historical, but dubious, nine-dash line formulation and adopted the might-is-right approach, much to the chagrin of the smaller nations. Consequently, the SCS dispute festered in an inconclusive manner for decades. The PLA began its creeping assertiveness by occupying certain atolls and enlarging the topography through artificial means and then staking a maximalist EEZ claim.

What does a smaller nation do when a bigger more powerful neighbour refuses to engage in sincere dialogue to resolve a territorial jurisdiction matter? Seek third party arbitration or go to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Philippines took this path despite veiled warnings from China. Much to the consternation of Beijing, the international tribunal ruled in favour of Manila.

Predictably, China rejected this ruling and asserted that its historical claim was the only truth that mattered. This unabashed assertion of expansionism by Beijing caused dismay in many capitals. But little was done in tangible terms to push back, since none of the major powers wanted to get into this tangle, except to defend the principle of free navigation in international waters.

However, in an unusual development, the 36th Asean Summit held at the end of June under Vietnam as chair, made specific reference to the centrality of the UNCLOS and the need to uphold international law. This is a familiar politico-diplomatic position in relation to the SCS dispute. But what is instructive is that over the last six months, many Asean states have been visibly vocal about Chinas expansionism and related belligerence.

Thus, the template which has evolved is that China stakes a maximalist territorial claim, using history among other determinants, and then engages in salami-slicing through military intimidation, even while proclaiming its commitment to peace and tranquillity. Modi has belled the cat in Ladakh. India will now have to stay the course in managing the tensions that are bound to increase in the bilateral relationship.

Whether other nations will support Delhi or not remains opaque at this point. But India could look at other leverages to temper the Chinese response and the maritime domain is the logical choice. Beijing has long harboured a deep anxiety about its vulnerability at sea  or what is referred to as the Malacca dilemma.

India has the potential to either stoke this anxiety along with like-minded nations, or assuage it as part of the common good order at sea. The four-nation Quad (United States, Japan, Australia and India) is a work in progress and India could sherpa a cluster of Indo-Pacific nations into a sagar panchayat and uphold the rule of law at sea. Some Asean nations may be willing to join such a grouping. Enhancing interoperability at sea, intelligence- sharing and capacity-building would be the early building blocks.

However, to be effective, India will have to invest in specific transborder military capabilities. The recent announcement by Canberra where it has committed $70 billion to acquire new inventory is illustrative. Delhi will have to undertake a radical review of its defence budget despite the Covid-19 constraints to increase its naval/maritime allocations for over a decade-plus. This could enable creating credible military capability in the Andaman & Nicobar islands, a proposal that has been on Delhis pending list since 1963. With a suitably-fortified Andaman & Nicobar, the Malacca dilemma can become very real for Beijing.

India can create more negotiating space along the land border by turning to the seas. If this tenet is appropriately understood by Delhi, this policy transmutation could be the silver lining in the Galwan cloud.

C Uday Bhaskar is director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi

The views expressed are personal
The brutality of the killings of Jayaraj and Bennicks in the Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, is of a piece with police high-handedness which thrives in a broken criminal justice system. The police, responsible for those in their custody, acted in criminal breach of their constitutional and statutory duty.

The murderous assault on the father-son duo took place despite a strong legal framework that protects the rights of an accused in custody. Examples are Article 21 and 22 of the Constitution of India, provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) relating to procedures of arrest and investigation, provisions of the Evidence Act relating to admissibility of evidence, and Supreme Court (SC) judgments like DK Basu vs State of West Bengal and Anesh Kumar vs State of Bihar.

One important safeguard is the medical examination of the arrestees, detailing injury marks if any. The medical officers report on Jayaraj and Bennicks recorded their injuries merely as abrasions, even though accounts suggest that both were bleeding profusely while in custody.

Another critical safeguard is that the police have to produce arrestees in court within 24 hours of the arrest, for the magistrate to ensure their legal rights are not violated.

The presence of a lawyer during arrest reduces the possibility of physical harm and violation of the legal rights of the arrestees. In the absence of any mechanism, this constitutional right is often denied. For example, when lawyers went to the Sathankulam police station to meet Jayaraj and Bennicks, they were not allowed access.

In 2018, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)s latest annual report recorded 70 deaths in police custody --12 were from Tamil Nadu, the second-highest after Gujarat, with 14 deaths.

The question is: Will the outrage and attention the Jayaraj and Bennicks case has garnered finally bring about accountability? Going by the past record, it seems unlikely. There are roadblocks at each stage from the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against the police to their prosecution. In the Thoothukudi case, initially, two sub-inspectors, Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, were suspended, and departmental proceedings initiated against them. This is the usual response in such cases, but things get complicated after this step.

As per Section 176 (1A) of CrPC, every case of custodial violence shall be investigated by a judicial magistrate. But the 2018 NCRB report shows that of the 70 cases of custodial death in the year, judicial enquiries were ordered in only 28. Charge-sheets were filed only against 13 police personnel --11 of them were from Gujarat, the state with the highest number of custodial deaths. In Tamil Nadu, no police personnel were arrested, let alone charge-sheeted.

In the Thoothukhudi killings, while an enquiry by the judicial magistrate has been initiated, the magistrate, in a letter to the Madras High Court, has alleged that the police is trying to intimidate them and destroy the evidence. This is a reflection of the impunity the police enjoys. Eventually, the Madras High Court had to intervene. As of now, the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) of Tamil Nadu Police has taken over the case and the five policemen accused of torture have finally been arrested and sent to judicial custody.

Furthermore, the absence of direct evidence in custodial death cases is another hurdle. The Supreme Court, in the State of MP vs Shyamsunder Trivedi judgment, observed that the police, bound by the ties of brotherhood, would prefer to remain silent rather than assist the court. To address this concern, the law commission recommended twice (in its 113th & 152nd report) the insertion of Section 114-B into the Indian Evidence Act 1972, which reverses the burden of proof. Which is, if there is evidence that the injury was caused during the custody, the court may presume that the police officer having custody of the person caused it. This recommendation has not yet been taken up by Parliament.

Another roadblock is that cases go on for a long time, and witnesses often turn hostile under pressure. Just last week, seven policemen from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, were exonerated in the case of the custodial death of Pradeep Tomar. His minor son, who witnessed the torture, narrated how the police used electric shocks and stabbed him with screwdrivers. But the victims family eventually turned hostile, contradicting their claims in the FIR. Multiple law commission reports have recommended a victim protection legislation. In 2018, the SC, in fact, approved the Victim Protection Scheme in Mahendra Chawla v Union of India case. While the mechanism was long overdue, the effectiveness of its implementation remains uncertain, given that the scheme hinges on the threat assessment analysis formulated by the police.

To ensure accountability, all relevant agencies--the magistrate, the bar, and the medical practitioner--must follow their mandate scrupulously. They are collectively responsible for ensuring the constitutional rights of an arrestee, especially the right against torture. Their non-compliance in procedures coupled with complacency costs lives.

Raja Bagga is senior researcher, Police Reform Programme, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

The views expressed are personal
The trailer of Dil Bechara, Sushant Singh Rajputs swansong, will be out on Monday (July 6). Casting director-turned-filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra, who is making his directorial debut with the film, shared the news via a new poster. The poster also features female lead Sanjana Sanghi.

In the poster, Sushant is seen riding a bike, while Sanjana is seen sitting pillion with her arms around him. Only love, Mukesh captioned it, followed by a heart emoji.

Only love  pic.twitter.com/xkbhMpn36h  Mukesh Chhabra CSA (@CastingChhabra) July 5, 2020

Dil Bechara will release on July 24 on Disney+ Hotstar. The film, an adaptation of John Greens bestselling novel The Fault In Our Stars, was originally slated to hit the theatres in May but got a direct-to-digital release owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fans demanded a theatrical release, as they wanted to watch Sushants final film on the big screen. However, Sanjana urged the audience to not make it about the size of the screen we get to watch this labour of love on but instead make it about the size of our hearts.

Also read: Preity Zinta celebrates 4th of July with husband Gene Goodenough, Sunny Leone says Proud to be an American

Sushant died by suicide on June 14, at the age of 34. Mukesh said in a statement that he was not just the leading man but also his close friend. So many plans were made together, so many dreams were dreamt together but never once did I ever imagine that I would be left alone to release this film. He always showered immense love on me while I was making it and his love will guide us as we release it, the filmmaker said.

Recently, Mukesh said that Sushant gave Dil Bechara his nod without even reading the script, as they had a strong emotional connection. The two were friends since Kai Po Che! which marked Sushants debut in Bollywood and which Mukesh was the casting director of.

Dil Bechara will be made available for free viewing on Disney+ Hotstar, as a tribute to Sushant.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918

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The news of veteran choreographer Saroj Khans death was devastating for actor Madhuri Dixit, who collaborated with her for a number of iconic songs including Ek Do Teen, Dhak Dhak Karne Laga, Tamma Tamma Loge and Dola Re Dola. Madhuri paid an emotional tribute to Saroj on the occasion of Guru Purnima.

Sharing a picture of them hugging, Madhuri wrote, I still cant believe master ji is no more. Losing a friend, philosopher & guide like her is devastating. It was difficult for me to put down my grief in words. I had spoken to her daughter when she was in the hospital & she told me that Saroj ji would be fine. Two days later, she was gone.

The Guru-shishya bond that we shared, the assurance that she would be my mother on the sets, Ill miss everything. Today on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I pay my tribute to her, she added.

Madhuri said that she misses Sarojs hearty laugh. She revealed that the very first song they shot together was for the 1986 film Karma. Unfortunately, it was not retained in the final cut of the film.

Nobody can make women look so beautiful, desirable & sensuous on-screen like her. She made everything look like poetry in motion. Smitten by her, I had told her, Saroji ji, agar aap shakkar hoti na, I would add you in my cup of tea & drink it. She would laugh heartily at this. Ill miss that playful laughter, she said.

The first time I met her was while shooting for Maine Rab Se from Karma. Saroj ji asked me so many questions, one being Where did you learn to dance? Unfortunately, our sequence was removed from the song. Ill miss her many questions, she added.

Calling Saroj a game-changer, Madhuri said that she overcame many trials and tribulations in her personal life, which is why there were rough edges to her personality. She was the rebel in the male-dominated profession. There were rough edges to her personality & I feel thats because life had been pretty uneven to her. Ill miss that determined & headstrong woman, the actor wrote.

Madhuri said that she missed creating iconic steps with Saroj. Her Nazakat, the aadayein, the elegance of every move, I was besotted. I knew we would do a lot of songs together. So we decided not to repeat any of the movements. She agreed to create hook steps that people will identify with every song. We created so many movements with no knowledge about what they are called. Who knew Tamma Tamma step was Dab? Ill miss inventing hook steps with her, the actor said.

Also read | Shibani Dandekar reveals struggle with body image issues: I hated my pimpled skin, my love handles, my overall size

For Madhuri, Sarojs death is a personal loss. She was close to my family as well & this loss is deeply personal. Theres no one like her & there wont be another like her. Saroj ji, Ill miss everything about you. Ill miss your Perrrfect!, she wrote.

Saroj died on Friday at the Guru Nanak Hospital in Mumbai after suffering a cardiac arrest and was laid to rest at a cemetery in the Malad area. In a statement, her family said that the prayer meet has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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, the statement read.

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RTHK: Trump under growing fire as pandemic worsens in US

US Sunbelt mayors warned Sunday that their cities are at risk of being overwhelmed by a surge of coronavirus cases as they pushed back against President Trump's attempt to minimize the gravity of the spreading virus.

Covid-19 has been raging for weeks across southern and western states. Florida has registered 10,000 new cases on some days. Arizona has seen record hospitalizations. And intensive care units in Houston, Texas are operating near maximum capacity.

With President Trump continuing to play down the disease -- eschewing a mask, continuing to address large gatherings, saying a vaccine is only months away and asserting that "99 percent" of cases are not serious -- the exasperation of local officials has begun to boil over, with some floating the idea of new stay-at-home orders.

"Mixed messages" from US leaders have been a problem, Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona told ABC's "This Week."

"President Trump was in my community, chose not to wear a mask, and he's having large events while I'm trying to push people" to stay home and avoid crowds, said Gallego, who is a Democrat.

Once Arizona began reopening its economy, she said, "We had crowded nightclubs handing out free Champagne, no masks."

Insufficient testing capacity has left some people -- including some feeling symptoms -- waiting up to eight hours in their cars to be tested, Gallego said.

Yet when she asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for testing help, "We were told they're moving away from that -- which feels like they're declaring victory while we're in crisis mode."

The state has now passed the 1,800-death mark -- more than six times the toll in all of South Korea.

The BBC reported that Stephen Hahn, head of the Food And Drug Administration, had warned that the spike of cases in Florida meant the Republican party might not be able to meet there next month to formally nominate Trump as its presidential candidate. Hahn said a decision could only be made once it became clearer how the situation developed.

Hahn also carefully avoided criticizing the president when asked about Trump's recent optimistic assertions.

Regarding the president's prediction that a vaccine would be available "long before the end of the year," Hahn said, "I can't predict when a vaccine will be available."

As to Trump's assertion that 99 percent of Covid-19 cases are "totally harmless," Hahn told ABC that "any case, any death is tragic."

Steve Adler, the Democratic mayor of Austin, Texas, later said that such cautious language made him "angry."

"It is dangerous not to be sending a clear message to Americans," he told CNN. "We're on a trajectory right now we could be inundating our intensive care units here within the next week to 10 days."

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott had prohibited restrictions -- such as mask-wearing requirements -- sought by some local governments. But with the virus dramatically surging, the Republican governor on Thursday reversed himself, ordering mask-wearing in most counties.

"What we're seeing," Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county executive for the area including Houston, told ABC, "is that wishful thinking is neither good economic policy nor good public health policy.

"What we need right now is to do what works, a stay-at-home order," said Hidalgo, who is a Democrat.

She said hospitals in Houston and other Texas cities are "crossing their surge capacities."

The hardest-hit Sunbelt states were among the first to reopen their economies -- strongly encouraged to do so by Trump.

"The city of Miami was the last city in the entire state of Florida to open," Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican, told ABC.

"I was criticized for waiting so long. When we reopened, people started socializing like the virus didn't exist."

Tom Bossert, former homeland security advisor to Trump, warned that matters could get worse.

"There's a solid reason to believe there are 500,000 people in Florida right now, today, infectious," he said. "Masks alone won't cut it."

This story has been published on: 2020-07-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Eleven people including military, police and an administrative official were killed Saturday in an ambush attributed to a local militia in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, official sources said Sunday.

Two vehicles coming from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, were ambushed in the village of Matete, Djugu territory administrator Adel Alingi Mokuba said.

"The death toll is 11, including the deputy territorial administrator in charge of economy and finance, three policemen and four soldiers," he told AFP.

The killings were the latest attributed to an ethnic militia called CODECO, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo.

On Friday, DR Congo's army said it had killed seven fighters of the militia, which claims to defend the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.

The Lendu are predominantly sedentary farmers and have historically clashed with the Hema community of traders and herders.

Ituri is one of several provinces gripped by militia violence in eastern DR Congo, a country the size of continental western Europe.

Between October and the end of May, at least 531 civilians were killed by armed groups in Ituri, including 375 since March, according to the United Nations.

In January, the UN estimated that 701 people had been killed in the region since December 2017.

"These acts could constitute crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court," ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda warned on June 4.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused CODECO and other Lendu fighters of pursuing "a strategy of slaughtering local residents -- mainly the Hema, but also the Alur -- since 2017" in order to control natural resources in the region.

Tens of thousands of people were killed in Hema-Lendu fighting between 1999 and 2003 and violence resumed for unclear reasons at the end of 2017.

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Posted Sunday, July 5, 2020 9:17 am

When a mysterious virus began racing around the globe early this year, scientists at the University of Washington's newly created Center for an Informed Public described it as the perfect storm for bogus information, both innocent and malicious.

So what's the situation six months later, now that the coronavirus pandemic is playing out in tandem with a passionate push for racial justice and the opening volleys of the presidential race? The perfect superstorm?

Pretty much, says Kate Starbird, a co-founder of the center.

"As time goes on, what we're seeing is the convergence between COVID-19 and election 2020," she said. And that means the flood of half-truths, distortions and flat-out lies the World Health Organization calls an "infodemic" is only going to intensify. "Things are becoming more politicized," Starbird said.

The UW center was launched in December to study the ways misinformation spreads and the best methods to combat it. The team was gearing up for the census and the presidential contest, which they expected to be their first test cases.

"Then the pandemic hit and everything was crazy," said director Jevin West, who also co-teaches the UW's popular "Calling Bullshit" class where students learn to distinguish truth from spin. "This is like nothing I've ever seen in terms of the volume, and it's growing massively every day," he said.

A lot of coronavirus misinformation began as honest attempts to share knowledge and help others, Starbird said. When emotions and uncertainty are high, people are particularly vulnerable to seizing on simple solutions like home remedies or the oft-repeated, but baseless, claim that it's possible to diagnose yourself by holding your breath. One widely shared tweet, purportedly from a scientist, falsely warned that hand sanitizer can't kill viruses. In the Black community, rumors spread that dark skin protects people from infection.

Even Starbird shared what turned out to be misguided tips for families trying to protect relatives in senior living facilities, because she was so worried about her own parents.

"When we don't have the information we need and feel anxious about making decisions about our health, our families and our livelihoods, people come together and try to make sense of what's going on," she said.

West and his colleagues have already amassed a data set that includes more than a billion Twitter messages about the novel coronavirus. "People will be digging into this data for decades to come," he said.

While the emergence of a new virus was a surprise, the proliferation of misinformation wasn't. It happens during every crisis, as people desperate to figure out what's going on share rumors and scraps of information -- some useful, some dangerously wrong, Starbird said.

In most crises, like earthquakes or hurricanes, the period of uncertainty -- when people engage in what's called "collective sense-making" -- is short. But a pandemic is a slow-moving process with high stakes. And because this pathogen is new, even basic information, like how people become infected, was initially unknown. With our understanding changing so quickly, what seemed true yesterday may not hold up tomorrow.

Social media is the perfect platform for lightning-fast communication -- and manipulation by people seeking to profit, sow discord or promote a political agenda. Factor in society's preexisting fault lines, and you've got those "perfect storm," conditions.

We can be equally vulnerable to misinformation when our political identities are engaged, which makes us more likely to pass on without critical consideration posts that align with our views, Starbird said. As the coronavirus pandemic quickly became as much a political debate as a public health crisis, partisan players increasingly began amplifying messages to serve their own agendas.

Starbird and her colleagues analyzed the spread of an initially obscure post on Medium, a blogging platform that doesn't fact-check most content, that was quickly elevated by conservative commentators. Authored by a Silicon Valley marketer, the post was packed with data and graphs and argued that the epidemic wasn't serious enough to warrant shutdowns.

Experts including UW biology professor Carl Bergstrom -- who studies pandemic response and teaches the "Calling B.S." class with West -- pointed out multiple flaws in the reasoning, including a mistaken assumption the pandemic would follow a bell-shaped curve. Medium deleted the post within 32 hours. But the piece had already gone viral by then, thanks largely to being highlighted by several Fox News personalities, Starbird found. Some of them later acknowledged the problems with the post, but those corrections were not widely circulated.

The pandemic has also fostered conspiracy theories, though many of them aren't actually new, said Mike Caulfield, a digital literacy expert at Washington State University, Vancouver. The pandemic is only the latest of many ills blamed on 5G networks, though perhaps the first to inspire people to burn dozens of cell towers in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Bill Gates is a perennial target. An old, discredited video now circulating again purports to show the Microsoft co-founder briefing the CIA about a plan to use vaccination to inject people with microchips.

A video called "Plandemic" pins the viral outbreak on a cabal that includes Gates, the World Health Organization, big pharma and military labs that supposedly manipulated the virus. Starbird and her colleagues traced the way the video blazed across the twitter-verse, amplified by anti-vaccination groups among others, before it was deleted by YouTube and other platforms.

But the damage lingers, Caulfield said. One of the video's more outrageous claims is that wearing a mask can activate viruses and sicken people -- an argument now being raised by citizens furious about local mask mandates. Wearing masks, a staple of infection-control in hospitals, has now become a badge of political identity, with many conservative politicians until recently scoffing at the idea.

Tropes that circulated during previous Black Lives Matter demonstrations are also surfacing again, like claims that liberal billionaire George Soros is funding protest marches. False claims about busloads of Antifa activists inspired armed citizens to take to the streets to defend their communities, including the town of Snohomish north of Seattle. Protesters in Washington, D.C., were duped by the viral #DCblackout hashtag warning that police were blocking cellphone communications.

Some of the rumors may have originated organically, while others were deliberate misinformation, Starbird said. But so far, she hasn't seen evidence of the type of international meddling documented during 2016, when Russian trolls masqueraded both as BLM protesters and critics, with the likely goal of deepening divisions among Americans.

Automated bots, programmed to churn out tweets and retweets, almost certainly are playing a role in spreading coronavirus disinformation, but how much is still not known, West said. Researchers at Carnegie-Mellon University recently estimated that nearly half of Twitter accounts posting about coronavirus may not be actual people. But the group's research hasn't been published yet and is being questioned by other experts.

"It's really hard to determine whether something's a bot or not," West said.

Perhaps the most corrosive effect of pervasive misinformation and disinformation is the way it undermines confidence in the very institutions we all rely on, especially during crises, he added. "The thing that scares me the most is that we're getting to the point where some people don't trust anything."

As the election approaches, the pandemic and its human and economic impacts are certain to become even more entwined with politics and other disinformation efforts, Caulfield said. "I think what we're looking at now makes what we were facing in 2016 look almost quaint," he said, referring to organized networks intent on creating confusion and swaying the outcome.

With in-person campaigning on hold, political groups are increasingly creating internet sites that often mimic legitimate news sites and conceal their partisan roots, according to NewsGuard, a startup that tracks internet misinformation and identifies the top purveyors.

A headline on one such partisan site, linked to a Democratic super PAC, chides Republican lawmakers for leaving nursing homes "defenseless against COVID-19." A similar site, associated with the Republican Governors Association, features a story praising GOP states' reopening efforts. " Watch out for more "news" sites like these that are directly tied to political campaigns," NewsGuard warns.

Part of the UW center's mission is to look for solutions. One surprisingly effective way to combat misinformation is to simply correct yourself -- and others -- without assuming the worst, Starbird said. "People share misinformation. It happens," she said. "I don't think we should be judging ourselves or others as bad people."

Fact-checking individual tweets or posts and labeling some as false or questionable -- as Twitter recently started to do -- can also make others less likely to pass on bad information, West said.

While there's a lot individuals can do to identify misinformation and reduce their role in spreading it, the main culprits are Twitter, Facebook and other platforms engineered to maximize speed, engagement -- and corporate profits, said UW associate law professor Ryan Calo.

All of the platforms have taken steps to tamp down the spread of dangerous health misinformation during the pandemic, by highlighting reputable sources or being quicker to delete bogus material, he pointed out. That shows they can do it -- if they are motivated.

"I think these platforms need to take the lion's share of responsibility for what's going on, because their business practices and their platforms are what is enabling these lies to get halfway around the world before the truth puts its shoes on," Calo said, paraphrasing an old saying.

With many advertisers boycotting Facebook over its role in the proliferation of hate speech, damaging content and misinformation, the company announced last week it will start putting warning labels and links to reliable information on some posts -- including those from President Trump -- that break the platform's rules.
Actor Saif Ali Khan, who worked with late choreographer Saroj Khan in multiple films, has recalled how she impacted his career and the strong work ethic she had. In a statement, Saif mentioned the time they worked together on his hit song Ole Ole and the one time she coaxed expressions out of his nervous co-star with some raunchy words. Saroj died aged 71 of cardiac arrest early on Friday morning.

Saif said Saroj had a way of shaming actors into performing. I was once shooting a lovely romantic song late at night in Hyderabad and the heroine was having a bit of trouble with the expressions. Saroj ji yelled on the mike, saying sex! Its sex! Have you never had sex? She could shame us into performing. A song with her often became real art, with every beat and step requiring an emotion and expression, he said.

Saif also remembered the one time he got bloody knees while working on a song but Saroj told him to see it from a new perspective. Talking about working on the title song of Aashiq Aawaara, he said, I finished the step and found I had torn the knees of my trousers and blood was trickling down my leg. I told Saroj ji, or masterji as I called her, and she said oh dont worry about blood. See where this blood takes you in life. She taught me to work hard. I would turn off the set lights and wrap a mal-mal cloth around my head and rehearse her steps for hours, often without lunch, to get it right; but we were never allowed to change the step to make it easier. That was not her work ethic.

But for all of us who have had the privilege of being instructed on set by that great lady, will never be able to hear a Hindi film song without thinking of how she has made the greatest names in Bollywood from Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi to Shah Rukh khan and Madhuri Dixit, dance to her tunes, Saif said.

Also read: Saroj Khans daughter reveals which Bollywood actors kept in touch with masterji as her health deteriorated

Saifs wife, actor Kareena Kapoor also paid tribute to Saroj Khan with an Instagram post. She mentioned how she would tell her to work with her face. Master ji always told me... perrr nahin chala saktiii toh kam se kam face toh chalaaaaa.Thats what she taught me... to enjoy dancing, smile and smile through the eyes.There can never be another... Dance and expression can never be the same for us actors and for everyone who loved her...Love you master ji. Till we dance again... RIP #SarojKhan, she had written in her post.

(With PTI inputs)

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With neither of them travelling for work, Sonam Kapoor and her husband Anand Ahuja have been spending quality time with each other at home. However, she said that they do not actually see each other all that much during the day, as he is busy working in a different room.

In an interview with Filmfare, Sonam said, Whats really nice is that he comes every two hours from where he is working...he is usually working in the other room so that I can have my own space...every two hours, he comes to say hi to me. We have lunch together.

She added, We dont actually see each other, even though we can because he is outside and I am sitting in my bedroom. We dont actually see each other that much during the day. He has his workspace but we get to spend that extra time together, like lunch together or breakfast together. Usually, he likes to get to work by 8am, so he is up by 5am.

Also read: Saroj Khans daughter reveals which Bollywood actors kept in touch with masterji as her health deteriorated

In March, Sonam and Anand returned from London, just before the lockdown was imposed. They spent almost three months at his house in Delhi, before travelling to Mumbai last month.

Recently, Sonam was at the receiving end of trolling and abusive messages, after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Fans have been expressing their anger towards star kids over the perceived injustice and discrimination towards him as he was an outsider.

Sonam shared screenshots of some of the hateful messages she was receiving on social media and wrote, l am who l am, these people who are faceless saying all these nasty things about me dont realise anyones struggles with themselves. I am lucky to have the best support system in my family and friends. If they werent there right now when this unwarranted hate was coming, I would have been in a dark horrible place. She has turned off her comments on Instagram to filter out the abuse.

Sonam also shared an appreciation post for Anand on Instagram and wrote, An appreciation post for my husband. Thank you for being extra kind and loving today. I really needed it. Love you so much.

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Did you know that Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai and Hollywood actor Will Smith have always wanted to work with each other but things never really worked out. Will had offered her his films Hitch, Seven Pounds and Tonight He Comes but Aishwarya could not agree to any of them due to time constraints.

But for Seven Pounds, the reason was quite different to what was presented in the media. In 2008, Aishwarya told IANS that she did not turn down the film because she wanted to celebrate Karwa Chauth back home. Thats what they wrote in the US press... that I preferred to return to Mumbai to starve myself for a religious occasion than to meet Smith for the film. Thats completely incorrect, she had said.

The script reading for The Seven Pounds was just after Diwali when Dadimaa (Teji Bachchan)s health dipped drastically. So I didnt make that trip out to LA for the reading session with Will. Is that wrong? Not to me. Id any day put family over career.

About turning down Tonight He Comes, she had said, Thats true. I had to say no to Will for Tonight He Comes. I feel awful about it, but Ive my priorities very straight. Yes, family always comes first.

Also read: Kareena Kapoor remembers how Saroj Khan would scold her: If you cant move your feet, at least move your face

I really do want to do the film with Will. When we met we really hit it off. And the subject that he has in mind does sound very interesting for me as an actor and as someone who wants to be part of films that create a global impact, she had said in another interview with IANS in 2006. Unfortunately, Will wants to make the film during the time when Ill be shooting for Ashutosh Gowarikars Jodhaa-Akbar. But I am keen to do Wills film.

Will had reportedly offered the role to Aishwarya in 2005 when he visited India. Talking about her, he had said, I really wanted to work with her... She has this powerful energy where she doesnt have to say anything, do anything, she can just stand there. Anything shes making, Ill be there.

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Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput had often professed his love for Shah Rukh Khan during interviews and television appearances. When he arrived on the sets of Bigg Boss to promote his film Kedarnath, with Sara Ali Khan, he left host Salman Khan surprised with his impression of Shah Rukh.

A video shared by one of Sushants fan accounts shows him recreating a scene from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaaege with him playing Shah Rukh and Sara playing Kajol. In pure Shah Rukh style, Sushant recreated the palat scene to perfection. Salman said, Very nice yaar.

Watch the video here:

Sushant had also done an impression of Shah Rukh in front of the actor himself at an event once. Sushant was seen in a dhoti kurta--to promote his film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy--as he spoke with Shah Rukh. He told the audience that he had long been a fan of Shah Rukh and would do impressions of him at school and college. He then took the actors permission to show it to everyone and imitated a famous line from Shah Rukhs hit film, Chak De India. His take on the Is ilaake ka gunda main hoon came with a romantic flavour as he spread out his arms and went down on his knees. Shah Rukh gave Sushant a warm hug.

Writing for HT Brunch, Sushant had talked about his admiration and love for Shah Rukh in 2017. I was a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan. I remember watching Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and thinking now heres a cool dude. He is a great performer, but thats not what impacted me most: Shah Rukh helped me sort out my confusion about who I should be, he said.

Also read: Kareena Kapoor remembers how Saroj Khan would scold her: If you cant move your feet, at least move your face

Sushant died by suicide on June 14 at 34 years old. Salman had paid tribute to Sushant after his death, and later appealed to his fans, A request to all my fans to stand with sushants fans n not to go by the language n the curses used but to go with the emotion behind it. Pls support n stand by his family n fans as the loss of a loved one is extremely painful.

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Veteran actor Zarina Wahab has dismissed conspiracy theories suggesting that her son, actor Sooraj Pancholi, had a connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death. She said that such speculation was the work of idle minds and had no basis in truth.

In an interview with The Times of India, Zarina said, People are unnecessarily dragging Sooraj into this. They just need a helpless person to blame everything for. He has nothing to do with Sushant Singh Rajputs case. People are just cooking stories. Sooraj and Sushant were not friends as such but they knew each other and they spoke to each other cordially whenever they met. They called each other brother.

Zarina said that such rumours started by anonymous people online could take a toll on Soorajs mental health. It is not right to take advantage of someones helpless situation. People do not fear anybody. I think people have too much free time to do these kinds of things. It is easy to sit behind a computer and talk about people. They dont think about how these things will affect the concerned person. Sooraj has already gone through so much in his life. How can someone kill someone whom he has known only for a few months?, she said.

Sushant died by suicide on June 14, at the age of 34. The Mumbai Police are currently investigating the case and have questioned 29 people including his family members, close friends and staff members. PTI reports that filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been summoned on Monday to record his statement.

Also read: Saroj Khans daughter reveals which Bollywood actors kept in touch with masterji as her health deteriorated

The post-mortem report of Sushant listed the cause of death as asphyxia due to hanging. The police have sent the cloth used by him to a forensic lab for tensile strength analysis. Forensic experts will also check the ligature marks around his neck to ascertain the exact cause of death and whether there was any foul play, according to PTI.

Meanwhile, Sooraj is facing trial in the suicide of his ex-girlfriend Jiah Khan, who died in 2013. He has been charged with abetment. In an Instagram post in 2018, he said that he has been fighting the case in court with patience and respect even as he has been called nasty names.

I have been fighting the case in court for the last 6 years, with patience and respect, waiting for the trial to be completed. In this process I have been called a murderer, a criminal, an abuser and so much worse. I read these things about me almost every single day. And my heartfelt effort has always been to be strong, respectful and ignore it. But they still fill my and my loved ones heart with so much sadness. I dont blame the people who call me names, because thats how i have been portrayed in public, but im not the monster that has been portrayed in headlines, he had written.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918

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In June 2006, a 63-year-old man walked out of his rambling old house in Ambala, Haryana, and never returned. To this day, no one knows what happened to him.

The man was Swadesh Deepak, exceptional Hindi novelist, playwright, short-story writer and author of a searing 331-page book titled Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha, an account of his seven-year battle with mental illness. The book was published in 2003, after first being serialised in the Hindi monthly, Kathadesh.

Mental health has become a greater global concern amid recent tragic suicides as well as reports of people buckling under the stress of trying to cope with the pandemic. Its a time to value precious first-hand accounts of those who have gone to hell and back. Nothing can give one insight into mental health the way an unvarnished personal account can.

Deepaks account shifts in time and place and has a fragmented, collage-like quality. The Sylvia Plath-loving English literature professor (he taught at Ambalas Gandhi Memorial College) wrote dark, violent stories (fellow writer Mannu Bhandari once asked him, Swadeshji, why do you always walk behind your characters with a loaded gun?) and thought of himself as a cruel man, quick to anger.

In 1991, he began sliding into severe depression related to a bipolar disorder. He started withdrawing from everyday activities  going to work, bathing, writing. We couldnt understand what was happening to him, says his son, Sukant, a journalist who contributed a poignant essay on his father to the anthology A Book of Light  When A Loved One Has A Different Mind, edited by Jerry Pinto. (Incidentally, Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha is also being translated into English by Pinto).

Physically, dad was fine, Sukant says. We were a modern, upper-middle-class family; my mother was a painter and a teacher. We knew about psychiatry. But even we didnt understand what he was going through.

The writer accused of remorselessly killing off his characters tried to kill himself too. On one occasion, he slashed his wrists with a blade. Another time, he set himself on fire in the kitchen. His chest and one arm were completely burnt. In hospital in Chandigarh, his family were told he probably wouldnt survive. But doctors in the burns ward, along with specialists from the departments of neurology, psychiatry and cardiology, came together to save him. He stayed in hospital for five months. He lost 15 kg (his wife Geeta jokingly said, Dont become the Invisible Man). He had skin graft surgery. He had shock therapy. He lay silent on his bed in the psychiatry ward. His psychiatrist told him: Unlike other doctors, we cant take the help of blood tests or any other tests. Only when you talk to us and tell us your dark secrets can we help you.

Deepak did have a secret. He was haunted by a woman he called Mayavini, whom he had met twice when he was in Calcutta in 1991 for the staging of his play, Court Martial. Now, he hallucinated that she came to see him at night. Sometimes, with three white cheetahs. Deepak was convinced his suffering was her way of paying him back for having insulted her at their first meeting. Was Mayavini a real woman? Yes, she was, says Sukant.

He remembers the unravelling well. He was just a schoolboy, but he and his sister grew up fast. I respected my father as a writer, but I hated him as a person  though we were also very friendly, Sukant says. My mother stood by him like a rock. She loved him. That love too was stretched to its limit.

With the dedication of the doctors, the support of his family and friends and his own effort, Deepak emerged from his dark place. He went back to writing. And he wrote Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha, a one-of-its-kind book in the annals of Hindi literature. At one point in the memoir, Deepak asks himself: Where did my happy days go? There was no answer.

But ten years after he went home from the hospital, he left home again. This time he didnt return. Today, when I look back at those years, Sukant says, even if I couldnt fully comprehend what was happening to him, I wish I had been kinder.

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As some of you may already know, I spent the lockdown checking out the delivery scene. To try and widen my choices, I invited anyone who had a delivery service whose food they wanted me to try to DM me on Instagram. If it seemed interesting, I said, I would try it.

As it turned out, some of the food came from places I had never heard of before the lockdown. And some of it came from places I already knew. And some from completely new establishments that had just opened. Here in no particular order, is my list of the best.

Best Pad Thai: I am always skeptical about Thai food in India because Indian chefs cook it as though it is just another branch of Indian curry cooking  which it isnt  and there are very few good expatriate Thai chefs in India.

Imagine my surprise therefore when the best Pad Thai I have had in India came from a chef who did not  as far as I knew  cook Thai food.

Jitendra Kapoors

Vikramjeet Roy is a superstar chef, well known and celebrated for his Japanese food (he started out at Wasabi) and his modern takes on Korean and Chinese food. Roy has joined hands with Anurodh Samal, in my view, the best restaurant manager in India to open Hello Panda in Gurgaon. This is a deeply personal venture. Both men are much in demand but have decided to do it alone, sinking their own savings into this restaurant.

I know Vikrams food well so I was not surprised by his sushi rolls, his dim sum or his Chinese dishes. The surprise was the Thai food: a remarkably authentic green curry bursting with the umami flavour of Nam Pla and delicious Pad Thai rice noodles with a few tweaks to the original flavour.

I will order again (and again) but the Pad Thai will remain a must try.

Best Keema Samosa: I had been to the old Rustoms Parsi restaurant but ever since Kainaz Contractor moved her operation to a new location, I lost touch. When I heard they were doing delivery, I ordered a large meal on the very day I got the menu. Almost all of the food was sensational: Dhansak, Salli Boti, Vada Pav, Caramel Custard etc. The only duff dish was a Podi Idli. (I guess if you order Podi Idli from a restaurant that specialises in Mumbai food, you have only yourself to blame.)

Keema and elements of chaat come together in the

But the dish that was so outstanding that I wished I had ordered two portions rather than one was the keema samosa. It was not your average Punjabi samosa but had a thin, crisp pastry and a deliciously-spiced keema filling. I am ordering it again tomorrow!

Best Croissant: I have written at length about Sahil Mehta before so I wont repeat myself. His baking skills are outstanding and his croissants are so perfect, you could be eating in Paris.

Best Gluten-free Cake: Caara is a brand that specialises in catering and produces high quality artisanal sauces and bread. What I did not realise was how good their gluten-free cakes were. I had an orange and almond gluten-free cake that was simply amazing.

Best Gluten-free Bread: This one is a no-contest. It is hard to find a pastry chef with the skill and experience of the Hyatt Regencys Devendra Bungla. I had asked him to create a wheat and rice-free loaf and he came up with bread that was so wonderful that the Hyatt Regency now sells it as Bungla bread.

I would find it hard to survive without it.

Best Sandwich: It is tough to deliver a sandwich without it getting soggy so I was skeptical when Anand Kataria of Big Fat Sandwich contacted me on Instagram. But Kataria and his team have found a way around that. They deliver the components to you and let you make your own sandwich. They also delivered bagels and two kinds of sour dough, some pulled pork, oriental-style pork belly and a variety of dips/sauces. I loved the bacon jam and the kasundi mustard (all available from Bigfat.in) I made delicious sandwiches with their ingredients and thought that these guys had really cracked the sandwich delivery problem.

Big Fat Sandwich delivers the components to you and lets you make your own sandwich

Best Kebabs: Jitendra Kapoor who makes delicious shami kebabs (which you fry at home) has always refused to go commercial but all of his friends hit him for regular supplies.

At some stage I hope we will persuade him to sell them to the general public; they are that good.

Best Sausages: Artisan Meats contacted me a couple of years ago on Instagram and I wrote about their products. They have sustained me through the lockdown with bacon, pancetta, pork belly, pastrami and duck confit. My favourite of their products is the Spicy Italian Sausage. It is so tasty, that I have eaten it on its own, as part of a cassoulet (with their duck confit), roasted over vegetables, paired with lentils and as part of a home-made hot dog. Their other sausages are too smokey for me but this one is perfect.

Best Burger

1. Fast Food Burger: I dont think you can beat the Burger King Whopper, served with 9mm fries that taste of potato all the way through. The chain is super hygiene-conscious and delivery is efficient.

2. Casual Burger: Akriti Malhotra is a former Diva chef who now runs two burger outlets, including one near my home. She does many kinds of burgers but my favourite is the Meister Burger, which has a mutton patty, egg, cheese and sauces, and becomes a gorgeous squishing mess that smears your face with goodness when you try to eat it. It is the sort of burger that trendy food trucks would serve in the West.

3. Gourmet Burger: Every good steakhouse in America will serve a burger made from quality ground meat, an artisanal brioche and top-class fries. The closest we ever came to that in pre-2014 India was the burger at Qube at Delhis Leela Palace.

Rustoms home delivery includes its highly addictive keema samosas

But I think we have a new winner now: the tenderloin burger at Tres, the Delhi restaurant run by chefs Julia DeSa and Jatin Mallick. Chef Jatin cant use beef so he flavours and treats his buffalo meat so well that it makes a nearly perfect burger patty. The bun is baked in-house and Jatin double fries red potatoes for the hand-cut chips.

Julia is experimenting with a burger made with the same bun but with no patty. Instead she uses her own home made Goan Chorise. Its not on the delivery menu yet but I hope she starts delivering it soon.

Best Dabeli: Sumit Gulati is part of the famous tandoori family but he and his Gujarati wife Chiquita run the Spice Market restaurant in Saket along with a cloud kitchen and cook all kinds of cuisine.

They delivered a Western Indian meal to me packed with the authentic flavours of Gujarat and Maharashtra but the single best dish was one they invented themselves. All over Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kutch (and Indore, apparently) you get a vada-pav ancestor called the dabeli, which I dont like very much.

Sette by Fratelli is a Super-Tuscan style red wine made with grapes from Akluj in Maharashtra

But Chiquita Gulati created her own version using spiced keema and combining it with the chaat-like elements of the normal dabeli (peanuts, sev etc.) It shouldnt have worked but it did  a sort of cross between keema-pav and a vada-pav. Mouth watering.

Best Dim Sum: When Yauatcha first opened in London, I used to go there whenever I could to eat the venison puff. You cant serve venison in India but the Delhi Royal China does a light puff filled with roast pork that brings back memories of the original puff. Everything I have ordered from Royal China has been good but this is the dish I crave because of the excellence of the baking.

Best Patty: A patty and a puff are cousins so my other favourite is the chicken patty from Yummies, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. Yummies has a well-deserved reputation for desserts. But nothing comes close to the perfection of their chicken patties.

Best Indian Wine: Most food tastes better with wine and my choice for the duration of the lockdown has been Sette by Fratelli. It is a Super-Tuscan style red wine made with grapes from Akluj in Maharashtra. Fratelli makes a more expensive wine (JNoon) but Sette is the one thats kept me going in the last few months.

From HT Brunch, July 5, 2020

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Western investors piling into gold in the pandemic are more than making up for a collapse in demand for physical metal from traditional retail buyers in China and India, helping push prices to an eight-year high.

Inflows into exchange-traded funds this year - mostly in North America and Europe - are already inches away from the annual record set in 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Meanwhile, demand in China and India, the worlds two biggest buyers of gold bars, coins and jewellery, plunged after the coronavirus stalled imports and emptied malls. Sales have been slow to return as rising prices deter buyers.

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The shift underscores the global push-and-pull for gold between western investors looking for a safe haven and traditional demand centres for physical gold in Asia. It also raises crucial questions for the market this year, as gold prices risk losing support if ETF inflows slow down, or could gain even more momentum if Chinese and Indian demand bounces back.

We expect the U.S. and European investors to remain interested in gold regardless of Asian demand, said Darwei Kung, head of commodities and portfolio manager at DWS Investment Management Americas Inc. If the buying pattern were to go up as well for China and India at the same time as what you see in the ETF market, then the price would have come up even further.

Fear-driven investment demand in developed countries has contributed about 18% to this years gain in gold prices, while weaker buying by emerging-market consumers provided an 8% drag, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimated in a June note. An economic recovery and a weaker dollar may mean emerging-market demand in the second half of the year could shift from being a drag on gold prices to a tailwind.

Still, higher gold prices could exacerbate demand destruction in the East and make prices even more dependent on investors in the West, said Commerzbank AG analyst Carsten Fritsch.

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Spot gold has risen 17% in 2020, closing out the second quarter with the largest rally in more than four years. On Tuesday, gold futures on the Comex topped $1,800 an ounce for the first time since 2011.

The higher prices have had a chilling effect on Asian shoppers even as economies reopen. Traditionally seen as a store of wealth, demand for jewelry in China and India tumbled as lockdowns, job losses and weak economic growth curbed discretionary spending.

Precious metals consultancy Metals Focus Ltd. forecasts a 23% decline for Chinese gold jewelry consumption in 2020, while Indian demand is expected to drop 36%. Chinese gold sales could be as much as 30% lower than 2019, said China Gold Association Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yongtao. Still, that is an improvement from a previous estimate of a 50% decline when the outbreak was at its peak he said.

Nidhi Saxena, 31, a software engineer at a technology firm based in Gurugram, India, was planning to buy gold bangles in March, but changed her mind as gold prices soared and colleagues were laid off.

I cant even think of buying gold right now when I am not even sure if my job is safe, she said.

Trade flows have also been affected. In India, which imports almost all the gold it consumes, imports dropped by about 99% in April and May.

By contrast, demand from ETFs has surged as worries over the economic outlook, negative real rates and currency debasement after massive global stimulus measures drove haven-seeking investors into gold.

Read more: Hedge Fund Luminaries Are Lining Up Behind Gold Again

Total holdings of physical gold in ETFs have risen by more than 600 tons this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, and ETF inflows surpassed retail purchases in China and India in the first quarter for the first time since 2009. While consumer data isnt available yet for the second quarter, ETF buying increased during the three months to June.

The demand for gold in 2020 has been almost exclusively supported by investment demand, said Steve Dunn, head of ETFs at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Flows are charging ahead at an unprecedented pace.

Still, ETF buying only represents one part of this years dramatic flows of bullion from East to West  a reversal from the typical direction in more normal times. More than 700 metric tons of gold have been added to vaults around New York this year, the most in records going back to 1993.

The massive imports into the US were due in part to a scramble for gold among New York traders after the market was upended as virus lockdowns grounded planes and closed refineries. Comex inventories have since surged to a record.

Its not the first time investment demand for gold has surged during a period of global uncertainty, boosting prices and deterring Asian shoppers. Yet its unclear what role lingering coronavirus concerns may play. During the global financial crisis, consumer buying in China and India rebounded from lows within a year but it took until 2013 -- and a slump in prices -- for combined demand in the region to hit the highest in a decade.

Definitely we see that this year, the retail business will be quite challenging, especially for the jewelry sector, said Roland Wang, managing director for China at the World Gold Council. A rebound in demand will depend on the economic and pandemic situation, he said.
About 1.3 lakh government school students of classes 6 to 12 in Ludhiana will have to sit for online bimonthly assessment tests from July 13, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has said.

SCERT has directed schools to conduct tests of 20 marks for each subject with teachers getting a weeks time to check the papers. A virtual meeting of teachers with parents will be conducted on July 30 and 31 for updates on the students performance.

Marks awarded by the subject teacher and class in charge will be sent online to the district and block mentors.

SCERT will also send question papers for six subjects online for classes 6 to 10 and date sheets have already been despatched to schools.

Schools will have their own date sheets for classes 11 and 12.

With just a week left for the tests teachers will not send any daily assignments to enable students to revise lessons.

According to the date sheet, the first exam will be held on July 13 , which includes Punjabi for classes 6 and 8; English for Class 9 and mathematics for Class 10.

The last exam will be conducted on July 18; including mathematics for classes 6 and 9; social studies for Class 7 and science for classes 8 and 10.

The teachers will submit the result online with the school principal by July 25.

It was time the students performance was evaluated, said district education officer, secondary, Swaranjit Kaur. The students are attending classes through television for the last two months and teachers have been holding classes through Zoom and WhatsApp since March. There was a need to evaluate their performance. The students will get to know the areas they need to work on. We will share the childrens performance with the parents through virtual parent teacher meetings.
Mahender Yadav, a former legislator from Delhis Palam constituency who was convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at a private hospital in Dwarka on Saturday, days after testing positive for Covid-19 at Mandoli Jail where he was lodged for the last 18 months.

Yadav is the second prisoner to have died of the disease in the national capital. The other Covid death, on June 19, had taken place in the same barrack where Yadav was lodged.

On Wednesday, Yadavs family had approached the Supreme Court seeking interim bail for him on the grounds that they were not allowed to meet him in hospital. The Supreme Court had rejected his bail petition saying nobody could visit a person admitted in the ICU and that prisoners suffering from coronavirus were not entitled to getting any special treatment or favours.

So far, 53 inmates and 88 staffers of Delhis jails have tested positive for Covid-19. Of them, 31 prisoners and 28 staffers have recovered, said Sandeep Goel, director general (Delhi Prisons).

Yadav was serving a 10-year sentence in the anti-Sikh riots case after conviction by a CBI court in 2018. He had been in jail since December 31 that year.

He was lodged in jail number 14 of Mandoli Jail located in north-east Delhi.

Giving a background of the spread of Covid-19 in Mandoli Jail, Goel said the death of the other prisoner, Kanwar Singh, due to coronavirus had prompted the authorities to test all the other 29 inmates in that barrack. These 29 prisoners, including Yadav, were mostly senior citizens.

Seventeen of these 29 inmates tested positive in the first round on June 20. The others were tested again five days later and three more inmates were found to be infected. Yadav was found positive in the second round of testing, said Goel.

A day after his test results showed he was positive, Yadav developed uneasiness and heart-related symptoms upon which he was referred to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, said Goel.

The same day, he was referred to Lok Nayak Hospital (a Covid-designated hospital), said Goel.

Four days later, on June 30, Yadav was moved to the private Akash Healthcare Hospital in Dwarka. The transfer was made under police guard on the request by Yadavs family.

On Wednesday, his family had approached the Supreme Court to request interim bail for him on the grounds that his relatives werent allowed to meet him in hospital and granting him bail would allow his family to take suitable steps in view of his deteriorating health.

His family had cited his advancing age and ailments like diabetes and kidney issues.

But the bench, headed by justice Indira Banerjee, had remarked, If a person is in ICU, nobody can visit him. The petitioner cannot be given differential treatment because he is under detention.

HTs efforts to reach Yadavs son did not elicit a response.

Yadav passed away at the hospital on Saturday evening, said Goel.
Posted Sunday, July 5, 2020 9:21 am

TACOMA  Down a gravel pathway, past a scattering of needle caps and food wrappers and beneath a graffiti-sprayed overpass for Tacoma's East 32nd Street, lies a portal into the public's health.

For millennia, sewer systems have carried off waste and disease. More recently, they've drawn coronavirus-searching scientists in their wake.

On a Friday last month, Chad Atkinson, a senior environmental technician for Tacoma, lifted up a maintenance hole cover with a metal hook.

The stench of decomposition pricked the nostrils as a flashlight beam illuminated a stream of untreated wastewater flowing past globs of fatty muck below. The waste of some 17,000 Tacoma residents drains through this site, including sewage from several retirement communities and the nearby Emerald Queen Casino.

Senior environmental specialist Steve Shortencarrier jabbed an extendible pole into the sanitary sewer, rubbed an attached shop towel on the sludge and pulled it to the surface.

Then, Gina Chang, a student intern volunteering with a nearby biotech laboratory, dabbed and twisted a pair of swabs on the soiled towel, before snapping the samples off into vials with preservative liquid for testing.

"The nastier, the better," Chang said of the samples. "If it's ripe, it's good."

Chang is one of many researchers involved in an international and fast-developing hunt for sewer-system clues to the virus that causes COVID-19. Scientists say developing methods to test and track remnants of the virus in wastewater and sewer sludge could help build an early warning system for future COVID-19 outbreaks, help epidemiologists understand trends in infection and lead to a better understanding of the virus's reach in communities with less access to clinical testing.

Researchers have monitored for viruses like polio in wastewater for years, but the coronavirus is new, and while studies indicate scientists can find its genetic fingerprints, they're still sorting out what that means and how it could help contain the disease.

"COVID-19 is in our community and circulating the drainage in our sewer," said David Hirschberg, founder of the RAIN Incubator for biotechnology, which is leading the testing in Tacoma. With that information, "What do you do now?"

Shedding the coronavirus

Scientists sampling and testing the sewers are not, necessarily, finding live virus or even enough virus to infect humans.

Rather, they're identifying the presence of the genetic signal of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, through ribonucleic acid (RNA), which ultimately breaks down in the environment.

"RNA doesn't last very long outside of a host or a body or a cell," Hirschberg said. But in sewage, "there's enough fat in there or organic material that allows parts of it to exist without being degraded."

The virus's genes, of course, are transported into wastewater by human feces, where they intermingle with everything else in the system.

"It shows up and sheds pretty commonly and sheds in pretty high concentrations in human stool," said Jordan Peccia, a professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale University who is examining wastewater sludge for remnants of the coronavirus in Connecticut.

That makes sewage a convenient method for sampling communities broadly and at once.

"Everybody on average passes a stool sample each day that is conveniently flushed down a toilet and transported, within typically two hours, to a wastewater treatment plant," Peccia said, referencing his work in Connecticut. "It's a low cost, pretty easy surveillance method."

And there might be nothing more egalitarian than the sewer system.

"When you measure the sewage, you measure everybody -- not just the wealthy," Hirschberg said, noting that inequalities in the health care system have created disparities in access to clinical testing and that COVID-19 disproportionately affects people of color. "Sewage is a way to unbiasedly test populations."

Emerging science

The nascent scientific work produced by sewer sleuths across the world is emerging quickly, but it remains messy, and these promising ideas offer as many questions as answers.

Are samples representative of upstream populations? Could the concentration of RNA detected indicate how many infections are spreading in a community? How precise are sewer tests? How much, and how quickly, does the genetic material decay in water?

Scientists don't yet know for sure.

"It's the wild West right now," said Scott Meschke, a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington who specializes in environmental pathogens and has been testing samples of raw wastewater from King County's treatment plants each week to determine the most consistent analytical methods for detecting the virus. "Everything is happening in parallel."

A peer-reviewed study conducted in the Netherlands, which began sampling before COVID-19 had spread to some Dutch communities, identified the virus's RNA six days before the first clinical cases were reported in one Dutch town.

Peccia's team at Yale published a paper, which has yet to be peer-reviewed by other scientists, that suggests the concentration of viral RNA in samples taken from a central wastewater plant in New Haven, Connecticut, was a "leading indicator" of an outbreak's course.

Peccia said the rise and fall of clinical testing data and hospitalizations correlated to sample concentration data collected days earlier.

A Barcelona scientist suggested COVID-19 emerged earlier than thought after his preliminary study reported he had found the virus in a March 2019 wastewater sample, according to The New York Times. Independent experts doubted the claim, the newspaper reported.

Other scientists have attempted to extrapolate the number of COVID-19 cases in communities based on wastewater samples, which has drawn skepticism.

"Some folks are over-interpreting," Meschke said of the research. "The peer review process will help."

Clues in Tacoma

The Tacoma researchers are exploring a novel approach they hope could inform public health decisions.

About an hour after the sewer sample was plucked from beneath the Tacoma overpass, research technician Darrell Lockhart sat before a biosafety hood and gingerly used a pipette to mix samples with a solvent solution and begin analytical testing that targets genetic sequences.

Workers and volunteers at the RAIN Incubator laboratory in Tacoma, a nonprofit hub Hirschberg founded in hopes of sparking a biotech renaissance in Tacoma, each week gather and process about eight samples -- five from nearby sewer sites and three from Tacoma's wastewater plants.

The RAIN scientists are skeptical that wastewater data can foretell how many people are infected with COVID-19, and merely seek to determine the presence or absence of the virus.

"This is a binary signal," said Stanley Langevin, a virologist and principal scientist at the incubator. "That's why you have to go into sewers for resolution."

Central wastewater plants process tens of thousands of people's waste, but increasingly small branches in the sewer system offer a more specific and narrow perspective.

"Some drain neighborhoods, some drain shopping malls, some drain from schools, hospitals," Hirschberg said.

The smallest branch the team is currently sampling comprises about 1,500 residents, Hirschberg said.

"The more signals we have, the more likely we can understand the parameters of the outbreak to put prevention measures to stop it," Langevin said.

Langevin harbors doubts over whether a vaccine can be developed for COVID-19, and believes Washington state does not perform enough clinical testing nor contract tracing to contain the outbreak. (Hirschberg is more bullish on a vaccine, but skeptical it will be developed soon.)

The RAIN scientists believe public health officials could use wastewater data to marshal resources to affected areas before people start showing up sick at hospitals.

"We have to have a way to narrow the population," Langevin said. "This can be an early warning."

As U.S. case numbers rise quickly and as many expect a worldwide second wave of COVID-19 cases, the Water Research Foundation has asked some 30 laboratories pursuing this research to share and compare methodology for a study it's leading.

"We want to have greater confidence in the methods," said Peter Grevatt, chief executive officer of the international nonprofit research foundation. Grevatt said the organization will lead a second study that focuses on how and when to sample, and how the genetic material moves or degrades in sewers.

"It needs to be reined in a bit to make good public health use," Meschke said of the research environment.

Could what's flowing through the sewers one day drive governments' COVID-19 responses?

By fall, the Netherlands plans to establish a COVID-19 sampling program for every wastewater treatment facility in the country, Grevatt said.

Washington state is not moving with the Netherlands' haste.

The state Department of Health did create an informal group to look into wastewater monitoring for the virus that causes COVID-19, said Ginny Streeter, a spokesperson for the department.

"There is definitely an interest in this type of testing at the agency and more broadly, the state response. That being said, the current priorities are really on more established tools such as clinical testing and contact tracing," Streeter said. "We do have constraints on resources."

To Grevatt, the promise of testing the pulse of an entire community at once with only a handful of samples is worth pursuing.
A 40-year-old man and his 60-year-old neighbour died after an under-construction parapet of Government High Senior Secondary School (GHSSS), Nawankot, collapsed due to the storm on Saturday night.

The deceased have been identified as Satpal Singh and Kiran Bala, whose houses are right next to the school.

Satpals wife Rajni told the police that around 8pm, her husband had gone to the terrace when the schools parapet collapsed due to the storm and fell on him. Kiran Bala, who was sitting outside her house, also got injured in the incident.

The duo was rushed to a private hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.

The deceased Satpal Singh and Kiran Bala. (HT PHOTO)

Family members of the deceased Satpal in an inconsolable state. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

Rajni said that she and other people in the locality had requested the school authorities several times to stop the construction as the building was weak, but they did not pay heed.

Gate Hakima station house officer Sukhbir Singh said a case has been registered against the school authorities under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
As the anti-China sentiment is gaining momentum among consumers, makers of face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits in Ludhiana  the biggest manufacturer of the same in the country  are ensuring to attach Made in India tags to their products.

Stating that Chinese products were not be being accepted by customers, the mask makers said the latter were seeking only indigenous stuff these days.

Ludhiana district chemists association chairperson Manjit Singh said in the prevailing scenario, no customer wants to buy Chinese items and preferred locally-made masks and PPEs.

We are receiving orders for locally-made N-95 masks from hospitals. There are reasons for it. First, the current border tension between Indian and China and secondly the poor-quality material supplied by Chinese firms. China has used India for dumping its medical equipment. Majority of its N-95 masks and PPE kits were of poor quality and did not meet the standards. The filter on these Chinese masks used to get detached easily and was made of substandard material, said Manjit.

Similarly, PPE and N-95 mask manufacturer Avneesh Aggarwal said Ludhiana industry has both the potential and expertise to manufacture better quality face masks and PPE kits.

The need to put a barcode, lot number and place of manufacturing was felt as many people were importing products from China and selling them in the market, said Avneesh Aggarwal. But following the killing of our soldiers, people started boycotting Chinese-made goods. We were receiving feedback that people were asking about the place of manufacturing. So, we decided highlight our products with Made in India tags, he added.

Another manufacturer Ujjwal Miglani said they were receiving direction from buyers to mandatorily attach made-in-India logos on the products made by the firm. Not only customers, but the labourers working in the factory do not want to use any product made in China. This anti-China sentiment is proving to be blessing in disguise and will give push the MSME industry of the city. said Miglani.

Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO) textile division head Ajit Lakra said, The anti-China sentiment is dominating every sector of the industry. But we have to keep in mind that over the years we have greatly depended on China in terms of machinery. While software could be replaced overnight, glitches in machinery cannot be fixed without technical support. So the government should encourage subsidised technology exchange with countries like Taiwan, Korea and Japan in order to eliminate dependence on China.

He added that the government has laid down stringent guidelines for manufacturing of PPE kits and face masks. As per the new guidelines, the manufacturer has to mention the barcode and lot number of the product being made, said Lakra.
Are Covid-19 cases in Mumbai plateauing? In the past 10 days, Mumbai has, in descending order of dates from July 5, recorded 1,287, 1,163, 1,338, 1,554, 1,487, 893, 1,226, 1,287, 1,402 and 1,297 cases, averaging 1,293 cases per day. This number was 1,275 for the week ending June 27, and 1,214 the week ending June 20. In the three weeks before that, Mumbai recorded 1354, 1273 and 1375 new cases every day at an average.

Since June 15, the city has not recorded major spikes in the pandemic curve. In this backdrop, Maharashtra health officials believe that Covid-19 has hit a plateau in Mumbai.

However, that is not the case for the rest of Maharashtra. If we break the 200,000-case march of Covid in the state (Maharashtra breached the grim figure on July 4) into four phases of 50,000 cases each, an alarming trend of the increasing pace of cases emerges. The first 50,000 cases in Maharashtra took 77 days (on May 24) from the first case reported in the state on March 9, while the next 50,000 came in the next 19 days on June 12. The state crossed 150,000 cases just two weeks later on June 26. The 200,000-case mark came in just eight days later.

In the last week, Maharashtra reported 5,847 new cases every day at an average  the highest ever recorded. The week before, this number was 4,418, and it was 3,376 the week before, all record highs until that point of time. In fact, the average new case graph has been increasing every day for nearly a month.

Another case of worry for Maharashtra is the rise in active cases. In the last week, the state has added nearly 15,700 active cases. The week before that, active cases in the state increased a little over 9,500. Active cases is a crucial metric because it directly reflects the load on any regions healthcare system. As of July 5, there are 86,040 active cases in the state. On June 25, there were 63,342. Recovery rate improved marginally from 52.42% to 54.08% in the same period.

Mumbai, however, appears to have hit a plateau, in both daily cases as well as active cases. As of July 5, Mumbais active cases stood at 23,732. The city had recorded 55,884 recoveries out of 84,524 cumulative cases, giving a recovery rate of 66.12%. In contrast, on June 25, Mumbais active cases stood at 27,659, with 39,149 recoveries out of a total of 70,878 cases. The recovery rate in Mumbai was 55.23%. Since then, the recovery rate in Mumbai has risen by 10.89 percentage points, and the active cases have dropped by 14.2%.

This is not enough to put Mumbai in the clear, though, according to Dr Abhijit More, co-convenor of Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, a pan-Maharashtra health sector NGO. He says testing in Mumbai has been inadequate. The number of tests has remained constant between 4,000 and 4,500. The identification of cases has therefore maintained a similar path. If the civic-body starts testing more, the pandemic curve will go up, rather than remaining constant, he said.

From June 25 to July 3, Mumbai averaged 5025 tests a day, but from June 1 to June 24, it had averaged 4,298 tests.

However, Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state Covid-19 task force refutes Mores claim.

Citing data, Joshi said when BMC was testing between 2,500 and 4,000 people every day in April, the positivity rate was higher. For example, on April 28, when the city recorded its highest one-day spike with 2,105 cases, the BMC tested 4,093 people, giving a positivity rate of 51.43%.

In the last week of May, when we recorded the highest spike in cases, our testing figure was between 3,500 and 4,500 samples. Despite increasing the number of tests in June and July, the pandemic curve hasnt gone up. It has rather plateaued, Dr Joshi said.

Public health experts said the plateauing is not uniform across the city. Cases seem to have plateaued only in south Mumbai, they said, where some locations had recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases, whereas numbers are gradually increasing in north Mumbai, especially in the western suburbs.

Dr Sanjay Pattiwar, a public health expert and analyst, said. G-North ward, which has Indias largest slum cluster of Dharavi, was BMCs prime concern. Now, we are recording very few cases there. The curve has flattened in Dharavi, but the situation is the opposite in Borivali, Dahisar and Kandivali.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday asked the Himachal Pradesh government to take concrete steps to bring Nepalese labour on time for the apple season by discussing it with the Centre.

CPI (M) leader Sanjay Chauhan said orchardists are worried due to shortage of labour. If labour is not arranged on time then it will become difficult for orchardists to take their produce to fruit markets thereby causing huge losses, he said.

He said, Most apple orchards are away from roads therefore labour have to carry apple boxes on their backs. Labour is also required to load and unload apple boxes from the vehicle. Due to Covid-19 and other issues with Nepal, labour have not been able to come to the state this year. Till now, the state government has also not taken any concrete step in this direction.

He said the apple season has started in the state and will pick up pace in lower and middle hills within the next two weeks but due to the pandemic, there is a shortage of labourers, packaging materials and other essential resources. Besides, truck owners and other commercial vehicles have also hiked transportation charges by 20% due to hike in prices of petrol and diesel.

Also, around 65% fruit crop has been destroyed by untimely rainfall and hailstorms which has resulted in losses, he added.
With 14 fresh cases, Mohalis Covid-19 tally crossed the 300 mark on Sunday morning.

The development comes a day after the district reported its fifth fatality related to the disease.

The number of confirmed cases stand at 302, of which 79 are active. Of the fresh ones, 12 are from Behda village in Dera Bassi subdivision, which is emerging as a new hotspot.

The patients include seven females, aged 14, 17, 18, 27, 28, 32 and 45, and five males, aged 17, 24, 26, 40, 51. All are contacts of previous positive cases.

The other two patients are a 57-year-old woman from Lalru, also in Dera Bassi subdivision, and a 36-year-old woman from Phase 4 in Mohali city. Both of them were suffering from influenza like illness.

Civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said all patients have been shifted to Gian Sagar Hospital in Banur and are responding well to treatment.

A 69-year-old woman of Phase 3A, who had returned from the UK, was the first to test positive in the district on March 20. The count climbed to 112 by the end of May, as Jawaharpur village in Dera Bassi emerged as a hotspot with 46 cases.

Since June 1, when the Centre unrolled the Unlock plan, the district has seen a major spike, with 190 cases being reported in the past 35 days.

Dera Bassi subdivision, which comprises of Dera Bassi town besides Zirakpur and Lalru, accounts for 60% of the total count so far.

Dera Bassi is witnessing more cases as it has interstate border, and being an industrial hub, it also houses migrant population. We are making our best efforts to carry out extensive sampling in the area, said Dr Singh.

Dr Vikrant Nagra, Covid-19 nodal officer for Dera Bassi, said Behda village in Dera Bassi is becoming a new hotspot as 35 cases have been reported so far. There are two meat plants in the village and most of the infected persons are migrants working there, he said. Dr Harmandeep Kaur Brar, nodal officer for the district, said it is the duty of industrialists in Dera Bassi to take precautions and prevent the spread of infection among migrants.
On Friday morning, before many of us were awake, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi was on his way to the India-China border posts. He inspected the preparations at Nimu, Ladkah. He met Indian Army and Indian Air Force soldiers as well as personnel from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to ascertain the situation on the ground. He went on the Leh Sainik hospital where he met injured soldiers.

The visit by the PM in these fraught times sends out a message to the soldiers, the nation and the world  India will not give in to pressure from any quarter. This effort on the part of the PM was important in view of the grief and anger in the country after what happened in the Galwan Valley.

While it boosted the morale of the soldiers and offered some reassurance to the country, it was not lost on the Chinese as well. While the PM was still in Leh, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry in Beijing made a statement that negotiations were going on to resolve the border issue and that in this situation, no one should act in a manner that will worsen it. Was China going on the defensive or giving us some advice?

Whatever Chinas motive was in making the statement, PMs visit achieved its objective. This may further prove to be a roadblock to Chinas ambitions. China, already in conflict with all the major powers of the world, is now confronting the elephant in its backyard, something which can hurt the dragons ambitions.

Here we should also note the steps taken by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. He recently increased defence spending for the next decade by 40%, with a statement that the world is moving towards the situation which existed in 1930.

What happened in 1930? Those were the days of the Great Recession in the United States (US). Within a few years, World War II broke out. I am not suggesting that we are moving towards World War III. But Chinas aggression and ambition have triggered a reset in global diplomacy. China has always had a bitter-sweet relationship with India, Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan. Australia, however, had been ambivalent and was not in this mix; yet, it seems to apprehend Chinas trajectory.

The policy of aggressive nationalism, adopted by Chinas hyper-ambitious leader President Xi Jinping, will probably not work out well for his country in the long-run. Until a few weeks ago, many countries including Canada, England, New Zealand, and Germany were interested in strengthening ties with China. But the situation has changed rapidly.

The world has become suspicious of Beijing after the repression of Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the lack of transparency on the Covid-19 outbreak and its predator maritime policy. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently made a statement in his parliament against China and expressed solidarity with the agitating citizens of Hong Kong. He even proposed giving British citizenship to the three million people of Hong Kong. The US House of Representatives unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act to impose heavy fines and sanctions on banks and individuals involved in the suppression of democracy supporters in Hong Kong. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had already warned Beijing, whereas France and Japan have also expressed support for India after the Galwan incident. Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is considered a supporter of Beijing, but public sentiment in his country has turned against this. In one survey, there has been a decrease of more than 20% in Chinas popularity in Canada.

It would be erroneous to think that Huawei and other Chinese companies will always function with the help of the government in the 5G tech business. Huawei is already considered a problem in the US and Europe. In todays world, where data is important, there are suspicions about what Chinese corporations are using our data for after offering tempting discounts on their technology. India has banned 59 Chinese apps based on this logic. Chinese companies have also lost many contracts. If this trend catches on in other countries, Beijing will be forced to rethink its policies.

US President Donald Trump wants to continue with this policy of shutting China out as much as possible. Joe Biden, who is most likely to challenge him in the next election, is also of the same view. We are approaching a situation where powerful western countries and larger Asian countries will be suspicious of China but where Latin American, African, East European and smaller Asian countries may still be locked into a relationship of dependence with China.

Irrespective of how things pan out, one thing is certain. China, with its belligerent attitude, has put a spoke in the works of the possibility of rewriting a magnificent chapter of human history going forward. It is a well-known fact that from the first century AD to 1820, India and China generated almost half the worlds Gross Domestic Product. If the two countries work together, they could recreate some of the glory of the past and be a beacon to the world. But China, with its territorial ambitions and disregard for international law, has put paid to that for now.

Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, Hindustan

The views expressed are personal
A former MLA serving jail sentence in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case died due to Covid-19 at a hospital in the national capital, the second inmate of Mandoli prison to have succumbed to the infection, officials said on Sunday.

Mahender Yadav, 70, was a former MLA from Palam constituency. He was lodged in Jail no. 14 of Mandoli prison, where he was undergoing a sentence of 10 years, and had been hospitalised on June 26, they said. Another convict Kanwar Singh, who died last month and had tested positive for coronavirus, was also lodged in Jail no. 14.

The Supreme Court had on July 1 refused to grant interim bail to Yadav, who sought to be released on the ground that he was Covid-19 positive.

Director general (prisons) Sandeep Goel said that Yadav complained of uneasiness and some heart related problems on June 26. He was taken to DDU Hospital, from where he was referred to LNJP Hospital the same day and admitted there.

Later, on his familys request, he was allowed to be shifted under police guard to a private hospital in Dwarka on June 30.

We received information that Mahender Yadav expired in Akash hospital on July 4 evening, he added.

Yadav was lodged in jail since December 2018, according to officials.

Kanwar Singh died on June 15 in his sleep. A Covid-19 test had turned out to be positive, officials said.
There is new problem at hand for health authorities in Delhi-NCR which is grappling with rapid rise in the number of coronavirus disease cases. More than 1,500 Covid-19 patients are missing in the region, according to Hindustan Times sister publication Hindustan.

The health authorities are not able to trace these 1,589 patients, the Hindustan reported. This happened because these people gave wrong address and mobile numbers while being tested for Covid-19, it further reported.

The highest number of these missing patients - 1,000 - is from Faridabad followed by 266 from Gurugram, 180 from Delhi, 124 from Ghaziabad and 19 from Noida.

The health authorities Hindustan spoke to said that a patients medical information is uploaded on the mobile application of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) before the sample is taken. The patient is then asked for mobile number and the data is uploaded only after an OTP (One-Time Password) is generated.

In these cases, the lapse happened because these people got themselves checked at private labs, when the pandemic was just about rearing its head in India.

The health authorities have asked the police to help trace these patients. The authorities say that they have found 65 missing Covid-19 patients in Ghaziabad and they have been admitted to the hospital.

In Faridabad, the municipal authorities have also been roped in to trace these missing patients.

Tightening the rules further, Faridabads civil surgeon Dr Randeep Singh Poonia told Hindustan that they have made Aadhar card, identity card and home address proof mandatory. The authorities have already issued order in this regard, he added.

Delhi, meanwhile, crossed the 3,000-mark in the number of Covid-19 fatalities after 55 deaths were recorded on Saturday. The number of deaths due to the viral infection stood at 3,004, according to the health bulletin released by the Delhi government, with 26 old cases added to the cumulative number.

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.

On Saturday, the city recorded 2,505 new cases of Covid-19 taking the cumulative total to 97,200.
With 2,244 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Sunday, the total number of confirmed infections in the national capital stood just 556 away from the 100,000 mark, 126 days since the first case was recorded in Delhi on March 2.

According to the Delhi governments daily health bulletin on Sunday, the Capitals Covid-19 tally was 99,444. Delhi has recorded 2,338 new cases of Covid-19 on average every day over the past week.

So far, 3,067 people have died due to the infection in the city, which means that Delhi has a case fatality rate (CFR) of 3%, slightly higher than the national average of 2.8%.

Also read| Covid-19: Delhi govt orders compulsory rapid antigen detection test for high-risk individuals

However, a silver lining for the national capital is the recovery rate, which on Saturday exceeded 70% for the first time. On Sunday, another 3,083 people recovered from the illness, taking the citys recovery tally to 71,339, even as the testing numbers continue to rise.

This means there are around 25,000 active cases  those still living with the infection  in the city. Active cases are a crucial metric because they directly correspond to the strain on a regions health care system.

According to the state governments Delhi Corona app, the Capital has 15,161 beds for Covid-19 patients, of which 5,294 are occupied and 9,867 vacant as of Sunday.

With 32,477 tests per million on Sunday, Delhi has among the highest testing rates in the country once the population is factored in.

With nearly two-thirds of the Capitals Covid-19 beds vacant, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday tweeted: Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home.

Whereas there were around 2,300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6,200 to 5,300. Today, 9,900 corona beds are free, he said in another tweet.

Just over one in five people admitted to hospitals with Covid-19 in Delhi are admitted to intensive care units.

Testing numbers in the city have gone up since the commencement of rapid antigen tests on June 18, as part of the Centre and state governments efforts to stabilise the Covid-19 situation in the Capital. While the rapid tests were initially limited to the citys containment zones initially, administrations in all 11 revenue districts of the city began conducting these tests from Friday, in a move to bring a greater proportion of the population under the testing net.

The increase in the daily testing and the change in testing strategy to include asymptomatic people has meant that the positivity rate of cases has also dropped. The average weekly positivity rate, which was 21.6% two weeks ago, has since dropped to 11.6% on Sunday, though it still remains one of the highest in the country. At its peak, this number crossed 30% on June 16, which meant that nearly one out of every three tests was coming back positive.

Also read| People behaving like pre-Covid days:Kerala backs tightening of rules, traders sceptical

Government reports seen by HT showed that till Friday, 181,883 antigen tests were conducted across Delhi, of which 13,100 people were found positive. As per these reports, Shahdara district had the highest antigen test positivity rate in the national capital  11.29%, while the most tests had, as of Friday, been conducted in south-west district.

Jugal Kishore, head of the community medicine department at Safdarjung Hospital, said: Our recoveries have more or less been on international lines. In fact, the recovery rate will get much higher in the coming days because the new cases that are being detected are mostly mild or asymptomatic. We have also had far fewer deaths than estimated earlier, which is positive as well, showing that we our understanding of the virus has evolved from the initial situation.
Posted Sunday, July 5, 2020 9:25 am

Weeks of protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd have placed renewed attention on police body-worn cameras, whose two largest U.S. manufacturers have a significant Seattle presence.

Axon and Motorola Solutions recently branched out to commercial sales even before Floyd's filmed killing in Minneapolis. Cellphone footage from bystanders put the case in the spotlight, but recordings from police body cameras are expected to be introduced at trial.

Businesses and municipal services large and small -- including fire departments, emergency medical technicians, private security firms, department stores and construction crews -- have turned increasingly to body-worn devices from a plethora of manufacturers to monitor employees for training, safety and behavioral purposes.

"Frankly, we've been really surprised at the level of interest in a broad number of different industry marketplaces that were not on our radar before," said Axon founder Rick Smith, whose 1,500 employees include 245 in a Seattle office that is the company's second biggest beyond its Scottsdale, Arizona, headquarters.

The idea of body cameras as a nonlethal safety tool to monitor police and modify behavior -- with the aim of reducing excessive force by officers and false complaints against them -- is also what's luring the business world.

Axon makes body cameras for the Seattle Police Department and the Minneapolis force, four of whom were charged in Floyd's killing in May. Within the past six months, it has started selling cameras to larger companies for "industrial use" purposes, one of the bigger ones a pharmaceutical firm where devices are being worn on a trial basis by employees at drug-testing facilities.

"It turns out that any time there is any concern that somebody didn't follow the right safety protocols, they have to scrap millions of dollars of medication," Smith said. "But they reported back to us that by having people that are working key processes wear body cameras, they are able to go back and check and verify whether or not a process was followed. They've already saved millions of dollars in stuff they didn't have to scrap."

Others include a company doing "large truckloads of deliveries" to grocery stores, using cameras to record the physical transfer of goods to reduce theft and loss. "There are times when a client would call up and say, 'Hey, we're one palette short of some produce' or 'This produce is bad.' Well, now that they've got the video, they're able to go back and look."

While cameras like GoPro have made significant inroads among consumers -- sky divers, mountain climbers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts -- Smith said his commercial clients want something different. The Axon Flex 2, Axon Body 2 and newer Body 3 cameras are less focused on color pixelation and cinematography than a GoPro, but better for evidence gathering given their 12-hour, full-police-shift battery life and delivery of accurate, non-erasable footage -- even in low light -- and crisp audio along with secure storage options.

The Body 3 also offers livestreaming that activates automatically when a police weapon is drawn or emergency lights activated, and remote map-tracking of the camera-wearer.

"The fact that we do this with police evidence is a strong industry endorsement around the reliability and security of our overall platform," Smith said. "It appears to really be resonating in a lot of other industries."

Motorola has made in-vehicle cameras for police since 2004 -- becoming the national leader in that realm -- before branching out to body camera sales in 2015. It began selling body cameras commercially in the United Kingdom last year and in the United States the first half of this year to customers in retail sales, the railway industry and emergency first responders.

The company's Seattle office of about 150 employees is a headquarters for its "command center software" business -- which includes tools for gathering and storing video evidence obtained from body cameras.

John Kedzierski, Motorola's senior vice president of video evidence and analytics, said the recent protests and calls for increased body camera use by police "has absolutely made more customers interested" in the product. But Kedzierski said commercial interest had already been piqued, with demand surging once the coronavirus pandemic took hold.

"Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to see cases where customers behave very inappropriately," Kedzierski said. "You've probably read and heard about cases where people engage in coughing and spitting intentionally because they were dissatisfied with something. And so, we're seeing more demand for cameras in those areas to de-escalate those situations and, if need be, to document them."

Clients also use the footage to train new employees on real-life situations they may face. Or, to go over how an employee handled a situation to train them to attain better outcomes.

Motorola, like Axon, wouldn't divulge the names of its U.S. clients because it doesn't have permission. Motorola clients overseas include the Sainsbury's department store chain -- the U.K.'s second largest -- where Kedzierski said employees at about 400 of 1,400 or so locations wear the company's VT100 camera to record customer interactions.

"Front-line employees that are trying to enforce people wearing masks, or social distancing, inside the store can encounter a customer that doesn't want to do that," said Kedzierski, whose company also sells VT100 cameras to the British-based ASDA and Co-op supermarket chains. "And those situations can get escalated. That focus on employee safety has been a key driver in our discussions more than anything else."

The VT100 is more lightweight than the V300 models Motorola sells to law enforcement and doesn't have the company's proprietary Record-After-the-Fact technology -- which allows continuous footage to be retrieved from the police models even if the camera wasn't turned on.

But the VT100 offers a standby mode where cameras can sit idle for months and then be turned on at the push of a button without recharging. Once on, the camera's footage is livestreamed to a store's control room video monitors while an audible or text alert automatically goes to security guard radios for quick response if needed.

Among U.S. businesses known to use body cameras include Walmart, which equips members of its InHome Delivery team with proprietary models. The program, launched last fall in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Missouri, and Vero Beach, Florida, enables employees to gain access to private homes when owners are absent and place groceries directly inside refrigerators.

By turning on their cameras, the employees trigger a special locking mechanism on a home's door allowing one-time access -- with the owner able to monitor the transaction on a smartphone application. Walmart has since added pharmaceutical deliveries to the program, plans more services this summer and could expand to other cities later this year.

Last October, Massachusetts regulators required those making home deliveries of recreational marijuana to wear body cameras because they were prone to robberies and to ensure they weren't leaving packages with small children.

Axon founder Smith views increased body camera usage as a natural outgrowth at a time seemingly everybody already films smartphone videos. Smith's company used to be known as Taser and has sold nonlethal stun-gun weapons to police since the late-1990s and body cameras since 2015.

Two of Smith's high school friends were shot dead in a mid-1980s road-rage incident in Scottsdale while he was away attending graduate school. The killings spurred a personal fascination with the subject of gun violence and his company's core mission to explore nonlethal solutions to counter it.

And while Axon cameras filming Floyd's death didn't prevent it, he's hopeful emerging technology -- especially livestreaming -- can lead to quicker interventions when lines get crossed. That technology is why Smith views Seattle as "our most important recruiting hub" for top talent, including the December hiring of former Amazon Alexa Vice President Jeff Kunins as the company's new chief product officer.

Just like police, Smith expects commercial clients will grapple with privacy issues surrounding body cameras -- including the limits of workplace surveillance, use of facial recognition technology and determining how footage will be compiled and who will have access to it. And Axon will have to address such concerns through tech.

"There are no easy answers," Smith said. "We can't go back to the 1950s where, of course, there was privacy and nobody was being recorded. That's just not a world we can go back into."
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that nearly 10,000 beds meant for coronavirus disease patients are free in Delhi hospital because more and more people are getting cured at home.

Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home. Whereas there were around 2300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6200 to 5300. Today, 9900 corona beds are free, he said on Twitter.

Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home. Whereas there were around 2300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6200 to 5300. Today, 9900 corona beds are free  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 5, 2020

On Saturday, the national capital recorded 2,505 new cases of Covid-19 which took the overall number of infections in the city to 97,200. More than 2,500 (2,632 to be exact) people also recovered from the infection on the same day, which took the tally of those cured of the disease to 68,256. With this, Delhi achieved its highest recovery rate - of just over 70 per cent.

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, Kejriwal had tweeted on Saturday.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also tweeted about the recovery rate. 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%, he tweeted.

With increased testing and more cases being detected in the city, the case fatality ratio has decreased over the last two weeks.

On June 23, the national capital had reported its highest single-day spike of 3,947 cases.

With a drop in average fresh cases reported per day in Delhi over the past one week, experts on Saturday claimed that the city may go past its Covid-19 peak in early August.

However, they cautioned that before reaching any conclusion, the trend of cases should be watched over the next week or so.

The number of containment zones in the city on Saturday stood at 448.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the number of Covid-19 patients in Delhi requiring hospital admission has been declining even as the state government announced that the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in three Delhi government hospitals has nearly tripled.

Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home, Kejriwal tweeted.

Whereas there were around 2,300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6,200 to 5,300. Today, 9,900 corona beds are free, he said in another tweet.

As per a statement by Delhi government issued on Sunday, ICU beds in the three major covid-dedicated hospitals in the city  Lok Nayak (LNJP), Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality hospitals  have witnessed a 169% increase.

After a visit to the temporary Covid hospital set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday, Kejriwal said ICU beds are very much needed at the moment in the Capital. For now, there is no scarcity of hospital beds, we have over 15,000 beds out of which 5,300 are occupied. There is a paucity of ICU beds. If there is any spike in Covid cases, these ICU beds are very critical for us, the Delhi CM said.

Delhi is on the cusp of reporting 100,000 cases with the city recording 99,444 cases by Sunday. The city has 3,067 fatalities so far due the viral disease.Also, 71,399 people have recovered and 15,564 patients with mild symptoms were in home isolation, according to the Delhi governments daily Covid bulletin.

In its statement on ICU beds, the Delhi government said, The three-fold increase in ICU beds in Delhis three largest state-run Covid hospitals is a timely addition that will further strengthen the citys fight against Covid-19. A few days back, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced with adequate bed capacity in Covid hospitals, major efforts are underway to now increase the ICU beds.

As a result of a continued push from the top, the number of beds in LNJP has increased from 60 at the beginning of lockdown to 180 today. The number of ICU beds in Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital has increased from 45 to 120 and the number of beds in Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital has increased from 31 to 66, it said.

It further said, With an increase in the ICU beds, the fatality rate in Delhi is expected to further reduce due to enhanced capacity to take care of critical patients. Over the last few weeks, the daily number of fatalities due to Covid-19 has gone down substantially from over 120 a day to 55 on July 4.
India scrambling to buy weapons, from fighters to ammunition, on an emergency basis during a military crisis has become a familiar sight. India is fast-tracking the purchase of equipment worth 400 billion from foreign and domestic suppliers. This is largely about signalling determination in light of the military confrontation with China, but also the partial mobilisation by the Pakistani army. Many of these projects have simply been fast-tracked. Some purchases are designed to provide a financial fillip to domestic Indian defence manufacturers severely stressed by the recession. Unfortunately, that these sort of emergency buys also took place during the Pulwama crisis and the earlier Doklam stand-off points to gaps in the countrys defence equipment and the planning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis defence policy has been inward-looking. The defence budget has been squeezed, in part to rid the military structure of the considerable flab it has accumulated. There has been an overwhelming emphasis on indigenous defence manufacturing, especially through the private sector. There has been a much-needed cleansing and streamlining of the arms procurement process. The past six years have seen a dizzying array of committees and reports on military reform. All of this is laudable, necessary and will pay dividends in the future. But this has also meant fewer weapons and more inferior ones being bought. The backdrop to all of this has been an assumption that Indias strategic environment is relatively stable. Pakistan is around, but less a threat than an irritant. The big gamble was that India and China had reached a state of competitive equilibrium. Under present circumstances, this assumption no longer holds true.

Indias defence reforms should continue. It remains an absurdity that a great power in the making has to import assault rifles. The lack of battlefield networking simply because of a desire to keep different foreign vendors happy is not working either. In the Balakot strike, India lost a fighter because it lacked a secure data link. It was China that used drones with lethal effect in the Galwan Valley. The deep-seated resistance to the massive expansion of smart weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles and greater investment in cyber-offensive capabilities needs to be overcome, and quickly. The world is becoming an increasingly unsafe place and that means security must reassume priority over shaking things up.
In a newly acquired daily ritual, students in Haryanas Jhamri village open their textbooks at the sight of the cart that arrives near their homes, filling the vacuum left by closure of schools due to the lockdown and lack of digital infrastructure such as feeble internet connectivity.

To maintain social distancing, the students take notes from their homes as a teacher imparts lessons using the loudspeaker attached to the cart.

The innovative way to ensure that students catch up with the syllabus they have missed since classes were suspended has been initiated by Satyanarayan Sharma, who runs a school in the village in the states Jhajjar district. The bigger issue is not the effect on students learning levels but that they should not drop out, Sharma told PTI.

I have arranged for a loudspeaker system on a cart. The teachers are asked to turn-wise go with the cart and park it at a feasible location and impart lessons from there. It cannot match up to classroom learning but will ensure some learning, he said. This strange new way of educating school students is not uncommon in the countrys rural parts. The lockdown induced by COVID-19 in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities. But weak internet penetration has turned e-education into a distant dream for many children in the rural areas.

As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country. But it is not clear how many of them have access to digital devices and the internet.

Ghanshyambhai, a teacher in Janan village, Gujarat, has started using the public announcement system of the village panchayat to share stories, songs, guidelines for parents on how to deal with children during the lockdown period, importance of exercising and much more.

During this challenging time, we cant expect students to just grab their parents smartphones and start attending classes, he told PTI. He said while it is not possible to explain complex subjects like mathematical problems through loudspeakers, the method is at least ensuring that learning is not totally disrupted.

I also announce when Ill be at Panchayat Bhawan so students or parents who want to clear any doubts or to interact can see me there, while maintaining social distancing, he added. In Maharashtras Bhadole village, teachers have identified students who have access to smartphones and have formed groups clubbing them with students without any access.

It works if one among ten students has access to a phone and lives near the other students homes, said Shano Devi, one of the teachers in the group. The teachers send lessons on the phones of the parents who have phones. The other students note down the lessons from the phones of their friends parents, complete assignments at their homes and send them back using the same device. The teachers have directed students to not gather at once at the homes of those with phones but in slots to ensure social distancing, Devi said.

We teachers have also pooled in money to get data recharges for parents who are enabling the group to study so they are not discouraged because of the expense, said Devi.

Experts say the digital divide in the country may turn online classes into an operational nightmare.

Anindit Roy Choudhary, director of programmes and policy impact, Save the Children (India), said India has a clear digital divide and rural areas are far beyond the digital outreach.

Education and learning are very clearly related to the environment the child is in. When a child is in school, a learning environment is created. That environment permits the child to learn, he said.

Noting that many households either may not have a smartphone or children dont have access to digital devices.

The phone is owned by the man of the house. A father or older brother may not handover the phone to the child to learn...The problem with digitisation that we are taking for granted, is that a certain group of children will be missed out, he said.

Choudhary said there is a need to build a campaign to bring back children in a learning environment .

Even if schools are not operational, the anganwadi centres can be functional in a multi-time way. Coronavirus is here to stay. We need to create opportunities for these children to come into a learning environment where they can maintain physical distance from each other, wear masks, have sanitised hands and sit in the learning environment to learn, he said.

In many other parts of the country, teachers and parents are still scrambling to look for ways for the students to continue their studies.

Imran Khan, a farmer, has started spending his evenings teaching his 12-year-old son.

With low internet accessibility in his Khair village in UP, he has to go near the panchayat office where internet connectivity is better.

Khan, who has studied till class 10 and had to drop out of school to help his father at the farm, said he downloads pdfs of various subjects and learns from them during the day to teach his son in the evenings.

I want my son to become an engineer. With this pandemic I cant let his studies get affected, he said.

While Khans ordeal is not uncommon, the real question is how many parents in the rural parts have the capacity to turn into teachers for their children. PTI GJS/UZM RDM RDM
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.
Police in West Bengals South 24 Parganas and Birbhum districts have arrested 15 people in connection with the alleged murders of three people since Friday night.

Aswini Manna, a Trinamool Congress leader in the Moipith-Boikunthapur panchayat area of South 24 Parganas district was lynched, allegedly by supporters of a Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), a small Left party, early on Saturday. Hours later, the body of Sudhansu Jana, a SUCI worker, was found hanging in his house which was torched along with some other houses and shops, allegedly by TMC workers.

Though SUCI has very little presence in the rest of Bengal, it is a powerful force in the region where the violence took place.

Eleven people from both parties have been arrested for the violence, a district police officer said on condition of anonymity. Among those arrested is Pintu Pradhan, a leader of the TMCs youth front.

Local TMC leaders did not comment on the arrests saying police were doing their duty.

Tarun Naskar, former SUCI legislator from the local Joynagar assembly seat, said his party workers had been protesting against nepotism by TMC panchayat leaders involved in distribution of relief and compensation among people affected by cyclone Amphhan.

In the 2018 panchayat polls we won 11 gram panchayat seats against one won by the TMC and seven by the CPI(M). But TMC leaders threatened our candidates and forced them to switch sides so that they could form the board. We were planning to bring a no-confidence motion against the board. On Thursday, we lodged a police complaint about relief-related corruption against the panchayat pradhan. This led to the attack, said Naskar.

In Birbhum district, the body of Sishir Bauri, a TMC worker, was found in the Khayrasole area on Friday night. His family lodged a police complaint against six local TMC workers. Four of the accused were arrested, said an officer of Khayrasole police station.

TMC leaders alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the murder. BJP district president Shyamapada Mondal denied the allegation. It is a fact that many people in this area voted for us in the Lok Sabha polls but the murder is a fallout of internal dispute in the TMC, he said.

In North 24 Parganas district, Champa Das, a councillor of Barrackpore municipality was shot in the leg outside her home in Ishapore on Saturday evening. She told the police the names of some known criminals as suspects but no arrest was made till Sunday afternoon.

The bullet was lodged in the councillors leg and she underwent an operation in a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday.
The Centre on Sunday blocked 40 websites linked to the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group which were being used to propagate anti-India sentiment across the world and for trying to recruit young Sikhs to join militant ranks, people familiar with the development said.

The ministry of electronics and information technology took down the websites on a recommendation from the ministry of home affairs after it was found that SFJ, primarily operating from the United States, was aggressively using them to push its anti-India agenda, the people said on condition of anonymity.

SFJ was banned by the government in July 2019 while its leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was declared an individual terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Wednesday.

Both MHA and the IT ministry refused to disclose details of websites that have been blocked. One of the key websites associated widely with the group  www.referendum2020.org - through which it sought support from Sikh youth for the formation of a separate Khalistan state, could not be accessed as it has been blocked by the Department of Telecommunications.

According to a gazette notification issued last year when SFJ was banned, The outfit is involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere, intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

SFJ is in close touch with the militant outfits and activists, and is supporting violent form of extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere to carve out a sovereign Khalistan out of territory of Union of India; SFJ is encouraging and aiding the activities for secession of a part of the Indian territory from the Union of India and supporting separatist groups fighting for this purpose in India and elsewhere by indulging in activities and articulations intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, the central government order said

The declaration banning the group was upheld by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal headed by Delhi high court chief justice DN Patel.

In its judgment, issued on January 6 this year, the tribunal said, The notification dated July 10, 2019 issued by the Union of India under the Act declaring Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to be an unlawful association is hereby confirmed. The reference is answered in the affirmative.

It was in the judgment that the website, www.referendum2020.org, which is replete with pro-Khalistani posts and anti-India insinuations was mentioned.

Agencies are trying to get an Interpol red notice issued against Pannun. Indian officials have claimed that Pannun was getting support from Pakistan for his anti-India activities.
Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and legislative assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary tested negative for coronavirus among the several high profile people who had come in contact with a BJP functionary who tested positive for the disease on Saturday. Four of the 88 contacts of the BJP MLC have, however, tested positive.

Swab samples of the deputy CM and the assembly speaker have tested negative. However, four samples of security personnel and personal staff of politicians have tested positive for the virus, said a senior health department official, who requested anonymity.

The sample of deputy chief minister has tested negative through the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR), which is a confirmatory test for Covid-19. Earlier, his antigen test, done on CB NAAT machine, which is processed in an hour, was also negative, the officer said.

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When asked about the need to conduct RT PCR test after testing through CB NAAT machine, the officer said the former had greater sensitivity capable of detecting even the mildest strain of the virus.

In case of top leaders, including the CM and the deputy CM, we did not want to take any chance, said the officer.

As per the health ministrys advisory, RT PCR is done when a sample tests positive on CB NAAT.

Shailendra Kumar Ojha, private secretary to deputy chief minister, also confirmed that Sushil Modi had tested negative.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had tested negative late Saturday evening.

All 16 samples from the chief ministers residence have tested negative, the health department functionary said.

Kumar, Modi, Chaudhary, besides some other ministers and politicians had come in contact with Covid-infected BJP leader during the swearing-in ceremony of nine MLCs at the Bihar legislative council on July 1.

The infected BJP leader, his wife, son and a personal assistant were among the five people admitted to the Covid-19 isolation ward at AIIMS-Patna on Saturday.
As soldiers of India and China stay locked in a bitter stand-off along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, another aspect of the uneasy relationship between the two countries will be under a spotlight on Monday when India, and the world celebrates exiled Tibetan supreme spiritual leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lamas 85th birthday.

On Twitter, the Dalai Lama has announced plans for a special online screening of a new film about the American physicist David Bohm, who the spiritual leader describes as one of my science gurus. On Sunday, the Dalai Lama gave what he described as a general teaching on mind training to mark his 85th birthday celebrations being held in Taiwan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called to wish him on his birthday last year. The Dalai Lama had been travelling and was on his way back home when the call came. Home Minister Amit Shah couldnt call in 2019 but his wife and son had stepped in for him, and wished the Tibetan spiritual leader on his behalf.

India had given refuge to the Dalai Lama when he, as a 23-year-old, crossed into Arunachal Pradeshs Tawang in April 1959 to escape the Chinese that had invaded Tibet nine years earlier and had brutally suppressed the uprising against Beijings rule. India settled the Dalai Lama and the thousands of Tibetans who followed him in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh where he has been living in exile ever since. There are over 80,000 Tibetans living in exile in India; 150,000 more around the world particularly in US and Europe.

But China hasnt let him, or the Tibetan people be. Beijing has called the Dalai Lama who delivers a message of humanity, harmony and peace with his infectious smile names, even a terrorist, and attempted to dismantle Tibetan Buddhism. It arrested a young boy Gedhun Choekyi Nyima in Tibet, just three days after he was proclaimed as the 11th Panchen Lama, the second highest Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, on 14 May 1995. He has never been seen since. Instead, Beijing selected its own six-year old Gyaltsen Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama six month later and enthroned him at Shigatse monastery.

China is determined to replay this tactic for the next Dalai Lama too to further divide the world of Tibetan Buddhism, where religious leaders of all the four major schools have sought refuge sometime or other in India.

On his part, the Dalai Lama told Hindustan Times in a 2018 interview that he had made it clear far back in 1969 that the Tibetan people should decide if the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue. My thinking is more liberal than Chinese thinking which is more orthodox, he told HT.

The Chinese have already initiated the process to identify the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, declaring that it was not the Dalai Lamas decision to cease the reincarnation just as it was not his decision to become the temporal and spiritual head of Tibet.

That means if the Tibetan people decide to continue with the institution of the Dalai Lama, there could be two Dalai Lamas. Just as there are two Panchen Lamas and two claimants to the title of the 17th Karmapa, the head of wealthy Karma Kagyu school.

There has been no indication yet that the Dalai Lama could change his stance on this. But he has spoken, in a reflection of the values of Tibetan Buddhism, that there was nothing to prevent a woman from being chosen as the next Dalai Lama. She should be attractive, he said last year in a lighter vein but apologised when some pointed out that it amounted to objectifying women.

It was in context of his democratic values that in 2011, the Dalai Lama relinquished his political and administrative powers over the Tibetan exile movement. Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power, he had declared.

He didnt give up the opportunity to take a hard, but polite swipe at Beijing though. Modern times call for a democratically elected political leadership so I have, sort of retired and we have achieved, at least within our refugee community, an elected political leadership.

Also Read: In 2012, Dalai Lama spoke of Chinese plot to murder him

He continued: The Chinese wont allow (this in Tibet) as their own leader is not elected through free elections.

To be sure, the Dalai Lama hasnt directly commented on the stand-off at the border triggered by Chinas misplaced aggression through the occupied territory of Tibet. But he did deliver his message to Beijing when he underlined that the concept of warfare is an outdated one.

In the past, the feudal system, king, queen, sometimes even religious leaders who are thinking and concerned about their own power. So then very strong concept of we and they, then conflict, killing. So I feel, warfare, killing is related with feudal system. So that is gone. Now democratic world, he said.

A section within the ruling BJPs mentor RSS wants the government to send out a strong message to China by conferring Indias highest civilian award Bharat Ratna to the Dalai Lama. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is despised by Chinas communist party and vilified as a wolf in monks clothing. There have also been suggestions on social media that the government rename Shantipath, the road running through the national capitals diplomatic enclave to Dalai Lama Marg (road), that would force the Chinese embassy to put the Dalai Lamas name on its official address. But then Tezin Gytso is all about compassion, not confrontation.
In another sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, India has reported 24,850 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, taking the national Covid-19 tally to 673,165. As per the latest data shared by the Ministry of Health, 409,082 people have recovered from the deadly contagion across the country - over 60% of the total infections in the country. The Covid-19 death toll in India stands at 19,268.

Assam has reported a total of 10,668 Covid-19 cases and has joined states with over 10,000 coronavirus cases. Karnataka continues to report a surge in Covid-19 cases as total infections breached the 20,000-mark in the state.

Also read: India records biggest one-day jump of 24,850 Covid-19 cases, 613 deaths

With over 2 lakh cases, Maharashtra continues to lead the state tally followed by Tamil Nadu which has reported over 1 lakh cases till date.

Heres taking a look at the statewise situation of Covid-19 infections across the country.

Maharashtra

The state Covid-19 tally jumped to 200,064 on Sunday. Over 108,082 people have recovered from coronavirus in Maharashtra while 8,671 have died.

Tamil Nadu

With 107,001 coronavirus cases, Tamil Nadu is the state with second-highest coronavirus cases in the country and has witnessed 1,450 coronavirus fatalities. The number of patients who have recovered from coronavirus in the state stands at 60,592.

Delhi

The national capital is the third worst-hit in India with coronavirus cases jumping to 97,200 on Sunday. As many as 68,256 patients have recovered from Covid-19 in Delhi while 3,004 have succumbed to the infection.

Gujarat

The state has seen Covid-19 cases reach 35,312 on Sunday. The state has seen 25,406 people recover from coronavirus while 1925 people have died.

Uttar Pradesh

The Covid-19 tally in Uttar Pradesh has jumped to 26,554 while the number of recoveries has touched 18,154. The states death toll stands at 773.

Telangana

The states Covid-19 tally stands at 22,312 coronavirus cases. While 11,537 people have recovered from the disease, the Covid-19 death toll has jumped to 288 in the state.

Karnataka

The South India state has witnessed 21,549 coronavirus cases till date while three hundred and thirty-five people have lost their lives to the deadly contagion in the state. Nearly 9,244 patients have recovered from the disease in Karnataka.

West Bengal

As many as 21,231 people have contracted Covid-19 in West Bengal till date. The state has seen 14,166 recover from coronavirus while 736 people have been killed.

Rajasthan

The state has reported 19,532 Covid-19 cases till date. Covid-19 death toll in Rajasthan stands at 447 while 15,640 patients have recovered.

Haryana

The coronavirus tally in Haryana has touched 16,548 while the death toll stands at 260. Over 12,257 people have recovered from the contagion in Haryana.

Situation in other states

Over 14,600 people have been infected by coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh till date. Andhra Pradesh has 17,699 Covid-19 patients. The number of Covid-19 positive cases in Bihar has crossed 11,000, while the tally in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 8,246.

In Odisha, cases have jumped to 8,601 while Assam has reported over 10,000 cases till date. Punjabs Covid-19 tally stands at 6,109, and the number of cases in Kerala is 5,204. Covid-19 tally in Uttarakhand is over 3,000 cases.

States with less than 3,000 casesNagaland, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Tripura, Manipur, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, have less than 3,000 but more than 500 Covid-19 cases.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have reported 500 Covid-19 cases or less. Meghalaya is the lone state with less than 100 Covid-19 cases.

Note: Figures are from official data released by the Ministry of Health, and may differ from realtime numbers released by various state governments subject to confirmation from the Centre.
The Assam government on Sunday admitted that community spread of Covid-19 has taken place in the states biggest city, Guwahati and the rest of Kamrup Metro district and the ongoing total lockdown to control the pandemic might be extended.

The development comes a day after 777 Covid-19 positive cases, the single biggest spike in a day, was reported from Kamrup Metro taking the districts tally for 10 days between June 24 and July 4 to 2,741 cases---nearly one-fourth of the total 11,001 cases in the state.

In the last 10 days we have recorded 2,741 positive cases in Guwahati and the rest of Kamrup Metro. Almost all of these cases are from community transmission, state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said while addressing a press conference on Sunday.

We have formally entered the Covid-19 pandemic since June 24 and can no longer blame Karnataka, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu or Delhi (from where returnees came back during May and June) for Covid-19 spread in our state, he added.

Following a surge in cases without any travel or contact history, the Assam government had imposed a 14-day total lockdown in Kamrup Metro from June 28, allowing only pharmacies to operate.

But with the number of cases not coming down in the first 7 days, Sarma indicated that the lockdown might get extended after the 14-day period on July 12 depending on the existing scenario.

Extension of lockdown in Kamrup Metro depends on the number of cases. We might have to extend it by another week. There will be a need to find a balance between allowing economic activity and risking lives of people, he said.

We had to announce total lockdown from June 28 due to special circumstances and the present situation in Kamrup Metro shows the government move was timely and needed, Sarma added.

Covid-19 patients were kept in government hospitals till now, but the surge in the number of cases has forced the government to consider keeping some in private hospitals. Sarma indicated that the government might take over a few private hospitals in Guwahati to admit patients.

The minister informed that a plasma bank has become operational in Guwahati Medical College Hospital and a doctor who has recovered from Covid-19 was the first donor. The health department has also started administering Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug, to Covid-19 patients with serious complications.

Till Sunday, we have conducted 455,223 tests across the state and with 13,471 tests per million, Assam is placed fourth after Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu among all states in the country. As part of our community surveillance, we have conducted nearly 82,000 tests till now, Sarma said.

On Sunday, Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna announced a fresh set of lockdown guidelines for Kamrup Metro for the period between July 5 and July 12 allowing opening of grocery shops and the sale of fruits and vegetables.

All standalone grocery shops in the district will be allowed to open between 11 am and 4 pm from July 6 to July 10 and house-to-house sale of fruits and vegetables allowed from 8 am to 2 pm on July 6 and July 8.
In view of detection of Covid-19 positive patient at Raj Bhavan Campus in Guwahati, the area with following boundary description has been declared as a containment zone on Saturday.

Kamrup Metropolitan District Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu has issued an order declaring Raj Bhavan Campus as a containment zone. He has directed the Circle Officer, Guwahati Revenue Circle to seal the area immediately.

The boundary of the containment zone is said to be till Hotel Belle View in North, Bonkowar Nagar in South, Borthakur Clinic in East and MG Road in West, stated the notice.

According to the Union Health Ministry, Assam has reported 9,673 coronavirus cases in the state, including 3,310 active cases, 6,349 cured/discharged/migrated and 14 fatalities as of July 4.

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The call for a self-reliant India is not aimed at encouraging protectionism or isolationism, but for adopting a pragmatic development strategy to enable the country recognise and capitalise on its inherent strengths, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday. Speaking at the virtual launch of Elyments mobile app, Naidu said the atma nirbhar Bharat campaign was aimed at giving a new boost to the economic potential of the country by strengthening infrastructure, using modern technologies, enriching human resource, and creating robust supply chains.

Naidu said it was quite appropriate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge on Saturday as it would encourage Indian IT specialists to prepare apps for various uses to enhance quality of life.

The vice president noted that more than a thousand IT professionals, who are also the volunteers of the Art of Living, have together created the app.

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was also part of the virtual launch.

On the the YouTube link of the launch event, the developers said on Elyments, People will be able to connect globally and shop locally. Data of users is stored in India and users data will never be shared with a third party without users consent, the write up said.

It allows free audio-video calls and a private chat connection.

The vice president said such initiatives by the Indian tech industry and professionals were truly praiseworthy as they not only demonstrated Indias prowess in technology but also were a step towards a self-reliant India.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has sounded an alert all along the 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh front to check cross-border human trafficking instances that may witness a spurt in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the linked lockdown, officials said on Sunday. The force has noticed some innovative methods to push the poor and vulnerable from across the border by luring them with job opportunities in cities like Kolkata, Guwahati, some other towns in north-east India and as far as Delhi and Mumbai, a senior officer of the BSF said.

At least five Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the BSF in less than two weeks, between June 19-29, from railway wagons that entered India via Petrapole in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The wagons either contained bags of chilli or were empty, the officer said.

The age group of the five males ranged between 12-25 years and their preliminary questioning by the force personnel revealed that they were trafficked by touts from the other side with help from local trafficking syndicates on this side, the officer said.

It is understood that job loss due to the Covid-19 lockdown and less work opportunities due to the ongoing pandemic were the reasons that these gullible people got lured and trafficked across the border, they said. While the border front under the 913 kms long south Bengal front of the BSF is prone to maximum instances of trans-border crimes, human trafficking and smuggling of cattle and narcotics, attempts to illegally push humans have been noticed at few other locations of this border since the outbreak of coronavirus, they said.

The force has, therefore, alerted all its border posts to keep an enhanced vigil against human trafficking instances that, as per multiple intelligence inputs, is expected to witness a spurt owing to the loss of job opportunities and lockdown imposed in both the countries to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection, they said. We are coordinating with our counterparts BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) on these issues and it is our joint effort to ensure that the sanctity of the border is intact and crimes are check effectively, a BSF officer said in Delhi.

He said the force has initiated joint patrolling with the BGB troops in vulnerable and crime-prone patches of this entire border and they are sharing intelligence inputs and information with their counterparts. The BSF and BGB have the best of relations at present. The two countries have a shared history and we are working to make the relations better, the officer said.

The force has also asked its border units to mount additional surveillance on cattle smuggling crimes which is expected to rise in view of Eid celebrations at the end of this month. The ongoing monsoon season and the rivers in spate help smugglers in pushing cattle from the Indian to the Bangaldeshi side using the water current, officials said. A first-of-its-kind trick was recently seen in the Malda district of West Bengal after BSF troops recovered a live calf that was being smuggled across the riverine border by concealing it in a carcass.

Also, cattle tied on a raft made of banana trunks have been intercepted quiet a number of times after they were pushed by smugglers in border rivers to be collected on the other side by conduits.

The border force has deployed an increased number of boats and ditches are being dug in the border areas to create an obstacle for cattle, they said. More than 200 BSF troops have been injured between January 2018 and June this year while checking these crimes and in attacks by smugglers at the border, latest data has said.
Days after cancelling the government accommodation allotted to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Centre has given its nod to BJP MP Anil Baluni to move into the bungalow at 35 Lodhi Estate in New Delhi.

Officials aware of the development told Hindustan Times that the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs has allotted the type 6B bungalow to the BJP spokesperson.

Once the notice is served to vacate the bungalow it can be allocated within two months. The rental of the house starts from the day of the allotment and Mr Baluni can move in within two months. Usually if any repairs are needed CPWD asks for time for the maintenance work, a senior ministry official said.

The ministry of housing and urban affairs on Wednesday cancelled the government accommodation provided to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at 35, Lodhi Estate, on the grounds that she is no longer protected by the Special Protection Group (SPG) and so was not eligible to continue living in that bungalow.

Also Watch l Political harassment: Ahmed Patel slams govt on Priyanka Gandhi bungalow row

According to the current norms, there are no provisions for allotment or retention of government accommodation to those with Z+ security unless exceptions are made based on recommendations given by the home ministry.

The allotment of central government bungalows is done through the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Act under the administrative control of the directorate of estates.

Usually MPs are allotted type V bungalows but can also be allotted type 6A or B depending on the approval, the official added.

Baluni, who is also the BJP national media head, currently stays at 20, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Road, a Type 6 B bungalow.

Priyanka Gandhi has been asked to vacate the bungalow by August 1. Hours after the notice was served on Wednesday, she paid her dues till June 30 for the house. The ministry said that Priyanka Gandhi had accumulated dues of RS 3,46,677 towards the accommodation until June 30.

Gandhi is now planning to move to Lucknow in February to the late Sheila Kauls house. The Congress party claims it was renovated months back for her with plans of working on the Uttar Pradesh state elections that are due in 2022.
The Customs and Preventive Department on Sunday seized at least 30 kgs of gold from an air cargo consignment bound for the United Arab Emirates consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Customs officials said it was the biggest seizure in the recent past that too from diplomatic baggage meant for employees of the consulate generals office.

The raid was carried out after customs obtained permission from the Ministry of External Affairs since most consignments to diplomatic missions enjoy immunity under the Vienna Convention.

We had definite intelligence about this. A search is going on and the quantity may go up. We have detained one person and are on the lookout for two more, said Sumit Kumar, Customs Commissioner in-charge of Kerala and Lakshadweep region.

ALSO READ | Despite Covid-19 pandemic, gold smuggling in Kerala continues unabated

The consignment came through a chartered flight. Customs suspect that the smuggling syndicate was using some of the lower level employees to make use of immunity to smuggle gold. Usually such consignments pass without any check. We have to make it very clear that the consignment was booked in the name of some lower-level officials not in the name of the consular general of the friendly country. Our preliminary investigation shows the smuggling syndicate was using some of them, he said.

The gold was hidden inside some household equipment to avoid detection and it will be worth several crores of rupees. The commissioner said exact details will be revealed after checking some more baggage and the quantity of gold may go up. He said this will be the largest seizure in the recent past.

After gold prices skyrocketed there has been a big spike in smuggling also. At least, 15 kgs of the yellow metal were seized from chartered flights from the middle-east countries in last two weeks-- Kozhikkode International Airport topped in seizures.

Officials said often smuggling syndicates think that frisking norms are likely to be lax in the time of Covid-19 and there wont be any tight checking on chartered flights but they are mistaken.
The Chhattisgarh government will procure cow-dung at Rs 1.5 per kilogram from July 20 under the scheme Gaudhan Nyay Yojana launched on June 25.

A committee headed by Agriculture Minister Ravindra Chaubey was formed to fix the rate of procuring the rate of cow-dung.

On Saturday, the committee decided to procure cow-dung at Rs 1.5 kg with the aim of preserving and improving cow shedding, promoting the production of vermicompost and improving the rural economy, said a Commissioner (agriculture production) M Geeta.

The officer further said that the cow dung will be collected door-to-door by Gaudhan Samiti.

The committee also recommended that fortnightly payments should be made to cattle owners and farmers for the procurement, said officer adding that there are about a crore cattle in the state.

On June 25, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel launched Gaudhan Nyay Yojana claiming that there has been a tradition of open grazing in Chhattisgarh, which results in loss of crops. He also said that the stray cattle cause road accidents, loss of life and property in cities. The chief minister further highlighted the fact that the cows are abandoned after they stop giving milk and hence to make cow rearing a profitable business, the government has decided to procure cow dung from farmers and cattle owners.

The government also directed urban administration department to make complete arrangements to prevent stray animals from roaming in the cities. The department will be responsible for purchasing cow dung and production of vermicompost.

The purpose of this scheme is to promote cattle rearing in the state and to benefit the cattle owners, who are mostly farmers. The government tried to strengthen the rural economy of the state through the Narva, Garuva, Ghuruwa, Badi scheme in which we have developed cowsheds in 2,200 villages of the state. In the next two-three months, about 5,000 more cowsheds will be developed in the state. This scheme is an incremental step forward, said the chief minister.

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, claimed that the scheme is not practical and its implementation is not possible.

In Chhattisgarh, the farmers never sell cow-dung to anyone. I dont know what is government talking about? Secondly, if the government is procuring it, there is no infrastructure. And where is the budget? This scheme is not practically possible in the state, senior BJP leader and former minister Ajay Chandrakar told HT.

On June 20, Chhattisgarh government launched the Roka-Chheka Abhiyan in all the villages in the state, which seeks to revive traditional agricultural methods and to save kharif crops from open grazing by stray cattle.

Roka-Chheka is one of the popular traditional agricultural methods of Chhattisgarh, which the state government has decided to make more organised and effective from this year. The programme aims to ban the open grazing of stray cattle after the sowing season is over.
The Chinese governments decision for the first time to publicly put on record that it has a boundary dispute with Bhutan in the eastern sector is a calibrated manner of launching a diplomatic attack on Thimphus ally India on a new front.

The key could be the proximity of Bhutans eastern sector to Arunachal Pradesh  which China claims in its entirety as part of south Tibet : It could be the primary reason for Beijing to talk about differing boundary perceptions with Bhutan now.

First at a multilateral environment forum in June, where India was present, and then through a statement to HT, the Chinese foreign ministry has said it has a border dispute with Bhutan in the eastern sector, surprising many who are following developments in the region.

Also read: China says it has border dispute with Bhutan too

Besides multiplying pressure on New Delhi during the ongoing, and most serious border tension with India in decades, it is also a ploy by China to simultaneously internationalise an issue it has seldom done before  the boundary problem with its tiny neighbour.

Though China might not have said it publicly, its not surprising if Beijing was opposed to the India-Bhutan boundary delimitation agreement, which was signed in 2006 -- more so because of Bhutans borders with Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chinese foreign ministry, in a statement issued to Hindustan Times last week, 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.

Referring to Chinese foreign ministrys statement saying the disputes in the three areas have been there for a long time, Constantino Xavier, fellow in foreign policy studies at the think-tank Brookings India, said the timing chosen by Beijing to raise the issue  amid the ongoing Sino-India border tension -- was important.

Even while this Chinese claim may not be new, the timing and the multilateral setting of Beijings statement reflect intent to put pressure on Bhutan and India, seeking to create a wedge between both countries, Xavier said.

You got to see the Chinese claims in continuation to their strategy of territorial claims elsewhere, a New Delhi-based Asia expert said on condition of anonymity.

Also read: Chinese PLAs rear defences in Ladakhs Galwan valley face an icy challenge

Chinas state-controlled media and Chinese academics consistently blame India for Beijing-Thimphu not having diplomatic ties.

As far as I know, the China-Bhutan boundary issue was almost resolved 20 years ago. The two sides have a common understanding on how to sign the final agreement. But for Bhutan, it is difficult because of the India factor. That is the same reason why China and Bhutan have not signed the agreement, Lin Minwang, assistant dean at the Institute of International Studies at Shanghais Fudan University, said.

Will publicising the problem now help China?

But using Bhutan to target India may turn out to be counterproductive for China: it will lose political capital in Bhutan and is actually facilitating closer diplomatic coordination between Thimphu and Delhi.

In 2018 July, vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou led a rare high-level visit from China to Bhutan; he was accompanied by Luo Zhaohui, the then Chinese envoy to India.

The Chinese foreign ministry statement released at the end of his visit said: China highly values its traditional friendly relations with Bhutan, and will as always respect Bhutans independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect the political system and development path chosen by Bhutan based on its own national conditions, and respect the independent foreign policy of peace upheld by Bhutan.
Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, which had amassed a large number of troops 5 km from the standoff points in Galwan, may need to shift around its soldiers after its rear positions on the Galwan bank have been flooded due to a sharp rise in water levels, people familiar with the developments told Hindustan Times.

A senior military commander said the water level of the icy-cold, snow-fed Galwan river that originates from the Aksai Chin region had risen sharply due to an increase in temperature. With snow melting at a rapid pace, any position on the river bank is dangerous, the senior army officer said, pointing that satellite and drone imagery had indicated flooding of Chinese tents located on the river bank at rear positions.

Top generals of the Indian and Chinese armies have held three rounds of talks to work out a plan to disengage, de-escalate and eventually move back to their positions before the standoff between rival patrols near Pangong Tso started 60 days ago on the night of May 5. There were also broad agreements on initiating such an exercise. But there has been little forward movement to show for on the ground - the June 15 violent scrap took place 10 days after the first agreement to disengage - leading both sides to prepare for a long haul.

But the military commander said it would be tough for China to hold on to current PLA positions in Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso. These, he said, are untenable in the long run, he said, a reference to the view that the standoff could continue well into the winter months if Beijing does not restore status quo ante along the Line of Actual Control.

Also read: India increases tech surveillance on Ladakh LAC with Israeli Heron drones

India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared during his visit to Ladakh this week, seeks peace but will stand up to defend its territorial integrity under all circumstances and the choice of how the standoff ends simply rests with Beijing.

For now, despite the occasional public posturing in Beijing, there is no evidence on ground that China is looking at de-escalating any time soon. To the contrary, there are reports that the Peoples Liberation Army was laying fibre optic cables at its locations in the Galwan valley. There is also a report with the army that the PLA is seeking to build a tunnel in the finger area of Pangong lake.

These inputs confirm the Indian assessment in the early days of the standoff that the situation could go on for a long time, much longer than the 2017 Doklam standoff that lasted 73 days.

This is an eventuality that the military has been prepping for. We are rather prepared for all eventualities, said a senior army officer.

Apart from moving in weapons such as the Indian armys M-777 ultra-light howitzers, T-90 missile firing tanks and the top-of-the-line shoulder fired anti-tank missile systems, the military has also been deploying the air forces C-17 heavy-lifters, Apache attack helicopters and C-130J special operations aircraft as well as the Indias Navys P-8I surveillance aircraft. For Pangong lake, the navy is also flying in steel boats with gun mounts to match PLAs heavy patrol boats used by China to dominate the fingers on the north bank of the salt water lake.
A clothing factory named Jaswal Fashions based in the eastern England city of Leicester faces a modern slavery investigation after an undercover reporter alleged sweatshop-like conditions and below minimum wage payments to its workers, many of them from India.

According to The Sunday Times, its undercover reporter found that workers were being paid as little as 3.50 pounds an hour as against the UKs legal minimum wage of 8.72 pounds an hour and was also operating last week during the localised coronavirus lockdown imposed on the city.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel described the allegations as truly appalling and commended the undercover investigation for its role in uncovering such abhorrent practices.

I will not tolerate sick criminals forcing innocent people into slave labour and a life of exploitation, said Patel.

Let this be a warning to those who are exploiting people in sweatshops like these for their own commercial gain. This is just the start. What you are doing is illegal, it will not be tolerated and we are coming after you, she said.

Last week, the senior Cabinet minister had directed the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate modern slavery allegations in Leicesters clothing factories after alarm was raised that they were a key source of the spike in coronavirus infections in the region, which led to Englands first localised Covid-19 lockdown for the city.

Within the last few days NCA officers, along with Leicestershire police and other partner agencies, attended a number of business premises in the Leicester area to assess concerns of modern slavery and human trafficking, the NCA said, which is looking into the undercover reports.

The UKs Modern Slavery Act was passed in 2015, making it a crime to exploit labour and not pay the minimum wage.

The newspapers undercover reporter spent two days at Jaswal Fashions, a factory which supplies garments to one of Britains fastest-growing online retailer Boohoo, which owns labels such as Nasty Gal, PrettyLittleThing, MissPap, BoohooMAN, Karen Millen and Coast.

A statement from Nasty Gal said the company would investigate the newspapers claims, but insisted that Jaswal Fashions was not a direct supplier.

Nasty Gal does not allow any of its suppliers to pay less than the minimum wage and has a zero-tolerance approach to incidences of modern slavery, said Nasty Gal in a statement.

We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of non-compliance with our strict code of conduct is found. We will take immediate steps to fully investigate the allegations raised and if the allegations are substantiated we will ensure that our suppliers immediately cease working with Jaswal Fashions, it added.

The boxes packed at the factory displayed the name Morefray Limited, another Leicester-based clothing manufacturer. The newspaper said that the man who was identified as the boss of the factory refused to answer questions in detail, but said: We have legit staff. The campaign group Labour Behind the Label alleged recently that factories in Leicester making Boohoo garments had put staff at risk of contracting Covid-19, by pressuring them to work without proper personal protective equipment (PPE) or social distancing.

Emerging evidence indicates that conditions in Leicesters factories, primarily producing for Boohoo, are putting workers at risk of Covid-19 infections and fatalities as some factories have remained open for production during the lockdown, whilst others are now re-opening, the group claimed in its report.

The allegations are denied by Boohoo, which said it uses about 150 factories in Leicester, employing 50 people each on average. Company CEO John Lyttle told the newspaper that he had personally written to all the factories, outlining company standards and what they need to do in terms of following the government guidelines.

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A 1,000 bed hospital, including 250 ICU beds, dedicated to treating patients of coronavirus disease outbreak has been built in record time of 12 days in the national capital, Union home minister Amit Shah said in a tweet on Sunday.

Visited the 1,000 bed Sardar Patel Covid Hospital, which has 250 ICU beds, along with @rajnathsingh ji. DRDO built it in record time of 12 days with assistance from MHA, MOHFW, Armed Forces and Tata Trust. Armed Forces Medical Services team will run it and DRDO will maintain, Shah tweeted.

Paying a tribute to the men killed in the Galwan clash last month, the ICU ward in the hospital has been named after Col B Santosh Babu and the other two medical wards have been named after Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh and Naib Subedar Satnam Singh.

The union home minister visited the facility with defence minister Rajnath Singh a day after Delhis virus case tally clocked 97,200 cases. This facility has been made functional in addition to among several other facilities, including a 10,000 beds centre at the campus of Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhis Chhatarpur which will start admitting patients from Sunday.

The cases in Delhi have averaged at 2,628 a day over the past week compared to 3,400 daily cases the week before, according to public health experts.

Delhi, due to a timely expansion of its treatment capacity, is also in a comparatively better situation in its fight against coronavirus, despite the high number of cases. A total of 16,265 hospital beds are vacant in the city as of Saturday, as per the health bulletin.

There are 448 containment zones in the city as of Saturday.
One personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was injured in an IED blast in Gangoo area of Pulwama, in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. The injured jawan has been identified as GD Pardeep Dass.

The IED blast was carried out by terrorists, news agency ANI reported. It took place on the Srinagar-Pulwama road when the Road Opening Party of the CRPF was being deployed in the area.

News agency PTI quoted a police officer as saying that the CRPF personnel suffered injuries in his hands due to the blast, but his condition is stable.

ANI further reported that during the search operation, police found one more IED planted in the area and it was defused. The area has been cordoned off.

This is the second attack on CRPF in the last four days. A CRPF jawan and a civilian were killed in Sopore on Wednesday.
A 60-year-old woman was injured when an explosive meant to target wild boars in farmlands exploded near here, police said on Sunday.

Janu suffered minor injuries in her hand when she came into contact with the explosive while cleaning a vacant plot near Panoor, along with a group of women as part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme on Saturday.

A case has been registered under various provisions including Sections3 and 5 of the Explosives Act in this connection.

The woman was treated as an outpatient at a hospital.

The explosive was suspected to be used to trap wild boars, police said adding investigation is on.

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Fifteen years ago, I pushed a white salon door in a neighbourhood market to enter a space the size of a small kitchen, and reached a hairdresser after trampling over the feet of four others. Her name was Renila Lepcha, and we began to talk hair, by appointment, to each other in a rocky Hindi accent in a south Delhi locality every two months. Familiarity bred a ritual. Trust me, she would say, to which I would reply, always do! and she would get her scissors out and make the hair on top of my head look like a nuclear cloud to give it volume. So far, we had 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 the neighbourhood.

The pandemic has changed every convention of everyday life. It has specified two metres to be the distance that must separate two human beings in order to be safe. Worldwide, this has hobbled the salon industry. In India, it hit its skilled workforce (including the barber on the street) with the closing down of salons; re-opening them in June still shows a grim picture. According to the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council (B&WSSC), which works under the aegis of the union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, the industry employs nearly 70 lakh people, 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.

***

Monica Bahl, CEO, B&WSSC, also says this sector employs an economically vulnerable population  a migrant workforce and is women-dominated. Our challenges to stay afloat are more than many other in the tertiary sector. It is not product based, its service based. A shampoo or a dish can be sold via distributors and a customer can opt for a no-touch-delivery service but ours is a touch-and-feel industry. You can demand and maintain a two-metre distance between two clients in a salon but a hair stylist cant possibly attend to a client from two metres away.

Post Unlock 1, hair salons are officially back but are they on? The potential of infection between people in an enclosed space and whether salons are equal to the task of maintaining hygiene even with the most stringent of sanitation in the time of an epidemic is keeping clients away.

There are also unanswered questions; trivial though they may seem, but not, when a misstep may mean life or death. Can blow-drying, almost an essential service at salons, for instance, lead to an increased flow of virus-carrying particles? Is the PPE gear really being disposed of after each use? Is anyone doing random checks to ascertain this?

There is a Free Online Certification Program on precautionary measures, health, safety and hygiene guidelines uploaded on the B&WSSC website for industry professionals. Of an industry strength of 70 lakh, the total registered for online certification  they allow three tries -- since the lockdown is 1,17,657; total pass-outs : 98,170. Passing it is not difficult; I did on first try.

Hygiene priorities, however, seem to be very much an individual salon owners call. Before the lockdown we had an approximate number of 40 visitors per salon each day in Mumbai whereas in Delhi we had approximately 50 visitors. Post lockdown we have seen a decrease in the number of visitors by 50% to 60 %, says Sumit Israni, managing director of the high-end, pan-India brand, Geetanjali Salons and Studios. After Unlock 1, around 15 to 30 sanitiser bottles are used in each salon as per the size; pre-lockdown, it used to be 5 to 7. On a much smaller scale, at Hair & Glow, Delhi, Renila says sanitising is sufficient. Earlier, on a good day, the salon serviced 15 clients a day. After the easing of the lockdown, it gets no more than three.

***

The question of safety over aesthetics is actually a cul de sac. A year ago would you think its possible to watch opera from a car seat? But its happening in Europe. Hair is important even for those who are balding, says Mumbai stylist Placid Braganza, who runs a 15-member team hair salon in Mumbai. The Delhi government re-opened the salons in the first week of June; Mumbais salons re-opened by June-end.

Placid says his lockdown experience has taught him that he needs to concentrate on his teaching career as a possible Plan B.A hair cut makes you look groomed. You might be locked up in your home, but due to social media or work from home via video-calls, can you say you are invisible? Looking groomed is key messaging. It says you are on top of your game, even now. But there is fear all around, he admits, no matter what gear you are wearing.

Elias Canetti, who explores the psychology of crowds in his book, Crowds and Power, says that clothes, in a state of fear, gives insufficient insecurity. It is easy to fear their tearimagine skin as smooth, defenceless, naked, the flesh of a victim. Is social distancing the new ostracism? Can fear make you look at your hair, skin and those you know differently? Can a virus decide the boundary of your being? Re-order who can touch you and who cant? The future of one of the worlds oldest professions is at stake. The barber-surgeon was considered part of the medical profession in Europe in the Middle Ages; besides haircuts, he gave leech-treatments to soldiers injured in battle.

***

Australia and Japan deemed haircut an essential service during the pandemic. China lifted its lockdown in March. A South China Morning Post video in March shows hairdressers doing the Long-distance Haircut using trimmers and scrubbers attached to long rods to trim and wash hair. Regular customers, the video noted, were keen to try this out.

A video that did well in India was well-known hair stylist Jawed Habibs DIY lockdown tutorial on Youtube. Sangeeta Rathi, a business strategist with an MNC, gave her son a trim after watching it. Friends and neighbours followed suit. Paper scissors were brought out to give a young child or a partner, haircuts; the more fastidious ordered on shopping sites the best trimmer and scissors that money could buy. Appointments given to local salon boys, who had started doing home visits service by May, were cancelled. Even in June, client number per day at these salons is in single digits.

In April, Delhi-based academic Rama Pauls sons emerged from the washroom with a seminary cut given by mum; in June they checked into the new-era salon where hairdressers looking like astronauts in PPE gowns gave them a professional snip. The family also started going to a branded salon instead of their regular one; the logic being they would be more conscious of a bad review, and hygiene standards would be better. Khokon Acharjee, a retired bank employee of Kolkata, called in a barber that his friends were using at home. If a hairdresser was a barber from the common pool, he seemed a safer bet.

Aarti Khurana, who has been doing Insta Lives as a tarot card reader, called home a hairdresser recommended by a friend. She was desperate enough to let in a professional wearing PPE gear stitched by his mom; he washes it everyday. On the flip side this also shows that people are testing the limits of everyday courage and choosing to put their lives in the hands of virtual strangers in the face of a still unfathomable disease.

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. She paid R2,500 for hair colour, R1,500 for the haircut. The IANS reports a survey by Redquanta, which says salon visits are among the top three activities that people missed the most during the ongoing pandemic. He charged me Bandra salon rates but I was filled with gratitude just to have him turn up so well covered. After he left, I immediately had a bath, says Aarti.

Convenience is the new non-negotiable in the service industry, says Ayush Bansal, a Mumbai gym owner. He calls his hairdresser, Nadeem, a friend. Everyone is looking for end-to-end services sitting at home, he says. If you can get groceries, you can get a hairdresser as well. His change of hairdressers in the past years maps this transition. He started to patronise Nadeem, who works in a salon five minutes from his home in Juhu over Michelle, his first regular hairstylist, as her salon was a 20-minute drive away at Pali Hill. Nadeem could soon become history with Ayush having started to use hairdressers with Urban Clap.

The new rule for every segment of society is that dont be overdressed, everyone understands you are at home, says actor Meeta Vashisht, who did a virtual press meet for her new film, Your Honour. I just had to make sure my hair looked good for the camera, how it looks from the back really doesnt matter. Recently, on Insta I just wore clothes one wears at home and did a spoof. It had 13,000 likes. When I put my hair up and dressed up to spoof a hit song in a movie, it had half the views.

All this, however, may not bode well for hairdressers. Fear is impacting every business in the world, including ours, says Jawed Habib, who runs 900-plus salons in 120 cities of India. Clients are walking in like inspectors and asking if the shop is safe. If the shop is open, it must be! We want to be safe too. People are just getting essentials done now  a quick hair cut, or the covering of greys, or a repair job and they are out of the salon. He suggests that the Council instead of just focusing on rules and norms should also talk of support. So far, the Andhra Pradesh government is one of the few state governments offering help to the fraternity. In June, it announced that it will soon launch a one-time financial assistance scheme of R10,000/beneficiary for traditional hairdressers, tailors and launderers.The Nagaland government has also offered a one-time R10 K to all returnees, irrespective of industry. Three hundred from the hair salon industry returned home this month.

The industry employs around 70 lakh; women workforce is around 47%. The pandemic has also forced many migrants, especially from the North-east who are a sizeable population in the beauty and wellness industry to return home. According to Madhumita Saikia, president, Assam Aesthetician Association, 2,500 hair industry personnel from Assam have returned home in June; 300 to Nagaland, 60 plus to Manipur, 150 to Mizoram; Sikkim and Meghalaya having blocked re-entry to all migrants.

Renila Lepcha of Darjeeling is staying put in Delhi. She is waiting for her husband, a chef, stranded in Russia, and also for her regular clients. She wont be meeting any of them soon. I trust you, was told to her only once every two months.

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Seven women and an 18-year-old man were charred to death and 11 others injured in a fire that swept through an illegal factory manufacturing party poppers in Ghaziabad districts Modinagar town, officials said on Sunday.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath took note of the incident and asked authorities to conduct an immediate probe, district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said, adding that he has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident. A first information report (FIR) will be lodged against the person operating the factory and he will be sent to jail, Pandey told reporters in Bakharwa village, where the factory is located.

We have found laxity on part of the local police post in-charge as he was prima facie expected to have knowledge about the factory. The CM has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the family of the deceased, Pandey said.

Senior superintendent of police Kalanidhi Naithani said: The factory was illegal as we have found no documents or records of its operation or permission.

Fire department officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said manufactured items stocked at the complex caught fire around 4pm. Forensic experts were roped in to ascertain the exact cause of fire. All the 11 injured are women.

There were no safety measures and the factory did not have any licence. It was operating illegally. There were 25-30 women who were employed as workers; even children used to work here, said Bupender Kumar, a villager.

Villagers alleged that the factory was operated illegally by one Nitin Chuaudhary and his partner, Momeen. A police raid was conducted about a fortnight ago but the operations continued unaffected, they said.

After the incident, officials in the Ghaziabad administration and the police rushed to the spot. Modinagar legislator Manju Siwach, too, visited the site.

The factory was manufacturing poppers which are used for birthday celebrations. The work was going on illegally and explosive chemicals which were also stored, caught fire, she said.

Later, villagers blocked a road and shouted slogans against officials.

Villagers were demanding strict action as the factory continued its operations. My aunt had been working there for the past year...She was given a job for Rs 4,500 a month. She went to work at 8am and later we found that she died in the fire, said Sahil, the nephew of one of the victims.
Gaitri Issar Kumar of the 1986 batch of the Indian Foreign Service has taken over as Indias high commissioner to the United Kingdom  the third woman envoy in the key post since independence, after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Ruchi Ghanashyam.

Soon after taking over, Kumar held virtual meetings with Tariq Ahmad, minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Richard Moore, FCO political director, and leading members of the Indian community such as industrialist Swraj Paul and Raj Loomba, the mission said on Saturday.

Paul tweeted: India has a great foreign service & very bright women diplomats starting from Mrs Pandit & have had the pleasure of knowing few. Said goodbye to Ruchi Ghanashyam & welcome Gaitri Kumar. Wish you a great stay, you will enjoy this assignment.

Pandit was the high commissioner from 1954 to 1961, while Ghanshayam, who retired in May after a tenure in London she described as a roller-coaster ride, took over in December 2018. Kumar was the Indian ambassador to Belgium, the EU and Luxembourg before joining in London.

Kumar takes over at a time when the Boris Johnson government currently dealing with the pandemic will soon focus more on Brexit-related issues as the end of the transition period on December 31 draws near. More trade with India in the post-Brexit UK has been a key aim.

The ceremonial event at Buckingham Palace when Kumar will present credentials to Queen Elizabeth is expected later in the year due to restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. The queen has been in the Windsor Castle since March.

The event with a royal touch involves new envoys being collected from their residence or high commission/embassy in a state landau (horse-drawn carriage), and travelling through the streets of London led by a second carriage in which the marshal of the diplomatic corps travels.

Diplomatic audiences with the queen have barely changed since Victorian times. There are more than 170 ambassadors and high commissioners based in London at any given time. Each has an audience with the queen shortly after taking up his or her role.
An aide of Vikas Dubey has told the Uttar Pradesh police that the gangster behind the killings of eight policemen in Kanpur district was informed about the raid at his house by a policeman, a senior official said on Sunday.

Daya Shankar Agnihotri, one of the accused in the killings, was arrested earlier in the day after a gunfight in Kalyanpur area near Kanpur.

The senior official said Agnihotri revealed the information during the interrogation. The 48-year-old Dubey, who has 60 cases of murder and kidnapping among others, is the main accused in the killing of the policemen early on Friday.

Agnihotri told the police Vikas Dubey got a call from the Chaubeypur police station, informing him that a team from three police stations led by Devendra Mishra, the circle officer of Bilhaur, would come to his village past midnight.

Agnihotri also said that at least 25 people were present with Dubey when the police team approached his house in Kanpurs Bikru village.

Dubeys men had fired indiscriminately on the police team out to nab him, killing Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables in an ambush that the police said was a well-planned conspiracy.

Officials have said Agnihotri suffered a bullet wound in his right leg in the retaliatory firing by the police team.

He is one of the 18 aides of Dubey named in the first information report (FIR) lodged in connection with the killing of the policemen.

Inspector general of police, Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal said Agnihotri was the right-hand man of Dubey and carried a bounty of Rs 25,000 on his head at the time of his arrest.

Agnihotri has three criminal cases against him, including two of attempt to murder.

Police have seized a gun and cartridges from Agnihotris possession.
Seven women and an 18-year-old man were charred to death while eleven others were injured in a major fire in an illegal factory manufacturing party poppers at Bakharwa village in Modinagar town of Ghaziabad on Sunday evening. The officials of the fire department said a mass of hydrocarbons and manufactured items stocked at the complex somehow caught fire at around 4pm on Sunday.

The department officials, requesting anonymity, said the factory had no permission to operate and teams of forensic experts had been roped in to ascertain the exact cause of fire.

The district magistrate said there was laxity on the part of the local police post.

The CM has taken cognisance of the incident and asked us to conduct an immediate inquiry. We have found laxity on the part of local police post in-charge as he was prima facie expected to have knowledge about the operation of the factory, district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey told reporters at Bakharwa village.

Senior superintendent of police Kalanidhi Naithani said: The factory was illegal as we have found no documents or records of its operation or permission.

Fire department officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said manufactured items stocked at the complex caught fire around 4pm. Forensic experts were roped in to ascertain the exact cause of fire. All the 11 injured are women.

Modinagar fire tragedy claims 7 lives, CM Adityanath seeks report

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had directed the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police to rush to the spot and submit a report by Sunday night. He also ordered a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased.

The CM has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the family of the deceased. I have also directed for a magisterial inquiry. An FIR will also be lodged against the person who was operating the factory and he will be sent to jail, added Ajay Shankar Pandey.

The villagers alleged that the factory was operated illegally by one Nitin Chuaudhary and his partner, Momeen, and the operations of the factory continued unabated despite a police raid conducted about a fortnight ago.

There were no safety measures in place here and the factory didnt have a licence. It was operating illegally. 25 to 30 women were employed here as workers and even children used to work here. There was a raid at the factory several days ago but it continued operations. The local police had information of the operation of the factory, said Bupender Kumar, a villager.

Following the incident, Ghaziabad administration and police officials rushed to the spot.

Later, angry villagers blocked the way of ambulances called to ferry the injured and the dead and shouted slogans against the administration.

Villagers were demanding strict action as the factory operated illegally. My aunt was working here for the past one year in order to support her family including four children. She was given a job for Rs 4,500 per month. She went for work at 8am and later we found she died in a fire. About 15 days ago, cops had raided the factory, but operations continued. The land belongs to a villager and the factory is operated by someone else, said Sahil, nephew of a victim woman.

After the fire started, many women got stuck in the factory and an earthmoving machine had to demolish the walls to pull them out. The factory owner was manufacturing party candles (poppers) here, while some work of packing the items was also given to villagers at their homes. The owner had also roped in boys aged 15 to 19 years for distribution of goods to nearby areas, he added.

Fire breaks out at multi-storey building in Kolkata

Sanjay Kumar, another villager whose wife Geeta sustained severe burn injuries at the factory, said she had been working at the factory for the past one month and was paid Rs 200 per day.

Since I do wall painting work, which was suspended during the lockdown, I sent her to work at the factory. Her hands and face suffered burn injuries in the fire. At present, she is the only one who is supporting the entire family including me and our three children, he added.

Modinagar MLA Dr Manju Siwach also reached the spot. The factory was manufacturing poppers which are used for birthday celebrations. The work was going on illegally and explosive chemicals which were also stored, caught fire, she added.
The Centre on Sunday blocked 40 websites linked to pro-Khalistan gourp Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) for a campaign for registering supporters for its cause.

Sikhs For Justice(SFJ), an unlawful organization under the UAPA, 1967, launched a campaign for registering supporters for its cause. On recommendations of MHA, MeitY, has issued orders under sec 69A of the I.T. Act, 2000, for blocking 40 websites of SFJ, an home ministry order said.

Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an unlawful organization under the UAPA,1967, launched a campaign for registering supporters for its cause. On recommendation of MHA, MeitY has issued orders under sec. 69 A of the I.T. Act, 2000, for blocking 40 websites of SFJ@AmitShah @HMOIndia  Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) July 5, 2020

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is the nodal authority for monitoring the cyber space in India.

Last year, the home ministry had banned the SFJ for its alleged anti-national activities, according to news agency PTI.

The SFJ pushed for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda. The US-based organisation had declared July 4 as the inaugural day for registration of referendum on Khalistan.

Also Watch l Punjab CM hails Centres decision to ban pro-Khalistan group

Earlier this week, the Centre had declared nine Khalistani terrorists, including SFJs Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who has been spearheading a campaign under the banner of Referendum 2020 for a separate Khalistani state, as individual terrorists under recently amended fourth schedule of UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment Act).

Others designated as individual terrorists under UAPA are Babbar Khalsa Internationals UK chief Paramijit Singh, Canada-based head of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Germany-based members of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) Gurmeet Singh Bagga and Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, and Pakistan-based terrorists  head of BKI Wadhawa Singh, Lakhbir Singh (International Sikh Youth Federation), Ranjeet Singh (Khalistan Zindabad Force) and Paramjit Singh (Khalistan Commando Force).

(With inputs from PTI)

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With millions of unskilled migrant workers in the cities having returned to rural India in the aftermath of the lockdown imposed for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the Narendra Modi government has tweaked the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for the benefit of the workers.

The government notified on July 2 that unskilled workers can now participate in the construction of community sanitary complexes under its flagship Swachh Bharat schemea priority welfare measure for the government.

The phrase Unskilled wage component for construction of Community Sanitary Complexes in convergence with Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) has been added to schedule 1 of the MGNREGS where it talks about Rural sanitation related works, such as, individual household latrines, School toilet units, Anganwadi toilets either independently or in convergence with schemes of other Government Departments to achieve open defecation free status, and solid and liquid waste management.

The arrangement, officials said, would in getting more hands for Swachh Bharat-related construction and for the unskilled workers, opens a dedicated area of work. MGNREGS promises 100 days of manual work a year to at least one member of every rural household

The government recently announced a targeted programme comprising 25 types of existing work to offer jobs to migrant labourers who have returned home in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Out of these 25, construction of community sanitation complexes was mentioned at the top of the presentation made at a press conference.

Public works worth Rs 50,000 crore would be offered to create jobs for migrant workers through this programme.

The skill mapping done in 116 districts across six states for the rozgar (employment)programme has revealed the high share of unskilled workers from the construction sector who came back to rural India during the pandemic. While construction workers comprised nearly 60% of all migrant daily-wagers, about 40% were unskilled.

Officials pointed out that last year too, the MGNREGS laws had been tweaked when the government renewed its emphasis on rain water harvesting. In November 2019, schedule 1 was amended to allow rooftop rain water harvesting structures in Government or Panchayat buildings.

MGNREGS was cleared by Parliament in 2005 and subsequently, many changes have been made to make the programme more attractive to the poor beneficiaries. An official pointed out, the changes are only made in the schedule or an appendix of the main law. So, it doesnt require the Parliaments sanction.

The union government is heavily banking on the MGNREGS to provide relief to Indias vast rural sector. It has pumped in an additional Rs 40,000 crore to beef up the MGNREGS annual budget to Rs 1.05 lakh crore--the highest ever allocation to the rural jobs scheme. The government also plans to create 300 crore persondays of work under MGNREGS this financial year.

MGNREGS is anyway demand-driven and works of swachh bharat were already included. creating job opportunities for unskilled workers is good but the main question is where is the money? the government has hiked MGNREGS budget by Rs 40,000 crore but the budget wont be sufficient for the entire year given the very high demand for work, said Himanshu, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
A 33-year-old woman was allegedly killed by a stalker who slit her throat in a beauty parlour at Jaora in Ratlam district Sunday morning hours before her marriage, police said.

The woman, Sonu Yadav, a resident of Shajapur district and her family reached Jaora in the morning where her marriage was to be solemnised with one Gaurav, a resident of Nagda in Ujjain, at a resort. Jaora is about 300 km northwest of Bhopal.

Ruchi Yadav, cousin of the deceased said the victim was getting her make-up done when the accused called.

The accused introduced himself as one Rahul and said he wanted to talk to my cousin who told him that she was in the beauty parlour. He disconnected the phone and within five minutes reached the parlour on a bike. He barged into the parlour and before we could understand anything he slit her throat with a knife and fled the spot. We rushed to a nearby hospital in an auto-rickshaw but doctors declared her dead.

Superintendent of police (SP), Ratlam district Gaurav Tiwari said, The main accused knew the deceased for three years and they had conversation through phone calls and messages. The woman was a divorcee and it was her second marriage to be solemnised.

Refusing to disclose the identity of the main accused till he is arrested and also the name of accomplice the SP said, In the CCTV footage two persons were seen reaching the beauty parlour on a bike. One of them entered the parlour while another was keeping a watch outside. The second person seen outside was arrested later while the main accused is still absconding. The man arrested told us during interrogation that the main accused was upset with the marriage of the woman and told him three days back that if she didnt marry him he would kill her. The main accused is bachelor and unemployed while the accomplice is married and is engaged in some job at a shop.
The police in Kanpur are investigating how gangster Vikas Dubey got the information about the raid at his house in which eight policemen were killed. The investigation has revealed that the cops helped Dubey on caste lines.

This was the reason that despite 60 known criminal cases and a career spanning 28 years, Dubey did not figure in the top 10 criminals of the city.

At present, around 30 policemen are under investigation after the UP Special Task Force (STF) and investigators found they were in touch with Dubey.

All the workers of the local police station are under our scope of investigation on how Vikas Dubey got information about police movement, Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal said on Sunday.

Services of cops in league with him will be terminated and they will face criminal trial, he added. Another official said that the staff of entire Chaubeypur police station was suspect.

Also Watch l Kanpur shootout accused arrested: Watch Vikas Dubeys aides claim on camera

What has really startled the investigators is the enormity of support the gangster had on caste-lines from the police. Two senior police officers of Deputy SP rank, one of them is currently posted as a circle officer, a number of sub-inspectors and constables have been questioned.

One of the deputy SPs was asked why he did not follow the routine procedure of invoking gangster act, registering his gang at district level after the 2019 shootout, which Dubeys men carried out in Kalyanpur and a case of attempt to murder was registered.

The questioning was in context of murderous assault mounted on the gangsters brother Anurag Dubey in Kalyanpur. Anurags wife Rita had lodged an FIR naming Vikas, his closest aides Pawan Tiwari, Aman Tiwari and two others on April 18, 2018.

The officer kept mum; he chose not to answer to the question on why did he go soft on him. The reaction of other was no different, said an official involved with the investigation. The sub-inspectors and constables were bit more forthcoming on this issue and said Dubey used to take good care of men from a particular caste.

Otherwise he was abusive to all the policemen he used to speak to over the phone or in person. Wo seedhe gaali dekar baat karta tha (he used to abuse cops right from the start), the cops told, adding that they were afraid of him and preferred not to be at odds with him.

Before Fridays shooutout, Dubey had spoken to a sub-inspector, now being investigated, over the phone, said a senior officer.

A number of examples are available now that show the not only the mid level officer, constabulary and senior police officers remained soft due to the caste factor. He survived all these years because of his activities on the caste-lines. It involved not only the cops but politicians, businessmen and so on, said an official who did not want to be named.
India and Afghanistan on Sunday signed five agreements for developing educational infrastructure in four Afghan provinces, with the move seen as a reiteration of New Delhis support to Kabul at a time when the war-torn countrys peace process is facing challenges.

The five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed under the high impact community development projects (HICDP) programme being implemented by India to further strengthen the bilateral development partnership, said a statement from the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Since 2001, India has undertaken projects worth $3 billion in Afghanistan, including $1 billion pledged in 2016 under the new development partnership scheme over the period of five years. These projects are part of Indias commitment to assist Afghanistan emerge as a peaceful, united, prosperous and pluralistic nation, the statement said.

The projects to be taken up under the five MoUs include the construction of classrooms, a higher education building and a road within the campus of Albironi University. The projects are spread across the four provinces of Nooristan, Badakhshan, Farah and Kapisa.

Since 2005, the Indian government has committed $200 million to support more than 550 high impact community development projects across Afghanistan. Of these, more than 400 projects have already been completed while the rest are in various stages of implementation. These are usually smaller grassroots projects that involve a lower financial outlay but have a direct impact on local populations.

The ceremony in Kabul for the signing of the MoUs was presided over by the Afghan minister of economy, Mustafa Mastoor. Tripartite agreements were signed between the Indian government, the Afghan ministry of economy and the implementing ministries, such as the ministry of education.

Two MoUs were signed by Indian ambassador Vinay Kumar and ministers Mustafa Mastoor and Abdul Tawab Balakarzai, while three were signed by Kumar and ministers Mastoor and Rangina Hamidi.

The government of India remains committed to take forward the India-Afghanistan Development Partnership based on the national priorities of the government and people of Afghanistan, the statement said.

Despite an agreement signed by the US and the Taliban in February, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist violence even as it grapples with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The intra-Afghan dialogue, a key component of the peace process, is yet to get underway.

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Indias tally of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) reached 673,165 with the biggest single-day increase of 24,850 new cases and 613 deaths, data from the Union health ministry on Sunday showed.

The countrys death toll due to the disease has reached 19,268 and there are 244,4814 active cases of Covid-19 in the country, according to the health ministrys dashboard.

The number of recoveries stands at 409,082 with 14,856 people cured of the viral disease in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate is now 60.76%, slightly down from Saturdays 60.80%.

This is the third consecutive day when coronavirus disease cases have increased by more than 20,000.

There are 14 states in the country which have reported more than 10,000 Covid-19 cases and Maharashtra remained the worst-hit on Sunday.

Maharashtra has 200,064 Covid-19 cases and a death toll of 8,671. The states first lakh cases took 96 days, while the second took just 22 days.

Amit Deshmukh, medical education minister, has said the states health infrastructure is ready to tackle the rising number of cases. Deshmukh has also said that July and August are crucial and the government expects the decline in cases to begin in a month.

Tamil Nadu has crossed the 100,000-mark with 10,7001 infections and 1,450 deaths as the state government announced relaxations for Chennai while extending curbs for Madurai and nearby regions till July 12 after 17 days of intense lockdown in the state capital and suburban areas.

The state capital of Chennai, which is under tightened restrictions from June 19 to help fight mounting Covid-19 cases, would see an easing of curbs from Monday.

In Delhi, the number of Covid-19 cases is inching towards the 100,000-mark. The Union health ministry dashboard showed there were 97,200 cases and 3,004 deaths in the national capital so far.

In the northeast region of the country, Assams Covid-19 tally crossed the 11,000-mark on Saturday with the detection of 1,202 new cases, the single biggest spike in a day.

State data showed that the figure jumped from 9,777 cases to 11,001 with Guwahati, which along with the rest of Kamrup Metro district is under a 14-day total lockdown since June 28, registering 777 infectionsthe biggest daily spike for the states largest city.

However, according to the Union health ministry, there are 10,668 cases of the coronavirus disease for the state.

India has the fourth-highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world after the United States, Brazil and Russia.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide is 11,240,943, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys tracker. And, 530,137 people have died globally due to the infection, according to the data compiled by the American university.
The ruling in the Italian marines case by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (tribunal) at Hague will not affect Indias rights in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for fishing, exploration of gas etc, former additional solicitor general (ASG) PS Narasimha, who headed Indias legal team during the initial stages of the case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, told HT.

The EEZ is a sea zone prescribed under the United Nations Convention on Law of Seas (UNCLOS) and extends up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the coastline of the country. The UNCLOS is an international agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with regard to their conduct and use of world seas and oceans and management of marine natural resources. As per Article 56 of UNCLOS, every country has sovereign rights within the EEZ including the right to exploit natural resources, living or non-living.

The incident of shooting at Indian fishermen in 2012 happened within the EEZ. Despite that, the arbitral tribunal came to the conclusion that Italy has not violated Indias sovereign rights.

The tribunals observations should be seen in the context of the specific incident of Enrica Lexie wherein it held that a vessel can take action to protect itself from what it assumed was an attack by pirates, Narasimha said.

The Tribunals ruling does not impact Indias rights in the EEZ for fishing, exploration of gas, fishing in any manner whatsoever. The tribunals observations (on Italy not having violated Indias sovereign rights) are limited to the extent of stating that a vessel has a right to protect itself from potential piracy attacks including in the EEZ of another state. These observations are only a reflection of the rights vested in a countrys vessel to protect itself in certain circumstances and not in derogation of the coastal states rights in the EEZ, he said.

Kerala CM writes to PM Modi seeking trial in Italy of marines who killed 2 fisherme

Narasimha made it clear that the finding of the tribunal need not be categorized as Italy not having violated Indias sovereign rights at all. The Tribunal, he said, recorded in clear terms that India has the freedom of navigation in the high seas and that Italy has acted in breach of Indias freedom of navigation.

The tribunal has only held that in the specific incident of the Italian vessel, which was otherwise traversing peacefully through the EEZ, the action taken by Enrica Lexie due to its supposedly bonafide assumption of a potential piracy event, may not have been in violation of Indias sovereign rights in the EEZ. The tribunals ruling only proceeds to examine whether a vessel is entitled to take defensive in the event of an attack in the EEZ of another country. To this particular question, it has answered in the affirmative, he said.

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Narasimha also pointed out that the tribunal rejected Italys claim that India is expected to make reparations for its actions of arrest and investigation of the Marines.

On Indias counter- claim of violation of Article 56 by Italy, the Tribunal has held that no foreign-flagged vessel can proceed to act against Indian sovereign interests and rights in the EEZ in any manner, he added.

While the tribunal held that Italy interfered with Indias right to navigation when Enrica Lexie fired at the Indian fishing boat St. Antony, it also held that India should stop exercising criminal jurisdiction over the marines, since they enjoyed state immunity while acting in their official capacity.

Narasimha said that while there might be problems with regard to tribunals finding on marines enjoying state immunity, the same is not contradictory to the finding on violation of Indias right to navigation.

Though the issue of territoriality has been held in Indias favour, the issue of immunity is not contradictory but a different issue entirely, he said.

The tribunal, he said, correctly observed that the act of shooting by the marines, which caused St. Antony to change direction and head back to shore, was in violation of Indias freedom of navigation.

But despite specifically holding that India has jurisdiction over the incident, the tribunal also observed that whether or not India can subsequently try the marines would also depend on the outcome of the question of immunity. The question of immunity was then answered in the favour of Italian marines, based on which, India was asked to stop the criminal proceedings against the marines.

The Tribunals finding that immunity was applicable to the marines in these facts and that they were State officials of the Italian Republic and were acting in their official capacity as officers of the Italian Navy is questionable. This approach is rather dangerous for the serious implications they entail in how countries are expected to act in similar situations in the future, Narasimha added.
The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (tribunal) at the Hague in the Italian marines case will not affect Indias rights in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for fishing, exploration of gas and so on, former additional solicitor general (ASG) PS Narasimha, who headed Indias legal team during the initial stages of the case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, said.

The EEZ is a sea zone prescribed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and extends upto 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the coastline of the country. UNCLOS is an international agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with regard to their conduct and use of world seas and oceans and management of marine natural resources. As per Article 56 of UNCLOS, every country has sovereign rights within the EEZ including the right to exploit natural resources, living or non-living.

The shooting of Indian fishermen in 2012 happened within the Indian EEZ. Despite that, the arbitral tribunal came to the conclusion that Italy had not violated Indias sovereign rights.

But the tribunals observations should be seen in the context of the specific incident of Enrica Lexie, an Italian oil tanker, wherein it held that a vessel can take action to protect itself from what it assumed was an attack by pirates, Narasimha said in an interview with Hindustan Times.

The Tribunals ruling does not impact Indias rights in the EEZ for fishing, exploration of gas, fishing in any manner whatsoever. The Tribunals observations (on Italy not having violated Indias sovereign rights) are limited to the extent of stating that a vessel has a right to protect itself from potential piracy attacks including in the EEZ of another state. These observations are only a reflection of the rights vested in a countrys vessel to protect itself in certain circumstances and not in derogation of the coastal states rights in the EEZ, he said.

Narasimha made it clear that the finding of the Tribunal need not be categorized as Italy not having violated Indias sovereign rights at all. The Tribunal, he said, recorded in clear terms that India has the freedom of navigation in the high seas and that Italy had acted in breach of Indias freedom of navigation.

The tribunal has only held that in the specific incident of the Italian vessel, which was otherwise traversing peacefully through the EEZ, the action taken by Enrica Lexie due to its supposedly bonafide assumption of a potential piracy event, may not have been in violation of Indias sovereign rights in the EEZ. The Tribunals ruling only proceeds to examine whether a vessel is entitled to take defensive steps to defend itself in the event of an attack in the EEZ of another country. To this particular question, it has answered in the affirmative, he said.

Narasimha also pointed out that the tribunal rejected Italys claim that India is expected to make reparations for its actions of arrest and investigation of the marines.

On Indias counter- claim of violation of Articles 56 by Italy, the Tribunal has held that no foreign flagged vessel can proceed to act against Indian sovereign interests and rights in the EEZ in any manner, he added.

While the tribunal held that Italy interfered with Indias right to navigation when Enrica Lexie fired at the India fishing boat St. Antony, it also held that India should stop exercising criminal jurisdiction over the marines because the marines enjoyed state immunity since they were acting in their official capacity. Are these two findings contradictory?

Narasimha said that while there might be problems with regard to tribunals finding on marines enjoying state immunity, it is not contradictory to the finding on violation of Indias right to navigation.

Though the issue of territoriality has been held in Indias favour the issue of immunity is not contradictory but a different issue entirely, he said.

The Tribunal, he said, correctly observed that the act of shooting by the Marines which caused St. Antony to change direction and head back to shore was in violation of Indias freedom of navigation.

But despite specifically holding that India has jurisdiction over the incident, the tribunal also observed that whether or not India can subsequently try the Marines would also depend on the outcome of the question of immunity. The question of immunity was then answered in favour of Italian marines based on which India was asked to stop the criminal proceedings against the Marines.

The Tribunals finding that immunity was applicable to the Marines in these facts and that they were State officials of the Italian Republic and acting in their official capacity as officers of the Italian Navy is questionable. This approach is rather dangerous for the serious implications they entail in how countries are expected to act in similar situations in the future, Narasimha added.

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Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, GC Murmu, peformed Pratham Aarti of the ice stalagmite at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir on Sunday morning.

He was accompanied by his principal secretary and chief executive officer of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) Bipul Pathak, additional CEO AK Soni, Division Commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K Pole and other senior officials.

The LG along with senior officials reached the cave shrine early Sunday morning and performed Pratham Aarti, said an official of the SASB.

Prasar Bharati, Indias official broadcaster, showed the aarti live. It will do so till August 3.

Happy to share that the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board in association with Prasar Bharati will bring the live telecast of Aarti from the Holy Cave of Shri Amarnathji on various Doordarshan channels, Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar had tweeted on Saturday. The aarti will be shown live at 3 am and 7 pm.

The chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir BVR Subrahmanyam on Saturday had said that this years Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas would have to be undertaken in a restricted manner, so that the SOPs for Covid-19 are strictly adhered to.

Given the constraints, a maximum of 500 yatris will be allowed per day by road from Jammu. Therefore, arrangements will have to be limited to this number, he had said while chairing a meeting of the sub-committee constituted by the Supreme Court.

The curtailed yatra (pilgrimage) is likely to be held from July 23 to August 3 this year from the shorter Baltal route.

On June 5, the top officials of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) performed Pratham Pooja in the states winter capital Jammu on the occasion of Jayestha Purnima signifying commencement of the annual pilgrimage.

The Pratham Pooja at SASBs Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Ashram was conducted by Principal secretary to J&K Lieutenant Governor and CEO of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, Bipul Pathak, ACEO AK Soni.

Last year, the yatra was cut short following intelligence inputs of terror threats ahead of the Centre scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2018, the pilgrimage was held for 60 days.

Thousands of pilgrims either trek the traditional and longer 45-km-long Pahalgam route or the shorter 16-km Baltal route to the holy shrine every year.

One of the holiest pilgrimages in Hinduism, the Amarnath Yatra attracts pilgrims from India as well as across the world. There have been terror attacks on the route of the yatra in the past. The last attack took place in 2017 on a bus from Gujarat in Anantnag district that left seven pilgrims dead.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir high court has sought to know from the government about arrangements and various safety precautions on Amarnath Yatra in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

On Friday, advocate Sachin Sharma had moved an application before the high court that was heard by Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul.

The division bench issued notice to the government.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) Aseem Sawhney accepted notice on behalf of the government. Monika Kohli who is assisting the court as Amicus Curiae also accepted the notice.

The court asked the AAG to place before it the proposal and decision of the government with regard to the yatra.
Lathmin Tirkey, 27, a migrant labourer who went to Varanasi from Jamdai village in Ranchis Namkum block in October last year to work at a brick kiln unit, delivered a baby in February this year at workplace but her infant was deprived of her first immunization.

A day after the birth of the baby, a relative of Tirkey took her to a health centre there for the newborns first vaccine. But, we returned empty handed as there was no health staff at the centre, Tirkey said.

She returned to her job two days later and did not get time to get her baby immunized. She did not even have the MCP (mother-child protection) card.

She returned to her home in Namkum in mid-June after she became jobless due to lockdown since March 25. After completing her mandatory 14-day quarantine, she got her baby its first vaccine here at a health centre in Namkum and also got an MCP card.

Tirkeys baby is not alone. As many as 44,000 children up to five years of age of migrant workers who returned to Jharkhand, were deprived of immunization during the period they stayed outside the state.

More than five lakh migrant workers, who worked in different parts of the country, have returned to Jharkhand since May 1.

In a bid to ascertain the immunization status of children of migrant workers, the state health department launched a massive door-to-door intensive health survey last month. The health staff visited more than 50 lakh households in 28,000 villages and urban slum areas to identify the kids of migrant workers.The survey started on June 18 and ended on June 25.

The survey had three objectives such as identifying people suffering with respiratory problems, cough or fever for Covid-19 test, people above 40 years of age suffering from various diseases which increases vulnerability to Covid-19. The third objective of the survey was to know the status of immunization among children of migrant workers who returned to Jharkhand, said Akay Minz, state programme officer (SPO) for National Health Mission (NHM), Jharkhand.

The survey found 55,215 people with complaints of respiratory, cough and fever complications, while 3,39,573 people above 40 years of age had complaints of blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer and leprosy.

We also identified 44,191 children of migrant workers, who either missed doses of immunization or did not have a single vaccine after birth, Minz said.

Parents were either ignorant about immunization or they had no time to take their children to a health centre due to work pressure at work place, particularly in the unorganized sector, she said.

Anjali Kohya, a migrant worker who also went to Varanasi from Sodag village in Ranchis Namkum block, said, I worked at a brick kiln unit along with my husband Birju Khoya. Our two children stayed with us at the workplace. Since we came to Varanasi in October, we could not give a vaccine to our two-year-old son in Jharkhand. We tried it in Varanasi but did not find the location of the health centre. Due to pressure at the workplace, we struggled to find extra time to locate a health centre there. Khoyas son got the immunization at her village in Namkum on Thursday.

The Jharkhand health department has now launched a major campaign to immunize these deprived children. A senior official in the state health department, who monitors immunization said they have set a target to immunize 8.30 lakh children between the age group of zero to five this year.

We are assessing the achievement figure so far, as the immunization drive was affected due to Covid-19 pandemic. Community health centres were closed from March 21 to May 1. However, immunization exercise was on in government medical college hospitals and private hospitals, said the officer who did not wish to be named.
An aide of Vikas Dubey has told the police the gangster behind the killings of the eight policemen in Kanpur Dehat district was informed about the raid at his house by a policeman, a senior official said on Sunday.

Daya Shankar Agnihotri, one of the accused in the killings, was arrested earlier in the day after a gunfight in Kalyanpur area near Kanpur city.

The senior official said Agnihotri revealed the information during the interrogation. The 48-year-old Dubey, a hardened criminal who has 60 cases of murder and kidnapping among others, is the main accused in the killing of the policemen.

Agnihotri told the police Vikas Dubey got a call from the Chaubeypur police station informing him that a team from three police stations led by Devendra Mishra, the circle officer of Bilhaur who was among eight killed in the incident, will come to his village past midnight.

Agnihotri also said that at least 25 people were present with Dubey when the police team approached his house in Kanpur Dehats Bikri village.

Also read: Was our ancestral home, says mother of Kanpur firing accused on razed house

A sub-inspector, who is under the scanner after the failed raid, has been suspended. 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.

Dubeys men had fired indiscriminately on the police team out to nab him, killing Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables in an ambush that the police said was a well-planned conspiracy.

Officials have said Agnihotri suffered a bullet wound in his right leg in the retaliatory firing by the police team.

He is one of the 18 aides of Dubey named in the first information report (FIR) lodged in connection with the killing of the policemen.

Police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 to find him.

According to news agency ANI, Agnihotri opened fire at the police team going to arrest him on Saturday night. Police have recovered a gun and cartridges from Agnihotris possession, it reported.

Officials had said on Saturday they will seize illegal properties and money in Dubeys bank accounts under the gangster act, following which Lucknow Police seized the vehicles parked at his residence in the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.

Police have also increased the prize money for the arrest of Dubey.
Some more policemen are under investigation after the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force found that they had been in touch with Vikas Dubey, the prime accused in the shootout in which eight police personnel were killed at Bikru village in Kanpur on July 3, according to a senior police officer.

These policemen are in addition to Chaubeypur station officer Vinay Tiwari who was suspended on Saturday for his allegedly suspicious role in the failed raid.

Inspector general of police, Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal said, Three policemen were in touch (with Dubey) and a parallel investigation is going on to unearth this nexus.

Also read: How did gangster Vikas Dubey get information about Kanpur raid?

Services of the police personnel in league with him will be terminated and they will face a criminal trial, he said. Another official, who did not wish to be named, said the entire staff of the Chaubeypur police station in Kanpur was under suspect.

But what has startled the investigators is the enormity of support the gangster had on caste-lines from some police personnel, according to those privy to the probe.

Two senior police officers of deputy SP rank, one of them currently posted as a circle officer, a number of sub-inspectors and constables have also been questioned.

The deputy SP posted in Kanpur was asked why did he not follow the routine procedure of invoking the Gangsters Act for registering Dubeys gang at the district level after another shootout, which Vikas Dubeys men allegedly carried out in Kalyanpur.

The officer was questioned in the context of a murderous assault on Vikas Dubeys brother Anurag Dubey in Kalyanpur. Anurags wife Rita had lodged an FIR naming Vikas, his closest aides Pawan Tiwari, Aman Tiwari and two others with the police on April 18, 2018.

The officer kept mum on repeated questions about why he went soft on him (Dubey). The reaction of others was no different, said an official involved with the investigation.

Sub-inspectors and constables were a bit more forthcoming on this issue and said Vikas Dubey used to take good care of men from a particular caste.

Otherwise, he was abusive with all the policemen he spoke to over the phone or in person. Woh seedhe gaali dekar baat karta tha (he used to abuse cops right from the start), the policemen said, adding that they were afraid of him.

They preferred to extend support rather than be in his bad books, said an official.

The caste support that Vikas Dubey allegedly enjoyed from some policemen was the reason that despite 60 known criminal cases against him and a career in crime spanning 28 years, he did not figure on the list of top 10 criminals of Kanpur, those privy to the probe said. The police never registered his gangs name at the district level, they added.

Before the shootout on July 3, Vikas Dubey had spoken to a sub-inspector who is now being investigated, said a senior officer.

A number of examples show that not only the mid-level officers and the constabulary but senior police officers also remained soft due to the caste factor. He survived all these years because of his activities on caste lines. It involved not only the police personnel but also politicians, businessmen and so on, said an official who did not want to be named.
Karnataka for the third consecutive day saw another record spurt in cases with 1,925 new people being infected with Covid-19 taking the total tally to 23,474 which also includes 372 deaths and 9,847 people being discharged after successful treatment. State capital Bengaluru alone accounted for 1,235 of the new cases. With Sundays numbers, Bengaluru accounts for more than 60% of the states 13,251 active cases.

Even as more instances of hospitals turning away patients -- citing lack of availability of beds -- continued across the state, Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar, however, put up a brave face and claimed that things were under control in both Bengaluru and the entire state. There is no need to panic. Unfortunately, some sections of the media are creating the impression that this is a deadly disease leading to fear and depression among people.

Admitting that some private hospitals were turning away people by claiming that they did not have beds, Sudhakar said, The private hospitals had promised to hand over 2,734 beds but in reality have handed over only 116 beds. According to our information, 898 patients who had walked into private hospitals are being treated. We expect them (private hospitals) to keep their word and hand over the rest of the beds and we will take action if they dont. From tomorrow, revenue minister R Ashoka and political secretary to CM Vishwanath who have been tasked by the CM to look into the matter will take action.

Warning hospitals of criminal cases if they turn away patients despite having beds, the minister also promised that Covid-19 test results would be provided within 24 hours. The remark came after some people complained of the inordinate delay in providing test results. We have 80 - government and private combined - testing labs in the state which can process 20,000 samples a day. We will ensure that the capacity is properly utilized, he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister of State for Finance Janardhan Poojary has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been admitted to a hospital in Mangalore for treatment according to his son Santhosh.
Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala government tightened measures on Sunday to check the spread of Covid-19 cases by making wearing of facemask and observance of social distancing mandatory for one year. The government backed the measures, saying people had begun to take safety rules casually after relaxations. However, traders in the state said the tightening of norms may prove to be counterproductive for businesses.

Fine for those not wearing a mask has been increased to Rs 10,000 or to a two-year jail term. These measures will be in force for one year unless notified otherwise, said a statement from the government.

We dont want to lower our guard at the critical juncture. After norms are eased, some people are behaving like pre-Covid days; we want to check this. As long as the virus is in our backyard, we have to follow three basic norms, social distancing, masks and hand hygiene, state health minister K K Shailaja said.

The government amended the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Control Ordinance 2020 on Saturday to give it more teeth. Earlier, the fine for not wearing a mask was Rs 2,000. The amendment has also made social distancing mandatory for at least one year and restricted the number of participants for wedding parties to less than 50. For all social gatherings, protests and rallies, a written sanction of authorities will be needed, said the statement.

Spitting in public places has been made an offence punishable with a fine or jail term. In shops and other business establishments, the amendment limits the presence of people to a maximum of 20, depending on the size of the trading area. Even at work places, masks are mandatory and wearing them casually will also invite a fine. Business establishments have been asked to avoid air-conditioning and closed enclosures and told to maintain office temperature in the range of 25 and 27 degree Celsius.

While Indian Medical Associations Kerala chapter, which wanted stricter norms, welcomed the move, traders and businessmen were guarded in their reaction.

Containment measures are welcome but at the same time the government will have to ensure proper atmosphere for traders. Even at worst-hit areas in Tamil Nadu and Mumbai these norms are not extended to one year, said MP Prashanth, a trader in Chalai market in Thiruvananthapuram.

The decision came in the backdrop of a steady rise in coronavirus disease cases in the state. On Sunday, Kerala reported 225 Covid-19 cases, taking the states tally to 5,429. One person succumbed to the infection, taking the toll up to 26.
In a major step to curb the spike in the coronavirus infections, Kerala has made it mandatory for people to follow Covid-19 safety guidelines for a year.

The state government has amended the state Epidemic Disease Ordinance which will be effective till July 2021.

The guidelines have been issued under Kerala Epidemic Disease Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Additional Regulations, 2020.

Kerala was the first state in the country to report Covid-19 cases. It has 5,204 coronavirus infections including 2,131 active cases and 25 deaths, as per the Union health ministry dashboard at 8 AM on Sunday morning.

Here are the new guildelines:

1) Wearing of mask/ face cover: All persons shall cover their mouth and nose with the mask / face covers in all public places, work places, all kinds of vehicles and during transport.

2) Social Distancing: All persons shall maintain social distance of six feet at public places and functions.

3)Fine : Rs 10,000 will be fined for not wearing masks in public places.

4) Marriage Function: A maximum of 50 people will be allowed for marriage celebrations in Kerala. All people at the function must use sanitiser, wear face masks, and keep a social distance of six feet.

5) Funeral Functions: For the funeral of non-Covid-19 patients, up to 20 people will be permitted.

6) Social Gathering: For any social gathering, permission from local authority will be required.

7) Prohibition of spitting in public places: Spitting in public places will be strictly prohibited.

8) Registration of those visiting Kerala: Those who are coming to Kerala from other states need to register themselves via Kerala governments Jagratha e-platform. However, a pass is not required for inter-state travel.

9) Shops and commercial establishments: Up to 20 people will be allowed in any shop across the state to maintain social-distancing norms.

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A woman in Kerala has again tested positive for Covid 19, a few days after reportedly getting cured from the disease in the month of June. She had recently returned to the state from the United Arab Emirates. While the experts have called it worrisome, they have ruled it out as a case of re-infection. According to them, it is more likely to be a case of resurgence of viral remnant. In another possibility, they suspect the woman may not have recovered fully last month.

Viral remnant is a condition where the virus remains dormant even after recovery but doesnt show infectious tendencies due its weakened state. The experts add that the resurgence of the virus in the woman calls for a detailed study.

We have checked the case history of the patient. She had tested positive in the month of May and turned negative in the third week of June after treatment. She was quarantined after her return to Kerala in the last week of June. She tested positive two days back, said Kottayam district medical officer Dr Jacob Varghese.

He said either she was not fully cured or it could be a case of viral remnant. Experts say such cases are one in thousands and cant be considered a regular phenomenon of the viral disease.

We have to examine her previous clinical records and positivity thoroughly. Chances of re-infection are unlikely. In some cases there are delayed remissions and in other cases they remain asymptomatic though infected, said state health secretary Rajan Kobragade, adding that the state medical board will study the case in detail.

Kerala CM writes to PM Modi seeking trial in Italy of marines who killed 2 fishermen

In Pathnamthitta, a girl student who had tested positive upon her return from Delhi remained asymptomatic throughout her positivity period and in another case, a woman turned negative after 19 continuous tests. The World Health Organization (WHO) has prescribed a 14-day incubation period but the state had extended it to 28 days and insisted on three consecutive negative tests for discharge, but it tweaked it after the number of cases increased. Now, a patient can be discharged after the first negative result.

Another such case was reported in Idukki, again an expatriate who had returned from Abu Dhabi. But after checking his medical history, doctors found he had never tested positive in the UAE, despite claiming to have undergone treatment and turned negative later. His antibody test at Abu Dhabi airport was negative but he tested positive on his arrival at Cochin airport. He is currently undergoing treatment at the government medical college hospital in Ernakulam.

Indias first Covid-19 vaccine races to meet mid-August target

It is a new virus and its features and behaviour are still under study. Cases of re-infection have not been validated anywhere. Kottayam case needs an in-depth study, said public health expert V Ramankutty.

He added that highly-populated countries like India will have to live with the virus for some time, resulting in the eventual development of herd immunity. The fight against Covid-19 can be made easier if those infected develop an adequate level of immunity through development of antibodies, said experts. Kerala has reported 5,204 cases, out of which, 3,050 have recovered, leaving 2,129 active cases.
In a move to share Covid-19 related stories and track volunteering activities in the State, a web portal (manipurcovidstories.org) was launched in Imphal at a function held at Chief Ministers Secretariat in Imphal on Saturday.

The web portal features crowd-sourced stories collected from people who have been Covid-19 positive and recovered, volunteers who have worked at quarantine centres, selfless work carried out by individuals, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations and medical professionals, among others.

The stories are segregated in the form of texts, photo features and videos. The website will be managed by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Manipur and conceptualised and designed by Fluorescence Communications.

Also read: India records biggest one-day jump of 24,850 Covid-19 cases, 613 deaths

Formally launching the web portal, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh while speaking through a video message, said, The platform will act as a source of positivity and showcase such stories that will reflect the perseverance and determination of the people of Manipur in fighting the global pandemic in the tiny state.

He also appealed to the people of Manipur to share their inspiring stories about the fight against Covid-19 pandemic through this website. He further appreciated the efforts of all those who have been involved in the fight against the deadly virus due to which, so far, there hasnt been any case of fatality due to coronavirus.

Various state cabinet ministers, such as Th Biswajit Singh, Karam Shyam, Losii Dikho, Awangbow Newmai, along with chief secretary Dr J Suresh Babu, DGP LM Khaute, principal secretary (health) V Vumlunmang and the directors of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), among others were present during the function.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Manipur has increased to 1,325 with 9 new cases while the total number of active cases stands at 658, according to official sources.

In the last 24 hours, 28 persons were discharged from Covid-19 care centres of Meitram(16), Senapati (8) and Thoubal (4) after they were found Covid-19 free on a Real-Time PCR test, said Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang, additional director and spokesperson of the health department.

The cumulative number of positive cases is 1,316. The number of active and recovered cases is 658 and 667 respectively. The recovery rate is 50.33 percent, he added.

As on Saturday, a total of 2,91,947 persons were screened while 54,483 were tested for Covid-19 in the state.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered senior officials to oversee relief work at Bakharwa village in Modinagar town in Ghaziabad, where a major fire at a factory killed seven people on Sunday evening. He has also asked for an official report by Sunday night.

Seven persons including women have died and three persons were severely injured in the fire incident. According to locals, about 20-25 persons were working when the fire broke out. The identification of the seven persons is being done. We are also trying to find the owner of the factory, said Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, superintendent of police (rural).

Also Read: 7 dead in explosion at factory in UPs Modi Nagar

Following the incident, the fire department officials rushed to the spot, they were assisted in their relief and rescue operations by the villagers.

There were no safety measures in place here and the factory didnt have a license to operate. It was running illegally. Many women were employed here as workers along with children. There was a raid at the factory some time ago but it continued operations. The local police had information of the operation of the factory, said Bhupender Kumar, a villager.

Fire breaks out at multi-storey building in Kolkata

According to cops, the factory was involved in the manufacturing of party poppers used for birthday celebrations. The cops are also trying to find out if any chemicals were stored in the factory while attempting to establish the exact cause of fire.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

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How did gangster Vikas Dubey get information about Kanpur raid? Police explore caste angle

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The Kerala government on Sunday tightened measures to check the spread of Covid-19 cases by making wearing of facemask and observance of social distancing mandatory for one year. The government backed the penal measures saying people had begun to take safety rules casually after relaxation in restrictions came into force with the stage of Unlock-1. However, the traders in the state said the tightening of norms may prove to be counterproductive for businesses.

Fine for those not wearing a mask has been increased to Rs 10,000 or to a two-year jail term. These measures will be in force for one year unless notified otherwise, said a statement from the government.

We dont want to lower our guard at the critical juncture. After norms were eased some people are behaving like pre-Covid days, we want to check this. As long as the virus is in our backyard we have to follow three basic norms, social distancing, masks and hand hygiene, said state health minister K K Shailaja explaining the rationale behind the extension.

Kerala records 225 new Covid-19 cases

The government had amended the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Control Ordinance 2020 on Saturday to give it more teeth. Earlier, the fine for not wearing a mask was Rs 2000. The amendment has also made social distancing mandatory for at least one year and restricted the number of participants for wedding parties to less than 50. For all social gatherings, protests and rallies, a written sanction of authorities will be needed, said the statement.

Spitting in public places has also been made an offence punishable with a fine or jail term. In shops and other business establishments, the amendment limits the presence of people to a maximum of 20, depending on the size of the trading area. Even at work places, masks are mandatory and wearing them casually will also invite a fine. Business establishments have been asked to avoid air-conditioning and closed enclosures and told to maintain office temperature in the range of 25 and 27 degree Celsius.

Sitting on an active volcano: Kerala minister worried about Covid-19 community transmissions

While Indian Medical Associations Kerala chapter, which had called for stricter norms, welcomed the move, the traders and businessmen were guarded in their reaction.

Containment measures are welcome but at the same time, the government will have to ensure a proper atmosphere for traders. Even in the worst-hit areas in Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, these norms have not been extended to one year, said M P Prashanth,a trader in Chalai market in Thiruvananthapuram.

The state gold and silver merchants association also said such measures will send wrong signals.

The tightening of measures follows the number of Covid infections going past the 200 mark for the past three days. With 225 fresh cases on Sunday, the total number of infections in the state went up to 5,429. However, the number of total recoveries stands at 3,174 leaving 2,228 active cases. With one more death registered in the last 24 hours, the death toll has gone up to 26. Though a majority of fresh cases are imported--either expatriates or people arriving from other states-- the number of secondary infections are also on the rise.

In state capital Thiruvananthapuram alone, at least 22 secondary infections were reported on Sunday, forcing the authorities to enforce a total lockdown. Earlier in the day, state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said the situation in the state capital was really serious.
The Popular Front of India (PFI), which is under the scanner for alleged anti-national activities and fanning violence during the anti-CAA protests, is in the news lately after its national chairman Mohammed Abdul Salam Ovungal, 47, better known as OMA Salam, was reported to hold a state government office in Kerala.

Working as a senior assistant with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Salam is currently posted at the Manjeri (Malappuram) SEB circle office, documents with the Hindustan Times show which was later clarified by the SEB headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Is it possible for a government official to be part of an outfit marred by many controversies? Senior officials of the SEB say a strict no to it, adding that nobody has made any complaints in this regard and no criminal case is pending against him, at least in Kerala. Though the SEB vigilance department had made some inquiries in this regard last year but it was dropped later. The state service rules stipulate that a government employee should not be an active member of any organisation other than the service-related recognised trade unions.

There are around 36,000 employees with the state electricity board. Usually, during the joining period, there is a verification of personal details and credentials. If any case or complaints surface later, we have an internal mechanism to check it and take action against the erring, said a senior SEB official who did not want to be named.

Salam joined the SEB in 2000, his records also show he made some seven foreign trips in the last six years or so under personal trips by seeking permission from the SEB. There are many allegations against the PFI, including one where it is alleged that it used to get regular funding from some West Asian countries - some of the foreign trips of its functionaries are also under the intelligence radar now.

Salam was elected as the chairman of the PFI in February at its general assembly meet held in Puthanathani in Malappuram district. A PFI insider said he was active in the organisation since it was floated in 2006.

He is working in our office. Since I joined the Manjeri department office last month I have no other details about him, said deputy chief engineer of Manjeri region P Ramani. Salam was not reachable for his comments.

The PFI was launched in Kerala in 2006 after merging three Muslim outfits floated after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 - the National Development Front of Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasari of Tamil Nadu. Now, the PFI claims it has units in 22 states. Majority of the PFI leaders are from Kerala and some of them are former members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

The PFI calls itself a neo-social movement committed to empowering people belonging to the minority communities, Dalits and other weaker sections of the society. In a short span of time, it became popular among Muslim youth. Live with pride in India is its guiding principle. On the lines of the RSS, the PFI has uniforms and often conducts drills at public places. In 2013, the Kerala government had banned its freedom parade - which it conducts on the Independence Day - after the police found its cadres were carrying stars and emblems on the uniform.

Every year on February 17, it conducts unity marches at all its district headquarters. It has cadre training centres in many districts and usually associates with many human rights organizations to get a sombre outlook, police officials said. Its religious school Sathya Sarani in Manjeri was in the news after parents of some Hindu and Christian girls alleged that it was a conversion hub. Akhila Ashokan alias Hadiya Jehan, a dentist who embraced Islam and later married a Muslim youth, was reportedly converted here.

In Kerala, the PFI was mired in many clashes and political murders. It was allegedly involved in at least 30 political murders in the past decade. In 2015, 13 of its workers were awarded life-term for chopping the palm of a college professor, TJ Joseph, who prepared a question paper which was alleged to be blasphemous. Two years ago, six PFI activists were held in connection with the murder of an ABVP leader in Kannur and nine were arrested for allegedly killing SFI leader Abhimanyu at Maharajas College in Ernakulam. After last years protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act turned violent in many parts of the country, there was a demand to ban the organisation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday discussed issues of national and international importance at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

After the meeting, the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted a picture of President Kovind with PM Modi and posted about the brief meeting.

This comes after PM Modis visit to Ladakh earlier this week wherein he addressed the soldiers after the brutal face-off with China on June 15 which killed 20 Indian army personnel.

Prime Minister @narendramodi called on President Kovind and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. pic.twitter.com/yKBXCnfboE  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 5, 2020

During the visit, the prime minister on Friday told soldiers that modernisation of the armed forces is a priority and that the spending on border infrastructure has almost tripled.

Now the spending on border infrastructure in the country has almost tripled. This has also led to speedy development of border areas including construction of bridges and laying of roads, he said. One of the biggest advantages of this is that now the goods reach you in a short time. The country is strengthening its armed forces at every level today, he added.

PM Modi hailed the soldiers for their bravery and courage and said they are serving the country under challenging circumstances.

Your courage is higher than the heights where you are serving today. When the safety of the country is in your hands, then there is a belief. Not only me, but the entire nation believes in you. We all are proud of you, he said.

India is manufacturing modern weapons today. We are bringing modern technology from around the world for the armed forces, the prime minister stated.
The morale of the Indian armed forces is very high and the troops are ready to sacrifice their lives for the nation like in the past, ITBP chief S S Deswal said on Sunday as the military standoff with China continued in Ladakh.

The ITBP Director General (DG) said the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ladakh and his address to troops in Nimu have raised the morale of all the forces at the border.

The complete national leadership, political leadership and the forces and jawans...they are dedicated to the nation.

They are dedicated to border security and the morale of all forces, be it the Indian Army, Air Force or ITBP, is very high, Deswal told reporters on the sidelines of an event to inaugurate an over-10,000-bed COVID care centre here.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the facility for which the mountain-warfare trained force is the nodal agency.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital and volunteers of the religious sect of Radha Soami Beas have joined hands to run the Sardar Patel COVID care centre located in south Delhis Chattarpur area.

Deswal said armed forces personnel have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in the past and they are ready to dedicate their lives to the nation in the future as well.

Talking about the facility, he said the team of doctors and paramedics of the force is capable of handling a large number of patients as it has the experience of running the countrys first coronavirus quarantine centre created by the ITBP in the Chhawla area of the national capital as also of treating police personnel infected with the virus at the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) referral hospital in Greater Noida.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is primarily tasked with guarding the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China on the countrys eastern flank and its troops are present, along with the Army, to counter the Chinese forces during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakhs Galwan valley area and other locations.

The force has inducted about 30 fresh companies (around 3,000 personnel) to bolster its numbers at various locations along the LAC in view of the standoff with the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, GC Murmu performed Pratham Aarti or the first prayers at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir on Sunday morning.

He was accompanied by his principal secretary and chief executive officer of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) Bipul Pathak, additional CEO AK Soni, division commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K Pole and other senior officials.

The LG along with senior officials reached the cave shrine early Sunday morning and performed Pratham Aarti, said an official of the SASB.

Prasar Bharati, Indias official broadcaster, showed the aarti live. It will do so daily till August 3 at 3 am and 7 pm.

Speaking to the official broadcaster after paying obeisance at the cave shrine along with his family members, Murmu said that he felt the divinity after performing Pratham Aarti.

We prayed for peace, development and progress of the entire nation and its people, he added.

A Special Poja will be held at holy Amarnath Cave for the early end of Covid19 pandemic, said Mahant Dipinder Giri after performing bhumi poojan of Chadi Mubarak at Pahalgam in South Kashmir on Sunday.

The chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir BVR Subrahmanyam had said on Saturday that this years Amarnath Yatra would have to be undertaken in a restricted manner, so that the SOPs for Covid-19 are strictly adhered to.

J-K Chief Secy says SOPs for Amarnath Yatra to be strictly enforced amid pandemic

Given the constraints, a maximum of 500 yatris will be allowed per day by road from Jammu. Therefore, arrangements will have to be limited to this number, he had said while chairing a meeting of the sub-committee constituted by the Supreme Court.

The curtailed yatra (pilgrimage) is likely to be held from July 23 to August 3 this year from the shorter Baltal route.

On June 5, the top officials of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) performed Pratham Pooja in the states winter capital Jammu on the occasion of Jayestha Purnima signifying commencement of the annual pilgrimage.

The Pratham Pooja at SASBs Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Ashram was conducted by principal secretary to J&K Lieutenant Governor and CEO of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, Bipul Pathak, ACEO AK Soni.

For Coronavirus Live Updates

Last year, the yatra was cut short following intelligence inputs of terror threats ahead of the Centre scrapping Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status. In 2018, the pilgrimage was held for 60 days.

Thousands of pilgrims either trek the traditional and longer 45-km-long Pahalgam route or the shorter 16-km Baltal route to the holy shrine every year.

One of the holiest pilgrimages in Hinduism, the Amarnath Yatra attracts pilgrims from India as well as across the world. There have been terror attacks on the route of the yatra in the past. The last attack took place in 2017 on a bus from Gujarat in Anantnag district that left seven pilgrims dead.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir high court has sought to know about the arrangements and various safety precautions in place for Amarnath Yatra in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
The Centre on Sunday blocked 40 websites linked to the banned pro-Khalistan group - Sikhs For Justice (SFJ)-- being used to propagate an anti-India sentiment across the world and for enticing Sikh youth to join militancy, people familiar with the development said.

The ministry of information technology took down the websites on a recommendation from the ministry of home affairs after it was found that SFJ, primarily operating from the United States, was aggressively using the medium for its agenda.

The outfit has already been banned by the government in July 2019 while its leader - Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been declared an individual terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Wednesday.

Both MHA and IT ministry refused to divulge the details of websites that have been blocked, one of the key websites associated widely with the group www.referendum2020.org-- through which support from Sikh youth for a separate Khalistani state is sought by SFJ, could not be accessed as it has been blocked by the department of telecommunications.

According to a gazette notification issued last year while banning SFJ, The outfit is involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere, intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

The central governments order had stated that SFJ was in close touch with the militant outfits and activists, and was supporting violent forms of extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere to carve out a sovereign Khalistan out of the territory of Union of India.

SFJ is encouraging and aiding the activities for secession of a part of the Indian territory from the Union of India and supporting (the) separatist groups fighting for this purpose in India and elsewhere by indulging in activities and articulations intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, the notification had said.

Key Sikhs For Justice operative sent to NIA remand till June 29

The declaration to ban the group was upheld by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal headed by Delhi High Court chief justice DN Patel.

In its judgment, issued on January 6 this year, the tribunal said, The notification dated July 10, 2019 issued by the Union of India under the Act, declaring Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to be an unlawful association is hereby confirmed. The reference is answered in the affirmative.

It is in the judgment that a mention to the website, www.referendum2020.org, which is replete with pro-Khalistani posts and anti-India insinuations is found.

Agencies are trying to get an Interpol red notice issued against Pannun. Indian officials have claimed that Pannun is getting support from Pakistan for his anti-India activities.

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Indian Railways is in talks with states to get back labourers for construction work on its biggest infrastructure projectsthe dedicated freight corridors.

The project implementation agency, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), which had been left with about 50% of its workforce after the lockdown for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was enforced on March 25, has begun the process of getting back nearly 20,000 labourers, officials said.

DFCCIL has sought help from state governments including those of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to arrange workers for the Rs 81,000 crore project, scheduled to be completed by 2021, officials aware of the development said. DFCCIIL has begun booking special trains in bulk and deploying buses to get the labourers back.

 We had nearly 40,000 labourers working for us before the lockdown. After the first lockdown was announced, a bulk of migrants went back in the first 15 days. Once the Shramik Special trains began plying, nearly 50% of our workforce {around 25,000 labourers} had gone back. We have major agencies including L&T, Tata, GMR group etc who requested us to get the labour back. We have written to the UP government, we are also talking to the governments of Bihar and Jharkhand for the same as a majority of the workers comes from the eastern states, said Anurag Sachan, managing director, DFCCIL.

Also read: No job cuts but profiles of employees may change, says Railways

Railways until now has transported more than 6.28 million migrants on board 4,594 Shramik Special trains that began plying from May 1 to ferry stranded migrants to their home states.

So far around 8,000 labourers have returned and we are arranging transportation for more to return. Several of the special trains that are plying were returning nearly empty, we managed to make bookings in bulk for the labourers. States like UP and Bihar have also made of the migrants and their skills and we are in touch with them. At present we are still at 50% of our total workforce, Sachan added.

These workers are needed for technical jobs like electrification, mast casting, track works, operating high-end machines and others which cannot be done by local labour. Around 11,000 workers of the total workforce were skilled labour, officials said.

The ministry of railways is implementing two dedicated freight corridors, namely the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni (1,856 km.) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor from Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (1m504 km.). These corridors are targeted to be completed in phases by December 2021. DFCCIL had completed a total of 500 kilometres till January this year.

Also read| Cant convert coaches into ICUs for Covid patients: Railways to Bombay HC

The railway ministry last month said the trend of migrants returning by special trains from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal --states with a high migrant worker population  showed signs of economic activity picking up.

Special trains returning from high migrant population states have shown over 100% occupancy from June 26 till June 30, according to railway ministry data, indicating that many of them may be migrants who had gone back to their home states on Shramik Specials during the lockdown.
Kerala reported more than 200 new Coved 19 cases for the third straight day on Sunday taking the tally of coronavirus cases in the state to 5,429. While the number of active cases at 2,228 may not seem to be very high, the authorities have sounded an alarm since fears of the disease entering the community-spread stage in some regions have risen due to inability to trace contacts of some positive cases.

Reflecting the heightened state of alert in the state, tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran stated that the Thiruvananthapuram district could potentially be sitting on an active volcano while expressing the fear centered around the beginning of community transmissions of the deadly contagion.

Its like we are sitting on top of an active volcano which can burst anytime. Just because there has been no community spread till now doesnt mean it will not occur, the minister was quoted as having said by news agency PTI.

For Coronavirus Live Updates

Surendran said that the state government had decided to further raise the number of tests by conducting more antigen tests in the district to better understand the patter of the spread of the virus.

Kerala reported one more death due to the virus taking the toll to 26. While the majority of fresh cases are among the returnees to the state-- either from abroad or from other states, there is also a rise in the number of secondary infections, which is the main cause of worry.

Surendran said the restrictions in containment zones would be tightened further and food delivery boys will be tested following reports of a policeman and a food delivery boy testing positive.

To add to the Covid 19 containment challenges in the capital district, two people jumped quarantine from a state facility in Varkala on Sunday morning before they were nabbed. This is not the first such instance in the state and the government has specifically warned people against jumping quarantine, which is suspected to be one of the reasons triggering the second wave of infections seen earlier in the state.

Kerala woman again turns Covid 19 positive after recovery, state medical board to study her case

On Saturday, Keralas COVID-19 tally had crossed the 5,000 mark with 240 fresh cases- the highest single day spike so far. Thiruvananthapuram had reported 16 of those.

Experts from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kerala chapter had asked the state government to enforce a strict lockdown in containment areas and restrict movement of people to avert community spread.

The CM had also impressed upon the need for stricter curbs given the uniform spread of the disease within the state.
Civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri on Sunday declared that over 75,000 passengers travelled on domestic flights on July 4, the highest daily traffic, seen 41 days after the resumption of domestic flights on May 25. Puri noted that the Saturday figures were a great improvement on the 30,000 fliers, who boarded flights on May 25, after two months of suspension of air travel since March 25 following the outbreak of coronavirus disease in the country.

Domestic operations began with about 30K flyers on 25th May. Yesterday we crossed the 75K mark which indicates a slow & steady rise in number of domestic flyers, Puris tweet said.

Puri noted the steady increase in traffic and stated that a total of 1,560 domestic flights were operated on July 4 carrying 76,104 fliers. The footfalls at airports had also increased to 1,53,547 on the day.

For Coronavirus Live Updates

Puris tweet follows an attempt by his ministry to further remove impediments to domestic air travel by easing the attached conditions. In an order released on June 29, the ministry allowed anyone who had not tested Covid 19 positive in the last three weeks to travel by air. Passengers only need to make a self-declaration in this regard and those who have been cured from the disease are expected to produce a certificate confirming their cure or discharge before they are allowed to board an aircraft. The ministry said the decision had been taken in the view of the high number of recoveries taking place. The earlier condition barred air travel for people if they had tested positive in the last two months.

The rise in domestic air travel coincides with a 14-day-long suspension of flights to Kolkata from Covid hotspots of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad between July 6 and July 19 on the request of the West Bengal government. The move is aimed to contain the rapid rise of positive cases in Bengal, said the state government.

An average 65 domestic flights took off and touched down in Kolkata every day since June 2, said news agency PTI. During the pre-Covid period, the Kolkata airport operated around 200 domestic and 35 international flights regularly.

Punjab allows staggered arrival of flights

According to the new rules for air travel that came into effect on May 25, vulnerable persons, such as very elderly, pregnant ladies, passengers with health issues are advised to avoid air travel. However, this doesnt apply to air ambulance services.

Physical check-in at airport counters has been done away with and only passengers with confirmed web check-in are allowed to enter the airport. Passenger manifest sent electronically to each passenger is treated as a boarding pass. Passengers are required to show their Covid 19 status in the Aarogya Setu App. Fliers are required to wear protective gear, especially the face mask.
In a remarkable turnaround, Tehri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand has scripted a significant recovery in Covid-19 cases with just three active cases left on Saturday out of a tally of 421.

Tehri Garhwal was one of the districts in the state with a high number of Covid-19 cases after it reported the first incident in the third week of May.

The number of Covid-19 cases in the district began to rise after over 32,000 migrant workers returned home from other parts of the country.

Out of a total of 421 Covid-19 cases, 416 have recovered successfully while two have died.

Over 100 days after the first Covid-19 case was reported in Uttarakhand, the infection rate in the hilly districts was observed to be higher than the plain districts with the highest infection rate being reported from Tehri Garhwal district 11.56% on June 24.

Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Social Development for Communities, a Dehradun-based think tank, who has been analysing Covid-19 data in the state said that Tehri Garhwal district has shown improvement over the weeks.

Tehri Garhwal district has done wonders. It reported over 420 Covid-19 cases and 416 of them have recovered. Other districts could learn from the strategies followed by the district administration. I appeal to health authorities that there should be research on how the Tehri Garhwal handled cases and reached a recovery rate of almost 99%. We might be able to learn something good from this small district, said Nautiyal.

Amit Singh Negi, secretary for health in the state during a review meeting with the chief minister on Saturday said, The total active cases in the state have reduced and are now less than 500. The rate of infection in Uttarakhand is at 4.68% and the average rate in the country is 6.73%. Of the total positive cases in the state, 89% were found in urban areas and 11% in rural areas. The position of the state has been improving continuously on a lot of parameters.

He added that sampling has also increased steadily. The state has a doubling rate of 57.39 days while the countrys doubling rate is 23.52 days.
A day after she urged police to shoot and kill her son, the mother of Vikas Dubey, the prime accused in the killing of eight police personnel in Kanpur on Saturday said that she is unhappy over the razing down of the notorious gangsters hideout in Bikru village, the scene of the brutal crime.

The house demolished by the Kanpur administration was her ancestral house, said Sarla Devi.

Dubey is main accused in the Kanpur encounter case, in which a group of assailants opened fire on a police team which was trying to arrest the history-sheeter Dubey in the city late on Thursday night in which 8 policemen including a DSP were killed.

Also read| Kanpur shootout: UP police raise prize money for arrest of Vikas Dubey

The district administration today demolished the house and visuals showed cars and other vehicles in the premises of the building complex being crushed by machines.

I am saddened by this action. It was our ancestral house. The house was built by my husband and father-in-law and not by my son Vikas Dubey. The administration could have demolished Vikass properties, not ours, Sarla Devi told ANI.

I have not met my husband in the last 4 months and I am living here in Lucknow with my young son. Vikas should surrender to the police. We are facing problems because of him. Police is asking questions to us and our relatives, she added.

Also read: UP cops out on raid were killed by their own weapons, says autopsy report

Sarla Devi had on Friday said that Dubey should surrender himself before the police. If he continues to remain at large, police may kill him in the encounter. I say kill him even if you (police) manage to catch him. Strict punishment should be given to him, Devi said.

Meanwhile, Vikas father Rajkumar Dubey said that he is not aware of the Thursdays night incident.

I am not aware of the incident. I am on medication. My son was doing his work. From the last few days, he was in a government job of constructing bridges and providing job to labourers. He is also involved in Panchayat related works, Rajkumar Dubey, father of Vikas said.

Meanwhile, Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal said that police will seize illegal properties and money in Dubeys bank accounts under the Gangsters Act.

Earlier the IG Kanpur had announced that Rs 50,000 cash for anybody providing any information regarding the whereabouts of Dubey.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier announced Rs 1 crore each ex-gratia for the families of the policemen who were killed in the Bikaru village encounter at the police line. (ANI)
The gates of Chandrodaya Temple, Mayapur, world headquarters of the ISKCON, reopened for devotees on Sunday, more than three months after they were shut in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The darshan of the deities began from 9 am and around 100 devotees came inside the premises through sanitiser tunnel, ISKCON (International Society For Krishna Consciousness) Mayapur spokesman Subrata Das told PTI.

The temple will be open from 9 am to 7 pm every day.

We are expecting 200 visitors today. We expect the numbers to go up next week onwards, he said.

All the visitors were entering from the main gate and Gammon gate and not allowed without masks.

The temple premises, restaurants, toilets were being sanitised at frequent interval every day.

The temple was closed since March 23.

Since the safety of our devotees and visitors is of paramount importance to us we took a little more time to open the temple for devotees, Sri Madhava Gauranga Das, Vice Chairman of Mayapur Administrative Council said explaining the reason why the ISKCON, Mayapur authorities opened the gates for devotees one month after the West Bengal government allowed places of worship to open.

However, authorities of ISKCON, Kolkata dont have any immediate plans to open the Albert Road temple premises in the city, ISKCON Kolkata spokesman Radha Raman Das said when asked.

Authorities of Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Tarapith Kali Temple, Kalighat Temple, Belur Math among others had opened the gates for devotees with several Covid-19 precautionary measures in place during the past one month.
Ever since the world started pointing a finger at Beijing for the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, Pakistan has gone out of its way to express solidarity with China. Even to the extent of refusing to let its 1,000-odd students stranded in Wuhan, the original epicentre of the outbreak, return to Islamabad in February. It is no secret that Beijing had been soliciting support from all its friends, or clients, as some analysts describe the relationship between China and Pakistan. Islamabad, indebted to China for more than one reason, had gone a step further. China was being panned by countries across the world, particularly the United States, over what was widely perceived to be gross negligence on the part of China that led to the rapid spread of the disease that has infected 11 million people across the world and killed nearly 530,000.

In the cacophony that followed as countries took sides, Pakistan was understandably the loudest voice in support of China despite some uneasiness in the foreign policy circles of Islamabad.

Before the world was able to visualise the impact of the pandemic, Pakistan was in a comfortable position on the foreign policy front, particularly the China-US matrix. It was effectively leveraging its influence over the Taliban to extract concessions from the US in the global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force. Washington was soft pedalling on Pakistans failure to comply with the FATF Action Plan and had allowed it extra time at the Paris Plenary in February. The reprieve, by any standards, was a fair indicator of the Pakistan foreign offices successful handling of a tricky situation.

Much of this effort by Pakistani diplomats to navigate the sensitivities in Washington appeared to come undone as the Pakistani establishment rushed to comply with signals from Beijing that it wanted Prime Minister Imran Khans government to continue to back it. The worldly-wise officials at the foreign office and, some at the Prime Ministers Office, were the first ones to spot the change in Washingtons approach. The officials, including the US-educated special advisor on national security Moeed Yusuf and British-educated Zulfi Bukhari, special assistant to the PM for overseas Pakistanis and HRD, realised the impossibility of balancing relations with Washington and Beijing in the face of the establishments inflexible and decades-old mindset characterised by suspiciousness of the West.

The Pakistan militarys tunnel vision and stranglehold over key foreign policy aspects have prevented the country from benefiting from the available expertise at home and evolving a pragmatic and non-confrontational foreign policy. At a time when world opinion is sharply against Beijing, Pakistan has chosen to be the devils advocate.

Like when foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi put out a statement on his phone conversation with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the foreign ministry had to make a pointed reference to underline Pakistans commitment to the One-China policy and express support to China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.

In Pakistan, the army has been in a pivotal position irrespective of the regime in power. It also, maybe, doesnt have anything to lose if Pakistan is again clubbed with the likes of North Korea. In fact, it has been argued by its critics that the armys clout over politics and civilian life tends to proportionately increase with Pakistans marginalisation, as does the access to material riches for its leadership.

The army was the biggest beneficiary of the billions that the United States poured into Pakistan in the name of support for the war on terror.

When that well seemed to be drying up, it found a willing donor in Beijing for which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor became a flagship project for its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. It could also lead Pakistan into a debt trap.

Thousands of Pakistanis paid with their lives for the establishments short-sighted strategy of arming and nurturing terrorists and turning terror into an instrument of foreign policy.

What woes the new strategy of trying to milk China and the CPEC will bring to the Pakistanis, only time will tell. The more erudite officials of the foreign office can visualise the implications for Pakistan, such as the heightened possibility of graduating to the FATF blacklist if it does not deliver on its action plan.
The Maharashtra government should pay immediate attention to the spread of Covid-19 in KalyanDombivli amid the rapidly increasing cases in the area, Devendra Fadnavis, the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly said on Sunday.

Fadnavis was on a visit to the Covid-19 hospitals to make a review of the overall situation. He visited the Holy Cross Covid-19 hospital in Kalyan (West).

The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) recorded 555 new cases on Saturday, taking the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 8,604. July has already seen a rapid increase in the number of coronavirus patients with 400-500 cases recorded every single day.

In the coming days the Covid-19 cases in Kalyan Dombivli will be out of control. With less manpower, the civic body will not be able to look after the patients with the existing infrastructure. The state should check if extra manpower can be provided to the civic body, Fadnavis said.

Speaking about the recent decision of the Maharashtra government on 27 villages he said, The state should have considered establishing a civic body for the entire 27 villages, without dividing it. The state should plan well and then implement the decision on 27 villages or it will be a major disaster in future.

In the wake of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) civic polls to be held later this year, last month the Maharashtra government had passed a notification to form a separate municipal body for the 18 villages while remaining nine village will remain with KDMC. The villagers of these nine village though are unhappy with the notification and have demanded to be separated from KDMC.

These 27 villages were added into KDMC before the previous civic polls held in 2015.
A woman police sub-inspector (PSI) has been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from a rape accused for not charging him under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, police said on Sunday.

Shweta Jadeja, who was the in-charge of Mahila police station in Ahmedabad-West, had allegedly demanded Rs 35 lakh from the brother of Kenal Shah, against whom she was investigating a rape case registered in 2019, a police official said.

She demanded the money for not booking Shah under provisions of the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) Act, where the police can send an accused to a jail outside his native district, he said.

As per the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the city crime branch, Jadeja accepted Rs 20 lakh through a middleman and demanded an additional Rs 15 lakh from the rape case accused.

The complainant gave Rs 20 lakh to Jadeja in February, and she was forcing him to pay the remaining amount, the FIR said.

She was arrested on Friday and a case was registered against her under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the official said.

She was on Saturday produced before a sessions court where police sought her remand for seven days.

The court, however, granted three-day remand to the police for further investigation, public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt said.

The main point is the police need to recover Rs 20 lakh accepted by the accused. So far, the investigation has revealed the bribe money was accepted by a middleman, the prosecutor said.

Shah is the managing director of a crop solution company in Ahmedabad and is facing two separate rape cases under Indian Penal Code Section 376, one of which was being investigated by Jadeja.

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Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the 10,000-bedded Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) at Radha Soami Satsang Beas on Sunday. The facility is created on an emergent basis by the South Delhi District Administration with full support of the ministry of home affairs in record time of 10 days.

This the worlds largest Covid care facility which will function as an isolation centre for mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 positive patients. At least 10% of the beds have oxygen facility in case the patient develops severe breathlessness and requires tertiary hospital care.

Operationally, the SPCCCH has been linked to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital. The referral tertiary care hospitals are Lok Nayank Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.

ITBP will be running the first 2,000 beds at present with their 170 doctors/specialists and more than 700 nurses and paramedics.

This facility, having large number of beds, to the tune of 10,000 in one single campus, requires speed of management as well as analysis and operations that makes it imperative to explore extensive use of IT. Therefore, the e-Hospital software of NIC is being used to manage all medical operations, right from admission to treatment, investigation, progress, referral and discharge through software. The patients will be admitted from all over Delhi through respective District Surveillance Officers.

Most of the basic infrastructure such as beds, matresses, linens, etc. has been donated by various civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations. This facility has been created to provide a stress-free and mindful isolation to the patients. A recreational centre has been made available to the patients along with a library, board games, skipping ropes, etc. They will be provided 5 healthy meals a day along with immunity boosting chawanprash, juices, hot kadha etc.
Union Minister Smriti Irani took to Instagram to share a motivational quote on life lessons and now it has left many impressed, including actors Sonu Sood, Divya Dutta, and Ronit Bose Roy.

With a one-word caption word, Irani shared the quote in the form of an image. The caption on the image reads, We judge in others what we dont accept in ourselves.

These words of wisdom quickly piqued peoples interests and its clear from over 12,000 likes that it has received since being shared about three hours ago.

People shared all sorts of comments on the post. Actor Sonu Sood gave it a heart expressing his appreciation.

As for actor Ronit Roy Bose, he wrote so true. He then added, A wise man said until you have truly mastered yourself you do not have the right to judge anything or anybody. A true master of oneself would have left judging far behind!

Divya Dutta too expressed her reaction in a similar manner. The best thing I read in a while!! So true! she wrote.

There were several who wrote very true to express their agreement to the words in the quote. Some applauded Irani by writing well said.

Wonderfully presented, brilliant as always @smritiiraniofficial, great positive vibes to start the day indeed, expressed another.

Also Read | Smriti Iranis latest Instagram post is all about motivation
Police in Uttar Pradesh have increased the prize money for the arrest of Vikas Dubey, the dreaded criminal whose accomplices shot dead eight policemen out to arrest him in in Kanpur Dehat in connection with a murder case.



Jai Narain Singh, the additional director general of police (ADGP) of Kanpur Zone, increased the prize money from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh on Vikas Dubeys arrest, who is on the run since Thursday midnight after the killing of the policemen in Bikru village.



Dinesh P, senior superintendent of police (SSP), also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 each on the 18 aides of Dubey named in the first information report (FIR) lodged in connection with the killing of the policemen.



Others in the list are Shyamu Bajpai, Chotu Shukla, Monu, Jahan Yadav, Daya Shankar Agnihotri, Shashi Kant Pandit, Shiv Tewari, Vishnu Pal Yadav, Ram Singh, Ramu Bajpai, Amar Dubey, Prabhat Mishra, Gopal Saini, Viru Dubey, Bauan Shukla, Shivam Dubey, Bal Govind and Baua Dubey.



Dubeys men had fired indiscriminately on the policemen from the roofs of his house and nearby structures after the team got off their vehicles, killing a deputy superintendent, three sub-inspectors and four constables in an ambush that the police said was a well-planned conspiracy.



The announcements about the prize money came even as about 25 police teams are looking for Dubey, who is facing 60 criminal cases, and his associates across Uttar Pradesh and other states.



Authorities have also razed Dubeys house in Bikru village, 45km from the district headquarters, using the same earthmover machine that the criminals used to block the police team.



A sub-inspector, who is under the scanner after the failed raid, has also been suspended. 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 had set off from the police station in Chaubeypur.
A tear slipped down the cheek of Ghanaian-German artist Zohra Opoku as she recalled how the global Black Lives Matter had kindled her pain and anger while she was stranded away from home due to coronavirus lockdowns.

After Senegal closed its borders in March, the internationally renowned visual artist had no option but to remain at a residency in Dakar, where she had been creating large textile collages to explore her self-image after a cancer diagnosis.

When the death of George Floyd in U.S. police custody sparked a global reckoning over racial injustice and oppression, the 44-year-old stitched a new piece in tribute to the movement.

Say Their Names is a white and indigo-dyed canvas onto which Opoku has sewn dozens of images of an unidentified face from ancient Egyptian art. Some are printed in red and tumble from a screenprint of Opokus face like teardrops.

German-Ghanaian artist Zohra Opoku works on her project at Kehinde Wiley's artist residence during the interview in Dakar, Senegal on June 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)

The protests have shaken us and awakened us and sharpened our senses about what kind of world we want to live in, she said, standing in front of the work-in-progress in her studio at the Black Rock Senegal residency.

She has a rare perspective on the Black experience after growing up surrounded by white people in communist East Germany, the daughter of a Ghanaian father and German mother.

German-Ghanaian artist Zohra Opoku reacts in front of her project at Kehinde Wiley's artist residence during the interview in Dakar, Senegal on June 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)

I was always standing out too much, recalled Opoku, who now calls Accra home. I learned to resist the racist energy and hate against coloured people in East Germany, especially after the wall came down.

The quest for identity is a central theme in her work. In earlier self-portraits, Opoku obscured her face with plants. In her latest series, she combines images of bare tree branches from her native Germany with dissected photos of herself.

Ive always been interested in disappearing in an environment because of my upbringing, she said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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The transfer order of 10 deputy commissioner of police (DCPs) has been stayed by the office of chief minister Uddhav Thackerey and home minister Anil Deshmukh. Ten DCPs were recently transferred within Mumbai by the commissioner of police Parambir Singh

Deshmukh on Sunday evening in a message on Twitter said that the Mumbai commissioner of polices (CP) order of internal transfers in Mumbai police were stayed by his and chief minister Udhhav Thackerays offices. Home minister Anil Deshmukh remained unavailable for comment.

Its for the first time that Mumbai CPs decision has been overturned by the government in the last decade. Sitaram Kunte, additional chief secretary, (general administration) department having additional charge of ACS (home) department, said, It has been done out administrative reasons.

The order has come amid reports of discontent among the ruling partners  Congress and NCP  over decisions taken by Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. However, Anil Deshmukh in a video statement claimed that there was no differences between three parties.

The 10 DCPs which include three Indian police service (IPS) officers as well were recently transferred as part of internal shuffling by CP Mumbai. Sources in the home department said that while shuffling DCPs internally, some transfer rules were overlooked and some senior political leaders of the ruling parties were not happy with the move.

The joint commissioner of police (administration) Naval Bajaj, on Sunday, issued an order to cancel these transfers. Bajaj also directed all the DCPs who had taken charge of the new postings, to resume back to their previous postings. The exact reason for holding the transfers is not yet clear.

On July 2, 10 DCPs; Paramjit Dahiya, Prashant Kadam, Ganesh Shinde, Dr Rashmi Karandikar, Shahaji Umap, Mohan Dahikar, Vishal Thakur, Sangramsingh Nishandar, Pranaya Ashok and Nandkumar Thakur were given new postings. Apart from this, DCP (headquarter-1), N Ambika was given an additional charge of DCP zone 3.

For the internal shuffling of DCPs, CPs recommendation holds maximum weightage. But it has to be done after securing prior approval from the home department, said a home department official.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court on Friday granted bail to a double murder accused on the ground that keeping her 19-month-old toddler at Nagpur central prison would be unsafe, especially when 44 inmates and staff members of the jail have tested positive for Covid-19.

The bench of justice AS Chandurkar and justice Anil Kilor found that the accused, Gudiya Sahu, was not entitled to be released on temporary bail given the recommendations of the high powers committee. But, the possibility of Sahu and her child getting infected could not be ruled out, as 44 prison inmates and staff at Nagpur central prison had tested positive for the virus.

We cannot overlook the welfare of the child during the pandemic. The child will be at high-risk if he is not shifted to a safe place, the bench said while granting his mother temporary bail on a personal bond of 20,000.

Sahu, her husband and a brother-in-law, were accused of brutally killing an elderly tribal woman and her one-year-old granddaughter when she had come to their residence seeking a loan. The incident occurred in the evening of February 17, 2018, and the bodies were later found thrown under a bridge at Vihirgaon in Yavatmal district.
Ignoring the oppositions criticism of the Maharashtra governments handling of the Covid-19 crisis, state minister Aaditya Thackeray has said the priority of the government is to tackle the pandemic situation and other things are secondary.

The state environment and tourism minister was talking to reporters in Thane on Saturday evening while he was here to take stock of the Covid-19 situation and measures undertaken by civic bodies in the district to contain the disease.

Asked about the oppositions criticism that the government was unable to properly tackle the Covid-19 crisis, Thackeray said, Let them do their work, we will keep on doing our work. Our priority at present is to deal with the Covid-19 situation and break the virus chain, other things are secondary. The Shiv Sena MLA also launched an app developed by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) for online hospital bed allocation and ambulance booking.

Addressing a Covid-19 review meeting at the TMC headquarters here, Thackeray stressed on the need for increased contact-tracing and maintenance of good facilities at the quarantine centres.

He asked the civic officials to periodically inspect the quarantine centres and check various facilities, including the food supplied there.

He also suggested for increasing the testing capacity.

The review meeting was attended by Thane Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde, Mayor Naresh Mhaske and other senior leaders from the district.

The TMC already has a dashboard providing information about the availability of beds in Thane hospitals and the Covid-19 situation in the city.

Till Saturday, Maharashtra reported 2,00,064 Covid-19 cases and 8,671 deaths due to the disease.

The Covid-19 tally in Thane district reached 40,542 on Saturday and the death toll rose to 1,221.
Aamir Alis son was born last month in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, but he is yet to meet him in person. Ali had come to Mumbai in February for his mothers heart treatment and was forced to extend his stay after international flight operations were put on hold during the Covid-19 lockdown.

He has still been unable to get a ticket to fly back to his wife and newborn and will now have to attempt to get a seat in phase five of repatriation flights.

Ali, a business executive, was unable to book a seat on any of the 11 flights as they were sold out within minutes after the government announced the list of repatriation flights as part of Vande Bharat Mission (VBM).

Also read: Fed up of waiting, Goans stranded abroad arrange own flights home

Ali, his mother, father, and brother landed in Mumbai on February 8 for the mothers heart valve replacement surgery. They had to stay in the city till March to attend follow-up visits with her doctor. Their trip got extended further due to the lockdown and now, Ali is desperate for a way back to his family.

My wife was nearly six months pregnant at the time when the doctors in Saudi informed us about the need for surgery [for my mother] and hence, she stayed back, said Ali.

The government announced repatriation flights to Saudi (Dammam, Jeddah, and Riyadh) in the fourth phase of VBM from July 3. However, by the time Ali decided to book his ticket, seats on all 11 flights were sold out.

Also read| Over 5 lakh Indians repatriated under Vande Bharat Mission since May 7: Govt

Bookings for Saudi were full within hours of the routes being open, said an Air India official.

36 new India-US flights

Air India on Sunday announced that it will operate 36 new flights between India and the USA from July 11 to 19 under the Vande Bharat Mission, bookings for which will open from July 6, 8pm (IST).
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Maharashtras victory in the battle against the Covid-19 outbreak looks like an uphill task amid the daily spike in positive cases and the mushrooming of newer hot spots across the state. After the state crossed the grim mark of 2 lakh cases on Saturday, it has multiple challenges ahead, including containing the spread of the virus, ramping up the health infrastructure in hot spots other than Mumbai, and keeping the fatality rate in check.

It took 96 days for the state to cross the 1 lakh mark, but the 2 lakh figure was breached within a mere 22 days.

Despite the grave situation in the state, health minister Rajesh Tope is confident that the virus spread will stabilise in a few weeks. However, the minister did not wish to comment if the state is yet to reach its peak. There is no point in talking about the peak now. I think that the cases in the state will flatten by August, he said.

According to senior officials, the challenge now is even greater than before, as the state government unlocked several restrictions.

Though Mumbai continues to remain the worst-affected city in Maharashtra, the daily surge in the number of cases has stabilised. However, the new hot spots in the rest of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as well as in the cities of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik and Aurangabad are now witnessing a high number of new cases every day.

In the past two weeks, cities in MMR, excluding Mumbai, contributed over 41% of the cases recorded in the state. Between June 22 and July 4, the region recorded 27,808 cases.

According to Tope, like Mumbai, the satellite cities, too, will witness a decline in daily cases. Cases had spiked in south Mumbai but have subsided now. Cases from Dharavi and other major slums have also reduced. Now hot spots have resurfaced in north Mumbai and MMR. But the cases will be under control in the next 15 days there also, he said.

Senior health department officials said that densely populated areas, ease in restrictions on movement, and opening up of businesses, etc., led to the surge in MMR. Laxity in contact tracing further fuelled the surge in MMRs cases.

As things have opened up now, the major challenge is to keep the numbers in control. The movement of citizens has increased after Unlock 2.0. Apart from social distancing campaigns, we have enforced closure of areas or selective lockdown now, state health commissioner Anup Kumar Yadav said.

As areas in MMR do not have adequate health infrastructure, district collectors and municipal commissioners rely on stringent lockdown measures to grapple with the increasing Covid-19 cases here. The situation in Mumbai came under control owing to a strong public and private health infrastructure. However, in the rest of MMR, barring Thane city, the health infrastructure is not as strong, said Yadav.

We have invested a lot to ramp up the infrastructure. Thane has a strong infrastructure but other corporations are not developed on the lines of Mumbai and Thane. We have conducted the gap analysis and proposed new Covid care centres, there is increased supply of ventilators as well as an increase in quarantine centres. In a short span of time, we are trying hard to supplement the health infrastructure. As of now, there is no shortage of bed or other equipment, Yadav said.

According to a civic official, around 80% of the positive patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and therefore they recover in their home without burdening the health infrastructure in MMR region.

Tope also acknowledged the lack of institutional quarantine facilities in other parts of MMR.

He said he directed municipal commissioners from the region to put quarantine infected patients at institutional facilities.

Lack of aggressive contact tracing

Senior health department officials pointed out that lack of aggressive contact tracing caused several areas to take longer to control the cases. They added that it has a cascading effect which ultimately impacts the chances of survival of a positive patient.

Data shows that a positive patient comes to hospital on the fifth day of getting infected because tracing did not take place. In the meantime, they develop severe symptoms and the patients chances of recovery reduce. They also infect others before they are hospitalised. Ideally, we want patients [who need hospitalisation] to be admitted between 24 and 48 hours, a health department official said.

Tope admitted that contact tracing ratio in the state is 1:6 as opposed to the 1:15 target (15 contacts per one Covid-19 patient).

Cases seeing surge in other cities too

In the past two weeks, Pune city recorded around 8,112 cases, while the adjoining Pimpri-Chinchwad region recorded nearly 2,000 new cases during the same period.

Nashik and Aurangabad too have been recording cases every day that largely contribute to the states cumulative figure. But officials said that since the movement in these areas is not as much as what is witnessed in MMR, cases are not growing exponentially.

We have adequate health infrastructure in Pune and other rural areas. The state has set up a task force in every district and advice from expert doctors, epidemiologists and virologists are being made available to rural patients with comorbidities, Yadav said.

Fatality rate

Another challenge before the state government is its battle against the rising fatality rate. After the state recorded 295 deaths  its highest ever in a day  the fatality rate in Maharashtra stands at 4.33% on Saturday.

Yadav said the state has stepped up efforts to combat the fatality rate.

The death rate is largely under control. We have set up task forces, introduced a new clinical guideline, and experts guide the physicians treating Covid patients in rural areas through video conferencing. We also have the necessary drugs, including Remdesivir, and we are getting ventilators also, Yadav said.
After failing to release the female cub (T1C2) of alleged man-eater tigress T1 or Avni last year, the Maharashtra forest department has yet again decided to go ahead with the plan this year post monsoon.

T1C2, now a sub-adult tigress, aged two-and-a-half years, has been kept in captivity in a 4.5-hectare (ha) area in Pench Tiger Reserve since December 22, 2018. She was captured around a month after Avni was shot dead by a father-son hunter duo hired from Hyderabad on November 2.

The decision to release T1C2 was taken on Thursday during a meeting chaired by principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) wildlife with forest officials and the committee constituted in November 2018 to oversee the cubs capture and behaviour and captivity. However, the forest department needs approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) before releasing the animal back in the wild.

T1C2 has been showing all traits of a tigress that can hunt and kill in the wild. She is fit for release. A proposal to that effect will be submitted in the coming week to NTCA. Based on their approval, we should be in a position to release the tigress in a couple of months or just after monsoon, said Nitin Kakodkar, PCCF (wildlife), Maharashtra.

PCCF added that three locations had been shortlisted as possible areas of release  Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve in Gondia, Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur and Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati. As of now, Navegaon-Nagzira looks most promising as there is a low tiger population. However, this will be finalised based on NTCAs nod, said Kakodkar.

SP Yadav, member secretary, NTCA, said, We are aware about the matter. A decision will be taken once we receive their (Maharashtras) proposal.

Last year, the state had planned a similar release after monsoon but met with complications with NTCA guidelines. Some activities as per NTCAs standard operating procedure (SOP) still needed to be studied. For example, the number of prey killed by her, prey base, and frequency of kills etc. We were not complying with NCTAs SOP then. All conditions are met now, said Kakodkar.

One of the committee members requesting anonymity said, We were monitoring her behaviour using CCTV. She was too young to be released last year, and would not have survived in the wild.

Former member of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) Kishor Rithe said the tigresss timeline in captivity and extent of human imprint (changes in behaviour in captivity) were two crucial factors. If we are sure that there is no human imprint on the animal then it is fit for release. Also, the time period between the animals capture and translocation has to be minimum. In this case, the period is more than one-and-a-half years. I have serious doubts about this experiment, said Rithe.

Earlier this year, a rewilding experiment in Madhya Pradeshs Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve had failed after two tigers were shifted to a Bhopal zoo after they were found incapable of hunting wild prey. Tiger cubs usually mature slowly and stay with their mother till at least eighteen months, after which they disperse into the wild in search of new territory.

One school of thought says there is nothing like human imprint on large carnivores. However, if her release is happening as per NTCA protocol and assessed in a scientific manner, it should be done. The animal cannot be kept in captivity for life, said Dr Prayag HS, former chief wildlife veterinary officer, Karnataka forest department.

Tiger scientist from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Bilal Habib said, Since T1C2 was captured, it was decided that she would be released. She was kept away from humans and all efforts have gone into ensuring minimal human imprint unlike other captive animals. Thus, it is the right decision to release her back into the wild.

WHY WAS T1C2 CAPTURED

Tigress T1 or Avni was shot dead by a father-son hunter duo hired from Hyderabad on November 2, after it was said that she killed 13 people in Pandharkawada forest in Ralegaon, Yavatmal. The forest department began the capture of her male and female cubs soon after as they were too young to fend for themselves in the wild and could have fallen prey to infighting among other tigers. It was also suspected that the cubs allegedly posed a threat like T1. While T1C2 was rescued on December 22 with the help of Madhya Pradesh forest department and sent to Pench, the male cub T1C1 remained elusive.
A day after breaching the 2-lakh Covid-19 case mark and recording, in a first, over 7,000 infections in a day, Maharashtra on Sunday recorded 6,555 new cases. The states tally is now 206,619, of which 86,040 are active cases, according to the state health department.

Maharashtra now joins 14 countries that have reported over 2 lakh cases, as per data with worldometers.info. The state took 17 weeks to pass the bleak mark since the first case on March 9 and on Sunday surpassed the tally of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which have reported 2,05,929 and 2,04,610 cases respectively.

The state also recorded 151 deaths in a day, taking the toll to 8,822, health officials said. The states highest single-day spike of 7,074 cases and highest 24-hour toll of 295 was recorded on Saturday. Mumbais tally touched 84,524 after 1,287 cases were reported in the past 24 hours. Of these, 23,732 cases are active. The citys toll stands at 4,899 after 69 more deaths were reported.

Last week, CM Uddhav Thackeray had confirmed that there will be a spike in infections in the next few weeks as the state has begun opening up economy.

Sharp surge in cases was observed in the past 10 days from June 24 onwards. The daily case count increased from 3,890 on June 24 to 4,841 the next day. It then recorded over 5,000 cases for each of the next five days and over 6,000 cases for each of the two days after that and crossed 7,000 cases on Saturday.

In the past five days since July 1, the state has got 31,860 cases, as against 302 in March, 10,196 in April, 57,157 cases in May and 1,02,172 in June.

Chief secretary Sanjay Kumar said there is no need to worry over the rise in cases until proper medical care is being made available to the people. As we are opening up restrictions and allowing people to start their day-to-day activities, it is obvious that cases will go up. The rise should not be seen as a reason to worry as we are doing better surveillance, contact-tracing, testing and treatment. If we are providing better medical care, there is no need to worry about it, Kumar said.

However, following the spike in cases, many cities and districts have reimposed lockdown, although for a brief period to break the chain after the state government empowered them to take the decision as and when required.

Cities in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) such as Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar, Navi Mumbai and Panvel have imposed lockdown in their jurisdiction for ten days.

In MMR, cases have increased to 135,358 from 55,086 cases on June 3, when the state decided to provide relaxations in red zones, including MMR.

In other cities such as Aurangabad, lockdown has been imposed in Walunj industrial area, between July 4 and 12. In Nashik city, night curfew has been imposed from 7pm to 5am to curb the pandemics spread.

Aurangabad and Nashik have 5,205 and 2,932 cases respectively.

Districts such as Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Beed, too, have imposed lockdown in their jurisdiction, following the surge in cases. Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Beed have 712, 246 and 142 cases respectively.

While there has been a buzz that cases have started to peak in the state, public health secretary Pradeep Vyas denied this.

It is an infectious disease, movement of people and opening of restrictions has resulted in the rise in cases. I still cannot say that the peak has started, Dr Vyas said.

We have found that the rise is cases was recorded in the areas where contact-tracing per positive patient is less than 10 people. Following this, authorities have been directed to trace at least 10 people behind one patient, said another senior official, wishing not to be named.

State health minister Rajesh Tope on July 2 had clarified that there is no community spread in the state so far. The numbers are rising, but there is no indication of community transmission, he said.The number of fresh cases is increasing, but it cannot be termed community transmission as most of the cases are coming either from containment zones or institutional quarantine facilities. There is no community spread in the state yet, Tope said.

Despite rise in cases, the recovery rate of the state is over 54%, said the health minister. On Sunday, 3,658 patients were discharged from various hospitals and are allowed to go back to their homes. Total number of recovered patients has increased to 1,11,740 and recovery rate stands at 54.08%, he said.

Along with surge in cases, the state is also facing a large number of deaths on a daily basis. In the past five days (since July 5), 967 deaths are recorded.

To control the situation, the state has now formed a taskforce of expert doctors in all districts.

With 8,822 deaths on Sunday, the case fatality rate (CFR) of the state was recorded as 4.27%. It is second-highest in the country after Gujarat, where CFR is 5.45% with 1,925 deaths (35,312 cases) till Saturday, according to the statistics shared by the state medical education department.

Maharashtra still has highest number of deaths across states in the country.

By the end of May, the state has successfully brought down CFRto 3.26% (on May 26) from 7.41% (with 148 deaths) on April 13. Currently, 46,062 people have been kept in institutional quarantine and over 6,04,463 people have been put under home quarantine across the state.

So far, the state has also completed 11 lakh tests. On Sunday, the health department declared to have conducted 11,12,442 tests at various public and private facilities across Maharashtra. Of them, 10,05,823 people tested negative. It means 18.57% of the total samples tested positive, said an official.This works out to 11.36% of the total tests conducted in the country. Till July 4, a total of 97,89,066 samples have been tested across the country.
Mumbai witnessed heavy downpour Saturday night due to which the citys traffic was hit and many parts reported water-logging issue on Sunday. The traffic police authorities have issued an alert for Sunday of water-logging and traffic jams in low lying areas.

Due to the heavy rains, Hindmata, Dharavi Cross Road, Dadar TT, Shakkar Panchayat at Wadala and below Chembur Bridge in the city witnessed water-logging, according to the traffic police.

As a safety precaution, the police warned Mumbaikars against venturing into low lying areas that were prone to water-logging.

At present traffic has been diverted from Andheri subway due to water-logging, said Pravin Padval, additional commissioner of police (traffic).

Traffic moved slowly at Jogeshwari Vikhroli link road due to water-logging near western express highway. Meanwhile locations like Khetwadi, Bandstand, Nana Chowk, JJ Junction, Mahalaxmi Temple junction Churchgate junction, Alankar Junction, Worli Naka, Bhendi Bazar, Anand Nagar and Khar Masjid, SV road were also affected due to water-logging.

The Indian Meteorological Department on July 4 had forecasted extremely heavy rainfall in many parts. IMD issued a statement that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at many places in Palghar, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts. At some places extremely heavy rainfall is likely.
Three people were arrested and owners of 761 vehicles penalised across Noida and Greater Noida on Sunday for allegedly violating curbs imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Gautam Buddh Nagar police said.

Also, two vehicles were impounded for similar violation during a 24-hour period till Sunday night, the police said, even as Unlock 2 -- the phased re-opening of activities that had been barred to contain the spread of Covid-19, began in the state on Wednesday.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) section 144, which bars assembly of more than four people, is in force in Gautam Buddh Nagar, whose urban areas fall in the Red Zone for Covid-19.

Two FIRs were registered and three people arrested for violating Covid-19 curbs. A total of 1,709 vehicles were checked across 200 barrier points in the district and challans issued to 761 of them, while another two were impounded, the police said in a statement.

Altogether, Rs 1,03,000 were collected in fines during the action, the police said.

The Noida-Delhi border continues to remain sealed for movement except for essential services and people having passes issued by the district administration, according to officials.

The Centre had on June 29 issued guidelines for the month-long Unlock 2 from July 1.

Unlock 1, a graded exit from the national lockdown imposed on March 25, ended on June 30.

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to tow the Centres guidelines in the state where educational institutions, Metro services, cinema halls and gyms will continue to remain shut.

There is no ban on intrastate and interstate movement of people and goods, senior UP government officials said.

However, the district administration, police and health department officials of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad can impose a ban at the local-level after consulting each other, they said.

Both the districts had sealed their borders with Delhi in view of the high rate of Covid-19 cases in the national capital in a bid to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus.
Chief minister and Janata Dal United national president Nitish Kumar will launch partys election campaign on August 7, ahead of the general assembly elections scheduled for later this year in November, through a virtual rally that aims to reach out not less than 10 lakh people through various social media platforms.

Nitishs rally is in line with the trend of virtual rallies, kick started by BJP leader Amit Shah last month in wake of Covid-19 situation, and will be the first big political event by the head of NDA ally JD(U) during which Kumar is likely to spell out his developmental initiatives and urge people to ensure the return of the alliance to power for another term.

Party is excited and efforts have begun to make the proposed virtual rally a grand event. A minimum of 10 lakh people, other than party leaders and workers, will be linked for live streaming of chief minister Nitish Kumars address for upcoming Bihar polls and his vision for the future, said party general secretary Navin Kumar Arya.

Ahead of Nitishs first virtual poll campaign rally, the party has constituted four teams. The teams are headed by senior JD (U) leaders RCP Singh, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lallan Singh, state president Vashistha Narayan Singh, state energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav. The team will hold virtual meetings in all the 243 assembly segments from July 18 to July 31 that aims to set up the platform for kickstarting partys campaign.

Party general secretary Arya said the party has set a target for holding virtual sammelan (meeting) in at least six assembly constituencies, with grass roots party leaders and sympathisers, on a daily basis. As such, 24 assembly segments will be covered each day by all the four teams and the task will be over by July 31, leaving ample time for mobilising 10 lakh people for the August 7 event.

Prior to the constituency-level virtual meetings, the JD (U) has decided to organise online interactions with office bearers of various cells, from July 7, where Rajya Sabha member and national general secretary RCP Singh, who looks after organisational matters, will be present as the chief guest.

Arya said that the first in line of the meeting of party wings will begin with Chatra JD (U) on July 7, followed by EBC cell, womens cell, yuva JD (U), kisan prakosth, mahadalit cell and others. On July 16, partys national general secretary RCP Singh will hold a virtual meeting with all regional in-charge, district presidents, district organisational in-charge, assembly segment in-charge and heads of various cells, Arya said.

According to a party insider, while it appears that the BJP has taken a lead on JD (U) in using the social platform, chief minister has also been holding meetings with workers and organisational heads at the grass roots level, finding out time in between his daily review meetings for keeping a tab on the return of migrant workers, their stay and monitoring the spread of Covid-19. So, no one can say for sure whether the JD (U) is a late starter for the upcoming polls. For us, keeping connected with party structure down the line has remained a priority, he said, requesting not to be quoted.

Earlier, Opposition parties had raised question over BJP and JD (U)s comfort and support on the issue of virtual campaigning at a meeting with the representatives of all political parties, convened by the chief state election officer HR Srinivas on June 26. RJD, along with allies, had objected to the use of digital mode of campaigning and demanded a ban alleging that it would not provide a level playing field for everyone and resource rich and tech-savy parties will have undue advantage.
While many television actors are returning to sets to resume shooting for their daily soaps, Kunal Thakur has decided not to risk his health. The actor has quit his show Kasautii Zindagi Kay as he doesnt want to travel to work everyday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kunal told The Times of India in an interview that his immunity has taken a hit after a wisdom tooth surgery. I recently underwent a wisdom tooth surgery and was on medication. My immunity has dipped due to this. Also, the monsoon season has started and its not feasible for me to commute from my residence in Madh Island to Andheri. My area is a containment zone and I dont have a driver who will take me to work everyday. I am very new to the industry and I feel that I am not equipped to combat such a crisis while I am shooting. I would like to stay at home till the scare settles, he said.

Kunal, who plays lead character Anurags nephew on the show, says the makers have decided to give the show a time leap. The makers had planned a leap and we were chosen to add a fresh angle to the show, but then, the lockdown happened. Now, they are again planning to introduce many changes and twists. While I have no issues creatively, I dont feel safe shooting under the current circumstances. He started on the show in March. After an audition in Mumbai, he was selected for the role.

Earlier last week, the shows lead actor Parth Samthaan had shared pictures from the sets as the crew shot the show with full safety measures. His makeup artist was in a full PPE suit and rest all wore masks. Back to Shoot after 3 months Back to normalcy ! #unlockindia, he wrote in his post.

Also read: Saroj Khans daughter reveals which Bollywood actors kept in touch with masterji as her health deteriorated

Other actors such as Nia Sharma and Gracy Singh had also shared pictures and videos from the sets of their shows. When I entered the sets, I was teary-eyed. It was such an emotional moment for me. When I entered the vanity van, I felt happy, overwhelmed, even apprehensive about taking a risk. My vanity was my home away from home and we all thought we would be back in 15 days, Nia told Hindustan Times in an interview.

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With the social media platform Tik Tok being banned by the Indian government, a number of young celebs have lost their huge fan following. But they arent distressed or disappointed about that. One of them is actor Jannat Zubair, who had over 28 million followers on Tik Tok, says, I support the governments ban and I am not really feeling bad about it. In fact, I have been on the platform for a while but I would post on and off and its only since the lockdown that I started posting often. And I am on other platforms where my fans can interact with me and catch up on my videos and get updates on me.

The platform got a lot of hype in the last few years and every celebrity wanted to be on Tik Tok. Zubair admits that it had a different audience and people loved the videos the most. Talking about her experience of being on social media, she says, Social media is wonderful but being a public figure, one has to face things/ comments on platforms sometimes as people often judge you for what you said or didnt say. It is a never-ceasing pressure but other than that the love I have got from followers on my various handles has been splendid.

She adds, Today, there is a lot of pressure and competition about being on social media, especially in teenagers and collegiates. Everyone wants to increase their followers and expect a lot of likes on their posts. It is also about peer-pressure and that can sometimes affect people badly. I think there is a life beyond social media and while some people think having millions of followers is enough but the people in your real life matter more. There is a life beyond like, followers and comments. People should understand that a balance is a must because when you need help in real life, its your family and friends who will be there for you.
About The Video

In his Independence Day speech at the White House, US President Donald Trump slammed China for the spread of the coronavirus. He said that China's secrecy and deception allowed the virus to spread it all over the world. He also vowed to defeat the radical left, the anarchists, the agitators & the looters of the country. Watch the video for more details.
About The Video

Visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing Sindhu Darshan puja in Ladakh. PM Modi performed the puja on his arrival at Nimu forward brigade place. PM Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh on July 3 to meet soldiers in Leh. PM's visit came amid the ongoing border tensions with China.
Dozens of military medics were deployed on Sunday to help combat the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa's third most affected province, where there has been a surge in infections.

The deployment to East Cape province comes a day after South Africa recorded more than 10,800 new COVID-19 cases, its biggest single-day jump during the pandemic, taking the cumulative infections to 187,977.

Forty-seven defence force medical personnel landed in Eastern Cape city of Port Elizabeth to help shore up the health service, which is buckling under rising number of cases.

"The province is not coping. They have personnel and equipment problems," defence force spokesman Thabo Sello, told AFP.

"The situation in the Eastern Cape is really bad with infections increasing and spreading rapidly," he said of the province, which accounts for more than 18 percent of national infections.

The military teams include doctors, nurses, health technicians and clinical support staff.

Sello said the province, ranked the poorest in the country, was the first in the country to request military assistance to help fight the coronavirus.

"When the nation calls us, we have to respond, and respond quickly," said the military medical services chief, Lieutenant-General Zola Dabula, at a ceremony welcoming the team.

He expressed concern that people were not taking this pandemic "seriously".

"So our duty as the army medical personnel is not only to treat people, but also to educate them about this virus," he said.

The province already has some of the more than 200 Cuban medical personnel who arrived in South African last month.

East Cape is one of the country's hotspot provinces after Gauteng, which houses Johannesburg, the country's largest city, and the capital Pretoria.

The Western Cape province remains the country's epicentre.

South Africa has imposed some of the strictest stay-at-home measures in the world since March 27 in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Nevertheless, the number of infections is rising daily by the thousands as the lockdown rules are gradually eased.

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Since Wednesday, state police have charged 28 individuals with driving under the influence. Police also said they have issued 252 citations for speeding and over 665 citations for violations like texting and driving, following too closely or not wearing a seatbelt.
Unidentified armed men massacred 31 civilians in simultaneous attacks on several Mali villages this week, then killed nine soldiers responding to the assault as violence surges in the countrys conflict-wracked centre.

An Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north of the vast West African country in 2012 has swept to its centre, inflaming ethnic tensions along the way.

Clashes between the ethnic communities of Fulani, nomadic herders, and Dogon traditional hunters have increased in recent months, with community-based militias - initially formed for defence - now launching attacks.

Armed uniformed men travelling in pick-up trucks attacked four Dogon villages on Wednesday, one local official said by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The attack left at least 30 dead, including women, children, and the elderly, while others were missing, the official added.

From 3 to 9 pm, nobody came to our rescue, said Youssouf Tiessogue, an elder from Gouari, one of the villages attacked.

Deploring the armys inaction, he said: It is always late and never confronts the bandits even if we tell them where they are. A senior government official called the attacks barbaric.

Officials did not immediately blame any group. A military unit was dispatched to the area, and helped bury 31 bodies on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the army received information about a new attack and sent the unit to Gouari.
China has suspended imports from two Brazilian pork plants owned by meatpackers JBS SA and BRF SA, according to the Chinese customs authority, as it cracks down on meat shipments amid concerns about the new coronavirus.

China is temporarily halting imports from a BRF plant in Lajeado and a JBS-owned Seara brand plant in Tres Passos, both in Brazils southern Rio Grande do Sul state, according to a posting dated Saturday on the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) website.

The posting, which only identified the plants by registration numbers, gives no reason for the suspension. But Brazil is reeling from the second worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world behind the United States.

China is the largest buyer of Brazilian pork, beef and chicken. It has requested that meat exporters globally certify their products are coronavirus free, which BRF, JBS, and other Brazilian meatpackers have already done.

A total of six Brazil meat plants have now been blocked from exporting to China amid rising concerns over thousands of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, among slaughterhouse workers in the country.

A JBS representative said the company would not comment on the decision and stated it was taking various measures to ensure its food is of the highest quality and that its workers are protected.

BRF and Brazils Agriculture Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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As the United States celebrated its 244th birthday in an unusually somber manner reflecting the mood of a country in the throes of deadly coronavirus disease outbreak, President Donald Trump once again blamed China for it and held out hopes of a vaccine by the end of the year.

The president, who held the July 4 celebrations against the advice of public health officials and experts warning that the virus is also spreading through these large gatherings, did not mention the fatalities in his speech. Currently the worst-hit country, death toll in US neared 130,000 Sunday, or the 2.8 million cases, with more than 45,000 new infections over the past 24 hours.

Without citing evidence, Trump said that 99 per cent of coronavirus cases in the United States were totally harmless, contrary to the mounting cases running into millions show. This month, many states have marked a record number of new Covid-19 cases. In Texas alone, 7,890 patients were hospitalized after 238 new admissions over the past 24 hours.

Health experts have blamed large gatherings such as the one that Trump addressed Friday in front of the Mt Rushmore monument in South Dakota on Friday the Independence Day celebrations  called Salute to America on Saturday partly for the surge in infections being reported from souther states currently. Memorial Day celebrations on May 31, for instance, has been blamed by officials of many of these 16 states for their spikes  called the Memorial Day bump by some of them.

Watch l In July 4th speech, Trump slams China for Covid-19; vows to defeat radical left

China must be held fully accountable, the president said, blaming China once again for misreporting the disease outbreak, and misleading the world about its dangers early enough.

Trumps frequent blaming of China has been seen by critics as an attempt to shift blame from his own shoddy handling of the crisis.

As before he also pushed a misleading narrative that the the high number of cases in the United States was due to more testing. While more testing will lead to the detection of more cases, which is the way to tackle the virus, public health officials of his own task force have repeatedly said rising proportion of positive results point to a genuine spoke in infections.

Now we have tested, almost 40 million people, he said.

The president also plugged hopes of a breakthrough in the hunt of a vaccine, saying, Well likely have a therapeutic and/or a vaccine solution long before the end of the year.
Ever since the world started pointing fingers at Beijing for the spread of coronavirus, Pakistan has gone out of its way to express solidarity with China. Even to the extent of refusing to let its 1,000-odd students stranded in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, return to Islamabad in February. It is no secret that Beijing had been soliciting support from all its friends, or clients, as some analysts describe the relationship between China and Pakistan. Islamabad, indebted to China for more than one reason, had gone a step further. China was being panned by countries across the world, particularly the United States, over what was widely-perceived to be Beijings gross negligence, which led to the spread of the disease that has infected 11 million people across the world and killed nearly 530,000.

In the cacophony that followed as countries took sides, Pakistan was understandably the loudest voice in support of China despite some uneasiness in foreign policy circles of Islamabad.

Before the world was able to visualise the impact of the pandemic, Pakistan was in a comfortable position on the foreign policy front, particularly the China-US matrix. It was effectively leveraging its influence over the Taliban to extract concessions from the US in the global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force. Washington was soft pedalling on Pakistans failure to comply with the FATF Action Plan and had allowed it extra time at the Paris Plenary in February. The reprieve, by any standards, was a fair indicator of the Pakistan Foreign Offices successful handling of a tricky situation.

Much of this effort by Pakistani diplomats to navigate the sensitivities in Washington appeared to come undone as the Pakistani establishment rushed to comply with signals from Beijing that wanted Prime Minister Imran Khans government to continue to back them up. The worldly-wise officials at the Foreign Office and, some at the Prime Ministers Office, were the first ones to spot the change in Washingtons approach. The officials, including the US-educated Special Advisor on National Security Moeed Yusuf and British-educated Zulfi Bukhari, realised the impossibility of balancing relations with Washington and Beijing in the face of the establishments inflexible and decades-old mindset characterised by suspiciousness of the West.

Also Watch l Trump slams China for Covid-19; vows to defeat radical left

The Pakistan militarys tunnel vision and stranglehold over key foreign policy aspects have prevented the country from benefiting from the available expertise at home and evolving a pragmatic and non-confrontational foreign policy. At a time when world opinion is sharply against Beijing, Pakistan has chosen to be the devils advocate.

Like when Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi put out a statement on his phone conversation with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the foreign ministry had to make a pointed reference to underline Pakistans commitment to the One-China policy and express support to China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.

In Pakistan, the army has been in a pivotal position irrespective of the regime in power. It also, maybe, doesnt have anything to lose if Pakistan is again clubbed with the likes of North Korea. In fact, it has been argued by its critics that the armys clout over politics and civilian life tends to proportionately increase with Pakistans marginalisation, as does the access to material riches for its leadership.

The army was the biggest beneficiary of the billions that the United States poured into Pakistan in the name of support for the war on terror.

When that well seemed to be drying up, it found a willing donor in Beijing for whom the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor became a flagship project for its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. It could also lead Pakistan into a debt trap.

Thousands of Pakistanis paid with their lives for the establishments shortsighted strategy of arming and nurturing terrorists and turning terror into an instrument of foreign policy.

What woes the new strategy of trying to milk China and the CPEC will bring to the Pakistanis, only time will tell. The more erudite officials of the Foreign Office can visualise the implications for Pakistan, such as the heightened possibility of graduating to the FATF blacklist if it does not deliver on its action plan.
If Kanye West is serious about running for president, the American rapper and fashion designer will face major obstacles to mount a serious campaign less than four months before the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election.

West, who said in a July 4 Twitter post that he was running, would have to work fast to get his name on the ballot alongside President Donald Trump, a Republican, and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

One of Trumps celebrity supporters, West would have two routes to doing so. He could try secure the backing of a smaller political party, said James McCann, a political scientist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Without a party helping him get on the ballot, another option would be to try to appear as an independent candidate.

But deadlines for registering that way have already passed in a handful of states, including New Mexico and key battleground North Carolina.

Getting on the ballot as an independent would also require hiring staff or recruiting volunteers to quickly gather many tens of thousands of signatures across the nation before other registration periods close in August and September, a task currently made more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic.

Its hard to see Kanye West having a field operation, said McCann, adding that another option would be for West to ask supporters to write his name on the ballot.

It is unclear if West, who is also known for his marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, has filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots. Reuters was unable to reach Wests publicist for comment.

West, a celebrity highly skilled in grabbing the spotlight, has previously announced plans to run for president without doing so. Last week he entered a 10-year deal with Gap Inc to create a line of clothing carrying the Yeezy brand name.

He made headlines during a visit to the White House in October 2018 when he delivered a rambling, profanity-laden speech in which he discussed alternative universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Three weeks later, he said he was distancing himself from politics and that he believed he had been used to spread messages he did not believe in.

Even with a serious campaign, West would be unlikely to draw more than a few percentage points of the vote, peeling away similar numbers of votes from Trump and Biden, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginias Center for Politics.

Hes got a long way to go even to convince us that hes serious, said Sabato.

The most recent candidate to put significant effort into launching a presidential campaign a few months before the election was Evan McMullin, a former CIA operative who announced his bid in August 2016. McMullin only appeared on the ballot in 11 states, receiving 0.53% of the popular vote.

Theres a way to run as an outsider but its hard and expensive, and I think West, or anyone else, has missed their window of opportunity to have a meaningful impact, said Nathan Gonzales, editor of Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan analysis of campaigns.
The fate of Islamabads first Hindu temple seems to hang in the balance after its boundary wall was vandalised by a group of fundamentalists men over the weekend and the Capital Development Authority ordered stoppage of the construction

The video of the temple being attacked went viral on Twitter and garnered a lot of criticism from people across the country. Following this the hashtag #MandirTauBanga has become one of the top trends on the social media platform.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had earlier approved its construction and allocated money for it, has now asked that the matter of its construction with government funds, be referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology, a government approved body that advises on religious matters.

Over the weekend, Islamabads Capital Development Authority also stopped construction of the boundary wall on the plot allotted to the temple.

A team of the authoritys building control department visited the temple site and instructed workers to stop working on the boundary wall. According to CDA spokesperson Mazhar Hussain, the action was taken because a building plan had not been submitted to the authority. Any construction taking place in Islamabad, residential or commercial, requires a building plan (map) to be approved.

Following this, Islamabads Hindu Panchayat has halted the construction and decided to visit the CDA office on Monday (July 6) to discuss the matter.

We had already submitted an application addressed to the authority regarding the boundary wall construction on June 19 but got no response from them, Hindu Panchayat President Pritam Das told local media.

The application said that the boundary wall was being built to secure the possession of the plot, he said, adding that it did not make sense for the authority to take this step.

PTI Member of Parliament Lal Chand Malhi, on the other hand, said that a building plan for the temple has already been submitted to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which has forwarded it to the Prime Ministers Office.

The plan along with the request for a grant of Rs100 million has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Malhi said, pointing out that the PM had initially approved the grant. After opposition from clerics, however, it was agreed that a decision will be taken after advice from the Council of Islamic Ideology.

The religious affairs ministry in a press conference on Friday said that it only releases funds for the renovation and rehabilitation of minoritys worship places, not for construction.

The Hindu Panchayat is constructing the temple from its own finances, the ministrys spokesperson said, adding that the CII will, however, be consulted on the matter of funds.

This, however, is not the only problem faced by the panchayat during the temples construction.

In a tweet on Saturday, Malhi said the Hindu Panchayat has announced that it is discontinuing the temples construction, even if the CDA allows it, due to recent cases of violence and destruction of its site.

On June 23, we filed a request to the Islamabad district commissioners office for security to be provided after the temple site was vandalised, Malhi said. We, however, got no response from them, nor was any security provided, he added.

We have been receiving threats and objections from Muslim elites and clerics in the capital ever since construction started. A number of fatwas were also issued. They demand that a temple should not be built with the governments money, Das said.

The Shri Krishna Mandir is the first of its type to be built in the capital, according to Das. It will be a worship place for over 3,000 Hindus living in Islamabad.

The temple will have a complex, community centre and a cremation ground inside it, he said, adding that it will comprise 10 floors. The temple will also have a ground for celebrations of festivals such as Diwali and Holi.
President Donald Trump marked Independence Day by promising to defeat the radical left and boasting of his handling of the coronavirus, even as cases spike in the US

Washingtons mayor urged people to stay away from the evenings fireworks display and military flyover to avoid spreading the disease.

Trump, speaking from the South Lawn of the White House, reprised themes from a speech he delivered in South Dakota the day before, by lashing out at those protesting statues of certain historical figures and other symbols they say celebrate racial injustice.

We are now in the process of defeating the radical left: the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing, Trump said, echoing remarks he gave at Mount Rushmore. We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children or trample on our freedoms.

Trump has spent weeks demonizing a movement to re-examine the racial record of historic figures after the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody. Those efforts have led to the removal, or calls for the removal, of statues, including Confederate generals and slave owners, from public and private facilities.

Blaming China

Trump, lagging in national polls ahead of the November election, used the event to rally his supporters by reciting what he says are some of his achievements, stoking cultural wars and blaming China for the spread of the coronavirus.

Chinas secrecy deceptions and cover up allowed it to spread all over the world, Trump said in his 30-minute remarks. China must be held fully accountable.

Trump, who has come under widespread criticism for his handling of the coronavirus, said the US is doing unbelievably well in finding remedies for the virus and is doing deep testing on vaccines. He praised the numbers of virus tests being administered in the US

Weve made a lot of progress, our strategy has moved along well, Trump said.

New coronavirus cases have set daily records in the US recently while in Europe cases have fallen sharply in response to government-led measures to slow the spread.

Concern over the coronavirus pandemic caused many to stay away from the event, leaving the National Mall with a fraction of the audience that normally attends Washingtons annual fireworks displays. New Covid-19 cases rose 1.7% in the US, surging in southern and western states, although cases have fallen off in the nations capital and surrounding areas.

Guests at the White House were asked to socially distance, while District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, a regular Trump antagonist, urged residents to celebrate at home.

The president hosted invited military families and administration staffers at the White House, pulling back from the 2019 event held at the Lincoln Memorial.

Trump has sought to revamp the annual Fourth of July celebration in the nations capital into a bigger spectacle, with a larger fireworks show and muscular display of military equipment, mirroring events like the annual Bastille Day parade in France.

Trump stood to watch a flyover of vintage and modern military aircraft, including members of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. Some 10,000 fireworks were expected to be launched, making this years show among the largest in recent history, according to the Interior Department.

At Mount Rushmore on Friday night the president portrayed a dark vision of a new far-left fascism seeking to erase the nations history.

Ridership Expectations

Earlier this week the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said in a statement that all indications were that crowds gathering to watch the fireworks will be much lighter than in past years. For many years the fireworks show has been paired with a free concert on the west lawn of the US Capitol.

Bowser, who last year criticized Trumps amped-up Independence Day event as self-serving and costly, encouraged city residents to steer clear.

We of course know that the White House has already announced its plans, and the National Park Service will conduct the fireworks to celebrate the nations birthday, Bowser said at a news conference last week. We will continue to support those activities in the way that we have traditionally. But we hope that the crowds that come in non-pandemic years wont materialize this year.

The federal government said that a supply of at least 300,000 cloth face masks would be available and distributed to those attending the celebration on the National Mall. More than 100 hand-washing stations were available, and attendees were encouraged to stay at least six feet away from others.

White House officials defended the decision to hold Saturdays event. Adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters on Wednesday that we need to celebrate independence.

Its really a day to celebrate our military and veterans, Conway said.
The United States has dipped under 50,000 new daily infections for the first time in four days, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, but experts fear celebrations for the July 4th weekend will act like rocket fuel for the nations surging coronavirus outbreak.

Johns Hopkins on Sunday counted 45,300 new coronavirus infections reported Saturday in the U.S. after three days in which the daily count reached as high as 54,500 new cases. The lower figure does not mean the situation in the U.S. is improving, it could be due to reduced reporting on a national holiday.

The United States has the most infections and virus-related deaths in the world, with 2.8 million cases and nearly 130,000 dead, according to the university. Experts say the true toll of the pandemic is significantly higher, due to people who died before they were tested and missed mild cases.

Worldwide, nearly 11.3 million people have been infected and over 531,000 have died, with outbreaks surging in India, South Africa, Pakistan, Brazil and several other Latin American countries. In a first, South Africa on Sunday reported more than 10,000 new confirmed cases in a single day.

To show just how steep the U.S. infection curve is, authorities were reporting under 20,000 new infections a day as recently as June 15. On Saturday, Florida and Texas reported more record daily increases in confirmed cases and virus-related deaths have begun to rise.

Despite warnings by health experts to limit gatherings, President Donald Trump went ahead with a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday and an evening of tribute and fireworks Saturday on the National Mall in Washington. Trump used the nations Independence Day as an occasion to assail those who do not support him and did not mention the horrific death toll from the pandemic.

Pat Lee of Upper Dublin, Pennsylvania, and two friends, none in masks, gathered near the event in Washington.

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.

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.

Faced with rising infections, many US communities canceled parades and fireworks and cautioned people against hosting large gatherings.

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  also closed beaches through the weekend.

Other beaches remained open. At St. Pete Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, parking spaces were scarce and hundreds clustered under umbrellas and in cabanas on the sand. Keisha Pereira came to the beach from Osceola County  more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) inland  with her daughter and two other children.

Were going to stay with each other, she said. I feel pretty safe outside.

The holiday weekend coincided 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 where some 30 million people live.

In several California regions, 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 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 lounges near the pool.

Tourism is not dangerous, Luedtke said. I think people not following the rules is dangerous.

In Britain, pubs and barbers reopened Saturday for the first time in months. It did not overwhelm emergency services as many had feared, but one senior police officer said Sunday it was crystal clear that drunk people struggled, or ignored, social distancing rules.

Rafal Liszewski, a store manager in central London, voiced concerns about the swelling crowds on Saturday.

Quickly everything got out of control and by 8-9 p.m. it was a proper street party with people dancing and drinking, he said. Barely anyone was wearing masks and nobody respected social distancing .... to be honest, with that many people on one street, it was physically impossible.

In Australia and northeast Spain, authorities ordered lockdowns for specific counties or communities to stomp out local outbreaks.

In the Bolivian city of Cochabamba, the relatives of one apparent virus victim left his coffin in the street for hours to protest the difficulties in having him buried. Police Col. Ivan Rojas said the demand is collapsing the police personnel and funeral workers in the city of 630,000 people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its account of the early stages of the Covid-19 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 development comes as the number of coronavirus cases globally crossed 11 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The total number of fatalities has gone past 525,000.

On April 9, WHO published an initial timeline of its communications. 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 specify who had notified it.

It shows that the WHO office in China 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.

Meanwhile, the WHO said the number of cases worldwide is more than double the figure for severe influenza illnesses recorded annually.

Spains Catalonia region on Saturday locked down an area with around 200,000 residents near the town of Lerida following a surge in cases.

The move came as the summer holiday started in Spain and the country began readmitting foreign visitors from 12 countries outside the EU. It had already opened its frontiers to people from the EUs visa-free Schengen zone and Britain on June 21.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday watered down a law requiring the wearing of face masks in public places to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Brazilian leader used his veto power to remove articles obliging people to wear masks in shops and churches.

Australias Victoria state recorded 108 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, forcing authorities to lock down nine public housing towers and three more Melbourne suburbs.

China rebuffs study, says G4 flu is not new

SHANGHAI: Chinas ministry of agriculture and rural affairs said the G4 strain of the swine flu virus is not new and doesnt infect or sicken humans and animals easily, rebuffing a study published this week. That study, by Chinese scientists and published by the US journal PNAS, warned the new swine flu virus could become a potential pandemic virus.
Everyone was like, Where are you going to go? And I was like, I dont know, Im going to take my van and go, said Neilson, 46, who owns a Metris camper van and runs a bathroom-fixture company called Native Trails. I just threw some food and drinks in the fridge and was ready to go. It took me 10 minutes. I went down the coast a little way and just relaxed. I didnt end up needing to evacuate for the whole night, but it was nice to be able to just throw a couple things in there and know I had a place to sleep and cook for as long as I needed.
Copyright  2020 at Sun Newspapers/ APG Media of East Central Minnesota. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action.
As protests and rallies against racial injustice sweep our country, there is heightened public awareness about racial discrimination and inequality in America. Many people are looking for ways to educate themselves about these issues. As an entrepreneur, its imperative that you understand the context behind these flashpoints and absorb the importance of this moment in our history.

But where do you start to fill in your knowledge gaps and broaden your understanding of whats going on? Movies can be effective in bringing meaningful stories to life and offer an easy way to help us start addressing these complicated issues.

Related: How This Tech CEO Is Leading His Company Through Racial Unrest

These films offer big-picture ideas with key messages, like the importance of diversity, tolerance and acceptance. They provide excellent jumping-off points to further inform yourself and pursue a deeper understanding of these obstacles and problems.

The titles below deal with characters, situations and encounters that delve into prejudice and systemic racial issues, making them great conversation starters. To help you delve deeper into these issues, Ive included additional resources that will broaden your perspective and further inform your worldview.

This must-see movie has helped shape the conversation around capital punishment in the U.S. The film highlights the racial bias that permeates our criminal justice system. Based on the bestselling book by attorney Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), and his real-life experiences, this intense drama focuses on Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), who is a defense attorney working to appeal the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian, a black man who was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit.

Deeper dive: Stevensons book of the same name goes much deeper into his efforts to change sentencing practices, particularly for teens and children, and those with mental health problems. If you are in the Montgomery, Ala., area, the EJIs Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice offers visceral and impactful displays of the history of slavery and racism in America, including the enslavement of African Americans, racial lynchings, segregation and racial bias.

Although this film is labeled a teen movie, it offers one of the most authentic portrayals of police brutality in pop culture. Like the award-winning book it's based on, this drama about a black teen named Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) who witnesses the fatal police shooting of a close friend deals frankly and powerfully with race and racism. The movie shows her grappling with the difficulties of being a black teenager in a predominantly white area, and the feeling of belonging to one world while living in another. How she stands up for justice is inspiring.

Deeper dive: One character in the movie comments that "white folks want diversity but not too much diversity," which touches on a subtle bias against living in highly diverse communities or communities that are resistant to organizations effort to promote diversity. However, there are many studies that prove the positive impact diversity will have on your office and corporate environment.

Focused on the untold true story of the black women who played vital roles in NASAs development of the U.S. space program, this is a feel-good female empowerment movie. The film highlights three brilliant women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and 60s and offers a realistic look at the racial tensions of the civil rights era. Its also infused with many positive messages about integrity, perseverance, teamwork and communication.

Deeper dive: The movie is a fictional interpretation of the book by the same name, which is definitely worth a read. There are also many other resources out there that highlight these women and their accomplishments. Check out these articles by NPR and the New York Times.

This highly lauded drama follows the Youngers, a black family living together in an apartment in Chicago. Following a death in the family, they come into a substantial amount of money and must decide how to use it. Walter Lee (Sidney Poitier) wants to make a business investment, while his mother, Lena (Claudia McNeil), is intent on buying a house for them all to live in  two differing views of the American Dream. This was one of the first films to really depict how everyday racism affects black families just trying to get by. The films story still resonates for many today.

Deeper dive: A Raisin in the Sun not only explores the tension between white and black society; it also examines the strain within the black community over how to react to an oppressive white community. Black communities still face economic disparities, as this Time article relates. The Brooking Institution has resources to help you better understand how racial and regional inequality affect economic opportunity.

This is a genre-defining film in every sense of the word. The film tells the tale of young black teen Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who is raised in a tough Los Angeles neighborhood in the mid-1980s through early 90s. Legendary rapper Ice Cube has his acting debut in the film, playing one of the three central characters wrapped up in the drama of the streets. Boyz also made John Singleton the first African American to be nominated for best director at the Academy Awards.

Deeper dive: The films blistering depiction of growing up in inner-city Los Angeles raises questions about the impacts of growing up in economically challenged areas, which the Economic Policy Institute has examined. If you want to know more about the backstory and what went into the making of Boyz n the Hood, which Singleton directed when he was just 23 years old, watch the documentary Friendly Fire: Making an Urban Legend.

This Oscar-nominated historical film depicts a significant period in Dr. Martin Luther Kings life, when he planned and led the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., to secure equal voting rights for African Americans. The first attempt at this march led to brutal police violence against peaceful demonstrators. This event, known as Bloody Sunday, generated anger across the nation and prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to push the Voting Rights Act through Congress.

Deeper dive: As recent events have shown, many Americans are still fighting against racism. This movie is a reminder of how far we have come as a nation and how much further we have to go. The Hutchins Center for African and African American Research recently unveiled a free online curriculum to bring the voting-rights movement to life.

This movie confronts several issues at once  police violence, gentrification, re-entry after incarceration and, as its name suggests, implicit bias (blindspotting is when a situation can be interpreted two ways, but your limited perception means you only see one interpretation). These are heavy duty, serious topics, but because the film often takes a comedic approach, its one of the more accessible movies for viewers.

Written, produced by and starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, the movie depicts Collin, played by Diggs, a black parolee who witnesses a white cop shooting a black civilian. The complications of racism, relationships and urban gentrification in Oakland play out through Collins interactions with his short-tempered and reckless white best friend Miles, played by Casal.

Deeper dive: In many ways, the film is asking audiences to examine their own blind spots. Its a call to action that we all become more aware of our implicit biases. To help you examine your own implicit biases, Harvard has developed this online test.

Loving is a biographical film about Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple who were arrested for their interracial marriage in 1958. Their Supreme Court case was a landmark decision that resulted in the end of laws banning interracial marriage, and this movie shows the powerful impact of standing up and fighting for what you believe in.

Deeper dive: While interracial relationships are on the rise, most Americans say that overall race relations in the U.S. are bad and getting worse. And while interracial dating isnt as taboo as it used to be, many younger people in the black community have been warned that doing so may put you in a vulnerable position.

Jordan Peele's directorial debut turns white supremacy into a horror flick. The films premise is what happens when a black man goes to visit his white girlfriends seemingly liberal parents, though they have a very twisted underlying motive. The movie is the personification of the sentiment I wish people loved black people as much as they love black culture.

Deeper dive: Get Out addresses a more subtle form of covert racism and discrimination, which is often concealed in the fabric of our society, hiding behind the facade of politeness. Fighting this means learning to become an antiracist, and is the topic of a bestselling book by Ibram X. Kendi.

This film tells the true story of Oscar Grant III (Michael B. Jordan), a young man who was killed in 2009 by a police officer in Oakland, Calif. It opens with the actual footage of Grant and his friends being detained by the BART police, who oversee the Bay Areas public transit system, and goes on to portray the last day of Grants life through flashbacks. It offers a window into a real-life example of racial discrimination within law enforcement.

Deeper dive: The film depicts how lack of opportunity, routine incarceration and racism conspire to devalue the lives of young black men in America. Some studies have suggested that increasing community connections between police and young black men could lead to a reduction in violent encounters.

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When Bridgeports City Council last month debated completely eliminating the use of chokeholds by its police officers, one member cited Gov. Ned Lamonts recent restriction on Connecticuts troopers.

If we can ban it for state police, then theres no reason we cant ban chokeholds in Bridgeport, Councilwoman Maria Pereira argued at the time.

Lamont spokesman Max Reiss this week told Hearst Connecticut Media the governors June 15 executive order was to act as an example for cities, towns and the legislature when considering public safety reforms following George Floyds death in Minneapolis in May.

A police officer in that Midwestern city who pressed his knee to Floyds neck for nearly 8 minutes has been charged with second-degree murder.

The governor has signaled ... what he views as the future for chokeholds, Reiss said.

But it may not be that simple.

Based on information gathered by Hearst, Lamont went farther than some Connecticut law enforcement professionals and elected leaders may ultimately deem practical, and also faces stiff opposition from the troopers union.

New Haven, Milford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford and the governors hometown of Greenwich all allow chokeholds as a form of deadly or lethal force reserved for life-or-death scenarios. So does the organization those departments rely on for guidance: the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST).

You cant use (a chokehold) unless somebodys trying to kill you, and then only if you have no other alternative, emphasized Milford Police Chief Keith Mello, who is also POSTs chairman.

Lamonts executive order applying only to state troopers intentionally lacked that unless qualifier.

I dont see any wiggle room on it, Reiss confirmed.

The state police departments union in a June 30 letter to Lamont expressed members disappointment and confusion with his decision and accused the governor of trying to politicize the issue.

Andrew Matthews, the unions executive director, on Friday told Hearst, Although it has not been taught or in our policy for over 30 years, (a chokehold) could have been used in a life-or-death situation to defend the life of a trooper or member of the public.

The governors executive order now prohibits the chokehold even when a trooper would be justified to use deadly force, Matthews said, adding: Weve always had a good relationship with the governor and legislature and were hopeful they seek our input in the future as they try to do reforms.

Reiss said Lamont made up his mind following close consultation with the Connecticut Department of Public Safety.

And the governor in those discussions, after hearing how (a chokehold) gets used, why it gets used, the circumstances, concluded that as the person in charge of state police, this is not something that is a required tool, Reiss said.

Meanwhile in Bridgeport, several leaders of the police force and municipal lawyers last month mounted a vigorous defense of the chokehold as a last resort, either to prevent an officer from drawing and firing their gun, or if they have been disarmed.

For example, Lt. Manuel Cotto, an aide to Bridgeport Chief Armando Perez, told the City Council: I might have to resort to choking somebody because I cant get my hand on my gun.

In response to post-Minneapolis calls to abolish chokeholds locally, many police professionals and municipal leaders have also, in describing their use as extremely rare and strictly enforced, seemingly implied cities and towns have bans as strict as Lamonts when they do not.

If you ask law enforcement and me, Do we have a prohibition on chokeholds? Absolutely. Its always been that way and should remain that way, said Mello, POSTs chairman.

I have never used a chokehold on anybody and Ive never seen anyone in the Bridgeport police department use a chokehold on anyone. We dont adhere to that policy, Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez told council members.

In June Greenwichs police force issued a document  How We Police And Engage With Our Community  which stated chokeholds, or neck restraints, are considered deadly force and are prohibited.

But in an email for this story, Lt. Mark Zuccerella, a spokesman for Greenwich police, clarified: Chokeholds or other neck restrains are prohibited unless deadly physical force is authorized.

After Bridgeports Council proposed eliminating chokeholds, Sgt. Brad Seely, the new president of that departments union, countered, Our officers are not trained to do chokeholds.

In June Stamford Mayor David Martin said his city would ban chokeholds and all neck restraints. But this week Martins staff clarified to Hearst that those maneuvers would still be allowed for an officer to save his or her life.

While all operating independently, these departments adhere to best practices put forth by POST. But that would not prevent them from following Lamonts lead, Mello said: The responsibility of POST is to provide a floor  a minimum standard. ... The governor did that (prohibition) for state police. Every chief can do that for his or her local department.

Three days before the governors order, POST took its own actions in response to Floyds death. POST clarified in its use of force regulation that the use of a chokehold or neck restrain may only be used when the use of deadly force is necessary.

Most police departments like my own already had that prohibition in there, Mello said. We added it to make sure every department was addressing this issue.

Mello emphasized there is a clear distinction between the Floyd case  where a chokehold was used as a basic restraint  and how law enforcers in Connecticut are required to employ them under dire circumstances. Mello said that often when developing public safety guidelines professionals need to consider the what-ifs.

He said POST last year updated its conditions for police pursuits to prevent shooting at moving cars. But, he said, there was an exception: If theres a car coming at you and ramming and running people over (and) your only option is to shoot to save the lives of hundreds.

J. Darren Stewart is the police chief in Stonington, a town near the Rhode Island border, and also head of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association. He said he expected Lamonts chokehold order will spark a discussion over their overall future in the state.

Stewart confirmed that Stonington, too, allows the controversial maneuver: If you had to ever, unfortunately, go down that road it would be treated as a deadly force issue and youd have to justify your reasons around that, not just because.

However, at least two local departments Hearst contacted  New Canaan and New Milford  claimed chokeholds are forbidden.

Chokeholds are not part of our defensive tactics training/policy, so any techniques used  including chokeholds  which we do not teach/authorize are against our policy, said New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski.

John DeCarlo, Branfords former police chief who runs the masters program in criminal justice at the University of New Haven, speculated, I think that chokeholds will maybe remain as an element of lethal force.

DeCarlo said what happened in Minneapolis was a chokehold done as badly as you can do one but they may ultimately prove necessary for officers who are not negligently, recklessly or malevolently trying to hurt somebody and trying to defend themselves.

Really what it boils down to is (establishing) good, thoughtful policy based on evidence and research and training, training and more training to make sure that policy is carried out, DeCarlo said.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker told Hearst he is open to the conversation about an absolute ban on chokeholds. But, Elicker noted, Currently we allow police officers to use guns. And we only allow police officers to use guns for deadly force. So it seems intellectually inconsistent to allow that but not to allow chokeholds to be used in an extreme case of deadly force.

Elicker said one compromise might be further strengthening his citys rules to be as specific as possible about when chokeholds cannot be employed.

Theres a lot of focus on chokeholds because of what happened with George Floyd, and understandably so, Elicker continued. But in New Havens policy, under no circumstances would what happened to George Floyd be covered. Theres zero interpretation that might (have made the treatment of Floyd) appropriate under our policy.
When Cary McCormick visited Arlington National Cemetery a decade ago for the funeral of her grandmother, she and several relatives made a stop afterward to another part of the grounds: Section 16, home to 482 graves of Confederate soldiers. One of the area's headstones marks the remains of her great-great-great-grandfather's brother: Henry H. Marmaduke, a Confederate naval captain.

Marmaduke is one of four Confederates buried at the base of the section's towering centerpiece: a 32-foot-high bronze monument of a white female figure with a frieze below of an enslaved black woman - "Mammy," according to the cemetery - clutching the infant of a white soldier.

McCormick, now 36, was appalled. "I do remember that feeling of shame, deep, physical shame in my heart, said McCormick, a brand strategy consultant based in London. "The monument, unequivocally, should be gone."

But her father, James McCormick, a 73-year-old commercial and residential real estate developer, does not agree. Instead of removing the memorial, he said, "I wonder whether we might not end up with a more enduring lesson for the nation if we added a very substantial plaque adjacent to the Arlington monument so the public can look at its friezes, which in some cases are horrifying, but in others, just examples of how a nation praised a moment."

Confederate statues have been under attack since hundreds of white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 to protest the removal of a memorial to Gen. Robert E. Lee - a gathering that ended with one counterprotester dead and dozens of others wounded.

The fervor has intensified since George Floyd stopped breathing beneath the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, with more than two dozen Confederate memorials removed by local authorities or yanked down by protesters. On Wednesday, Richmond removed a statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson on Monument Avenue in the former capital of the Confederacy.

For those with rebel relatives buried at Arlington Cemetery, closed to the public except for family pass holders and funeral attendees since March, the news stories about Confederate statues coming down has triggered opposing reactions: Some descendants worry the monument at the nation's most prestigious burial ground will be carted away; others hope that's exactly what will happen.

The cemetery's superintendent, Charles "Ray" Alexander Jr., said in a statement that neither he nor the cemetery's executive director, Karen Durham-Aguilera, have any authority over the memorial. He said the cemetery would follow the Pentagon's orders. An Army spokeswoman said the military branch "is working with the Defense Department on guidance for display of divisive symbols" and that "any review would include this memorial." But President Donald Trump has denounced the removal of Confederate memorials and vowed to veto this year's proposed $740 billion annual defense bill if it includes an amendment to rename 10 bases named for Confederate military leaders.

Not even the descendants of the sculptor who made Arlington's Confederate memorial - Moses Ezekiel, a Confederate soldier buried at the base of his artwork - say they believe the monument should remain. After The Washington Post published an article about the monument following the violence in Charlottesville, nearly two dozen people from the extended Ezekiel family wrote the news organization demanding its transfer to a museum "that makes clear its oppressive history."

Micki McElya, author of a 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist book on the cemetery's history, agrees that the Confederate monument should be removed. In its place, she suggested panels that chronicle Section 16s origins and explain the monument's celebration of white supremacy.

"The monument is a very aggressive attempt to present a Lost Cause and pro-Confederate version of the Civil War," McElya said. "The narrative is so toxic and so representative of the many facets of violence against black people and black histories in this country. The act of removing the monument would be the act of the nation saying this is a lie about the past and this lie about the past reinforces contemporary inequalities that don't have a place in this field of honor."

Arlington exists because of the Civil War. Union authorities seized the property from Lee and his wife, Mary Custis Lee, in May 1861 and after the war barred many Confederate families from entering the property to visit loved ones buried there.

Determined to bring back the remains of their husbands and sons, groups of Southern women mobilized to gather the dead from Arlington and other cemeteries and battlefields so the bodies could be interred in the South. They wanted nothing to do with Arlington.

By the end of the 1898 Spanish-American War, though, when former Confederate and Union soldiers fought and died side-by-side, reconciliation became the paramount concern. President William McKinley promised in a speech in Atlanta that "the time has now come ... when in the spirit of fraternity we should share with you in the care of the graves of Confederate soldiers."

Soon, Confederate veterans demanded their brethren be exhumed and reinterred in a special section exclusively for Confederate veterans, according to Robert M. Poole's book "On Hallowed Ground."

Congress quickly passed the legislation and the president signed the law on June 6, 1900.

For the first time, the Confederate dead would now enjoy the same honors as their Union counterparts: a marble or granite headstone 36 inches high, 10 inches wide, and four inches thick. But with one difference: instead of their headstones being rounded at the top, each marker would be pointed in the center.

One other distinction: Rather than being arrayed in long lines, the Confederate tombstones would be ringed in concentric circles around a central point, the eventual site of Ezekiel's 32-foot monument.

By 1901, the first Confederates were laid to rest in Section 16. Years later, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which was in charge of selecting a memorial, initially considered a monument honoring Lee, who died in 1870.

But when the women chose Ezekiel, a Richmond native and Virginia Military Institute graduate, as the sculptor, they abandoned a Lee memorial.

Ezekiel, who had a studio in Rome, was given free rein. The monument's centerpiece - a woman dressed in classical attire clad in an olive wreath, leaning on a plow and hook - was meant to symbolize the South. Below her sits a frieze featuring life-size figures of the South, including soldiers bravely facing battle. The most inflammatory section: two depictions of black people, one of an enslaved black man faithfully following his master into war and another of an enslaved black woman holding a Confederate soldier's white infant boy.

"The statue is particularly egregious because it's trying to show that black enslaved people were complicit in the Confederacy - and in their own enslavement," said Judith Ezekiel, a professor emeritus at Wright State University in Ohio who is a member of the sculptor's extended family and co-authored the letter three years ago asking for the statue's removal.

On June 4, 1914, Ezekiel's monument was unveiled in a rainy ceremony presided by President Woodrow Wilson, whose administration was segregating the federal civil service and rooting out black people from managerial roles. (Wilson's alma mater, Princeton University, which he led as its 13th president, just declared him a racist and removed his name from its prominent public policy school and one of its residential dormitories.)

"I am not so much happy as proud to participate in this capacity on such an occasion; proud that I should represent such a people," Wilson said. "This chapter in the history of the United States is now closed."

Even though the Confederacy fought to maintain slavery and protect slaveholders, many descendants of Confederate veterans buried in Section 16 say they don't believe the monument's cause is racist and think it should stay.

"Before anyone pulls down the statue in Arlington, I would stand in front of the monument to protect it. That's what a lot of other people would do, too," said Armand Vasco, 74, a retired Veterans Affairs administrator and a great-grandson of Francis "Mockingbird" Angelo, a Confederate soldier buried in Section 16.

At 19, Angelo ran away from college in Missouri to join the Confederate Army in Richmond, according to his obituary. He became a scout in Mosby's Rangers, a group of Confederate guerrilla fighters who captured enemies and raided Union supplies, largely in Loudoun and Fauquier counties. After the war, he worked for three decades at the Agriculture Department. He died in 1928 at his home in Clarendon, Va., at the age of 87.

Vasco, a Vietnam War veteran who visits Arlington twice a year from his Tennessee home, said the protests against Confederate monuments sweeping the country alarmed him.

"When they started talking about taking down the monuments in Richmond, I told my wife, 'The next thing you know, they'll take down the statue in Arlington,' " said Vasco, who added that people pelted him with eggs and rotten tomatoes after serving at an Air Force base in Danang, Vietnam. "You can't erase history."

Cynthia "Ricki" McKinney, 66, who lives in southwestern Virginia, also believes Section 16 is sacred ground and that the monument should remain. Her great-grandfather's brother was Samuel Moomaw, a private in the Confederate Army's 7th Regiment Virginia cavalry who died in his mid-20s in 1863. She cares so much about her ancestor's grave in Section 16 that when she discovered several years ago the headstone misspelled his last name as "Moorman," she forced Arlington to fix it.

"I am not proud of the fact that he fought for the Confederacy, my family would not be proud of me for saying that," McKinney said. "But in honor of what he did, what he was willing to do, he should be respected. He was a man doing what he thought was right. He had no slaves."

The McCormick family, though, is still reckoning with the legacy of its ancestor, Henry Marmaduke, a Confederate naval captain buried in Section 16. His father, Meredith Marmaduke, and brother John Marmaduke were governors of Missouri.

Although Meredith Marmaduke owned at one point more than two dozen enslaved people, he considered himself a Unionist, against the wishes of his Confederate children. James McCormick, his great-great-great-grandson, said a similar schism is playing out again in their family. McCormick, who lives in Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, believes the monument overlooking Henry Marmaduke's headstone at Arlington Cemetery should remain, the exact opposite stance of his daughter Cary McCormick.

"Taking down the monument is not tantamount to erasing history," she said. "That history is alive and well. I would like to see actual black voices - descendants of enslaved people - having a say about what goes in place of the monument, or, if anything at all. It can't be a unilaterally white conversation."
DEEP officials Lori Saliby and Gary Trombly, who both work with PCBs and worked specifically on the Fintech Village project, said the first step in this type of remediation is the submission of investigation plans. These plans outline the steps a company will take or has taken to assess the full extent of a propertys contamination. Only once the extent of the contamination is fully understood can a company submit an actual remediation plan.
Officials in states with surging coronavirus cases issued dire warnings Sunday about the spread of infections, blaming outbreaks in their communities on early reopenings and saying the virus was rapidly outpacing containment efforts.

"We don't have room to experiment, we don't have room for incrementalism when we're seeing these kinds of numbers," said Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat who is the top elected official in Harris County, Texas, which encompasses the sprawling Houston metro area. "Nor should we wait for all the hospital beds to fill and all these people to die before we take drastic action."

The rolling seven-day average for daily new cases in the United States reached a record high for the 27th day in a row, climbing to 48,606 on Sunday, according to The Washington Post's tracking. Coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose to their highest levels to date in Arizona and Nevada.

The country's seven-day average of new deaths fell to 486, down from 562 a week prior, but health experts cautioned that the count of infections would soon drive the number back up.

Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer

New coronavirus cases in Florida on Sunday exceeded 10,000 in a day for the third time in the past week, after the state posted a record high of 11,458 the previous day. The new infections pushed the state's total caseload past 200,000, a mark passed by two other states, New York and California.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said it was "too early to tell" whether the Republican National Convention could be held safely in Jacksonville, Fla., next month. "We'll have to see how this unfolds in Florida and elsewhere around the country," he told CNN.

Frustration about the pandemic response has mounted among local leaders, who say they have had to grapple with conflicting orders and frequently changing guidelines from governors and the White House as they try to curb sharply rising infections.

After Texas reported another single-day record for new coronavirus cases over the weekend, Austin Mayor Steve Adler, a Democrat, told CNN's "State of the Union" that there won't be enough medical personnel to keep up with the spike in cases if the rate of increase continued unabated in his city.

"If we don't change this trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun," he said, adding that intensive care units in the city could be overflowing within 10 days. He said he was not sure that Texas needed a statewide shelter-in-place order but that he wanted the authority to impose one locally.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, echoed Adler's concerns. The hospitals in his city face staffing shortages as demand for ICU beds increases exponentially, he said on CBS News's "Face the Nation."

"In fact, if we don't get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks, our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble," Turner said. Demand for testing has also outpaced the city's capacity, he said, and the positivity rate has soared from 10% a month ago to 25% recently.

In an interview with ABC News's "This Week," Hidalgo said she had been stripped of authority to issue stay-home orders in Harris County after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, decided to move forward with an aggressive reopening plan in the spring. All she could do was issue "recommendations," which were nowhere near as effective, she said.

"As long as we're doing as little as possible and hoping for the best, we're always going to be chasing this thing, we're always going to be behind, and the virus will always outrun us," Hidalgo said. "And so what we need right now is to do what works, which is a stay-home order."

In Florida, which also reported a record caseload Saturday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said it was "clear that the growth is exponential at this point."

"There's no doubt that when we reopened, people started socializing as if the virus didn't exist," the Republican mayor told ABC News. "It's extremely worrisome."

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, attributed soaring case numbers in Arizona to the state's decision to resume business as usual before the virus was under control. She noted that young people who ignored health guidelines had probably led the explosion in cases.

Gallego said federal officials had dismissed her requests to conduct community-based testing in the area after people reported waiting in line for six hours at some testing sites. "We were told they're moving away from that," she said, "which feels like they are declaring victory while we're still in crisis mode."

In Greenville, S.C., the nightclub where two were killed in a shooting early Sunday had violated crowd restrictions enacted because of the pandemic, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis told the Greenville News. In fact, he said, the club was not allowed to be open and officials were considering revoking its liquor and business licenses.

The warnings came after President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration had made "a lot of progress" in combating the pandemic.

Speaking at an Independence Day event on the White House lawn, Trump said the country had "learned how to put out the flame" of the coronavirus.

"Our strategy is moving along well," he said, thanking front-line pandemic workers for their work. "It goes out in one area and rears back its ugly face in another area. But we have learned a lot."

He continued to assert that testing had inflated new case numbers - a claim contradicted by rising positivity rates and widely disputed by epidemiologists - and said the country was making progress on developing therapeutics and a vaccine.

Public health experts have stressed that the recent surge in cases is not the result of expanded testing capacity alone. "When the virus is under control, testing doesn't uncover more cases. It's a tool for keeping the epidemic at bay," said former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who served in the Trump administration.

Gottlieb voiced doubts about the country's ability to slow the pandemic, saying waves of infection probably would persist through the rest of the year. The situation was at least as bad as it was during the height of the outbreak in New York earlier this year, he said, except that the country was not dealing with multiple centers of infection.

"We're not going to really be able to crush this virus at this point because there's just so much infection around," he said on "Face the Nation." "We really don't seem to have the political will to do it."

- - -

The Washington Post's Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.
Fireworks sales boomed across the region this month, as Houstonians attempted to celebrate the nations birthday even as the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the vast majority of traditional July 4 gatherings.

Magnum Fireworks owner Jennifer Jozwiak estimated that business increased 50% from last year since more people were staying home and celebrating in their own yards. After suffering from poor sales two years ago due to rain, Joswiak said she is grateful for the extra business and hopes to help the community make happy memories during this time.

In a weird way, its sort of a blessing in my business, Jozwiak said.

Rain and flooding stifled the last two Independence Days in Houston, but this year was unique across the nation, with the mounting coronavirus outbreak forcing officials to restrict access to beaches, close parks, call off parades and mandate masks. Coronavirus cases grew in Texas on Saturday by 5,815, the sixth straight day with more than 5,000. But the rolling average for new cases dropped slightly, the first such decrease in more than three weeks.

We are taking every precaution to keep people safe, said Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who closed the playgrounds and picnic areas at the newly opened $11.5 million Atascocita Park to encourage social distancing. A recurrence like what we saw from Memorial Day would set back the region in a bad way. Now is the time for an abundance of caution and safety.

Joggers and dogwalkers dotted the outskirts of Buffalo Bayou, which remains closed through Saturday ahead of the citys fireworks. And a few dozen people enjoyed meals on the patios of restaurants in the Midtown area, many wearing the masks mandated by an order announced by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier in the week.

Otherwise, Houstonians were hard to find. At Hermann Park, a handful of city workers monitored the disparate parkgoers, making sure that they were practicing social distancing and, when appropriate, wearing masks.

One vendor said hed sold about $40 worth of food and beverages over the course of the first five hours he was open. On a pre-pandemic day, he estimated hed sell about 10 times that amount.

Theres no people Its no good, said the man, who asked to be identified as Frank.

At night, many did come out to watch the Shell Freedom Over Texas fireworks show, even though the staging area Eleanor Tinsley Park was closed to the public. Instead, people lined Allen Parkway and bridges over Buffalo Bayou and Memorial Drive, fairly distanced from each, some wearing masks, some not.

One couple who forgot their masks raised their shirts over their mouth and nose if anyone got close. Another without facial covering seemed less concerned.

"It's outside, I'm not too worried," said Shawn Ware, visiting from Alvin. "It's a short life. You got to respect it, show the younger folks."

The Galveston Island Beach Patrol chased off nearly 800 people on Friday and were on pace to hit a similar number Saturday, Chief Peter Davis said.

The city blocked entrances to all beach entries and had posted signs all over the beach making people aware of the closures, he said. A handful of people showed up at 39th St. and Seawall Boulevard to protest the closures, but Davis said they left by the afternoon. The beaches reopen Monday.

Fireworks stands were one of the few public place that seemed to be popping.

With everybody staying home this year, sales are really skyrocketing, said Katie Spence, who worked a Magnum Fireworks stand at Lake Houston Church in Humble. The church will receive 10% of the profit from sales there. I mean, youre stuck at home with your family on the Fourth. What are you going to do?

Kailynn Savage, who works at Fireworks Cit, also noted increased sales.

Ive seen way more people this year, Savage said. And not just the influx or the amount of people, but Ive noticed that people are spending a lot more than what they usually did. I feel like since the pandemic has happened, being able to go out, buy fireworks, actually have a good time, they spent a lot more.

The warehouse building, which is a year-round location on Atascocita Road for Top Dog Fireworks, had a large gathering of shoppers mid-day shopping for a variety of fireworks. Atascocita resident Crystal Hardy visited the location with her family to celebrate July 4 as they can, but said it is very different from last year when they were able to host a large party.

We have to wear masks everywhere and it gets hot underneath there, Hardy said. But its more different because most of our family members have tested positive so they have to isolate and its like the only way you could talk to them is on the phone or FaceTiming and thats about it.

Dylan McGuinness and Todd Ackerman contributed to this story

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com

robert.downen@chron.com
Crowds of protesters packed downtown Houston on Saturday evening to demand justice for Vanessa Guillen, the Houston native and Army specialist who police said was brutally killed at a Central Texas military base in April.

Exactly how many people attended the rally was unclear, but the crowd exceeded the 1,200 people who RSVPd online.

The throngs of protesters stretched at least two city blocks as they made their way from Discovery Green to City Hall in the sweltering heat, chanting Guillens name and calling for new investigations in her death and for the military to reform its processes for handling sexual assault allegations.

Jessica Duran, a Houston native, said she suppressed for more than a decade assaults and harassment endured while serving in the Navy.

She said Guillens case prompted her and others to come forward.

It wasnt just her, she said. This has been happening for years and years and years, since the beginning of the moment they let women in the military. Weve always been treated as less. Were never equivalent to a man. Were worth less in the service.

Guillen, 20, went from Fort Hood in April.

On Thursday  after months of calls from Guillens family for justice, Army Spc. Aaron David Robinson was identified as a key suspect in the case.

According to the FBI, Robinson allegedly bludgeoned Guillen to death with a hammer before dismembering and burying her body along the Leon River with the assistance of his girlfriend, Cecily Ann Aguilar.

Aguilar, who has since been arrested, told investigators that she and her boyfriend used a hatchet or ax and a machete-type knife, to dismember and then attempt to conceal Guillens body.

Robinson took his own life as evidence in the case emerged, officials said.

A lawyer for the Guillen family has said she provided Robinsons name to authorities after learning that he may have harassed Guillen before she disappeared. Investigators have not publicly corroborated that detail.

Army officials have since said that theyll review the posts sexual harassment and assault response protocols in the wake of the allegations.

Many protesters said Saturday that that was not enough. They noted the militarys long history of mishandling sexual violence claims and said the armed forces must commit to a sweeping cultural change if theyre serious about protecting their members.

In April, the Pentagon reported a 3 percent increase in sexual assault reports by soldiers between 2018 and 2019. Over the same period, there was a 17 percent increase among confidential reports that didnt start an official investigation.

One advocacy group said the findings show a clear lack of faith in the military chain of commands handling of sexual assault.

Guillens case has also prompted outcry from prominent politicians, including Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden.

robert.downen@chron.com
Like any good epic, the saga that is America has an origin story thats hard to shake. It goes something like this:

Hailing from Italy and sailing for Spain, Christopher Columbus became the first European to navigate across the Atlantic and set foot in North America, thereby proving to his peers that the world was round, and inspiring future European immigrants to venture to the Americas, culminating in the founding of the United States of America.

To quote another famous explorer, Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, almost every word in that sentence is wrong.

Columbus was not the first European to land in the Americas, he never stepped foot in North America, and none of his peers thought the world was flat. Even Columbus nationality has been questioned by scholars, who note that he seems to emerge from nowhere as a young navigator in Italy and may have originally been from Poland. (So much for claiming Columbus as a hero of the Italian people.)

The popular anti-Columbus counter-narrative assigns to the explorer as much blame as the pro-Columbus narrative bestows glory. Many hold Columbus responsible for the near-extinction of the regions indigenous peoples and the invention of race-based slavery. Finally, he was shipped back to Spain in chains for carrying out these crimes against humanity.

This revised narrative comes closer to the truth, but theres more to the story. Certainly, evidence of his greed and ineptitude as a leader are ample, but the closer one looks  as I did when researching and writing The History of Puerto Rico in 2010  the harder it is to pin examples of specific atrocities on Columbus.

If you study primary documents from the era, as well as the most recent archeological and historic scholarship, its hard to argue Columbus intended to enslave any and all indigenous people, much less annihilate the population and culture of the Taino island nations. Yet, that is exactly what happened. The question remains  what was Columbus level of culpability in all this? In other words, just how much should we revile him?

Lets begin by taking a closer look at accusations he enslaved, tortured, and even dismembered indigenous people.

First of all, we should begin by burying the idea that Columbus discovered anything. The narrative of discovery and settlement is a dangerous myth. It implies nothing of note existed in the Americas prior to the arrival of Europeans, thereby justifying the continents civilization. This meta-narrative is how white America has justified genocide and ecological exploitation for centuries. But is Columbus to blame for the invention of this trope?

As it turns out, Columbus admired the Tainos, and for good reason. At the time he encountered them they were experiencing a florescence in the realms of trade, art and governance. The islands of the Caribbean they inhabited were not sparsely populated, but dotted with small cities.

When Columbus notes that the Taino are not adept at weaponry, this is accurate. At the time they were vexed by the emergence of a new nation, the Kalinago, whose highly skilled warriors were carrying out effective forays into Taino territory. Columbus promised to help. His help may have done more harm than good, as it set in motion a series of tropes that still govern white majority policies against indigenous people to this day.

Declaring himself an ally of the Taino, he set up a scenario that permitted him to capture and enslave the Kalinago as the bounty of war, a trade he turned to when his dreams of ample gold were dashed. To justify Spanish involvement in the skirmish, he accused the Kalinago of horrific practices, including, erroneously, cannibalism. In doing so, Columbus established the narrative of the good and bad native, a trope that has been used to justify unfair treaties, cruelty and injustice ever since.

During his lifetime, Columbus was a polarizing figure. More than 500 years later, whether you view him as a hero or villain, his life is more myth than plausible history. Its a life story full of human drama, intrigue and tragedy, and worthy of study. Id recommend seeking out the work of Laurence Bergreen, James W. Loewen, Carol Delaney or Consuelo Varela Bueno, who provide a range of perspectives, from the somewhat forgiving to the condemnatory.

So, is Columbus a hero worthy of commemoration in the form of holidays and heroic statuary? Or one of the historys cruelest villains? The truth most likely falls somewhere in the middle, though I lean toward the latter.

What we know for sure is that his four voyages prompted a paradigmatic shift in history and shaped our world in myriad ways, both for the good and the cataclysmic.

Lisa Pierce Flores lives in Newtown and is working on the second edition of The History of Puerto Rico.
President Donald Trump marked the July Fourth weekend by journeying to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, site of 60-foot faces of four American presidents chiseled into some of the oldest exposed granite on Earth. Looming over his visit, which included both a military flyover and firework display, however, was the tie between the taking of the Black Hills - where Mount Rushmore is located - from the Great Sioux Nation and the current Black Lives Matter protests across the country.

While Trump proclaimed that there was no "better place to celebrate America's independence," and saw his trip as a way to celebrate that, "No nation has done more to advance the human condition," the monument's history and head sculptor, John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum's views, tell a different tale, one that squarely fits into the debates of the last month over monuments, memory and white supremacy.

The Great Sioux Nation consider the Black Hills a place of refuge that provides food, water, shade and sites to perform sacred rites. The hills belonged to the Sioux under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty which stated that the territory consisting of what is today western South Dakota was "set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation" of the Sioux Nation.

Following the Panic of 1873, however, the United States was starved for gold specie to back up its paper currency. So in July 1874, Gen. George Armstrong Custer and his Seventh Cavalry set out on an expedition to "examine" the Black Hills. He brought with him a pair of gold miners. After the expedition discovered gold in the hills, as one dispatch put it, "right from the grass roots," there was immense pressure on the Grant administration to annex the mountain range through war or treaty.

After negotiations to cede the hills collapsed, President Ulysses Grant convened confidential meetings to draw up battle plans. Grant mobilized the army in February 1876 to corral tribal members hunting on their own land onto reservations. The series of skirmishes from this mobilization included Custer's annihilation at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.

Following national furor over Custer's defeat, Congress in 1877 unilaterally removed the Black Hills from the boundaries of the Fort Laramie Treaty. This expropriation enabled boom towns, mining camps and settlers to proliferate. The infamous mining town Deadwood put a $50 bounty on Indians captured dead or alive, with one resident stating "killing Indians was conducive to the health of the community."

The creation of Mount Rushmore in the 1920s attempted to gloss over this violent history with triumphant narratives of western expansion and freedom. Historian Doane Robinson, who had written on South Dakota history, came up with the original idea in 1923. Robinson envisioned a memorial directing tourism to a Midwestern state experiencing early-Great Depression symptoms due to diminishing production prices crippling South Dakota's farm economy. Robinson wrote to South Dakota Sen. Peter Norbeck, that one sculptor's handiwork, Gutzon Borglum, would "'sell' the Black Hills and (Custer State) Park as nothing else could."

Gutzon Borglum was, in the words of a recent profile of the memorial, a "larger-than-life weirdo." Born into a polygamous Mormon family near Ovid, Idaho, to Danish immigrants in 1867, Borglum would go on to become a confidant of presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. He was a barnstormer for the National Progressive Party and agrarian Nonpartisan League, an aviation aficionado and engineer and a servant of the second Ku Klux Klan.

Borglum originally envisioned Mount Rushmore as a shrine to the westward course of empire. He explained to an audience in Rapid City in 1925, that the monument would honor the "empire builders," by celebrating the "founder" and "savior" of America - Washington and Lincoln respectively - and Thomas Jefferson, "the first great expansionist" who had secured the Louisiana Purchase. The fourth president who would be featured, Borglum's friend Roosevelt, had "thrust himself upon the western plains" as a grieving younger man mourning the deaths of his wife and mother, and had expanded the American empire via the Panama Canal. The sculptor proclaimed "if you carve ... these empire-builders the whole world will speak of South Dakota."

Americans embraced Borglum's vision for his sculpture. When President Calvin Coolidge chose to vacation in the Black Hills in 1927, he gave a speech at the site emphasizing that the monument was to be carved on a mountain "no white man had ever beheld" in the times of Washington, in a territory "acquired by the action of Jefferson," which "remained an almost unbroken wilderness beyond the days of Lincoln, which was especially beloved by Roosevelt ..." Coolidge was asking his audience to conceptualize the scope and triumph of Manifest Destiny - the idea that America's advancement westward to the Pacific was ordained by God.

And this theme didn't fade with time. In 1991, at the 50th anniversary of the completion of the monument, President George H.W. Bush reiterated this history. Bush mentioned that Jefferson had "expanded our boundaries forever" through the Louisiana Purchase, that Lincoln expanded the "technological frontier" via the Transcontinental Railroad and Roosevelt was a "warrior" who "cut the Panama Canal out of the wilderness."

Trump also invoked this history during his blistering speech at the monument.

To many Americans - including Trump - Mount Rushmore embodies America's founding creed: "justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity." The trip to Mount Rushmore is a near religious experience for some. Bush quoted an unnamed person saying that making the pilgrimage to Mount Rushmore offered "a moment of communion with the very soul of America."

But this idea of Mount Rushmore as a goosebump-inducing holy site to these liberal and patriotic ideals ignores that the land was stolen from the Sioux Nation - turning the site into a "landscape of denial" in the words of sociologist James Loewen.

Indeed, in 1980, the Supreme Court ruled the acquisition of Mount Rushmore unconstitutional. In the Court's opinion, Justice Harry Blackmun described the United States's procurement of the Black Hills as unconscionable, stating, "a more ripe and rank case of dishonest dealings (that) may never be found in our history." The Court granted the Sioux Nation $105 million for the Black Hills, and $40 million for lands taken east of the hills with retroactive interest. The Sioux, after some debate, refused the payment in favor of getting the land back.

In 1987, Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., introduced a bill in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that called for 1.3 million acres of the Black Hills to return to jurisdiction under a Sioux National Council, while allowing for Mount Rushmore to remain under the authority of the National Park Service (the Sioux Council, however, would operate and profit from concession sales). But the bill died in committee. A similar bill has not been introduced since.

Recently, some tribal leaders have called for the removal of the monument itself. Local indigenous journalists still print full copies of the Bradley bill for their readers, maintaining the hope that someday another senator will attempt to address this grievous wrong.

As the protests prompted by the murder of George Floyd force us to reckon with our history, Americans face two choices: we can acknowledge the sordid chapters in our history, which sit alongside our more noble values and actions, and attempt to right wrongs, or we can continue to ignore the real story of our past, further fracturing our country. Mount Rushmore is, as one author put it, a Rorschach test for this interpretation: Does it represent American liberty, democracy and justice, or, as Gutzon himself articulated, does it represent conquest, empire and expropriation?

Trump made it clear which interpretation he embraces, promising that Mount Rushmore would "never be desecrated, these heroes will never be defamed, 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."

But the history is far more complex, and as Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, put it, "Nothing stands as a greater reminder," that the United States "cannot keep a promise or treaty than the faces carved into our sacred land on what the United States calls Mount Rushmore." Members of the Sioux Nation like Frazier continue to fight for the return of their stolen land, as they have since 1877.

- - -

Kastengren is a PhD student at the University of Illinois, Ubrana Champaign studying federal Indian policy. He is an enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe.
It comes down to a binary choice. Either he is a monster or an ignoramus.

Either Donald Trump did nothing when informed that American intelligence believed Russia was paying a bounty to the Taliban for killing American military personnel in Afghanistan, or he had no clue, didnt even know it was going on.

A monster or an ignoramus? Well, if you believe Trump, hes the latter.

Which makes you wonder if he understands how excuses work. Your excuse is supposed to exonerate you, show you innocent of all charges. His have a tendency to show him thick as a brick, stretching credulity like taffy.

He tweeted a thank you to some guy caught on video yelling White Power? Oh, he didnt hear that part.

He needed two hands to drink a glass of water? Oh, he didnt want to mess up his tie.

He said he had the coronavirus pandemic under control? Oh, the death toll could have been much worse.

He suggested injecting household disinfectants as a cure? Oh, he was only joking.

He fired the prosecutor investigating his personal lawyer? Oh, he was not involved in that.

Who can be surprised, then, that Trump has responded to news of Russia putting a price on American heads by saying nobody told him?

Except that apparently, somebody did. The New York Times reports that two American officials say the information was included in late February in the Presidents Daily Brief, a document summarizing national security concerns and assessments that is prepared by the intelligence community each morning for the president to read. In all fairness, that last word is problematic with this particular president, whose impatience with the printed word is legendary.

And besides, hes a busy man. Indeed, according to one of the Times sources, the specific date the Russian intel was included was Feb. 27, a day Trump met with Diamond and Silk, two former Fox News personalities famed for being Black and loud while supporting him. Because, you know, priorities.

Presumably, the PDB he received that day would have told him how three Marines were killed by a bomb last April. Presumably, it would have informed him that this tragedy has emerged as the focal point of a probe suggesting Russia put a bulls-eye on Americans. Whereupon a normal president would surely have raised the alarm, confronted the enemy or, at a minimum, acknowledged the crime.

But again, Trump is a very busy man, what with coronavirus blame to dodge and Confederate statues to defend.

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.

Yet if this latest episode teaches us nothing new about Trump, one harbors a faint hope that it may be a Rubicon of sorts, a bridge finally too far, for some of his enablers, for the pundits, politicians and aides who serve as his unswerving amen corner, professing to divine perfume-scented rainbows in the steaming piles of horse manure he leaves behind. One hopes they finally understand the bottom line here: You can support your country or Trump, but not both.

That, too, is a binary choice.

Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald.
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.
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Kanye West Announces Hes A Candidate For President In 2020

Kanye West used Independence Day July 4th to make the surprise announcement that he is a candidate for president this year.

The seemingly serious announcement on Twitter set off a firestorm on social media.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future, he wrote. I am running for president of the United States.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION  ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

The reaction to the announcement was swift and not altogether positive.

Wests wife Kin Kardashian replied to his Tweet with and American flag and Elon Musk immediately declared his support.

You have my full support!  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020

Others suggested that West was running merely to siphon votes from Biden to give Trump  who he has praised repeatedly in the past  a victory.

No doubt that Donald Trump will help finance and organize any effort to get Kanye West on the ballot in as many states as possible in order to split the African American vote.



Another middle finger from Trump to the American people.



As bad as any act of voter suppression. pic.twitter.com/BBcTEvmBCG  Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) July 5, 2020

Whats Next For Candidate Kanye

It is not clear that West has filed any of the complex web of paperwork and voter signatures needed to get on the ballot in all 50 states.

Even the best-run third-party campaigns struggle in the US, but they have been known to swing elections.

In 1992, Ross Perot drew 19% of the vote as an independent presidential candidate. In 2000, Ralph Nader and the Green Party took less than 3% but was widely believed to have cost Al Gore the presidency.

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Retired North Adams Librarian Pens Book About Renovation

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The story of the modernization and expansion of the historic North Adams Public Library has been written by the library director who the led the project.

"Preserving a Legacy: Building for the Future" was recently self-published by Marcia Gross, who was head of the library for the first decade of the century.

"She was so heavily involved in the planning for the library and donated a substantial part of her professional life to the renovation and expansion," Richard Markham, former library trustee, said. "I think she wanted to tell that story."

Markham helped Gross with the book and is doing the marketing and press for her.

The Sanford Blackinton Mansion has been the home of the public library since 1898, when it was purchased by the city's first mayor, Albert Houghton, from Blackinton's widow and gifted it to the city in honor of his late brother. At the time it was referred to as the Houghton Memorial Library.

Markham said the building largely stayed as-is until Gross became the library director in the late 1990s.

"There were many efforts in the decades to follow to get the building up to snuff and meeting codes and there was money raised but it was only until Marcia came in," he said.

She was the city's 10th librarian, and the ninth operating out of the mansion. Which she arrived the Milne Public Library, the operations in the 1865 Second Empire structure had changed little for decades. The only computer was locked in a cabinet because no one knew how to use it; there were few VHS tapes and no DVDs. The card cabinet was the only way to find out what was in the stacks.

She oversaw the computerization of the library with digital access to C/W MARS and added on new media for patrons.

But her real achievement was guiding the $4.3 million addition and renovation project through her tenure as director. She helped organize fundraising efforts, had a hand in successful grant applications, and was instrumental in gaining community support.

"This would not have happened without Marcia Gross," Markham said. "She is the hero of this story."

She retired in 2009 after the renovation was completed.

Markham, who was trustee during that period, said the story is told from Gross' perspective and was largely written in 2018. He compiled her notes and put them in order.

"That was my role to take what she had done and not change the text at all but to get it all organized," he said. "I think she tells a marvelous story and I think she goes through what brought this project into fruition."

The book highlights the "Folks That Made the Project Happen" and the many activities that were a part of the building project.

It also includes photos of the project and the many meetings and fundraising events over the years.

A limited number of first editions may be purchased prior to the reopening of the library (it is currently closed because of the pandemic). The book can be purchased in softcover for $20 or hardcover for $30; all sales benefit the library.

Purchases can be made by calling 413-458-8427 or send payment to Marcia Gross, 651 Henderson Road, Williamstown, MA 01267. Arrangements can be made for pickup or delivery.
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Italian marines case: India govt to accept international arbitration tribunal order

July 05,2020 | Source: ET

The central government of India has conveyed to the Supreme Court its decision to accept the international arbitration tribunal award, which ruled that Italy, not India, would try the Italian marines involved in the Enrica Lexie case. New Delhi could seek compensation for the deaths of the fishermen who were killed in the incident off the Kerala coast.



The two Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvadore Girone, had opened fire on an Indian fishing boat killing two crew members.



The case had become a major bone of contention between the two countries with India insisting that it could try them as the incident occurred in its territorial waters. Italy contested this on the ground that the ship flew an Italian flag and hence the crew would be tried under the Italian law.



The top court had later allowed both marines to leave the country for Italy while the jurisdiction issue was sorted out. Italy took the issue to an international tribunal constituted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas in Hague, Netherlands, after the court stayed the proceedings in the case on Aug 26, 2015. The tribunal ruled on May 21, 2020, that Italy would try the marines but India could seek compensation for the deaths of the fishermen. In a fresh application filed in court on Thursday , through standing counsel, BV Balaram Das, the central government had decided to accept the tribunal award which is final and without any appeal. The application urged the court to accordingly close the proceedings pending before it since 2012.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Enrica Lexie verdict leaves Indian fishers enraged

July 05,2020 | Source: The Hindu

India losing jurisdiction over its maritime zones in the Enrica Lexie case has left the fishing community disappointed and enraged.



Calling the verdict an invasion into the rights and dignity of fishers, they say this will set a bad precedence since the shooting happened on the fringes of the territorial waters. If the incident had occurred in Italy will they let the killers go scot-free? This means our fishers will have to live in perpetual fear, which is unacceptable, says Peter Mathias, president, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association.



The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) and the Kerala Swatantra Matsyathozhilali Federation termed the verdict a major setback. We wanted the Italian marines to be punished as per the law. But from the very beginning, the governments at the Centre have been taking a stand favouring them. They never considered our arguments in the matter, leaving many loopholes in the case, they say.



The NFF alleges that the Centre had insulted the fishing community by sitting on the verdict for around 40 days before releasing it. However, the tribune endorsing that the Italian ship had violated national and international maritime laws will serve as a clear warning to foreign fright and passenger ships, says T. Peter, general secretary, NFF.



The State and Centre should bring an end to the recurring collisions in our maritime zone. The government should not allow shipping channels that cut through fishing areas, thereby affecting the livelihoods of fishers. Most ships pass near territorial waters and the repeating accidents show the inefficiency of the establishments in Kochi and Mumbai that regulate their route. The Coast Guard is also apathetic. The Centre should issue strict directions to the agencies concerned to rectify this, he says.

 2020, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
The symptoms of MIS-C resemble those of Kawasaki Disease and toxic shock. But those suffering from the new syndrome were generally older, and sicker, than those afflicted with Kawasaki Disease. And in each case, they had become ill two to four weeks after being infected or exposed to the new coronavirus.
Clash breaks out at fish market in Kerala, India, over COVID19, weather warnings

July 05,2020 | Source: The Hindu

A group of local fishermen on Sunday locked horns over the alleged violation of lockdown regulations at Chaliyam fish landing centre in Kozhikode in the south Indian state of Kerala. Tension prevailed in the area when a section of fishermen opposed the move of some of the other fishermen groups to venture into the sea ignoring the warning of the Fisheries Department.



The protesters who blocked the attempt claimed that those who tried to proceed to the sea were ignoring the alerts issued by the Meteorological Department regarding rough weather conditions. They also accused the rivals of violating social distancing rules and other curbs introduced along the coastal area for preventing COVID-19 infection.



The situation was brought under control with the intervention of policemen from various stations. Some of the fishers suffered minor injuries in the police action. They alleged that the police were trying to manhandle the protesters without understanding the issue.



A few days ago, there was a similar incident in which the local fishermen foiled the attempt of some of the boat owners to resume fishing with the support of migrant workers. Following the complaint, the police had put the migrant workers under quarantine. The area was volatile ever since.

 2020, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
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They plan to start leases either August 1 or September 1,' Lehman said. Its too tough to tell what the final number is, but this is going to be a big work-stream of ours as we enter the early summer, making sure as more of these decisions are made as we reopen the economy and are now in the recovery phase, that were marketing ourselves accordingly, not just to businesses, but to individuals. Were going to see a lot of movement on these smaller firms where one or two people will make the decisions, as opposed to some of these really big corporations. Those corporations will take longer to do their strategic plans.'
America's Fourth of July weekend was marked with subdued celebrations amid the coronavirus pandemic as public health officials warned that the holiday will be a crucial test of Americans self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging outbreak.

Many parades and fireworks displays were cancelled with the notable exception of President Trump's fireworks show at Mount Rushmore on Friday. A number of beaches are off-limits, and bars and restaurants shuttered.

Floridas confirmed coronavirus cases rose by a record 11,458 on Saturday, according to the states health department, the second time in three days that the caseload has increased by more than 10,000.

The new record came a day after seven other states also reported record caseload rises of Covid-19. Southern and western states are seeing the greatest surge while confirmed case rates are climbing in 40 states.

On Friday, new daily highs were registered in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska, Missouri, Idaho and Alabama. In Texas, there was a new peak for hospitalizations.

Public health and government officials urged caution this weekend, telling people to wear masks and practice social distancing. Many recommended that Americans mark Independence Day with small gatherings at home.

Were not going to be arresting people for having gatherings, but were certainly going to discourage it, Dr Jeff Duchin, public health director for Seattle and King County, told Associated Press.

The overall daily US tally of cases stood at 53,483 on Friday, a decrease from the previous days record 55,405.

There were troubling signs across the country. In Arizona, hospitalisations for suspected or confirmed Covid-19 patients went above 3,000 for the first time. Alabama has more than 1,700 new confirmed cases, its highest single-day count to date. In New York, which was hit with an onslaught of cases at the beginning of the outbreak, some 918 new cases have been recorded, the most in three weeks.

Although many major cities had cancelled fireworks displays and events, some were still taking place with measures for social distancing. In Upper Arlington, Ohio, the Fourth of July parade took a longer route to accommodate more neighbourhoods and to prevent large crowds in the street.

President Trump was in South Dakota on Friday for an appearance at Mount Rushmore where the state's GOP Governor Kristi Noem insisted social distancing wasnt necessary and masks were optional.

Mr Trump used the event for a divisive speech dwelling on the "culture war" in America and accused protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history".

He spent little time reflecting on the pandemic which has claimed tens of thousands of American lives. There have been 2.7million confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 128,000 deaths in the US, according to the World Health Organisation.

The president said: "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."

On Saturday, the president was to attend military flyovers on 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.

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, Mayor Bowser tweeted.

This week, the European Union lifted its travel ban on 14 countries but confirmed restrictions will continue for citizens of the US and other nations still struggling to contain their coronavirus outbreaks.

Additional wire reporting
Online fashion giant Boohoo is facing a modern slavery investigation after workers in Leicester making clothes linked to the company were found to have been paid as little as 3.50 an hour, according to an undercover report.

The clothing brand has been a rare financial success story during the coronavirus crisis but has recently been accused of putting employees at risk of Covid-19 by working with factories which continued to operate during the UKs lockdown.

An investigation by The Sunday Times found a factory in Leicester displaying the sign Jaswal Fashions was operating during the citys localised lockdown last week without social distancing measures in place.

The report said an undercover journalist who worked at the factory for two days was told to expect pay of just 3.50 an hour  well below the UK minimum wage of 8.72 for workers aged 25 and over.

Clothes made in the factory were reportedly under the Nasty Gal label, which is owned by Boohoo.

These motherf*****s know how to exploit people like us. They make profits like hell and pay us in peanuts, a foreman at the factory said, according to The Sunday Times.

The allegations came after Priti Patel, the home secretary, asked the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate claims of modern slavery in clothing factories in the city.

Ms Patel said the conditions described in Leicester factories were truly appalling and added that the government would not tolerate sick criminals forcing innocent people into slave labour and a life of exploitation.

The NCA, which has reportedly seen details of the newspapers investigation, said it had attended a number of business premises in the Leicester area in recent days to assess concerns of modern slavery and human trafficking.

On Sunday morning, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said there were significant concerns about employment practices in some factories in the city.

The Independent has approached Boohoo for comment on the investigation.

A statement from Nasty Gal, seen by The Sunday Times, said Jaswal Fashions was not a direct supplier but added it would investigate the claims.

Nasty Gal does not allow any of its suppliers to pay less than the minimum wage and has a zero-tolerance approach to incidences of modern slavery, the statement said.

We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of non-compliance with our strict code of conduct is found.

Earlier this week, the group Labour Behind the Label said it had received reports from workers of alleged furlough fraud, low wages, modern slavery and illegal opening of factories during lockdown.

The group also said it had received reports of employees being told to come to work even when they were showing symptoms of Covid-19.

It is heartbreaking to see grotesque inequality when some people profit so much while there are workers at the bottom of the chain whose lives are being put at risk, Meg Lewis, the groups campaign manager, said

In a statement, Boohoo said it would not tolerate any incidence of non-compliance especially in relation to the treatment of workers and said it had terminated relationships with suppliers which had been found to have broken rules.

Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive said it was actively investigating three textile businesses in Leicester.
The largest flu immunisation programme Britain has ever seen will have to be carried out this winter, the boss of NHS England has warned.

As the health service prepares for a possible second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors leaders have warned the health service will struggle if high numbers of Covid-19 cases coincide with a bad flu season.

Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show, Sir Simon Stevens said the NHS was preparing for the virus to rebound this winter, adding: I think were going to need the biggest ever flu immunisation season weve ever had.

At the moment older people, nursery school children and those suffering from conditions such as asthma are already given the jab for free on the NHS.

Other companies, such as high street chemist Boots, offer the vaccine for a charge.

Groups like the Royal College of Physicians as well as Labour leader Keir Starmer have already called for all over 50s to get an NHS flu jab this year.

Earlier this year Sage, the scientific group which advises the government on Covid-19, recommended everyone be immunised, but it is thought that was considered too difficult.
An American couple from Minnesota have been fined C$1,000 each (approximately $735) for disobeying Canadas quarantine rules, put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

According to Ontario Provincial Police, the two seniors entered Canada from the US by car at the Fort Frances crossing on 24 June and failed to self-isolate for the mandatory two weeks.

David and Anne Sippell live in Excelsior, Minnesota, just west of Minneapolis  about a five hour drive from the Canadian border. It is unknown what their plans were in Canada.

They were told by the Canada Border Services Agency to drive directly to their destination and quarantine for 14 days as stipulated by law.

The couple were seen flouting the rules several times in the town of Fort Frances, Global News reports.

Police have charged them under the federal Quarantine Act. Punishments for violating quarantine rules are harsh, dependent on the situation.

The Quarantine Act was originally to expire on 30 June, but was extended to 31 August. Authorities have been checking up on those in self-isolation to ensure compliance.

Canada has recorded more than 106,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and there have 8,684 officially recorded deaths.

At its peak Canada saw approximately 2,000 new cases per day. That figure has now dropped to approximately 230.
Police in Winnipeg have charged a 14-year-old boy with first degree murder and a number of other serious offences after a string of shootings that began on the Canada Day national holiday.

The unrelated shootings claimed the life of one woman and saw five others injured in a series of incidents that officials described as shocking.

I think it's going to be terrifying and concerning for a lot of Winnipeg, the fact that we would have so much violence and committed by such a young individual, Constable Jay Murray said at a press conference on Friday.

The police released a timeline of the crimes, which started at 2.30am on Wednesday morning, 1 July, when a 44-year-old man was found injured on Balmoral Street near Cumberland Avenue.

CBC reports that he had been hit by a vehicle, but that it was later determined that he had been shot beforehand. He was taken to hospital where he is in a critical condition but stable.

Police then responded to a double shooting on Flora Avenue, where 27-year-old Danielle Dawn Cote was walking with her 18-year-old cousin at 3.15am when they were both shot. Danielle died, but her cousin survived and is in a stable condition.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, officers found that a 40-year-old man had been shot and another man had been stabbed near the 'Winnipeg' sign at The Forks, a national historic site.

A fourth shooting was later reported and occurred between the first two when a woman and the man she was with were shot at on the 100 block of Isabel Street.

The teen suspect was arrested on Thursday afternoon in the North Kildonian neighbourhood. A gun was also recovered that the police believe was used in all the shootings. It is unclear how the suspect obtained the gun.

Aside from the two cousins, none of the victims knew each other, nor did they know the shooter.

Constable Murray acknowledged that a first degree murder charge usually requires premeditation, but did not say whether a specific motive was known.

In addition to the murder charge, the teen faces charges of attempted murder, attempted murder with a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of assault with a weapon, possessing a firearm contrary to a prohibition order, three counts of discharging a firearm with intent, and failing to comply with a sentence.

He has no police record, but is known to the criminal justice system.

It is possible that there are other incidents similar to the fourth reported shooting in which case more charges could follow.
Over the past week, Dr Aric Bakshy, an emergency physician at Houston Methodist, had to decide which coronavirus patients he should admit to the increasingly busy hospital and which he could safely send home.

To discuss questions like these, he has turned to doctors at hospitals where he trained in New York City that were overwhelmed by the coronavirus this spring. Now their situations are reversed.

Thumbing through a dog-eared notebook during a recent shift, Dr Bakshy counted about a dozen people he had treated for coronavirus symptoms. His colleagues in Houston had attended to many more. Meanwhile, friends at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens told him that their emergency department was seeing only one or two virus patients a day.

The surge is here, Dr Bakshy said.

As Houstons hospitals face the worst outbreak of the virus in Texas, now one of the nations hot zones, Dr Bakshy and others are experiencing some of the same challenges that their New York counterparts did just a few months ago and are trying to adapt some lessons from that crisis.

Like New York City in March, the Houston hospitals are experiencing a steep rise in caseloads that is filling their beds, stretching their staffing, creating a backlog in testing and limiting the availability of other medical services.

Attempts to buy more supplies  including certain protective gear, vital-sign monitors and testing components  are frustrated by weeks of delays, according to hospital leaders.

Methodist is swiftly expanding capacity and hiring more staff, including local nurses who had left their jobs to work in New York when the citys hospitals were pummelled.

A beds a bed until you have a staff, said Avery Taylor, the nurse manager of a coronavirus unit created just outside Houston in March.

But with the virus raging across the region, medical workers are falling ill. Dr Bakshy was one of the first at Methodist to have Covid-19, getting it in early March. As of this past week, the number of nurses being hired to help open new units would only replace those out sick.

Methodist, a top-ranked system of eight hospitals, had nearly 400 coronavirus inpatients last Sunday. Nearly a week later  even as physicians tried to be conservative in admitting patients and discharged others as soon as they safely could  the figure was 575.

The flagship hospital added 130 inpatient beds in recent days and rapidly filled them. Now, administrators estimate that the number of Covid-19 patients across the system could reach 800 or 900 in coming weeks, and are planning to accommodate up to 1,000.

Other Houston hospitals are seeing similar streams of patients. Inundated public hospitals are sending some patients to private institutions like Methodist while reportedly transferring others to Galveston, 50 miles away.

Whats been disheartening over the past week or two has been that it feels like were back at square one, Dr Mir M Alikhan, a pulmonary and critical care specialist, said to his medical team before rounds.

Its really a terrible kind of sinking feeling. But were not truly back at square one, right? Because we have the last three months of expertise that weve developed.

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Houstons hospitals have some advantages compared with New Yorks in the spring. Doctors know more now about how to manage the sickest patients and are more often able to avoid breathing tubes, ventilators and critical care.

But one treatment shown to shorten hospital stays, the antiviral drug remdesivir, is being allocated by the state, and hospitals here have repeatedly run out of it.

Methodists leaders, who were planning for a surge and had been dealing with a stream of coronavirus patients since March, pointed to the most important difference between Houston now and New York then: the patient mix.

The majority of new patients in Houston are younger and healthier and are not as severely ill as many were in New York City, where officials report that over 22,000 are likely to have died from the disease.

But so far, the death toll has not climbed much in Texas and other parts of the South and West seeing a surge.

We are having to pioneer the way of trying to understand a different curve with some very good characteristics versus the last curve, said Dr Marc Boom, Methodists president and chief executive.

But he cautioned: What Im watching really closely is whether we see a shift back in age  because if the young really get this way out there and then start infecting all of the older, then we may look more like the last wave.

Dr Sylvie de Souza, head of the emergency department at Brooklyn Hospital Centre, which on Friday reported no new coronavirus admissions and no current inpatient cases, said that she was receiving distressing text messages from doctors elsewhere in the country asking for advice.

Its disappointing, she said. It sort of brings me back to the end of March, and its like being there all over again.

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Many hospitals in New York during the earlier crisis essentially became all-Covid units and endured billions of dollars in losses.

But Methodist and some other private Houston institutions are trying to operate differently now after taking a financial beating from shutting down elective surgeries and procedures this spring.

With safety protocols and expansion plans in place, they are trying to maintain as many services as possible for as long as possible while contending with the flood of coronavirus cases.

No ones ever done that before, Dr Boom said. We were seeing all the harm from patients delaying care.

Doctors and nurses have combed through lists of surgical patients, choosing whom to delay. The easiest surgeries to maintain are those that do not require a hospital stay, like treatment for cataracts. Some surgeons who used to keep patients overnight after knee and hip replacements are now allowing them to leave the same day.

The most agonising decisions concern the hospitals robust transplant programme, in part because its recipients often require a stay in intensive care.

Dr A Osama Gaber, the programmes director, spoke with a dialysis patient whose kidney transplant had been postponed from March. She was in tears, he said. She almost wanted me to swear to her were not going to put her off again. For now the surgeons plan to continue cautiously.

A key strategy to maintain services is increasing what hospital officials call throughput: discharging patients as quickly as is safely possible. Yet it is not always clear who is ready to leave.

Alexander Nelson-Fryar, a 25-year-old treated for coronavirus pneumonia at Methodist, was discharged from the hospital this past week. Hours after he left, he said, he began labouring to breathe and an ambulance sped him back to Methodist.

By the end of the week, he was in intensive care receiving a high dose of pressurized oxygen.

As cases began rising in New York, some overwhelmed emergency departments sent home coronavirus patients only to see them return gravely ill or die.

We realised there was no way of predicting which direction a patient would go, said Dr De Souza, the emergency department director in Brooklyn. As a result, she said, she came to believe that any patient aside from those with the mildest symptoms should be admitted to the hospital or otherwise monitored.

But doctors in Houston are tightening criteria for admission. Dr Bakshy, the Methodist emergency room doctor, who trained at Bellevue and Mount Sinai in New York, said that he was conferring with his former colleagues.

We all have questions about who truly needs to be hospitalised versus not, he said. If we had unlimited resources, of course wed bring people in just to make sure theyre OK.

Now, he said, a patient has to have low oxygen levels or serious underlying conditions to really justify coming into the hospital, although exceptions can be made.

Another challenge in New York and Houston has been determining who is infected and needs to be isolated from others. Nearly 40 per cent of all emergency room patients at Methodist are now testing positive; some of them lack symptoms.

Because test results are sometimes delayed by more than a day, Dr Bakshy and his colleagues have had to make their best guesses as to whether someone should be admitted to a ward for coronavirus patients.

Hospitals in New York tended to move patients within their own systems to level loads. In Houston, the wealthier institutions have joined together to aid those least able to expand capacity.

This past week, Methodist sent a team to a nearby public hospital to accept transfer patients. Top officials from Methodist and the other flagship hospitals that make up the Texas Medical Centre, normally competitors, consult regularly by phone.

They have been coordinating for days with the countys already overwhelmed safety-net system, Harris Health, taking in its patients. The private institutions have also agreed to take turns, with others in the state, accepting patients from rural hospitals.

Recommended Texas governor orders face masks in public spaces

One morning this past week, Molly Tipps, a registered nurse, brought some medications to an older patient at the Methodist ward outside Houston. I have the dexamethasone for your lungs, she told the patient, Dee Morton.

Preliminary results of a large study, released last month but not yet peer-reviewed, showed that the drug, a common steroid, saved lives among those who were critically ill with Covid-19 or required oxygen.

Ms Morton, aged 79, said she was confident she would recover. Im going to make it to 80, she said.

A much lower proportion of patients have been dying from the virus locally and nationally than they were several months ago.

The ward where Ms Morton is being treated is inside a long-term acute-care facility and is known as the Highly Infectious Disease Unit.

Created to treat Ebola several years ago, it now serves as a safety valve for the Methodist system. It takes in coronavirus patients who are improving but for various reasons  from lacking housing to living in a nursing home that will not accommodate them  cannot go home.

In Ms Mortons case, she was too weak, and after transferring to the unit, some signs of infection, including a fever, rebounded.

At Methodists flagship hospital in central Houston, 72-year-old Rosa V Hernandez, a patient in the intensive care unit, has pneumonia so severe that if she had fallen sick several months ago, she would probably have been put on a ventilator and made unconscious.

But doctors, based on the experiences of physicians in New York and elsewhere, are avoiding ventilators when possible and are maintaining Ms Hernandez on a high flow of oxygen through a nasal tube. She is on the maximum setting, but can talk to the clinical team and exchange text messages with her daughter, who is also a Methodist inpatient with the coronavirus.

Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Show all 13 1 /13 Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Cheryll Mack, 46, a registered nurse in the emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The Covid-19 spread has affected a lot of livelihood, a lot of people's lives. It has created a crisis, death in general. So I would like to ask not one single person, but all people worldwide, to converge and join the platform that this is something that nobody can fight individually," said Mack. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Laura Bontempo, 50, an emergency medicine doctor wears her personal protective equipment she uses when she sees patients, while posing for a photograph after a nine-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moments have actually been separating families from patients, there is a no-visitor policy now and taking people away from their loved ones is very challenging," Bontempo said. "I'm used to treating sick patients. I treat sick patients all the time. It's very different knowing that the patient you are treating, is actually a risk to you as well. That's the main difference here. No one who works in hospitals is afraid of treating sick people. Just want to keep staff safe and the patients safe at the same time." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Ernest Capadngan, 29, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment during the shift was just seeing Covid patients die helpless and without their family members beside them," Capadngan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Martine Bell, 41, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a six-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The hardest thing in all of this, has been taking care of fellow healthcare providers. It really hits home and it's really scary when you see someone that could be you coming in and now you're taking care of them. It's also hitting home that once healthcare providers start getting sick, who is going to be taking care of the public," Bell said. "It's very stressful, everyone is on edge. We don't know who's coming in next, or how sick they're going to be, or if we are going to get a whole bunch of people or if we're not going to get no one. It's a really stressful and just a completely unusual time for all of us." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kaitlyn Martiniano, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital. "We have a lot of patients and they are pretty sick right now but we have not yet been hit as hard as New York or Seattle, so I feel like we are very lucky with that so far. Every day you have to just be optimistic." Said Martiniano. "I think the reason that we are not being hit as hard right now is because so many things are closed, and because so many people are staying at home." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tracey Wilson, 53, a nurse practitioner in an intensive care unit (ICU), poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I had a patient fall out of bed today and I had to call his wife and tell her and she couldn't come see him, even though she pleaded and begged to come see him," Wilson said. "There is a lot of unknowns and with that unknown is a lot of anxiety and stress that we're not used to dealing with." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Meghan Sheehan, 27, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I think the hardest moment has been the fear that lives within all of us. There is a lot of unknown right now. We fear what's going to happen tomorrow, how the emergency department will look next week when we come in. We have fears about our own colleagues, whether they will fall ill. We also fear that we could be asymptomatic carriers and bring this virus home to our families and our loved ones. There has been a lot of fear over our supplies and whether we'll run out. And then obviously there is the fear that we will see patients and not be able to do everything we normally can to help save patients' lives," Sheehan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kimberly Bowers, 44, a nurse practitioner in an ICU, poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was a young woman who died and her family wasn't able to be here with her," Bowers said. "I think right now, it's just frustrating and scary just not knowing what comes next." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tiffany Fare, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "One of the hardest moments was having to see a family member of a Covid patient, say goodbye over an iPad, rooms away. That was a tough one, I can't imagine how hard it would be to be saying goodbye, you can't see your loved one and then they're gone," Fare said. "My team has been really great to me. We've worked really well together and we've really come together in this crisis. We don't really know each other, we all come from different units within the same hospital, so for us to come together and work so well as a team, it's been a journey but I think that's what is giving me hope." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Kyle Fischer, 35, an emergency medicine doctor, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where he works. "Since it's a new virus, we don't have any experience with it. For most diseases I am used to seeing it and taking care of it and this, I don't have any starting place. I know what I'm hearing from New York, I've read all of the papers it seems like, but no one knows what the correct answers are, so there's a huge amount of uncertainty and people are really, really sick. So it's hard to second guess whether or not you are doing the right thing when you think you are but you never quite know," said Fischer. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Julia Trainor, 23, a registered nurse at a surgical ICU, poses for a photograph after a 14-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was having to put a breathing tube in my patient who could no longer breathe for herself and after the breathing tube went in, we called her family and the husband, of course, couldn't visit her because of visitor restrictions at the hospital. So I had to put him on the phone and hold the phone to her ear, as he told her that he loved her so much and then I had to wipe away her tears as she was crying," said Trainor. "I'm used to seeing very sick patients and I'm used to patients dying but nothing quite like this. In the flip of a switch, without the support, they're completely isolated. They're very sick. Some of them recover and some of them don't. But the hardest part, I would think, is them having to go through this feeling like they are alone." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Lisa Mehring, 45, a registered nurse who works in a biocontainment unit with Covid-19 patients, poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works in Maryland. "Seeing these new moms have babies has been the hardest moment along with having do their pumping for the new moms and them not being able to be with their newborn children, it's hard to think of the family that they are missing," Mehring said. Photos Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Jacqueline Hamil, 30, a registered nurse in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital. "The hardest moment of my shift today, I was in charge, and we had a really sick patient that was in a really, really small room and usually, when we have sick crashing patients, we can have a ton of resources and a ton of staff go in and help with the nurse and the doctors that are taking care of that patient. But due to the patient being ruled out for the coronavirus, we could only have five or six people in the room at a time and putting on all the gowns and gloves and masks and face shields to protect us in case the patient does have coronavirus, it takes a while, so the nurse that was in there, ended up being in the room for you know 6, 7 hours with minimal breaks and it was hard being in charge and knowing that she was stuck in the room and really nothing I could do to help her," Hamil said. Reuters

I took it seriously, Ms Hernandez said of the virus. But she joined a small party of eight people for her granddaughters birthday, a decision she now described with regret. Just a birthday cake. Whats a birthday cake without health?

She is getting remdesivir, an antiviral that was tested in clinical trials in New York and Houston, among other cities, and a new experimental drug.

Methodist was part of two remdesivir trials. But because the research has ended, it and other hospitals now depend on allotments of the drug from the state. As virus cases increased, the supplies ran short, said Katherine Perez, an infectious-disease specialist at the hospital.

In Houston, every hospital thats gotten the drug, everyones just kind of used it up, she said.

The hospital received 1,000 vials, its largest shipment ever, a little over a week ago. Within four days, all the patients who could be treated with it had been selected, and pharmacists were awaiting another shipment.

A new chance to test remdesivir in a clinical trial in combination with another drug may provide some relief. As cases rise, Methodist researchers are being flooded with offers to participate in studies, with about 10 to 12 new opportunities a week being vetted centrally.

Without solid research, your option is to do a bunch of unproven, potentially harmful, potentially futile, interventions to very sick people who are depending on you, said Dr H Dirk Sostman, president of Methodists academic medicine institute.

The New York Times
Kanye West has declared he will run for US president in 2020, a stranger-than-fiction move backed by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The rapper made his announcement on Twitter on 4 July, as millions of Americans were celebrating Independence Day.

We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States #2020VISION, he tweeted.

Musk replied to Wests tweet: You have my full support! Earlier this week, West posted a photo of both men posing in similar outfits at the Tesla founders home.

Kim Kardashian-West retweeted her husbands announcement with an emoji of the American flag.

West previously suggested he would run for the White House in 2015, during a speech at the 2015 Video Music Awards, when he said: Its about ideas, people who believe in truth. And yes, as you probably could have guessed, I have decided in 2020 to run for president.

However, he appeared to postpone his plans to campaign after meeting US president Donald Trump in 2016 at the Oval Office, when he tweeted #2024.

Recommended Kanye West and Elon Musk pose in matching orange outfits

West has been a vocal supporter of Trump, sporting a Make America Great Again hat during his meeting with the current president and declared: I love this guy right here.

In order to run for president, West would have to do so as an independent candidate and file official paperwork to appear on state election ballots. The deadline to file has already passed in Indiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and Texas.

Reactions to the announcement have ranged from bewildered to sceptical, with some endorsing the rapper for president and others questioning what his leadership would look like in light of his support of Trump.
Bali has held mass prayers as the Indonesian resort island prepares to reopen to tourists who have been shut out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than a thousand people attended a prayer at Besakih Hindu temple in the town of Karangasem, expressing gratitude for the handling of Covid-19 on the island and seeking blessings for the start of a "new normal".

Bali has reported around 1,850 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths so far, while Indonesia as a whole has recorded more than 63,700 cases and 3,171 deaths since early March.

The idyllic southeast Asian island will gradually reopen this month for domestic tourists, while maintaining a "strict health protocol" to prevent the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, according to Bali provincial secretary Dewa Made Indra.

The local government expects to reopen the island to foreign arrivals in September.

Tourism is Bali's main source of income and travel restrictions due to the pandemic have hammered the local economy.

The occupancy rate at Bali's starred hotels plunged to 2.07 per cent in May, according to Bali statistics bureau data, down from 62.55 per cent in December before the pandemic hit and 51.56 per cent in May 2019.

"What I hope is the best for Bali and ... [I hope] all the tourists will come to Bali and everybody will be happy and healthy again," Robin Tesselar, a Dutch citizen staying on the island, said after attending the Besakih prayers.

Hospitality executive Yoga Iswara said tourism-related businesses were preparing for the reopening by implementing the health protocols and aiming to improve them until Bali reopens for international tourists.

Artists perform Sidakarya mask dancing during mass prayers in Bali (Antara Foto/Reuters)

Reuters
A zookeeper in Switzerland has died after being fatally mauled by a Siberian tiger.

Colleagues rushed to the womans aid shortly before 1:20pm on Saturday after horrified visitors raised the alarm, luring the tiger away from her and attempting to resuscitate her, representatives for Zoo Zurich said in a statement.

Despite immediate resuscitation measures, the 55-year-old woman was unfortunately too late to help and died on the spot, the statement said.

Visitors and staff members are reportedly receiving counselling after witnessing the attack.

An investigation into exactly how the tragic incident happened and why the animal keeper was in the facility at the same time as the tiger is being carried out by the Zurich public prosecutors office, Zurich City Police, the Zurich Forensic Institute and the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In a further statement on Sunday, the zoo said there would be no consequences for the five-year-old tiger, named Irina, as she was in her usual environment.

The incident of yesterday Saturday is extremely tragic and Zurich Zoo is deeply affected, the statement said. Nevertheless, the zoo notes that the Amur tiger is a wild animal.

A person in their facility is an intruder into their territory. In her reaction, she only followed her natural instincts. The incident therefore has no consequences for the animal.

Irina was born in 2015 at a zoo in Odense, Denmark, and was transferred to Zurich a year ago, Zoo Zurich director Severin Dressen told Reuters.

After a long period of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the zoo was closed for reasons of piety on Sunday, but will reopen on Monday.

The area around the tiger enclosure, which is also home to a four-year-old male called Sayan, will remain closed to the public, the zoo said.
As tentative signs start to emerge of a revival for the travel industry, our minds are turning to potential holiday destinations for this summer.

With sun, sea and shish kebab, Turkey has long been a popular travel destination for Britons in need of some vitamin D.

But can British holidaymakers get there? And will we even be welcome?

Heres everything you need to know.

Am I allowed to travel to Turkey from the UK?

Recommended Everything you need to know about visiting Greece this summer

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued a blanket warning against all non-essential international travel in March, but this has now been lifted for more than 80 destinations.

Turkey was on this list, meaning Britons can now visit there without invalidating their travel insurance.

How could I get there?

Turkish Airlines is probably your best bet initially, offering (unsurprisingly) the greatest range of destinations in Turkey. Regular flights from the UK are already in operation, with four direct flights a day between here and Istanbul, and daily nonstop services to Dalaman and Antalya.

British Airways started flying from London Heathrow to Istanbul from 16 July and to Dalaman from 17 July, with the first flights out priced at a whopping 628 and 590 respectively. The airline restarts flights to Bodrum on 1 August.

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EasyJet is also restarting its routes from the UK to four Turkish destinations (Dalaman, Bodrum, Antalya and Izmir) in August.

Ryanair is currently operating no flights between the UK and Turkey; there are services available between Dublin and Bodrum and Dalaman.

Will they let me in when I arrive?

Yes. Turkey reopened its international borders on 12 June, including to British nationals. You will have to complete a Passenger Locator Form prior to arrival.

Will I have to quarantine when I arrive?

Possibly. All arrivals into Turkey are subject to a medical evaluation, which includes temperature checks. Passengers showing symptoms are required to undergo a swab test for coronavirus.

If your test is positive, youll be provided with medical treatment at a state-run facility or, if preferred, a private medical facility (the latter at your own expense).

Can I travel within Turkey?

Turkey has now lifted most restrictions on internal travel, according to the Foreign Office.

A reduced schedule of domestic flights has been operating since 4 June.

Train services (Ankara-Konya, Ankara-Istanbul, Ankara-Eskisehir and Konya-Istanbul) are operating on a reduced timetable, as are inter-city coach services. Check with travel providers before booking.

Regular bus services have resumed in most areas.

Are hotels open?

Yes. Hotels have been allowed to reopen in Turkey since 1 June, albeit with extra measures in place. These include temperature checks on arrival, mandatory PPE for staff and disposable plastic coverings for in-room items such as TV remotes.

Are restaurants, shops and attractions open?

Restaurants, bars, cafes and beaches all re-opened on 1 June, alongside museums and ancient sites. However, strict rules on mask-wearing are in place (see below).

What rules are in place?

The wearing of masks is obligatory throughout Turkey in crowded places and specifically in markets and supermarkets, hairdressers and barber shops. Masks are also compulsory on all public transport, including the Metro, buses, taxis and ferries.

When visiting the following provinces you have to wear a mask at all times when outside the home:

 Plan to scrap quarantine for some holidays abroad

Adyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Amasya, Ankara, Ardahan, Aydn, Balkesir, Bartn, Batman, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Denizli, Diyarbakr, Duzce, Elazg, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Igdr, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir ,Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Kayseri, Krklareli, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Mardin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Siirt, Sinop, Sivas, Sanlurfa, Srnak, Tokat, Tunceli, Usak, Yalova, Yozgat and Zonguldak.

Anyone caught breaking the rules can be fined 900 TL (106).

There remains an ongoing curfew for those who have a chronic medical condition.

Under 18s can be out at any time but must be accompanied by their parents.

Will I have to quarantine when I come home?

Not anymore.

Although the government implemented a blanket two-week quarantine for all inbound arrivals on 8 June, from 10 July this was lifted for certain countries.

Places regarded as low-risk by the Joint Biosecurity Centre  which was set up to coordinate the governments response to the pandemic  are now exempt from mandatory self-isolation.

Turkey is one of the destinations that is exempt for travellers entering the UK.
President Donald Trumps attitude could not have been more different. As recently as late February, with the coronavirus whirling around the globe, he argued against the need for elaborate public health systems to be kept on standby, ready to roll whenever disaster struck. Rather than spending the money  and I am a businessperson; I dont like having thousands of people around when you dont need them, he said, when we need them, we can get them back very quickly. That proved not to be the case. Stephen Bannon, Trumps onetime chief strategist, has told the Times that the administration never took seriously the possibility of a calamity like this coronavirus.
CRH, an Irish building materials group, has been found to have the largest pay differential between chief executive and a median earner among FTSE-100 companies which used UK government Covid-19 support.

The finding was included in research by the UK's High Pay Centre, an independent non-party think-tank established to monitor pay at the top of the income distribution. It found that Albert Manifold, chief executive of CRH, was paid 207 times as much as the median remuneration at CRH. In 2019, he was paid 9.3m, while CRH's median pay was 44,900.

The report analysed the pay ratio disclosures made by 107 UK companies. It found the average CEO of a UK company was paid 55 times more than the company's median earner.
DAA has held more than 20 meetings with unions in the past fortnight but has failed to agree work-practice changes it is seeking.

The State-owned airport authority is seeking agreement on five key work-practice principles at Dublin and Cork airports as it looks to rebuild traffic to above 20 million. The changes mainly focus on rostering, flexibility around which terminal staff can be asked to work in and a commitment from staff to clean work spaces.

It is also seeking "expressions of interest" from staff regarding voluntary severance, career breaks or reduced working hours following the collapse in traffic at Irish airports. More than 90pc of staff - about 3,000 - had responded to say if they were interested in a scheme that could see hundreds leave the company, chief executive Dalton Philips told staff in a video update.

DAA would try to accommodate as many staff as possible, but it was "complex" because there were "certain areas where there are very high expressions of interest", he said. Philips said agreement on new work practices was essential.

"The truth is, there is going to have to be a big level of trust on both sides here because we can't detail everything in those five principles. For example, we are looking for changes in rosters, but I can't tell you what the rosters are going to be next month, let alone next year. I just don't know none of us know, because we don't know what the traffic patterns are going to be like. We don't know which airlines are going to be coming in, we don't know which routes they are going to be pushing, we don't know if it's going to be morning or afternoon."

But Philips said that the company had over the last three years put staff welfare at the centre of what it does. "We're not getting everything right. There is a long way to go. I've been saying that for a long time. But I want to put you first," he said.

"So in terms of implementing those ways of working, we have got to try and agree the broad principles and push on on them. We won't be able to get to the Nth degree."

Philips said that if the company needed to detail its "new ways of working" to "the Nth degree we'll be here for months. And if we are here for months we just won't get a deal done and we won't be able to get people back up to 100pc" [of their pre-Covid wages, from 80pc currently].

"There's going to have to be a level of trust," he said. "If that level of uncertainty is too great for you, well we have those options career break, reduced hours working or, indeed, that voluntary severance scheme. So if you are uncomfortable with that level of trust, look at those three options. If you are happy to trust us, let's try and agree these ways of working, let's get it done, let's welcome the passengers back."

Dublin's passenger numbers had gone from as low as 500 a day during the lockdown to about 14,000 a day but are still far below the more than 100,000 per day that would usually use the airport at this time of year. Fourteen airlines are now serving Dublin again, up from just seven during the lockdown. Three airlines are serving Cork with about 300 passengers a day.
Domini Kemp will be running a new restaurant in Brown Thomas

An Bord Pleanala has granted planning permission, subject to certain conditions, to Atlas GP, a subsidiary of property developer Pat Crean's Marlet Group, for 234 apartments to be built in Cabinteely.

The development is to be built on the site of the former Doyle's nursery on Brennanstown Road.

It is set to be a mix of apartments and duplexes in three blocks ranging in height from one to eight storeys. Associated residential facilities include open space, a gym, a creche and a lower foyer.

Storage buildings on the former nursery site are to be demolished, along with a house called 'Benoni'. The current Doyle's nursery business operates from an adjacent site and will be unaffected.

In May 2018, An Bord Pleanala had granted permission to Marlet to build 26 houses and 89 apartments on the former nursery site.

Towards the end of June, An Bord Pleanala granted the developer permission. It imposed 33 conditions regarding the proposed development.

Conditions include that no development takes place above the roof level, that traffic measures should be agreed with the planning authority before construction and that 184 car and 488 bicycle parking spaces should be made available.

Last year, it was reported that some Cabinteely residents were unhappy with the proposed development.

Speaking last November, Cormac Devlin, Fianna Fail TD for Dun Laoghaire and a councillor at the time, said he was aware of concerns from locals about the height of the development.





Kemp heads over to Brown Thomas for new restaurant

Ergo has spotted a new arrival at Brown Thomas on Grafton Street - Hugh Brown's.

It is the upmarket department store's new restaurant on the third floor and it will be operated by well-known restaurateur and foodie Domini Kemp.

The Hugh Brown name harps back to 1849, when Brown Thomas was set up by haberdashers and drapers Hugh Brown and James Thomas. However, the new restaurant will have a very modern take on all-day dining, with plenty of plant-based options to appeal to the store's well-heeled - and socially distanced - shoppers.

Kemp first became known in the Irish food scene when she and her sister Peaches opened Itsabagel on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin. The Itsa group is now in 12 locations, and counts Alchemy Juice Co, Itsa, Joe's and Hatch & Sons among its brands.
Small businesses are finding it close to impossible to access the State's Covid-19 loan scheme, according to sources within the business community.

The Sunday Independent spoke with several Irish businesses and advisers, who shared concerns over the State's Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) scheme. Issues included long processing times for applications, the process being complicated, banks changing repayment terms, companies being rejected, and some being told the scheme was fully allocated.

One source said he had heard of companies experiencing long waiting times and then being told by banks that the SBCI fund was fully allocated. He shared an email in which a company sought a Covid-19 loan from AIB, understood to be the SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Loan Scheme. In response, AIB told the company its SBCI fund was fully allocated, but it is still accepting some applications in case more funding is made available.

AIB confirmed to the Sunday Independent that the Working Capital Loan Scheme was not fully allocated at the time. An AIB spokesman offered to resolve issues the customer had faced. "AIB's main priority through the Covid-19 crisis has been to support our customers and Ireland's economic recovery. Our SBCI Covid-19 Working Capital Loan Scheme has remained open for our customers to apply for their working capital needs since March.

"For a period AIB's Future Growth Loan Scheme was fully subscribed as customer applications exceeded our allocation. Following some customer applications not proceeding, it has since opened for applications again." The bank added it could not comment on individual customer cases.

Another source said she was aware of this issue and had heard of similar problems affecting companies seeking a Covid-19 loan. She claimed companies were having repayment terms changed by banks, creating uncertainty, but said she had heard fairly positive feedback about SBCI.

A separate industry source spoke of how, out of 25 businesses he knew of that were interested in the scheme, none had been approved for a loan. The source pointed to Government figures showing that out of 3,241 applications, of which 2,921 were deemed eligible, only 584 had loans sanctioned. The value of these loan approvals was just over 69m, well below the 250m fund size.

A source in the banking sector said the innovation requirement in the loan scheme might be making it difficult for companies to access the loan. He claimed the SBCI had told banks it might remove the requirement in future.

A spokesman for Bank of Ireland said it was working with the SBCI and Government to facilitate the new Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, which it said needed to be prioritised as a "matter of national urgency". It added the scheme had to be constructed in a simple way for customers, as it had been in other markets.

Ulster Bank said supporting its business customers was its priority. It added that Ulster Bank was "talking to our business customers every day".

SBCI said, based on feedback, any time lag between approval and drawdown is largely driven by SMEs deciding on the precise nature of their financing requirements as they finalise their reopening plans.

It said it would be introducing features to make it easier for SMEs to apply, including simplifying the qualifying criteria, including innovation, and dropping the existing requirement for business plans.

The Department for Business Enterprise and Innovation said a 500m expansion to the Future Growth Loan Scheme was being developed. It had noted a high volume of interest, which might have delayed the processing of applications. It said banks had committed to continue to work with customers to ensure recovery can take place as "quickly as possible".

It added there had been no changes to the terms of loans offered under the scheme since its launch.
Jack Dorsey is CEO of both Square and Twitter

Square, the payments firm headed up by Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, plans to expand its product offering into Ireland after securing an electronic money licence from the Central Bank.

The US company develops payment card readers and software for businesses as well as the Cash app for users to send and receive money.

Square's Dublin office is its headquarters for Europe - serving functions in customer success, finance and compliance - but it had not yet made its services for businesses available in Ireland.
Despite worries that venture capital funding would slip into a Covid-induced coma, substantial Irish tech deals have continued with little fall-off.

In all, at least 250m in venture funding for indigenous tech firms has been announced in the first half of the year.

This doesn't even count some of the megadeals involving Irish founders such as Eric Mosley, whose Workhuman HR software firm tipped into unicorn status with a 108m investment from a London-based firm last week.

The nature of the business is becoming more international. Irish VC firms are hooking up with US or European counterparts to co-fund deals here. Simultaneously, home-grown tech companies are going straight to US or UK funds themselves.

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And the amounts that 'ordinary' tech firms are raising is rising quickly too, with more and more VCs prepared to hand over cheques of over 10m, a step change from a few years ago.

For younger tech founders in particular, there are multiple factors to consider when starting out on the VC funding process.

Few know this better than one of Ireland's most successful young startup founders, Shane Curran. The 21-year-old recently scored something of a coup, landing a 14.7m funding round for his Dublin-based privacy tech firm Evervault from the cream of Silicon Valley's venture firms: Index Ventures, Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins (with Dublin-based Frontline also involved).

"When I was raising for Evervault, I spent a lot of time with European investors and US investors, before focusing exclusively on US investors. I talked to a lot of people. The biggest difference I noticed between European and US investors was the time horizons. European investors tend to focus on returns that might be within a five-year cycle. But with a US investor like Sequoia or Kleiner Perkins, if you told them that it might take 20 years, they're okay with that. If you said something like that to an Irish fund, they'd think you were mad."

This time element, Curran says, feeds into the underlying ambition for the startup itself. Because European and Irish investors still favour a relatively quick cashout date, it's harder to focus on being something truly global.

"At scale, if you want to build a $10bn or $100bn company, five to seven years just isn't long enough," he says. "A trade sale can be a great result, but you may not have any choice. Your hand might be forced."

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There were other things he learned along the way, too.

"You also want conviction investors. If an investor is continuing to talk about your traction and your metrics at a seed or pre-seed stage, you probably want to run a million miles from them. It's often just an excuse not to invest. I wasted a year of my life on that. I don't want other people my age, or anyone else raising money in general, to fall into that trap."

And on who to listen to, Curran says that those who are part of something far outweigh self-appointed hurlers from the ditch.

"I met loads of people that were giving me advice," he says. "What I later realised was they were all the wrong people. And so I got the wrong advice. I tried to take shortcuts but it wasn't really until I was exposed to a better way of doing it through trips to San Francisco that I understood all that.

"The simplest advice I have is to only take advice from people who are working for a company that's operating on the scale that you want to get to. You shouldn't take advice from people who haven't gotten to the point that you want to get to."

Some of this is echoed by other recently endowed Irish tech founders who spoke to the Sunday Independent about the process.

"Looking back, any investor who was on the fence or who we had to work to convince, ultimately didn't follow through and sign a cheque," says Patricia Scanlon, founder and CEO of Dublin-based SoapBox Labs, which landed a 5.8m round earlier this year on the strength of being one of the top kids' language technology firms around. "With full hindsight, I am delighted they didn't. The investor-founder relation is hard. Mutual respect is everything. It takes work from both sides to make it a good, long-term, productive relationship. Not being aligned on vision on day one does not bode well for the future."

The Cork-based duo of John Goulding and Joe Lennon, co-founders of work communication software startup Workvivo, are another example of looking outside Ireland for funding. A few weeks ago, they announced a 14.7m round led by New York-based Tiger Global.

"The most important thing for us was the cultural fit and chemistry," says CEO John Goulding. "This meant asking whether we would enjoy working with this investor and whether we would share the same vision of where we can take the company, and how we were going to do it.

"Second was what value they could add without feeling the need to try and run the business. The third was the experience, track record and credibility of the investor."

Some of Ireland's most active Irish venture capitalists tentatively agree with these guidelines for young founders thinking of setting out on a finding route.

Frontline Ventures' founding partner Will Prendergast thinks that founders should also pay attention to the category of investor, as well as the different options within each financial tier.

"The most common mistake founders make is talking to the wrong category of investors," he says."Whether it's angel, government agency, accelerator, bank, venture fund or whatever, each category of investor has a different type of success outcome that they are looking for. A government agency is likely to care more about job creation and exports. A venture capital fund is looking for high revenue growth and is willing to risk a lot in return for the possibility of that growth.

"So you need to target investors who are aligned with your view of what success looks like for the business."

Others in some of Ireland's most active venture funding firms say that there's little excuse not to know a bit before you pick up the phone or send a mail. "In the Irish ecosystem it is extremely easy to do some research about potential investors you are talking to," says Isabelle O'Keeffe, a principal in Sure Valley Ventures.

"You can look at the companies they have invested in to date and get introduced to the CEOs. You can also get to understand their views, speak to other investors who have co-invested in deals with them before and so on. Other stakeholders in the system such as Enterprise Ireland or the accelerator programmes will have worked with the investors before and can probably give you a steer."

Tech founders starting out at a very early stage say that although the coronavirus pandemic made it trickier to meet potential investors, it wasn't an insurmountable barrier.

"We had kicked off our investor meetings pre-Covid-19," says Brian Kearney of Rove, a travel tech company that announced a 450,000 round last week. "While things slowed down to phone calls and Zoom calls, we were lucky that we had a few very supportive investors that had bought into the company during those early investor presentations. But it is a difficult funding environment. Investors are slower with new investments and, understandably, are looking to support their existing portfolio."

Evervault's Shane Curran says that picking the right investor is an irreplaceable asset. "If you pick your investors correctly, it means you now effectively have a new team on your side," he says.

"It should help with the blind spots you might be having in terms of getting introductions to potential customers or new players or even just getting insight into the proper direction."
Irish software firm iQuate has raised $15m (13.4m) to fund a merger with Silicon Valley cloud management expert Hypergrid.

The tech companies have combined to form CloudSphere, which will focus on helping businesses to operate in the cloud environment.

The CloudSphere funding round was led by Atlantic Bridge Capital and included private investors that previously backed iQuate, which counts Fortune 500 companies such as DHL, American Express, Sky and Volvo among its clients.

Last September, iQuate closed a previous $10m funding round that had valued the company at $40m and chief executive Patrick McNally, who has now become CEO of the merged group, said the transformational deal was "a merger of equals".

"Cloud adoption in the enterprise is well under way and promises to be one of the most significant technology shifts in this decade," he said.

CloudSphere has offices in Dublin and Los Altos, California, with more than 100 employees, close to half of whom are based in the Irish office.

The company is to provide a cloud management platform that enables enterprises to manage their cost of security in the cloud, their identity access, their workloads and applications.

"When we hear talk of the cloud and digital transformation, what that actually means is that companies are looking to ensure that their business is always on," said McNally.

"Particularly with Covid, companies recognise that running their own data centres is no longer a viable long-term solution. So what we're seeing is an increasing rush to the cloud, which is the area where iQuate had focused its business.

"And the logical next step is managing and governing those businesses and services in the cloud. And that's the area where Hypergrid has focused."

CloudSphere's unique offering is that it is now able to both accelerate the move to the cloud for a business and to provide governance at the application level in the cloud, he said.

"That is something that doesn't exist today and which the public cloud providers, such as Google, Microsoft or Amazon, do not provide. While those companies will provide you with a safe place in which to run your business in the cloud, it is up to you how you manage that and that is where CloudSphere comes in."

Atlantic Bridge managing partner and executive board chairman at CloudSphere, Kevin Dillon said that public cloud adoption "had created a number of compelling opportunities for disruptive innovation".

"We see a growing need for cloud governance as organisations mature in their use of the cloud," he said.

"We are thrilled to partner with CloudSphere to help accelerate their ability to bring application-centric cloud governance innovation to the market."
Greenlight Medicines, an Irish medicinal cannabis research company, is set to complete an 8m funding round as it prepares for entry into the US market.

The company, which received a 1.8m investment from Canadian-listed SOL Group last year, is about to launch in California, where it is set to form a joint venture with People Science, a US clinical trials organisation, supplying medicinal cannabis in the market.

The joint venture is set to work with Eaze, a US-based medicinal cannabis delivery company, where Greenlight will supply 300 prescribing consultants who will prescribe its formulations. Eaze will manage the logistics of the joint venture.

Through the venture, Greenlight will gather data from the patients of the consultants for clinical trials as well as generating revenue from the sales.

The 8m funding will help Greenlight fund its California project and some of its clinical trials and projects in Ireland and the UK. It will also be used to support its new project in Ghana, where it is cultivating THC cannabis.

Greenlight's Ghana project came about through some of its investors, with the country changing legislation on medicinal cannabis recently. The company plans on growing medicinal cannabis there, as well as other tropical plant medicines, and will create around 12 jobs in the market.

James Linden, chairman of Greenlight Medicines, said it had also designed a clinical trial for a treatment for Covid-19 symptoms. The UK-based trial will look at a novel fungal extract to see if it can reduce the severity of Covid-19 symptoms.
The question of opening up the country for inward visitors and outgoing holidaymakers has become the key battleground in the fight between public health and the economy.

Nowhere in the economy has the impact of the pandemic been felt more than in the tourism sector. This was reflected in a detailed submission made by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) chaired by Maurice Pratt.

The industry has racked up 1bn in lost revenue since the crisis began and there is still a long way to go. The ITIC has come up with an imaginative, realistic and detailed document on how to bring about a recovery in the sector over the next three to five years.

The situation is so bad that it isn't even talking about beginning to recover until the second quarter of 2021, that is almost a year away.

It is full of interesting policy ideas, such as providing vouchers for holidaying at home, tax rebates for companies organising conferences, and introducing a new public holiday for late September to lengthen the tourist season.

It would also like to see a Vat reduction, a doubling of the overseas marketing budget, and a 10m increase in Failte Ireland's domestic marketing budgets for 2020.

Many of the real measures it seeks are predicated on getting rid of the two-week quarantine for those visiting or returning to Ireland. This is at the heart of the Government dilemma as it involves increasing health risks for economic return in a sector it appears to value little.

The decision to put tourism, our biggest indigenous employer, into a Government department with sport and the Gaeltacht, spoke volumes. Then to facilitate Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary getting some departmental responsibility as chief whip, sport and the Gaeltacht were taken out of that department.

Perhaps that may prove to be better for the attention tourism might receive, but it shows what little thought is given to where it should belong in the Government roadmap.

The ITIC measures need people to start coming back to Ireland in large numbers. Its plan outlined different scenarios which would envisage some boost at home from staycationers, but which didn't rule out 30,000 fewer jobs in the sector in five years from now.

If the quarantine is lifted it will open the way for visitors from listed countries to come and holiday in Ireland. Overseas revenue from tourism last year was worth 5.1bn to the economy.

But lifting the quarantine will also free up Irish holidaymakers to head abroad, with their cash, to the sun. The more we might gain coming into the country, the more we might lose in Irish cash spent outside the country.

The ITIC wants the quarantine lifted in line with the recommendations of the aviation task-force. The industry needs to get people back into the country. The more barriers are taken down, the greater the chances of getting the industry back on track.

However, this means greater coronavirus risks from Irish people returning from abroad where they have contributed very little to the domestic economy by spending their money somewhere else.

It is the ultimate mess for an industry that reached record levels of visitors last year. The new Government looks set to deal with its first political hot potato when it outlines a badly-needed travel advice plan following a Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

Keeping the tightest restrictions possible will surely mark the end of thousands of tourism sector jobs. Opening up too quickly may see Ireland follow other countries where there has been a spike in new cases.

If there is a middle ground here, it is surely that people are encouraged to holiday and spend at home, while the highest level of checks possible on incoming visitors or those returning to Ireland, is maintained.

If there is no middle ground on this issue we are heading for a jobs catastrophe that will cost the economy dearly or a resurgence of new cases that will cost society dearly.

Aryzta dissidents want to see a smaller and simpler business

Dissident shareholders at Swiss-Irish baked goods group Aryzta didn't so much park their tanks on the lawn last week, as nudge their artillery further forward. The tanks were parked several weeks ago when the group, led by Veraison, forced an EGM at which they want several board replacements.

The dissidents increased their shareholding in the group to more than 20pc. Together with another known disgruntled shareholder they can rely on at least 24pc of the votes at the EGM next month.

Given that typically just 50pc of votes are actually cast at these events, the Swiss activists may feel they are within touching distance of replacing several board members with people they believe have more experience in the industry, including two former Aryzta executives.

But even if they are successful, the big question is what would the new board do differently. Gregor Greber, founder of Veraison, told the Sunday Independent they would simplify the business.

This would involve further disposals of assets, possibly up to 600m worth to reduce debt and return to profitable growth.

Greber did say that he represented long-term investors who would not just seek to opt for fire sales. He suggested that the US division of the group was fixable and implied that it would not automatically be sold. Hard to see where the 600m would come from without selling the US division.

He said he believed the company chaired by Gary McGann had failed to listen to its shareholders. McGann and his team can point to the extreme duress of its debt levels and problems especially in the US. Covid-19 certainly hasn't helped either.

When asked what he would have done differently in recent years, especially given the balance sheet challenges facing the management and board, Greber said it would be unfair to blame people and unfair to go back into history.

He said McGann had done a lot of great things but the board could have handled the 2018 fund raising differently and done more to maintain shareholder trust.

Greber said he believes the proposed new board replacements are more familiar with the industry, the big customers and clients, and retaining key relationships.

Aryzta has already hired Rothschild & Co to conduct a strategic review of the business. It isn't clear yet what its recommendations will be, which may include a plan very similar to that advocated by dissidents including Veraison and Aryzta's biggest shareholder, Cobas.

If they are not successful in their attempts to oust board members next month, Greber says they will remain committed to their investment and they intend sticking around for the long haul.

Music to Gary McGann's ears I am sure.
Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen has said he was fortunate that no one was maimed or killed by his decision to drink and drive.

Mr Cowen also admitted he had been driving unaccompanied for a number of years despite being on a learner permit.

The newly appointed minister was speaking after the Irish Independent revealed he was banned from driving for three months after he was stopped by gardai for drink driving in 2016.

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Speaking on RTEs The Week in Politics, Mr Cowen said he was humiliated by his own actions and said he was no example to his own children. It was a serious lapse of judgment and I wasn't raised that way, he said.

The Offaly TD, who is former Taoiseach Brian Cowens brother, said if any good was to arise from his drink driving ban it would be that others would think twice about getting behind the wheel of their car while over the limit.

I was fortunate in that there was nobody hurt, injured or maimed or killed, thankfully, but that's not to say that will be the case in any other instance of a similar nature, he added.

He said of course he drove his car unaccompanied while on a learner permit but says he has since acquired a full licence. Mr Cowen said he should have told Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin about the incident but naively decided against informing the Taoiseach.

RISE TD Paul Murphy said it was bizarre that a TD could reach 49 years old without acquiring a driver licence.

Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore said Mr Cowen should address the Dail on his driving ban and the new minister said he would do so.
Its a hard thing to measure and it still is because its one thing to have a device but now is the device working? Does the device have the ability to download the programs it needs? Does the parent even know how to do these things? Meyer said. At least in Bridgeport we had parents who were struggling so much with the device that they wanted to print paper packets.
GardaI are seeking the public's assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 23-month-old Jasmine Arshad who was reported missing on Friday.

Gardai in Co Roscommon believe that Jasmine is in the company of her father, Arshad Shiraz (38).

Both Jasmine and Arshad went missing from their home in Ballaghaderreen at 5.30pm on Friday.

The investigating gardai said they are satisfied that Jasmine and Arshad travelled from Ballaghaderreen to Dublin on public transport at around 1.35pm on Friday.

They disembarked in Dublin city centre at around 4.30pm.

Gardai are appealing to anyone with any information on Jasmine's whereabouts - or any information that would help them with their investigation - to contact them immediately at Castlerea Garda station on 094 962 1630, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or at any Garda station.

Gardai are also appealing to Jasmine's father, Arshad Shiraz, to make contact urgently with them at any garda station or by contacting them by telephone.
The sudden appearance of giant forks and spoons on the streets of Limerick has baffled locals. Among the questions have been, ''where did they come from?'', "who thought they were a good idea?'' and ''how much has it all cost?''

Citizens woke up last Friday morning to find colossal cutlery tied to poles along Thomas Street and Bedford Row in the city centre.

When it emerged that the displays were an effort by the local council to encourage people to return to the city's restaurants and cafes after the long Covid lockdown, some denounced them as "tacky" and a waste of public funding.

Nearby, on the banks of the Shannon, a table and two chairs several metres tall - perhaps suitable for a couple of social distancing giants - has drawn more funny looks.

The big forks and spoons lining the streets prompted critics into taking to social media. Some wanted to know if it was the idea of the newly appointed Limerick city centre revitalisation manager Celia Larkin, the former partner of Bertie Ahern. Contacted by the Sunday Independent, she immediately referred all questions to the council's communications staff.

The communications department then stated that the giant cutlery would all be removed after just three days.

The barrage of online criticism included expressions of disappointment that the city could not come up with a more innovative way of attracting people into the city centre.

Independent councillor Elisa O'Donovan was among numerous sceptics who took to Twitter to criticise the council's ideas, which include free parking on Saturdays.

"I certainly did not approve the free parking on Saturdays and giant forks. This is actually the exact opposite of everything that has been discussed in the last few weeks," she declared.

Another local said the giant cutlery "just proves Limerick Council haven't the slightest iota about what Limerick needs/wants. It's a cheap, crass gimmicky stunt with all the subtlety of a Tasmanian Devil."

A local pub's Twitter account quipped: "Visit Limerick, spooning and forking guaranteed."

Some wondered why the more usual pairing of a fork and knife was not used. It is believed giant knives could have been seen as a PR own goal, given successful efforts to distance Limerick from an unwelcome and unfair tag once attached to the city after assaults involving knives.

Local resident Nigel Dugdale, a well-known advocate for the city centre, said he was "very disappointed" with the fork and spoon initiative. He has been hoping for a major effort to enhance the city's public realm to standards seen in European cities of similar size.

In recent times, the council launched a 700,000 branding campaign, which was well received. Developed by the international agency M&C Saatchi, it is aimed at promoting the city nationally and internationally. Its slogan is ''Limerick: Atlantic Edge, European Embrace''.

"I just felt a giant fork and spoon tied to a pole was tacky. People have been hopeful of seeing something much classier to promote the city," Nigel Dugdale said.

Denis Tierney, information officer with Limerick City and County Council, defended the initiative, saying: "We are trying to reanimate the city like every other city is doing. It was a nod to the reopening of cafes and restaurants in Limerick. It is just for the weekend." The displays will be dismantled tomorrow and he insisted they were not being removed prematurely. He declined to reveal the cost.

The appointment of Celia Larkin as the city centre's revitalisation manager was reported in March. After the break-up of her relationship with the former taoiseach some years ago, she opened a number of beauty salons and later earned degrees at the University of Limerick and University College, London.

Denis Tierney said a Shop Limerick campaign was launched by the council in April. It helped to promote 200 Limerick businesses online during the Covid crisis through its website and it was "quite successful".

He said culture and arts staff have been working on the "reanimation" of the city.

On criticism of the giant forks and spoons, Tierney said: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If some people don't like it, we will have to listen to their concerns."
The new junior agriculture minister has said culling the national herd cannot be ruled out if Ireland does not meet its carbon emissions targets.

The Green Party wanted the programme for government to include a commitment to cull the national herd in five years' time if farming emissions reduction targets were not met.

Now senator Pippa Hackett, who was appointed a Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture last weekend, has said culling the herd could not be ruled out "as a last resort" if the sector fails to reduce emissions.
More Irish emigrants are returning home for good because of the pandemic as they look to be closer to family and loved ones, according to new figures from a charity helping to repatriate people.

Figures released by Safe Home Ireland show the number of people who made inquiries last month was up 60pc on June last year. Inquiries between April and June, when the virus raged internationally, were up by almost a quarter (24pc).

Safe Home Ireland is an emigrant support service that assists people making the move home by providing information and helping link them in with key services.

The charity's chief executive, Karen McHugh, said the Covid-19 crisis has kept those working with Safe Home Ireland exceptionally busy. She said some people are also considering how Ireland has coped with the virus compared with the UK and the US when making a decision about moving home.

"There are a lot more people who are considering coming home because of where they are based.

"There are certainly people who feel it may be safer here or who have had a longing to come home and see now as the time to do it.

"We have seen crisis returnees, and people who are coming back because they were victims of domestic violence and want to return. People who were considering coming back earlier but became stranded are also coming back now too. There's definitely movement and desire and we certainly anticipate there will be an increase in returnees."

She said a majority of the inquiries have come from the UK because it has been easier to travel to Ireland from Britain than other countries due to Covid-19 restrictions. The charity works with housing associations, and helps returnees with accessing banking facilities or social welfare as they plan their return.

"They may be getting in touch because they are considering it and want help with organising or going about it. April, May and June were much busier than we would normally be, so it's clear there is an appetite out there among people to consider coming home. People often want to be near others during a time of crisis and this period has probably made a lot of people take stock of where they are."
A long-time Kinahan cartel associate, who is suspected of being one of the main dealers of Encrochat encrypted phones used by top-tier criminals across Europe, was arrested last week as part of a Criminal Assets Bureau raid in Co Wicklow.

The man, who was brought up in a wealthy suburb on Dublin's southside, has spent the last 18 years operating in Europe, mainly Geneva, and was released without charge but is now facing potential money laundering charges in Ireland.

He is also wanted for questioning by French police over his alleged involvement in dealing the encrypted phones to major European criminals.
A Fianna Fail MEP has apologised for breaching quarantine rules to attend the election of Micheal Martin as Taoiseach.

Billy Kelleher flew from Brussels to Ireland and ignored rules requiring passengers to self-isolate for two weeks after their arrival.

Instead, Mr Kelleher attended a special Dail sitting in the National Convention Centre where Mr Martin was elected Taoiseach.

Mr Martins own wife and children, who live in Cork, did not attend the Dail sitting in Dublin City Centre.

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Social distancing rules such as the two week quarantine for airline passengers are aimed at containing the spread of the virus and protecting vulnerable people who are at risk of dying if they contract Covid-19.

In a statement, Mr Kelleher said: Last Saturday, I attended the election of the new Taoiseach in Dublin having arrived into Ireland from Brussels the day before.

As I previously stated, I avail of Covid-19 testing services before in advance of departing Brussels in order to reduce any potential public health risk.

However, despite this, I accept that the risk could not have been eliminated fully and I should have followed HSE advice and remained at home. This was an error of judgement on my part and I apologise unreservedly.
Darragh O'Brien is tickled by the idea that he isn't the first of his family to make his mark on Dublin's historic Custom House. Almost 100 years ago, his grand-uncle was part of an IRA raiding party who set it ablaze and destroyed historic records and documents going back to the time of King Henry VIII. But enough about the war.

Last week he began the job of reimagining Ireland's housing policy, undermined by years of poor planning, lack of vision, red tape and under-funding. For the new Government's reputation, much will depends on how he performs in a role that has defeated more than one of his predecessors.

A self-professed "working-class boy", he is a world away from his predecessor. His parents were raised in council houses in Crumlin and Drimnagh, built in the golden age of social housing, to which he now wants the country to return.

The new minister for housing, local government and heritage lives in Malahide, and prickles when I call it "Haughey's domain". Still, he credits the former Fianna Fail leader with getting "stuff done". For all Haughey's flaws, he says, "his record on delivery, people still talk about - the bus pass, the IFSC, Temple Bar are some of his enduring legacies."

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As a child, his love of politics was nurtured by his Republican grandfather Robert (the last of the fourth battalion Dublin brigade of old IRA) and a sense of social justice by his father, who would take him each Wednesday after school into the Ballymun towers to deliver food, washing machines and furniture (the new minister still volunteers in addiction services).

"I'm not giving it the 'beal bocht' here but there was no bank of mum and dad. I did my Leaving Cert at 16 or 17, then went straight to work."

He didn't attend third-level: "To be bluntly honest, I got into college but I couldn't have made it work and afford it and we were just above the grant threshold."

He quickly rose through the ranks of an insurance firm, working on corporate pensions, before deciding on a career in politics.

His experience of home ownership mirror those of many who got on the ladder in the latter years of the Celtic Tiger. He bought in 2006, at the tail end of the boom, while making waves as a new face in Fianna Fail.

He was elected to the Dail for the first time in June 2007 and "everything was going great". He packed in his job in insurance and was engaged to Susan, now his wife. The couple have a daughter.

After spending 580,000 on a three-bed in Malahide, they were two days into their honeymoon when "my phone started hopping. .. Bertie had resigned".

O'Brien says he suffered professionally, personally and financially from the fall-out of the crash, including being abused on public transport.

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"I remember having to change how I got to work. I had to stop getting the train for a while. I don't blame people. People were hurting."

He returned for a general election in 2011 to see Fianna Fail decimated. He describes it as "like waiting for a tooth to be pulled", but adds: "Rightly we took it and it was deserved." Looking back, he says, "it was the best learning experience I ever had. I didn't shirk from it and I didn't run away." As for his home, he felt the same pain experienced by many. He quips: "As I say to Susan, you better like it because we're never leaving." Then he turns serious: "But I genuinely understand. I know what negative equity is like."

Little wonder then that he baulks when asked if he will put pressure on the Central Bank to relax mortgage lending rules, calling the idea "reckless".

"I don't want people chasing a higher mortgage to buy a more expensive house."

Over and over, he repeats the mantra: "We have to get affordability into the system." He has outlined his plans in the programme for government. The big-ticket item is over 50,000 additional social homes within the next five years, which he says will start from 150,000.

He won't be pushed on how many units will be built each year, pointing out he has only been in the job for five days and is keen to do the groundwork before making a firm commitment.

But he will give his thoughts on some recent talking points. On co-living, he says the concept "drove people nuts", and adds: "I don't think they will be [built]."

Turning to whether people on social housing lists should have a right to turn down a free home three times if they deem it unsuitable, he says "there can be good reasons such as family support" but adds that this will come under review. He is hoping to introduce "indefinite leases" in the public and - intriguingly - the private sector. He says he'll expand on the details in due course.

Meanwhile, he will launch a housing task force and chair it every Monday morning. It will consist of five "major stakeholders in the industry" who will be "an eclectic mix".

A separate homeless task force will also be set up, again with weekly meetings. As for social and affordable homes, his key scheme will launch in September, with much higher salary caps (up from the 50k for a single person and 75k for a couple). He says the Government will look at well-known sites in the city, including the bus garage in Donnybrook, properties owned by Irish Rail and sites along Dublin Port, with a view to building on them.

Meanwhile, with 10pc of new estates earmarked for social housing, he says: "I would like to see that increased to another 10pc for affordable purchase scheme."

As for taller buildings in the centre of Dublin, he says "it seems insane to me when I look out at the north and south quays, that we have capped our ambition to 22 or 24 storeys. It is something that I will be looking at because [Dublin is low-rise] when you compare it to any major European city  I don't want it near our Georgian core but where appropriate in the docklands." All of which may be good news for Johnny Ronan and others, if demand still exists for high-rise offices post-Covid. He adds that the planning system "needs to be modernised" and he aims to get local authorities building.

"Regulation is good where it helps, ensures safety and quality, but where we don't need red tape, we need to start cutting through it."

"Officials need to be guided by government policy and [where they're] not, they need to adhere to it," he says. "That is something I will be making clear to chief executives all around the country."

He has scant sympathy for colleagues snubbed for ministerial positions: "The public aren't interested whether I or anyone else is upset. They want us to do the job. So I think we need to get over ourselves a little bit and just get on with it."

He has had his critics already. Before he'd even had the seal from the President, Sinn Fein's Eoin O Broin was on the offensive.

"I find that very interesting. I want the country to succeed. And if Eoin was in this room [as minister] I would want him to succeed. But that isn't reciprocated. So I'm not going to focus on that - I'm focused on what's good for the people. And I'm ready to take on whatever the job throws at me."
When Stephen Donnelly arrived at his new office in the Department of Health last weekend there was a note left on the desk from his predecessor, Simon Harris.

The new health minister's constituency rival and new Cabinet colleague imparted some words of wisdom on the challenges Donnelly faces. It was all in the new spirit of goodwill and co-operation that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are trying to engender in the early days of this new administration. But within days, Donnelly was forced to contend with Harris taking the Department of Health's secretary general, Jim Breslin, to head up his new Department of Higher Education.

Donnelly had clashed with Breslin at committee hearings in recent years. But his relationship with Breslin's acting successor will be fascinating. Colm O'Reardon, brother of Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain and former economic adviser to ex-Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, was not complimentary about Donnelly when the Wicklow TD was a Dail freshman kicking lumps out of the Fine Gael-Labour government, according to former Labour colleagues. In those days, Donnelly was known in Labour circles as "the biggest bullshitter in the Dail".

The new health minister did not respond to calls.

DIVISIVE TIME

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail finds itself grappling with the fallout from a difficult and divisive first week. Taoiseach Micheal Martin annoyed pretty much everyone in his party bar the 13 people he appointed as ministers and ministers of state. As well as the fallout from appointing deputy leader Dara Calleary as chief whip, Martin dealt with several angry TDs who were overlooked for junior ministries on Wednesday.

Phone calls with the likes of former chief whip Michael Moynihan were disastrous as a decades-long political alliance was sundered in the course of a 10-minute conversation. Moynihan told journalists he had "shovelled a lot of shit" for Martin only to be insulted. Another spurned TD felt he had been strung along for four years with the understanding he would get a role. "I had a row with him," the TD said. "He was sort of half-apologising and saying 'I know it's hard'."

The problems mounted for Martin this weekend as one of his appointees, the new Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen, is embroiled in controversy over a previously undisclosed drink-driving ban from four years ago.

Meanwhile backbench TD Jim O'Callaghan, who was snubbed for Cabinet and turned down Martin's offer of a junior ministry, has criticised the Taoiseach's failure to seek either the Justice or Foreign Affairs portfolios in government. "His political ambition was to be Minister for Justice and Micheal put a roadblock to that. So if there is a vacancy in the leadership, he would be interested," said a well-placed source. O'Callaghan's ambition to be leader is now out in the open in Fianna Fail and he fielded what the source said were "many calls" from colleagues last week.

Expand Close Jim OCallaghan said that positive developments had been entirely overshadowed by the controversies this week / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jim OCallaghan said that positive developments had been entirely overshadowed by the controversies this week

Yesterday, O'Callaghan told the Sunday Independent: "Everyone needs to settle down. The Government needs to govern, and we need to put the interests of the people and of the country first."

Martin was more cut-throat in his appointments than many had anticipated, leaving him in a position where he occupies the highest office of government - yet finds himself at his politically weakest in Fianna Fail.

But with no time to waste, the new Taoiseach's backroom team is already in place in Government Buildings. Deirdre Gillane, his influential confidante, is chief of staff. Fianna Fail communications director Pat McParland has been made a special adviser charged with delivery of the programme for government. Other advisers include the party's policy chief, Kevin Dillon, and research and policy analysts Grainne Weld and Diarmuid Lynch. Former radio journalist and party press officer Lisa-Dee Collery has been appointed government press secretary. Some backroom staff were quietly but ruthlessly let down at the Convention Centre a week ago yesterday and told there was no job for them in the new Taoiseach's office.

WORKING TOGETHER

Fine Gael ministers and advisers have been told to hold back on criticism of their new government colleagues - but this won't last. Already there is some lording it over their new coalition partners, with one Fine Gael source noting Fianna Fail has "all the problem children in terms of departments". These include health and housing, but also public expenditure where Michael McGrath will have to navigate tricky issues like the public sector pay talks.

Leo Varadkar had a benign week by comparison with the new Taoiseach and is by all accounts relieved that he was no longer in the firing line on every issue. He is adjusting to life as a minister in a department again, while colleagues say he is "relaxed" despite what he confided in some was an "awful" experience last weekend as he culled his Cabinet. On Wednesday, he had to let several of his junior ministers and supporters down, including Brendan Griffin, the popular Tourism and Sport Minister.

"Look, Leo had a very difficult situation where he was going from almost 30 ministers down to 13 appointments. So there were bound to be loads of people disappointed," Griffin said. "I am very disappointed, but I am glad that it wasn't performance-related. The feedback I got from him was that I worked hard and did an excellent job. I'll always see Leo as the guy who gave me a job."

Varadkar told his new ministers they would be assigned to different constituencies, as well as their own, and expected to do work that would promote the party in areas where it wants to win seats in the next election.

"There are a lot of areas around the country where Fine Gael doesn't have a minister," said one new appointee. "We'll be expected to pay attention to those areas, be there as a minister to do stuff for the party and be there for colleagues when they have queries."

After he completed his ministerial demotions and promotions, Varadkar went for a pint with Eoghan Murphy, who was dropped as housing minister and let it be known he didn't want a junior ministry. He will take up an as-yet unspecified role in the party, but is expected to be the Tanaiste's eyes and ears in the parliamentary party. He was spotted consoling a number of former colleagues, including ex-Limerick TD Tom Neville, who lost his seat in February, in a trendy docklands bar last week. Varadkar has also let it be known that he wants Richard Bruton, whom he dropped from Cabinet, to be the chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party.

Varadkar's frontbench team met on Friday in the Italian Room of Government Buildings close to his new office as Tanaiste. "It's a smaller, tighter team," a source said. "The job for us is to carve out our policy imprint on government."

GREEN RUMBLINGS

Ironically, Varadkar is the most secure of the three party leaders, despite leading Fine Gael to its second worst election result in February.

There is no such security for Green Party leader Eamon Ryan who faces an imminent leadership challenge from his deputy and Catherine Martin as well as internal dissent over his junior ministerial appointments. The new minister for climate action and transport is still trying to find his bearings in Government Buildings and used his old box room-sized office in the Dail to deliver the news to Malcolm Noonan that he would become a minister of state on Tuesday evening.

But there is considerable anger in the party over the exclusion of finance spokesperson Neasa Hourigan from the junior ministerial ranks. A letter circulated to Mna Glasa, the party's women's group criticised the decision.

"Given the Green Party's failure to see its own female candidates elected, and the lack of gender balance at Cabinet level overall, it was extremely disappointing to see a female Green TD was passed over for a position for which she was highly qualified and suited, and in an area for which she is party spokesperson," it stated.

Ryan is also having to grapple with two massive departments - climate action and transport. Initial plans to create a new mega Department of Climate Action, Communications and Transport have been dropped. But the reorganisation and reconfiguration of departments alongside the arrival of a bevy of new ministers with new responsibilities and their advisers will take weeks, if not months, to bed in.

To give just two examples, Disabilities Minister Anne Rabbitte finds herself assigned to the Department of Children, but has no budget and no officials as they are currently assigned to the Department of Health.

Elsewhere, Simon Harris needs to find a building for the new Department of Higher Education. All the while, the new government must grapple with the most severe economic recession in the history of the State. The new Taoiseach's internal party woes may end up being the least of his problems in the coming months.
The new Minister of State for Drugs Policy Frank Feighan said public officials and people in RTE are "snorting cocaine all over the place".

The Fine Gael TD made the claim on a local radio debate during the general election campaign in the course of a discussion on the problem of recreational drug use and crime in Ireland.

Speaking to Ocean FM on January 31, Mr Feighan said: "You talk about drugs, I remember 2002, I was talking about cannabis and nobody was listening. Cannabis, like alcohol, is a gateway drug to cocaine and we had this lovely feeling about it, 'sure it's a bit of fun'.

"We are now in an epidemic and we have to deal with it, and public officials and people in RTE are snorting cocaine all over the place.

"Yes, and they are talking, let's be honest, they are talking about everybody who is taking cocaine is adding to the crime problem, is funding that serious issue of crime gangs and we can't have it both ways."

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Mr Feighan was picked up on his comments and told he should not be singling out any one organisation.

The then-Fine Gael senator continued: "It's quite obvious, it's quite obvious. I know all over this country, every man woman and child that's talking about crime and that's taking cocaine and illegal drugs are helping to fund that crime, are helping to start off those gangs and we have to get real about it."

A spokesperson for RTE said: "We have no comment."

The emergence of Mr Feighan's remarks comes just days after he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy.

Mr Feighan declined to withdraw or apologise for the remarks last night, telling the Sunday Independent: "Drug use is again widespread throughout society. It's something we need to acknowledge. As minister for public health, well being and national drugs strategy, I'm determined to bring a health-led approach to this important issue under the partnership government."

The Fianna Fail-Fine Gael-Green government is pledging to set up a Citizens' Assembly to consider matters related to drug use, as well as adopting a health-led approach to personal drug use.

The last government revealed plans last year that would see people caught with small amounts of illegal drugs avoid criminal conviction on the first and second occasion but face the courts on the third. The new Government is set to continue the rollout of this policy.

Mr Feighan's appointment was part of a significant shake-up of the junior ministerial ranks by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar last week. He is the last member of the Fine Gael's opposition frontbench under Enda Kenny in the late 2000s to be appointed to a ministerial role.

The last decade has been a tumultuous one for the Boyle native. Following his re-election in Roscommon-South Leitrim in 2011, he was the subject of major criticism in his constituency for voting with the Fine Gael-Labour government to oppose a motion to retain emergency services at Roscommon Hospital.

Mr Feighan apologised for breaking a pre-election promise but has since defended his decision, insisting it was the right one for health services in the region. As a result of the criticism, he decided against contesting the 2016 general election but was later appointed to the Seanad. He ran in Sligo-Leitrim in February's election where he took the fourth and final seat.
Smith had been living in a halfway house in Hartford and was working at a warehouse in Windsor and regularly signing himself out to go to work, according to the warrant for his arrest. Smith, however, wasnt actually working at all those times, according to the warrant.
Sinn Fein is expected to come under further pressure at Stormont this week over the scenes at the funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey.

The North's Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill is facing calls from the other four parties in the five-party Executive at Stormont to temporarily stand down from her role as joint head of government pending a number of investigations into the scenes in west Belfast when hundreds of people lined the streets last Tuesday.

Suspected breaches of the public health guidance that restrict the number of people attending funerals are being examined by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, while there have been ethics complaints against a number of Sinn Fein MLAs over their attendance.

O'Neill, the Sinn Fein deputy leader, has stood by her decision and said she will never apologise for attending the funeral of a friend. She and party colleagues have been accused of flouting the Covid-19 regulations and guidance they helped to set.

A senior Stormont source said that while the Executive would not collapse over the controversy, the Northern Ireland Assembly is likely to consider a motion condemning Michelle O'Neill and Sinn Fein this week.

"It's important for the Assembly to say something, for the majority to say we don't like it, it's not right," the source said.

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O'Neill and Sinn Fein attempted to defuse the matter last Friday by acknowledging some families had been left upset by the scenes at Bobby Storey's funeral.

O'Neill and Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald both said sorry to bereaved families last Friday morning. But both have defended their decision to attend - a move that has put them on a collision course with the other parties.

A meeting of the leaders of the five main Executive parties at Stormont failed to resolve the row. Party leaders dismissed O'Neill's claim that she stuck to the rules, insisting there were clear breaches.

In a statement last Friday O'Neill said 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," she said.

She also said she was sorry for grieving families experiencing "more hurt".

The matter has been the subject of further discussions between the leaders and party officials this weekend and is likely to come to a head in the Assembly this week with a motion on the matter being debated and voted on.

In Dublin, calls for the Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail to request that anyone who attended the funeral in west Belfast stay away from Leinster House for the next 14 days in line with public health advice went unanswered.

Mary Lou McDonald was in Leinster House last Thursday to unveil her frontbench team which included a number of attendees at the Storey funeral, including finance spokesman Pearse Doherty who has strongly defended his decision to attend the funeral.

The Fine Gael senator who made the initial call, Garret Ahearn, has written to the Dail chairman again this weekend to reiterate his request and asked if any form of ethics investigation can be carried out into the matter.
5/7/2020 The quarry in Portroe, Co. Tipperary was cordoned off on Sunday after the death of two men in a diving incident. Photo: Press 22

Two brothers have died in a diving incident in Co Tipperary.

The tragedy unfolded at a quarry in Portroe, around 1.30pm.

Its understood the quarry is used by a dive centre.

The two mens bodies were removed from the scene to University of Limerick where post-mortems are expected to take place later.

A major search and rescue operation swung into place involving Killaloe Coast Guard, gardai, and ambulance personnel.

Kilaloe Coast Guard were returning to their base from another call out when they immediately responded to the alert at the quarry.

The Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter, based at Shannon Airport, was tasked to respond to the emergency alert, but the crew was stood down after the bodies of both divers were recovered and pronounced dead at the scene.

A garda spokesman said: Gardai attended an incident in Portroe, Co. Tipperary where two males have drowned.

The males are believed to have been diving when they got into trouble at approximately 1:30pm.

The bodies of both men have been removed to Limerick University Hospital where (post mortems) are due to take place.

Garda sources said they were treating the incident as a tragic accident.

A reliable source confirmed the deceased men are brothers, understood to be from Co Laois.

No one was expecting this, they said.

They were experienced divers but what exactly happened I cant say for sure. A lot of divers come from around the country to attend the dive centre in Portroe.

There are a lot of members locally but a lot of people visit. Its known as a good place to practice diving.

According to reports one of the men got into difficulty in the water and his sibling entered the water to try to help, however both men, aged in their 30s and 40s, tragically lost their lives.

Local non-party councillor Seamus Morris described the incident as a tragedy for the mens families and all involved at the dive centre.

As a dive centre, its used by local divers and it has always been very professionally run. Obviously, my sympathies go to the mens families and the dive club.

I dont know what happened, but diving is a sport that, unfortunately, has serious consequences if things dont go right, Mr Morris added.

A contact spokesman for the dive centre said they were not in a position to immediately comment.
What was your favourite childhood meal?

My mother always cooked delicious meals for us growing up. Nothing was ever complicated. My favourite thing was her legendary lemon meringue pie.

What is the meal you will always remember?

I have a lot of fond food memories. One that particularly stands out is a breakfast picnic on the cliffs near Ballycotton. It was in 2016, the day after Litfest - a festival we used to run at Ballymaloe. Some of the international speakers stayed on after the festival and we all ate in the sun, sitting on the bouncy grass. It was heaven.

What was your defining food experience?

Cooking with [Ballymaloe founder] Myrtle Allen. She understood flavour better than anyone I had ever met before I came to Ballymaloe. She taught me how to taste in a new way; I will always be grateful to her.

What is your comfort food?

A soft poached egg on toast.

What do you drink?

I seldom drink when I'm at home, apart from the very occasional glass of wine. When I'm out, Guinness is my tipple of choice, and for something stronger, I drink good Irish whiskey.

What's the first dish you ever cooked?

I can't actually remember! There were two kitchens in the house where I grew up. I spent a lot of time in my great-aunt's kitchen, baking with her. One of the first things I made was probably a buttery cake sponge in that kitchen.

If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Irish butter, eggs and soda bread.

What is the most appetising smell in the world?

Freshly baked bread in the morning. Bread is the first thing we bake in the pastry kitchen at Ballymaloe each day and the smell is always so enticing.

How important is food to you?

My love of food has shaped my life. I have always cared about what I eat and I have always enjoyed cooking. Baking was my childhood hobby and I certainly didn't realise then that the attraction of the kitchen would be so influential on my career decisions, albeit I took a somewhat unconventional route to becoming a professional cook. My passion for food has encouraged me to travel the world, and it has influenced most of the big decisions I have made in my life.

You can go anywhere and have anything to eat with any one person. Where, what and who?

I would have lunch at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco with my good friend Diana Kennedy, who earlier this year celebrated her 97th birthday. Diana is the best company, and I love spending time with her. We'd have to have Zuni's dazzlingly good roast chicken to share.

What's always in your kitchen?

I always have fresh cream in the fridge so I can put a drop in my coffee every morning. Try it, it's the best.

Are you careful about what you eat?

Yes, I avoid processed food. I like to know where the food I eat comes from and how it has been produced.

JR Ryall is the head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House, part of Ireland's Blue Book - the collection of country house hotels, manor houses, castles and restaurants located throughout the island of Ireland, see irelandsbluebook.ie.
As businesses scramble to pick up the pieces, I spoke to more of the people fighting to protect Ireland's food and hospitality industry.

THE FOOD BOX

Jemmy McCann grew up with mushrooms, which his parents produced for the UK wholesale market for 30 years.

They retired and in 2018 he started Ard Mhacha Mushrooms, on the home farm in Silverbridge, Co Armagh, specialising in Shitake and Oyster mushrooms, which have become the darlings of hot chefs around the country.

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A site carpenter by trade, Jemmy always had a keen interest in growing speciality mushrooms. Working in Australia and England, he visited many farms where he first saw growers producing their own compost, and loved the idea of the grower being in control of their operation from start to finish.

"My first customer was Conor Mee, of the Courthouse restaurant in Carrickmacross," he said. "My cropping was volatile at the time but he worked with me and told me I had something very special and I needed to keep going."

In January 2019, he met Sean and Jayne Hussey, of Hussey's Farm. "I came home delighted that they bought all my mushrooms, and my father, Kevin, said, 'what the hell are we going to do next week, Jemmy?', as crop yields were still volatile."

He was due to increase his growing operation as Covid-19 struck. The restaurant trade seized overnight and he thought that was it.

"My sales direction had to be changed very fast as these mushrooms don't stop growing. Since March, the little 150g Shitake and 200g Grey Oyster retail boxes have come on the scene and done so well that I can't keep up with orders. I cannot thank the general public enough. They've got behind Irish producers during the pandemic and made all the work - seven days a week - worthwhile."

@Mhacha_Shitake

THE CRAFTER

SMEs are the lifeblood of this country and they've been rocked to the core. Tara and Ed Hammond's Slated, which produces beautiful artisan tableware crafted by Ed in Dalkey, Co Dublin, is one of such SME massively affected by the devastation of Covid-19.

I first came across Tara 10 years ago during the last recession, and, oh boy, is she a fighter. "Slated kickstarted 2020 with plastic-free packaging - we thought that was our toughest challenge of 2020," she said. "How wrong we were."

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Having started in a recession, they were all too aware of how lean times can be. "Overheads needed to be lowered, cashflow watched like a hawk. Ten years of hard work had got us to the fortunate position where we had numerous revenue streams - restaurants, stockists, corporate clients and direct customers. Watching our customers close was devastating, long-standing relationships made it feel so personal. Suddenly we were left with just our online sales. We took two weeks to reassess and to try and formulate a plan for the foreseeable future. It will be a steep learning curve for us, and we won't learn it all but we will try our hardest."

Slated's personalised carved cheese boards have become bestsellers as gifts. "Every order we receive reminds us how amazing Irish people are at supporting small, independent businesses, and every order means the world to us. If Ireland minds Ireland and thinks local, we should all make it out the other side."

slated.ie

THE RESTAURANT

Restaurateur Anthony Gray was used to the adrenaline rush of running his two popular restaurants, Eala Bhan and Hooked in the heart of Sligo town, jumping between both as he expertly kept the plates spinning, but everything changed for him when the lockdown came into effect.

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"On March 16, I closed both of my restaurants, not knowing what was in store." he says. "But slowly I came to terms with this hateful virus and the effect it was having on my life, along with the fear for my family, myself, my staff and businesses. One of my colleagues suggested I do a cookery video online. It was great fun, and to be stopped on the street and asked when the next one was coming out gave me a great lift."

Anthony then opened Hooked for takeaways, and reopened it last week, but is still doing takeaways for those who want to eat at home. "There will be hurdles but it's how we get over these that will lead to our success," he says, "so bring it on."

If businesses in this country are to survive, they'll need support, Anthony says.

"We've missed the entire summer and come October to March things are going to get serious. In rural Ireland, sometimes all you see in these months are seagulls. We are passionate people who create jobs and support local economies and the government must realise this and understand that we're at our lowest - 0pc VAT to start is a must. There's an old saying which I love, 'A rising tide lifts all boats'."

hookedsligo.ie

THE HOTEL

Set on 1,000 acres, dotted with woodland and beautiful lake views, the Castle Leslie Estate at Glaslough in Co Monaghan is among the most extraordinary places to stay in Ireland. With gorgeous interiors, great food and spa facilities as well, a visit here is memorable. The Leslie family has been in residence since the 1660s, and as they prepare to reopen tomorrow, Samantha Leslie told me how they've been coping with the current crisis.

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"We've worked hard to stay connected to our customers via email, social media, and online marketing, offering gift vouchers at a discounted rate, and on Mother's Day, we opened a drive-through tea service, which proved so popular that we developed a whole new drive-through food offering with everything from brunch and afternoon tea to date-night dinners and even a Sunday roast. I laughed when I saw on Facebook, a customer calling it the 'McLeslie Drive Thru'."

Now, with restrictions lifting, they're preparing to open their gates again.

"With 1,000 acres, we have lots of lush space with guaranteed social distance. We're also launching our summer houses; three beautiful wooden buildings set down by Glaslough Lake that can be hired privately for al fresco dining. We're taking it one step at a time, so that we can continue to plan a successful future and ensure a safe environment for our team and our guests."

Castle Leslie is also offering some great new package offers for overnight stays.

castleleslie.com

Lucinda's noticeboard

"It's easier to be faithful to a restaurant than it is to a woman." Federico Fellini

Adare has the new Cafe Logr opening this month by David Hayes, a former head chef at the Dunraven Arms.

Finns' Table in Kinsale is re-launching on Thursday next as Finns' Farmcut with mighty fine steaks.

Global Village in Dingle will not reopen this summer but will be offering street food from its new collection window opening on to Curran's Pub yard. So, Curran's drinks and Martin Bealin's fab food. Sounds brill...

globalvillagedingle.com

Rage in Blackrock has a takeaway menu and a Cook at Home range of prepped dishes to stick in the oven.

ragerestaurant.ie

RICE on South Richmond Street, the long-awaited newbie to Press Up's 40-plus hospitality venues, is trading as a takeaway only.

ricechinese.ie

The Lodge at Ashford Castle has a one-night B&B Dining Experience for two people sharing, with a three-course meal, from 229 per night.

thelodgeac.com

3 Leaves in Blackrock has set up a new portal for ordering its fab Indian food to go.

3leaves.ie

Tell Lucinda how you're fighting back: info@lucindaosullivan.com

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@lucindasireland

#FoodiesFightBack
Natasha Gregson Wagner was 11 years old and sleeping at her friend's house when she heard the news on the radio.

"The body of actress Natalie Wood has been found off the coast of Catalina Island." She thought she might be dreaming. Her mother could not be dead. But the announcer repeated the words "accident" and "drowned".

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Together with her friend's mother, they tried to call the boat on which Natalie was sailing with her husband - Natasha's stepfather, Robert Wagner - but there was no reply. Natasha was driven home to the family mansion in LA where she waited, silently praying that there had been a mistake.

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Eventually, she heard the front door close and it was Robert, whom she called 'Daddy Wagner'. His face was "ashen" and his eyes "haunted, devoid of any light", she recalls. She knew then, finally, that it was true. Her little sister, Courtney, asked her when mommy would be coming back. At the funeral, which was attended by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Fred Astaire, Robert cradled Natasha's head in his hands. It was a heartbreaking portrait of grief.

Precisely what happened to Natalie has never been clear. In life, she was one of the biggest stars of her era. She had transitioned from the child star of Miracle on 34th Street to become a genuine movie icon. She was Maria in West Side Story and James Dean's love interest in Rebel Without a Cause. By the time she was 25, she had won four Academy Award nominations.

It was perhaps inevitable then that the scrutiny around the circumstances of her death - on November 29, 1981 -would be almost frenzied. It has become Hollywood's most enduring mystery.

A few facts are undisputed. She had been in the midst of filming the movie Brainstorm when she took the boating trip with Wagner and her co-star on the film, Christopher Walken; at the time, Wagner was starring in the hit TV series Hart to Hart with Stefanie Powers.

Robert Wagner said he had gone to bed on the boat and she had stayed up. Her body was found in the water about a mile from the boat, with a small dinghy nearby. She was found dressed for bed in a long nightgown and socks, but wearing a red down jacket over her nightclothes.

The autopsy report revealed that she had bruises on her body and arms, as well as an abrasion on her left cheek, but there was no indication as to how or when the injuries occurred.

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The man who had driven the boat for the three stars, Dennis Davern, said that he heard Wagner and Wood arguing, and while Wagner denied that at the time, he subsequently admitted in his memoir, Pieces of My Heart, that they had quarrelled.

The LA County Coroner ruled the cause of her death to be accidental drowning and hypothermia, but Wood's sister Lana expressed doubts, alleging that Wood could not swim and had been "terrified" of water all her life, and that she would never have left the yacht on her own by dinghy. Two witnesses who were on a nearby boat stated they had heard a woman scream for help during the night. But the case was closed.

And yet, over the years, the mystery seemed to deepen.

Wagner and Wood had a tumultuous relationship. They had married and divorced and then remarried after she divorced her second husband. People wondered if the fieriness of their relationship had spilled over into that fateful night.

In 2009, Davern co-wrote a book in which he speculated that Wagner had pushed Natalie overboard. He alleged that Wood had been flirting with Walken, that Wagner was jealous and enraged, and that Wagner had prevented Davern from turning on the search lights and notifying authorities after Wood's disappearance.

In 2011, the case was sensationally reopened and the following year, Natalie's death certificate was changed from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors".

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In January 2013, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office made a 10-page addendum to Wood's autopsy report, which stated Wood might have sustained some of the bruises on her body before she went into the water, but this could not be definitively determined.

In 2018, Robert Wagner was named a "person of interest" in the case, which remains open. This means he is not a suspect or under arrest, but police would like to speak to him.

According to Ralph Hernandez, the detective who led the investigation, Wagner has not talked to the police since 1981. "I think that Wagner holds the key," Detective Hernandez told The New York Times. "It's really only up to him at this point."

Natasha says that she and Robert have spoken at length about what happened that night and she is fully convinced that he has no further information.

"We went over in detail what happened in her last few hours, but the truth is that she was alone when she died," she tells me. The timing of the reopening of the case was terrible, she says: she was pregnant with her daughter.

"It came out of nowhere. Immediately I was reassured by our family publicist, by our attorney and by Robert that this was all a master plan to drum up publicity for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Denis (Davern) had a book which he was looking for publicity for, but I tried not to let it bother me.

"It's very easy when you develop a protective emotional muscle to utilise that muscle around things that are, in the end, facetious. I am lucky that I have been able to do it. My stepdad had to hire a criminal attorney. I've never had any contact with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department."

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Natasha Gregson Wagner has now written a book called More Than Love, which tells the story of growing up as the child of a film star and aims to draw a line under the suspicions around Wagner. She's protective of him and dismissive of Davern and Natalie's sister - Natasha's aunt - Lana, who has said that Natalie left Wagner because of a marital betrayal, before going back to him.

"I have never given any credence to them because I know where they come from. It has been so upsetting for me because I love my stepfather and I don't want him to be maligned in any way.

"I haven't been in touch with my aunt since my grandmother died in 1997 or something, but she has always wanted money from my stepdad, from my mom when she was alive, from my sister and me when we turned 18 - she would request it from us. The shows that she goes on, they get paid to go on them. She changed her name to Wood. So I think that says a lot."

Apart from the defence of Wagner, the book is also replete with tender anecdotes about Natalie. Natasha still cherishes the 11 years she had with her mother. Natalie had her in 1972 when she was still married to Natasha's father, the British film producer and writer Richard Gregson.

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"People would imagine it's difficult to grow up with a mom who was like this screen goddess, but she never acted that way around me," Natasha recalls.

"Her image was like a goddess, but in our home, she was tender and tangible and available. She didn't wear a lot of make-up. I'm sure she wasn't excited at being a mom every day, but she was happy to see us in the morning. She was always so thrilled to show me things for the first time. I remember clearly her taking me to The Nutcracker ballet and you could just see the joy shining out of her; she really wanted me to have that experience. She was very much living life with us like a normal family."

Natalie was known to have mental health troubles, a legacy perhaps of child stardom, an alcoholic father and a Svengali stage mother, who it was said, arranged for her then 15-year-old daughter to be seduced by Frank Sinatra.

"I knew about her suicide attempt," Natasha says, "I had spoken about it with my stepfather and my godfather, Mark Crowley, but to me, she had seemed so stable as a parent. I can't relate that [the suicide attempt] to the woman I knew. I think in the same way that I'm a very different woman now than I was in my 20s, I think she had changed a lot.

"I believe she had a bittersweet childhood. In a lot of ways, she loved acting and being around adults, but she missed just being a kid. I'm sure being a child star took its toll on her, but the way she made lemons into lemonade and in the same way that mothering my daughter healed me, I think that mothering Courtney and me healed my mom. In the 1950s, she was in therapy and supported her friends through their own problems.

"She created a nucleus of people around her, including a lot of gay men and others who felt marginalised, and my memory is that everyone was always talking about their feelings and their emotions."

Wagner became Natasha's legal guardian after Natalie died and she says it was difficult for her when he remarried - he began dating former Bond girl Jill St John just months after Natalie's death and married her in 1990. Despite this, he was supportive of her grieving process.

"Pretty shortly after my mom died, my Daddy Wagner put me in therapy with an amazing woman named Naomi and I saw her until I went to college," Natasha explains. "I was also in therapy with various people after that just so I had a safe place to express my feelings and mourning."

She remained close to her father Richard Gregson, who later wrote of the difficult decision he took to let Wagner continue to care for Natasha - ultimately Gregson felt it would be less of an upheaval for the girl to stay with Wagner who had been her stepfather up to then.

In adulthood, Natasha became an actress, and had roles in the hit TV series Ally McBeal, as well as the movie High Fidelity.

"In my 20s, I tended to be cast a lot as a lost waif, which I'm sure I was in real life," she recalls. "Becoming a woman and having the gravity of a woman was very hard for me because I was, at an emotional level, still so childlike. Even in the body and the way I looked, I'm tiny and thin, and I just didn't have that weight. I'm sure behind my back, people compared me to [Natalie], but I never felt it was a shadow over me."

She says that the loss of her mother shaped the relationships she formed with men. For much of the 1990s, she went out with Josh Evans, who is the son of the actress Ali McGraw and Robert Evans, producer of The Godfather, Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby. After that, she was married to DV DeVincentis, who had written the screenplay for High Fidelity. They divorced in 2008.

"I think, in adult life, I was always looking for a mother," she says. "Often I would choose very maternal men, who would mother me, but it would get confusing because after a certain amount of time, I would want to grow up, so to speak, within the relationship. By the time that happened, the dynamic would have been established where I was the child and they were the parent and it would cause a lot of trouble and problems."

In 2010, she began seeing fellow actor Barry Watson, who had parts in the soap, Days of Our Lives, and Baywatch.

"It wasn't until I met him that things came together for me," she says. "After my first marriage ended, I did a lot of work, and processed a lot of grief and worked on getting to the next step."

They had a child together, a daughter named Clover Clementyne, in 2012 (in true Covid-era interview form, she charmingly walks in while Natasha and I are speaking).

"On my wedding day and when my daughter was born, I felt my mother's loss most keenly," Natasha tells me. "When my daughter sees a butterfly, she thinks that's my mother. We saw one the other day and she said 'oh look mommy, there's grandma Natalie'. She asks me things like what would she do with me, would she be friends with Kiki, who is my mother-in-law, so her spirit is still with us."

The book comes at something of a watermark moment in her life. She will be 50 later this year. Her father Richard Gregson died from Parkinson's disease last year. And next year, it will be 40 years since her mother's death.

"I've written because I didn't want there to be any burden on my own daughter's shoulders. She is my mother's only grandchild, so it's important that she knows what happened. I also was ready to be public with my own grief. I didn't feel I needed to protect myself in the same way I had years ago."

She still speaks daily to Robert Wagner, who lives in Aspen, Colorado. Whether the book and the documentary on her mother, which she has produced, bring more scrutiny on him or draw a line under the case, remains to be seen, but her loyalty to him seems absolute.

"I'm very protective of Daddy Wagner and I know my mother would never want him to have to endure these slings and arrows. He is a wonderful man."

More Than Love by Natasha Gregson Wagner (Simon & Shuster, 22) is out now
Last Friday, Stephen Collins knocked on the gate of a morally confused media in an Irish Times op-ed piece headed: "Storey funeral a reminder that IRA army council runs Sinn Fein."

The knock on the gate refers to a famous essay by Thomas de Quincey on what happens in Macbeth at the end of act two, scene two.

Macbeth and his wife have just murdered Duncan. But we, the audience, locked in with the Macbeths on a dark stage, don't yet feel the full horror of the foul deed.

A sudden, loud knock on the gate startles the Macbeths - but also shocks the audience out of its compliant empathy.

That loud knock reminds us of the world outside and returns us to the morality learned from our mothers and fathers.

Stephen Collins's powerful indictment of media compliance with Sinn Fein apologists for the IRA atrocities carried the same kind of moral shock.

Whether it will wake a woke generation is moot. That is why many of my older readers write to say they feel they are living in a media madhouse since the general election.

That is because so many younger journalists seem to see nothing wrong with voting for a fascist party and deny it is such.

But Sinn Fein has the main marks of a fascist party: it condones political murder, is controlled by a small group of fanatics, and respects them more than Irish democracy.

But what it shares most with German fascism is its shameless contempt for democracy.

Mary Lou McDonald coolly told us that if she were Taoiseach she would have still turned up at the funeral of a violent thug who was deeply involved in the death of Jean McConville.

Many of our younger journalists don't seem to see that as a deadly political and moral problem.

Significantly, like Sinn Fein, they get especially angry with anyone who points it out as a moral problem - because they suspect many people privately feel the same.

Collins particularly noted that Micheal Martin had been targeted for expressing moral revulsion. "He has been accused of being obsessed by the past and being out of touch with public opinion in the Republic but the Storey funeral provided ample justification for his position."

Collins himself is almost alone in the Irish media in carrying out one of the primary tasks of a journalist - to warn against the dangers posed by a fascist party.

But the Bobby Storey funeral showed that many in our media were hypnotised by two factors - what Susan Sontag called "fascinating fascism" and by a perverse view of the peace process.

In relation to fascinating fascism, some reporters seemed enthralled by the cheap theatricals of the Storey funeral.

Journalists who affect hardbitten cynicism about Micheal Martin's moral revulsion seemed reverently in awe of the mafia-style trappings.

But it just reminded this hardbitten reporter of Hitler's sacralisation of the funeral of the Nazi thug Horst Wessel.

Turning to the peace process, let me remind our media muppets we owe nothing to Sinn Fein for stopping its campaign of murder when it became riddled with informers.

If someone is beating his wife you don't praise them for stopping.

But anyone who calls out Sinn Fein on its fascism is faced with a hostile media that seems happy to go along with Sinn Fein's two main media ploys: the taboo and the distractor.

The Sinn Fein-inspired media taboo against raising Sinn Fein's link with murder and terror has been 30 years in the making.

It began in RTE with a campaign against Section 31 which rightly kept Sinn Fein off the airwaves. That campaign radicalised a generation of journalists who found themselves on the same side as Sinn Fein and failed to keep boundaries.

From the Good Friday Agreement onwards, Sinn Fein made sure this compliance morphed into the belief that the peace process meant it was taboo to raise Sinn Fein's past.

Raising Sinn Fein's past is now treated as a media social faux pas and those who dare to do so are shushed or shunned.

Stephen Collins also drew attention to the second Sinn Fein media device, which is to deploy a distractor like social distancing to divert attention from murder.

"The manner in which Sinn Fein leaders flouted social distancing during the funeral of IRA leader Bobby Storey has attracted widespread criticism, but the more sinister feature of the event was the paramilitary trappings that put the true nature of the republican movement on open display."

Here Collins is flushing out how a compliant media focused on social distancing which only served to distract from more serious issues.

Significantly, Sinn Fein spokespersons had no problem fielding these questions - and never got as angry as they would have done if asked about Storey's role in the murder of Jean McConville.

Last week, even the toughest of presenters seemed to be struggling with the culture of compliance that constricts coverage of Sinn Fein's past.

Last Tuesday on The Tonight Show, Ivan Yates, in speaking to Labour's Aodhan O Riordain, raised the Storey funeral - but it was not followed through.

Now I've been around television long enough to know when someone in the production box - and they have the last word - is speaking to the presenter's earpiece.

Why on earth would anyone not have Yates pursue what was a red-hot subject? Cui bono? Who benefits? Certainly not Tonight. Only Sinn Fein.

On Friday on RTE's Today, we had further examples of taboos and distractors. Sarah McInerney was seeming to convince FG TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that SF TD Martin Kenny had a case in saying all parties were guilty of social-distancing failures.

"But as Martin said, we have seen similar large funerals like that in the State in recent weeks ... Why can't they be compared?"

MacNeill: "Well what are you comparing, Sarah?"

McInerney: "Well, as Martin said, there have been large funerals. I saw Matt Carthy on The Tonight Show talking about Garda Horkan's funeral."

MacNeill (in disbelief): "The funeral of a serving guard killed in the line of duty?"

McInerney (a little sheepishly): "Well, yes, he was raising that as an issue, as a comparison, yes."

Emboldened by this, Martin Kenny called MacNeill a "Dublin unionist".

MacNeill came back bravely and began to go into Bobby Storey's bloody past "as someone involved in murders across this island".

But McInerney piously cut in: "This is also somebody who's passed away recently, Jennifer. So I don't really want to get into that."

Even more emboldened, Martin Kenny censoriously tut-tutted: "It's not appropriate to talk like that about the dead."

But apart from Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, most FG TDs dodged dealing with Storey's past.

And, of course, some FF TDs were far too busy whining about promotions to take on the Provos.
In the week that Taoiseach Micheal Martin was criticised for failing to appoint anyone from the North to the Seanad, the unimaginable - a border poll to be canvassed for during Martin's term as Taoiseach - may become more tangible in the months ahead. How things have changed in 16 months. In February 2019, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: "There will be a special place reserved in hell for those who call for a border poll in Ireland with no plan and idea on how to actually deliver it." He was speaking to his new partner Fianna Fail at its ard fheis in Dublin.

Today, Eastwood might be inclined to say there's a place in hell for those who maintain the border with no plan and idea how to operate it under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules or police it as terrorists-turned-smugglers subvert it.

What has changed? Everything. Of course, there is the global pandemic's escalating death toll and widespread economic disruption. Then there's the UK hurtling towards a no-deal Brexit, which would trigger WTO tariffing at our land border.

But last week it became apparent to everyone in Ireland that our border is becoming a wider problem. We learnt Irish people may not be allowed to travel, for business or pleasure, to three of the EU's largest economies, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Our long-standing, reciprocal travel arrangement with the UK and a shared land border means, though we made huge sacrifices to reduce the spread of Covid-19, we look set to remain barred from those countries. Indeed, the border is going to thwart most things both Northern Ireland and the Republic do to revive their economies.

Very soon, our new Government will be faced with a stark choice. Does it re-enforce our border, create a hard border, or might the Government then commence a programme for the ultimate removal of the border, seeking a poll? Under the Good Friday Agreement, only the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can call a border poll and a recent Belfast High Court case (McCord v Secretary of State) could not establish a clear means to trigger one.

What evidence then is there that Micheal Martin would even consider this course of action?

The biggest change is this. In the past it was argued that the Republic of Ireland could not afford Northern Ireland. Now it is becoming ever more obvious neither can we afford the status quo. But what if the transition costs to a new All-Ireland entity were also paid for by the European Union, with contributions in the form of horizon payments from the United Kingdom?

As Fianna Fail entered a historic coalition with Fine Gael (and the Green Party), it was frequently claimed there is now very little difference between the two parties that emerged from the Civil War. But the one key difference is Fine Gael views Northern Ireland as a separate entity attached to the UK, whereas Fianna Fail, the Republican Party, genuinely believes the people of Northern Ireland's futures are better served in an All-Ireland entity.

Please note the change in mood music. A united Ireland is off the table. A growing number of unionists have an open mind to a closer relationship with the Republic, but all of them fear the triumphalism that would be displayed by Republicans in the event of a united Ireland.

Even the Taoiseach's adversaries in Fianna Fail admit he is a strategic thinker. One complained that not only did they not get a hoped-for portfolio, but they didn't even get a text to be forewarned. In this regard, the Cork man has form. In January 2003, he announced that he would introduce legislation to make Ireland the first country in the world to ban smoking in workplaces. His party colleagues at the time were livid that they didn't even get a heads up. But also, it became obvious that the then minister for health and children had long been quietly working on his plan with a strategy to see it through successfully.

As regards his lengthy courtship and his eventual success in partnering with the SDLP, and together with his party colleague senator Mark Daly's roadmap to an All-Ireland solution, the strategic thinker has been reportedly plotting an initiative on Northern Ireland to be sprung from his department's new Shared Island unit.

Micheal Martin has waited nine long years, suffered the ignominy of propping up a Fine Gael-led government, gambled his party's very future by coalescing with Fine Gael, even signing an agreement for shortest ever term as our country's leader, all just to be Taoiseach, or is he about to do something bold and historic?

A civil servant, the late Brendan O'Regan, created the economic free zone at Shannon, a world first, back in 1947, predating the Treaty of Rome by a decade, which created the European Economic Community. The significance of this is that the EU has always acknowledged Ireland is permitted to operate an economic free zone since joining in 1973.

Therefore, there is a precedent to propose converting Northern Ireland to an economic free zone, remaining part of the United Kingdom, but in transition to becoming an independent state within a Federal Ireland.

This all comes with the same type of health warning on the packets of fags when Martin banned the nation from smoking in workplaces. It is merely speculation.

Why would a strategic thinker do something that neutralises his government's main opposition party, Sinn Fein, locks in his partners, Fine Gael and the Green Party, puts his partner, the SDLP, in a lead position on the North's future, and gives himself a glorious moment in history, when he is leading the commemorations of Irish independence in Dublin Castle on December 6, 2022, in has last week as Taoiseach?
The half-hearted apologies from Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and her Northern deputy Michelle O'Neill in response to public fury over their attendance at the funeral of an IRA veteran in Belfast during which social distancing rules were flouted reminded me of a frustrating afternoon I once spent on holiday.

I can't remember what sparked it off. One of the children had said or done something to their younger sister, and an argument ensued. We were walking through a lovely part of rural France, the sun was shining, crickets chirruping, but it just went on and on.

"I'm not sorry I did it," the first child kept saying, "but I'm sorry if it upset you." This in turn provoked the inevitable retort: "Then you're not really sorry, are you?"

Now it's being played out on the national stage. The two women are not actually sorry for attending the funeral of IRA enforcer Bobby Storey, despite being leaders of a party which helped draw up guidelines barring more than 10 family members from attending other funerals. They've made it clear they don't even think they did anything wrong. They're just sorry that it's now causing them trouble.

Realising they had to acknowledge the pain caused to those who've had to bury loved ones during lockdown with no chance to say goodbye, they went for the classic half-apology instead.

Mary Lou, speaking on radio, said the funeral had "caused some hurt" and "for that I am very sorry". Michelle O'Neill said families are "experiencing more hurt" and "I am sorry for that". It's hardly a coincidence that the two women's utterances were practically identical. Do they really think people can't see exactly what's going on here?

The contrition, meagre as it was, didn't even last a day. Asked to clarify her statement a short while later, O'Neill insisted that she would "never apologise for attending the funeral of my friend".

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings comes wisdom: "Then you're not really sorry, are you?"

As ever in Northern Ireland, the row has been horribly politicised, and many, including the SDLP, who are hardly diehard unionists, still think O'Neill should step aside while the matter is investigated; but it probably won't lead to another suspension of the Assembly.

Nor should it. Northern Irish politicians can't pull down Stormont every time they find themselves at odds, especially when there are potentially more divisive issues down the line. To her credit, the response of the DUP's First Minister Arlene Foster has been measured throughout. It's a crisis she neither sought nor welcomes.

But that doesn't mean it couldn't still spiral out of control.

The whole thing has uncomfortable echoes of the Dominic Cummings affair, when those at the heart of the British government bent the rules around social isolation to their own advantage while demanding that everyone else obey stricter guidelines.

That blew over eventually too, but it left a bad taste, and may still do Boris Johnson damage.

Radio and TV in Northern Ireland has been full in recent days of bereaved families sharing their stories of funerals under lockdown. The son of former Belfast trade unionist Lily Kerr died suddenly a few months ago of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 38. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster, she described not being allowed an open coffin, or to keep her son in the house for a wake. They were even forbidden from putting a notice in the local paper in case it encouraged people to turn up. She said that seeing the rules being flouted for Bobby Storey's funeral made her feel that "our loved ones didn't matter".

One elderly woman in a care home had to watch the funeral of her husband of 70 years on a smartphone. It's not just ordinary people who made these sacrifices. Edwin Poots is the DUP's agriculture minister at Stormont. His father died in April. Charlie Poots was a founder member of the DUP, and normally many would have wanted to pay their respects. Instead there was a small, socially distanced funeral in accordance with the rules.

It's for these reasons that this story has such resonance even with people who normally don't follow politics. The least that people expect from those who make the rules is that they don't also break them.

The most serious charge being levelled against SF is that their attendance at the funeral undermines public confidence in the official coronavirus strategy, and might lead people to throw caution to the wind; but ultimately it's the taint of personal hypocrisy which most tarnishes politicians' reputations, and SF keeps providing its detractors with more examples.

Days before Bobby Storey's funeral, Michelle O'Neill also swanned down to Dublin for a photo opportunity at a time when Micheal Martin's own family couldn't come up from Cork to see the new Taoiseach receive the biggest honour of his political life.

The double standards were again on display as SF TDs gathered on the plinth at Leinster House to start life as the official new opposition and studiously abided by HSE advice on maintaining a two metre distance from other people, for all the world as if everybody hadn't seen some of them in Belfast the day before making a mockery of the restrictions.

Being seen to act as if there is one set of rules for important people, and another for the rest, exposed the elite pretensions behind the phoney egalitarian facade.

It could be, though, that a row over breaches of social distancing rules actually suits SF, because it diverts attention from another glaring feature of the funeral, but one which has drawn too little comment, namely the way in which the event was self-policed.

Mary Lou McDonald tried to say that the PSNI had "meticulously planned" the funeral alongside republicans, as if partners in the enterprise. The Assistant Chief Constable resolutely refuted it.

What actually happened is that the police took a back seat, and allowed the event to be "stewarded" by SF itself. Hundreds of unidentifiable men in identical white shirts, black trousers and ties lined the streets for what was a show of strength as much as it was one of solidarity with the dead man's family. This was street theatre designed to send a message.

Just in case there was any doubt, Mary Lou McDonald made it clear that she would have attended the funeral even if she'd been elected Taoiseach last weekend. To put it another way, a woman who aspires to lead the Republic would see no problem, either morally or constitutionally, in a Taoiseach paying homage to a man who not only masterminded the largest bank robbery of recent times, but was in addition a planner and an enforcer in a murderous Mafia-style criminal organisation.

In the circumstances, getting grief for being hypocritical about social distancing may turn out to be the best diversion SF could have hoped for. Better for them that it's their hypocrisy which is exposed rather than their degeneracy.
When a boxer survives a heavy blow and beats the count, it is the next punch that often ends the contest. That could be the outcome for many firms in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe if there is a renewed outbreak of Covid-19, and there have been worrying new surges of infection in Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, around Lisbon in Portugal and Leicester in England.

The health systems around Europe have been strengthened and will be better prepared for the second wave, but the rest of the economy is struggling to beat the count after the first knockdown.

The economic threat from a second wave was highlighted on Thursday by Carsten Spohr, the chief executive of Lufthansa, the German airline which employs 138,000 people and survives courtesy of a 9bn rescue package led by the German government.

Spohr has already warned of up to 26,000 job losses at Lufthansa and fears that a second wave would do even more damage. The 9bn rescue was designed to finance a 'restart and recovery' from the first wave.

The money would not last, he said, through a second wave and the consequent renewed lockdowns. All other airlines around the world would have huge problems and so would much of German business and industry.

Germany has managed the pandemic response better than any other large country in Europe, and the Lufthansa group was regarded as one of the strongest airlines before the virus struck. If Lufthansa is worried about a second wave, the entire tourism and travel industry in Europe, including Ireland, should be worried too.

A renewed outbreak would hit the entire economy, as the Central Bank pointed out in its latest quarterly bulletin. It feels there could be a rebound by 2022, but only if reopening can continue without a second outbreak. A second wave would be more severe than the first, and recovery would be further delayed to 2024, according to the Central Bank.

The threat extends beyond air travel, but access to Ireland is largely by air and the sector is especially vulnerable. Aer Lingus and Ryanair have been most vociferous, along with pubs, hotels and restaurants, in the campaign for early reopening.

Professor Tomas Ryan, of Trinity College, an expert in biochemistry and immunology, argued in the Irish Times last Thursday that opening the island to foreign travel is risky. The two biggest source markets for inbound visitors, which are Great Britain and the USA, have a significantly higher incidence of new infection than the island of Ireland.

Prof Ryan fears that inbound visitors could increase the new case count dramatically, as could Irish holidaymakers returning from the popular Mediterranean destinations. If this were to happen, the reopening of the economy would cease. His comments echo concerns expressed by government medical advisers and other academic experts.

The European Commission has come up with a scheme of preferred status for non-EU countries with acceptable infection risk and the expectation is that Ireland will free up travel, in both directions, with those on the list and with most countries in the EU.

This regime would sit alongside the common travel area with the UK, which might not make a list drawn up by virologists in the light of recent experience with new case rates there. The USA has not made the EU list at all - the first wave has not been contained in the southern and western states.

If a fresh outbreak would bring severe economic damage, bearing in mind that many businesses have been weakened already, the narrative from lobby groups that early reopening lowers the economic cost of the virus response may be untrue.

Saving livelihoods requires the same policies that save lives if Prof Ryan is correct and the tourism and travel industries are trading their longer-term prospects for a temporary injection of cash for a few summer months. The longer-term prospects of firms in all other sectors are on the line too.

The dilemma for politicians is acute. There is real distress in the travel and hospitality sectors, and tourism is highly seasonal. If the opening up of holiday travel is foregone for this year, many operators will go bust. An initiative from Carsten Spohr's own airline announced earlier last week could be particularly relevant to the choices available in Ireland. Lufthansa announced the commencement of on-the-spot covid-testing at its hub in Frankfurt and intends to make the service available at Munich too.

The diagnostic testing company Centogene announced last Tuesday that "it has partnered exclusively with Lufthansa and with Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, to offer Covid-19 testing to passengers flying to and from Frankfurt Airport", and continued: "Passengers flying to or from Frankfurt Airport with Lufthansa will be able to perform the test at a sampling centre conveniently located near the main terminal. This can either be completed the day before traveling or with a fast-track solution the same day before departure. All results are delivered to the passenger via a secure digital platform and connected to their ticket - providing secured clearance for passengers flying to countries with entrance restrictions.

"Additionally, passengers can opt into an ID confirmation service, assuring authorities that the passengers' identities correspond with the test results."

The Centogene solution claims to obviate the need for quarantine restrictions in both directions and the need to police the voluntary self-isolation of arriving tourists and returning holidaymakers, which is what worries the public health professionals.

It would need to be implemented at all airports and ferry terminals on the island open for passenger traffic and the logistics are not straightforward. But if it can be done for the biggest operator at Frankfurt, it should be feasible at Dublin, Ireland's largest airport by far but less than half the scale of Lufthansa's main hub.

The unrestricted opening of air travel in and out of Ireland as envisaged looks like a gamble. If it is too late for the airport testing solutions being implemented at Frankfurt and already in place at several other airports including Reykjavik, the practical alternative is to compensate the travel and hotel industries for a lost season.

The costly measures introduced here by the Government to date, such as the wage subsidy scheme and the forbearance from tax authorities, have been available to all economic sectors.

It needs to be acknowledged that some sectors are uniquely exposed. If the concerns of Prof Ryan about the travel gamble, shared, it would appear by the Department of Health's own experts, are to be heeded, the upcoming July measures will need to include special help for airlines, hotels and others on whom continued restrictions would bear most heavily.
As a boy and later as a journalist, I came face to face with two men who fought for the British Army and two who fought against it. They lived little more than 100 miles from one another, separated by the Border and by very different ideals. They never met - which was just as well, as they would have been mortal enemies.

The man with the eye patch

As a boy I sometimes joined others at the crossroads where we had nothing to do but watch the world go by. One day we saw a man and his wife walk past, then turn towards the nearby town of Ballymena. The man had an eye patch and an empty sleeve, and we knew he had been wounded in the war.

However, it wasn't until recently that I learned that he was the most wounded general in the British Army. He had been shot in the arm, hand, face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip and ear.

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My good friend Gertie Goodhue, who also lived in Ballymena, told me she had often seen him walking past her house and that his name was Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart.

Among other medals, he had been awarded the Victoria Cross - the British Army's highest decoration - and he got it for leading his troops in an attack on a German position in the village of La Boiselle in France during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.During a long military career, he survived two aeroplane crashes and as a prisoner in Italy during World War II, was among the generals who tunnelled their way out of the medieval Vincigliata Castle.

So what was he doing walking past my house in County Antrim?

During the war he commanded the 61st Division for a period in Northern Ireland and had his HQ in Ballymena. Gertie still has her mother's copy of his memoirs, called, strangely enough, Happy Odyssey. When he retired, he lived in Aghinagh House, not far from Macroom in Co Cork, where he died in 1963 at the age of 83.

The man in the wheelchair

As a journalist working in Dublin, I came face to face with a man who might have considered de Wiart a prime target as he had tried to assassinate another senior British officer. I was covering proceedings in the Dail when, for a tight vote, the Fianna Fail government brought in a deputy in a wheelchair. He couldn't go down into the chamber, so he was allowed to vote from the corridor that encircles it. As I looked across at him, I learned that he was none other than the legendary Dan Breen.

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With Armistice Day, de Wiart's first war with Germany was over - but Breen's war with Britain was only beginning. In 1919 at Soloheadbeg in Co Tipperary, he and some others ambushed an RIC patrol escorting a load of gelignite, shooting two of the constables dead. It was the start of the War of Independence. As his actions and notoriety grew, a 1,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.

He was wounded in the right side, lung, arm, hand, and thigh. He was also shot in the left leg in an assassination attempt on the Lord Lieutenant, Sir John French, near the Phoenix Park. In his memoirs, My Fight for Irish Freedom, he recalled that a group of volunteers captured another senior officer, General Lucas, near Fermoy and held him hostage but he escaped.

Following the Civil War, Breen became a TD for Tipperary but after losing his seat in the 1927 general election, went to America. He returned in 1932 and represented his Tipperary constituency until his retirement in 1965. As a lifelong enemy of Britain, he was pro-German and even sent birthday wishes to Hitler. He died in 1969 aged 75.

The quiet man

When General de Wiart was walking back into Ballymena, he would have been unaware that he was passing the house of another man who had been honoured for bravery at the Somme. Like de Wiart, he was the nemesis of Dan Breen, having fought against Germany in both world wars. His name was Hugh Stewart.

As a boy, I would see this tall, quiet man walking straight as a ramrod on his way into the town. Men like him worked long and hard in the fields and on Saturday went into the town for a well-earned drink, a drop of the 'hard stuff' being the custom of the day.

There were at that time some people who were known as hard men and it was rumoured they would engage in the occasional bare-knuckle fight in some secluded back yard out of sight of the public and police. Perhaps it was some of those Hugh had in mind, but it was said that when he had a few drinks, he would return home by way of a certain street, turning his coat inside out to indicate that he could beat any man who lived there.

I don't know if anyone took up the challenge. If not, they probably knew he had fought in both world wars and was not a man to be trifled with.

A member of the 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles in World War I, he was decorated for the stand he took against the Germans at the Somme.

As the battle raged, his battalion managed to push deep into enemy lines but then discovered that the forces on either side had been unable to make the same progress. When the order came to withdraw, he was manning a machine-gun on top of a hill. He stayed at his post and kept on firing until the rest of his crew made it to safety.

For his bravery he was awarded the Military Medal. A notice in the local paper read: "His heroism in holding an outpost in the face of violent attack until its relief won him his distinction."

He died aged 81.

The pimpernel

As a journalist, I met another man who, like Dan Breen, was bitterly opposed to everything de Wiart and Big Hughie stood for. Only later would I learn that he was a lifelong member of the IRA and was secretly involved in reorganising the Provisional IRA for a new campaign against the British Army, a campaign that would last for 30 years. His name was Daithi O Conaill.

He would appear as if from nowhere at Sinn Finn demonstrations outside the GPO in Dublin. He always made a point of having a quiet word with me but never said anything of any importance. It was the same when I found him by my side during the battle of the Bogside in Derry in the early 1970s.

I had reported on the arrival of British troops in the Bogside, the initial welcome, then the running battles as men and women hurled stones and abuse at the troops who fired CS gas and rubber bullets.

When the opportunity allowed, locals would pick up the rubber bullets and metal casings and turn them to their advantage. The bullets were big, about six inches long, and in the gasworks, I was told, a man called Barney McFadden would reinsert them in the casings, inscribe them with the words Battle of the Bogside and mount them on a Perspex stand. They were then sold as a memento of the battle for a nominal sum to support those who manned the barricades 24 hours a day.

It was in a quiet street beside the gasworks that O Conaill appeared by my side. Again, it wasn't what he said to me that was of any importance, but who he was with - a young man called Martin McGuinness. McGuinness invited us into his mother's house for a cup of tea and a chat. Then they were gone, McGuinness to resume the battle of the Bogside, O Conaill to slip back across the border into Donegal.

But how did O Conaill manage to come and go with impunity? I was told that when British troops were checking vehicles at the border, they would wave on, with hardly a glance, a man who was walking two greyhounds, unaware that he was Daithi O Conaill one of the most senior members of the IRA, perhaps even its chief of staff.

He died in 1991.

Tom McCaughren is a journalist, broadcaster and award-winning author
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts recently distributed to federal judges a 19-page handbook on restarting jury trials. The handbook includes advice on PPE, wider use of jury questionnaires and enhanced safety procedures. One possibility is to have jurors wearing face masks, shields and gloves. They would be asked to adhere to social distancing guidelines while in court and in the jury deliberation room. But it is tough enough to get people to serve on juries. When coupled with these restrictions, a fair amount of concern, fear and resentment is likely to make a bad situation worse. This also fails to take into consideration the need to exclude those who are considered at-risk  namely citizens over 65 and those with certain medical conditions. Eliminating this participation erodes the necessity that jurors represent a fair cross-section of the community.
Out of the blue, the natural world comes up with something very scary. It kills people. Wreaks economic havoc. Sets up a conflict between public safety and the economy. It comes back in a second wave and kills again. Frontline workers put their lives on the line and suffer greatly. Science is brought in to beat it. Sounds familiar doesn't it? But guess what: this isn't Covid-19, it's the movie Jaws.

When it was released in 1975, it became the first summer blockbuster movie. It's the seventh highest-grossing film of all time, bringing in over $2bn (1.8bn). The parallels are so striking it's almost as if Jaws was written as an allegory for Covid-19. Perhaps that's why it was released again in the US during the lockdown, earning a further $500,000, mainly from drive-in cinemas.

Remember how in George Orwell's Animal Farm you could figure out that the old pig Napoleon was Karl Marx and Snowball was Trotsky? Mind you, a classmate of mine mustn't have been paying attention the day we discussed how it was an allegory of the Russian revolution. When I told him about this after the Leaving Cert results came out, he realised why he'd failed English. He thought it was a lovely story about a farm and answered the question that came up accordingly. So for him, my old school friend, let me explain about Jaws and Covid-19.

The shark is the virus SARS-CoV2. Both come from apparently nowhere and kill people. Both then seem to go away. Chief Brody puts up warning signs, telling everyone to take care. He's Tony Holohan, promoting awareness and trying to make sure people don't die. Realising how serious it is, Brody brings in Hooper. He's from the Oceanographic Institute and a world expert on sharks. Hooper is the immunologist trying to understand Covid-19 and come up with solutions. Brody wants to close the beaches to protect people, but Mayor Vaughn disagrees. He talks of economic collapse. Vaughn is the equivalent of people understandably worrying about the economy or their businesses. "We need summer dollars." He's like the CEO of Ryanair, Eddie Wilson.

Chief Tony Holohan (read Chief Brody) has advised people not to go on foreign holidays, but Eddie Wilson (read Mayor Vaughn) has said that the blanket ban is "completely disproportionate". He has asked the Government to "get the balance right" between public health and business. He has said: "People will not lose their heads because they are on holidays." I think we can assume he wasn't referring to people getting their heads bitten off by a shark. This view is a bit like Vaughn ensuring that the beaches stay open. Wilson has said that if Ryanair customers follow the chief medical officer's advice and don't fly, they won't get a refund. Vaughn versus Brody. Wilson versus Holohan.

Vaughn also warns Brody about talking about the shark: "You yell 'Shark' and we've got panic on our hands." When they debate the issue at a town hall meeting, two sides emerge. Those who urge caution - "I didn't raise my kids to be some fish's lunch" - and those who don't: "Nobody's seen a shark. We'll lose business. We'll lose our shirt."

When Hooper tries to warn Vaughn, speculating that it's a Great White man-eating shark that is still out there and will come back for its noon feed, Vaughn challenges him, saying: "Like to prove that wouldn't you? Get your name in National Geographic?" Hooper looks exasperated. Actually, maybe Vaughn is a bit like Ivan Yates.

Vaughn ignores the scientific advice and the shark comes back, wreaking further havoc. We hope, of course, that this won't happen with Covid-19 but we can't be fully sure.

Enter Quint, the shark catcher. In Covid-19, Quint is the frontline healthcare worker. He has seen a lot, including surviving the massive shark attack that happened in 1945 when the USS Indianapolis, on its way back from delivering the Hiroshima atom bomb, was sunk by the Japanese. "Eleven hundred of us went into that ocean; 316 got out. Sharks took the rest. June 29, 1945."

Like so many of our health care workers, he has seen an awful lot and has huge experience. He clashes with Hooper the scientist: "You may be a big yahoo in the lab, but out here you're just supercargo."

He takes on the task of killing the shark. With a battered old boat (read insufficient PPE) clearly not big enough, he tries hard, but is eventually killed by the shark. He did his best, but it all became too much of a challenge.

Finally, technology is used serendipitously (as happens a lot in scientific discovery) to kill the shark. A diving tank of compressed air is lodged in the shark's mouth and Brody fires a bullet into it. The shark is blown to pieces. For Covid-19, the diving tank is the vaccine.

We'll need a bit of serendipity, an awful lot of technology, and just one of the different strategies being pursued to make a vaccine that will slay the virus. The 'bigger boat' is the pharmaceutical industry, running at warp speed.

It's all there, right? The battles being fought between public health and businesses. The healthcare workers doing their best. The scientists being challenged. Fear, denial, envy, concerns about reputational damage and professional rivalry. Humans behaving as they usually do, especially in a crisis. But also, people working together. People doing their job. Wanting to do their best for their fellow human beings, using their knowledge, training and experience to keep them safe. Everyone being tested to their limits.

The closing scene says it all. Brody and Hooper are relieved it's all over. They are sad Quint didn't make it. They hope the tide is with them as they swim in on a make-shift raft, kicking in unison. They don't know what day of the week it is. Brody reminds Hooper that he hates the water.

Hooper has the last line in the movie and quips: "I can't imagine why." A little bit of humour in a grim situation going a long way.

Let's hope those pressing for the reopening of our 'beaches' pay heed. The shark is still out there, and, if anything, given the rate at which it continues to spread, is as dangerous as ever.

On July 1, there were 10,446,353 cases and 511,037 deaths, but the numbers are likely to be much higher and the rate at which these numbers are going up continues to accelerate.

Now more than ever we must listen to our own Brody and Hooper. We can then look forward to swimming with the tide, having vanquished the shark that is Covid-19.

* I must take this opportunity to thank our very own Brody, Tony Holohan, who has stepped back from his role as chief medical officer. I'm sure Tony was worried and even scared at times, but never showed it. He was reassuring, working tirelessly and compassionately, doing his best to protect us. And just like Brody, up against it.

He remained steadfast throughout and got us to where we are today: we have the lowest current incidence of Covid-19 in Western Europe - a huge achievement. And I'm sure he will still be on hand to help us again.
Let's have a minister for each county. Who wouldn't want to be the minister for Dublin, or Laois or Mayo?

The 17 junior ministers, plus the 15 Cabinet ministers mandated by Section 28 of the Constitution, plus the two super juniors already appointed, adds up to 34 ministerial positions - more than enough for everyone in the audience.

Why, with a little tweaking we could even have one minister for each of our 39 constituencies.

Would having a Cabinet based on the regions, counties or constituencies really make any part of Ireland more prosperous?

We may be using the wrong approach. The issue may be less 'one-for-everyone-in-the audience' than a problem of trying to have 'one-size-fits-all' policies and governance that tries to suit all of Ireland.

Calls for a better regional spread of ministers falls into the trap of mistaking representation for legislation. It is the specific job of a TD to represent the views of each place - not a minister. What would happen to the role of the 'ordinary' TD when there is also a minister in almost every constituency?

This smacks of populism at its worst. It seeks to bypass the Constitution; diminishes the role of the TD and dilutes governmental accountability. It is a bad idea, notwithstanding the reality that all Cabinets should have a regional balance, of which more later.

The chopping and changing of departments to meet political needs is also a bad idea because of the damage it does to the structure, staffing and operation of central government.

There is nothing wrong with being open to change in pursuit of continuous improvement, but this is not happening in Ireland. Here, such change happens increasingly for political expediency. This practice must be stopped but the people most affected - the civil servants - cannot speak out publicly about the havoc wrought.

Returning to the topic of 'Cromwell's Cabinet', much of the indignation is about the lack of representation. The complaints are framed by using the phrase 'the west of Ireland', as if this is an area that has special entitlements. Too often this formulation is used to make the case for perceived imbalances - some even claiming that the country is divided into 'Dublin and the rest'. This is false, misleading and highly damaging to policy formulation.

It is false because 'rural Ireland' is complex, made up of different places with different issues and opportunities.

There are at least four rural Irelands: west coast, east midlands, north and south midlands.

Within these there are remote areas, areas around towns and the rural towns themselves. Each of these, in turn, have different roles, prospects and needs. It is critical to have fine-tuned policies and governance to deal with this diversity. Populists who try to wrap all this complexity in the handy crowd-pleasing banner of 'rural Ireland' do no favours to those that they seek to rouse or represent.

Two problems arise from generalisations about rural Ireland. The first is the emergence of 'one-size-fits-all' policies for rural areas, which inevitably fit no place well.

The second, bigger problem, is that this debate acts like a smokescreen that blinds us to the continuing disgrace of Ireland's excessively centralised system of governance. The effects on regions of poor policies are the symptoms of centralisation, not of any lack of attention that would be rectified by Cabinet representation.

If we want to deal effectively with the misfits between policies and plans for rural areas, then we need to deal with the causes, not the symptoms.

Countries that take too much control to the centre can never give enough attention to the detailed needs of each different place.

Having more representatives of each region at the centre - as junior or senior ministers - will not solve this problem.

In fact, it only makes it worse, by causing a further increase in the size of central government that struggles to deal with more specific regional issues.

Equally important this does away with the micro-management of local implementation by officials who know little about local issues or sensitivities.

The solution to better regional prosperity, recognised all over the world, is to transfer as much power as possible, as close as possible to the place where the decisions have effect. It is called 'devolution' and it involves giving powers to plan, spend and tax to local politically accountable bodies.

Do not be fooled by the blandishment of 'decentralisation' as a substitute for devolution. It is merely an exercise in musical chairs about where service offices are located that makes no difference to policies or services.

In Ireland we have the beginnings of this system appearing with our three regional assemblies. These need to be dramatically strengthened and politicised, but they are a very good start.

Indeed there might even be a case for having a minister for each of these regions at Cabinet - with each region in turn having a Cabinet of the region's TDs, mirroring the functions of central government as a training ground before progressing to a national Cabinet. This would give permanent and structural representation of the type sought.

In proper systems the central government makes strategic decisions and national budgets - after which the regional government is in charge of implementation and fine-tuning to meet local need.

This might even allow the opportunity to have a smaller Cabinet in charge of unchanging, stable Government departments - no junior ministers.

These changes, in turn, would provide a secure and workable structure for elected mayors that are a recognised pre-requisite for regional prosperity, such as Spain's autonomous regions.

In all of this we need to make the Cabinet smaller and the number of ministers and departments fewer. Evidence suggests that the ideal size of a board is seven and that effectiveness declines with each additional member.

The framers of our Constitution were correct when they specified that the Cabinet should be no smaller than seven and no bigger than 15.

We need to listen to concerns about any lack of regional representation, but the solution is not to make matters worse by having more junior ministers.

If people really want to vote for change, they should vote to change governance, not governments.
"I remember being in the library and someone mentioned that two people our age had had sex at a party. I thought, 'Wow, people do that. This is real'."

Susan, a 22-year-old from the west of Ireland is recounting an incident that occurred during her Leaving Cert year. The then 17-year-old was aware that sex was a hot topic with her peers, but this was the first she had heard of people she knew actually doing it. The first tangible example she had come across that sex might actually be a real thing in real life, and not something dreamt up by marketing executives or Hollywood scriptwriters. Previous to this, she would watch sex scenes on TV and in movies and think, 'That's nonsense, no-one's actually doing that for fun'.

Susan was 11 or 12 when she noticed that her peers started to find others attractive and that it wasn't happening for her. "I wasn't interested in anyone; I wasn't really getting crushes. The narrative was that it would happen for me eventually. By the time I was 15 or 16, it still wasn't happening. I had no sexual feelings at all."

By the time she heard the conversation in the library, Susan had come to the realisation that she was never going to have the same interest in sex as her peers. "For 17-year-olds, having sex and having relationships becomes a massive part of who they are. And you start to realise that the way they are talking about it is not an exaggeration. That's the way they feel things, that's the way they experience their connection to other people.

"The main thing for me was friendship. That's what really stood out. Where other people had sexual desire, I had this really strong connection with my friends. I hate creating that narrative that I was missing something - it was more that while other people connect with people in one way, I connect with people in a different way."

This must have been isolating as a teenager, when everyone else seems to be driven by romance and hormones. Did the friendships change as the others got crushes?

"I will be honest with you, it is quite an isolating thing because it feels like you are standing still and everyone else is moving forward. And everyone else is saying, 'Who do you fancy?' And that classic thing of when you are at the disco, 'Will you shift my friend?' We are in a world where that is what happiness is. That is what connection is. And if you don't go along with that, you are someone who is cold-hearted, who is lonely, who is whatever, so it was difficult."

Did she experience any bullying? "I would have been made fun of in school for - I mean, I hate using this word - but for being 'frigid' and not having kissed anyone. I hate that word so much. That's one of my things - to get people to stop using that word."

It was around this time that Susan began to understand herself as asexual - one who doesn't experience sexual attraction. She had first come across the term a couple of years previously during the campaign for the marriage referendum, while researching the LGBT community. "A lot of people talk about reading the word and the definition and having this movie-type moment where everything falls into place, whereas for me, I read the word and thought 'That's really cool', and scrolled on. Because for me, it was just a word. It wasn't something I had ever encountered in a character in a book. I had never seen an asexual character in a movie. I didn't meet another asexual person until I was 19. It wasn't something I could connect myself with because I had never seen it before."

It also wasn't something she ever discussed with her friends. "I was afraid to bring it up with people as I had no examples of people like me. The obvious assumption was, 'Is there something wrong with me; is there something to be fixed here?' There is a fear of what other people will say if you bring it up.

"And with asexuality - people have not heard of it. Any time you talk about it, you nearly have to bring out the dictionary. There is a stigma around it. There is the stigma of the frigid, the stigma of someone who needs to go to the doctor and have their hormones checked. Someone who is lonely, someone who is repressing who they are."

Moving to Dublin to begin her degree three years ago was a turning point for Susan. She began to tell people she met, friends, that she was asexual. She came out to her parents and her brother, and she describes her family as "incredibly supportive. They raised me, they watched me grow up. I never had any posters of boys on my wall growing up, I never had anyone over. It was kind of clear to them already that this was not a part of my life, so it didn't come as a massive shock."

It was at college that she first met another asexual person, and while she describes it as a wonderful, open environment, she has encountered aphobia - people, well-meaning or otherwise, suggesting that she just hasn't met the right person, or that she might need medication - common tropes thrown at people who identify as asexual. While she is not willing to be named in full or have her photo taken, Susan is keen to tell her story to provide support and representation for other asexual people - particularly those struggling in their school years.

"People hear about asexuality and they think that must be extremely sad. I don't feel any sadness. The only sadness I experience is when people misunderstand me. We live in a world where there is one formula to being happy, but there are several billion people on the planet - to expect everyone to be happy in the same way is crazy."

Sex has never been and, she is certain, will never be part of Susan's life. Not having any desire for sex is one thing, but does she feel that she is missing out on the connection that having sex with someone brings?

"I am not missing anything. People think that sex is intimacy. There are a thousand ways to be intimate with people. You can hold their hand; you can hug them; you can hold them as they cry; you can listen to their deepest secrets; you can bake a cake with them. There are so many ways to be close with people and I have experienced many of those."

And what about a family of her own?

"I haven't thought about that," she laughs. "I am too young. But it is not something I would rule out for myself. I have seen through ace [asexual] meet-up groups that there are asexual people with children; there are asexual people who are married and are incredibly happy."

Susan's experience of feeling like an outsider growing up is not something that surprises Dr Brendan Kelly, author and Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin. Asexuality is something that "pops up from time to time" in the course of his work as a psychiatrist and he believes that our hyper-sexual culture - which saturates everything from movies to music to relationship advice in magazines, and is used to sell everything from cars to children's clothes - while it imposes an unattainable and distortive paradigm on society as a whole, amounts to an "utterly relentless alienation" for asexual people.

There are periods of time when people have a strong sex drive and desire for sexual activity and there are times when people will find that [desire] dipping. All kinds of external things affect this and yet, when we hear of someone with no sexual interest, we treat this as something entirely different.

He is equally vehement in his rebuttal of the common misconceptions about asexuals: that their lack of sex drive is due to a past trauma or sexual abuse. "No. That leads to different kinds of problems with sexuality and it is really discriminatory and prejudicial to suggest that people who identify as asexual do so as a result of adverse experience. That just reflects the lack of understanding on the behalf of other people."

Or that they need to get their hormones checked and/or some other medical issue investigated. "No I wouldn't say that there is a medical component to it, it is incorrect to make an assumption that for someone who identifies as asexual, that this can be explained in medical terms. It is incorrect to assume that there are medical tests indicated. This is just who some people are and it is something we must accept as the diversity of humanity."

Indeed, Professor Kelly believes that asexuality, while it is very much a fixed state for Susan and some of the others interviewed for this feature, is something that a lot of us will drift in and out of throughout our lives.

"What's really interesting is that there is a tendency to treat asexuality as something entirely different, but in fact most relationships have something of a mismatch in the desire for sexual activity in the two partners. Most people are familiar with relationships where one person is more interested in sexual activity, at least for a period of time, compared to the other person, and this can vary over time. What we are looking at, where one person has no interest in sexual activity at all, is just an extreme version of the mismatch with which most couples are familiar.

"What happens normally is there is an adjustment and a couple with a mismatch meets somewhere in the middle. But this changes over time. And it can change radically over time. Again, most people, no matter what their level of sexual desire, are familiar with this. There are periods of time when people have a strong sex drive and desire for sexual activity and there are times when people will find that [desire] dipping. All kinds of external things affect this and yet, when we hear of someone with no sexual interest, we treat this as something entirely different. In fact, we are all familiar with this to a certain extent. The problem is this blithe equation of romance with sexual activity, which distorts relationships for everybody, not just people with particularly low interest or a lack of interest in sexual activity."

But, I suggest, the people interviewed for this piece would argue that a period of low sex drive is not the same thing as asexuality, which for them is an orientation, a way of being:

"Asexuality is for some people an orientation, a fixed state that does not waver, but for other people, they can have periods of it. The point that I am trying to make is that there isn't this big wall dividing people who identify as asexual and people who identify as sexual. There is a continuum of some sort and some people are at one extreme end of that and other people move around a little bit."

DCU student Derek Moore, (26) from Kildare, is familiar with Professor Kelly's analogy of the couples with the mismatched libidos. A homoromantic asexual - "Gay without sex, to put it bluntly; I can do the romantic side of things but the sexual side of thing just doesn't do anything for me" - he has had two serious relationships in his life.

"Neither of them worked out for various reasons. With one of them, it was because they viewed the asexuality as a phase, something that could be cured or corrected, and their view was that because I was tactile, I was just inexperienced or shy about it. Which is a common issue - this idea that you just haven't met the right person. Unfortunately the relationship did fold after about a year - for other reasons, but also because they were more focused on the sexual side of things."

Expand Close Student Derek Moore describes himself as a homoromantic asexual Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook

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With both partners, Derek was clear from the outset that he was asexual. "At the start they said, 'OK, yeah, fair enough' and then wanted to test the water. I don't mind kissing or hugging, but once it goes below the waistline, it's like, 'Really...?' I am apathetic. It is a rather complicated issue - someone should never take control of your sexuality and you shouldn't control anyone else's but when you are in a partnership and there is a give and take, there is a lot of ground you have to cover very quickly in terms of boundaries and consent.

"You have to balance what you are willing to do, but also that you don't inadvertently harm the other person. Because it would be heart-breaking for the other person to put all this emotion into the sex when you are completely disinterested. It is a tricky one. Both sides have to be very open and very willing to work with things."

And has he had sex? "Yes, I have actually. People often say, 'You haven't tried it, so how would you know?' But I have. So there's your answer!"

Derek describes himself as having an all but absent libido. He does masturbate when the need arises, which is very rarely, maybe once or twice a year, and according to him: "It isn't directed outwards. It is almost more like a health thing."

"Issues can arise in relation to relationships because there is an assumption that if you become involved in a romantic relationship, by default it becomes a sexual relationship.

He understands that people might find this confusing, the fact that an asexual man can get an erection. "People assume the physical reaction is connected to an emotional reaction. But for me, the emotional connection is totally unrelated to sex. For asexual people, sex and romantic love works differently."

He would like people to know that asexuality is normal, and for anyone who is exploring asexuality to know: "You are not broken. There is a big feeling of something not working, or something not right. But it's OK. It is just you. You are not damaged. A lot of people feel that because they can't project this sexuality on to themselves that there is something wrong or they need to be fixed."

Trish Toal is a psychotherapist who specialises in gender identity and sexuality and has asexual clients. Some come as individuals to explore fully what to be asexual means for them and others as part of a relationship try to negotiate issues similar to those outlined by Derek.

"Issues can arise in relation to relationships because there is an assumption that if you become involved in a romantic relationship, by default it becomes a sexual relationship. Asexuals can have very strong romantic feelings, and asexuality is on a continuum - some asexual people can have a sexual relationship with someone they are in a relationship with, but they have to have a very strong romantic collection.

"At the other end of that continuum is people who have no interest in having a sexual relationship but they are interested in having a very strong committed relationship with somebody. For couples, you help them to negotiate boundaries and talk about the expectations from each person and how they can be met and managed."

And has she seen happy relationships where one partner is asexual?

"Absolutely," she replies. "As long as you are with someone who respects you, who gets you, wants to be in that relationship with you, there is absolutely no reason why someone who is asexual cannot have a full and happy relationship. Sex isn't the be-all and end-all."

Jennifer, a 33-year-old professional from Dublin, hopes Trish Toal is right. She is currently exploring her sexuality in the context of asexuality, although she is not a fan of labels. "I like the idea of the new version of queer where you don't have any sort of label, it is just how you feel."

Jennifer has been going to sex therapy, on and off, since her 20s to try and resolve her issues with penetrative sex. "I am positive towards sex," she says, "and I enjoy parts of it, but when it comes to the penetrative sex it just doesn't interest me." It was in a therapy session that she first heard the word asexual - not in relation to Jennifer herself, but her therapist had mentioned it in the wider context of sexual orientations.

"I shrugged it off as 'I can climax, I can turn myself on' so I didn't think that it was anything related to me," she told me. "But the longer I struggled with penetrative sex and relationships, the more I wanted to explore it."

"There are things that come up about asexuality that I relate to and that is where I lean towards it. I don't know if I will ever get to the point where I label myself as asexual, because the issue, with me, is the label. The word asexual."

Would she feel that being labelled asexual would make her feel that she was missing out on something? Or closing off possibilities?

"I think in some ways, yes," she says. "Because everything is about sex so I feel there is something everyone else gets, but I don't get, and that is frustrating. Rather than missing out, it is more a frustration."

And would she like to have a family some day?

"I suppose not knowing whether or not to label myself as asexual is stopping me from starting a family. Half of that pressure to have children is society and half of it is that I want it. I have kind of made a promise to myself that I won't give up that hope."

Natalya Price, Dublin-based sex therapist with Mind and Body Works, shares Jennifer's resistance to asexuality as a label.

"If we really go by the label 'asexual' and we look at it as an identity, it limits us from actually exploring people's lived experiences," she says. "Sexuality is all about diversity, and asexuality is also very diverse. There are as many experiences as there are people. So if you lump them into a term or a concept, it really limits what can they have, what is it like for them, what can they enjoy and what are they not willing to do."

Having worked as a student counsellor before specialising in sex therapy, Price is particularly cautious about labels for those in their teens and early 20s.

"There is a real need for them to find who they are, validate their experience, and belong to a group, so they are on a major mission in search of their identity," she believes. "If they are struggling socially, to find a partner, or be sexual with anybody, a lot of the time they find asexuality is a place to hide. There is a place for people to know there is asexuality, but I don't subscribe to the idea that should be thought of as an identity for the rest of your life. It might fit your experience right now, it might fit your experience for the rest of your life, but sexuality is very rich and complicated. Staying open is really important."

Indeed, in her work as a sex therapist, Price says she has witnessed change over time: "I've seen people in their 30s and they have told me that they had no sex drive in their 20s, it has just taken them a lot longer to get to that place and start feeling certain feelings. I had a client who said to me, 'I am asexual, always have been, and now I have two people at work that I am attracted to, what is that about?' We all have our developmental path as well, somebody gets sexual when they are 12, and some when they are 27. Who is to say what's right?"

It is understandable that most of the people who spoke to me for this article opted to remain anonymous. Asexuality is all but absent in our culture. As Susan outlined previously, there is a dearth of asexual representation in literature or cinema. There is however, quite a lively online movement with many Twitter, Instagram and Facebook groups uniting asexuals, which can be traced back to 2001, when a 20-something from San Francisco named David Jay set up the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network (Aven). Like Susan and Derek, David realised as a young teenager that he, unlike his peers, had no interest in the watercooler conversations about who was hot, and who fancied whom.

All the dominant narratives told him it would happen for him eventually, or that there was something wrong with him. His mission with Aven was to raise visibility and educate people out of the notion that asexuality was a medical or a psychological condition, and into the understanding of it as a part of the spectrum of human sexuality.

He had particular issue with the conflation of asexuality with pathology and the condition Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). When he noticed that many asexuals who connected with Aven were being misdiagnosed with HSDD, he began lobbying the medical community to have asexuality removed from the definition of the disorder from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic bible for mental-health practitioners; for context, it was 1987 before homosexuality was removed completely from the DSM having been similarily amended in a previous edition).

It was a somewhat successful endeavour as when the fifth edition of the DSM was published in 2013, the definition of HSDD differentiated between lifelong lack of sexual desire and other forms of the disorder, such as a temporary or a specific lack of desire. While it still designates asexuality as a condition to be diagnosed and thus solved, it was considered progress: "Eventually, the goal is for asexuality to not be considered a disorder at all," Jay said at the time. "But this is still a victory. It'll provide us with the ammunition that we need to engage with mental-health professionals and to change the experience that [asexuals] have in a clinical setting."

The asexual movement was gaining some traction in local US media. Jay appeared on local talk shows and in newspaper and magazine articles, and in 2012 he took part in a documentary that appeared on Netflix titled (A)sexual.

"Asexuality is simply a lack of sexual attraction, there are still asexuals who have sex for whatever reason, there are asexuals who have children, and there are asexuals who don't do any of that.

Last year, on this side of the Atlantic, 24-year-old UK model Yasmin Benoit injected new energy into the online community when she started the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike movement by posting pictures of herself under the hashtag and calling on others to do the same. Benoit, who identifies as aro-ace (aromantic asexual, not interested in romantic relationships and doesn't experience sexual attraction), says that the campaign resulted in people from all over the world of all genders and ages reaching out to her:

"Despite the range of people, the experiences are often quite similar," she tells me. "An issue we are all dealing with is invisibility and the misconceptions surrounding asexuality. #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike was a direct response to people telling me that I don't 'look' asexual. While many don't know much about asexuality, there are still stereotypes attached to it. I wanted to show that there is no one asexual look or demographic, and give the agency back to asexual people so that we can represent ourselves."

David Jay's Aven has continued to grow since 2001 and works closely with Irish asexual groups here. According to one activist who also does not wish to be named, while conventional wisdom asserts that just 1pc of the population are thought to be asexual, studies Aven has conducted with various universities indicate that the proportion might be as high as 3pc to 4pc. This amounts to 250-300 million people globally and possibly 300,000 people in Ireland alone.

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"This includes people who aren't even aware themselves that they are asexual," the Irish activist continues, "Because although the terminology surrounding asexuality has become a bit more common in the past few years - every day, there are people of all ages, some in their 80s or 90s, coming across the term and realising that it applies to them."

There are regular meet-ups in Dublin, Galway and Belfast for anyone who identifies as aromantic or asexual, and while they are mainly attended by younger people - from teens to late 30s, there have been attendees in their 40s and 50s, with a mix of singles and those in relationships.

"There's a common misconception that asexuality is the same as celibacy, which it isn't," according to one of the meet-up organisers. "Asexuality is simply a lack of sexual attraction, there are still asexuals who have sex for whatever reason, there are asexuals who have children, and there are asexuals who don't do any of that. It's not just a one-size-fits-all situation, we're a nuanced bunch of individuals, just like everybody else."

Pauline (29) realised that she was asexual last year, when her lack of interest in sex led to the failure of another relationship. She began researching to see if there were others like her and came across the Dublin meet-ups. "The first meeting I went to was in a coffee shop and I arrived and saw at least 20 people and I thought, 'This is not my group, it's just not possible'. But it was. One man was in his 50s, there were a lot of 18-20s and a lot of people in their 30s - a whole range of people, and it was really nice. The guy who was 50 said he only discovered it recently. He had been married and had not thought about doing anything else. He had never considered that there were other ways of living in society, that marriage was not the only way to live."

Originally from France, Pauline finds Ireland an easier place to be herself. "Society is pushing people to marry and have sex and people don't realise there could be something else. In Ireland it is OK, but in France if you are not married with children before you are 35, people will look at you weirdly and ask you what is wrong with you. That is why I like Ireland. They don't look at you and judge how you are living. They just accept you the way you are. It is a great country."

For more information, see asexuality.org. Anyone looking to get in touch with or join an asexuality group in Ireland should send a message to facebook.com/IrishAces
When Bill Clinton flew into London in September 2002, doors flew open for him. He had stepped down as US president after two terms only the year before, and was on his way to address the Labour Party conference.

Among the opened doors were those to Buckingham Palace, when Prince Andrew invited him to tour the palace. At the time, no one could imagine the visit would come back to haunt all those taking part. But it has, following discovery of a photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell sitting on the ornate throne used by Queen Elizabeth for her coronation in 1953.

Next to her is Bill Clinton's friend Kevin Spacey - then Hollywood royalty and shortly to become artistic director of the Old Vic - in the place normally occupied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Maxwell is now ensconced in the far more spartan surroundings of a police cell in New Hampshire after her arrest last Thursday, following a year-long investigation by the FBI. She is charged with helping to recruit and groom underage girls for her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier, a friend of Prince Andrew's, and faces questions over the extent of Andrew's knowledge of events.

Spacey's career and reputation were left in tatters after he was accused in 2017 of making unwanted sexual advances to a 14-year-old actor and a string of other young men. Charges against him were later dropped.

And Prince Andrew is now back at the centre of the scandal surrounding Epstein's sordid activities, with US prosecutors saying they would "welcome" his testimony as part of the ongoing FBI investigation. Yesterday it emerged that Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, is facing a diplomatic quandary after US prosecutors submitted a formal request for Andrew to speak to them

At the time, the photo, had it been released, would have been seen as a light-hearted if somewhat disrespectful memento of a celebrity visit. But with the passing of time, the picture is now raising eyebrows around the world, and has come to assume a much more disturbing significance, showing as it does just how close Maxwell was at the time to her friend Prince Andrew.

It was him after all who had invited her and Spacey, along with Bill Clinton, to the private tour of Buckingham Palace. Clinton was in London en route to the Labour Party conference in Blackpool, where he was guest of honour.

On the evening of his speech, Clinton expressed a desire for a burger and was accompanied by Tony Blair's then director of communications Alastair Campbell to a McDonald's on Blackpool's Golden Mile - to the astonishment of the locals.

Among the burger party in Blackpool was Spacey, who had come up from London with Clinton. Before arriving in the UK, Clinton had spent seven days on a tour of Africa, along with Maxwell, Spacey and fellow US actor Chris Tucker, on Epstein's private jet, a Boeing 727 reportedly nicknamed the Lolita Express.

Photographs show Clinton posing for the cameras with his arm around Maxwell on the steps to the plane.

It is not clear if Epstein was present on that humanitarian trip to Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, and South Africa organised for the Clinton Foundation. Flight logs appear to show the former president was a frequent user of Epstein's jet, taking at least 26 trips on the plane. In the early years of his post-presidency, Bill Clinton took four trips on the plane with stops in Europe, Africa and Asia, in at least one case with Epstein present. Indeed the same year as the Africa trip Clinton praised Epstein for his charitable work in a magazine profile.

Last year, Mr Clinton - against whom there are no accusations - firmly distanced himself from Epstein, with his spokesman saying on Twitter that the former president knew nothing of Epstein's "terrible crimes".

At the end of the Africa tour, the party arrived in London, where Andrew invited Clinton, Spacey and Maxwell to visit Buckingham Palace.

The Throne Room is normally only accessible through public tours or during state visits and official royal functions. For anyone other than the Queen or Prince Philip to sit on the chairs is unthinkable and would invite disciplinary action if it were a member of staff.

Rumours had circulated previously about the visit to the palace, though officials dismissed them, saying Prince Andrew had "no recollection" of it taking place. It is not thought Epstein was present, although he had previously visited Sandringham and Windsor Castle along with Maxwell, as Andrew's guest.

In June 2000, Epstein and Maxwell were among a star-studded guest list at a party hosted by the Queen at Windsor. Andrew later told the BBC that Epstein was there at his invitation, and was to some extent Ms Maxwell's "plus one".

A year before the palace photo was taken, the Duke appeared with Maxwell in another picture. This one showed him with his arm around a 17-year-old teenager called Virginia Roberts - now Virginia Roberts Giuffre - at Maxwell's Belgravia House, a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. Ms Giuffre claims she and the Duke danced at Tramp nightclub in London before having sex that night. The Duke has consistently denied her claims.

Ten months on, Maxwell was posing for the camera again - this time at the very heart of the British establishment. How different that Buckingham Palace photo looks now.

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Britain's Prince Andrew has been named in a federal lawsuit by a woman who claims the royal was present at Jeffrey Epstein's New York mansion when she was raped by the late billionaire.

Caroline Kaufman, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offence in December 2010, says she was invited to Epstein's Manhattan home by an associate for a "modelling interview".

Ms Kaufman, now 26, alleges that she was escorted to a massage room by an "older woman" who she believes to be Ghislaine Maxwell, where she was raped by Epstein.

"Kaufman was screaming for help during this encounter, but no one came to her rescue," the lawsuit - filed last Thursday in the Southern District of New York - alleges.

Ms Kaufman does not claim that the Duke of York took part in the incident, only that he was present in Epstein's Manhattan mansion beforehand.

"Upon entering Epstein's Manhattan home, Kaufman was introduced to a number of people. One of these individuals to whom she was introduced within the Epstein mansion was Andrew Albert Christian Edward a/k/a Prince Andrew, Duke of York," the lawsuit says.

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The new claims are likely to raise further questions for the royal, who is already under increased scrutiny for his ties to the late billionaire following the arrest of his longtime friend and Epstein's former girlfriend Maxwell last Thursday.

Maxwell was charged with multiple crimes related to the late billionaire's abuse of minors - among them the transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. Her arrest came one year after Epstein himself was arrested and taken into custody in New York, where he killed himself.

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When announcing the charges last week, Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney in the Southern District of New York, reiterated a call for the Duke of York to co-operate with US law enforcement in its investigation into Epstein's abuse.

"We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us. We would like to have the benefit of his statement," she said at a press conference in Manhattan.

Prince Andrew was named in a previous civil case in 2015 by another of Epstein's victims. Virginia Roberts - who later changed her name to Virginia Giuffre - said she was forced to have sex with the prince three times between 2001 and 2002, in various locations.

The prince has repeatedly denied that allegation, and of having any knowledge of Epstein's abuse. Asked whether Prince Andrew intends to submit a statement following the US attorney's remarks, a source close to his legal team said: "The duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month, and to date, we have had no response."

Prince Andrew's legal representation and public relations team both refused to comment when asked by reporters about Ms Kaufman's claim that the two met at Epstein's New York mansion in December 2010.

The new claim comes as a lawyer acting for dozens of Epstein's alleged victims accused Prince Andrew of "deliberately evading authorities". Ben Edwards, who represents 55 women who claim they were abused by the disgraced financier, says he believes Andrew has information that could help US law enforcement with their investigation.

In an interview with Sky News, Mr Edwards said he had contacted the prince "at least three times" but that the 60-year-old had not responded. Representatives for Andrew have previously denied claims that he has not made himself available to the FBI for an interview.

Andrew has come under increasing pressure after a difficult interview with the BBC last year. A second lawyer representing several of Epstein's accusers has said the duke's silence on the investigation amounted to a "torture test" for the victims.

Gloria Allred also alleges that the prince has been evading US detectives. "The question is, Prince Andrew, when is he going to tell what he knows? He needs to do that. He needs to do it without delay," she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

"It is so traumatising and difficult for the victims not to know the truth. And this kind of torture test that Prince Andrew is subjecting the victims to, like will he or won't he give a statement, if he will, when? More excuses, more delays, it really is painful for many of the victims. It's just not fair."

Ms Kaufman's lawsuit provides further insight into how Epstein and his associates groomed and abused young girls, and how the victims were intimidated into silence. It names Susan Hamblin, who was employed by Epstein, as the person who set up the meeting at Epstein's mansion. It alleges that Ms Hamblin approached Ms Kaufman at a horse show in Lake Placid in early 2010 and asked if she was a "model".

"Hamblin then told Kaufman that her 'boss' could help Kaufman get into the modelling industry. During these conversations, Kaufman made clear to Hamblin that she was only 16 years old at that time," the lawsuit says.

Ms Kaufman says she met Prince Andrew shortly after arriving at Epstein's Manhattan mansion some time in December 2010. The prince's visit came two years after Epstein's conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Prince Andrew was pictured with Epstein in the same time period that Ms Kaufman alleges the assault took place. When later questioned about his visit to Epstein at the time, Andrew said he went to "put an end to the friendship".

"After a short period of time, Kaufman was escorted to a private area and told to completely undress for an older woman who took some photos of Kaufman. Kaufman is under the reasonable belief and understanding now that this older woman was Ghislaine Maxwell," the lawsuit says.

"While Kaufman remained in the private area, Maxwell left the room with the camera.

"Shortly thereafter, Maxwell came back and advised Kaufman that her 'boss' wanted to meet her. Kaufman then put a bikini back on and was escorted by Maxwell into a massage room. Epstein was nude on the massage table as she entered the room."

Ms Kaufman says she was then threatened with retaliation if she spoke out. "Upon finishing, Epstein left the room and Kaufman put on her bikini and clothes and started hyperventilating. She then exited the massage room. Upon exiting the massage room, Hamblin handed Kaufman $500 cash and said 'Mr Epstein is a very powerful man and he knows presidents. If you say anything he will kill you and your family.'"

Ms Kaufman is seeking damages from Epstein's estate - which is valued at 570m - for the alleged rape and sexual assault.

Independent
At the foot of Mount Rushmore's granite monument to his presidential forebears, US President Donald Trump last Friday delivered a dark speech ahead of Independence Day - in which he sought to exploit America's racial and social divisions and rally supporters around a law-and-order message that has become a cornerstone of his reselection 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 US 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 were under assault from protesters who have defaced and torn down statues. As he has done with increasing fervour 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. 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 had touted as a weekend of celebrations around Independence Day that would continue with the president presiding over another fireworks event in Washington last night.

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 re-election campaign with events in front of large crowds outside Washington was set back for a second time - after his son's girlfriend tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, ahead of the presidential circus arrival in South Dakota.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign fundraiser who is dating his son Donald Trump Jr, 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 last Friday evening.

In his remarks, Trump, whose son Eric and daughter Tiffany were in attendance, did not mention Guilfoyle and in fact 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 minimise the threat from the pandemic as he pushes for much of the nation to reopen businesses, touting last 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, are 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 motorway 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. Police also towed away 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 US territories' flags fly.

Mississippi's legislature voted last 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 - which did not practise social distancing - stood and applauded, while chanting: "USA! USA!"

 Washington Post
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 an eastern European shtetl. He lost most of his family in the Holocaust, escaped the Nazis and earned combat honours as a volunteer in the British army as Ivan du Maurier.

After Germany's surrender, he 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, in 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 mansion donated for more civic purposes by the family of Lady Ottoline Morrell, whose salon hosted Virginia Woolf and TS Eliot.

The youngest of Maxwell's nine children, Ghislaine, hosted parties at the mansion, known as Headington Hill Hall, while at Oxford University. Thus she learned the power of money in making glamorous friends.

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 Daily News, in 1991. Maxwell's London tabloid war with Rupert Murdoch was going global. But it all fell to pieces. Mysterious to the end, Maxwell pitched over the side of his massive yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, off the coast of Spain as his empire collapsed into a rubble of looted pension funds.

Some said suicide. Some said murder. Some said heart attack. Some said a fat and sleepy old man had just lost his balance. Ghislaine's patron was dead, her family was broke and she was turning 30. An indictment unsealed July 2 in Manhattan's US District Court picks up the story: "From at least 1994 through at least 1997, GHISLAINE MAXWELL assisted, facilitated, and participated in Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Jeffrey Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to MAXWELL and Epstein to be under the age of 18."

Nearly a year after the arrest and fishy jailhouse suicide of wealthy serial sex abuser Epstein, his friend and alleged procurer Maxwell has followed him into the hoosegow. Her arrest suggests that federal prosecutors are serious about their promise to pursue this scandal beyond Epstein's death. The public still knows too little about the sources of Epstein's jet-owning, mansion-hopping wealth; about his relationships with powerful men, including US president Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew, Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, and billionaire Leslie Wexner; and about the nature of alleged photographs and possible video recordings seized from the safe in his Upper East Side townhouse.

Maxwell likely knows as much as anyone. Whether she'll become a cooperating witness is an open question. The dates in the indictment suggest there is vivid testimony to be had about a lesser-known period in this sordid saga before 2008, when Epstein's Palm Beach sex-trafficking scheme resulted in his conviction for soliciting prostitution involving a minor.

Girls recruited girls, who recruited other girls in turn to "massage" a creepy guy in a mansion. Each new circle of recruitment added a little distance between Maxwell and her friend's insatiable, felonious, perversion.

Ghislaine Maxwell is no slacker in the mystery department. Perhaps instead of inheriting wealth from her father, she inherited his gift for shifting identities. She tried "Epstein's girlfriend," in the 1990s. But he must have broken the news to her that he wasn't into grown-ups. So, the indictment suggests, she adopted a more indispensable persona: his networker.

Now, as men in his cabal watch nervously, another identity beckons: betrayer of Epstein's secrets.

Washington Post
SLOVENIA decided to remove the Czech Republic, Croatia, and France from the green list, i.e., the list of epidemiologically safe counties.

It means that these countries are on the yellow list as of yesterday. On the other hand, Belgium and the Netherlands are on the green list as of yesterday.

There are no considerable restrictions for the Slovenia residents that arrive from these countries, but citizens of these countries who enter and stay in Slovenia will be made more difficult. On the other hand, the Slovenians who come from the countries on the red list will be ordered to quarantine.

All people only transiting through Slovenia who exit within 12 hours of entry can cross the border without restrictions.

Slovenia has a system with three colors - green, red, and yellow. The epidemiologically safe countries are on the green list, the countries where the epidemiological situation has worsened is on the red list, and other countries are on the yellow list.

The Croatian Tourism Association commented on the system and said that tourists from the EU still enter and leave Croatia without any problems.

Arriving in Slovenia from the countries included on the green list

Persons with permanent or temporary residence in a country included in the green list traveling from these countries may enter Slovenia without restrictions or quarantine.

Entry into Slovenia from the countries included in the yellow list

Rules for EU member states or Schengen Area states on the yellow list

Slovenian citizens and foreigners with a permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia who are traveling from the EU Member States or Schengen Area may enter Slovenia without quarantine if they provide proof of ownership of real estate or a vessel where they have been staying or an original receipt for accommodation in these countries or an official crew list in case of chartering a vessel. If a person cannot provide such proof, they will be treated as though they are traveling from a country with a high risk of infection with COVID-19 (from the red list) and will be ordered to quarantine.

The exception for Slovenian citizens and foreigners with permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia does not apply if they are traveling from countries with a worsening epidemiological situation (countries on the red list).

What does it mean for the Croatian residents and other residents of the countries that Slovenia put on the yellow list?

Daily migration workers and residents in transit through Slovenia or who transit goods through Slovenia, as well as diplomatic passports holders, don't have to do the coronavirus test. Transit through Slovenia can last up to 12 hours, and only necessary stops are allowed.

Who has to get tested for COVID-19?

For other exceptions, an entry to Slovenia without a two-week quarantine is possible, but they have to provide the result of a test proving that they are negative for COVID-19, which must not be older than 36 hours. It applies to weekly commuting cross-border workers, persons engaged in trade, persons with a medical appointment, persons who cross the border for reasons of education and training, persons who cross the border to attend a funeral, persons maintaining contact with immediate family members, persons with urgent unavoidable personal errands, persons who lease land and persons with a confirmed booking for an overnight stay in Slovenia (if the booking was made when the person's country was on the list of epidemiologically safe countries (green list)

The rules for the countries from the yellow list who aren't EU member states nor members of Schengen Area

If the country from the yellow list isn't an EU member state or a member of the Schengen Area, Slovenian citizens and foreigners with a permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia also have to quarantine except the people falling under exceptions referred to in point 10.

Other countries, i.e., foreigner, upon entry to Slovenia, will be ordered to quarantine, except the people falling under one of 16 exceptions referred to in point 10.

Exceptions are weekly commuting cross-border workers, persons engaged in trade, persons with a medical appointment, persons who cross the border for reasons of education and training, persons who cross the border to attend a funeral, persons maintaining contact with immediate family members, persons with urgent unavoidable personal errands, persons who lease land and persons with a confirmed booking for an overnight stay in Slovenia (if the booking was made when the person's country was on the list of epidemiologically safe countries (green list). They have to provide the result of a test proving that they are negative for COVID-19, which must not be older than 36 hours.

Exceptions are those with a booked overnight stay in Slovenia

The quarantine will not be imposed on persons who are traveling from countries that were on the list of safe countries (green list) at the time when accommodation was booked in Slovenia, even though the country was later removed from the list of safe countries ( green list). They must provide the result of a test proving that they are negative for COVID-19, which must not be older than 36 hours and was performed in an EU Member State or a Schengen Area country.

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Arriving in Slovenia from a country on the red list

The red list includes the countries with a worsening epidemiological situation.

A 14-day quarantine will be imposed on persons entering Slovenia who have permanent or temporary residence in a red-list country and on all other persons, irrespective of their nationality or country of residence, who are arriving in Slovenia from one of these countries, except for persons falling under one of the six exceptions specified in Article 10 (points 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) of the Ordinance.

Exceptions apply to:

- persons posted to carry out tasks in the international transport or returning from such tasks who prove this at the time of crossing the border by means of a special certificate

- persons carrying out the transport of goods into Slovenia or from Slovenia to another country and the transport of goods in transit who exit Slovenia within 12 hours of entry

- persons engaged in trade or activities who upon crossing the border provide proof of conducting trade or activities in Slovenia or abroad (a certificate of registration for the commencement of the provision of services and an A1 certificate in accordance with the act governing the cross-border provision of services) and exit Slovenia within 24 hours of entry or submit a test result proving that they are not infected with the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus. If such person is employed by a foreign company providing a service in Slovenia and resides in Slovenia, they must also submit their address of residence in Slovenia and a test result proving that they are not infected with the novel. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus

- persons transiting Slovenia while traveling to another country within 12 hours of entry

- persons with diplomatic passports

- persons who provide services for which they have been issued a certificate by the competent ministry and regarding whom the imposition of quarantine could result in major social or economic damage due to the non-provision of these services.

Persons exempt under points 2 and 7 must at the time of crossing the border also provide the result of a test performed in an EU Member State or a Schengen Area country, proving that they are negative for COVID-19, which must not be older than 36 hours.

Persons ordered to quarantine may only enter Slovenia at certain border crossings or control points

Persons that are ordered to quarantine upon entry to Slovenia can only enter at certain crossings. Regarding Croatia, those are border crossings Gruskovje, Obrezje, Metlika, and Jelsane. Regarding Hungary, the control point is Pince. The border crossing point for international air traffic is the Ljubljana Joze Pucnik Airport in Ljubljana.

Counties on the green list

The countries whose residents with permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia (green list) are permitted to enter without quarantine are Hungary, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Norway, Slovakia, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Malta, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Counties on the red list

Exceptions do not apply for those arriving from or have a permanent or temporary residence in any of the countries from the red list, with a few exceptions.

The countries on the red list are the following: Qatar, Bahrain, Chile, Peru, Armenia, Djibouti, Brazil, Panama, Belarus, Andorra, Singapur, Sweden, Maldives, Sao Tome and Principe, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Moldova, Russia, the USA, Gibraltar, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Gabon, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Republic of South Africa, Iran, the UK, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Portugal, Albania.

If a country is not on the list of safe countries (green list) or the list of countries with a worsening epidemiological situation (red list), it means that it is on the yellow list.
The United Arab Emirates announced a broad government restructuring on Sunday for more "agile and swift" decision-making following the coronavirus pandemic, merging government entities and appointing new economy and industry ministers.

The head of Abu Dhabi's national oil company ADNOC, Sultan al-Jaber, was named as industry and advanced technology minister and Abdullah al-Marri was appointed economy minister.

The restructuring was announced by UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum on his official Twitter account.

The energy and infrastructure ministries were merged under a single portfolio to be headed by current energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei.

An ADNOC spokesperson said al-Jaber would retain his post as ADNOC chief executive.

"The aim ... is a government that can more quickly make decisions and deal with changes and more adeptly seize opportunities in dealing with this new stage in our history; a swift and agile government," Sheikh Mohammed said.

He gave it a year to achieve priority targets for the country, which is the region's business, trade and tourism hub.

Changes include abolishing half of government service centers and converting them to digital platforms within two years and merging around half of federal agencies.

The Federal Water and Electricity Authority, Emirates Post, Emirates General Transport Corp, and Emirates Real Estate Corp were placed under the Emirates Investment Authority.

The economy ministry got two ministers of state -- Ahmed Belhoul for business and small and medium enterprises, and Thani al-Zeyoudi for foreign trade. Omar al-Olama was named minister of state for digital economy and artificial intelligence.

"The future working environment in medicine, education and trade will change dramatically and we aim to be at the forefront of these changes," Sheikh Mohammed said.

In June, the central bank forecast that the oil-exporting country's economy would likely contract by 3.6% this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The non-oil private sector grew in June for the first time this year, emerging from months of contraction as coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

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In 2016, Kristin Floberg, an engineering masters student at UConn working under the direction of Professor Norman Garrick, was able to quantify the damage highways did to Bridgeport. Her study showed that in 1913, downtown Bridgeport was 21% streets and highways and 30% buildings, while in 2013 those numbers flipped to 19% buildings and a stunning 42% streets and highways. In a devastating conclusion, Floberg found that after the construction of the highways, Route 8 and Interstate 95 made Bridgeport less walkable and livable, stating, When there is a loss in urban fabric the city becomes less livable. It is uncomfortable and unengaging for pedestrians to walk across expanse blank spaces.
Believe it or not, its been over 100 days since most of us started working out of our homes! While we have finally taken a liking to our work routine, the leisure activities have reached a dead end. How much can you keep up with news, binge-watch movies and shows, catch-up with old friends and cook new dishes, right? The saturation point has seeped in and motivation level has hit rock-bottom.

family llb

If you are not a book-reader then this is the time to venture into the world of books as itll help you escape reality and teleport you into another universe. Its understandable that not everyone can cultivate a reading habit right from childhood. However, this is the right opportunity for those who have always wanted to start but needed directions on where to begin with.

To help you start a never-ending love affair with books, here are 17 books thatll change you for the better:

1. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis

This novella tells the story of Dr. Jekyll, who produces a drug that allows Mr. Hyde, the evil side of his personality or his alter ego to take control. However, it doesnt end the way that Dr Jekyll had anticipated.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is a story of Elizabeth Bennet who lives with her mother, father and sisters in the English countryside. She being the eldest has huge pressure to marry and is then introduced to Mr Darcy by her parents. Darcy is handsome and upper-class and theres instant attraction. However, their temperaments are somewhat opposite and it threatens the longevity of the relationship. This novel is such a nice read that it inspired many movie adaptations as well.

read it forward

3. All Quiet on the Western Front by Paul Baumer

This book illustrates the tragedies of war. Its a first hand account as the author shares his own experiences in World War 1. Baumer was 20-years-old when he and a group of young Germans enlisted in World War I after being captivated by slogans of patriotism and honour.

4. The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

If you have read the story of Tom Sawyer as a kid, you would know about his notorious friend Huck Finn. A standalone novel on the latter, the story revolves around Huck who is in search of freedom and adventure. He escapes from his house and finds a canoe to shove off down the river. He decides to run away and embarks upon many adventures along his journey.

the motley fool

5. Frankenstein by Mark Shelley

It is a story about gifted scientist Victor Frankenstein who created a monster and the disasters that follow. Frankenstein narrates his story to an explorer called Robert Walton on how he assembled a creature, brought it to life and fled in terror. The creature was rejected by humans and came to realize the horror of his existence, blaming Victor. The creature went on a crusade to hunt down Victor and killed his loved ones.

6. The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien

For those who feel The Lord Of The Rings is detailed and a heavy read, The Hobbit is the book that can be read in a weekend if you are determined. Bilbo Baggins embarks on an adventure to the lonely mountain to defeat dragon Smaug with the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. Their journey is filled with hardships and encounters with trolls, elves, goblins and a creature called Gollum.

life hack

7. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

This book tells the physical and psychological struggles of a young airman named Yossarian, who feigns illness and madness in an attempt to avoid being killed during World War II Italy. Realizing that the war is putting his life in grave danger, Yossarian stages protests against it. When his protests don't seem to work, he begins to feign health issues and ends up in an army hospital. To avoid going on missions, he then goes missing as he attempts to escape on a lifeboat.

8. The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

This is a must-read for all the animal lovers as it is told from the dogs point of view. Buck, a sled dog, joins a pack of wild wolves after the death of his master. He would return to the place where his master died, once a year to mourn the loss.

9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Who hasnt seen the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, right? The book is much more detailed and intriguing. Nick Carraway discovers that his married cousin Daisy and his neighbour Jay Gatsby were once in love. Her husband Tom confronts Daisy and then madness ensues!

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10. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson

Its fairly recent and became a big fad. Why, you ask? Because it is a great read from start to finish.

Manson explains that consumerism and social media have us chasing all the wrong things in pursuit of happiness and a meaningful life. We care about too many things that don't matter and which dont guarantee happiness in the long run. Itll make you look at life differently from a new perspective.

11. 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Im sure most of us have stumbled upon some great quotes of Marquez while surfing the social media. This book is Gabriels finest work and it foretells the story of the fictional Colombian town Macondo and the rise and fall of its founders, the Buendia family. Its a beautiful read and youll love every single page of this book.

12. The Diaries of Anne Frank

An autobiography by Anne Frank, this book details the period when Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Unsplash

13. The Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka

It might sound ridiculous but it has a deep meaning to it. The Metamorphosis is a story about a man who transforms into a giant insect. This makes it impossible for him to work. His family finds it difficult to adjust to his metamorphosis. Its an interesting story thatll give you many life lessons.

14. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

The novel by Japanese author Murakami is a nostalgic story of loss and flourishing sexuality. It is told from the first-person perspective of Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a college student living in Tokyo. This Beatles song brings back painful memories for Toru relating to the suicide of his best friend.

15. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

Spanish shepherd Santiago gets a vivid recurring dream of a treasure in Egypt and in hopes of finding it buried beneath the pyramids, he sets out on a quest to obtain the treasure. The journey and the people that he meets along the way forms the rest of the plot

They say, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.".

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16. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

If epics are your thing then perhaps you should start with this one first. A different take on Mahabharata, Palace of Illusions narrates the tale from the perspective of Draupadi. The feminine voice gives it a much needed twist and it is the best retelling of the tale as itll make you look at the story in a different light.

17. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Just like the film, the book is famous for its scandalous plot but it does make for a good read nonetheless. Breaking free from the black and the white, this book ventures into several grey areas. A middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert writes his memoirs in which he explains his sexual inclination for girls in their puberty years. He marries a woman with a 12-year-old daughter, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather.
Brazil's COVID-19 cases have gone up in the last 24 hours by 42,223 to touch 1,539,081, the national Ministry of Health said as per a report in ANI.

The death toll has risen by 1290 to 63,174 in the same period of time. Also the ministry said that more than 868,000 have recovered since the outbreak began.

Reuters

Before that, Brazil had 48,105 fresh cases and 1252 deaths.

Brazil is second in the world tally of coronavirus cases after USA, which has over 2.7 million. Brazil's tally is 1.5 million and counting.

WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. As of now 10.9 million-plus people have tested positive globally and more than 523,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Reuters

Rio breaks the rules

Despite Brazil still struggling to cope with the pandemic, Rio flouted social distancing norms and opened its beaches. Even restaurants opened in the area allowing residents to go out. Some sense of normalcy seemed to return.

In Rio alone, over 6600 have died and with people now going out it is not a good sign. Social distancing has gone for a toss and things could get even worse as COVID-19 is yet to peak in the country.

Reuters

It remains to be seen how this leads in a spike of cases, but it is certainly not the smartest step under the circumstances


It is known that COVID-19 tends to get severe in patients with underlying conditions.

A new research now tries to put this in numbers, estimating up to 1.7 billion people or 22% of the world population to fall in that category.

Reuters

This means that up to 1.7 billion people have at least one underlying health condition, thus putting them at an increased risk from COVID-19 disease. The study conducted by a team of researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is now published in The Lancet Global Health.

The modelling study uses data from 188 countries and clears that not all of the 22% mentioned above will develop severe symptoms if infected.

In fact, the study suggests that only 4% of the worlds population (349 million of 7.8 billion people) would require hospitalisation if infected with COVID-19. Thus, even the ones with underlying conditions might just see a moderate effect of the disease.

How does COVID-19 study help?

(Representative Image: Reuters)

The study provides an important insight to the highly vulnerable population that the governments across the world should focus on. In accordance with the numbers, the governments can better prepare themselves for such high risk cases with advanced precautionary measures and appropriate medical facilities.



Such a risk factor for COVID-19 patients has even been highlighted by WHO for those having underlying cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease.

Dr Andrew Clark, Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said: As countries move out of lockdown, governments are looking for ways to protect the most vulnerable from a virus that is still circulating. We hope our estimates will provide useful starting points for designing measures to protect those at increased risk of severe disease. This might involve advising people with underlying conditions to adopt social distancing measures appropriate to their level of risk, or prioritising them for vaccination in the future.

The study provides global as well as regional estimates for the number of people with underlying health conditions. It should be noted that the research does not focus on other possible risk factors for COVID-19 like ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation.

COVID-19 study: The results

(Representational Image: Reuters)

As can be understood, countries with younger populations have a lesser proportion of population with an underlying health condition. The vice-versa holds true too. Accordingly, the proportion of the population with one or more health conditions ranges from 16% in Africa (283 million people out of 1.3 billion) to 31% in Europe (231 million out of 747 million) as per the study.



Across the globe, less than 5% of people under 20 years have at least one underlying condition. This number rises to 23% in the working age population of 15 to 64 years and to more than 66% in those aged 70 years and above.

In all, 349 million people worldwide are at high risk of severe Covid-19 as per the findings and will need hospitalisation. The risk is proportionate to the age as above. While less than 1% of people under 20 years fall in this category, the same proportion rises to 20% of those aged 70 or older. The study also notes that in age groups under 65, around twice the number of men as women would require hospitalisation.
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our world as well as peoples lives. With no vaccine or definitive drug that can take down the novel coronavirus, researchers are trying hard to crack the code.

reuters

However, one drug dubbed Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences prove to be helpful in stopping COVID-19 from replicating in patients body and helping cure severe cases, has received a temporary nod by the FDA too.

But now, reports reveal that Gilead Sciences is signing confidential licensing agreements with nine pharmaceutical companies -- including seven from India. These agreements might be good news for the companies whore a part of this deal but this is also limiting the distribution of the generic version of the drug in nearly half of the worlds population.

The licensing agreement doesn't include many developed nations

Gilead has revealed that these agreements will allow for cheaper, generic variants of the drug to be made available in 127 countries (including India), which mostly include developing nations.

However, with several developed countries not on the list, it means that Gilead plans to sell its name-brand drug in these countries, that come with a hefty price tag. It is also important to note that these are also the countries that are one of the worst-hit across the world.

According to a Reuters report, Gilead has priced Remdesivir at $2,340 per patient in developed nations -- nations that arent included in the aforementioned list.

Reuters

Remdesivir in India

In India, Gilead has teamed up with pharmaceutical companies like Cipla, Hetero, Jubilant Lifesciences, Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Zydus Cadila, Mylan and Ferozesons Laboratories (subject to approval by authorities) to make a generic version of remdesivir, which saves us from the exorbitant price other nations might have to pay.

Only Cipla, Mylan and Hetero Labs have received a go-ahead to start making the drugs. Reports have revealed that Ciplas version of remdesivir is going to cost less than Rs 5,000 whereas Heter Labs version is priced at Rs 5,400. These prices though arent as expensive as the actual aforementioned price, are surely expensive for people in India, making it out of reach for many already.

COVID-19 drug prices

Patient advocates strongly condemn the high-pricing of the drug in developed nations, especially since the medicine was developed after receiving $70 million in federal funds.

U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, said it was an outrageous price for a very modest drug, which taxpayer funding saved from a scrap heap of failures.

Reuters

Peter Maybarduk director of Public Citizen's Access to Medicines Program said in a statement to Financial Times, stating, "In an offensive display of hubris and disregard for the public, Gilead has priced at several thousand dollars a drug that should be in the public domain."



Steven Pearson, founder and president of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, said in an interview with Bloomberg Law asked for the drug to prove a reduction in mortality to be able to charge that much, The price should be flexible so that, going forward, if we learn that it doesnt have a mortality benefit as we get more data the price should be dramatically reduced.

Disclaimer: While there have been several different types of treatments being given to COVID-19 patients across the world, there isnt any one drug that has worked as a sure-shot treatment yet. Dont self medicate and always consult your doctor or medical health professional for any symptoms.


The writer of this piece, Ankur Shukla, says: There is more to fear from the Trump administration than incompetence. Trump stokes hatred, and that directly impacts Indian Americans. (photo provided)
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Cesar de la Fuente is at risk of losing more than half of his research lab to deportation.

Tighter visa restrictions have the University of Pennsylvania psychiatry professor fearing that the eight international researchers in his 10-member lab might be forced to leave if they cant find an exception to the new regulations.

We only have two Americans in the lab right now. So everyone else, Im worried for them.

On June 22, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending new work visas until the end of the year, reasoning that it will force companies that rely on the visas to hire more Americans, instead. The order includes restrictions on the H-1B, a visa that allows employers to hire highly skilled foreign workers for specialty occupations.

Large technology companies in the area such as Comcast, SAP, IQVIA, and EPAM Systems are leaders in the region for using the H-1B to employ computer programmers, software engineers, and accountants, records show. The H-1B restriction, combined with others on what are known as H-2B, H-4, J, and L visas, is expected to prevent nearly 525,000 immigrants from working in the U.S.

De la Fuentes researchers, for instance, have to renew their authorization to stay every year under what are called J-1 visas. Under Trumps order, they could be ordered to leave once those visas expire.

De la Fuente isnt too worried about his own H-1B visa, which doesnt expire for two years. But he is worried about how the new rules will interrupt what he sees as the typical pathway for immigrants who work in engineering or medical research. Anything related to biotech and technology and academia are areas that are very much impacted by this suspension of the H-1B visa, he said. Theyre typically recruited using this mechanism.

His own path shows the power of that mechanism. De la Fuente emigrated from Spain to attend the University of British Columbia in Vancouver with a Canadian visa before using a J-1 visa to become a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT Technology Review named him to the list of leading innovators under 35 for 2019.

That year, he joined Penns Perelman School of Medicine to lead a research lab in antibiotic and microbiome engineering under an H-1B visa. Now Im in the process of basically waiting for my green card application, aiming to become a permanent resident, he said.

When the new set of restrictions was announced, de la Fuente reached out to his lawyer for advice. She said that as long as his visa remained valid, he wouldnt be affected. But she also recommended that de la Fuente not leave the U.S. without talking to her first. In case things get more restricted, he said.

Immigration lawyer Ralf Wiedemann gives his clients the same advice. If you dont have a visa stamp, this affects you, and you should stay here, he said. He even tells his clients who do have approved visas that they should be cautious about leaving the country, in case of possible future restrictions in the coming months. In his 20 years practicing immigration law, Wiedemann says, this executive order is one of the worst things that Ive seen.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, which backs restrictions on immigration, disagrees. He wishes Trump had gone further.

Krikorian argues that the ban will mostly affect people queuing up outside of the United States to get in. He also complained that the downside is that it is just temporary and it is just an executive action that can be rolled back by a different executive.

Wiedemann took a different tack. Because the H-1B is used by companies and universities alike, he fears that the executive order will widely limit innovation in science and technology. Its very short-sighted because universities, employers, employees  they want to have those interactions, he said. They learn from the experiences, from the different cultures that people from outside the United States bring to us.

Krikorian took issue with this notion, too. He says that, in most cases, foreigners with H-1B visas are often people with middling skills who do routine tech work, and that many dont fall into the category of best and brightest immigrants. He contends that the most innovative workers are the ones on the EB-1, a notoriously competitive visa that requires applicants to demonstrate international recognition and achievement.

Wiedemann also thinks the restrictions will uniquely affect immigrant families, too. He described one client who started working for a company in the U.S. earlier this year with an approved visa. The plan was that his family members would come over in the summer, so that the children could start school here in the fall, Wiedemann said. Now, these family members are all stuck in their home country. The only options are for the father to give up his job and return home, or continue working alone in the U.S., hoping that his family will be granted an exception.

The executive order outlines the possibility of such exceptions, but Wiedemann thinks that most applications wont be granted one. Since 9/11, there has been a greater tendency [from consular officers] to say no, if youre unsure whether or not to grant the visa, Wiedemann said.

De la Fuente hopes that his lab members will qualify for an exception. Since the pandemic began, they have shifted research to developing a diagnostic sensor that would detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a matter of seconds and finding ways of targeting versions of the virus in mice. The executive order mentions the possibility of exceptions for those involved with the provision of medical research ... to combat COVID-19. Im hopeful thats the case and we can continue to do our work, de la Fuente said.

If an applicant is initially denied an exception, the chances of reversing that decision are slim. Application decisions are left up to consular officers, and Wiedemann says that they are largely non-reviewable. He argues this might help shield immigration decisions from interference, but that it also makes them difficult to appeal.

These new restrictions add to the uncertainty that already pervades the H-1B application process. Since 2004, the annual cap for H-1B visas has been 65,000, with an additional 20,000 open to immigrants with a masters or doctorate degree from a U.S. institution. Those spots are filled through a lottery process.

Britta Glennon, an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School, argues that those numbers havent been adjusted for the current economy. Over time, demand has grown and capital has changed, she said. And so its become more restrictive. The USCIS announced in April that almost 275,000 initial registrations for H-1B visas were submitted for the 2021 fiscal year.

That increased demand for the H-1B, Glennon says, contributes to growing worries among foreign workers about whether theyll get one. One of the reasons why you probably want to do your degree in the U.S. is so that you can get a job in the U.S., she said. If you are no longer confident that you can get an H-1B visa, youre much less likely to even apply to do your graduate degree.

Glennon also thinks the executive order will affect the creation of new companies or start-ups in the U.S. She points to a 2012 study showing that one-quarter of tech start-ups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants.

Maybe youre thinking about doing a start-up, but, say, your partner is an immigrant, Glennon said. Youre now worried about doing that start-up, because youre not sure anymore that youll be able to get that visa. The alternative for entrepreneurs is to launch the start-up in another country, or worse yet, give up on it altogether.

Spark Therapeutics, a Philadelphia-based biotechnology company that began as a start-up, employed two H-1B workers in 2019, according to data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. That year it was purchased by Roche for $4.8 billion, representing one of the regions most lucrative such sales.

We strive to create a workforce of unique viewpoints, experiences, and perspectives to break barriers in gene therapy and reflect the diversity of the world around us, CEO Jeff Marrazzo wrote in an email. We therefore oppose new limitations on our ability to access a diverse pool of talent.

Spark is one of many companies in a growing presence of biotechnology in Philadelphia that could be hurt by the new restrictions, said Dean Miller, CEO of the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital & Technologies. Biotech and tech companies are two big regular applicants of H-1B visas, he said. And in this area, theres a number of companies that have utilized those.

A study from the Pew Research Center placed the Philadelphia region as the sixth highest metropolitan area having H-1B workers from 2010 to 2016, with a total of 34,300 visa approvals. That number might seem low in comparison to the size of larger companies in the area, but Miller says that losing them would negatively impact the local economy. All those workers have an opportunity to earn a wage and to spend that wage, he said. And if theyre not based here  wherever they might be, thats where those dollars are going to go.

Miller also doubts that those jobs can be replaced by U.S. workers. The truth is this demand is such that these programs are needed on top of the supply of American-born and -trained technology workers. Without better education for science and technology in the U.S., Miller argues, there will always be a need for companies to hire highly skilled workers from other countries.

Part of the reason de la Fuente moved to Philadelphia was for its growing status as a biotech hub. And he wanted to be a part of that community.

Now, hes not sure. Innovation is really at the root of biotechnology and the start-up world, he said. It really relies on this incredibly skillful workforce that comes from countries outside of the U.S. and I think this will directly impact a lot of biotechs.
Years ago, Lorraine Kolibabek, 64, of Northeast Philadelphia, started to notice that some street signs featured something you wouldnt put on an envelope.

It was on a sign along Knights Road, near the Philadelphia Mills mall  and then she saw it on other streets in Center City: a small image of the Liberty Bell.

There must be some importance for them, obviously, since they have the Liberty Bell designated on the street sign itself, but I dont know why," she said. "I can understand Center City. That I can understand, but up in the Northeast, because were relatively new compared to Center City Philadelphia, what streets up here would have that designation and why?

Kolibabek took to Curious Philly, the Inquirer and Daily News' question-and-response forum in which readers submit questions about their communities and our journalists report out the answers, to find the reasoning for the signage. Its less complicated than one would guess.

The formula is simple, determined by how many letters the name of the street has, said Deputy Commissioner of Transportation Richard Montanez, who has been with the Philadelphia Streets Department since 1996.

If its eight letters or more, we do not use the Liberty Bell," Montanez said. "Anything under eight letters, we do put in the Liberty Bell.

And if the sign has fewer than eight letters and doesnt feature the bell, he said, its either an old sign or an oversight.

Philadelphians have Gerry Ebbecke, who served as chief traffic engineer from 1992 to 1998, to thank. He wanted to give the signs a bit of flair that were also distinctly Philly, with the idea becoming reality in the mid- to late 1990s, Montanez said.

Everything Gerry put in place is still in place," Montanez said. " ... We think it gives the city quite an interesting character and it lets people know that youre in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, we cannot put it in every street-name sign, but we do our best to accommodate those that we can."

Montanez said he remembers talks with Ebbecke in which they floated the possibility of having different symbols for different neighborhoods, but they ultimately settled on the bell. Even then, there were revisions  some bells went without a crack, others were yellow.

They all should have a crack now," he said. "We standardized on the crack.

The bell was far from Ebbeckes only contribution. He was instrumental in implementing compass directions on hundreds of blocks as well as special markings  think of the Boyz II Men Blvd marker under Broad Street signs between Christian and Carpenter Streets, or the characters under street signs around Chinatown. During Ebbeckes tenure, Philadelphia also began to install bike lanes.

His planning plays a big part in how Philadelphians continue to navigate the city, Montanez said.

Ebbeckes former supervisor, Joseph Syrnick, once told the Inquirer that the engineers interest in pedestrian safety began long before it became fashionable.

His conference room was a war room with maps and pins, Syrnick, the Streets Departments former chief engineer and surveyor, said after Ebbeckes death.

Ebbeckes life ended tragically when he and another colleague were shot and killed by a fellow Streets Department employee who opened fire during a supervisors meeting in December 1998.

But even today, as Kolibabek and other observant Philadelphians have noticed, Ebbeckes legacy lives on.

The Liberty Bell represents Philadelphia," Montanez said. And we still intend to keep that honor and honor Gerrys wishes to keep those.
Several hundred peaceful demonstrators on Sunday briefly took over the Vine Street Expressway, though unlike a similar protest last month, police allowed the action to move forward without using tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets.

The marchers gathered Sunday at City Hall about 1 p.m. to protest the Philadelphia Police Departments widely denounced actions on I-676 on June 1 and promote the Black Lives Matter movement. They then proceeded northward, accompanied by officers on bicycles, and entered the expressway, where police had stopped traffic.

The protesters later exited the highway using a ramp at 22nd Street.

They called for the resignation of Mayor Jim Kenney over the June 1 debacle, when police boxed in demonstrators on the expressway and rained tear gas down on them. They also denounced the budget passed by City Council last month, saying it allocated too much money toward policing.

Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw later apologized for the police tactics, calling the use of force that day unjustifiable and admitting that they had offered incorrect and uncorroborated explanations for why officers needed to respond with force.

An officer who was accused of ripping face masks off kneeling protesters to douse their faces with pepper spray was suspended with intent to dismiss.

Demonstrators on Sunday said the citys apologies were insufficient and came too late.

Were leaving our demands here at the oppressors front door, in the pigs face, Mecca Bullock, an organizer, said outside City Hall before demonstrators dispersed around 3 p.m. Looking toward police officers, Bullock said, Were coming for your jobs! Were coming for your guns!

The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which describes itself on Facebook as a working-class party of leaders and activists from many different struggles, founded to promote the movement for revolutionary change.

Demonstrators held signs saying No more racist police terror, Stop the War on Black America, and White silence is violence. They shouted anti-police slogans, such as No good pig in a racist system! and All power to the people! All power to the people! No power to the pig! No power to the pig!

John Carr, 23, of West Philadelphia, said he decided to protest Sunday because he was tired of police brutality, tired of state-sanctioned violence.

Carr said he graduated this year from West Chester University with a masters degree in criminal justice. The tear gassing episode on I-676 last month made me a little more cynical toward the very system I chose to study in school, he said.
Family members who often only see each other at funerals can hug briefly, if they do at all, and then sit 6 feet apart. Some people dress more casually. Singing has been cut out of the services. Mourners dot at their eyes over face masks. Services that were once an hour or more long are briefer. A somber event is even more stark with so few in the pews.
While the coronavirus forced the cancellation of most parades, municipal fireworks displays, and other typical July Fourth activities, the American tradition of protest was on full display Saturday in the city where the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

Transgender rights activists marched in front of the Liberty Bell, speaking out against discrimination. A group called Red Fists Rising gathered at 30th Street Station, denouncing the use of force by police. A Protest Police Terror rally took over the street in front of the Municipal Services Building, with organizers broadcasting a phone call from Mumia Abu-Jamal  the man convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

A handful of more typical July Fourth traditions took place here and there, including one with an inclusive new twist. For the first time, the annual tapping of the Liberty Bell was livestreamed, and watchers were invited to tap their own drinking glasses, bells, or kitchen pots in unison early in the afternoon. A far louder noise tore through the skies a few hours later, when the Thunderbirds and other military jets flew over Center City on their way to Baltimore and Washington.

While many Philadelphians headed to the Shore for sun and sand, protest was on the agenda there, too, as seven Black Lives Matter protesters were arrested after blocking the Atlantic City Expressway.

 READ MORE: On the Fourth of July, the Ocean City boardwalk was busy, but the beach was crowded

The organizers of the Liberty Bell tapping acknowledged that the holiday was recognized in a variety of ways, saying they hoped their ceremony would represent a show of unity.

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, said Ben Wolf, president of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of Revolution, calling the tapping a show of solidarity for everyones liberties.

The famous bronze bell also got a virtual counterpart on Saturday, when an augmented reality Liberty Bell went live above the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Viewers must download an app called 4th Wall to see the red, white, and blue spectacle hovering in the air.

As for the protests, the Red Fists Rising group got underway close to noon. Group members raised their red-painted fists for nine minutes, symbolizing the amount of time that a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, killing him in May.

Organizer AshRaka Juel led the group on a march to join other demonstrations in Center City.

This world must be respected by everybody, he said. Were not here for defense, were here for offense. Were not waiting for white supremacists to attack, were trying to push them out.

 READ MORE: Philly set out to decriminalize protests. Instead, critics say, its silencing free speech.

In the middle of Chestnut Street near Independence Hall, trans rights activist Alonda Talley told protesters that the community has to be united, because if anyone is being persecuted, everyone is. Marchers held signs naming trans men and women who have died recently, many of whom Talley said she knew. She called for activism to continue past Saturday.

Do not go back to your daily routine, she said. Rise up, stand up, do something.

Talley and other speakers said the violence against Black people, including Black trans people, isnt limited to murder and physical violence: It manifests as discrimination in housing, at the workplace, and in other scenarios.

At the Municipal Services Building, the Protest Police Terror rally got a boost from a man whom demonstrators said should be freed from prison: Mumia Abu-Jamal. Speaking on a call from the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy that was played over a megaphone, Abu-Jamal said he stood with the protesters and appreciated their support.

This is a special time, said Abu-Jamal, who is serving a life sentence in the killing of Faulkner. A time like someone my age hasnt seen in many years. But its a time thats finally here, and that means its the right time.

Pam Africa, of the activist group MOVE, called not only for the release of Abu-Jamal, but for reform of the citys Police Department. Members of MOVE held a sarcastic eulogy for the Frank Rizzo statue, which the city recently removed from the site of the protest.

In Atlantic City, the Show Up or Shut Up rally and march started at around 1 p.m. with a dozen people holding signs and chanting Black Lives Matter outside the citys public safety building on Atlantic Avenue.

Protest leader Steve Young spoke to the growing crowd, and called on city officials to allocate more casino revenue to help rebuild the citys impoverished areas. He then led a march through the streets and led chants of No justice, no peace, and Say it loud, Im Black and proud.

The protest ended near the Exit 2 off-ramp of the Atlantic City Expressway, where police arrested Young and six other men.

Staff writers Becky Batcha, Ellen Gray, and Hadriana Lowenkron contributed to this article.
Big Valley is a living postcard of Pennsylvania. Jet-black buggies hug the shoulders of its long, straight roads and knobby-kneed foals prance in fields so green they look electrified. Most signs there urge motorists to repent and rejoice, or to buy fresh strawberries from the Amish children sitting in the shade.

But one Pennsylvania tradition also plagued residents who live in this sweeping landscape: slow, unreliable, and expensive internet service. The government couldnt help. Private suppliers have long said improved speeds were too costly to provide for such a sparsely populated area. So a group of mostly retirees banded together and took a frontier approach to a modern problem. They built their own wireless network, using radio signals instead of expensive cable.

We just wanted better internet service up our valley. It was pretty simple as that, said Kevin Diven, a founding member of the Rural Broadband Cooperative.

The nonprofit RBC services anyone who can see the 120-foot, former HAM radio tower its founders bought and erected on a patch of land they lease from an Amish man at around 1,900 feet on Stone Mountain, on the border of Mifflin and Huntington Counties, 180 miles from Philadelphia. Users pay an initial set-up fee of about $300, and monthly costs for the service are approximately $40 to $75, depending on the speeds you choose, ranging from 5 to 25 megabits per second.

The RBC has just under 40 paying customers.

We love living out here, said customer Helena Kotala, of Jackson Corner, Huntingdon County. Its just that the internet totally sucked.

A Pennsylvania State University research project conducted in 2018 found that internet speeds in the state were dismal. Counties such as Sullivan and Wyoming in the northeast, along with vast areas in and near the Allegheny National Forest in the northwest, had the slowest speeds. Some were as dismal as 0 to 3 megabits per second, far below the FCCs 25 mbps benchmark for high speed. A 2016 Federal Communications Commission report estimated that 39 percent of rural Americans, about 23 million people, had no access to 25 mbps. In Pennsylvania, the number of people without access to high-speed internet is 803,645, about 6 percent of the states total population.

The Philadelphia suburbs had the highest speeds.

The areas of Mifflin and Huntingdon Counties that the RBC serves often had speeds less than 2 mbps, Diven said. He was served by Verizon and said he was frequently in touch with the company about improving speeds. Verizon representatives often attended local meetings about the issue. Comcast, he said, wanted $80,000 to lay high-speed internet for approximately eight miles.

I tried the FCC and the PUC [Pennsylvanias Public Utility Commission] and got nowhere, said Diven, who had hoped they would intervene with the private providers.

The issue of slow internet speeds isnt something that anyone rages on about, but its a consistent problem from coast to coast, made even more noticeable during the pandemic. In some parts of Pennsylvania, online learning was not possible for school districts. Kotala, 30, works as the mapping coordinator for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and has to download large files to her computer daily. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, she left her office in State College and started working from home, where downloads screeched to a halt.

After one month of quarantine, she bought into the RBC and loves the service.

I had already gotten rid of Netflix because watching any movie online was a nightmare, she said. I would have to sit there and wait for stuff to download or upload and just go do something for a while.

The RBCs members did all the work starting in 2017, saving money by divvying up talents and livelihoods. Approximately 25 people kicked in $60,000 for the project. Some worked in construction, others in engineering. One was a former genomics professor at Penn State, another retired from the U.S Army. Brandon Beck, the RBCs president, was a professional musician in the Tampa Bay area, playing the French horn. They pooled their money to clear the land, buy the tower and equipment, and pour concrete for the bunker that houses the electronics, which includes two banks of batteries used to propel Nissans electric car, the Leaf.

They were available, Beck said, explaining the batteries.

Power is supplied through solar panels, with a back-up wind generator.

The signal went live in 2019. Unlike traditional DSL or satellite-based wireless, the RBC taps into an existing fiber line it turns into a radio signal that bounces off a dish fastened to a three-pump gas station in Allensville. The signal races across Big Valley, then up the mountain past bast buzzards and ravens. The signal can be bounced off other dishes and relayed to other homes, much like a laser off mirrors. Each home has its own small dish to receive the wireless signal from the tower.

The signal can service a 15-mile-radius. Fixed wireless systems are line of sight, meaning users have to be able to see the tower from their residences in order to connect. Sometimes, trees block it.

Leaves, Beck said. Leaves are the enemy.

Tom Bracken, an RBC board member, said pines are the worst.

If youre going to try to shoot through pines, Bracken said, just hang it up and go home.

Bracken, retired from the U.S. Army, said fixed wireless systems exist all over the world and rural communities can emulate what the RBC did.

You have to tap into the skills of your community, he said. You never know who your neighbor is and what they can do.
When protesters took over the lobby of the Municipal Services Building, they came with a list of demands, including the resignation of a top city official. But it wasnt Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney or Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw they were after.

Abernathy, resign! the crowd of about two dozen chanted on June 23, while hundreds more massed outside the building across from City Hall.

An unelected official who serves as Philadelphias top bureaucrat, Managing Director Brian Abernathy may seem an odd choice for demonstrators to target. But from his office 14 stories above the lobby where police arrested the protesters, Abernathy has become more visible and influential than many of his predecessors. Thats due primarily to the unprecedented crises now defining his tenure  the coronavirus pandemic and protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis  but its also a product of the leadership style of Kenney, who is quick to delegate and share the spotlight.

Brian has become the personification for when people dont like things within the administration, said Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., a Montgomery County commissioner who worked with Abernathy early in his career and remains a close friend. I dont remember this with previous managing directors.

Steph Drain, an activist who was arrested at the demonstration, said the goal was to highlight the citys plan to cut the police budget by moving some of its funding to Abernathys office. Drain viewed that as a smokescreen.

Whatever Brian Abernathy says, its bulls, and he needs to resign, said Drain, 22, a Community College of Philadelphia student. Im not somebody who stands for reform. I dont believe in reforming a broken system.

Abernathy, 43, who has also been the subject of protests by immigration activists, homeless advocates, and building trades unions, is used to it.

I stopped paying attention, he said. At some point, you have to do what you think is right, because no matter what choices we make, people are going to be upset.

 READ MORE: How George Floyd changed a city 1,100 miles away

Interviews with more than a dozen current and former associates portrayed Abernathy as highly intelligent, hardworking, and honest. Many also describe him as having a short temper and center-left politics that are sometimes out of step in arguably the citys most progressive administration.

Abernathy received generally positive marks for the citys efforts to stem the coronavirus, which spared Philadelphia the devastation wrought on New York City, but significant criticism for its handling of the protests, with a police response seen as both unprepared and heavy-handed. One city councilmember questioned whether the mayor has burdened Abernathy with too many duties.

If someone wants a hard worker who could multitask, Brian is one of those guys, but I dont think a computer could do what hes trying to do, Councilmember Mark Squilla said.

Kenney praised Abernathy, and said his reliance on the managing director and department heads is intentional.

I wouldnt call it delegation. I would call it collaboration. ... I sit and collaborate, listen to the experts, and the people with experience in those areas, Kenney said. I have the ability to veto that decision or go in a different direction, but that doesnt happen often.

 READ MORE: Critical mistakes doomed the police response to Phillys George Floyd demonstrations.

A vast portfolio

A position unique to Philadelphia among major cities, the managing director is a mayoral appointee who oversees the citys operational departments, from streets and public health to police and fire. As envisioned by the Home Rule Charter, the office serves as an apolitical buffer between the everyday work of municipal government and the mayors whims and wishes.

Department heads are technically appointed by and report to the managing director, not the mayor. And unlike deputy mayors and the chief of staff, managing directors can only be fired for cause.

But mayors have wide latitude to shape the office. Michael A. Nutter, for instance, diminished his managing directors influence by empowering deputy mayors to become more involved with running departments. Kenneys approach is more aligned with how the position is designed in the charter, relying on Abernathy to oversee a vast portfolio.

Abernathy, who makes $196,000 per year following a 7% coronavirus-related pay cut, arrives at his near-empty office at 7:30 a.m. each day to respond to emails before an onslaught of meetings begins. During the pandemic, those have been conducted virtually, with officials scattered across the city. On Tuesday, he had meetings on the controversy over the Christopher Columbus statue in South Philadelphia, the School District, and the juvenile detention system  all before getting lunch, a blackened catfish platter from the Reading Terminal Market. The afternoon brought a virtual news conference, a meeting on the citys violence prevention efforts, a staff check-in, and a coronavirus planning session.

In the early evening, his phone rang with an urgent call: The Philadelphia Housing Authority was considering using its independent police force to remove a homeless encampment outside its headquarters. Administration officials were nearing a deal with leaders of a related encampment on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, whose residents had labeled the area a no cop zone.

What theyre trying to do is going to f everything up on the Parkway, and Im not going to fing put up with it, Abernathy said to the caller, an official he instructed to tell the PHA, Dont do anything unless you hear from us.

And you can say thats a direct order from the managing director, he said.

 READ MORE: Why arent you arresting them? Philly officials investigate police after assaults against Fishtown protesters.

From Boston to Philly

Like Kenney and many in his inner circle, Abernathy made his bones in the rough-and-tumble politics of South Philadelphia. But the similarities stop there.

A native of Boston who spent most of his high school years in Arkansas, Abernathy had an upper-middle-class upbringing and majored in political and philosophical theater at Coker College in South Carolina. He wanted to become a playwright and director. In college, he penned several plays, including an unfinished comedy called Why Women Shave Their Legs. He first moved to Philadelphia for an apprenticeship with the Arden Theatre Company.

But after realizing he wasnt cut out for directing, he turned to politics.

Actors are very special people, just like politicians, and dealing with five, six, 10 actors takes a really special person, he said. I can handle one politician.

After working in constituent services for a state senator, he landed a job as a legislative aide for then-City Councilmember Frank DiCicco, and eventually became the South Philadelphia Democrats right-hand man. He worked closely with Kenney, who was on Council at the time and like DiCicco was a product of former State Sen. Vince Fumos political organization.

He was an extremely bright young man. He knew what I was going to say before I even said it most of the time, said DiCicco, now a lobbyist. He was a little bit  I dont want to say hotheaded, thats too strong of a word, but a little bit ambitious.

A flirtation with electoral politics

A turning point came when State Sen. Larry Farnese (D., Phila.) defeated Electricians union leader John J. Dougherty in a 2008 primary for the Senate seat Fumo vacated after being indicted on federal corruption charges.

Before the election, Abernathy harbored dreams of running for office, possibly succeeding DiCicco. He took a leave from his Council job to help run the campaign for Farnese, Fumos chosen successor.

Farnese went negative and Dougherty, despite his tough reputation, mostly kept it clean, Abernathy said. At the time, however, Abernathy and other Fumo allies assumed that Dougherty was up to no good. And at one point, they spread word that his longtime spokesperson, Frank Keel, was involved in a break-in at Farnese campaign offices, Keel recalled.

Keel took exception and, shortly after the general election, let Abernathy know at Pennsylvania Society, the annual Manhattan gathering of the states political class. They got into a fistfight, with Abernathy at one point taking swings while his wife tried to restrain him.

Abernathys experience left him questioning whether he wanted to make a career of electoral politics, a thought that crystallized in an earlier moment on election night.

Im standing on Passyunk Avenue, he recalled, and one of Fumos longtime friends came up and looked at me and said, Yknow, we always knew you were smart, we always knew you worked hard, but we never knew you were that ruthless. And it was that moment I was out.

 READ MORE: How outsider Nikil Saval toppled a longtime state senator in Philly

So Abernathy committed himself to advancing behind the scenes. During Nutters administration, he served as chief of staff in the Managing Directors Office, and as executive director of the Redevelopment Authority. Kenney installed Abernathy as first deputy managing director, a position he held until taking the top job 18 months ago after Mike DiBerardinis retired.

Abernathy had hoped to focus on the opioid epidemic, homelessness, and gun violence. But even before the pandemic, his tenure was marked by a series of catastrophes: the refinery explosion in South Philadelphia, the sudden closure of Hahnemann University Hospital, a deadly gas explosion near Passyunk Square, the shooting of five police officers in Tioga, and the resignation of Police Commissioner Richard Ross.

Its certainly not the tenure as managing director I was hoping for, but its the one I was given, he said. None of these things are easy, but I think Ive had my arms wrapped around both the city operations and how we respond as well as anybody could, if not better. But I am ready for a break.

This is our moment

During Abernathys front-and-center role in the citys daily coronavirus briefings, rumors swirled that he was eyeing a run for mayor in 2023. A few weeks later, following criticism of the citys response to the protests, there was talk Kenney was on the verge of firing him.

Administration officials and Abernathy strongly denied both possibilities, but the rumors are emblematic of his centrality in this moment in the citys history.

Abernathy said his relationship with Kenney hasnt changed, despite rumors of discord.

Oh, its fine. I would say, hows anyones relationship with the mayor? Abernathy said of his famously grumpy boss. Ive known Jim a long time. I know his moods. I know his personality pretty well. This has been really hard for all of us, and weve all had pretty sty days at times.

 READ MORE: Philly Mayor Jim Kenney launched a statewide political group, fueling rumors of a run for governor

Abernathy has been criticized for withholding information related to the pandemic that other cities have made public, and for being caught off guard on the first day of the protests, when Outlaw acknowledged there were not enough officers in Center City.

I was dumbfounded by how out of touch I truly was, he later told city councilmembers. And how I had underestimated the anger and rage and frustration of folks Im hired to serve.

While the protests have pushed the administration to prioritize some long-sought reforms, Abernathy, as one of the administrations more moderate voices, is unlikely to come around on the protesters most sweeping demands, like significantly shrinking the police force.

When the administration was considering how to follow through on Kenneys campaign promise to end stop-and-frisk policing, Abernathy sided with the Police Department, which promised to crack down on improper applications of the tactic, but said attempting to eliminate it wasnt wise. Kenney abandoned his promise.

The protests, Abernathy said, have provided urgency to tackle racial justice more aggressively. The administration had already prioritized racial inequities in government services, but Abernathy said the protests made him realize that didnt go very deep, and it didnt go very far.

We have a society and a system that doesnt work for all people, and this is our moment, Abernathy said. We better not f it up.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low around 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low around 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Once I got to nursing school, I went to go observe a surgery and I honestly dont even remember what the surgery was because I was so enthralled to be in the operating room with the anesthesia provider, he said. You could tell there was a much higher level of thought.  Its more from a therapeutic comfort standpoint rather than actually doing medicine standpoint. Theres no better job in the world.
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:
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Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
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Four hours later, they returned with four police officers, and an unarmed man was shot and killed, Schieffer said. If four police officers lost control of their Taser, I dont see why someone needs to be shot dead. This is not acceptable, and we need to find a better way to handle these situations.
Living Reporter and Theatre Critic

Tim covers leisure and arts, and he is also a theater critic. He interned for the JI in 2015, and was hired in 2016. Tim graduated from UConn, Central College of McPherson, Kansas, and American Musical & Dramatic Academy. His favorite movie is "Jaws."
Fifteen years ago, a young Maine game warden went undercover to investigate a poaching ring in Maines north woods and was never heard from again; so his mentor, retired warden Charlie Stevens, is stunned when he stumbles onto the missing mans badge being offered for sale at a flea market.

The discovery, Charlie realizes, means everything he had believed about his young friends disappearance and presumed death was wrong. Determined to solve the mystery, he rushes home, packs a bag, tells his wife not to ask any questions, and urges her not to let anyone  especially his friend Mike Bowditch  try to find him. But Charlie is like a father to Mike, so the latter, a game warden himself, sets off to track Charlie down.

So begins One Last Lie, the 11th novel in Paul Doirons fine series of Mike Bowditch crime novels.

Mike and Charlies dual investigations lead them on a dangerous journey through forests and ramshackle riverside towns along the Maine-Canadian border. Gradually, Mike discovers that Charlie, as well as several men in positions of power in the warden service, have been harboring secrets about what happened 15 years ago  and at least one of them is willing to kill to prevent the truth from surfacing.
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

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Reactions are as varied as the pitches.

Some people look away or roll up their car windows if the exchange is at a traffic light. On the street, some might dig out a few quarters or mutter something about not carrying cash.

Some people dig deep; its hard to deny food to a hungry person.

Rare, though, are the sorts of street performers that Dixon encountered  at least in Winston-Salem and environs. The city requires permits for panhandling, and impromptu performance buskers for the most part are discouraged.

But there was something about that young man that caused Dixon to act. Maybe it was his rendition of a classic. Maybe it was his message. Maybe both.

Please help us. My wife is pregnant. Need to pay rent. God Bless you, read a sign over a multicolored box with a slot cut in it for donations.

(And this being 2020, it also included an account number for Cash App, a way to transfer funds wirelessly.)
I can still remember the gentle resistance to the clear drinking glass rim as I pressed it through the soft biscuit dough. Then the hard clack as the glass struck the countertop. The child I was knew that the fledgling biscuit was cut, almost perfectly round.

My younger brother and I were in my grandmother Ladys bright white tile Texas kitchen, with the woman we all knew as Julia instructing. Julia had shared her cooking, wit and wisdom with my family for many years, and was probably already well into her 70s on that bright summer day over 50 years ago.

Julia taught my brother and me to make pie crusts, too, cutting the dough into strips, interlacing those strips at 90 degree angles to each other across the soft sweet apple pie filling mounded up in the pan, fluting the dough edges, then sprinkling the top with white granulated Imperial Pure Cane sugar.

With hands held up, fingers splayed wide, framing her face feigning delighted surprise, Julia called my grandmother over to view our edible art. Look, look Marie! Look at what the boys have done! My dramatic grandmother Lady then walked over with her own best surprised look arrayed across her face, exclaiming Julia, I just did not know these boys could create such beautiful pies!
But Dominion officials say the problem of gas supply in Virginia will be somebody elses headache. Dominion wanted to use 20% of the gas to be shipped through the line as an alternative supply to its two giant gas-fired generating stations in Greensville and Brunswick counties, which are currently dependent on a line that connects the state to the gas fields of Louisiana and Texas.
RALEIGH  Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have allowed churchgoers in places with schools on the property to carry their concealed weapons.

This bill allows guns on school property, which threatens the safety of students and teachers, Cooper wrote in a veto message.

Emergency medical technicians who work with SWAT teams and administrative assistants working at the front desk of police departments who get permission from their police chief would also have been allowed carry a handgun while at work.

House Bill 652, which cleared the Republican-controlled House and Senate with bipartisan support, could still become law if it receives the necessary three-fifths support needed in each chamber to override Coopers veto.

D.J. Spiker, North Carolina state director for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, accused Cooper of not reading the bill. He said the proposal had been narrowly tailored to apply to churches that also offered private schooling and wish to opt in to allow people with concealed permits to carry their handgun. If allowed, the permit holder would only have been able to carry the gun outside of the schools operating hours.

By vetoing HB 652, a bill that passed with bipartisan support, Cooper continues to demonstrate that his administration cares little about personal property rights while focusing on the belief that the people should only do as the government demands, Spiker said in a statement.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  Workers are preparing to start the demolition of an 80-year-old South Carolina public housing complex where two men died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a poorly maintained heater.

The 400 residents of Allen Benedict Court in Columbia were never allowed back into their homes after the bodies were discovered and the neighborhood evacuated in January 2019.

Crews are installing fences around the project and will start removing asbestos, lead and other dangerous materials on Monday, the Columbia Housing Authority said in a statement.

Officials said they hope to have heavy equipment on site to begin tearing down buildings within two weeks and have the project finished by November.

Calvin Witherspoon Jr., 62, and Derrick Roper, 31, were found dead in separate units in the same building. Firefighters immediately checked all 244 homes in the complex and found unusually high gas levels in at least 65 units coming out of water heaters, stoves and other appliances.

Residents were evacuated and never returned as Columbia officials determined it would be better to just tear the complex down.

The Columbia Housing Authority was fined just under $11,000 earlier this year after pleading guilty to 24 safety violations including broken smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers as well as failing to do routine maintenance.
Algeria is waiting for an apology for Frances colonial occupation of the North African country, the president said, expressing hope that Emmanuel Macron would build on recent conciliatory overtures.

A global reexamination of the legacy of colonialism has been unleashed by the May killing of unarmed African American George Floyd by a white police officer, which sparked mass protests around the world.

We have already had half-apologies. The next step is needed we await it, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Saturday in an interview with news channel France 24.

I believe that with President Macron, we can go further in the appeasement process he is a very honest man, who wants to improve the situation.

Frances 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.

In what has been seen as a thaw in ties, Algeria on Friday received the skulls of 24 resistance fighters decapitated during the colonial period.

The skulls will be laid to rest in the martyrs section of the capitals El Alia cemetery on Sunday  the 58th anniversary of Algerias independence  according to media reports.

Tebboune said an apology from France would make it possible to cool tensions and create a calmer atmosphere for economic and cultural relations, especially for the more than six million Algerians who live in France.

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 Frances colonisation of Algeria a crime against humanity.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination.
Algeria on Sunday buried the remains of 24 resistance fighters returned from Paris after more than a century and a half as it marked the 58th anniversary of its independence from France.

The skulls of the fighters, shot and decapitated in the early years of the French occupation, were laid to rest during an emotional ceremony at El Alia cemetery.

The coffins draped with the national flag were lowered into freshly dug graves in the martyrs square of Algerias largest burial ground, alongside national heroes such as top revolt leader Emir Abdelkader.

An elite unit of the Republican Guard presented arms while a funeral march played in the background, an AFP correspondent reported.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who took part in the ceremony alongside other officials, on Saturday said it was time to turn a page on years of frosty relations with France, calling on Paris to apologise for its colonial past.

We have already had half-apologies. The next step is needed we await it, he told news channel France 24 in an interview.

An apology was necessary to face the problem of memory that jeopardises many things in the relations between the two countries, Tebboune said.

It would make it possible to cool tensions and create a calmer atmosphere for economic and cultural relations, especially for the more than six million Algerians who live in France, he added.

The skulls, once viewed as war trophies by French colonial officers, were flown into Algiers international airport on Friday and then moved to the Palace of Culture where they were placed on display.

 Reconciling memories 

Despite stifling heat, a long queue formed outside the palace and some men and women, waiting to pay their respects, wept, according to footage broadcast by several television stations.

I came as a fighter, as an invalid from the war of libration, as a citizen who loves his country, said Ali Zemlat.

The 85-year-old fought in the brutal 1954-1962 war that ended Frances 132 years of colonial rule in Algeria.

The skulls had been stored since the 19th century in the vaults of the Musee de lHomme in Paris, which specialises in anthropology.

Among the remains were those of revolt leader Sheikh Bouzian, who was captured in 1849 by the French, shot and decapitated, and those of his comrades who had met the same fate.

Algeria had officially asked for their return in 2018, as well as requesting the handover of colonial archives.

The restitution of the skulls has been seen as a sign of a thaw in relations between Algeria and the former colonial power, marked since independence by recurrent tensions.

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.

The repatriation comes amid a global reexamination of the legacy of colonialism, sparked by the May killing of unarmed African American George Floyd by a white police officer.

His murder sparked protests across the world, and UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination.

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 Algiers in December 2017.

At the time, he told news website Tout sur lAlgerie that he was ready to see his country hand back the skulls.

During his presidential election campaign, Macron had created a storm by calling Frances colonisation of Algeria a crime against humanity.
Eleven people including military, police and an administrative official were killed Saturday in an ambush attributed to a local militia in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, official sources said Sunday.

Two vehicles coming from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, were ambushed in the village of Matete, Djugu territory administrator Adel Alingi Mokuba said.

The death toll is 11, including the deputy territorial administrator in charge of economy and finance, three policemen and four soldiers, he told AFP.

The killings were the latest attributed to an ethnic militia called CODECO, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo.

On Friday, DR Congos army said it had killed seven fighters of the militia, which claims to defend the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.

The Lendu are predominantly sedentary farmers and have historically clashed with the Hema community of traders and herders.

Ituri is one of several provinces gripped by militia violence in eastern DR Congo, a country the size of continental western Europe.

Between October and the end of May, at least 531 civilians were killed by armed groups in Ituri, including 375 since March, according to the United Nations.

In January, the UN estimated that 701 people had been killed in the region since December 2017.

These acts could constitute crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda warned on June 4.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused CODECO and other Lendu fighters of pursuing a strategy of slaughtering local residents  mainly the Hema, but also the Alur  since 2017 in order to control natural resources in the region.

Tens of thousands of people were killed in Hema-Lendu fighting between 1999 and 2003 and violence resumed for unclear reasons at the end of 2017.
After hours of searching, rescuers were not able to find a person who went missing at Smithville Lake. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says they started looking about 4 p.m. but couldn't find them
More than a hundred students at University of Washington fraternity houses in Seattle have tested positive for Covid-19, the university said Sunday.

The university said in a joint news release with the Seattle and King County public health department that 121 students had tested positive for the virus in the fraternity house cluster, 112 of them residents in the Greek Row section north of the campus.

Students who tested positive but are not residents of those houses are close contacts of the residents, according to the release.

On July 3, the Interfraternity Council, a student-led governing board for UW fraternities, reported that at least 117 residents living in 15 fraternity houses self-reported positive tests, the release said.

There are about 1,000 students living in 25 fraternity houses located in the neighborhood.

A pop-up testing site set up last week near Greek Row had conducted nearly 1,300 tests as of this weekend, the release said.

The University of Washington reported 213 cases across all three of its campuses as of Sunday.
The activist group Black Lives Matter 757 organized the demonstration, calling it Shut Down the Oceanfront 2.0  a reference to the May 31 protest at the same location. The group led a second march on one of Virginia Beachs busiest tourist days to push city officials and police toward more accountability and transparency, arguing that not enough has been done in response to concerns raised in recent meetings, said Aubrey Japharii Jones, the groups president.
WHITE CITY, Ore. 

UPDATE: The passenger in a car chase and crash along Highway 62 on Thursday night has died, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO).

JCSO says that deputies responded to White City around 8:30 p.m. after a reported restraining order violation. When deputies arrived at the indicated area, a citizen flagged them down and reported that a suspicious vehicle (a white Toyota Tundra) had been following them.

When Deputies found the 2013 Toyota Tundra, they attempted to pull the vehicle over. Instead, the driver fled.

Later identified as 49-year-old Christopher Giron of Ashland, the driver sped down Hwy 62 with deputies in pursuit. When Giron tried to turn eastbound onto Highway 140, he botched the turn and veered off the roadway  striking a signal box that controlled the lights for the intersection.

Giron and his passenger, 50-year-old Teddy Geaney of Klamath Falls, came to rest in the truck at the bottom of an embankment.

Both Giron and Geaney were brought to the hospital. Geaney apparently sustained fatal injuries in the crash, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

JCSO says that Geaney, the passenger, was the suspect in the restraining order violation that had brought deputies to White City. Oregon State Police (OSP) are investigating the crash, assisted by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Jackson County District Attorney's Office.

According to ODOT, they have managed a "band-aid" fix for the signals at the intersection of Hwy 140 and 62  however, the fix will cause delays at the intersection until major repairs can be completed on the box. They expect delays to continue for about three weeks.

INITIAL REPORT: Oregon State Police are investigating a crash at the intersection of Highway 140 and 62.

NewsWatch 12 has confirmed that the crash started off as a car chase.

The crash happened around 10:30 p.m. Thursday night.

Officials say the car crashed into a control box. causing traffic signals at the intersection to go out.

Crews with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) worked into the early morning hours trying to fix the signals.

Around 4:00 Friday morning, ODOT said the signals are operating once again.
A month after school buildings closed and KUSD transitioned to online learning, my son told me, You know, Mom, I really wish I had more eighth grade. I am already beginning to regret not having as much time at school.

While my son enjoys less structure and sleeping late as much as any kid, I know that there are students and teachers everywhere who also wish they had more days together.

This feeling is certainly true in the caring, close-knit community of Washington Middle School. As a new member of Washingtons staff this year, I was soon wrapped in the schools warm embrace, just as Washingtons students also found themselves quickly enveloped in welcome.

Truly, we had such a great year!

Our small school of only 550 students sent our football team to the middle school championship game last fall. Led by the screams of our 42 cheerleaders, we packed the stands at Jaskwich Stadium. Then our girls varsity basketball team repeated the feat and played in their championship game as well.

Washington pride kept soaring throughout the year.
At the height of this summers protests concerning racism and police brutality, the following exchange occurred in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Attorney Vanita Gupta, the former head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, was asked by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX): Do you believe that, basically, all Americans are racist? Guptas response was: I think we all have implicit bias and racial bias, yes, I do.

Wow, Cornyn said. You lost me when you want to take the acts of a few misguided, perhaps malicious, individuals, and ascribe that to all Americans. (June 16, 2020)

As a religious leader, I believe that Cornyns question and Guptas response need to be part of a public discussion in every religious institution in the United States  including, of course, within my own congregation.

Beth Hillel Temple is affiliated with the Religious Action Center of the Union for Reform Judaism that helped to draft the Bill which became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a Reform rabbi, I am proud to be part of a religious denomination that has been an active partner in the struggle for greater civil rights in America.
OREGON -- Fourth of July celebrations took place in a variety of ways on Saturday, as most traditional parades and gatherings were cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

The city of Harrisburg held a Fourth of July parade, but it looked different than years past. This was a reverse parade aimed to keep everyone safe and distant. Participants built floats in their front yards and outside of businesses and attendees had the chance to see them as they drove by.

Its a lot smaller this year than it has been, participant Betty Britton said. We tried to keep it down. Usually we have maybe 50 people. This year we have 10. Some may not be too happy, but its just the way it is.

Her daughter, Lori McKay, said this tradition means a lot to her family despite it looking different this year.

My family has lived in this house for 57 years or so, McKay said. We have been in every single parade my entire childhood. My mom, growing up as a kid was in the parade. Her siblings and all of my siblings and all of my children. Weve done it every single year.

Thousands of people normally attend Creswell's parade, which was cancelled this year. However, residents threw an unofficial celebration instead.

There was very little social distancing or mask usage at this celebration, according to our KEZI 9 News reporter on scene.

Some participants tell us they're using this celebration as an opportunity to speak up about what they see as challenges to their freedoms.

To have protests today while they are shutting down fireworks tells me that there are two agendas going on, Thurston resident Marvin Cosby said. We want our voices to be heard as well. I represent the silent majority in America.

A parade of cars and floats filled Creswell streets Saturday as many aimed to keep the celebrations alive.

There were others who used today as a way to rally for change.

About one hundred people gathered at the Federal Courthouse in Eugene to protest the Trump Administration's policy of family separation at the border. They also called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE.

Organizers say the Fourth of July is a day to celebrate freedom, and they want to make sure that freedom is shared by everyone.

It is our right to stand up and protest and none of us are free unless all of us are free. That's why we are here today, organizer Catie Cinton said.

The group also raised money for refugees, who they say, are fleeing genocide overseas which is funded by the U.S. Government.

Joel Iboa is the Coalition Manager for 'One Oregon.'

"On the Fourth of July, it's important that we love America, Iboa said. But it's also important that we love all Americans. That includes immigrants. That includes the black folks in this country. This movement stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement."

Others chose a slower and quieter pace this holiday. Alton Baker Park was filled with people dropping by to get some fresh air.

I'm spending time walking my dog, Eugene resident Edward Morrison said. We like to walk the park. We wanted to see how many people were coming out today. It's not the same as it was last year, but we sure enjoy the nice day.

Experts warn of the risks that come with large gatherings and advise that the community remains safe and smart while celebrating this holiday weekend.
The question will not be whether or not we should do testing. The question is under what circumstances should testing be done, not only for health purposes but also what is reimbursable under the CARES Act, said state Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne.
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Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) welcomes the appointments of three junior ministers with responsibilities for the inclusion of disabled people in Irish society.

However, it cautions that the junior ministerial positions should not distract from the role of the Department of Children, Disability, Equality and Integration in ensuring the inclusion of disabled people as a priority at cabinet meetings.

Welcoming the appointments of Minister of State for Disabilities in the Department of Children, Disability, Equality and Integration Anne Rabbitte (Galway East); Minister of State for Older People and Mental Health Mary Butler (Waterford); and Minister of State in the Department of Education Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown), ILMI chair Des Kenny says: Real inclusion of disabled people in Irish society is not limited to the remit of one Government department. It requires policies to be implemented across all Government departments. Having three new junior ministerial portfolios is welcome, as long as this does not mean that disabled peoples voices and concerns are solely to be dealt with outside of cabinet meetings. We welcome the opportunity to work with the new junior ministers, but will still expect to work with all ministers regardless of their brief.

If we are serious about the inclusion of disabled people, we need to think about the language we use. We need to recognise the impact of language to reinforce outdated models that look at disabled people through a medical model, which leave us as human beings as an afterthought in discussions about our own lives."

ILMI calls for the removal of references to "special education" or "special education needs". Mr. Kenny says: "This term is very much based on a paternalistic medical /charity view of disabled people and is not based on the social model or principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The needs of disabled people, whether in education or otherwise, are not special."

ILMI call for the adoption of the term "inclusive education". Mr. Kenny also calls for a conversation about the use of the term "mental health" in Ireland. "People who experience anxiety, depression and emotional trauma are not sick and do not suffer from an illness. Taking a social model of disability, we need to recognise that using terms like 'mental health' medicalises and individualises peoples emotional responses to societal pressures. Emotional trauma and distress is not an individual medical issue but a social issue and it cannot be treated as a medical condition," he adds.

Mr Kenny says the new junior ministers must affirm the vital role of disabled peoples voices through Disabled Persons Organisations (DPO) in order to hear these issues. He says this would ensure that their functions can really promote inclusion and not have a situation where language used unintentionally excludes disabled people from society.
Ireland will for the first time host an annual seminar that brings together experts and people with lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery from across Europe.

Mental Health Ireland was nominated by Mental Health Europe to host the annual Empowerment Seminar, which aims to promote mental health literacy and equip participants with the knowledge and skills to look after their own health and wellbeing, including how to interact with mental health services and advocate for their rights and for others.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 European Empowerment Seminar  originally due to take place in Kilkenny  will go digital. Entitled Lets Talk  Empowering Recovery in Europe, the 2020 European Empowerment Seminar will take place online via Zoom on July 24.

This years event will bring together European experts in the field of mental health, including people with lived experience of mental health challenges, family members and service providers to learn, participate and contribute to the discussion of empowering recovery.

The seminar has been co-produced by people from backgrounds in lived experience of mental health challenges, family members and carers, and service providers. It will focus on how empowering recovery through co-production provides better outcomes for everyone.

The seminar will explore the key concepts of CHIME (Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment) through a variety of interactive and creative means. Panel discussions and interactive workshops will explore themes such as personal and family recovery, human rights, peer working, and empowerment through education.

Martin Rogan, CEO with Mental Health Ireland, says the seminar will spark a new and more hopeful conversation about recovery. He adds: This seminar is about having a new and more hopeful conversation about empowering recovery and what that now means for citizens right across Europe.

At last we dispel the myth that recovery is a rare event in mental health. We must change the public expectation to one where recovery from a mental health challenge is recognised as a fundamental human right and how this can be achieved through empowerment. By working through co-production, we can bring together all perspectives and look towards a more positive future.

Belinda Coyle is a family peer educator with Mental Health Ireland. Belinda and her siblings grew up with both parents having mental health and addiction challenges.

My siblings and I lived through this difficult period in our young lives and we are now all living well in recovery and wellness. I became a recovery facilitator and have grown with confidence and strength to learn about family recovery and to accept that caring for myself was equally important for my loved one, says Belinda.

By using my personal knowledge and skills, I can support families and individuals through challenges and advocate for them in their recovery.

Mental Health Ireland recovery education facilitator Billy Clarke calls the seminar a celebration of empowerment and hope.

"For me, the Empowering Recovery Seminar is a celebration of everything that makes true empowerment possible - connection, hope, identity and having a meaningful role in life. It is also an opportunity for me to learn new ways of empowering recovery through education, creativity and human rights discourse," he adds.

The free seminar is now open for registration.
ROCHESTER, Minn- The coronavirus is undoubtedly changing the way many of us will celebrate the 4th of July as parades and firework displays are canceled. One group is making sure that Rochester residents were still able to celebrate independence day.

"125 live is a community center and we really pride ourselves in bring the community together, said Sylwia Bujak Oliver, Organizer of Alive and Kicking Outdoor Carnival.

Members of the active adult center came out in their festive gear just to experience a little bit of normalcy. Some members played games and others enjoy the sights and sounds.

However, the current pandemic isn't far from peoples' minds, social distancing and cleanliness are still prevalent.

Oliver says they went through great lengths to follow CDC guidelines to make sure this was a safe event.

"One of the reasons why we wanted to do this event outdoors even though it's so hot today is to keep it safe, said Oliver. We want to make sure that people know to maintain their social distance, we encouraged them to wear a mask even though its outdoors. We want them to have fun and do all the activities that they couldn't do indoors.

About 70 people attended the Thursday event.
ZUMBRO FALLS, Minn.  The Wabasha County Sheriffs Office is investigating a fatal shooting.

Deputies were called to a location in rural Zumbro Falls at around 10:50 pm Saturday. They found an unresponsive 34-year-old female with a gunshot wound. The Sheriffs Office says efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been called in to assist with the investigation. No arrests have been made.
Jasper, TX (75951)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
A group of residents, including some parents, spoke against author Dana Alison Levys impending visit to the elementary schools during Tuesday nights School Board meeting.

Levy is this years guest author, part of a partnership with the Williamsburg Regional Library. Her third childrens book debuts in May and, like her past two stories, it features a family with same-sex parents.

She was invited because her book, The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, was part of the librarys reading list for the fourth- and fifth-grade Battle of the Books reading competition.

Most schools have all third- through fifth-grade students participating; some only have fourth and fifth grades. W-JCC has more than 2,600 third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students.

As of Friday, 17 families had opted out of the visit  five at Norge Elementary School, five at Stonehouse, two at Clara Byrd Baker and none at James River. The rest have one opt out.

Concerns

Dave Reid, a pastor at Smith Memorial Baptist Church, said he doesnt support Levys visit. He said parents should have been informed of the visit earlier and be involved when deciding materials used in schools.

You have been elected, by this community, to supervise what goes on  the materials, the books  activities that happen in this school system, Ryan McAdams said. We feel that our religious rights have been trampled in this case.

Both men asked for the board to look at procedures in place for school guests and create policies if need be. Tim Kraus, a parent of four, said schools shouldnt facilitate or showcase family life subjects or curricula in any way.

Most speakers echoed McAdams assertion that religious freedoms were in jeopardy and asked for the visit to be canceled.

School spokeswomen Betsy Overkamp-Smith officials are not reconsidering Levys visit to any of the schools.

Peter Vlamming argued that bringing Levy to the schools could be seen as the division endorsing same-sex marriage, which he considers a contentious and divisive issue.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage with its June 2015 decision Obergefell v. Hodges.

A parent for four Clara Byrd Baker students, Cory Cimon brought up the First Amendments provision regarding religion, which extends to public schools.

The content in the books is not appropriate teaching material in the schools and it puts public schools in serious jeopardy of violating the Establishment Clause, Cimon said. It violates our religious faith to introduce homosexual or transsexual views into our schools as an attempt to quote-unquote normalize it or normalize the environment.

School response

During board comments, School Board Chairwoman Kyra Cook said she would ask Superintendent Olwen Herron to look into best practices as well as procedures and policies already in place.

Notification to parents is done on a school level. Most elementary schools let families know about events a week in advance, Overkamp-Smith said.

She said a list or guide of controversial topics to which principals pay special attention does not exist.

Whats controversial to one family is not controversial to another, Overkamp-Smith said. Its subjective.

The twice-annual visits have attracted authors including Avi, Eric Litwin and George Ella Lyon into schools for 14 years. Authors are chosen by the library.

Youth Services Librarian Sandy Towers helps coordinate the partnership.

I do think childrens literature can mirror our own experience, but also be a window to the world, and I think its important for kids to read books of all types, Towers said. Having said that, its a family decision.

Parents have the option to opt out of the visit by contacting their principal.

Williams can be reached by phone at 757-345-2341.
Officials with ISP said Nolan Morgan, who is assigned the Collinsville district, was arrested on Friday, one day after officers found 259 grams of psilocybin mushrooms at his home.
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.
Movie fans gather to bid farewell to the last stand-alone movie theatre "La Scala" amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand July 4, 2020. REUTERS



Donning masks and observing social-distancing practices, movie and theatre fans on Saturday bid a final farewell to Thailand's La Scala theatre in Bangkok, which is set to close its doors in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.



The 50-year-old theatre, built in the late modernism architectural style with an Art-Deco interior, has been struggling for the last decade to stay profitable amid competition from new media and increases in its land lease costs.



The pandemic and restrictions on movement to curb its spread dealt the final blow to the theatre in the heart of the capital. The Thai economy as a whole is forecast to shrink this year more than any other in Southeast Asia.



"I'm so sad I have no words. It is heartbreaking," said Nanta Tansasha, whose family runs the theatre, which was built by her father. "When we look toward the future, I don't know if it (business) will pick up... so I decided to stop the business now," she said.





A movie fan takes selfie with Paiboon Phubutta, 53, an employee of the last stand-alone movie theater "La Scala" wears a face shield before a screening amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand July 4, 2020. REUTERS

Movie fans gather to bid farewell to the last stand-alone movie theatre "La Scala" amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand July 4, 2020. REUTERS





A movie fan posts a message to bid farewell to the last stand-alone movie theater "La Scala" amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand July 4, 2020. REUTERS
South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed above 60 for the third consecutive day Sunday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area continued to swell, putting further strain on the country's virus fight.



- S. Korea reports 61 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 13,091

- No additional coronavirus death, total death toll at 283

- 21 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,832



South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed above 60 for the third consecutive day Sunday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area continued to swell, putting further strain on the country's virus fight.



The country added 61 cases, including 43 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,091, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). South Korea added 63 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.



Of the locally transmitted infections, 15 cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul.



The increase from the city was mainly attributable to a Buddhist temple, which has reported a whopping 61 cases as of Saturday. The Seoul area added 14 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting four new infections.













Cases linked to an apartment building in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, reached 25 on Saturday, up four from a day earlier.



Daejeon, a central city 164 kilometers south of Seoul, also reported eight more infections.



Last week, two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive after coming in contact with a peer, which could be the first case of the virus being transmitted at a school in South Korea.



Health authorities are vigilant as the latest spread of the virus could lead to a new wave of the pandemic. South Korea suffered its worst month in February, when the daily number of new infections even rose above 900 at one point.



The country reported no additional deaths, with the death toll staying at 283.



The number of new imported cases reached 18.



The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,832, up 21 from the previous day. This indicates some 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients here have been cured. (Yonhap)
Kagnew Battalion's chaplain in Gapyeong, May 5, 1952. Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff





The chaplain's speech on May 5, 1952. Robert Neff Collection

One of the least-known participants in the Korean War was Ethiopia.



The first battalion of Ethiopian soldiers arrived in Busan in May 1951. Known as the Kagnew ("to bring order out of chaos") Battalion, it was viewed with a degree of skepticism by American officers.



Many felt the Ethiopians should be placed in rear areas instead of the front line, but the Ethiopians insisted on being in the heat of battle with their American counterparts. So they were assigned to the American Seventh Division.



Things were not easy. The Ethiopian soldiers could not speak English, were unfamiliar with American army tactics and many were leery of Western doctors.



After several weeks of training (three to six weeks, depending on the source) near Busan, the Kagnew Battalion was sent north  to the front  and within days the unit distinguished itself in combat.



The Ethiopian soldiers soon gained a reputation. The Chinese feared them. The Kagnew Battalion never left a man behind  wounded or dead  and none of their soldiers were ever captured by the North Koreans or Chinese. It was like they were ghosts. Perhaps even more alarming were the rumors of cannibalism by the Ethiopians. Of course, these were false, but they only made the Kagnew Battalion even more terrifying to the enemy.



Fred Dustin, a young American soldier with the 7th Infantry Division's band, recalled seeing the Ethiopian soldiers at Gapyeong on May 5, 1952. For the most part, he knew little about the unit, save that his band would take part in one an Ethiopian celebration.



Dustin was not  in his own words  "a fighter," so he was probably unaware of the Ethiopian unit's reputation in battle. He was also not very religious but there was something about the unit's chaplain and his "very beautiful costume" that left a lasting impression.



Several years ago, I found a copy of the chaplain's speech in an old box of Dustin's photographs. I asked him about it but he only shook his head and smiled. Now that I have reread it, perhaps I do understand why a young soldier would carefully tuck it away into his rucksack and keep it for the rest of his life.





Gapyeong village, May 1952. Robert Neff Collection
By Arthur I. Cyr





John Bolton abruptly departed as national security adviser to President Donald Trump in September 2019, after just under a year-and-a-half in the pivotal, exceptionally demanding position. This was only one incident in a continuing series of departures of officials from this turbulent administration.



Now Bolton has published a memoir, titled "The Room Where It Happened  A White House Memoir." His visible Washington D.C. career has involved regular appearances on Fox News, as well as service in the Reagan and both Bush administrations, including the Justice Department and the State Department. He brought that high-flyer style into the national security position, where a relatively low profile is often most effective.



White House efforts to prevent publication of his book have generated more attention and controversy. He strenuously denies circumventing standard national security review of the manuscript.



The book, just published by Simon & Schuster, is very much a discussion of personalities in the Trump administration. There is focus on the president but even more on Bolton, who is emphatic that he resigned and was not fired. However, he also provides extensive personal testimony that his relationship with the president had deteriorated badly by the time he departed.



Bolton's exit was then only the latest in what has been a non-stop merry-go-round of senior administration officials coming and then going, often very quickly. Robert O'Brien, Bolton's successor, is a successful lawyer from California with extensive professional credentials, and active political campaign experience, but very little background in foreign policy.



In this administration, there has been relative stability at the CIA, a particularly influential player among our multiple federal intelligence agencies. This stands out especially in the current turmoil. Mike Pompeo joined the current administration as CIA director, and then became secretary of state in April 2018.



Gina Haspel, his successor at the CIA, is the first female director and a career professional. Both qualities are major strengths, professionally and politically. She clearly has relevant experience, impact on policy and a useful relatively low public profile.



Military dimensions remain vital policy challenges, for our nation as for others, and military officers have long been central to government leadership in intelligence and national security. During the Trump administration, two senior Army officers served as national security advisers before Bolton  Generals Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster.



At the CIA, established in 1947, the first four directors were all senior military officers: Rear Admiral Sidney W. Souers, General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Vice Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, and General Walter Bedell Smith.



The U.S. has paid a high price for alienation between civilian and military agencies. During the Vietnam War, there was general lack of communication between our military and CIA. The latter proved notably accurate  and prescient.



Vietnam field commander General William Westmoreland encouraged conformity in outlook. He ordered military officers literally not to talk to CIA personnel. Late in that war, Congress acted to force cooperation.



Gathering and accurately assessing intelligence remain challenging. False intelligence that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction encouraged the 2003 invasion of Iraq.



Bolton harshly condemns the president for last-minute cancellation of a planned air strike on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. drone. Trump warned of "too many body bags."



Candidate Trump pledged to avoid overseas military involvement. Washington warrior Bolton regularly advocates force against Iran, North Korea and elsewhere. Personality plus policy made his departure no surprise.





Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College in Wisconsin and author of "After the Cold War" (Palgrave/Macmillan and NYU Press).


Gloria Yoder lives in Flat Rock, Illinois. She likes to cook, bake, garden and being a mom! Readers can send her mail at P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042. For more recipes and information about the Amish lifestyle go to amish365.com.
St. John Lutheran Church director of Christian Education Paul R. Wendt, Diana Probst and Tina Bowen, seated, will be leading GriefShare at St. John Lutheran Church in Kendallville. Participants will find hope as they hear from people who have journeyed through grief and learn what helped in the journey.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mostly clear. Low 43F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 43F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Now called the Great Hurricane, it struck on Aug. 23 in northeastern North Carolina and moved quickly northward over Norfolk and up the Chesapeake Bay with winds of 90-plus mph. Storm surges ranged from four to eight feet along the path. Rainfall was between 10 and 13 inches and inland flooding was great, especially along the James River as far west as Richmond. Flooding was so bad in some Tidewater areas that when the water receded, fish were left in the city streets.
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BILLINGS, Mont. - The Billings non-profit, Warrior Wishes Montana, expressed their love for the country this 4th of July by are unveiling a new flag at Roundups rodeo.

50 ft long and 30 ft wide, Warrior Wishes were proud to show off their new flag.

Founder and President Miguel Gonzalez and Board Member Dave Johnson for Warrior Wishes, say they wanted to honor our veterans who have fought and died for our freedom.

The non-profit started up five years ago, in hopes of supporting veterans in need, by providing financial assistance and programs for current and future veterans.

If you're interested in supporting the Warrior Wishes, click on the link, https://www.warriorwishesmontana.com/donate.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Mr Yahaya Bello as the governor of Kogi State.

A five-man panel of justices of the court upheld Governor Bellos election in a judgement delivered on Saturday in the nations capital.

The court had dismissed the appeals filed by four political parties challenging the governors re-election in the November 2019 governorship poll.

Those who filed the appeals were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Action Peoples Party (APP), and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).



On the APPs appeal, Justice Mohammed Shuaibu dismissed the appeal filed by the party in a unanimous judgment.

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.

In its appeal, APP had claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unlawfully excluded it from the governorship election in Kogi State.
Three countries, the United States of America, India and Ghana, have written respectively to the Federal Government requesting the extradition of 11 Nigerians, a report has revealed.

The cases for which the Nigerians are wanted in the foreign countries include money laundering, obtaining under false pretences, fraud as well as drug-related offences.

The report, titled Ministerial Performance Report May 2019  May 2020 was prepared by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and presented to the Federal Executive Council.



According to the report, the ministrys Department of International Cooperation received eight extradition requests from US; three from Ghana and one from India between May 2019 and May 2020.

The report said the department also received 62 requests for assistance in investigation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Nigeria signed with the named countries.

The ministry noted that it had sent letters to INTERPOL to locate the persons named in some of the extradition requests, adding, however, that it rejected the only extradition request from India which involved a case of alleged money laundering concerning four Indians.

The request was denied by the HAGF (Honourable Attorney General of the Federation) because the offences allegedly committed by the suspects appeared to be political in nature.

Letter denying the request was sent to India, the report read.

The report noted that 42 Memoranda of Understanding and agreements between Nigeria and other countries were vetted during the period, while the ministrys Department of Public Prosecutions received 1,120 terrorism-related cases in oneyear.

It noted further that 500 of the 1,120 cases had been filed at the Federal High Court while others have been recommended for de-radicalisation.

The ministry is projecting that by December, about 250 cases would have been concluded while all the cases would have been concluded by 2023.

It added that over 3,392 general/financial matters-related cases were received from the Nigeria Police for prosecution at the magistrate courts due to the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

It added, We are happy to report that over 1,000 of these cases have been completed in the magistrate courts, with the defendants sentenced to various years in the correctional services.

While noting that more cases were being received daily, the ministry projected that about 2,500 cases would have been completed by December.

The ministry added that it was currently prosecuting 1,359 cases of conspiracy/armed robbery and 10 cases of Securities and Exchange Commission-related offences.

On hostage taking and kidnapping, the report indicated that the ministry had 10 cases in court while it was also handling seven cases of pipeline vandalism and 10 cases of electricity equipment vandalism.

The ministry said it had 25 pending cases before the Court of Appeal and 10 cases before the Supreme Court.

The report warned the nations anti-corruption agencies against what it called media trials.

It said, The ministry has approvals in place for several of its programmes, but such approvals need to be backed by prompt release of funds to enable proper execution.

Note that ACAs (anti-corruption agencies) need to recognise that their prosecutorial mandates derive from the constitutional powers of the HAGF, hence the need for their compliance with requests that will facilitate the coordination mandate and the need for inter-agency cooperation to preserve the integrity of the prosecution processes.

ACAs also need to desist from media trials especially where investigations have yet to reveal tangible evidence that will sustain charges when filed in court.

Punch
The family of the late Oyo governor, Abiola Ajimobi, said on Sunday that it had no intention to bar the Deputy Governor of the state, Rauf Olaniyan, from the eight-day Fidau prayer organized for the deceased.

Ajimobis former media aide, Bolaji Tunji, said this in a statement issued in Ibadan on behalf of the family.

The familys reaction followed reports that a delegation of the state government led by the deputy governor was barred from entering the venue of the event.

But Tunji, in the statement, said the family was not aware that the deputy governor would attend the event.



He added that neither the advance team nor the protocol unit informed the family.

The event, he added, was held in compliance with COVID-19 protocols established by NCDC, noting that not more than 30 people were allowed at the venue.

Tunji added that the seats were arranged according to the number after which the gate to the premises was shut.

He said when the family got the information that the deputy governor had arrived, aides rushed to the gate to usher him into the sitting room only to learn he had gone.

The statement said in part:  There is the need to clarify the believed presence of the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, at the 8th-day prayer of HE Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the immediate past governor of Oyo State

The Deputy Governor arrived after the prayer had started. The event was strictly a family affair.

There was a need to comply with the Covid-19 protocol as established by NCDC- Social distancing, not more than 30 people in a place and seats arranged, accordingly after which the gate was shut.

No one was aware that the Deputy Governor was coming as neither the advance team nor the protocol informed us.

By the time we got to the gate to usher him into the sitting room, he had left. Everything happened within a spate of 10 minutes.

Tunji said efforts were made through a serving senator and a former attorney general to get in touch with the deputy governor.

He maintained that the incident was not meant as a slight to the deputy governor as he could sit in a private sitting room provided by the family.

Tunji, who described the incident as unfortunate, however, apologized to the deputy governor.
Chennai: Madurai city and its surrounding areas that were brought under total lockdown on June 24 will continue to remain under total lockdown till July 12, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy announced on Saturday.

While the total lockdown from June 24 did bring down the number of infections in the region, it did not bring the disease under control and hence it was being extended under the Disaster Management Act, Palanisamy said in a press release.

Only essential services would be permitted in the region that comprised Madurai city corporation, Paravai panchayat union, Madurai East, Madurai West and Tiruparunkundram municipal areas, the press release said.

In containment zones, however, no activity would be permitted and essential supplies for the households would be provided at the door step by the local bodies, it added.

The total lockdown in Chennai police limits will be relaxed from July 7 when takeaways from restaurants would be allowed from 6 am to 9 pm and door delivery of food will be permitted till 9 pm. Vegetable shops and groceries can be opened and tea shop can offer parcel service between 6 am to 6 pm, the press release said.

Commercial establishments, other than those in malls, can be opened rom 10 am to 6 pm and all other activities can happen as per the norms that were in force prior to June 19 when the total lockdown was imposed in Chennai.
The Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Delta State, Goodluck Ofobruku, has been kidnapped.

The Punch gathered that the union leader was kidnapped around 8 pm on Saturday while driving out of his house behind the Immigration office along Ibusa/Asaba road in the Delta State capital.

It was learnt that the hoodlums attacked a beer joint on the street before they kidnapped Ofobruku.

The state NLC Secretary, Innocent Ofoyade, told The Punch that Ofobruku was driving an NLC branded Sienna bus to get drugs that night when the incident occurred.



Ofoyade said he was intercepted by the hoodlums along his street, adding that the abductors were yet to establish contact with the family of the victim.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, who confirmed the abduction on Sunday, said It is a case of armed robbery and abduction.

They were actually robbing along the street when the NLC chairman was driving out and he was abducted.

They were robbing a shop at the same time he was driving out of his compound when they took him and entered the bush.

The PPRO said the police have started an investigation to secure his release.
Not all Nigerians are criminals, says student who returned missing cash in...

Ikenna Nweke, a Nigerian Ph.D student in Japan, says not everyone from his country is a criminal.

While on his way home in Japan on June 19, Nweke had found a wallet containing a huge sum of money.

But rather than keep it to himself, he not only returned it but refused to collect a percentage of the money that he is entitled to by law.

The Japanese police had commended Nweke for his honesty.



In a video obtained by the African Independent Television (AIT), Nweke said he refused to take the money and the percentage he was offered because he is a Christian.

He said Nigeria is a country of about 200 million wonderful people and the criminal elements are but a tiny fraction who do not give a true picture of its citizens.

On the 19th of June, 2020, as I was coming home at about 7pm, I wanted to buy kebab for my wife, when I approached the shop in the centre I saw a purse and I picked it up. When I opened it, it contained [a] huge sum of money, queens cards and other valuables. I was sure that the owner was looking for the money, I was sure the owner was heartbroken then I took the money to the police station, the student who hails from Imo said.

On getting to the police station, the police officer asked why I did not take the money, I told him that I was raised by a decent family and that my faith as a Christian forbade me from taking anything. Then I handed over everything to him and he took my information and everything about me and then told me about my rights as somebody who has found something that was missing.

He told me that I was entitled to 10 percent of the money and that if the owner of the money does not come to pick the money after three months, that the whole money will be mine.

Both offers were rejected by me. I rejected those officers because I am a Christian, I rejected those officers because I was raised by a very decent family. I rejected those officers because Im a Nigerian.

Here is a message for every Nigerian that should maintain, protect the image of our nation wherever we are. Especially those in diaspora, we are the Nigerian people know. When we do something bad abroad it reflects on the image of the nation.

This is a message for non-Nigerians who think that every Nigerian is a criminal. That is not true. Nigeria is a country of about 200 million people. Two hundred million wonderful people.

There are some criminal elements in Nigeria, I must admit, and these criminal elements are found in every part of the world. These criminal elements are just a tiny fraction, they do not represent who we are, they do not speak for us. They are not a true reflection of who Nigerians are.

BUHARI COMMENDS NWEKE

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended him for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people.

In a statement on Saturday, Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari as saying that Nwekes act would give Nigeria 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.

President Buhari wishes Nweke all the best in his studies and work as a teaching assistant in same university, urging 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, the statement read.

The development comes at a time when the image of the country is being battered abroad over the involvement of some of its citizens abroad in cybercrime.

In June, Raymond Igbalode Abbas, an Instagram celebrity better known as Hushpuppi, was arrested by the authorities in Dubai for crimes including fraud and cyberhacking.

An estimated N168 billion was reportedly recovered from Hushpuppi and his associates.
Now Im more concerned, because plans are changing, Bogdala said. I cant support it. Were not getting enough information.

Mayor John Antaramian, who chairs the Plan Commission, said he was voting in favor at this time, because there are contingencies in place that require all loose ends be tied up before any the TID funding is activated.

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Theres still a number of issues that need to be addressed, Antaramian said. Without a developers agreement, nothing can happen.

Zilber did not garner majority support for one of its five agenda items. A resolution to create a two-lot certified survey map at 6622 104th Ave. is going to the council without a favorable recommendation  at least at this time.

Chad Navis, director of industrial investments with Zilber Development, discussed the rationale behind the companys request to divide the land further. Navis said an industrial building for a company known as Heartland Produce has been proposed for a portion of the property.

Im not going to support it, because I dont understand it, commissioner Lydia Spottswood said. I basically need more information before I can move forward on this.
New York, Jul 4 (PTI) Researchers, led by an Indian scientist, have developed a cheap, electricity-free centrifuge to separate components in patient saliva samples for the detection of the novel coronavirus, an innovation that may increase accessibility of COVID-19 diagnostics in poor regions of the world.

According to the scientists, including Manu Prakash from Stanford University in the US, the 'Handyfuge' device spins tubes containing patient saliva at very high speeds, enough to separate the virus genome from other components in the sample, without needing electricity.

Also Read | Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's Cousin Shot Dead in Kabul: Live Breaking News Headlines and Coronavirus Updates, July 4, 2020.

They said the cheap centrifuge, described in a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study published in the platform medRxiv, can be assembled using readily available components for a cost less than five USD per unit.

It can allow clinicians and scientists to carry out a quick and cheap diagnostic technique called the LAMP assay to detect the presence of the novel coronavirus genome in patient saliva samples, the scientists noted.

Also Read | International Free Hugs Day 2020 Date: History and Significance of the Day That Spreads Happiness by Giving Free Hugs.

The LAMP protocol, according to Prakash and his team, "has the benefits of being simple, requiring no specialised equipment, rapid, requiring less than an hour from sample collection to readout, and cheap, costing around one dollar per reaction using commercial reagents."

While the assay has several merits, the Stanford scientists said there could be a variability in output in diagnostic methods based on viral genome detection in saliva samples.

They explained that this is due to the saliva containing substances which can inhibit diagnostic reagents.

"Centrifugation to separate the reaction inhibitors from inactivated sample was shown to be an effective way to ensure reliable LAMP amplification," the scientists wrote in the study.

However, they said a centrifuge capable of safely achieving the necessary speeds of 2000 rotations per minute (RPM), for several minutes, costs hundreds of dollars, also requiring a power supply.

With Handyfuge, this hurdle can be over come, believes Prakash -- a professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, whose lab had earlier developed a cheap "origami microscope" called 'Foldscope'.

The scientists explained that the novel device uses a mechanical strategy similar to that seen in 'Dyno-torch' flashlights to generate centrifugal force using kinetic input from the user.

"The user repeatedly squeezes the handle to spin a small freewheel connected to a centrifuge spindle," they wrote in the study.

After a designated amount of time, enough centrifugal force is applied to the sample-containing tubes, the scientists said, yielding a separated liquid layer that is free of chemicals that may inhibit the coronavirus genetic material, its RNA.

"This supernatant can then be reliably used for LAMP detection of SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses," the researchers wrote.

According to the study, the Handyfuge-LAMP assay works based on protocol for the diagnostic method developed by scientists, Brian Rabe and Constance Cepko, from Harvard University in the US.

"This simple electricity-free LAMP protocol builds on fantastic work by Cepko lab at Harvard, but with a hand powered centrifuge to make this assay completely electricity free for resource constrained settings," Prakash's lab mentioned in a tweet.

"The advantage for handyfuge is increased stability and limited fluctuations in RPM and it matches covid test need," the scientists noted on Twitter.

According to the scientists, the idea started from a flash light picked up from a toy store, which they hacked to build Handyfuge.

They said the Handyfuge, combined with the assay from Cepko and Rabe, works reliably in detecting synthetic COVID-19 RNA "down to 10-100 copies per microlitres in saliva."

Commenting on the study, virologist Upasana Ray from the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kolkata said, "The mini-centrifuge is functionally equivalent to the ones used in molecular biology laboratories as bench top electricity driven ones."

However, Ray said, non specific results may arise, such as when genetic sequences that have some degree of similarities -- although otherwise might have different origins like host versus pathogen -- could be detected as wrongly same.

Despite this problem, Ray added that a combination of the methods can potentially help in short listing "doubtful/suspected samples."

These samples could then be validated further, she said.

"It's like picking up a handful of green peas. Later you find some of them are rotten. Earlier part is LAMP, later part is a more specific PCR reaction or real time PCR reaction," Ray explained.

"The authors have proposed the Handyfuge as a useful tool to clarify saliva samples. Saliva is an easily accessible totally noninvasive source. Thus taken together the proposed technology should be further validated on large sample sizes for a better understanding," Ray added.

Using insulated coolers for reagent supply chain and delivery, the assay can be completed without the need for electricity "or any laboratory scale infrastructure," the study noted.

However, to determine the effectiveness of the device as a point of care tool, the researchers said it will need to be validated using actual patient samples.

"We are currently preparing to test this protocol and Handyfuge in field settings," they wrote in the study. PTI

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
The riots had claimed 53 lives, of whom 38 were Muslim. But the police have been widely accused of ignoring complaints against Hindu attackers, inflating charges against Muslims. PTI Photo

A huge question mark hangs on the authenticity of the Delhi police's investigation into the February 2020 riots in the national capital. Clear discrepancies, glaring errors and now, a likely fraud, have come to light with respect to it, plunging it deeper into a credibility crisis.

The police have filed over 80 chargesheets pertaining to the riots. They all build up a certain narrative  of one community targeting the other, and paying for it.

The riots had claimed 53 lives, of whom 38 were Muslim. But the police have been widely accused of ignoring complaints against Hindu attackers, inflating charges against Muslims and filing false cases against complainants and dissenters.

In the latest chargesheet under media scanner are 12 Muslim men charged with the murder of a Hindu eatery worker. Nine of them gave identical confession statements to the police, entire paragraphs of which were repeated ad verbatim in the chargesheet, almost as if those had been recited in unison.

All nine, for instance, got carried away by a crowd which exhorted them to show the strength of the Muslims, all of them started sloganeering and they pelted stones for a long time. The only differences in their statements come by the way of the "weapons" they carried, while one said he had a wooden bat with him, others had sticks and one bore an iron rod.

A doctor, who ignored police warnings and moved the Delhi high court to get an order in his favour to move the riot injured to the nearest hospital that could avail them critical care after police allegedly stopped him, has also been named as accused in this murder case.

Meanwhile, even as reports of violence on Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal inside Tihar Jail surfaced recently  Narwal and her companion Devangana Kalita have both been jailed for conspiracy and booked under the stringent UAPA  another accused, Shahrukh Khan, who is 24 and was blinded in the riots  has come out saying that he does not know the women and is unaware of the feminist collective's existence.

Yet the police submitted in court that it was on the basis of his statement that they arrested the duo. Khan, who studied only till Class VI and is now faced with grave livelihood concerns, has applied for bail on humanitarian grounds.

The Pinjra Tod members as well as other anti-citizenship amendment act protesters arrested for taking part in the riots conspiracy are presumed to have done so in a bid to attract international attention to their cause by timing it with the visit of US President Donald Trump. The police claim that the meeting where the conspiracy to organise a riot was allegedly hatched took place on January 8. But the news of Mr Trump's visit was only made public at least five days later.

Police also named Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav and advocate D.S. Bindra, both public figures and citizens of stature, in the chargesheets.

But Kapil Mishra who organised a counter-rally on the evening the women had been sitting in protest, against whom there is video evidence of hate speech, and who tweeted that he would personally clear the streets of protesters and was only waiting for Mr Trumps visit to get over, continues to remain outside the ambit of investigation. Doubts have strengthened as to whether the force is a partisan one and the probe a bold-faced sham.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) senior detention officer Erica McAdoo died from complications brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the department said in a tweet Saturday.

The department said McAdoo died late Friday.

Her death marks what is believed to be the first time the department lost an employee to complications related to COVID-19, reported FOX LA.

"She is survived by her loving family," the department said in the tweet.

LAPD also asked the public to pray for the 287 department employees who are currently at home after having been exposed to or have tested for COVID-19.

Whether McAdoo had any of the health conditions brought by COVID-19 that usually makes it fatal was not disclosed by a department spokesman, Los Angeles Times reported.

The spokesman also refused to say how old McAdoo was.

COVID-19 cases that involve department employees increased greatly in late June.

This made leading police Chief Michel Moore to connect at last some of the increase at the time to "challenging conditions" brought by protests.

Some protesters who were arrested and those who had a long time interacting with the police complained that many of the officers were not wearing face masks.

Moore said the officers were told to wear masks whenever possible while on duty at the protests.

The death of McAdoo arrived on the weekend of the Fourth of July holiday, when restaurants, bars, and beaches were closed because of the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles.

The county recorded over 107 thousand confirmed cases where more than 3,450 people have died.

Other places in California have also reported police officer deaths: El Centro, Riverside, and Santa Rosa.

More deaths in other areas

There are also cases of COVID-19 related cop deaths in other states.

Arizona reported a loss in Chinle.

Florida reported COVID-19 related deaths in their Clermont, Lake County, Palm Beach, and Broward police.

Texas saw the same for the Harris, Bexas, and Travis counties.

Police One kept and maintained an accurate and up-to-date directory on the deaths that involve police officers all over the U.S.

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Florida officials found a case of a rare, brain-eating amoeba in Hillsborough County on Friday. Of the 138 people who were infected, only four survived, putting the infection's fatality rate at 98 percent.

The state's health department announced the confirmed case of Naegleria fowleri. Officials did not disclose the identity of the patient or where the water body involved in the disease, Tampa Bay Times reported.

In 2016, Sebastian DeLeon, 16, reportedly survived weeks after he contracted an infection from the parasite. According to an article by CNN, DeLeon suffered from a severe headache while on vacation with his family in Florida. The pain became intolerable that the teen couldn't bear people touching him.

DeLeon's family rushed him to the Florida Hospital for Children, where doctors were knowledgeable about the brain-eating amoeba. The ER doctor, Dr Dennis Hernandez, immediately took a sample of the victim's cerebral spinal fluid. The samples came back positive for Naegleria fowleri.

The Health Department said the teen caught the infection while swimming in a Broward County private property. The pediatric infectious disease doctors placed deLeon on a breathing tube and a drug-induced coma. They injected him with miltefosine, an anti-parasitic, and ran tests daily in hopes of getting a negative result. Three days after the treatment, the 16-year-old tested negative for the amoeba.

Three other people were reported to have been infected with Naegleria fowleri in 2016. Only DeLeon survived.

What is the Naegleria fowleri?

In 1965, Drs. M. Fowler and R. Carter discovered the rare organism in Australia. Their discovery was ground-breaking. It highlighted the parasite's ability to live freely and within a human host.

The amoeba is typically found in warm water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. They can also be found in warm pools that are poorly chlorinated. It can live in temperatures as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

People cannot contract the infection by swallowing water. Infections happen once the parasite forcibly goes up the nose and enters the brain. The amoeba immediately begins to consume the brain cells and tissue. The parasite causes brain swelling, and, in nearly all cases, death.

What are the symptoms of brain-eating amoebas?

Initially, symptoms may include:

Changes in smell and taste

Headache

Fever

Nausea

Vomiting

Some report confusion and seizures that worsens over the next three to seven days. Symptoms may start a day to a week after exposure. Death usually occurs 7 to 14 days after infection.

Diagnosis and Prevention

Doctors often examine the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient using microscopic visualization and specialized culture techniques. Younger victims frequently seek medical attention quickly.

Those who are alive when they were diagnosed have an advanced case of the disease that extensive treatment and other measures rarely boost their survival rate. However, most are diagnosed after an autopsy has been performed, MedicineNet reports.

Experts say abstaining from water-related activities is the best way to avoid getting infected Naegleria infections. Other ways to prevent infection include:

Avoiding still, warm and salty water

Avoiding jumping or diving into warm water with loose bottom sediments

Wearing a nose clip when jumping or diving into warm bodies of water or pools.



Read the latest news from the US here:
An 8-year-old boy was killed during an after an unidentified gunman opened fire in an Alabama shopping mall on Friday. The incident also left a girl and two adults injured.

The gunfire began at 3:18 PM on the first floor of the Riverchase Galleria, the state's largest shopping mall. The gunman fatally shot Royta Giles Jr, who was hit in the head. The Hoover Fire Department rushed the victim to the Children's Hospital. He was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital, USA Today reported.

A female child was also transported to the Children's Hospital. Two adults, a male and a female, were transported to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. Authorities did not release the victims' names or list their conditions.

Firstborn

Royta and his family were in line to get into a child's clothing store. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shop only allowed a limited number of people inside at a time.

Multiple shots suddenly rang out from the mall's food court. An employee at Hollister in the mall, said she heard six to seven shots fired. The victim's mother, Royta, his three siblings, and his stepfather immediately hit the ground.

"When we all got up, he was the only one who didn't get up," Royta's mother said.

According to AL.com, Royta was the oldest among the Giles children. He had just finished second grade at Jonesboro Elementary and aspired to become a rapper.

The principal of Jonesboro Elementary, Dr Anjell Edwards, described Royta as an energetic and smart student. She said the victim's teachers and other school staffers would always convince him to consider becoming a lawyer.

Investigators believe the suspect may have left in a car after they spotted a trail of blood leading to a parking deck. The police department is still reviewing surveillance tapes in hopes of identifying the suspect.

2018 Riverchase Galleria Shooting

In November 2018, 20-year-old Erron Martez Dequan Brown opened fire inside the Alabama shopping mall, gravely injuring an 18-year-old and 12-year-old.

A succeeding investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of Erron Martez Dequan Brown, who was responsible for the Riverchase shooting. The 20-year-old suspect was arrested at a relative's home in Atlanta.

The Hoover Police had initially shot Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford, an active-duty soldier, after officers mistakenly suspected him of being the gunman. In a media conference, they announced the soldier injured the victims of the 2018 shooting, NY Post reported.

The police department retracted the statement 20 hours later, noting that Bradford was "unlikely" involved in the shooting. However, they said he was caught running away from the scene with a weapon.

Bradford's parents said the victim, an Army veteran, had a permit to carry a weapon. They called on police to release body-cam footage of the incident.

The unnamed officer who shot and killed Bradford was placed on administrative leave during the official probe. It was later ruled that the shooting was justified and will not be taken to trial.

Catch up on the latest news in the U.S.:
A group of artists used skywriting in 80 different places in the US to protest the immigration policies in the US on the Fourth of July.

The sky writings flew over immigration detention facilities, jails, courts, and the US-Mexico border.

The artists wrote slogans like "Care, not cages" and "Defund ICE", or the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. They hired a fleet of planes to skywrite these slogans.

The Hill reported that the signs will be seen in different places from Friday to Sunday.

The performance artist who arranged the skywriting goes by the name Cassils.

He told NPR that he was shocked to find many detention centers when he moved into the country from Canada.

Cassils flew in one of the planes that flew over the West Coast headquarters of Geo Group and left a message in the sky, "Shame. #Defund Hate".

The location that the artist flew over is one of the biggest operators of adult detention centers for ICE.

Who is this group of artists?

The project was named "In Plain Sight", a reference to how Cassils saw so many detention centers in the US when he first came to the country.

The group heard the detention centers can be found by the southern border of the US, Cassils said.

He noticed that detention centers are "in practically every state", noting one near an IKEA in Brooklyn.

Rafa Esparza, who also worked on the project, said the messages in the sky are those that come from "frustration". He also said these comes from care, support, and solidarity.

Esparza said the messages want to make demands.

Members of the group include lawyer Chase Strangio, artist Patrisse Cullors, and artist Hank Willis Thomas.

They also partnered with other groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Raices and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles was met by the message "Care, not cages" written by Cullors.

Cullors called the Los Angeles County the "largest jailer in the world".

She pointed out that half of the people in the jails are in there because they can't pay for bail. When someone goes inside undocumented, they are not released by given to ICE instead.

The group is challenging the county to invest in the community by other ways than detention, said Cullors.On the other hand, Strangio said his job as a lawyer often held him back by limits of the law. But he believed art and artistic disruption are "essential components of movements for social transformation."

The lawyer used his corner of the sky to honor transgender immigrant activist Lorena Borjas who died of COVID-19 in March.

Other phrases written in the sky were "Unseen Mothers" and "Nosotras Te Vemos (We See You)".

The group planned to sky type the messages in about 20 languages, including Hindi, Kurdish, Lakota and Punjabi.

How did they make it happen?

According to New York Times, the project had a medium-sized production team, led by Cassils' life partner Cristy Michel.

Michel said they found the company Skytypers that does most of the business in the US. The pilots have not done something like "In Plain Sight".

Michel said when she feels the pilots getting nervous he tells them how "art helps the mind expand and think about future possibilities."

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Florida has recorded the highest COVID-19 infections in a single day in the country. The state reported additional and new 11,445 cases on Saturday.

On Saturday, Florida reported that it has recorded at least 11,445 COVID-19 cases in a single day. This is the highest and largest recorded COVID-19 infections in a single day so far in the country.

The increase of cases was after the COVID-19 test in Florida. The state has recorded 14.1 percent positive cases on that day. This is above the five percent threshold that the World Health Organization has set for safe state reopening.

However, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he does not have a plan to close businesses. He will not also require people in Florida to wear facemasks, according to a published report in Daily Mail. This is even though the number of COVID-19 infections in the state has spiked in the past few days.

As of this time, Florida has recorded around 190,052 infections while 3,703 individuals died. Florida now accounts around 20 percent of new cases in the country. Additionally, Florida is now the fourth state with the highest number of infections according to Worldometers.

Aileen Marty warned on Friday, before the result of the test was revealed, that Florida was 'heading a million miles an hour in the wrong direction' in controlling the pandemic.

Marty added that residents in Florida are not following the health and safety guidelines to control the spread of the virus. Marty also said that this is the saddest thing in Florida and residents should control their behavior.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence visited Tampa on Thursday and praised Florida's governor for his response in the pandemic. Pence even said that Florida is in a much better place to fight the current outbreak. However, the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the state does not support the claim of Gov. DeSantis.

Recenlty, Mike Pence decided to postpone the campaign events in Florida due to the increasing COVID-19 infections. But it is not clear if it includes the Republican Convention Party which will be happening nearly two weeks from now.

In Central Florida, instead of closing their theme parks, they will continue to reopen Disney's Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdon on July 11. Hollywood Studios and Epcot are set to be opened four days later.

Dr. Jeff Duchin, public health director for Seattle and King County, said that they are not going to arrest people for having gatherings but they will discourage them.

Duchin also advised not to share utensils, objects, and not to pass anything back and forth because this will increase the spread of the virus.

Health experts advise that Americans need to self-control this weekend. They also added that COVID-19 cases in 40 states in the country continue to increase.

Health experts also showing fear that weekend activities like crowded pool parties, picnics, and parades will have a big impact on COVID-19 infections.

Governors and local officials have now ordered the wearing of masks and urge people to celebrate independence at home. However, Florida Governor does not have a plan to do the same.

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Kanye West, a vocal supporter of Pres. Donald Trump, announced on Saturday that he is running for president. Tesla CEO Elon Musk offers support.

Rapper and designer Kanye West announced on Saturday that he is running for U.S. President. Elon Musk and other celebrities offer their support following the Tweet of West.

Kanye West wrote on his Twitter account that everyone must realize the promise of America by trusting God. He also emphasized that everyone must unify and build the country's future. In his post, he wrote: "I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION," He used #2020VISION that went viral on Saturday.

USA Today reports that West's announcement was received with memes of disbelief and endorsement. His wife even tweeted an American flag with emoji while Tesla CEO Elon Must tweeted "You have my full support."

Moreover, it is not clear if West was serious about his bid for U.S. Presidential election on Nov. 3. It is also not clear if he had filed any official paperwork or had created his campaign staff.

Not the First to Announce

This is not the first time that Kanye West talked about running for president. He first announced his bid for U.S. Presidency in 2015 during the MTV Video Music Awards while accepting an award.

West said in his speech while receiving the award that the country needs new ideas and people who believed in truth. He also added that he planned to run for President.

Fox News reports that back in 2019, Kanye West talked about running for President during his appearance at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City.

At that time, he said that if he will run for President in 2024, he would have created so many jobs. However, he expressed his support to Donald Trump in the same year.

In fact, West declared "Trump all day" followed by emoji dragons during the New Year's Day tweet-fest. He also emphasized "You known where I stand," According to a report in Reuters, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have visited Trump in the White House in the previous years.

Kanye West did not give more information about his Twitter post announcing his presidential bid. At this time, there are many questions about his eligibility if he really intends to run.

The rapper and designer Kanye West has missed the filing date for independent candidates in many key states. These are Indiana, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and New Mexico where the independent candidate filing ended last June 25.

However, Kanye West can still file independent Presidential candidacy in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Arizona.

Alexander Tin, CBS News campaign reporter, commented on the eligibility of West in Arizona. He also said that West has 61 days if he starts today and could have more enough time.

Different news outlets tried to reach out to Kanye West for a comment about his post but did not give any comments yet.

Meanwhile, West's announcement caught the attention of another celebrity. Paris Hilton posted also on her Twitter account "PARIS FOR PRESIDENT." Her post came after Paris Hilton posted her topless photo on Instagram.

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The solemn celebration of the country's Independence Day turned into a horror and a nightmare. A 7-year-old girl was shot in her head and a 14-year-old boy was fatally killed in Chicago.

Gun violence occurred on Saturday night as the country celebrates Independence Day. Series of crime attacks were reported including the fatal death of a 7-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy.

The 7-year-old girl was identified as Natalie Wallace. According to a published report in Fox News, the girl was outside her grandmother's house at a Fourth of July Party in Austin at around 7:00 p.m. A vehicle pulled up and three men started shooting.

Natalie Wallace was shot in her head and was pronounced dead after she was rushed to the hospital. Additionally, a 32-year-old man was also shot during the attack but is now in a stable condition.

The fatal killing caught the attention of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. She wrote: "Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun."

Earlier on Saturday, a 34-year-old woman, a 31-year-old man, and a 20-year-old man were also killed according to a published report by ABC7 Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune reported that four people and a 14-year-old boy were also killed while four others and an 11-year-old boy got injured on Saturday night in a neighborhood in Englewood.

According to the police that four people walked up to a gathering and started shooting people. They fled and until now none of them is arrested.

This is the third week that the city has recorded a child below 10 years old was fatally shot and killed.

Two weeks ago, a 3-year-old boy was fatally shot while in his stepfather's SUV. Last week, a 1-year-old boy was killed while in his mother's car.

In a report published by Chicago Sun-Times, the city Mayor has now deployed additional 1,200 police officers who will be working with violence prevention groups and get illegal guns off the street.

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This article is from Dollars & Sense: Real World Economics, available at http://www.dollarsandsense.org

This article is from the July/August 2020 issue.

Local or Far Away?

Economists tend to assume that the sole goal of our economic activity is to get things as cheaply possible. But outside the narrow world of economics, people care about a lot of other things.

By Arthur MacEwan | July/August 2020

Dear Dr. Dollar:

I have always been skeptical of the argument that it is better for economies to specialize, importing what they cannot produce as cheaply as someone else. Doesnt the Covid-19 pandemic show that its not a good way to obtain medical supplies and equipment? And what about food and energy? Wouldnt there be more resilience in the economy and in the society it is supposed to support if there were a higher degree of local self-reliance coupled with selective regional or national specialization? Katharine Rylaarsdam, Baltimore, MD

Heres the problemand it is a general problem among economistseconomists tend to assume that the sole goal of our economic activity is to get things as cheaply possible. It follows automatically, then, that if things from far away can be obtained more cheaply than they can be obtained locally, they should be obtained from far away.

The as-cheaply-as-possible outlook of economists has provided support for the interests of many firms, which profit from using labor and obtaining raw materials from wherever they are least expensive. Low-cost supplies mean higher profits.

But outside the narrow world of economists and away from firms balance sheets, getting things as cheaply as possible is not peoples sole goal in their economic activity. We also care about, for example, security, resilience, fairness, and environmental sustainability.

Trade-related Environmental Damage in the Netherlands In preparing this article, I corresponded with a friend, David Sogge, in the Netherlands. Here are some further comments that David offered: With the airplane and truck freight involved in re-export via the distribution hub [of the Netherlands], but especially with the production and transport of the stuff produced on home ground, the carbon requirements of flowers, bulbs, and other ornamentals are clearly substantial. A carbon tax would have a major impact on the price. Dutch greenhouses are heated year-round by gas, most of which is pumped from beneath the North Sea, in Dutch waters. The Dutch ornamentals industry also has terrible consequences for the quality of underground and surface water, thanks to the intensive use of liquid manure and agrichemicals. Cleaning that up no doubt also brings costs in carbon in the longer run. But now that youve got me started on the environmental effects of greenhouse agriculture (flowers and vegetables) theres the awful light pollution of those gas-warmed/illuminated greenhouses. At night in much of the West of the Netherlands, you can see barely any stars. Then biodiversity has also taken a big hit. Insect populations, and the birds that lived on them, have declined here dramatically in the past three decades, largely thanks to intensive (and much more economically concentrated) agribusiness.

Yes, it is nice to get things cheaply. But do we care that cheap goods often come from areasin southern U.S. states, Bangladesh, or Chinawhere repressive labor regulations keep wages low? Or from factories just across the border in Mexico, where health-damaging pollution is rampant?

And, as the Covid-19 crisis has brought out, by the United States obtaining much of our medical equipment from far away, we have undermined the resilience of our health care systemwhich, of course, means more loss of life. (There is something a bit grotesque in advocates of free trade arguing that an exception should be made for national security, but not mentioning health care equipment. People security does not seem to merit the same exception.)

Part of the reliance on goods from distant countries is a result of the fact that the real cost of transporting those goods to consumers is higher than the price that those consumers pay out of pocket. For example, when fresh flowers are flown from Colombia to the U.S. market or from Kenya to the European market, the cost of environmental damage from the planes use of fossil fuel doesnt show up in the market price. Many of the flowers destined for Europe go through the Netherlands, which is a hub for distribution to the rest of Europewhich results in more fossil fuel use.

And the Netherlands also produces a large amount of flowers for export. While much of the Netherlands production is in open fields (tulips), there is also production of higher priced flowers (e.g., roses, lilies, chrysanthemums) in greenhouses, which use heat and light from fossil fuels. Again, there is no accounting for these environmental costs in the price of the flowers. (And there is also the light pollution from the greenhouses. A friend in the Netherlands reports, At night in much of the West of the Netherlands, you can see barely any stars. See sidebar for more.)

If the prices of flowers and other goods transported over long distances included the cost of the environmental damage generated by that transportation, the prices would be higher and there would be less long-distance transport. Complex international supply chains would be reduced. And reliance on local sources of supply would increase. A carbon tax and regulations that protect the environment would also help.

Regardless of the problems of free trade (minimal taxes and regulations) and the consequent reliance on distant sources of supply, it should also be recognized that there are some very positive results of international commerce. International exchange in the arts, sciences, and intellectual pursuits generally can be highly beneficial. Also, many fruits and vegetables cannot be grown, for example, in New England. We should not expect to get them at low prices because of the repression of workers or because environmental costs are ignored, but it would be nice to be able to get them; and wheat is probably best produced on the Great Plains. As to energy, if we are going to move our energy system to solar and wind power, those of us in the Northeast will need a way to get energy from the Southwest (where the sun shines the most) and the Great Plains (where the wind blows the most). (See Is a Rapid Green-Energy Switch Prohibitively Costly? in D&S March/April 2020.)

International commerce based only on getting goods as cheaply as possible should not define our economic policies. But this does not mean a retreat into nationalism and isolation. The need is to regulate our commerce in ways that serve the large set of economic goals to which most people aspire, including security, resilience, fairness, and environmental sustainability.

is professor emeritus at UMass Boston and a Dollars & Sense Associate.

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A motorcyclist was thrown 5 to 10 feet after crashing into a utility pole in Upper Milford Township, state police said.

Pennsylvania State Police in Fogelsville said the accident happened at 8:40 p.m. July 1. The driver was operating a 1996 Harley Davidson north on Vera Cruz Road in the right lane when he lost control in a curve in the roadway, police said.

The bike left the roadway and traveled into a grassy area before striking a utility pole on the east shoulder, police said. At that point, the driver became airborne, landing 5 to 10 feet from the motorcycle, according to police.

The driver was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township for treatment of injuries. A condition was unknown Sunday. The driver also is suspected to be operating the motorcycle under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Police did not identify the driver because the accident remains under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police in Fogelsville.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
UPDATE: Man killed in Allentown park identified as 27-year-old

Allentown police called for a shooting Saturday afternoon in a city park found a man with gunshot wounds, who later died at the hospital.

Police were investigating the Independence Day incident as a homicide, Capt. Alicia Conjour said.

Officers were called about 2:38 p.m. to Trout Creek Park, in the area of South Fifth Street. There were other people in the park on the holiday afternoon, Conjour told lehighvalleylive.com, but no one else was injured.

The victim was taken to St. Luke's University Hospital, Fountain Hill, where he later died of his wounds, Conjour said in a news release. Authorities were withholding the victim's name until family members are notified.

Police were not looking for any specific individuals but asked anyone with information that may aid in the investigation to call Allentown detectives at 610-437-7721.

The homicide remained under investigation by city police, the Lehigh County Coroners Office and the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
Decimated traffic amid the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions is still hitting Lehigh Valley International Airport hard for the third month in a row, but there are signs things are looking up.

The statewide shutdown, which began in mid-March and ended in the Lehigh Valley on June 26, cut passenger traffic at LVIA by 42% in March and 96.7% in April.

The Hanover Township, Lehigh County, airport only saw 2,749 passengers in April.

The trend continued in May, with passenger traffic down 83% compared to last year -- 13,107 travelers compared to 76,400 in May 2019.

The figure signals another significant drop, but was 7.5% ahead of the national average for May.

It is better than it could have been, mostly due to leisure travel, said Thomas Stoudt, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority that owns and operates LVIA.

In talking with other airports, Stoudt said they are seeing travelers returning to regional airports with low-cost carriers, and its people looking to take vacations, not business travelers.

People are looking for the low fares, he said. A lot of corporations still have travel restrictions, and we know that thats going to continue for some time. ... During the summer, its really going to be about people taking vacation.

Cargo continues to grow, with LVIA seeing an almost 53% increase in pounds of cargo for May, compared to 2019. While e-commerce was a huge piece to growth early in the pandemic, Stoudt said now theyre also seeing freight shipments for non-essential businesses that are reopening.

Cargo is up 35 percent year-to-date for LVIA, he added.

The airport authority is using the lack of vehicle traffic to its advantage, moving forward with a $1.7 million new parking plan while the parking lots are emptier. The project is funded in part with a $750,000 state grant.

The project expanding the short-term parking area from 115 spaces to 215 spaces was already on the 2020 list of capital projects, even after cuts were made amid the pandemic. But what was once supposed to be multiple small phases will now be done quicker.

The lack of travelers has meant crews were able to barricade the entire project site as of the start of July, Stoudt said, and construction can move ahead without shifting cars and parking sections. The quicker timeline also meant the pricing was 20% below the initial estimate.

The project includes new equipment that limits customer contact -- automatically generated parking tickets and adding digital payments.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
A longtime advocate for LGBTQ rights and for the historic preservation of Easton died Saturday, according to his longtime partner.

Tim Hare, 73, was remembered on Facebook by his peers as a tireless fighter for historic architecture in Easton, the home he adopted after moving from New York.

The love of my life for 44 years, my husband, Timothy George Hare, passed from this life peacefully July 4th at 73... Posted by Earl David Ball on Sunday, July 5, 2020

Its been a wonderful four decades and I miss Tim dearly. But I have now fully learned what it truly means to have a broken heart., said Earl Ball on Facebook. Ball said Saturday he was overwhelmed by the support and well wishes he has received.

Ball and Hare were longtime partners and spent 44 years together. They fought for the right to be married and eventually wed in Canada in 2003. That didnt stop Ball and his husband from repeatedly showing up at the Northampton County Courthouse looking for a marriage license.

Balls Facebook post says Hare died Saturday following a 13 year struggle with cancer and an unexpected onslaught of multiple infections given his compromised immune system, despite two negative covid tests.

According to Hares wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service. Hare was cremated, Ball said.

Hare had an ally in Easton Mayor Sal Panto, Jr., who, along with Hare, was critical of the urban renewal movement of the 1970s to tear down historic buildings and replace them with structures youd find in the suburbs.

Its not just a loss to Earl. Its a loss to the entire city, Panto said of Hare.

Easton artist Anthony Marraccini recalled Hare as a mentor in his Facebook tribute.

Few people live as loudly as Timothy George Hare did. An artist, architect, activist, and preservationist he loved our... Posted by Amend Wun on Sunday, July 5, 2020

Hes part of the reason Im who I am today, said Marraccini, who manages Connexions Gallery.

Rest in peace, Timothy George Hare. Thank you for everything you gave to this little city and to us all, wrote Laini Abraham, who started the widely-read EASTON PA page on Facebook.

Some recalled Hare for his white glasses and his wit.

His activism on behalf of Easton, LGBTQ rights and marriage equality, his love of art, and my ability to pick him out anywhere due to his signature style. ... This kind hearted, generous soul will be so deeply missed, wrote Alice Kwiatkowski on Facebook. She owns Connexions Gallery.

This morning Im sad to learn of the loss that Earl David Ball and our community are working through. Timothy George... Posted by Alice Kwiatkowski on Sunday, July 5, 2020

In a YouTube video, Hare said when he saw Ball for the first time in Allentown he was instantly attracted to him. But he didnt introduce himself. Even though he thought Ball was the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, he stayed away from him.

I wanted him to remain a fantasy because I had been dating a lot of turkeys, Hare said on the video.

Three months later when he saw Ball in New Jersey he didnt let him get away.

I can say were very much in love, said Hare in the 2009 video. The couple spent decades in Easton together.

Ball said on Saturday that Hare was a certified architect who worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. He approved of school designs before the state would award funds to local districts. Ball was a hospital chaplain, which to some degree helped him prepare for Hares passing.

Ball said they participated in many, many gay pride parades since 1977 in New York City and elsewhere.

Their last was in 2017, Ball said. The couple organized a vigil in Downtown Easton in 2016 for the 49 people killed and more than 50 wounded in an Orlando nightclub known as a haven for LGBTQ people.

I recall him telling me: Remember, youve been truly loved.' Yet, Ill be ok because Tim taught me how to take it one day at a time and I know hell be with me always, Ball wrote on Facebook.

Ball said Hares last words to him were, Honey, I love you. Its been a great 44 years. I welcome oblivion.

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Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Are our state legislators like Aaron Burr as portrayed in the musical Hamilton? The fight for redistricting reform in Pennsylvania opened my eyes to how the legislators are shielded by caucus leaders to avoid voting on controversial issues.

In the Broadway production, Burr advises Alexander Hamilton to talk less, smile more. Dont let them know what youre against or what youre for. Later, Hamilton admonishes him, If you stand for nothing, Burr, whatll you fall for?

The Founding Fathers struggled with the question of balancing liberty and power. In Pennsylvania, it seems the legislators want the power to ignore the will of the people.

Fair Districts PA has done the hard work of civic engagement. We learned about local government to get resolutions passed (23 in the Lehigh Valley). We met with legislators (only one, state Rep. Joe Emrick, R-Northampton, consistently refused to meet with us). We gathered petition signatures, educating voters and presenting in local churches, libraries and community groups  all done by local community volunteers who believe in good government and fair representation. Our goal was to create a redistricting commission composed of citizens, not politicians.

We, the citizens, want to be in the room where it happens, when the legislative maps are redrawn after the census. But right now, only five people will be in that room  the four party leaders and a fifth most likely picked by the state Supreme Court. You can bet they have their own interests in mind, not ours.

Raise a glass to freedom. (Sarcasm intended.)

Carla Colangelo

Local Group Coordinator, Fair Districts PA, Lehigh & Northampton Counties

Upper Macungie Township
Emporia, VA (23847)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable.
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.
An early hours burglary at Laois Pharmacy in Portlaoise left the owners with a bill for nearly 9,000 between stolen goods, cash and damage.

In a victim impact statement, Deirdre Holland said it took her months to compile a list of merchandise stolen on June 1 last year by two burglars who were jailed for five years at the Circuit Court.

Working at night, compiling the list was tedious and time consuming and she eventually calculated the value of stolen stock at 6,455 but said that was at cost price and would be an underestimate.

Ms Holland's statement, which was read at a sitting of the Circuit Court in Tullamore, detailed how herself and her husband had gone to the pharmacy at Lyster Square after receiving an alarm call.

Their son followed in a different car and because the front door had been smashed, he had to return home to get something to board it up.

They had to clean up the area and she said the tills had been damaged, even though it was their practice to leave them open because of fears of break-ins. Ms Holland's son had to stay at the premises that night.

She said their insurance premium, which had been 5,000, had increased as a result of the raid.

Garda Stephen Cullen told the court the pharmacy had been cleared out in three minutes by the burglars and the total cost between stock, cash and damage was 8,987.

CCTV footage from 5.30pm the previous day, May 31, recorded both accused outside examining the premises.

Laois Pharmacy was one of a number of such businesses hit by two Romanian men, Sorin Aurelian Damaschin, 30, Crumlin Road, Dublin 12 and Matei Siminica, 30, of no fixed abode, on dates between May and July last year.

Judge Keenan Johnson sentenced them to seven years in prison, with the final two years suspended, for offences across seven counties, saying their crimes were an attack on rural Ireland.

The court heard the value of stolen goods, cash and damage caused was about 128,000.

The two men pleaded guilty to stealing high-end perfumes and after shave, plus cash, from pharmacies in counties Longford, Roscommon, Meath, Laois, Tipperary, Wexford and Waterford.

At each premises they smashed the door with a hammer in the middle of the night and loaded the items and cash into bags before driving away.

In addition to the burglaries from pharmacies, they admitted stealing a mobile phone and personal items from a car parked in a car park in Nenagh.

The men told gardai when interviewed that they sold the cosmetics at knockdown prices to markets in Dublin city centre.

This type of offending is a serious attack on legitimate commercial businesses. It's a serious attack on the services that are provided in rural Ireland, said Judge Johnson.

He said it was clear from victim impact statements that the offences had a profound and negative impact on the proprietors of the premises and staff and afterwards they were all concerned and nervous.

He said one could not but have sympathy for all these decent hardworking people who are trying to earn a legitimate living and they're subjected to this type of nasty crime.

The courts were obliged to protect such businesses and send out a clear message that the perpetrators would suffer a significant sanction.

He noted that most of the businesses were covered by insurance but their premiums were going to go up.

And the cost of dealing with these claims is levied on everybody who pay their taxes and their insurance premiums so there's a cost to society.

He also noted that the owner of the car in Nenagh had lost many photographs and mementoes of sentimental value and that was very hurtful to her and difficult for her.

The perfumes stolen from a pharmacy in the town of Longford had a cost price of nearly 12,000 but would have had a retail value of nearly 22,000, the court heard.

The total value of goods and cash stolen from a pharmacy in Cahir, Co Tipperary was over 35,000 while pharmacies in Enfield and the town of Roscommon were at a loss of nearly 11,000 in stock each and the cost price of stock stolen from a similar business in Dungarvan was over 28,000.

The court heard with the exception of 100 worth of sunglasses taken from one pharmacy in Enniscorthy, nothing was recovered.

The men were captured on CCTV wearing masks and gloves during the raids but in a couple of instances they were recorded looking at premises the day before the burglaries.

They were also linked with a car used in a number of the burglaries and when arrested in July last year they made admissions.

The men had previous convictions in Spain and both have been in custody in Ireland since July 9 last year.

Judge Johnson backdated the sentences to that date and the suspension of the final two years was conditional on them entering a peace bond for 15 years and leaving Ireland within seven days of their release from prison.
If they dont die of Covid they are going to die of loneliness. That was a genuine concern, said Susan Cliffe, deputy chief inspector at HIQA.

This was stated recently as the government and health service looked at the manner in which they could open up nursing home to visitors.

If ever there was a comment to cause concern for families this was it, but then when one looks back on the last three months nursing homes and their staff seem to be at the bottom of the pile when dealing with Covid-19.

It was only as time went on, which in essence meant the numbers of deaths in nursing homes rose, that clarity began to take shape with those tackling the Covoid-19 pandemic on a national basis and found that more focus and help was needed in this sector.

As of the end of May 900 nursing home residents have died due to Covid-19 in Ireland. They make up more than half of all deaths attributed to the disease here.

Looking back the first concerns were raised by families in early March when the NHI issued a statement saying "visiting restrictions are now in place in nursing homes nationwide. No non-essential visiting, children, or groups will be allowed".

Almost immediately, the move hit RTE's Liveline. Relatives were concerned about the impact on their loved ones, fearing they would feel isolated and lonely.

At the same time, they understood why the decision was being made, acknowledging that the elderly were at high-risk from the virus.

Meanwhile nursing home operators also became concerned about taking in people being transferred from hospitals.

In the normal run of the mill patients who would moved to nursing homes were instead remaining in hospital beds, and on wards.

This was happening as fears grew about our hospitals' ability to handle a looming surge.

On the ground the concern in the health system, was focused mainly on intensive care capacity.

Figures provided by Nursing Homes Ireland indicate around 1,000 people were transferred into nursing homes from acute hospitals during February and March.

And so the situation rumbled on with nursing homes reporting lack of PPE and staff shortages.

For those with parents or family members in nursing homes these have been very tough times.

They may have been allowed a glimpse through a window but that would be the only contact available to them.

I have written in this column before about my mother, her Alzheimer's and how that has affected our family.

To not be able to see, touch or talk to her has been heartbreaking, especially as each month brings a deteroiration.But she is happy in her own world.

And to be honest for once her Alzheimer's has been a benefit - she cannot miss us if she cannot remember us.

This might seem harsh and cynical but is so true.

She doesn't know who I or each of my three older brothers are - we are strangers to her although on very rare occasions a glimpse of recognition seems to come through - or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

Myself and my brothers can never get these three months back again with her, something no doubt we will deeply regret in times to come.

Imagine then our delight to hear of the lifting of restrictions and the possibility of visiting her.

We put a plan in place so we could see her at every available opportunity open to us.

But sadly these all came to nought.

The nursing home was only allowing visiting between 2-5 from Monday to Friday.

There is only one visitor allowed in the home at any one time, so essentially there can be only six visitors per day.

When entering you have sign in, with your own pen, complete a Covid-19 form, and sterilise hands.

You are then led to a room, which is sterilised after each visit, to sit and wait for the resident.

However there is a glass panel between the two of you and of course the two metre rule is strictly adhere to.A

ll of this is done to ensure the upmost safety of all.

If the patient has a tendency to get up from her a chair, or generally cannot be left alone, a nurse stays in that side of the room.

This makes visiting an elderly relative very tough. Even the residents in good health are finding it difficult on an emotional and physical level.

For someone like my mother it is impossible. She has very little sight and her hearing is also quite bad - there is no prospect that she would be able to see or hear the person visiting.

On top of that staff also have to carry out procedures such as sterilising her hands before she can receive anyone.

That mightn't seem a lot but for someone with Alzheimer's it can cause great distress.

Overall the advice to us at the moment is not to visit. It is painful for us but at the core of this is the health of our mother.

Anything out of her routine can cause her distress and to put her through the motions of having a visitor, who she can't see or hear, would be selfish on our part.

By no means it is not that we don't want to see her but we would be doing it for ourselves rather than her.

The dedicated staff at the nursing home in Navan where she resides have done their upmost to ensure that Covid-19 has not taken hold in that premises.

Thankfully that is still the case but it has been achieved only by the staff making sacrifices - not going out, not going to the shops.

It is one of the few homes locally that has succeeded in this regard, with a nearby premises losing 14 patients within a very short period of time.

That is 14 families left grieving for someone who they had not been able to hold or touch for a long time. They never got to say goodbye.

As stated nursing homes seemed to have been low down on the list last March when plans were being made on a national level to tackle Covid-19.

It is understandable that the main focus was on getting hospitals prepared and having ventilators in place ready for the peak in cases.

But that does not excuse the near total disregard of nursing homes and their patients.

The elderly were known to be the most vulnerable group and yet staff were finding it difficult to source even PPE.

And of course, there are confirmed stories that patients were moved into homes directly from hospital settings without being tested - indeed the same is meant to have applied to hospices.

We are all being warned of the possibility of a second wave - that we must abide by the strict guidelines in order to prevent this.

Now is the time that the government and health service's focus should be directed to nursing homes.

We know now that here is where the most vulnerable cases are, we know that once it takes hold it can have devastating consequences.

As regards the future visiting of by my family to our mother - well we don't see how this will change any time soon.

The threat is still there and even staff seem to be bewildered as to how visiting can return to any type of normality.

In the meantime, all I and my family can do is stand in a car park and look through the window.

It mightn't seem a lot but to us it is priceless.
A Limerick GP, Dr. Negin Reyhani, a member of the Baha'i community Limerick say they are extremely worried and concerned about the increased persecution of Bahais in the face of an escalating COVID-19 health pandemic.

The Iranian authorities have ramped up their persecution of the Bahais, targeting more than 70 individuals across the country in recent weeks.

Limerick has a small but vibrant Bahai community with over 60 Baha'is living in both city and county.

Limericks Baha'is come from every background and all walks of life, commented Pat Murphy, Chair of the Limerick Bahais Assembly. We are very proud that Limerick is a member of the Council of Europe Intercultural Cities network. Inclusion and diversity are central aspects to Bahai beliefs and we are excited to belong to a place that is working so hard to create a city and county where everyone belongs" Mr. Murphy added.

"Unfortunately the freedom to belong is not available to Baha'is in Iran and the present upsurge in arrests and imprisonments of Baha'is in that country makes us very conscious of how fortunate we are in Limerick and in Ireland.

In a court hearing in Iran held for a group of Bahais, a court official threatened to uproot the Bahais in the city of Shiraz. The sentences received by these Bahais ranged from one to 13 years in prison. Reports of these new threats to uproot the community in Shiraz, along with an unprecedented number of new prison sentences, re-incarcerations are raising concerns amongst human rights bodies within and outside of Iran.

Such an outrageous statement by a court official is not just frightening but is also clear evidence of the prejudice against the Bahais within the judicial system and the authorities true motivation, said Dr. Negin Reyhani, who is an Irish citizen but was born in Iran and has been living and working in Limerick since 2003.

The recent incidents have placed great pressures on hundreds of families, said Dr. Reyhani. Subjecting them to the constant threat of imprisonment under these circumstances and emotional anguish associated with it, is hard to believe. To do all this during a health crisis, at an alarmingly escalated rate without any ustification whatsoever, is extremely cruel.

She says Bahais are routinely arrested in Iran, simply because they are Bahais. After being arrested and released on high bails, these people of all ages and backgrounds, often have months, and sometimes years, of waiting between their arrest, trial, appeal court, and the beginning of a jail term. To live like this with a prison sentence hanging over you is an additional psychological burden.

She says, the Bahais, Irans largest non-Muslim religious minority, have been persecuted in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A secret memorandum approved by Irans Supreme Leader in 1991 calls for the progress and development of the Bahai community to be blocked by barring them from university and disrupting their ability to earn livelihoods.

The recent pressures come as Irans state-affiliated media have also stepped up the public defamation of the Bahais through an increasingly coordinated spread of disinformation.

Since the beginning of 2020, more than 3,000 articles of anti-Bahai propaganda have appeared in television channels, newspapers, radio stations and social media, all while Bahais are denied the right of reply.
LIMERICK jockey Emmet McNamara scored the biggest win of his riding career when claiming a stunning first Epsom Derby success this Saturday afternoon.

Thirty year-old McNamara, son of Rathkeale-based trainer Eric and Paula McNamara, scored a thrilling front running Classic success on the Aidan O'Brien-trained Serpentine.

The stg500,000 Investec Derby is the most valuable race in Britain and the most prestigious of flat racing's five Classics.

McNamara produced a bold front-running ride to score a famous win in the famed Classic.

Serpentine and highly rated horseman McNamara had built up a huge advantage by Tattenham Corner, and the exciting colt was not for stopping, galloping all the way to the line for a thrilling five-and-a-half-length success.

Winning trainer O'Brien claimed a record-breaking eighth Derby success, as the winner obliged at odds of 25-1.

After the race winning jockey Emmet McNamara said: "It feels surreal, really. I can't believe it. I hope Eric Mc (his dad) is ok at home, that he hasn't died of a heart attack or anything!

"It's unbelievable. Just a huge amount of thanks and gratitude to Aidan O'Brien and all his family. I have spent a fantastic six years there and to all the owners who showed a bit of faith in me today.

"I really appreciate it, huge."

Serpentine lands the @Investec Derby with a spectacular front running performance delivering @emmet_mac a first Derby win and an Oaks/Derby double for Aidan O'Brien, @Ballydoyle #TheSupremeTest #InvestecDerbyDay pic.twitter.com/4ImJUR1jto July 4, 2020

"I think I got a little bit of a freebie. I Had a huge amount of confidence in the horse having spoken to Aidan (O'Brien) during the week. He filled me with confidence.

"Aidan said he was a horse that was going to stay a mile and six furlongs. He said, jump, go your own tempo and just, from half way after you've given him a breather from the six (furlong pole) to the five, you keep building to that winning post, he will keep going. God, he was right.

"I couldn't hear a thing behind me. All I could hear was the horse breathing. He was in a good rhythm, he was relaxed and I couldn't hear a thing around me.

Theres a thousand other lads in that weighing room more talented than me@emmet_mac incredibly humble after his dream Derby win on Serpentine.#InvestecDerbyDay @EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/728HZ2V5Gz  Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 4, 2020

"I don't really want to be looking, so I wasn't aware, but I knew I was a few clear."



In-form jockey Emmet finished runner-up in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh last wekeend as his mount Tiger Moth, again trained by Aidan O'Brien, had to give way to stable mate Santiago in a thrilling finish to the Irish Classic.

"I couldnt hear a thing around me. All I could hear was the horse breathing. I wasnt aware but I knew I was a few lengths clear. Its a bit surreal really. Its unbelievable. - Emmet McNamara



Your 2020 @Investec Derby winner, Serpentine! pic.twitter.com/HybOiuJP5H  Epsom Downs Racecourse (@EpsomRacecourse) July 4, 2020

Emmet McNamara is a key member of O'Brien's backroom team at Coolmore.

McNamara will look to score a second big race success in 24 hours when he rides Fort Myers in the Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby, on tomorrow, Sunday.

The Derby and the Oaks - two of British racing's five flat Classics - are taking place behind closed doors and on the same day for the first time this Saturday at Epsom.

2008 Champion Apprentice jockey Emmet McNamara rode his first winner on the racecourse a year earlier when partnering Prince Livius to victory at Tipperary for trainer Tom Hogan.

In common with so many top Irish jockeys, Emmet cut his teeth on the pony racing circuit where he was the champion rider for two years running. In his final season as a pony rider, he eclipsed Norman Williamson's long-standing record by riding 65 winners.

His most notable wins on the racecourse include prior to his Epsom success came when riding the Aidan O'Brien-trained Port Douglas to victory in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at the Curragh in 2015. McNamara also won the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes on the O'Brien-trained Douglas Macarthur in 2017

The Epsom Derby traditionally takes place on the first Saturday in June, but it was moved this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure it could be held safely.
Trade between India and Bangladesh through the Petrapole-Benapole Integrated Check Point (ICP) has resumed once again thanks to the intervention of the central government after repeated interruptions that led to bilateral commerce plummeting to $ 424 million in April-May 2020 from nearly $ 2 billion at the same time last year.

The restrictions imposed by the West Bengal state government during the lockdown period  that allowed trucks to cross into Bangladesh carrying Indian goods but not permitting Bangladeshi goods to India  had led to discontent brewing in Indias eastern neighbor with who New Delhi has worked hard to improve ties, a person familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The impediments had resulted in trade being disrupted from 23 March, the person said adding, No exports from Bangladesh to India have been allowed by the West Bengal government since March 2020, while Bangladesh has allowed Indian trucks to move into Bangladesh from all border points in West Bengal."

The discontent on the part of Bangladesh led to some protests at the ICP on 1 July and and blocking of Indian trucks moving towards Bangladesh," the person cited above said. Some partial trade resumed in the evening (1 July) with 106 trucks crossing from Indian side. But it was disrupted again," the person said.

The Home Ministry had in April taken up the issue of discontinuation of permission by the West Bengal government for trucks and goods vehicles along Indias border with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, a second person in the know of the matter said.

The Home Ministry, acting on advice from the Indian foreign ministry, conveyed to the state government that closure of trading points particularly for the landlocked neighbors was an international issue and called into question Indias implementation of legally binding international agreements," the second person said.

The Home Ministry also stated that the act of West Bengal government was in clear violation of orders issued by MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs ) under the Disaster Management Act 2005" as well as some articles of the Indian constitution, the person said.

The central govermment intervention has seen as resumption of two way trade at the Petrapole-Benapole ICP, which is a key trading point accounting for some 70 % of bilateral commerce between the two countries, the second person said.

There was no response to calls made to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees office for comments. The chief minister also holds the portfolio of home affairs in the state.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh exports to the Indian state of Tripura have more or less remained uninterrupted during the lockdown period," the second person said.

Also as trade has more or less been halted at Petrapole- Benapole ICP, trade in essential commodities has increased via the rail route. The highest ever monthly interchange of freight trains happened in June when 103 loaded trains carrying essential commodities like ginger, onion, raw material, finished products etc were handed over to the Bangladesh side," the person added.

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Author and reality TV personality Lady Colin Campbell once again took a savage swipe at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as she compared the pair to German leader Adolf Hitler.

In her recent interview with FUBAR Radio's "Access All Areas," Campbell unleashed the scathing remarks about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their recent works.

When asked by the show's hosts Joanna Chimonides and Stephen Leng about her opinion on the couple's post-royal life, the 70-year-old socialite and television personality slammed Prince Harry and Meghan's activism and their participation in the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I have no doubt that they tell themselves they're doing the right thing, but we also need to remember that history is littered with people who thought they were doing good. I only have to mention Adolf Hitler, not that I'm putting them in the same camp as him," Lady C shared, per Metro UK.

The British author -- who wrote the London and New York Times bestsellers "Diana in Private" and the 1998 book "The Real Diana" -- then stressed that leaders like Hitler and Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong caused million of deaths among its countrymen while believing they were doing the right thing.

"So I'm sorry you know, history's littered with people who are deluded enough to think that because they want black to be white, that black is white. Black is black and white is white," Campbell added.

Royal Expert Accused Meghan Markle Of Being The Mastermind Behind "Megxit"

Campbell continued to lash out at the most sought-after couple in the world and claimed that the former "Suits" star is the mastermind behind "Megxit." She also accused Markle of successfully pushing her husband to leaving the royal family.

"If you believe for one second that Harry had anything like this up his sleeve you believe in the tooth fairy and the pig airline," Lady C added before mentioning that Prince Harry would still be safe and sound in the U.K. if it was not for Duchess Meghan.

"Had Harry married anyone else, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be here safe and sound in Kensington Palace. It's completely Meghan."

In previous royal family news, the Sussexes announced their plan to step down as senior members of the Firm in January 2020 and officially left the monarchy last April.

The two have been living in their $18 million hilltop mansion in Beverly Hills, along with their 1-year-old son Archie and Meghan's Mother, Doria Ragland.

Princess Diana Would Disapprove Prince Harry And Meghan's Decision

The "Celebs Go Dating" star, who previously called the 38-year-old duchess a "fame addict," also claimed that Princess Diana would have been "horrified" by the couple's decision to quit the Firm.

"Diana, whatever her failings, was not into making money, or as Harry and Meghan put it, financial independence... I cannot see that any aristocrat or royal would be anything but horrified by what's happened," Campbell said.

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Washington

A loose association of current and former Republicans working to sink President Donald Trump's re-election now see another political feat that's necessary for them to have reclaim their party: flipping the U.S. Senate to the Democrats.

The emerging belief, based on more than a dozen interviews, is that defeating Trump alone is insufficient to spur the reckoning required to salvage a party that will almost undoubtedly confront a crossroads if the president loses to Joe Biden this fall. Many argue that GOP senators must pay a steep price for their unabating fealty to Trump, even if it hands Democrats complete control of the federal government.

"The analogy would be in the same way that fire purifies the forest, it needs to be burned to the ground and fundamentally repudiated," said Steve Schmidt, a Republican-turned-independent political strategist who now works for The Lincoln Project, one of the most pugnacious of the anti-Trump GOP groups. "Every one of them should be voted out of office, with the exception of Mitt Romney."

Not every Republican Trump critic agrees with the unsparing approach, contending that many GOP senators most vulnerable in 2020 are the sort of lawmakers who least embody Trump's worldview.

But the Lincoln Project has placed six-figure ad buys against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, as well as Sens. Joni Ernst in Iowa, Thom Tillis in North Carolina and Martha McSally in Arizona, as Republicans try to hold onto their narrow three-seat majority.

"They are the only human beings who had the authority and the ability to keep this president in check constitutionally and politically, and every one of them made a conscious decision to not do so," said ex-New Hampshire GOP chair and Lincoln Project adviser Jennifer Horn. "The only way to make sure that Trumpism doesn't continue to rule the Republican Party for years to come is make sure that we defeat not only the president, but people who have enabled him."

In Senate races expected to draw tens of millions of dollars in spending, the relatively small expenditures from the Lincoln Project are unlikely to persuade many voters on their own. And even with bigger budgets, it's unclear if enough "Never Trump" Republicans  whose ranks are concentrated among former GOP officials and strategists who aren't necessarily representative of the larger party  reside in these states to make a difference.

Still, the list of conservative anti-Trump groups grows. Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh told McClatchy that he plans to formally roll out the Bravery Project next week, another group that will try to reach tens of thousands of disaffected Republicans in six core battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Walsh, who launched a short and futile primary challenge against Trump, said he believed Republicans should lose control of the U.S. Senate, largely for voting to acquit the president of impeachment without a formal trial.

"Trump has to lose and every Republican senator up for reelection has to lose because they've enabled" him, Walsh said. "Do I want the Democrats to take control of the Senate? No. But I have no choice. To me, these Republicans like Martha McSally and Thom Tillis and Susan Collins breached their office."

Walsh added, "It means the Democrats will be in control of D.C. and they will try to push policies I disagree with. That will leave someone like me fighting against their policies. I don't look forward to that, but that will be the necessary result."

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats need to gain three seats  four, if Sen. Doug Jones falls in red Alabama  to wrest control of the upper chamber for the first time in six years. If they win the presidency, their veep casts tie-breaker votes in the Senate).

Public polling has shown Republican senators trailing in Arizona and Colorado, with margin-of-error races in North Carolina, Maine, Iowa and even Georgia. The House of Representatives, meanwhile, is widely expected to remain in Democratic control after the election.

Republican Voters Against Trump uses hundreds of testimonials from disillusioned GOP voters to argue against a second Trump term. It hasn't chosen sides in Senate races. Its leaders acknowledge an overwhelming Democratic victory down ticket would force Republicans to plot a drastically new course.

"He's not going away," Sarah Longwell, RVAT's strategic director, said of Trump. "His level of power over the party could be determined by (November). If Joe Biden wins in a landslide and takes the Senate down with him, Republicans are going to realize they've made a massive miscalculation."

But even among the harshest Trump critics in the GOP, not all are convinced opposing Republican senators is a good idea.

They say doing so undermines their long-term goal of reforming the party to be less like Trump, even if they're frustrated the Senate GOP hasn't pushed back against the president.

Some observe that Republicans can face backlash from Trump, McConnell and GOP donors if their support wavers.

Next week, seven Republican-affiliated groups will be formed to oust a president of their party. Former Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, a Republican Voters Against Trump adviser, favors full repudiation of the current GOP noting Senate Democrats would be restrained by their own members.

"Even if Democrats have 52 senators, several are going to be John Hickenlooper, Mark Warner, Michael Bennet, who are moderate Democrats," Kristol said. "They believe in a free market system. I think the cartoon version of the Democratic Party on Fox News and conservative outlets, that's not going to be the party that governs."
ALBANY  The complicated legacy of Maj. Gen. Philip J. Schuyler, a Revolutionary War hero and former state senator whose family's heritage is enmeshed in the history of Albany and the nation, was officially etched into the city's landscape in 1925 when a statue in his honor was erected in front of City Hall.

But like many leaders of the American Revolution, Schuyler's ownership of slaves has for some, including Mayor Kathy Sheehan, tainted his legacy and led to her recent order that the statue be removed and relocated, possibly to a state museum or the nearby historic Schuyler Mansion.

Although Sheehan has been mayor of the city since 2014, the recent protests in Albany and across the country in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer prompted her call for the statue's removal at a time she believes everyone should embrace the Black Lives Matter movement.

"They went to war for white people," the mayor, in a recent interview, said of Revolutionary War figures. "We would not be the nation that we are if it were not for slave labor to allow these men to be fed and clothed and housed because they had slave labor. ... It represents a very different idea of the rule of law because it represents an individual who was able to own people and sell them and buy them."

But descendants of the family of Schuyler, who had faced the prospect of execution if the American Revolution failed, are urging Sheehan to reconsider her executive order, or to at least allow the decision to be one made by the community and not a unilateral one.

"Are we to judge an 18th-century historical figure through our sense of justice and our sense of freedom?" said Avery Schuyler Dey, who with her father, Philip Schuyler Dey II, have been devoted students of their family's history. "He descends from Europeans and so he was from a long line of feudal Europe and he really was on the forefront in breaking that tradition  the idea being that we dont want to be in a community where we dont have opportunity to vote or be represented by our vote. That was the main patriot cause: no taxation without representation."

Avery Dey, 22, who is from Rhode Island and is studying English literature at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said the mayor is making a decision that should first be subject to public discussion and, possibly, put to a vote for the citizens of Albany.

"I think that Philip Schuyler really stands for this sense of democracy that has allowed us to get where we are, where we can really look at history from an impartial standpoint and feel that we have a say," she said. "He actively chose to put his family and himself on the line, and had the patriot cause not been successful, he would have been hung as a traitor and so would have his family. Here was a moment of extreme heroism and extreme conviction in this sense of the peoples voice.  That sort of conviction is at the backbone of how we have set up our country."

She and her father noted that there are numerous historical figures in the extended Schuyler family, including former Vice President Schuyler Colfax Jr., who had been a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and is credited with leading the effort in Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment that abolished slavery.

During an historic battle in 1781 at Groton Heights in Connecticut, where members of a small militia were massacred by British forces led by Gen. Benedict Arnold, a home that was part of the Dey's family history  the Ebenezer Avery House  for years had blood stains on the floorboards from the dead and wounded patriot soldiers brought there during the battle.

"I think that maybe we are  in our attempt to give a better and more balanced view of history  were maybe losing that sense of sacrifice that they had. The different patriots just stacking their body onto the flag so that the British could not take it down," she said. "There was extreme sacrifices, there was real bloodshed and Philip Schuyler didnt have to do that."

Avery Dey and her father both said that Sheehan did not return their calls or respond to their emails. They also have embraced an idea by Douglas Hamilton, the fifth great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, to remove Schuyler's name from the statue and rename it to generically honor the Revolutionary War soldiers of this region, including Black and Native American combatants who fought alongside the patriot soldiers.

"In talking to Douglas Hamilton, he thought in the worst-case leave the statue and take the name off and just say its a revolutionary soldier or officer," Schuyler said, adding that Hamilton was concerned also about the lack of tributes to the Black and Native American fighters.

Across the country in recent weeks, the protests against the alleged excessive force that led to Floyd's death in Minneapolis has sparked a much broader controversy about historical racism in America, and many protesters  some of them rioting  have defaced and sought to take down statues of an array of historical figures.

Confederate monuments have long been a target of protests and raised questions about whether they are historical or a tribute to racism and slavery. But some groups caught up in the more recent protests have also misdirected their anger at statues of even revered historical figures such as Philadelphia philanthropist Matthias Baldwin, an abolitionist who argued against slavery and paid for Black children's education. In Boston, protesters defaced a monument created to honor the first all-Black volunteer Army regiment.

Still, Sheehan is steadfast in her belief that it is time for Schuyler's statue to be removed from its prominent perch in front of City Hall and across from the state Capitol.

"This isnt about erasing history; this isnt about saying that Philip Schuyler was not a man who accomplished great things, but it's saying lets talk about that in a place that is not as charged as this very public building (City Hall) that people have to go into and out of ... in their day-to-day lives," Sheehan said."To say that they have to walk past that statue so that we can contextualize that history, I think, is putting people in a position that they cant escape from and I dont that that is what we should be doing moving forward."

The mayor said her proposal would place the statue in a place "where people voluntarily go to learn about history and have the opportunity to engage in that deeper conversation  this balance between people who fought for freedom of this country from Great Britain, but also the paradox of what I would consider the crime of slavery. That can be contextualized and people can voluntarily immerse themselves in that."

Avery Dey said she agrees with the effort to remove Confederate statues that glorify Civil War figures who fought for slavery, but "only recently in our history have we started really, really evaluating whether or not we should take down what we would call the founding fathers. ... I would say thats a more nuanced and recent development in the whole discourse of statues."

Schuyler had 13 enslaved people at his South End mansion in 1790 and another four worked on his farm in Saratoga County, according to Times Union archives.

"There's no space for that in front of a public building," the mayor said. "Im responding to direct pain  black employees who come to work every day and walk past a statue of a man who owned people."

In 2016, as Sheehan delivered her annual State of the City address, she was shouted over by members of the Black Lives Matter movement who were in City Hall that night to protest the recent death of 39-year-old Dontay Ivy, an unarmed mentally ill man who suffered a fatal heart attack after he was chased, tackled and Tasered by police officers. Ivy had committed no crime and grew agitated and ran away as the officers, who had mistakenly suspected he was carrying a gun, began patting him down and asking him questions.

Earlier this month, Sheehan authorized city workers to paint a giant "Black Lives Matter" mural on Lark Street in the Center Square neighborhood. While a few leaders of Black Lives Movement groups have promoted violence, or have a history of violence themselves, the mayor said it is time for the nation to embrace that cause.

"To me, saying that Black Lives Matter is not a political statement," she said. "To me, stating that Black Lives Matter is something that we have to say out loud because of our history. I think its very important that we recognize that 400 years of white supremacy have consequences. We have to speak to those consequences and own it in order for us to engage in this civic discourse that we need to continue to engage in to ensure that we are creating a more perfect union."

Fifteen years ago, the remains of 14 enslaved people the Schuyler family owned were discovered as part of a sewer line project several miles north of the mansion. They were reinterred at the Historic African Burial Ground at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands in 2016. Their names were never recorded and there is little information on them in the family's historical documents.

Schuyler, the father-in-law of founding father Alexander Hamilton, was also an Albany city alderman, member of the state Assembly and later a U.S. senator.

The Schuyler Deys have retained an attorney, John Bailey of Guilderland, to examine whether they have any legal options to challenge Sheehan's order.

"Now that it's in a public space people can go and they can discuss and learn about the nation's history and its complexities, but once that statue is put into an indoor private place it then becomes further a symbol of elite because youll have to pay to see the statue," Avery Dey said. "The decision we make now is going to affect many more generations, its going to outlive this pandemic, this political time period, and so we have to be sure the of decision were making."

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly rendered the phrase "no taxation without representation."
LONDON - In the global race to beat back the coronavirus pandemic, scientists in Britain, Germany, China and the United States are pushing to develop, and possibly manufacture, millions of doses of vaccine in a completely new way.

This promising - but unproven - new generation of vaccine technologies is based on deploying a tiny snip of genetic code called messenger RNA to trigger the immune system. It has never before been approved for use.

But almost overnight, these cutting-edge RNA vaccine efforts have leaped forward as top candidates to fight covid-19. Some developers plan to have tens of millions of doses ready by the end of the year.

Elegant in theory, efficacious in the laboratory but untested in the real world, the possible RNA vaccines are especially attractive because they might be cheaper, easier and faster to manufacture on a massive scale - at least one team boasts it could partner with producers in developing countries to provide millions of vials for as little as $5 a pop.

More than 150 possible vaccines are now being developed by multinational pharmaceutical companies, academic groups and government laboratories around the world, many using traditional protocols used to make flu and other vaccines for decades.

At least 17 teams are now testing their potential vaccines in humans - and at least five of these are betting on RNA vaccines.

The RNA group has been among the first out of the gate because they can be rapidly designed on computers, using just the genetic sequence of the coronavirus that was shared online in early January.

The stakes, and risks, are enormous.

"This is the greatest science experiment in vaccinology that's ever been done," said Andrew Ward, a structural biologist at the Scripps Research Institutein La Jolla, Calif. "It's literally testing all the different technologies, and it's going to be cool to see how this all shakes out."

The RNA vaccines under study come from a small laboratory at Imperial College London, from the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences in China, from three large pharmaceutical companies - Pfizer, Moderna and CureVac - and their partners.

They're competing alongside groups pursing a slew of other methods, including the use of inactivated or killed virus or bits of the virus - a traditional strategy used against seasonal flu and other pathogens. Others harness harmless viruses to ferry distinctive pieces of the coronavirus machinery into cells.

Though never deployed in humans outside of clinical trials, the RNA research is being backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, fueled by the urgency to crack the covid code. Each team is seeking the prize of being first to a vaccine, while guaranteeing their own populations will get early access.

It's a high-wire, high-price gamble on 21st century, computer-aided medicine.

Among the first to begin human trials is a self-amplifying RNA vaccine developed by the British professor Robin Shattock, 57, who in his college days, at North East Surrey College of Technology, wasn't very good at math or science and thought maybe he'd like to be a rock star instead.

Within days of the virus emerging in Wuhan, China, and the genetic sequence of the coronavirus being published, Shattock and his small team at Imperial College London went to work.

In January, February and March, Shattock couldn't get his telephone calls answered by top British officials. He spent days of precious lab time applying and cajoling for funding to move his vaccine forward, allies said.

Then Britain's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, decided to back Shattock and his vaccine, and $50 million poured in.

In the past week, at an anonymous clinic in west London that cannot be named for security reasons, the first nine volunteers got a jab from the Imperial College vaccine.

"They seem to have responded well," Shattock said.

Another 300 volunteers will receive the dose over the summer. Imperial College hopes to launch a 6,000-person trial in October.

"We think that just around the corner there will be a sea change in the way that vaccines are developed and manufactured," Shattock told The Washington Post. "I think we'rejust on the cusp of that."

If all goes well, a U.S. trial of the first potential RNA vaccine will enter the crucial third phase to measure how well it protects against infection and sickness this month. It's the gold standard of double-blind controlled studies involving thousands of volunteers in multiple countries. half get the candidate vaccine and half get a placebo.

All vaccines share a common aim: to teach the immune system to recognize and neutralize the coronavirus. Newer approaches use genetic material such as RNA or DNA to turn the body's own cells into miniature vaccine factories.

Some of the possible vaccines are breaking speed records.

Scientists were able to use the genetic sequence shared by researchers in China on Jan. 10 to design possible vaccines on a computer before the coronavirus causing a mysterious pneumonia even had a name.

The Imperial College researchers took just two weeks to identify the bit of genetic material they wanted to deploy to attempt to trigger an immune response.

The leading American effort, an RNA vaccine being developed by the Massachusetts biotechnology company Moderna, went from a genetic sequence on a computer screen to a shot in the arm of a person in an unprecedented 66 days.

Leaders of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a Pennsylvania company working on a possible vaccine that uses DNA, have said it took three hours to design.

The idea of deploying RNA to fight infectious disease and cancer has tantalized scientists for years. But they have yet to move beyond the experimental stage.

Each vaccine technology has advantages and trade-offs - the speed and flexibility of the RNA platform balanced against the lack of experience in using them in large human populations.

Vaccines that might take longer to make could offer a stronger immune response.

The usefulness of some vaccines could be limited in the developing world if they require extensive refrigeration. Questions remain about how long any of the potential vaccines might be effective, and whether people might need booster shots.

"No one thinks there's going to be a single silver bullet," said Deborah Fuller, a microbiologist at the University of Washington.

That's because multiple treatments might be needed to meet the number of doses required around the world - and it's likely that vaccines will have different profiles.

The fastest to be developed might not be the most effective. One might work better in older people than younger, or vice versa.

"As a collective team they're going to be able to battle this pandemic together," Fuller said.

The RNA technology now being tested in human volunteers is promising, but questions remain about safety, whether it works and how long it might last.

"I don't think we know," said Peter Jay Hotez, dean of National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "It's a brand new technology, and we've not really had large numbers of (vaccinated) people walking around for years."

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech are testing four RNA vaccine candidates in a clinical trial. The Pfizer candidate uses a modified strand of RNA that codes for the spike found protein on the surface of the coronavirus, with a tweak to its genetic code to increase its ability to trigger an immune response.

Such modifications "try to get the right balance between stimulating the innate immune response, but not stimulating it so much you shut down the RNA's ability" to create the spike protein, said William Gruber, senior vice president of Pfizer Vaccine Clinical Research.

The Pfizer results, shared in a preprint article that has not been peer-reviewed, showed that an RNA-based formula was safe at low doses and triggered a stronger immune reaction in people who were vaccinated than in those recovering from a natural infection. Pfizer plans to test at least one of its possible RNA vaccines in a 30,000-person clinical trial by the end of the July, pending regulatory approval.

The hoped-for RNAvaccines being tested by some of the groups means a smaller dose could potentially be extremely potent - which could mean people might need only a single dose.

The technology could also decrease the amount of genetic material needed in the future vaccine, making manufacturing more efficient.

Shattock said one liter of his RNA reaction - about four cups' worth - can make at least 2 million doses of possible vaccine.Other vaccine models require thousands of liters to make the same number of doses.

One of Pfizer's candidates is a self-amplifying RNA vaccine.

"Once you inject it into a human being, it gets taken up by a cell and it's like its own factory - it amplifies itself in the cell," Kathrin Jansen, head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, said in May, when human trials began. "One copy goes in and the factory starts kicking in and making more and more copies."

If the self-amplifying RNA vaccine is successful, Jansen said, it could allow the company to use a much smaller dose - and radically change the company's predictions about how much vaccine it could manufacture next year.

Pfizer has not chosen which of its four vaccines it will scale up, but has said that next year it will manufacture 1.2 billion doses.

- - -

Johnson reported from Boulder, Colo.
Michael Hickson, a 46-year-old father of five from Texas, was sick with covid-19 when doctors reached a crossroads in his treatment. He had pneumonia in both lungs, a urinary tract infection and sepsis - a dangerous immune response leading to multisystem organ failure.

He needed a ventilator to help him continue breathing, but the hospital felt further intervention for the disabled man was futile. A doctor explained to the family that there was little hope Hickson would survive or regain "quality of life."

Hickson's sister, a physician, agreed. So did the agency acting as his legal guardian. But his wife, Melissa Hickson, was horrified. She worried doctors were placing less value on her husband's life because he was a black man who was disabled. After going into cardiac arrest in 2017 and suffering complications, he had been left quadriplegic and brain-damaged.

The disagreements over Michael Hickson's care - amplified by an audio recording, widely shared on social media, of his wife pleading with a doctor to continue treatment - provide a rare window into fraught end-of-life decisions that are being made across the country as the novel coronavirus continues its rampage. The case puts a spotlight on issues of race, disability and family, including the different ways individuals, even within the same family, assess what makes a life worth living.

In the days after Hickson's June 11 death, the audio recording shared by his wife has created a furor among disability rights activists across the United States who have rallied around his wife. Their outrage has been echoed by Catholic organizations and antiabortion groups, which have argued that stopping treatment was tantamount to failing to recognize the inherent value of a human life.

DeVry Anderson, chief medical officer at St. David's South Austin Medical Center, where Hickson was treated, described his case as a "very sad and complex situation." He said the decision to withdraw care was not a matter of hospital capacity, Hickson's disabilities or cognitive abilities, or his race.

"This was a man who was very, very ill," Anderson said in a written statement.

"Some people want the public to believe that we took the position that Mr. Hickson's life wasn't worth being saved, and that is absolutely wrong," he added. "It wasn't medically possible to save him."

Hickson's sister, Renee Hickson, a fellow at George Washington University Hospital in the District of Columbia, said doctors worked very hard to save her brother's life, but his decline was precipitous. She does not believe any of their decisions were based on his disabilities or his race.

"There is only so much medically that we can do," she said. "And they did that for all of those days, and there was nothing more to do."

In the recording between Melissa Hickson and the doctor in charge of her husband's case, she expresses confusion as to how the decision to stop treatment was made and tries to change his mind. Under Texas law, such recordings are allowed as long as one party consents.

"So as of right now, his quality of life - he doesn't have much of one," the doctor explains.

"What do you mean?" she asks. "Because he's paralyzed with a brain injury, he doesn't have quality of life?"

"Correct," the doctor responds. The hospital declined an interview on behalf of the doctor, who is not identified in the recording.

The debate over Hickson's care has hit a nerve as crisis protocols activated by health officials in some jurisdictions would allow hospitals to ration treatments in certain circumstances, as coronavirus cases surge. Disability rights activists, among others, express alarm that disadvantaged groups - the disabled, members of minority groups, the poor - might get lower priority.

"I've been stewing on this for a few days as I try to come up with the right words to explain to you how much of an underlying fear this scenario is for much of the disabled community," tweeted Steven Spohn, a popular gamer who has spinal muscular atrophy. "We live our entire lives in fear that one day a doctor will decide we just aren't worth it."

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights responded to such concerns this spring by probing some of the plans, issuing guidance affirming the need for nondiscrimination protections and threatening action against violators.

Devan Stahl, a bioethics expert at Baylor University, said research shows that people with disabilities often have a higher assessment of their quality of life than others do, including some doctors. That can adversely affect their medical care, Stahl said, and this bias has long been a source of controversy when it comes to medical futility laws in some states, such as Texas, that allow hospitals to override a patient or family's wishes if they feel a treatment is not of benefit.

Stahl added that Hickson's doctors may have been correct that he would not benefit from additional life-sustaining interventions, but it is "unfortunate that the physician stressed the quality-of-life judgment the way he did."

"These are difficult things to say, and I want to be empathetic to physicians making hard choices," Stahl said. "But I don't think many are trained well enough to have these really sensitive conversations."

- - -

Michael and Melissa met online 18 years ago. They were both living in the Washington, D.C., area - she was working at a temp agency, and he was an assistant manager at an Enterprise car rental office. When they discovered they both had trouble sleeping, they stayed up all night talking.

She was struck by his intellect. Michael Hickson, who had been a National Merit finalist in his youth and graduated from Morehouse College, could debate everything from politics to Bible scripture, and he loved all kinds of strategy games and puzzles - Sudoku, Hearts, Monopoly. ("He always won," she recalled.) Melissa said it wasn't long before they began talking about the future. They married just two months later.

"The only things on his list for his entire life were to have kids - and lots of them - and to buy a house," she said.

The first goal they achieved - five kids in quick succession. With so many little ones running around, they never managed to save enough for a house. But they were happy. One of Melissa Hickson's fondest memories dates to May 23, 2017, when two of their children - one in seventh grade, the other in eighth - were presented with academic awards. Michael Hickson had taken the day off, and she remembers how he smiled when he tied his son's tie for the ceremony.

The next day, after dropping his kids off at school and en route to Melissa Hickson's job, he was driving when he suddenly slumped over in his seat in cardiac arrest. He slipped into a coma and was placed on a ventilator. That marked the first time Melissa Hickson had to consider difficult health issues: intubation, medical futility, palliative care.

After her husband had been in a coma for weeks, it was not-so-gently suggested that she consider withdrawing treatment, she said. But she had never felt so certain that her husband would want to see his children grow up.

The past three years have been difficult, with Michael Hickson in and out of hospitals for surgeries to address complications. He was blind, could not swallow and had to be tube-fed - all manifestations of the damage his brain sustained.

His sister, Renee Hickson, said that while he could carry on a conversation and remember facts such as her birthday and his social security number, there were many gaps. He could tell her how much he loved it when she snuck in gumbo, or chocolate, and put a few bits on his tongue. But he couldn't rattle off a list of breakfast food items when asked. He could help her pick a book to read - the most recent was Octavia E. Butler's award-winning science fiction novel "Parable of the Talents" - and tell her he enjoyed it. But he had no concept of time.

"Michael was a genius," she said. "So cognitively was he the person he was before 2017? Absolutely not."

Melissa Hickson tries to emphasize the good parts. She said that despite her husband's condition, he could engage in conversation about their children's lives and was often joking with them.

"We would give him updates and he would ask questions. When my daughter told him she was turning 21, he laughed and said, 'Don't drink,' " she remembered.

- - -

If Melissa Hickson was the voice of hope, his sister was the pragmatist.

Renee Hickson said she believes her sister-in-law's love made her believe, against all reasonable evidence, that her husband was just going to get up one day and be back to himself. "Unfortunately, you have to let go of the life you thought you were going to have," she said. "You have to live in reality."

The question of when to stop a treatment or keep going is one of the most difficult questions doctors and families face when it comes to the severely ill.

The family conflicts over Michael Hickson's care were already intense before he got covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. After another hospital stay earlier this year to address an infection, doctors wanted to discontinue rehabilitation and put him into a nursing home because they felt his progress had plateaued.

Melissa Hickson said she believed they were selling her husband short, and she exchanged heated words with some of his providers. At around the same time, his sister applied to be his guardian.

In court documents filed Feb. 12 by a county investigator charged with determining whether Michael Hickson was incapacitated enough to require a guardian, a hospital manager complained that Melissa Hickson had rejected the facility's efforts to transfer him out of the hospital, which kept her husband there for months after he should have been discharged. Melissa Hickson had "unrealistic expectations" as to the level of care her husband required, the manager said.

Jill Jacobs, a social worker from Fairfax, Va., active in the disability rights movement who contacted Melissa Hickson after she heard about her husband's case, said disputes over care for such patients are not uncommon: "They will turn family members against each other."

She said courts are known to lean toward guardians who don't create waves - rather than those who would aggressively lobby for their loved one. Jacobs said that while Melissa's advocacy may have been inconvenient for the hospital - and a financial burden - she did it to protect her husband.

While the family awaited a full hearing, the court in February appointed a temporary guardian from Family Eldercare, a local nonprofit that advocates on behalf of older adults and adults with disabilities.

Family Eldercare said in a statement that it "consulted with Mr. Hickson's spouse, family, and the medical community on the medical complexity of his case" but acknowledged that "end of life decisions when families are in disagreement can be especially difficult."

Which is why, on June 6, Melissa Hickson found herself all but powerless in that tense conversation with the doctor in the hospital hallway.

"So the fact that you're killing someone doesn't make sense in your mind?" Melissa Hickson asks.

"At this point," the doctor responds, "I don't think it would be humane or compassionate to put a breathing tube in this man."

Melissa Hickson said that as she drove home, she felt numb. For her, the desire to keep pushing for treatment for her husband was about faith and love and hope, vs. medical statistics. Wouldn't compassion dictate trying everything you could to save someone before giving up?

As she struggled, unsuccessfully, to find an attorney to help her, the hospital withdrew treatment and put her husband into hospice care.

Melissa Hickson said she called every day asking to visit or FaceTime him, but everyone was always too "busy" at that moment and promised to call her back. They never did. Five days later, her husband died without her having had a chance to see him again.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
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.
A judge told a jobless Slovakian man who stole half a dozen packs of chicken fillets and a bottle of vodka at two separate stores in Longford: You have to add vodka if you are having so much chicken.

Judge Seamus Hughes said Marek Kroscen, of 4 Annaly Court, Longford was walking a custodial tightrope after it was suggested by prosecuting gardai that the 19-year-old believed there was nothing untoward with his actions.

He seems to think he can walk into a shop and pick up anything for 10 or less and walk out, said Sgt Paddy McGirl.

Judge Hughes, in jovial conversation with Sgt McGirl asked the latter what country he thought such an action was deemed reasonable.

Sgt McGirl replied, saying he was unsure but added: I wouldnt like to chance it in Slovakia myself.

Mr Kroscen was charged with stealing six packets of chicken fillets totalling 60, goods which were taken from Fresh Today, N4 Axis Centre on June 22 2020 along with over 90 worth of toiletries from Boots, Ballymahon Street, Longford town.

A third shoplifting charge relating to the vodka theft from Aldi in Longford town just two weeks earlier on June 7 was also outlined.

It was at that stage Judge Hughes referred to the three charges, commenting: The six packets of chicken fillets, sure you have to add vodka if you are having so much chicken and cosmetics on top of that.

The court was informed that although Mr Kroscens only previous court indiscretion was an adult caution, the goods taken on both occasions were not recovered.

Defence solicitor Brid Mimnagh said Mr Kroscen was out of work at present and had been resident in Ireland for the past 15 months.

It was also revealed, Mr Kroscen, who was wearing a green jumper and green trousers, had no access to any social welfare income at present.

Judge Hughes said he was willing to allow Mr Kroscen an opportunity to repay the items stolen and adjourned the case until July 28 for 160 in compensation.

In doing so, he warned him: If he commits any further offence, I am telling him I will give him a prison sentence and he wont enjoy that experience.
A relative close to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed that the couple is struggling following their move to Los Angeles as they step down as senior members of the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex is reportedly feeling "tormented by his fractured family ties," while the Duchess of Sussex is said to be "struggling to cope."

The source told The Sunday Mirror that they are facing extreme tension with their new life.

"Meghan has gone very quiet. I think she is likely to be feeling extremely low and probably struggling."

On the other hand, Prince Harry has reportedly been feeling "particularly down" since Prince William's birthday last June 21.

The stress of their new life is also taking a massive toll on the prince, who is missing his close bond with his older brother.

"Prince Harry must be tormented by his fractured family ties."

The source further revealed that because of what's happening, Meghan Markle might have lost her sparkle as she became "more distant" and "introverted" in the past couple of weeks, leaving her family "worried" for her.

News of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry feeling particularly down in their $18 million Los Angeles mansion comes after their legal battle with the Associated Newspapers.

The source added, "The legal battle and the increased tension it's created with the royals due to the information that's coming out has to be putting a lot of strain on them both."

The Duchess of Sussex has also cut ties with her best friend, Jessica Mulroney, with sources claiming that it has been tough on the former actress.

An insider explained to the Daily Mail that Meghan has been "hit really hard" and is no longer speaking to some of her closest friends.

She is also worried and confused, shutting down herself as she no longer knows who to trust.

This week, it also emerged that the mom-of-one has named in court papers the five friends who gave People Magazine an interview to defend her and criticize her father.

However, Meghan Markle denied authorizing them to do it.

According to court documents, Markle insisted her friends spoke to People Magazine only because they were worried about the Duchess' well-being.

The 38-year-old has also claimed that she had been the subject of defamatory, damaging and distressing articles, while Kensington Palace always refused her to comment.

According to Markle's legal papers, "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."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have also officially shut down their Sussex Royal charity.

The couple has filed official paperwork with Companies House to dissolve their royal foundation, as they shift their focus on Travalyst, Prince Harry's eco-tourism scheme.

This news also comes after Queen Elizabeth II's decision that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not allowed to use the word "royal" in their branding.

An insider spoke to Newsweek and revealed that of the couple's dissolved organization, "This will appear on the online public record in the coming days. The charity formally enters a period of 'solvent liquidation.'"

READ MORE: Meghan Markle FURIOUS At Prince Harry for Spending A Lot of Time With Adele

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
(Alliance News) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Sanofi SA are close to an agreement to supply the UK government with the Covid-19 vaccine that the two pharmaceutical giants are developing, the Sunday Times reported.

The deal to supply 60 million doses of coronavirus vaccine would be worth GBP500 million, the newspaper said.

The UK business department as taken an option to buy the as-yet unproven vaccine should it work in human trials due to begin in September, according to the Times.

The agreement with the UK and French companies is part of a scramble to secure vaccine supplies, as the US bought most of the world's supply of remdesivir, an antiviral drug made by Foster City, California-based Gilead Sciences Inc, the Times noted.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/glaxo-smith-kline-nears-500m-uk-coronavirus-vaccine-deal-km8xqm3s8

By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
April 23, 5:01 p.m.

The University is reporting 708 coronavirus cases 549 of which are students and 159 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 544 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 455,541. There are 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,336.

There are 330 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 47 of them are on ventilators.

April 21, 5:00 p.m.

The University is reporting 703 coronavirus cases 548 of which are students and 155 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 661 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 454,377. There are 10 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,316.

There are 336 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 42 of them are on ventilators.

April 20, 2:22 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 359 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 453,711. There are 13 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,306.

There are 344 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 41 of them are on ventilators.

April 19, 4:18 p.m.

The University is reporting 693 coronavirus cases 541 of which are students and 152 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,413 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 453,351. There are 11 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,293.

There are 337 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 39 of them are on ventilators.

April 18, 3:00 p.m.

The University is reporting 686 coronavirus cases 535 of which are students and 151 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 523 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 451,955. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,282.

There are 317 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 42 of them are on ventilators.

April 15, 5:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 791 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 451,476. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,273.

There are 338 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 45 of them are on ventilators.

April 14, 5:00 p.m.

The University is reporting 677 coronavirus cases 526 of which are students and 151 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 386 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 450,673. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,264.

There are 325 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 49 of them are on ventilators.

April 13, 3:07 p.m.

The University is reporting 673 coronavirus cases 522 of which are students and 151 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 442 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 450,279. There are 14 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,255.

There are 330 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 49 of them are on ventilators.

April 10, 9:00 p.m.

The University is reporting 661 coronavirus cases 511 of which are students and 150 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 739 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 448,838. There are 16 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,216.

There are 297 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 43 of them are on ventilators.

April 8, 7:08 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 442 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 448,104. There are 15 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,200.

There are 301 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 44 of them are on ventilators.

April 7, 5:56 p.m.

The University is reporting 649 coronavirus cases 500 of which are students and 149 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 719 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 447,655. There are 11 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,185.

There are 301 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 46 of them are on ventilators.

April 6, 4:14 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 198 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 446,955. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,174.

There are 299 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 47 of them are on ventilators.

April 5, 6:58 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,259 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 446,737. There are 4 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,165.

There are 262 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 49 of them are on ventilators.

April 4, 4:15 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 549 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 445,469. There are 20 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,161.

There are 347 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 56 of them are on ventilators.

March 31, 4:05 p.m.

The University is reporting 632 coronavirus cases 485 of which are students and 147 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 508 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 444,933. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,141.

There are 354 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 60 of them are on ventilators.

March 24, 3:15 p.m.

The University is reporting 619 coronavirus cases 474 of which are students and 145 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 524 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 442,221. There are 19 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,056.

There are 413 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 75 of them are on ventilators.

March 23, 4:16 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 709 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 441,771. There are 7 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,037.

There are 404 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 74 of them are on ventilators.

March 22, 6:13 p.m.

The University is reporting 611 coronavirus cases 468 of which are students and 143 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,334 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 441,066. There are 42 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 10,030.

There are 403 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 71 of them are on ventilators.

March 21, 1:42 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 203 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 439,737. There are 14 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,988.

There are 399 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 68 of them are on ventilators.

March 19, 6:10 p.m.

The University is reporting 607 coronavirus cases 465 of which are students and 142 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 203 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 439,737. There are 14 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,988.

There are 399 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 68 of them are on ventilators.

March 17, 4:06 p.m.

The University is reporting 600 coronavirus cases 460 of which are students and 140 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 447 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 439,002. There are 30 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,955.

There are 446 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 66 of them are on ventilators.

March 16, 4:20 p.m.

The University is reporting 600 coronavirus cases 460 of which are students and 140 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 974 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 438,557. There are 22 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,925.

There are 453 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 62 of them are on ventilators.

March 14, 3:43 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 945 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 437,393. There are 23 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,884.

There are 457 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 68 of them are on ventilators.

March 13, 5:05 p.m.

The University is reporting 591 coronavirus cases 453 of which are students and 138 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 528 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 436,482. There are 33 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,861.

There are 478 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 63 of them are on ventilators.

March 11, 12:43 p.m.

The University is reporting 585 coronavirus cases 447 of which are students and 138 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 441 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 435,935. There are 16 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,828.

There are 514 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 64 of them are on ventilators.

March 10, 4:56 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 577 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 435,514. There are 43 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,812.

There are 530 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 69 of them are on ventilators.

March 9, 6:08 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 631 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 434,926. There are 11 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,769.

There are 543 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 75 of them are on ventilators.

March 8, 5:04 p.m.

The University is reporting 579 coronavirus cases 444 of which are students and 135 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 515 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 434,289. There are 10 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,758.

There are 534 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 78 of them are on ventilators.

March 5, 6:59 p.m.

The University is reporting 579 coronavirus cases 444 of which are students and 135 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 504 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 433,045. There are 30 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,716.

There are 538 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 77 of them are on ventilators.

March 3, 6:32 p.m.

The University is reporting 569 coronavirus cases 435 of which are students and 134 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 582 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 431,771. There are 21 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,668.

There are 588 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 78 of them are on ventilators.

March 2, 7:16 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 770 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 431,271. There are 19 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,647.

There are 629 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 89 of them are on ventilators.

March 1, 6:10 p.m.

The University is reporting 564 coronavirus cases 431 of which are students and 133 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 408 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 430,504. There are 20 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,628.

There are 629 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 91 of them are on ventilators.

February 28, 6:31 p.m.

The University is reporting 556 coronavirus cases 424 of which are students and 132 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,502 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 430,100. There are 21 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,608.

There are 630 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 91 of them are on ventilators.

February 25, 8:16 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 779 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 427,689. There are 33 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,561.

There are 679 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 100 of them are on ventilators.

February 24, 4:00 p.m.

The University is reporting 547 coronavirus cases 416 of which are students and 131 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 879 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 426,925. There are 25 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,528.

There are 687 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 102 of them are on ventilators.

February 23, 5:36 p.m.

The University is reporting 543 coronavirus cases 413 of which are students and 130 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,393 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 426,048. There are 26 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,503.

There are 715 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 111 of them are on ventilators.

February 21, 3:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,909 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 424,176. There are 26 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,466.

There are 756 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 120 of them are on ventilators.

February 20, 6:22 p.m.

The University is reporting 540 coronavirus cases 410 of which are students and 130 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 430 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 422,287. There are 34 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,440.

There are 806 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 129 of them are on ventilators.

February 13, 11:21 p.m.

The University is reporting 518 coronavirus cases 391 of which are students and 127 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,156 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 418,585. There are 37 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,276.

There are 1,001 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 151 of them are on ventilators.

February 11, 4:21 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,739 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 417,415. There are 27 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,239.

There are 1,052 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 151 of them are on ventilators.

February 10, 5:13 p.m.

The University is reporting 514 coronavirus cases 387 of which are students and 127 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 337 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 414,687. There are 50 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,212.

There are 1,076 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 151 of them are on ventilators.

February 9, 1:32 p.m.

The University is reporting 509 coronavirus cases 382 of which are students and 127 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,321 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 414,354. There are 20 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,162.

There are 1,122 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 151 of them are on ventilators.

February 7, 3:19 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,003 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 411,812. There are 43 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,119.

There are 1,166 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 143 of them are on ventilators.

February 5, 4:34 p.m.

The University is reporting 494 coronavirus cases 367 of which are students and 127 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 863 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 409,861. There are 32 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,076.

There are 1,275 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 167 of them are on ventilators.

February 4, 5:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,758 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 408,995. There are 38 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,044.

There are 1,295 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 162 of them are on ventilators.

February 3, 3:30 p.m.

The University is reporting 474 coronavirus cases 347 of which are students and 127 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,046 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 406,235. There are 53 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 9,006.

There are 1,386 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 180 of them are on ventilators.

February 2, 4:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,580 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 404,194. There are 41 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,953.

There are 1,440 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 189 of them are on ventilators.

February 1, 4:13 p.m.

The University is reporting 458 coronavirus cases 335 of which are students and 123 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 899 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 401,591. There are 53 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,912.

There are 1,403 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 187 of them are on ventilators.

January 31, 3:37 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,355 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 400,626. There are 58 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,859.

There are 1,416 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 199 of them are on ventilators.

January 30, 8:05 p.m.

The University is reporting 423 coronavirus cases 304 of which are students and 119 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,369 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 397,276. There are 58 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,801.

There are 1,546 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 198 of them are on ventilators.

January 28, 4:41 p.m.

The University is reporting 384 coronavirus cases 271 of which are students and 113 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,517 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 394,909. There are 55 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,743.

There are no updates on the current number of patients in hospitals due to COVID-19, and 206 of them are on ventilators.

January 27, 2:05 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,868 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 392,416. There are 67 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,688.

There are 1,625 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 203 of them are on ventilators.

January 26, 8:20 p.m.

The University is reporting 353 coronavirus cases 250 of which are students and 103 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,654 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 388,562. There are 31 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,621.

There are 1,646 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 217 of them are on ventilators.

January 25, 12:04 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,075 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 385,942. There are 25 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,590.

There are 1,638 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 219 of them are on ventilators.

January 24, 2:06 p.m.

The University is reporting 316 coronavirus cases 219 of which are students and 97 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,604 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 383,862. There are 82 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,565.

There are 1,641 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 215 of them are on ventilators.

January 22, 2:31 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,937 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 380,255. There are 41 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,483.

There are 1,747 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 216 of them are on ventilators.

January 21, 6:33 p.m.

The University is reporting 277 coronavirus cases 186 of which are students and 91 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,856 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 378,318. There are 59 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,442.

There are 1,800 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 233 of them are on ventilators.

January 20, 1:20 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,536 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 374,582. There are 59 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,383.

There are 1,858 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 243 of them are on ventilators.

January 19, 12:05 p.m.

The University is reporting 240 coronavirus cases 156 of which are students and 84 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,126 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 372,089. There are 71 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,324.

There are 1,905 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 249 of them are on ventilators.

January 18, 4:08 p.m.

The University is reporting 215 coronavirus cases 138 of which are students and 77 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 961 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 369,951. There are 50 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,253.

There are 1,894 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 239 of them are on ventilators.

January 15, 12:55 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,712 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 364,853. COVID-19 related deaths were not recorded for Jan. 15.

There are 2,001 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 242 of them are on ventilators.

January 14, 12:40 p.m.

The University is reporting 159 coronavirus cases 105 of which are students and 54 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 5,318 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 361,148. There are 58 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,080.

There are 1,975 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 245 of them are on ventilators.

January 13, 12:12 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,902 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 355,835. There are 51 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 8,022.

There are 2,029 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 235 of them are on ventilators.

January 12, 12:12 p.m.

The University is reporting 143 coronavirus cases 84 of which are students and 59 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 4,673 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 352,939. There are 53 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 7,971.

There are 2,035 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 244 of them are on ventilators.

January 11, 12:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,402 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 348,234. There are 45 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 7,918.

There are 1,982 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 232 of them are on ventilators.

December 9, 8:04 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,562 coronavirus cases 1,403 of which are students and 159 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 4,339 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 258,914. There are 32 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,684.

There are 1,537 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 177 of them are on ventilators.

December 8, 9:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,439 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 254,575. There are 45 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,652.

December 7, 4:55 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,545 coronavirus cases 1,394 of which are students and 151 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,016 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 252,136. There are 23 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,607.

There are 1,423 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 161 of them are on ventilators.

December 4, 8:45 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,530 coronavirus cases 1,382 of which are students and 148 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,102 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 247,177. There are 24 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,548.

There are 1,357 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 154 of them are on ventilators.

December 2, 10:22 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,509 coronavirus cases 1,369 of which are students and 140 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,604 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 241,335. There are 46 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,501.

There are 1,288 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 134 of them are on ventilators.

December 1, 11:57 a.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 5,326 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 237,740. There are 35 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,455.

There are 1,280 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 128 of them are on ventilators.

November 30, 9:02 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,439 coronavirus cases 1,321 of which are students and 118 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 112 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 232,414. There are 11 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,420.

There are 1,241 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 125 of them are on ventilators.

November 26, 8:26 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,234 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 225,638. There are 27 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,350.

There are 1,077 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 116 of them are on ventilators.

November 24, 4:31 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,266 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 224,403. There are 39 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,323.

There are 1,052 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 113 of them are on ventilators.

November 23, 8:27 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,411 coronavirus cases 1,300 of which are students and 111 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 971 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 221,160. There are 24 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,284.

There are 1,012 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 114 of them are on ventilators.

November 19, 8:06 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,073 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 211,966. There are 15 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,199.

There are 929 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 88 of them are on ventilators.

November 18, 3:50 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,367 coronavirus cases 1,267 of which are students and 100 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,239 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 209,914. There are 28 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,184.

There are 886 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 93 of them are on ventilators.

November 17, 8:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 2,592 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 207,685. There are 17 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,156.

There are 874 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 92 of them are on ventilators.

November 16, 5:18 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,354 coronavirus cases 1,259 of which are students and 95 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 547 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 205,059. There are 7 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,139.

There are 818 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 81 of them are on ventilators.

November 13, 8:27 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,329 coronavirus cases 1,239 of which are students and 90 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 3,492 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 201,981. There are 24 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 6,121.

There are 692 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 62 of them are on ventilators.

November 10, 8:34 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,307 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 189,682. There are 10 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,829.

There are 684 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 66 of them are on ventilators.

November 9, 7:01 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,291 coronavirus cases 1,210 of which are students and 81 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 380 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 188,352. There are 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,819.

There are 652 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 71 of them are on ventilators.

November 6, 4:29 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,271 coronavirus cases 1,196 of which are students and 75 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 855 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 186,695. There are 21 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,787.

There are 644 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 81 of them are on ventilators.

November 5, 4:27 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 740 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 185,825. There are 20 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,766.

There are 636 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 82 of them are on ventilators.

November 4, 12:38 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,254 coronavirus cases 1,184 of which are students and 70 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 371 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 185,144. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,746.

There are 623 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 77 of them are on ventilators.

November 3, 5:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,157 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 184,773. There are 17 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,737.

November 2, 7:21 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,248 coronavirus cases 1,179 of which are students and 69 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 270 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 183,616. There are 8 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,720.

There are 596 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 70 of them are on ventilators.

October 30, 5:10 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,223 coronavirus cases 1,157 of which are students and 66 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 434 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 182,270. There are 11 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,705.

October 29, 6:03 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 392 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 181,837. There are 18 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,694.

There are 612 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 79 of them are on ventilators.

October 28, 4:14 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,211 coronavirus cases 1,145 of which are students and 66 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 503 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 181,443. There are 10 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,676.

There are 613 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 80 of them are on ventilators.

October 27, 3:30 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 885 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 180,991. There are 18 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,666.

There are 600 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 91 of them are on ventilators.

October 26, 7:28 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,179 coronavirus cases 1,118 of which are students and 61 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 222 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 180,069. There are 17 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,648.

There are 609 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 71 of them are on ventilators.

October 23, 6:19 p.m.

Louisiana State University did not update their COVID-19 cases as scheduled today.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 696 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 178,870. There are 21 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,614.

There are 620 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 65 of them are on ventilators.

October 22, 8:24 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 775 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 178,171. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,593.

There are 598 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 64 of them are on ventilators.

October 21, 3:46 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,164 coronavirus cases 1,103 of which are students and 61 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 744 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 177,399. There are 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,584.

There are 608 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 68 of them are on ventilators.

October 20, 8:32 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 685 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 176,681. There are 6 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,572.

There are 586 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 62 of them are on ventilators.

October 19, 5:26 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,146 coronavirus cases 1,088 of which are students and 58 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 202 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 175,982. There are 16 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,566.

There are 553 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 64 of them are on ventilators.

October 18, 4:22 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,125 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 175,781. There are 23 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,550.

There are 550 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 60 of them are on ventilators.

October 16, 5:57 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,129 coronavirus cases 1,074 of which are students and 54 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 863 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 174,638. There are 20 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,527.

There are 557 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 60 of them are on ventilators.

October 15, 4:28 p.m.

The University is reporting 1,125 coronavirus cases 1,071 of which are students and 54 are for employees for the LSU Community.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 823 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 173,864. There are 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,507.

There are 566 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 61 of them are on ventilators.

October 14, 4:52 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 331 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 173,121. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,495.

There are 574 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 64 of them are on ventilators.

October 13, 4:52 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 653 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 172,801. There are 10 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,486.

There are 573 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 68 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,124 coronavirus cases 1,071 of which are students and 53 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 12, 5:39 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 63 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 172,119. There are 14 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,476.

There are 577 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 70 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,124 coronavirus cases 1,071 of which are students and 53 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 9, 3:02 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 265 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 170,878. There are 26 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,442.

There are 582 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 78 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,113 coronavirus cases 1,060 of which are students and 53 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 8, 8:15 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 526 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 170,621. There are 5 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,416.

There are 564 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 79 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,082 coronavirus cases 1,032 of which are students and 50 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 7, 4:08 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,052 new coronavirus cases for the state following a backlog of tests, bringing the total case count to 170,097. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,411.

There are 552 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 78 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,082 coronavirus cases 1,032 of which are students and 50 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 6, 2:06 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 506 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 169,044. There are 6 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,402.

There are 567 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 71 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,058 coronavirus cases 1,012 of which are students and 46 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 5, 8:45 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 230 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 168,512. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,396.

There are 547 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 71 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,058 coronavirus cases 1,012 of which are students and 46 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 2, 5:23 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 889 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 167,401. There are 26 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,355.

There are 536 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 74 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,032 coronavirus cases 987 of which are students and 45 are for employees for the LSU Community.

October 1, 4:31 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 608 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 166,584. There are 8 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,329.

There are 534 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 75 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,015 coronavirus cases 970 of which are students and 45 are for employees for the LSU Community.

4:50 p.m.

The University has 1,015 total coronavirus cases 970 students and 45 employees for the campus community.

September 30, 2:05 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 452 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 166,033. There are 13 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,321.

There are 553 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 79 of them are on ventilators.

LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard said Wednesday that the previously reported total number of COVID-19 cases, 1,033, was made in error. The correct number of COVID-19 cases in the LSU community is 990.

Of those cases, 947 of them are students and 43 are employees. Twenty-five students are currently self-isolating, while 38 are in quarantine.

September 29, 12:28 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 553 new, overnight coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 165,624. There are 10 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,308.

There are 578 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 80 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,033 coronavirus cases--990 of which are students and 43 are for employees--for the LSU Community.

September 28, 8:03 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 236 new, overnight coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 165,091. There are 15 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,298.

There are 563 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and 83 of them are on ventilators.

The University is reporting 1,033 coronavirus cases--990 of which are students and 43 are for employees--for the LSU Community.

September 25, 4:11 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 698 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 163,928. There are 21 additional deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,262.

There are 117 new COVID-19 cases reported at LSU, totaling 970 cases for the LSU community.

There are 570 coronavirus patients in hospitals, and 86 of them are on ventilators.

September 24, 1:46 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 581 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 163,222. There are 16 additional deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,241.

There are 853 total coronavirus cases for the LSU community.

There are 575 coronavirus patients in hospitals, and 92 of them are on ventilators.

September 23, 12:50 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 440 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 162,645. There are 7 additional deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,225.

The University is reporting 24 new coronavirus cases on campus between Sept.18-20. There are 853 total coronavirus cases for the campus community.

There are 592 coronavirus patients in hospitals, and 94 of them are on ventilators.

September 21, 4:36 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 249 new Coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 161,462. There are 9 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,207.

The University is reporting 41 new coronavirus cases on campus between Sept.18-20. There are 829 total coronavirus cases for the campus community.

Hospitalizations decrease to 587, and 93 of those patients are on ventilators.

September 20, 2020 12:23 p.m.

There are 928 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Department of Health, bringing the total case count to 161, 219. There are an additional 26 deaths for the state, reaching a total death count of 5,198.

Hospitalizations decrease to 596, and there are one hundred patients on ventilators.

September 18, 12:41 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 976 new Coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 160,283. There are 29 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,172.

The University is reporting 20 new coronavirus cases on campus between Sept.16-17. There are 788 total coronavirus cases for the campus community.

Hospitalizations decrease to 647, and 104 of those patients are on ventilators.

September 17, 6:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 500 new Coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 159,304. There are 17 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,143.

There are 768 total coronavirus cases for the LSU community.

Hospitalizations decrease to 663, and 106 of patients are on ventilators.

September 16, 5:18 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 508 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 158,826. There are 18 additional, COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,126.

The University is reporting 14 new coronavirus cases on campus between Sept.14-15. There are 768 total coronavirus cases for the campus community.

Hospitalizations increase to 678, and 107 of patients are on ventilators.

September 14, 4:10 p.m.

There are 497 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 157,947. There are 17 additional, overnight deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,082.

The University has 50 additional coronavirus cases between Sept.11-13. There are now 754 coronavirus cases for the campus community.

Hospitalizations decrease 664, and 105 of the patients are on ventilators.

September 13, 4:30 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,353 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 157,455. There are 33 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 5,065.

Hospitalizations decrease to 680, and 107 of patients are on ventilators.

September 11, 4:24 p.m.

There are 844 more coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 156,174. There are 41 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total case count of 5,032.

The University has 31 additional coronavirus cases on campus between Sept. 9-10. There are now a total of 704 coronavirus cases for the LSU community.

Hospitalizations decrease 723, and 117 of the patients are on ventilators.

September 10, 12:10 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 499 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 155,419. There are 21 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,991.

Hospitalizations decrease to 762, and there are 125 patients on ventilators.

September 9, 4:05 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,511 new coronavirus cases, with 690 of them being backlog. There is now a total of 154,955 coronavirus cases for the state. There are 15 additional deaths for the state, bringing the total death count to 4,970.

The University is reporting 82 more coronavirus cases in the LSU Community over the past two days. There are now 673 total cases.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals decrease to 782, and 123 of them are on ventilators.

September 8, 11:00 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 250 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 153,433. There are 13 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,955.

Hospitalizations increase to 799, and 131 of the patients are on ventilators.

September 7, 6:40 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 305 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 153,177. There are 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths for the state, reaching a total death count of 4,942.

The University has 102 new coronavirus cases between Sept. 4 and Sept. 9. The total coronavirus case count has reached 591.

Hospitalizations decrease to 787, and 124 of the patients are on ventilators.

September 6, 12:15 p.m.

There are 1,387 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 152,868. There are an additional 58 COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death of 4,930.

Hospitalizations decrease to 790, and 119 of them are on ventilators.

September 4, 4:34 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 828 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total case count of 151,473. There are an additional 14 COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,872.

The total number of coronavirus cases at the University have reached 489.

Hospitalizations decrease to 808, and 96 of the patients are on ventilators.

September 3, 2:16 p.m.

There are 884 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 150,651. There are also 17 additional, overnight deaths for the state, reaching a total death count to 4,858.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals have decreased to 851, and 128 of them are on ventilators.

September 2, 3:15 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported 972 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 149,838. There are an additional 20 overnight deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,841.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals decreased to 873, 132 of them being on ventilators.

At the University, the total number of cases has increased to 366.

September 1, 2:17 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 667 new coronavirus cases for the state, bringing the total case count to 148,882. There are an additional 34 overnight deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,821.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals increase to 910, and 128 of them are on ventilators.

August 31, 4:57 p.m.

There are 324 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total case count of 148,193. There are 19 additional deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,787.

The University is reporting 182 positive cases of coronavirus within the past five days. There are now 229 total coronavirus cases on campus.

Hospitalizations decrease to 881, with 132 of them on ventilators.

August 30, 12:15 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,645 new cases, including a backlog of 532 cases which are from as far back as July. There are 147,867 total cases for the state. Deaths increase by 27, reaching a total death count of 4,768.

University numbers have not changed, still remaining at 47 total aggregated cases.

Hospitalizations increase by two to 902, with 143 of them on ventilators.

August 28, 12:00 p.m.

There are 627 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total of 146,243 cases for the state. There are 30 additional, overnight COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,741.

Coronavirus cases for the University have not changed, with numbers remaining at 47 total aggregated cases.

Hospitalizations increase to 900, and ventilator usage has decreased to 141.

August 27, 1:17 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 723 new coronavirus cases, bringing Louisiana's total case count to 145, 637. There are 23 additional deaths for the state, reaching a total of 4,711 COVID-19 related deaths.

Coronavirus cases for the University has not changed, with numbers remaining at 47 total aggregated cases.

Hospitalizations continue to decrease to 876, with 145 of patients on ventilators.

August 26, 12:41 p.m.

There are 844 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total of 144,960 reported cases for the state. There are 32 overnight COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,688.

Coronavirus cases for the University has not changed, with numbers remaining at 47 total aggregated cases.

Hospitalizations continue to decrease to 914, with 148 of them on ventilators.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday afternoon, Louisiana will remain in Phase 2 for two more weeks, with restrictions in place until Sept. 11.

August 25, 12:22 p.m.

There are 47 total aggregated coronavirus cases reported to the University since August 15.

Louisiana has 550 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 144,116. There are 33 additional COVID-19 related deaths for the state to 4,656.

Hospitalizations continue to decrease to 930, and 141 of them are on ventilators.

August 24, 12:09 p.m.

LSU has 33 reported positive coronavirus cases within the last 6 days.

Louisiana has 623 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 143,566. There are 18 additional COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,623.

Hospitalizations remain at 941, with ventilator usage remaining at 152.

August 23, 12:06 p.m.

There are 1,223 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 142,943. There are 59 additional COVID-19 related deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,605.

Hospitalizations decrease to 941, and 152 of them are on ventilators.

August 21, 12:04 p.m.

Louisiana has 899 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total case count of 141,720. There are 50 additional, overnight deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,546.

COVID-19 hospitalizations decrease to 1,051, and 172 of them are on ventilators.

August 20, 2:13 p.m.

There are 918 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 140,821. The state also sees 28 new COVID-19 deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,496.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,087, and 178 of them are on ventilators.

August 19, 12:19 p.m.

Louisiana has 778 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total case count of 139,903. The state also has 37 more COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total death count to 4,468.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,160, and 175 of them are on ventilators.

August 18, 12:05 p.m.

There are 640 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 139,125. There are 28 more reported deaths for the state, reaching a total death count of 4,431.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,204, and 187 of them are on ventilators.

August 17, 12:11 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Heath reports 735 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count for Louisiana to 138,485. There are 19 additional, overnight deaths, reaching a total death count of 4,403.

Hospitalizations increase to 1,226, and 184 of them are on ventilators.

August 16, 12:30 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,181 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 137,918. Deaths increase by 77, reaching a total death count of 4,384.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,196, with 189 of them on ventilators.

August 14, 12:04 p.m.

There are 1,298 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total case count of 136,737 for Louisiana. Deaths increase by 28, bringing the total death count to 4,307.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,243, and 197 of them are on ventilators.

August 13, 4:46 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,135 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 135,439. Deaths increase by 41, reaching a total of 4,279 deaths.

Hospitalizations continue to decrease to 1,281, and 196 of them on ventilators.

August 12, 1:37 p.m.

There are 1,179 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total case count of 134,304. Deaths increase by 43, bringing the total death count to 4,238.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,320, with 211 of them on ventilators.

August 11, 1:15 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,726 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 133,125. The state has 26 additional, overnight deaths reaching a total death count of 4,195.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,335, with 214 of them on ventilators.

August 10, 12:34 p.m.

There are 562 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total of 131,961 coronavirus cases, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. However, the updated numbers seem "incomplete." LDH is investigating.

LDH reports 24 additional deaths for the state, bringing the total death count to 4,169.

There are 1,382 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout Louisiana, one less than yesterday. 215 of them are on ventilators.

August 9, 12:40 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,653 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 131,399. There are 56 additional deaths for the state, bringing the total death count to 4,145.

Hospitalizations continue to decrease to 1,383, and 210 of them are on ventilators.

August 6, 12:10 p.m.

There are 1,303 new coronavirus cases today in Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 127,246. There are 50 additional coronavirus related deaths, bringing the total to 4,028.

Hospitalizations have decreased to 1,457 and ventilator usage has decreased to 215.

August 5, 12:35 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported 1,490 new coronavirus cases today, bringing the total case count to 125,943. There are 41 additional coronavirus related deaths for the state, bringing the total to 3,978.

Hospitalizations have decreased to 1,471 and ventilator usage has decreased to 223.

August 4, 12:38 p.m.

There are 3,615 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 124,461. The case count increase includes a backlog of 1,741 cases. Deaths have increased by 27 for the state, reaching a total of 3,937 deaths.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,487, with ventilator usage increasing to 240.

August 3, 12:01 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,099 new, overnight coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 120,846 total cases. There are 17 additional deaths for the state, bringing the total death count to 3,910.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,496, with 230 of them on ventilators.

August 2, 12:01 p.m.

There are 3,467 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 119,747. There are an additional 58 deaths for the state, reaching a total of 3,893 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals decrease to 1, 534, with 221 of them on ventilators.

July 31, 12:08 p.m.

Louisiana sees 1,799 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 116,280. There are 24 additional coronavirus related deaths for the state, bringing the total to 3,835.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals increase to 1,546, with 222 of them on ventilators.

July 30, 12:00 p.m.

There are 1,708 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total of 114,481 cases. There are 42 additional deaths, bringing the total death count to 3,811.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,524, with 205 of them on ventilators.

July 29, 1:52 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,735 coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 112,773. There are 69 additional deaths, reaching a total of 3,769 for the state.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals decrease to 1,544, with 221 of them on ventilators.

July 28, 12:00 p.m.

There are 1,121 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total of 111,038 for the state. The COVID-19 death count increased by 26, bringing the total deaths count to 3,700.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,583, with 214 of them on ventilators.

July 27, 12:14 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,343 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 109,917. There are 23 additional deaths for the state, bringing the total death count to 3,674.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to increase to 1,600, with 208 of them on ventilators.

July 26, 12:00 p.m.

There are 3,840 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, reaching a total of 107,574 reported cases. There are 48 more deaths for the state, bringing the total deaths to 3,651.

Hospitalizations decrease to 1,557, with 184 of them on ventilators.

July 24, 12:35 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,084 new coronavirus cases. Total case count for the state is at 103,754. Deaths have increased by 29 overnight, bringing the total deaths to 3,603.

There are 15 more COVID-19 patients in hospitals, reaching a total of 1,600, and 197 of them are on ventilators.

July 23, 1:15 p.m.

There are 101,650 reported coronavirus cases for Louisiana, with 3,574 deaths.

There are 1,585 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, with 197 of them on ventilators.

July 21, 1:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,691 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 96,583. The state has 36 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,498.

There are 1,527 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 186 of them on ventilators.

July 20, 1:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 6,302 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 94,892. The state has 63 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,462.

There are 1,508 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 192 of them on ventilators.

July 17, 5:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,179 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 88,590. The state has 24 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,399.

There are 1,413 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 161 of them on ventilators.

July 16, 1:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,280 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 86,411. The state has 24 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,375.

There are 1,401 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 162 of them on ventilators.

July 15, 3:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,089 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 84,131. The state has 14 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,351.

There are 1,369 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 147 of them on ventilators.

July 14, 1:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,215 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 82,042. The state has 22 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,337.

There are 1,308 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 142 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 121 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 7,421. Orleans Parish's case count increases by 101, reaching a total of 8,846.

July 13, 5:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,705 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 79,827. The state has seven additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,315.

There are 1,308 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 142 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 200 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 7,300. Orleans Parish's case count increases by 80, reaching a total of 8,745.

July 12, 12:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,319 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 78,122. The state has 13 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,308.

There are 1,243 reported COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 134 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 111 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 7,100. Orleans Parish's case count increases by 67, reaching a total of 8,665.

July 11, 12:17 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,167 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 76,803. The state has 23 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,295.

There are 65 more COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 121 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 242 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 6,989. Orleans Parish's case count increases by 122, reaching a total of 8,598.

More News:

LSU releases updated Roadmap to Fall 2020 semester The University released an updated roadmap for the upcoming fall 2020 semester on July 10.

July 10, 12:39 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,642 new overnight coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 74,636. There are 25 additional deaths for the state, reaching a total of 3,272.

COVID-19 patients continue to increase to 1,117, with 122 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish's coronavirus case count increase by 279, reaching a total of 6,747. Orleans Parish sees 132 new cases, bringing the total case count to 8,476.

July 9, 12:39 p.m.

There are 1,843 new overnight coronavirus cases for Louisiana. The total case count is at 71,994, and there are 16 additional deaths, bringing the total to 3,247.

There are 20 more coronavirus patients in hospitals throughout Louisiana, reaching a total of 1,042, with 110 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish cases grow by 132, bringing the total count to 6,468. Orleans Parish sees 57 new cases, reaching a total of 8,344 cases.

July 8, 12:07 p.m.

As of July 7, there are 46,334 presumed recovered from the coronavirus.

Louisiana coronavirus cases climb by 1,888, reaching a total of 70,151. There are 20 additional deaths, bringing the total to 3,231.

There are three less COVID-19 patients in hospitals. There are 1,022 COVID-19 patients, with 105 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 105 more coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 6,336. Orleans Parish has 81 more coronavirus cases, reaching a total case count of 8,287.

More News:

July 7, 1:20 p.m.

Coronavirus cases in Louisiana are up by 1,936, bringing the total case count to 68,263. There are 23 additional, overnight deaths, reaching a total of 3,211.

There are 61 more COVID-19 patients in hospitals, bringing the total to 1,025, with 109 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 253 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total case count to 6,231. Orleans Parish sees 63 more coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 8,206.

July 6, 12:04 p.m.

Louisiana has 66,327 reported cases, up 1,101 since yesterday. There are eight additional deaths for the state, bringing the total to 3,188.

There are 38 additional COVID-19 patients in hospitals, reaching a total of 964, with 109 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 5,978 cumulative cases, up 104 since yesterday. Orleans Parish has 36 additional cases, bringing the total to 8,143.

July 5, 12:17 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,937 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 65,226, and there are ten additional deaths. Total deaths are at 3,180 reported deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise to 926. 105 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 190 new coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 5,874. Orleans Parish sees 76 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 8,107.

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July 4

Louisiana Department of Health has not updated their coronavirus numbers because of Fourth of July holiday.

July 3, 12:05 p.m.

There are 1,728 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total to 63,289. There are 23 additional deaths, reaching a total of 3,170 deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations increase by 12. There are now 852 patients, with 93 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 153 more cases, bringing a total of 5,684. Orleans Parish has 71 additional cases, reaching a total of 8,031.

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July 2, 12:05 p.m.

Louisiana sees 1,383 new, overnight coronavirus cases, reaching a total of 61,561 cases. There are 17 more deaths for the state, bringing the total to 3,147.

There are 41 more COVID-19 patients in hospitals. There are a total of 840 patients, with 91 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 181 additional cases, bringing the total to 5,531. Orleans Parish sees 41 additional cases, reaching a total of 7,960 cases.

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July 1, 12:39 p.m.

There are 2,083 new coronavirus cases in Louisiana, bringing the total case count to 60,178. The state now has 17 additional deaths, reaching a total of 3,130.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to increase to 799, with 84 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 227 additional cases, bringing the total case count to 5,350. Orleans Parish sees 68 additional cases, reaching a total of 7,919 coronavirus cases.

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June 30, 12:52 p.m.

Louisiana has 1,014 new cases, bringing the total case count to 58,095. There are 22 additional deaths, having a total of 3,113 deaths.

COVID-19 patients for the state increase to 781, with 83 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 89 new cases, reaching a total of 5,123. Orleans Parish sees 55 new cases, having 7,851 total cases.

June 29, 12:10 p.m.

As of June 28, there are 42,225 presumed recovered COVID-19 patients in Louisiana.

There are 844 new coronavirus cases for Louisiana, bringing the total to 57,081. There are 3,091 deaths, up five since yesterday.

There are 22 additional COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 737, with 79 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish sees 71 new cases, bringing the total case count to 5,034. Orleans Parish has 36 new cases, bringing the total cases to 7,796.

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LSU administration, epidemiologists at odds over fan attendance in Tiger Stadium In late May, LSU Interim President Tom Galligan said he desperately hopes to see fans in T

June 28

Louisiana had 1,467 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 56,237. There are 3,086 reported deaths.

There are 715 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, which is 15 more than on June 26.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,963 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,760 cumulative cases.

June 27, 12:23 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health will not update its dashboard due to a planned power outage. Reports will resume tomorrow, June 28.

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June 26, 12:11 p.m.

There are 1,354 new coronavirus cases in Louisiana, bringing the total cases to 54,769. There are 26 additional deaths, reaching a total of 3,077.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state continue to rise by 47. There are now 700 patients, with 73 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 109 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 4,833. Orleans Parish has 43 new cases, bringing the total to 7,681.

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June 25, 1:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 938 new overnight cases, bringing the total cases to 53,415. There have been 12 additional deaths reaching a total of 3,051.

There are 22 new COVID-19 patients in hospitals. The total is now 653, and 77 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish is up by 87 with 4,724 cases. Orleans Parish cases have increased by 28 with 7,638 cases.

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June 24, 12:09 p.m.

With 882 new coronavirus cases statewide, Louisiana has 52,477 reported cases. The state also saw 18 additional deaths, bringing the total deaths to 3,039.

There are 15 less COVID-19 patients in hospitals since yesterday, June 23, bringing the total to 631. 77 of the patients are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 123 additional coronavirus cases, with the total now 4,637. Orleans Parish has 39 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 7,610.

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June 23

Louisiana has 51, 595 reported cases of coronavirus with 3,021 deaths.

There are 646 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 83 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,514 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,571 cumulative cases.

June 21, 12:44 p.m.

Louisiana has 49,778 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,993 deaths.

There are 589 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 69 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,374 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,518 cumulative cases.

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June 17, 11:45 a.m.

Louisiana has 48,634 reported cases of coronavirus, with 2,950 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals decrease to 585, with 83 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,357 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,459 cumulative cases.

June 16, 1:57 p.m.

Louisiana has 47,706 reported cases of coronavirus, with 2,930 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals increase to 588, with 77 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,301 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,428 cumulative cases.

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June 15, 12:31 p.m.

There are 37,017 presumed recoveries throughout the state. Louisiana has 47,172 reported cases of coronavirus and 2,906 deaths.

There are 12 more COVID-19 patients in hospitals, bringing the total to 568, with 76 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,284 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,411 cumulative cases.

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June 14, 11:48 a.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 336 new cases bringing the total to 46,619 reported cases with 2,901 deaths.

There are 12 more COVID-19 patients in hospitals, bringing the total to 556, with 76 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,226 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,393 cumulative cases.

June 13, 1:55 p.m.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 1,288 new cases due to a backlog from labs. There are 46,283 reported cases with 2,891 deaths.

COVID-19 patients continue to decrease to 542, with 76 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,197 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,343 cumulative cases.

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June 12, 2:28 p.m.

With over 500 new coronavirus cases, Louisiana has 44,995 total cases with 2,883 deaths.

There are five less COVID-19 patients in hospitals, bringing the total to 549, with 74 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,150 cumulative cases of coronavirus, and Orleans Parish has 7,319 cumulative cases.

June 11, 1:38 p.m.

With over 400 new coronavirus cases, Louisiana has 44,472 total cases with 2,874 deaths.

There are four new COVID-19 patients, bringing the total to 553, with 77 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,088 cumulative cases of coronavirus, and Orleans Parish has 7,294 cumulative cases.

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June 10, 2:05 p.m.

Louisiana has 418 new coronavirus cases, bringing total cases to 44,030 reported cases and 2,855 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to drop to 549 with 72 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 4,054 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,279 cumulative cases.

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June 9, 11:04 a.m.

Louisiana has 43,612 reported coronavirus cases with 2,844 deaths.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has dropped from 582 to 568 with 67 of those on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 60 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 4,023, and Orleans Parish has 10 new cases, bringing the total to 7,247.

June 8, 11:55 a.m.

Louisiana has 43,050 reported coronavirus cases with 2,831 deaths.

582 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals, with 71 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 14 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 3,963, and Orleans Parish has seven new cases, bringing the total to 7,237.

June 7, 11:55 a.m.

Louisiana has 42,816 reported coronavirus cases with 2,825 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in Louisiana continue to decrease to 575, with 74 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 38 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 3,949, and Orleans Parish has eight new cases, bringing the total to 7,230.

June 6, 12:14 p.m.

Coronavirus cases in Louisiana increase by 497, bringing total cases to 42,486 with 2,814 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 582, with 77 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,911 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,222 cumulative cases.

June 5, 11:58 a.m.

Louisiana coronavirus cases increase by 427, reaching a total of 41,989 reported cases with 2,801 deaths.

604 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals, with 75 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,874 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,026 cumulative cases.

June 4, 11:58 a.m.

Coronavirus cases in Louisiana continue to climb by over 400, with 41,562 reported cases and 2,772 deaths.

Four less COVID-19 patients are in hospitals, having 613 patients with 82 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,820 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,192 cumulative cases.

June 3, 12:05 p.m.

With 387 new cases, Louisiana has 41,133 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,759 deaths.

There are 617 COVID-19 patients in hospitals with 86 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,773 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,174 cumulative cases.

June 2, 12:00 p.m.

With an overnight increase of over 400, Louisiana has 40,746 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,724 deaths.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 639, with only 83 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,730 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,156 cumulative cases.

June 1, 12:09 p.m.

Louisiana has a total of 40,341 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,690 deaths.

There are 661 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 86 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,666 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,141 cumulative cases.

May 30, 11:59 a.m.

With 775 new cases of coronavirus in Louisiana, reported numbers come to 39,577 and 2,680 deaths.

Patients in hospitals throughout the state continue to decrease to 674 with only 84 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,591 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,108 cases.

May 28, 11:58 a.m.

Louisiana has 305 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 38,802 reported cases and 2,635 deaths.

COVID-19 patients continue to decrease to 761, with only 100 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,526 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,067 cases.

May 27, 11:57 a.m.

With over 400 new cases overnight, Louisiana has 38,497 reported cases, and 2,617 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 798, and 100 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,491 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,045 cumulative cases.

May 26. 12:00 p.m.

With 245 new coronavirus cases, Louisiana has 38,054 total cases with 2,596 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals decrease to 831, and 103 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,462 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,021 cumulative cases.

May 25, 12:05 p.m.

Louisiana has 28,700 presumed recovered coronavirus patients, with 37,890 positive cases and 2,585 deaths.

There are 847 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 102 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,438 cases, and Orleans Parish has 7,005 cases.

May 24, 11:49 a.m.

With an increase of 129, Louisiana's coronavirus cases have reached 37,169 with 2,567 deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 813, and 102 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,386 cases, and Orleans Parish has 6,953 cumulative cases.

May 23, 11:50 a.m.

Louisiana coronavirus cases have increased by 115, bringing the total to 37,040. There are 2,560 reported deaths.

The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 836, with only 112 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish cases have increased to 3,382, and Orleans Parish cases have increased to 6,949.

May 22, 12:00 p.m.

Coronavirus cases have increased by more than 400, bringing the total to 36,925, and there are 2,545 related deaths.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 867, and 104 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,370 cumulative cases, and Orleans Parish has 6,944 cumulative cases.

May 21, 12:02 p.m.

Although there are 1188 new reported coronavirus cases in Louisiana, 682 of the cases are from labs reporting numbers for the first time, bringing the total to 36,504. There are 2,506 COVID-19 related deaths.

The number of patients in hospitals continue to decrease to 884, with 107 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,319 cases with 225 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,904 cases with no overnight deaths, remaining at 500.

May 20, 12:01 p.m.

Coronavirus cases in Louisiana have increased by 300 overnight, bringing the total to 35,316. There are 2,485 COVID-19 related deaths.

Of the 931 patients in hospitals, 110 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,213 cases with 221 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,884 cases with 500 deaths.

May 19, 12:39 p.m.

Louisiana's coronavirus cases have increased by over 300 overnight, bringing the total to 35,038.

There are 2,458 reported COVID-19 related deaths.

Of the 1,004 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 112 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,145 cases with 219, and Orleans Parish has 6,869 cases with 494 deaths.

May 18, 11:49 a.m.

There are 34,709 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,440 deaths in Louisiana.

With 1,031 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 118 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,056 cases with 216 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,822 cases with 495 deaths.

May 17, 12:05 p.m.

Louisiana has 34,432 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,425 deaths.

There are 1,019 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 111 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,034 cases with 212 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,809 cases with 495 deaths.

May 16, 1:16 p.m.

With Louisiana's stay-at-home order lifted, there are 34,117 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,413 deaths.

Of the 1,028 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 123 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 3,009 cases with 208 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,781 cases with 495 deaths.

May 15, 11:57 a.m.

Louisiana has 33,837 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,382 deaths.

1,091 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals throughout the state, and 132 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,953 cases with 205 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,787 cases with 489 deaths.

May 14, 12:05 p.m.

There are 33,489 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,351 deaths in Louisiana.

1,193 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals throughout the state, and 140 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,898 cases with 201 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,768 cases with 482 deaths.

May 13, 12:34 p.m.

Louisiana has 32,662 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,315 deaths.

Of the 1,194 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 147 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,487 cases with 199 deaths, and Orleans Parish 6,753 cases with 481 deaths.

May 12, 11:58 a.m.

There are 32,050 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,281 deaths in Louisiana.

With 1,320 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 146 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,445 cases with 190 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,718 cases with 477 deaths.

May 11, 11:53 a.m.

Louisiana has 31,815 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,242 deaths.

Of the 1,310 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 157 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,398 cases with 188 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,693 cases with 470 deaths.

May 10, 12:00 p.m.

There are 31,600 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,213 deaths in Louisiana.

With 1,324 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 161 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,374 cases with 182 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,682 cases with 468 deaths.

May 9, 12:18 p.m.

Louisiana has 31,417 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,194 deaths.

With 1,359 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 185 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,348 cases with 179 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,674 cases with 468 deaths.

May 8, 12:10 p.m.

There are 30,855 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,154 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,359 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 185 are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge has 2,284 cases with 171 deaths.

May 7, 12:03 p.m.

There are 30,652 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,135 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,432 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 189 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,256 cases with 170 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,626 cases with 463 deaths.

May 6, 4:04 p.m.

Louisiana has 30,399 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,094 deaths.

1,465 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals throughout the state, with 187 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,224 cases with 165 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,608 cases with 464 deaths.

May 5, 12:00 p.m.

There are 29,996 reported cases of coronavirus with 2,042 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,512 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 194 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,175 cases with 163 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,575 cases with 453 deaths.

May 4, 12:11 p.m.

Louisiana has 29,673 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,991 deaths.

With 1,502 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 220 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,131 cases with 156 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,557 cases with 447 deaths.

May 3, 11:46 a.m.

There are 29,340 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana with 1,969 deaths.

Of the 1,530 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 213 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,086 cases with 153 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,538 cases with 441 deaths.

May 2, 11:44 a.m.

Louisiana has 29,140 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,950 deaths.

With 1,545 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 208 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 2,054 cases with 148 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,524 cases with 439 deaths.

May 1, 11:59 a.m.

There are 28,711 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,927 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,607 COVID-19 patients throughout the state, 230 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,989 cases with 146 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,495 deaths.

Apr. 30, 12:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 28,001 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,862 deaths.

With 1,601 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 231 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,874 cases with 137 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,452 cases with 434 deaths.

Apr. 29, 12:08 p.m.

There are 27,660 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,802 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,629 COVID-19 patients throughout the state, 244 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,830 cases with 129 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,420 with 416 deaths.

Apr. 28, 12:04 p.m.

Louisiana has 27,286 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,758 deaths.

With 1,666 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 244 of them are on ventilators.

East Bat Rouge Parish has 1,787 cases with 125 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,380 cases with 410 deaths.

Apr. 27, 11:53 a.m.

There are 27,068 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,697 deaths and 17,303 presumed recovered in Louisiana.

Of the 1,683 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 262 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,771 cases with 124 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,365 cases with 406 deaths.

Apr. 26, 12:24 p.m.

Louisiana has 26,773 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,670 deaths.

With 1,701 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 265 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,739 cases with 120 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,342 cases with 406 deaths.

Apr. 25, 12:20 p.m.

There are 26,512 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,644 deaths in Louisiana.

1,700 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals with 268 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,720 cases with 114 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,297 cases with 399 deaths.

Apr. 24, 12:06 p.m.

Louisiana has 26,140 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,601 deaths. 14, 927 people have recovered from the virus as of Apr. 22.

With 1,697 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 286 of them are on ventilators.

There are 1,697 cases in East Baton Rouge Parish with 109 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,286 cases with 392 deaths.

Apr. 23, 12:00 p.m.

There are 25,739 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,540 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,727 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 274 of them are on ventilator.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,636 cases with 100 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,263 cases with 387 deaths.

Apr. 22, 12:02 p.m.

Louisiana has 25, 258 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,473 deaths.

With 1,747 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 287 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,603 cases with 95 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,209 cases with 367 deaths.

Apr. 21, 12:01 p.m.

There are 24,854 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,405 deaths in Louisiana.

Of the 1,798 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state, 297 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,560 cases with 90 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,169 cases with 344 deaths.

Apr. 20, 11:53 a.m.

Louisiana has 24,523 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,328 deaths.

1,794 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals throughout the state, with 332 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,534 cases with 74 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,148 cases with 339 deaths.

Apr. 19, 12:00 p.m.

There are 23,928 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,296 deaths in Louisiana.

With 1,748 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 349 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,512 cases with 72 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 6,000 cases with 329 deaths.

Apr. 18, 12:00 p.m.

Louisiana has 23,580 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,267 deaths.

Throughout the state, there are 1,761 COVID-19 patients in hospitals with 347 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,476 cases with 72 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,953 cases with 324 deaths.

Apr. 17, 12:14 p.m.

There are 23,118 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,213 deaths in Louisiana.

There are 1,868 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 363 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,424 cases with 66 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,906 cases with 317 deaths.

Apr. 16, 12:03 p.m.

Louisiana has 22,532 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,156 deaths.

With 1,914 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout Louisiana, 396 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,389 cases with 66 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,847 cases with 302 deaths.

Apr. 15, 12:00 p.m.

There are 21, 951 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana, with 1,103 deaths.

1,943 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals throughout the state with 425 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,325 cases with 62 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,769 cases with 287 deaths.

Apr. 14, 11:56 a.m.

Louisiana has 21,518 reported cases of coronavirus with 1,013 deaths.

There are 1,977 COVID-19 patients throughout the state with 436 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,295 cases with 58 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,718 cases with 276 deaths.

Apr. 13, 11:56 a.m.

There are 21,016 reported cases of coronavirus with 884 deaths in Louisiana.

With 2,134 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout Louisiana, 461 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,273 reported cases with 52 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,651 cases with 244 deaths.

Apr. 12, 11:58 a.m.

Louisiana has 20,595 reported cases of coronavirus with 840 deaths.

2,084 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals with 458 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,223 cases with 49 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,600 cases with 235 deaths.

Apr. 11, 12:05 p.m.

There are 20,014 reported cases of coronavirus with 806 deaths in Louisiana.

Throughout the state, 2,067 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals with 470 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,158 cases with 45 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,535 cases with 232 deaths.

Apr. 10, 12:06 p.m.

Louisiana has 19,253 reported cases of the coronavirus with 755 deaths.

Throughout the state, there are 2,054 COVID-19 patients in hospitals with 479 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,088 cases with 39 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,416 cases with 225 deaths.

Apr. 9, 12:01 p.m.

There are 18,283 reported cases of the coronavirus with 702 deaths in Louisiana.

2,014 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals with 473 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 1,000 cases with 36 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,242 cases with 224 deaths.

Apr. 8, 11:58 a.m.

Louisiana has 17,030 reported cases of coronavirus with 652 deaths.

Throughout the state, there are 1,983 COVID-19 patients in hospitals with 490 of them on ventilators.

There are 935 cases in East Baton Rouge Parish with 33 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 5,070 cases with 208 deaths.

Apr. 7, 12:10 p.m.

There are 16,284 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana with 582 deaths.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 892 cases with 31 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 4,942 cases with 185 deaths.

Apr. 6, 12:01 p.m.

Louisiana has 14,867 reported cases of coronavirus with 512 deaths.

There are 1,809 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 563 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 816 cases with 25 deaths, and Orleans Parish has 4,565 cases with 171 deaths.

Apr. 5, 11:59 a.m.

There are 13,010 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana with 477 deaths.

Of the 1,803 coronavirus patients in hospitals, 561 are on ventilators.

61 of Louisiana's 64 parishes have a reported case.

Apr. 4, 12:07 p.m.

There are 12,496 reported cases of coronavirus with 409 deaths in Louisiana.

With 1,707 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, 535 of them are on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 621 cases, and Orleans Parish has 3,966 cases of coronavirus.

Apr. 3, 12:06 p.m.

Louisiana has 10,297 reported cases of coronavirus with 370 total deaths.

There are 1,707 COVID-19 patients in hospitals throughout the state with 535 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 389 cases. 20 Baton Rouge residents have died from the virus.

Orleans Parish has 3,476 cases with 148 deaths.

Apr. 2, 12:05 p.m.

Louisiana has 9,150 reported cases of coronavirus with 310 total deaths.

1,639 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals with 507 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 325 cases with 11 deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health, and Orleans Parish has 3,148 cases with 125 deaths.

Apr. 1, 12:20 p.m.

There are 6,424 known cases of the coronavirus in Louisiana with 273 deaths. As of Wednesday afternoon, 1,498 people are in hospitals throughout the state with 490 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 244 cases of coronavirus with 10 deaths.

Orleans Parish has 2,270 cases of coronavirus with 115 deaths.

Mar. 31, 12:07 p.m.

Louisiana has 5,237 known cases of coronavirus, an increase of over a thousand in 24 hours. There are 239 COVID-19 related deaths.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 228 cases with nine deaths.

Orleans Parish has 1,834 cases with 101 deaths.

Mar. 30, 12:02 p.m.

There are 4,025 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana with 185 total deaths reported. There are 1,158 COVID-19 patients in hospitals with 385 of them on ventilators.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 188 cases with nine total deaths. Orleans Parish has 1,480 cases with 86 total deaths.

Mar. 29, 12:20 p.m.

Louisiana has 3,540 reported cases of coronavirus with 151 total deaths.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 164 cases of coronavirus with seven total deaths.

Orleans Parish has 1,350 cases of coronavirus with 73 total deaths.

Mar. 28, 1:07 p.m.

There are now 3,315 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana with 137 reported deaths.

The jump from Friday's confirmed cases to Saturday's is the largest yet.

East Baton Rouge Parish has 153 cases, up from 124 on Friday.

Mar. 27, 12:09 p.m.

There are 2,746 reported cases and 119 reported deaths of the coronavirus in Louisiana.

124 cases are in East Baton Rouge Parish with six deaths of parish residents, with a seventh from a man from Mississippi who received treatment from a hospital in Baton Rouge.

Orleans Parish has 1,170 cases with 57 deaths.

Mar. 26, 12:05 p.m.

Louisiana has 2,305 reported cases of coronavirus with 83 deaths. 676 COVID-19 patients are in the hospital with 239 of them on ventilators. There are 105 cases in the East Baton Rouge Parish with four deaths. 997 cases are in Orleans Parish with 46 deaths.

Mar. 25, 12:07 p.m.


Copper Hop Brewing Co. in downtown St. Clair Shores is among 135 Macomb County businesses that received a $5,000 grant to help it stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MACOMB DAILY PHOTO
The COVID-19 crisis may have dampened Fourth of July fireworks and parades, but in at least two Mount Clemens neighborhoods the traditional red, white and blue still evoke feelings of patriotism and pride.

Dozens of children  and a few adults  hopped on their bicycles Saturday morning for the Neighborhood Bike Party in the Seminole Hills section near McLaren Macomb hospital. The informal event has been going on for the past 34 years as a way to start off the Fourth of July.

Local residents Josh Alger and his wife, Chris, hosted the event, which was started by Jolyne Fisher and her family. It typically attracts about 200 people  many of whom wore face masks and observed social distancing due to the virus.

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"It started out as some neighbors getting together, family and kids riding around the block and expanded from there," Alger said. "It's been going on for 35 years and I've been doing it for 29 years now. You've just got neighborhood fun on the holiday, see your neighbors, decorate the bikes and go on your way."

Many bikes were decorated in red-white-and-blue themes for the holiday as the parade began on Balmoral Drive.

The politically-neutral bike party  attended by various special guests and led by a Mount Clemens fire truck  typically includes hot dogs and refreshments, but those weren't included in this year's event due to safety reasons, organizers said. But there was plenty of cold water available.

"We make it a small town gathering," Alger said. "With all of this COVID stuff going on and racial injustice protesting, it's nice that people still show up and have a great time being together."

Among this year's special guests were Congressman Andy Levin, a Democrat from Michigan's Ninth Congressional District, which includes portions of Macomb and Oakland counties. His father, former U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, is no stranger to the bike parade, having participated in years past.

"To be honest with you, most Fourth of Julys I have to go to the big-dog parades but this year, they're all cancelled, so I get to be here in Mount Clemens, riding my bike with you all today," said Levin, who rode alongside Mayor Laura Kropp.

"We're here to celebrate our freedom," he continued. "We think about people who have given their lives for our country. People around the world, fighting for us, protecting us from COVID. And they don't complain while they're out there fighting for us."

Participating in her first bike parade as the city's mayor, Kropp said the event underscored a feeling of nostalgia in the year 2020.

"I feel like Mount Clemens and the Seminole Hills subdivision as a whole has that old neighborhood type of feeling, where neighbors take care of each other and help each other and this parade is a representation of that," Kropp said. "We meet at the corner and get together for the holiday and ride our bikes. It's a fantastic way to kick off the Fourth of July."

Meanwhile, a few blocks to the north, numerous historic houses along Moross Street, S. Wilson Boulevard and Lodewyck Street had patriotic red-white-and-blue bunting and ribbons decorating the exterior.

Manuel Ramirez, a manager at a fast-food restaurant, was relaxing at his house on the corner of Church and Moross while his wife was out. He spoke glowingly of the Tudor-style house, which was built in 1835.

"It shows really well, especially the Greek revival style," he said. "We've got the buntings out for the Fourth of July to dress up the house a bit. People have come to expect it. I love it when people have an appreciation for the rich, historic stock of housing we have around here in Mount Clemens."

+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 predicted through Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.

+5 Macomb County is in for a steamy holiday weekend With a week of 90-degree weather in store coupled with coronavirus-caused pent-up demand, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham expects boa
Luis Figo has been very critical lately of the Spanish government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis and took to social media once again to criticise the prime minister Pedro Sanchez.

Sanchez is contemplating raising taxes and the former Real Madrid winger expressed his disapproval.

"The de-escalation begins," he wrote after sharing ABC's piece which outlined Sanchez's plans

"The most predictable strategy equals more unemployment and more poverty."

A week before, Figo had warned about a tough crisis that would come as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

"They are going to say that it is extreme alarmism," he posted on Twitter. "Tough years are coming."

In mid-June, the Portuguese mocked the proposal of Unidas Podemos to give a medal to Fernando Simon, director of the Centre for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health.

"How quickly they get medals," he said.

On May 19, he took to social media once more to criticise a survey reporting that PSOE's popularity was boosted after the COVID-19 crisis.

"Interesting," he wrote, adding, "I will ask them who will win the Champions League this year."

At the end of the same month, Figo criticised the government after reading the news that Fernando Santafe became the third member of Spain's Civil Guard to leave their post following a scandal.

"Now there's three," he posted

"Interference? Renewal? Political Interest? The controversy has already been served."

Previously he had expressed his outrage at the decision of the Health Ministry to delay Madrid from entering Phase 1 of the country's de-escalation plan.
In the early hours of this morning two people were stabbed and taken to hospital after a fight in the Pere Garau district of Palma.

A Colombian has been arrested but the National Police are looking for other suspects.

Paramedics treated the two victims, one suffering from a stomach wound and the other to the head, at the scene before rushing them to hospital.

The latter appears to have been bottled as well.

The fight broke out at 5am and all of those involved are understood to be Colombian.

The National Police are waiting to interview the victims.
MANISTEE COUNTY  Munson Healthcare recently announced the next phase of its COVID-19 Recovery Plan to address the impact of the pandemic, additional challenges and opportunities the organization faces and transform patient care to ensure a sustainable future for the regions largest healthcare system.

This second phase will be implemented over the next 12-18 months as the system aligns resources, develops new, innovative models of care through the use of technology and telemedicine, reprioritizes capital investments, and adjusts its cost structure to meet a new healthcare reality.

The first phase of this plan was initiated in April to help mitigate the immediate financial impact of COVID-19 and included reducing hours or furloughing some employees, pausing capital projects and reducing compensation for all vice presidents and above by at least 20% depending on the job role.

While services continue to re-open week-by-week, we dont anticipate returning to pre-COVID patient volumes in some areas of our system for at least the next 12 months, said Ed Ness, Munson Healthcare President and CEO. Some services are busy but many others remain 80-90% of what they were prior to the pandemic. In addition, the one-time government relief funding we have received covers only half of the losses the healthcare system experienced from March through June 2020.

Multiple factors contribute to the challenges being faced by healthcare as the pandemic continues and even after it passes. The publics apprehension about contracting COVID-19 at a healthcare facility and the economic impact on household incomes and insurance coverage influence decisions to seek care. In addition, the strain created by growing federal and state budget deficits is likely to have a significant effect on healthcare funding in the years ahead. Munson Healthcare receives nearly 75% of its funding from government sources such as Medicare and Medicaid.

The healthcare needs of our region are ever-evolving and we are poised to meet those changes, said Ness. Prior to the pandemic, we were already on a path to transform the way we operate and provide care. The extraordinary circumstances of the last few months have required us to quicken our pace.

During this next phase, Munson Healthcare will significantly transform patient care and operations by:

 Evolving the delivery of patient care through the use of technology, telemedicine and other innovative delivery models;

 Identifying, prioritizing and investing in only essential capital projects;

 Aligning system resources and coordination to best meet the needs of communities across northern Michigan;

 Implementing strategies to position the healthcare system to meet change and new opportunities with agility and stand accountable to the communities it serves; and

 Adjusting cost structure to reflect the new reality of the impact of COVID-19, uncertain patient volumes, Auto No-Fault changes, and reimbursement pressure from state and federal sources.

It is always our priority to minimize the impact of change on people, but some job reductions are an unfortunate reality in order to structure our healthcare system for a sustainable future. We are focusing our efforts on overhead and administrative functions, areas where we are predicting continued volume decreases and departments whose work has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our commitment to clinical excellence remains unwavering and uncompromised.

Services continue to re-open at facilities across the system while remaining poised to care for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients as the pandemic persists. Munson Healthcare will continue to provide information and guidance regarding COVID-19 as well as updates on the many ways that operations and patient care are being transformed across the system during the next phase of this plan.

For the latest updates on COVID-19 and other news from Munson Healthcare visit munsonhealthcare.org.
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
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.

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.

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.

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.

Bill Ketter is the senior vice president of news for CNHI. Contact him at wketter@cnhi.com.
It's been three months since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have left the royal family to become financially independent.

However, the couple is still yet to earn some dough.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hadn't earned anything since stepping down as senior royals.

Speaking to ET Online, Nicholl shared, "They do need to make money. They've been living in LA since March, they left the royal family at the end of March, and as yet, they haven't earned anything."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven't signed anything profitable or have been given deals since March, according to reports, but the pair has been really active during the coronavirus lockdown orders in Los Angeles.

The former "Suits" actress, along with her royal husband, has continued to work behind the scenes on their organization, Archewell, to help individuals and organizations during the COVID-19 crisis and the Black Lives Movement protests sweeping the entire US.

It has also been reported that the couple remained in touch with their patronages and learned about their struggles and problems as they face the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Following the death of George Floyd on May 25, Prince Harry and Meghan have also upped their commitment to helping fight racial inequality in the US and across the globe.

In the past couple of months, they got in touch with organizations close to the BLM movement so they'll be able to learn more of the issues and address them, and learn how to help.

But it's not like the parents of Archie didn't do anything to maintain their luxurious lifestyle.

Last month, a source close to the couple claimed that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have signed with the Harry Walker Agency. It is said to be the same speaking company that represents a couple of A-listers, including Barack and Michelle Obama.

Reports also claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signing with the high-profile agency would surely help the couple a tremendous amount of income.

When the Duchess of Sussex personally spoke to an alleged victim of hate crime, Meghan Markle vowed to talk to others at the charity that connected her and the victim, Althea Bernstein.

Royal commentators Rachel Florito and Roberta Florito questioned if Meghan spoke for the Boys and Girls Club of Wisconsin, wondering if it would be a paid gig for the former royal.

In their podcast "Royally Obsessed," they discussed how Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would make money in the future.

They pointed out that if the couple would take payment for charity events and conduct speaking gigs, it would become counterintuitive.

If Meghan Markle pushed through with speaking at the Boys and Girls Club, it would be her first travel engagements since moving to the US.

"Obviously, the Boys and Girls Club is not going to pay them $1 million to talk to them," the host said.

Though they will have charities that they focus on and do things for them, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will also be this "other arm of their money-making, financial aspect to their lives."

READ MORE: Princess Diana Suicide Attempt: More SHOCKING Secret Diary Entries Revealed!

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Boston police have arrested a 22-year-old Dorchester man accused of fatally shooting a woman overnight Saturday, authorities said.

Officers responded around 3:10 a.m. on Sunday to a call of a person shot near 37 Stonehurst St. in Dorchester, according to a statement from the Boston Police Department.

On arrival, officers located an adult female victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced at the scene, the statement said.

Police did not disclose the age or the name of the victim.

The suspect, later identified as Kristian Maraj, was taken into custody at the scene without incident, according to police.

He is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on charges of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a welling, authorities said.

Sunday mornings shooting marks the latest in a number of violent incidents to occur in Boston this week.

The Boston Police Department has urged anyone with information relative to this investigation to call homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470.

Related Content: Double shooting Saturday night in Boston one of a number of violent incidents to occur this week in the city
Using yellow paint, volunteers filled in a Black Lives Matter street mural in Boston on Sunday, a day after thousands of people used the Fourth of July holiday to call for justice on behalf of Black victims of police violence.

Demonstrators carried signs saying Defund The Police and Say Her Name as they marched from Roxburys Nubian Square to the Boston Common on Saturday.

The Say Her Name March & Rally was focused on centering and uplifting the lives of all Black women, including Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician killed by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky.

Were marching through to say your lives were not in vain. Were saying you have dignity, you have worth, you have value, and you matter to us, activist Karlene Griffiths Sekou told the crowd.

Black demonstrators pointed out that ancestors who were slaves were not free on the Fourth of July, a theme that was referenced by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, who joined the demonstrators.

We know that when Thomas Jefferson was writing the Declaration of Independence, he did not mean to include Black men and Black women in our country, Markey said. [The country has] a long way to go to make sure that everyone is able to enjoy equal justice under the law.

The Black Lives Matter mural was painted across a stretch of Washington Street near Nubian Square.

The stenciling of letters began on Saturday and volunteers started to fill the letters with yellow paint on Sunday.
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to ravage state and local budgets, Sen. Ed Markey and the mayors of Easthampton and Lynn on Sunday urged the U.S. Senate to approve another stimulus package to assist states, cities and towns coping with an unprecedented economic fallout.

In a Zoom news conference, Markey noted that over the last three months, state and local governments hit hard with revenue shortfalls have been forced to lay off about 1.6 million workers nationwide. The layoffs include more than 2,000 educators in 47 school districts in Massachusetts, Markey said, depriving students of the best education.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act on May 15. The bill would provide $875 billion that states, cities and towns could use to bolster their budgets in the wake of shortfalls.

Municipalities are bearing the burden of the response during this crisis, he said, citing dwindling budgets. They need this economic relief now.

But the Republican-controlled Senate has not taken up the legislation. Republican lawmakers, Markey said, also excluded about $150 billion in state and municipal funding from an interim stimulus package that boosted funding to hospitals, health care facilities and loans to small businesses struggling to make ends meet as the pandemic forced shops and offices to shutter nationwide.

Without greater assistance from the federal government, state and local governments could face $1.3 trillion in budget shortfalls due to the pandemic over the next three years, Markey said. Municipalities are being forced to choose between cutting staff and cutting resources at unprecedented levels.

Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said the HEROES Act would provide flexibility, letting towns and cities use stimulus funding how they needed.

Our main street is different than other towns, she said. I need that flexibility to rebuild my budget and backfill revenue to make sure people have health care ... to make sure small businesses have a real partner.

Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee said the economic impact of COVID-19 is felt across the country and he did not understand what the Republicans in the Senate are thinking.

He said Lynn faced a $3 million reduction in local receipts alone.

Markey argued that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell previously said the push for state and local funding was a blue state problem, but with coronavirus cases increasing in the South and West, its likely that red state mayors and red state governors ... will be saying we need help for these communities.

McConnell and the Trump administration have noted that trillions of federal dollars have already been injected into the economy in the wake of the pandemic. McConnell previously said the HEROES Act has no chance of passing in the Senate.

President Donald Trump this past week, however, did note that he supports another round of stimulus checks to individual Americans and families, perhaps even larger than the $1,200 checks issued as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed in late March.

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BERNARDSTON  Two Vermont residents were arrested Friday night after Massachusetts State Police troopers found crack cocaine and heroin in their vehicle.

Kwesi Wilson, 35, of Londonderry, and Ashley Blanchard, 27, of Holly Mountain, were charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession of a dangerous weapon. Wilson was also cited for multiple traffic violations, state police said.

Troopers Adam Couture and Michael Leslie stopped the Jeep Patriot Wilson was driving on Interstate-91 northbound and accused him of speeding. The vehicle also had a temporary license plate that was unreadable. After the 9 p.m. stop, they learned Wilsons license was suspended, police said.

The troopers then found about 100 grams of powder they believe is crack cocaine, about 200 packets of heroin and a machete, police said.

The two are being held at the Franklin County of Corrections in Greenfield until their arraignment, which is expected to be held on Monday, police said.
One person was fatally shot and four others were wounded during a cookout Saturday night in Lynn, authorities said.

Police responded to a report of shots fired near 134 Fayette St. shortly before 10 p.m., Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgetts office and Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary said in a joint statement.

A 35-year-old Lynn man was taken to Salem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

Another man who suffered life-threatening injuries was flown via med-flight to a Boston hospital, according to the district attorney.

The three other people who were shot are expected to survive, authorities said.

No arrests have been made, Blodgetts office said. The Essex District Attorneys Office, the Essex State Police Detective Unit and the Lynn Police are investigating.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Two people were shot in Boston on Saturday, marking one of a number of violent incidents to occur in the city this week, police said.

Authorities responded around 9:34 p.m. to a report of a shooting at 44 Copeland St. in Roxbury, Officer Stephen McNulty, a Boston Police Department spokesman, told MassLive.

The victims included a man and a woman. The man, who was found shot at the scene, was taken to a local hospital. The woman went to the hospital herself, according to McNulty.

Both the man and the woman suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the officer said.

Police did not disclose the ages of the victims, nor did they say what events transpired prior to the shooting.

Officers noted there were multiple violent incidents in Boston on Saturday, the Fourth of July, and previously during the week.

A 22-year-old man was arrested early Sunday morning after a woman was fatally shot near 37 Stonehurst St. in Dorchester overnight Saturday, the Boston Police Department said in a press release.

A Dorchester boy was shot and killed Thursday night, according to a statement from the department. Officers were responding to a call about fireworks or possible shots fired near 39 Mount Pleasant Ave. in Roxbury when they found 15-year-old Xhavier Rico with life-threatening injuries.

Rico was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

A short time after Rico was hospitalized, two men went to local hospitals on their own to be treated for gunshot wounds that were not considered life-threatening, according to police.

The Boston Globe reported that Mayor Martin J. Walsh and police officials pleaded with people to stop the violence ahead of the holiday weekend.

As we head into this weekend, Im asking people involved in violence in the city of Boston, put your guns down, Walsh said during a press conference late Thursday night after the shooting of Rico, according to the Globe.

Another Dorchester resident, 22-year-old Justin Cannady, was also shot and killed Thursday night.

Officers have since taken a suspect into custody, whom they identified Friday as 35-year-old Rafael Santiago. The Malden man, police claimed, was found at the scene of the shooting with a revolver in his hand.

On Friday, officers responded to a radio call shortly after 11 p.m. of a person shot in the area of 40 Dabney St. in Roxbury, authorities said.

On arrival, officers located an adult male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, the department said in another statement. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The same night, roughly 30 minutes before the Dabney Street shooting was reported, officers fielded another call about a fight near 42 Theodore St., police said.

Authorities were not able to find the people involved in the fight as the suspects had fled the scene, witnesses told officers, according to police.

Shortly after the fight was reported, a victim walked into the emergency of a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The person later died, authorities said.

Around the time of the shooting and the lethal fight on Friday, a person was fatally stabbed near 205 Adams St. in Dorchester, according to a press release from the Boston Police Department.

As of Thursday, Boston police reported, there were two nonfatal shootings, two nonfatal stabbings and one homicide. However, those numbers have changed significantly in the past two days.

The department has urged anyone with information related to its investigations to call Boston police homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470.

Community members wishing to assist investigations anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).
Susan Rice, former President Barack Obamas national security adviser, touted her experience in government and presidential campaigns on Sunday as former Vice President Joe Biden is a few weeks away from announcing a running mate.

Biden, the likely Democratic nominee to face President Donald Trump, has pledged to choose a woman candidate, and Rices name has risen on the list of potential partners on the ticket. Before becoming White House national security adviser, Rice served as Obamas ambassador to the United Nations and held roles in the Clinton administration State Department and National Security Council.

But Andrea Mitchell of NBCs Meet the Press asked Rice what she would say to Americans who may have concerns voting for someone without experience in politics.

Susan Rice on Biden veepstakes: I'll "help him succeed as president"@ambassadorrice discusses the the possibility of being Joe Biden's vice president exclusively on #MTP.https://t.co/s7jxBT8vl2 pic.twitter.com/WU1OSBZjuO  Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 5, 2020

Lets not get ahead of ourselves, Rice said. Joe Biden needs to make the decision as to who he thinks will be his best running mate. I will do my utmost, drawing on my experience of years in government, years of making the bureaucracy work.

Rice noted shed worked on several national campaigns as a surrogate, including presidential campaigns.

The interview with Rice, who is African American, comes as many call on Biden to choose a Black female candidate for the ticket in the wake of nationwide protests over generations of systemic discrimination following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in police custody.

Im going to do everything I can to help get Joe Biden elected, and to help him succeed as president, whether Im his running mate or door knocker, she said. We are at a moment where our democracy is at stake, where our leadership role in the world is at stake.

Rice mentioned the coronavirus pandemic, arguing the lives of tens of thousands of Americans are on the line, lost to incompetence and callous leadership. Weve got to change that. This country is a tremendous place but we have work to do to perfect it. We have work to do to unite it.

Biden has said he will pick a running mate by Aug. 1.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who ended her White House bid in early March, is also under consideration. Warren in April told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow that she would agree to run for vice president if Biden asked her.

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BOSTON  The Boston Red Sox signed right-handed reliever Caleb Simpson to a minor league contract and added him to their 60-player roster pool Saturday.

I know hes got really good stuff. Command has been an issue, Red Sox manager Roenicke said Sunday during a Zoom call. If we can get him to throw more strikes and get that good stuff over the plate  hes been around a while  so if we can get that part there we feel like we have a good major league pitcher just because of that really good stuff.

Roenicke is unsure when Simpson will arrive at summer training camp, which began Friday. The abbreviated 60-game MLB season begins July 23 and 24.

Simpson will join Brian Johnson, Robinson Leyer and Domingo Tapia as the four non-roster pitchers in the 60-man pool so far. The Red Sox still have 11 open spots.

The 28-year-old Simpson, who is 6-foot-4, 231-pounds, was with the Chicago Cubs during spring training 2020 before MLB suspended its season indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Cubs released him May 28.

He posted a 3.00 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 30 walks and a .140 batting average against in 34 relief outings (42 innings) split between High A and Double A in the San Francisco Giants system during 2019. He recorded a 2.45 ERA in 29  innings at Double A last year.

Control has been an issue for Simpson. He has averaged 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings, but he also has averaged 6.8 walks in five minor league seasons (145  innings).

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BOSTON  Eduardo Rodriguez is a strong candidate to start on Opening Day if hes available and ready to pitch.

The lefty was Bostons top starter last year. He finished sixth in the American League Cy Young voting. He went 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 34 starts.

But will he be ready? Thats the big question. He has not flown into Boston yet for summer training camp, which started Friday.

Rodriguez, who resides in Miami, Fla., underwent COVID-19 testing back home after being around someone who was sick.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Friday and Saturday the club was waiting for Rodriguezs test results. Roenicke was asked Sunday if the Red Sox still are waiting for the test results.

I dont have anything I can share with you, Roenicke said during a Zoom call Sunday. Whenever I do, I told you guys I will share it. So if theres something new I can share, I will do that.

And so its unclear whether the Red Sox know the results of Rodriguezs COVID-19 test.

2/2

Medical privacy matters but this is going to create a lot of inaccurate assumptions when the truth shouldnt be embarrassing  Matt Vautour (@MattVautour424) July 5, 2020

MLB will open its regular season July 23 and 24.

Two Red Sox players  Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor  tested positive for COVID-19. Taylor is quarantining in a hotel in Boston. Hernandez has not flown in yet.

MLB announced 1.2% (38 of 3,185) of the people it tested this week tested positive for COVID-19.

Nathan Eovaldi likely would start Opening Day if Rodriguez isnt ready to go, but Roenicke said no decisions have been made.

Eovaldi is expected to throw in Bostons first intrasquad game Thursday.

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They say they were just helping out a buddy and a fellow soldier.

Last Saturday, June 27, a group of guys from Southern Minnesota, their wives and young kids, showed up in Blue Earth to shingle the home of Austin and Raelynn Decker on West 10th Street.

We wanted to help them out, says Justin Hutchinson, of Austin. We wanted to show our support for a fellow soldier.

Austin Decker is Sgt. Decker of the 492nd Army Reserve Engineer Company out of Mankato. And since last August of 2019, he has been deployed to Africa.

Three of the guys doing the shingling last Saturday are from Austins unit, including Sgt. Justin Hutchinson, Specialist Matthew Buntje of Mankato and Chief Warrant Officer 1 Thomas Gambrel of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The others on the work crew were Michael and Steve Hutchinson of Austin, Cody Meyer of Austin and Bryce Orth of Lyle.

We have a company called Hutch and Sons Builders in Austin, Hutchinson says. We build homes and do remodeling and we also do shingling and roofing.

Raelynn Decker says her husband Austin started shingling the garage at their home last summer, but then got deployed. So, the Deckers contacted Justin to finish the job.

Hutch (Justin) had already finished a bedroom in the house for us, Raelynn says. So we were going to pay him to shingle now, too.

But instead, Hutchinson got some guys together and all are volunteering their time.

Austin and Raelynn already had some of the supplies purchased, Hutchinson says. But we bought the rest with a $1,200 donation from the VFW Post 1216 in Austin, plus we threw in some materials, too. And Hometown Sanitation discounted the dumpster.

The crew started at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and finished up at 6:30 p.m. They stayed at the campground in Blue Earth Friday and Saturday nights, and on Sunday, before they left, they were able to get a lot of the trash and garbage cleaned up and in the dumpster before it rained.

The workers also had help from some ladies who also provided and helped with meals for the large crew. Those were Rhoda Hutchinson, Schylar Hutchinson, Mckinze Hutchinson and Sophia Morse, all of Austin.

Justin Hutchinson says Austin Decker did not know this was all going to be completed at his house until after the crew was all finished.

They video chatted with him in Africa after they were all done. He was amazed and appreciative.

So was Raelynn Decker.

The couple have three children; Aiden, six, Mikaelynn, four, and Greyson, two.

Raelynn is a Blue Earth native and a graduate of Blue Earth Area High School. Her husband, Austin, grew up in the Fairmont, Truman, Mapleton area. He is employed at the Valero Ethanol Plant in Lakota, Iowa.

They have lived in their now newly-shingled house for three years.

This is just amazing, Raelynn Decker says. I cant believe they all did this for us.

Justin Hutchinson says he talked to the guys and they all agreed to do it as a gift, free of cost.

It is just something we felt we should do because of Austins service, and being deployed at this time, Hutchinson says. He has done a lot for us, too. It is just the right thing to do. We help each other out.
Officials at United Hospital District Inc. (UHD) announced the sale of its former Adolescent Treatment Center (ATC) building to Genesis Classical Academy (GCA). Terms of the agreement were completed June 30. The Winnebago facility had recently become available after UHD closed the ATC program due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to UHD CEO Rick Ash, UHD had determined that internal use of the building was not feasible, therefore the best option was to find a way to keep its use local.

After the difficult decision to close the Adolescent Treatment Center, one of UHDs key goals was to repurpose the facility in a way that is meaningful to the community. Were pleased that our agreement with GCA meets this criterion, and additionally creates value for the community by allowing another organization to grow and remain in the area, Ash stated. Although the sale of the building puts a final touch on the ATC program closure, its an important step in maintaining our financial health as we journey through these extraordinary times of COVID-19.

At nearly 18,000 square feet, the former ATC facility was completed in 2010 as the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, or green treatment center in the nation. UHD had owned and operated the ATC program for nearly 30 years, having acquired it from Fountain Centers in 1992. Despite expanding programming and marketing changes, ATC operated a loss for many years from a combination of low reimbursement and low census. The arrival of COVID-19 virtually eliminated the residential nature of the program, making it impossible to sustain.

GCA, a non-denominational classical Christian school, has been operating at another location in Winnebago since opening five years ago. After some renovations to adapt the building to its needs, GCA expects the facility to be completed in time to greet students at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

UHD, located in Blue Earth, is a system of care comprised of a 25-bed acute care hospital, comprehensive outpatient services, ambulance service and home health/hospice care all supported by a 20-plus multi-specialty provider group with four clinic locations across two counties.
Most middle-class parents have brought their children up by cautioning them to never do anything that would force them into a courtroom, or a legal battle, even if it means doing something good.

 iStock

There is no denying the fact that the Indian legal system is a labyrinth that swallows human lives in their entirety. Just a quick search on the internet will show you thousands of cases where people have had trials go on for decades. Then, there are a numbers of reports of how cunning lawyers are able to scam and twist the system to their advantage.

 iStock

We list out a few OTT shows and movies that perfectly sum up just how convoluted India's legal system is, in spite of the best of Indian Judiciary's intentions.

 Panorama Studios

1. Pink

Pink was a brilliant film that showed just how false cases are often registered, as a way to retaliate or to scare away victims. Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, the film is one of the most poignant ones on the Indian legal system.

2. Jolly LLB

Jolly LLB was funny, endearing, and poignant - everything that you would expect in a good film. It was also one of Arshad Warsi's finest performances ever. If you seriously want to see the conditions of Indian courtrooms, and how the rich often twist the safeguards that are supposed to protect common people, this is the movie that you should watch.

3. Illegal

Illegal sort of flew under the radar. It's a great show that explores the dynamics of media trials and how it actually corresponds with an actual trial. The show earnestly shows some jarring flaws that currently plagues our justice system.

4. Your Honour

If you really want to know just how great Indian OTT shows have become, you have to watch Your Honour. This is Jimmy Sheirgill at his finest. The show, again, for some inexplicable reason has been flying under the radar. There rarely is a moment where your thought is allowed to meander off - such is the pace of the show, something that you'll definitely notice.

5. Section 375

Although there were a lot of issues with the film, Section 375 did ask some unnerving and unsettling questions about the law, and our entire understanding of law and justice. If you haven't watched the film, we urge you to watch it. Yes, it is uncomfortable, and yes, there will be moments when the film is unbearably harsh, especially considering that it deals with sexual assault, in a very gruesome manner. But provided that you watch the film with an open mind, it is worth it.

6. Mulk

You have stalwart performers like Ashutosh Rana, Rajat Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, and a whole hoard of performers, under the tutelage of Anubhav Sinha. That should be a reason in itself. The dichotomy between how laws are enforced for different sections of the society and the systemic problems that have come to manifest in our legal system is one of the many aspects that Mulk tries to explore.

7. Court

If you really want to understand just how absurd the Indian court system actually is, if you're looking for the purest form of the banality of a typical Indian courtroom, this is the film that you have to watch. Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, Court was India's official entry for the 2015 Oscars. Not bad for debutante director, if you ask us.

8. Shahid

Although not strictly about the legal system, as much as it is about Shahid Azmi, the lawyer and human rights activist who was gunned down in his chamber for defending people who were wrongly accused of being a terrorist, Shahid is a masterpiece. Rajkummar Rao, when he is being directed by Hansal Mehta just shines through and through.
Sigh. This again?, is pretty much how Twitter groaned in unison when US rapper Kanye West declared that he will be running for the president of the United States in 2020.

Taking to Twitter on the 4th of July, as America celebrates its Independence Day, West announced, We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION  ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

This is not the first time that the 21-time Grammy-winning rapper has announced his intentions of potentially entering the presidential race, as he dropped a similar bomb back in November, when he stated that he is eyeing the 2024 elections.

Interestingly, Wests latest surprise announcement comes just 4 months before polling day on November 3, which is why there is a certain confusion and also, speculation if this is not just another prank.

 Reuters

It still remains unclear if the rapper has actually done any paperwork in regards to his announcement, however, one must keep in mind that the deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.



Soon enough after West posted his Tweet, he received a message from none other than Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, who Tweeted, You have my full support!

You have my full support!  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020

If you guys remember, back in 2018, President Donald Trump and West had a rather...how do I say this nicely...bizarre meeting, where the rapper wore a red Make America Great Again cap and actually said things like mother*cker and infinite amounts of universe.

 Reuters

Hugging Trump at the meeting, he declared how Trump made him feel like Superman, and said, I love this guy right here.



When Trump was asked if West could possibly be a future presidential candidate, his reply was a very conscientious, Could very well be, to which the rapper replied saying, Only after 2024. Lets stop worrying about the future. All we really have is today. We just have today.

 Reuters

Well, things seem to be going in a rather different direction right now, dont they?



Anyhow, Twitter is having a field day right now with people sharing memes and puns left, right and centre. More than anything, people are just convinced that 2020 is officially the worst year in the history of mankind.

Kanye West just announced he's running for President of the United States and I really need this to be a joke in actuality in the same way it is in every other respect https://t.co/CjFPYcci7e  Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) July 5, 2020

the world if kanye west becomes president pic.twitter.com/F2RFBoBBeH  eddie (@el_cacachico) July 5, 2020

#Kanye2020

2020cant get any worse

2020: Kanye west running for president pic.twitter.com/WRSXkkRwgh   (@solarya92) July 5, 2020

Thou shalt not make Kanye West president, one enormous idiot lunatic was enough, thanks.  God (@thegoodgodabove) July 5, 2020

So Kanye West announced he is running for president. If this is a dream, someone please wake me up; it's officially gone too far pic.twitter.com/WUC3zGJ5pb  Nezam mazeN (@HumanbeingNezam) July 5, 2020

Also, guys, lets not be too nonchalant about this. Remember how Trump was supposed to be a joke and how after the elections no one was really laughing? So, lets wait and watch...
In a rather disturbing development, an animal rights activist and her team were allegedly assaulted by a group of locals in Delhis Rani Bagh area, for trying to sterilise the local stray dogs.



33-year-old Ayesha Christina Benn, who is the founder of NGO Neighbourhood Woof, posted a video on the internet narrating the incident of the attack, which went viral on social media.

There were some unfriendly dogs and we were about to catch the last one when a father-son duo came and started questioning one of my team members very rudely. He just told them that they can speak to me instead, she said.

The duo then allegedly started yelling at the team and even abused them, questioning their work and saying, we can even steal their children like this.

The issue then escalated when the locals allegedly blocked her car and vandalised the windows and windshields to pull the team out of the vehicle. We ran for our lives, else they would have either killed us or at least thrashed us brutally, Christina said.

-Ayesha Christina with 3 more was beaten by mob in Rani Bagh, while they were rescuing dogs.

-They somehow reached to Adarsh Nagar Police station with their broken car to save their lives.

-She has shattered pieces of glass all over her face & body!@DelhiPolice @Manekagandhibjp pic.twitter.com/VyIsV86ZRv  Adv. Ashutosh J Dubey (@iamashu123) July 3, 2020

A bleeding Christina, who appeared to have suffered multiple cuts on her face, did a Facebook Live from the Azadpur Police Station, where she claimed that her complaint was not being registered by the senior police officials. However, on Saturday, she lodged her complaint at the Rani Bagh police station.

People on Twitter reacted to her viral video in droves and are now demanding the accused be identified and brought to justice.

This is so disturbing.

Look at the volunteers of neighborhood woofs AYESHA cristina & her team who have done many things for homeless dogs,animals were beaten up in Rani Bagh (delhi).

Ayesha stands bleeding at police station Azadpur and they refuse to register FIR.@DelhiPolice pic.twitter.com/bGxJGAzqLn  Tripat Bhatti (@TripatBhatti) July 4, 2020

Ayesha Christina and 3 other people were beaten up for rescuing dogs in Rani Bagh area in Delhi. These people are paying for doing something noble but what is the police and the government doing?@DelhiPolice @ArvindKejriwal @noopurpatel_ @raghav_chadha

https://t.co/e6AILoSV2u pic.twitter.com/b8Kj0yCsD3  Sinha (@heysristi) July 4, 2020

Delhi is a brutal city and in these times has become even worse. Its citizenry is brutal and brutalised. This is the 2nd time that Ayesha Christina of Neighbourhood Woof has been physically assaulted for simply doing her job. https://t.co/RlHMeGTxgZ  Radha Khan (@RadhaKhn) July 5, 2020

When will the mob culture in our country finally come to an end?
Weve been surrounded by gadgets ever since we were born, and many of us have attached feelings with these gadgets that make us feel nostalgic.

While modernisation of gadgets have made us miss older stuff we used to own, that doesnt mean we still cant buy them today. Many gadgets still sell today with a modern twist while retaining the same good feeling of the good old days.

Whether it is a camera or an audio speaker; this list will make you nostalgic about gadgets you used to own and maybe get their updated versions soon.

1. Instant Film Cameras

 Unsplash/Chrismckflurry

Weve probably seen or used an instant film camera in the past and nothing beats having a physical copy of your favourite memories. While instant cameras did die out, thanks to their digital counterparts; there are still some you can buy today.



Fujifilm still makes their Instax series that replicates the instant camera experience, however, buying film for it can get expensive over time. Our favourite is the Instax Mini 90 as it looks like a traditional instant film camera and is easy to carry around.

Alternatively, you can also consider getting the Polaroid Snap Instant.

2. Retro Speakers

 Unsplash/mungyukim

If you are a fan of listening to music on a loudspeaker, you can have a look at some Bluetooth speakers from Marshall and other companies.



These speakers come with modern features such as Bluetooth and aux ports, however, it retains the classic look that goes well with your homes decor. Some even come with knobs that let you manually control the volume, bass and treble which you cannot do with modern Bluetooth speakers.

3. Standalone Record Player

 Unsplash/emma-frances-logan

If you like to collect old vinyl records or have already amassed a collection, you can get a mini record player that is already available on Indian e-commerce websites.



You need to get a record player that can play 33rpm, 45rpm, and 78rpm vinyl and offer Bluetooth connectivity. Some even let you transfer your record collection to mp3 format via USB.

4. A Feature Phone

 MensXP/Akshay Bhalla.

If for some reason youre not a fan of smartphones or want to cut off from social media, getting a feature phone is a perfect solution for you.



Nokia recently launched the Nokia 5310 which can last for days and has internet connectivity and in-built games as well. It is a great detox device and takes you back to the 2000s when Nokia used to dominate the phone industry.

5. Flip Phones

 Motorola

Both Samsung and Motorola have launched foldable flip phones that appeal to the good old nostalgic days of Motorola Razr. Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola brought back the Razr design for fans.



Having said that, these phones are quite expensive and could run you upwards of Rs 1 lakh.
Justin Whittinghill is an Owensboro native who works as an assistant professor of English at Kanazawa Institute of Technology in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. His column runs on the last Sunday of the month in Lifestyle. He can be reached at justinwhittinghill@gmail.com.
There will be no redundancies at Tata Steel at IJmuiden and the parent company will invest in site's upgrade, FNV said.In addition, an employment pact for the company's Dutch workers has been extended by five years until October 1, 2026.These were the key aspects of the agreement following negotiations between the company and the union, which ended late last night.FNV is satisfied with the result of the negotiations, Fastmarkets understands.

"After 25...
KABUL  Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Cooperation, Mirwais Nab, met with Charge d Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Kabul, Mr Gregory Bledjian.

Deputy Minister Nab expressed appreciation for Germanys constructive role in Afghanistan and deliberated on the importance of regional and international support for the Afghan peace process. He highlighted the latest efforts of the Afghan Foreign Ministry on garnering regional consensus and beginning intra-Afghan negotiation.

Both sides exchanged views on the latest developments in the peace process such as the need for a reduction of violence, release of prisoners by the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, the importance of regional engagement and consensus, and the importance of beginning Intra-Afghan negotiation.
WESTPORT  A new website aims to provide a free centralized and easily accessible location for information on local businesses around town.

Betsy Pollak, creator of Our Town Crier, said with the help of the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, the Westport Downtown Merchants Association and more than 70 interns, she was able to launch the towns own virtual phone book titled the Westport Marketplace.

Ive been in the business of helping to promote small businesses since 2007, Pollak said. The town of Westport didnt have a way to reach out or let people know what businesses existed ... there was no master document to find out what businesses were in this town.

Through social media and word of mouth, Pollak said she was able to recruit 72 volunteers to assist in canvassing the town and documenting all of its businesses.

Just to get the canvassing done was two weeks, she said.

Selectwoman Melissa Kane assisted Pollak in recruiting interns by reaching out to the Staples intern program.

More Information Residents can visit https://www.ourtowncrier.com/westportmarketplace.html for more information. See More Collapse

It was amazing the response that we had, she said.

Interns emailed, called and visited businesses, working as liaisons between merchants and the site. The free service provides links and up-to-date information about all business categories from local retailers to restaurants to professional services and more.

Jasmine Kitahara, a 22-year-old Greenwich native, said she saw Pollaks call for interns on Westport News columnist Dan Woogs 06880 blog as she was finishing up her last semester at Cornell University. She applied looking to contribute positively to the town, she said.

I wanted to spend my summer before I start my job in August doing something that I had never done and that I may never get the chance to do, Kitahara said. I felt helping with this project was a good way to do that.

Kitahara, who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, said her college experience helped in her role as lead web developer for the site.

I designed and implemented the home page as well as the meet the interns and about us sub-pages, she said.

Building the site took a collaborative effort. Staples High School student Nate Kolek designed all of the art viewed on the site. Local officials said they supported the herculean effort to start the site, including Selectwomen Jennifer Tooker and Kane.

There was a demand, Kane said. People really wanted to be helping our local businesses, and we really wanted to think of a good way to do it. I think that was the impetus of everyones involvement in the project.

She said developing relationships was also a crucial part of the internship for the kids.

To us, that was very important because it was about these kids really doing something helpful and tangible at a time when people really felt helpless, Kane said. I think it also helped the businesses feel supported.

Sanna Ten Cate, a Georgetown University student, said she was already at home because of the pandemic, but became an intern to contribute to the community.

I wanted the opportunity to give back to my town and community, the 20-year-old Westport resident said.

Ten Cate worked as co-director with Pollak to help manage the various parts of the site and in making sure information was up to date.

I got to see more of the project come together and the different parts come together to make this marketplace, she said.

Ten Cate said she was proud to work with the interns who brought a diverse array of skills.

It was so exciting to see interns of so many different ages, and I was so surprised of the different skill sets of all these interns, she said. It was cool to see that so many people wanted to give back and help.

Although the site started in the midst of a crisis, Kane said it can continue to be an invaluable resource moving forward.

This is not something thats temporary, she said. This was an idea started out of necessity, but its something we realize is very, very helpful to our businesses, our town and our residents. The intention is to keep it going, up-to-date and accurate.

dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com
3 1 of 3 Tara O'Neill / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 File photo / File photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





FAIRFIELD  A Pennsylvania woman visiting family in the area was hit and killed by a driver Saturday night, and police are asking for the publics help to find the person responsible.

Police said in a statement late Saturday night that the pedestrian was hit and killed in the area of 2000 Redding Road between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
Weeks after testing a reconfigured shipping container that can safely isolate infected personnel on an aircraft, the U.S. Air Force on Wednesday moved 12 patients out of the Middle East to Germany in its first transport using the containment device.

Known as the negatively pressurized conex, or NPC, the chamber was loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III to transport the dozen personnel who will receive more effective coronavirus treatment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, according to a service release.

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The NPC can carry up to 28 COVID-19 patients, or those harboring other infectious diseases, without spreading the disease to the aircrew. The box can be arranged to carry ambulatory patients, or to hold litters or bunk-bed-like cots -- or a combination of the two. The isolation chamber was first tested at Joint Base Charleston in April.

"This was definitely not your typical patient movement mission," Maj. Benjamin Weaver, bioenvironmental engineer and 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight NPC support team lead, said in the release. "It was a long 22 hours for everyone involved, but the NPC and team performed exceptionally well to make it happen."

The NPC was brought to Ramstein Air Base from Joint Base Charleston, where the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing trained personnel and sanitized the aircraft ahead of the mission.

The latest operation "brings the total number of patients retrieved by the Mobility Air Force using an isolation containment chamber to more than 100 across 18 missions since the COVID-19 pandemic began," the release said.

The other containment chamber transports have involved the Transport Isolation System, or TIS, which was used in April for the first time since the 2014 Ebola outbreak to carry three U.S. government contractors who tested positive for coronavirus aboard a C-17 from Afghanistan to Landstuhl during the onset of the COVID outbreak. The TIS, however, can carry only two to four patients within the airlocked unit.

Air Mobility Command officials said since the April 10 mission, the TIS has been used 16 additional times for aeromedical evacuations.

In addition to a number of academics and contractors, the effort to create the NPC -- classified as a joint urgent operational need -- included Eglin Air Force Base's Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center's (AFOTEC) Det. 2 and the 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron; and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense teams.

"Watching the team come together to train on this system in theater and then fly its first mission shows what can be accomplished when whole-of-government and industry partners work selflessly, sacrificing long hours and personal time in order to produce a solution that save[s] lives," said Capt. Alexis Todaro, NPC program manager who delivered the NPC to Ramstein Air Base for training and site activation. "It took a team of teams to get NPC from a concept to operational in under 100 days."

Authorized to fly aboard the C-17, crews are now conducting testing for certification on the C-5M Super Galaxy. Additionally, the Air Force last week certified a smaller version, NPC-Lite, that can be used aboard the C-130 Hercules, officials said.

"I'm impressed with how quickly this idea became a fully functioning system," added Brig. Gen. Dan DeVoe, 618th Air Operations Center commander. "Our planners and controllers expertly handle aeromedical evacuation missions on a regular basis, but the increase in capability the NPC offers is a great advantage to have available for our operations in the COVID-19 environment and beyond."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

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A bipartisan group of House members expressed support Thursday for a measure that would require women to register with selective service, but the proposal to include it in the chamber's national defense bill was withdrawn for procedural reasons.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat and former Air Force captain, raised an amendment to include the recommendations of a congressional commission on national service in America, to include requiring women to participate in the draft registration system.

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The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service released a report in March containing 164 recommendations on service in America, addressing educational opportunities and civics to volunteerism and public service through nonprofit and governmental organizations, AmeriCorps, Teach for America, Peace Corps and the military services.

In introducing her amendment, Houlahan said she hoped the House Armed Services Committee -- and eventually all of Congress -- will have the opportunity to consider the recommendations, including requiring women to participate in selective service.

"This committee needs to seriously consider the merits of these recommendations. Women can and do contribute to our armed forces, just as much as their men counterparts," Houlahan said.

The commission looked at the role of public service in America and weighed whether the Selective Service System should be abolished, given that the U.S. abandoned the draft in 1973.

But ultimately, it decided that the system should remain intact and include both women and men, who currently are required to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday.

The commission also made recommendations on the steps the federal government could take to expand public service and foster a desire to help others and contribute to society.

Several committee members from both sides of the aisle expressed support for the commission's recommendations.

Republican Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, an Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who, along with Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, cosponsored the amendment, said he couldn't think of "anything more important that the committee could do "than help foster a sense of service in America's youth."

"Whether its military or national public service, one of the often overlooked aspects -- particularly in these times that the country is going through now -- whether you are building a home for Habitat for Humanity or fighting in a foxhole, you do it with people that don't look like you, that don't come from the same backgrounds. You learn to share those experiences [and learn] leadership, followership, discipline, teamwork," Waltz said.

The commission was created out of debate in Congress as to whether women should register for the draft. In 2017, after all combat positions were opened to women the previous year, two then-members of the House Armed Service Committee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, both military veterans who opposed the change, introduced a bill to require women to register for the draft.

The bill passed the committee 32-30, but the measure, introduced simply to make a point (Hunter voted against it), didn't make it into the final version of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

Neither of those sponsors remain in Congress: Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison for misusing campaign funds and Zinke left to become the Secretary of the Interior under President Donald Trump. He resigned from that position while under investigation for land deals and use of his personal email for government business.

With the scope of the national commission's recommendations being so broad, they cross the oversight and jurisdiction of many congressional committees besides the House Armed Services Committee -- the reason Houlahan withdrew the amendment before a vote.

She said she hoped the committee would hold a hearing in the coming months to consider the draft recommendation.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, chairwoman of the HASC personnel subcommittee, promised such deliberations.

"I think the time has come. I have always been of a belief that we won't have true equality in this country until women have a seat at the table and contribute to national service," Speier said.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Mandatory National Service Would Create a More Equal Society, Former National Security Adviser Says
Last week, a woman from Texas was detained by authorities for beating her 5-year-old goddaughter to death. She blamed the child's injuries on dust mites, according to KFDM.

Beaten to death

The medics immediately responded to the child's home on June 26. They found the 32-year-old Brenika Lott performing CPR on Daviana Landry, who was nude and had bruises on her chest, arms, and facial areas, according to an affidavit that was filed in the arrest documents.

The child's eyes were also bruised and was swollen shut, according to the affidavit. The police believed that she had been dead for days, based on the condition of the body, as reported by KFDM.

Lott and her 11-year-old son went to the Orange Police Department with the police on June 26, where she claimed that she found the 5-year-old girl on the floor of the living room. She claimed that she woke her son up and had him call 911, that was when she started CPR.

The little girl is the daughter of the suspect's close friend who lives in Louisiana. The little girl had been staying with Lott for days. The affidavit stated that when Lott was asked about the injuries of the little girl, she said it was from dust mites. Lott stated that she treated Daviana's insect bits with Calamine lotion.

The suspect also reported that the little girl had sustained a minor injury at the back of her head, and she treated it with a liquid band-aid. Lott said that the child sustained the injury from playing on a slip and slide in the backyard on June 25 and that it was only a scratch.

Also Read: NYPD Hunts Attacker Who Slashed the Face of a 2-Year-Old Toddler in Manhattan

The autopsy results stated that the child died from craniocerebral trauma, including skull fractures, subdural hemorrhage, and brainstem contusions. The main reason of death was ruled as a homicide.

The investigators shared the results and pictures of the little girl and the traumatic injuries that resulted in her death with Lott, she ignored the results and said that the injuries were from insect bites.

The real story

However, the 11-year-old son of the suspect contradicted her story. According to the boy, he saw his mother beat up the girl numerous times and that he saw her hit the little girl in the head.

The affidavit said that when they asked the boy to clarify the details about the assault, the boy said Lott pushed the little girl, slapped her, and choked her. He also said Lott hit the girl with objects and kicked her.

The little girl's family, who are living in Thibodaux, Louisiana, is struggling to make sense of the horrific tragedy. Lynnotta Kennedy, a family friend, told 12 News Now the girl's mother is hurting and can't imagine what her little girl had gone through, and the family is asking for privacy in this time of mourning.

Kennedy said that she grew up with Lott and that she knows her very well, according to 4WWL. She said that tragedy makes it difficult to trust people. Lott was chosen as Daviana's Godparent because she is close to the family and has known them for years.

Related Article: After the Arrest of Jeffrey Epstein's Ex-Girlfriend, Authorities are Now After UK's Prince Andrew



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BERRIEN COUNTY, MI  A 23-year-old Illinois woman died Saturday evening after a two-vehicle crash in New Buffalo Township.

First responders were sent out around 6:45 p.m. July 4 to the intersection of Red Arrow Highway and Community Hall Road for a car versus motorcycle injury crash.

Deputies with the Berrien County Sheriffs Office found the motorcyclist, a woman -- identified as Stacy Johnson -- lying unresponsive in the roadway.

An investigation into the crash has revealed a car driven by a Three Oaks resident was headed south on Red Arrow Highway and slowing down to pull into Timothys Restaurant.

As the driver pulled left into the restaurants parking lot, police said the vehicle pulled directly into Johnsons path as she headed north on Red Arrow Highway.

Two passersby who were doctors had stopped and were administering CPR when police arrived at the scene.

Johnson was taken to Franciscan Hospital in Michigan City, where she was pronounced deceased by emergency room doctors.

She was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, police said.

No additional injuries were reported.

The incident remains under investigation.

Members of the Berrien County Sheriffs Traffic Crash reconstruction unit, New Buffalo Police Department, Medic 1 ambulance, and New Buffalo Township Fire Department assisted deputies at the scene.
Michigan reports almost 400 new coronavirus cases

The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Michigan has begun to creep back up slowly since June 15, when health officials reported a record low of 74 new cases statewide.

Health officials in Michigan confirmed 398 new positive cases Saturday, July 4, bringing the states total to 65,533 known cases.

There were three new deaths with COVID-19 reported Saturday, raising the death count to 5,972, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Michigan began to average fewer than 300 new cases per day in June. 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, June 29.

Families fill the aisles of Jake's Fireworks during Fourth of July weekend in Muskegon, Michigan on Friday, July 3, 2020.Alison Zywicki | azywicki@mlive.com

Michiganders preserve a sense of normal in Fourth of July celebrations

Many Michiganders hoped to maintain a sense of normal during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, despite numerous event cancellations and restrictions on large gatherings because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon was filled with families Friday, July 3, as beach balls and volleyballs soared through the air, children giggled with glee as the water of Lake Michigan rushed toward their feet.

As many community-organized parades, fireworks displays and other celebrations were canceled across Michigan, some families retain the more explosive July 4 traditions by purchasing and lighting off fireworks themselves.

(Event cancellations) have tripled our sales, said Brianna Keur, manager of Jakes Fireworks in Muskegon. People are doing them at home rather than going to a show and watching them, because they still want to see fireworks.

Read more about what the Fourth of July weekend looked like amid a pandemic here.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital nurse practitioners are given cloth masks that were donated to St. Joe Mercy Hospital Wednesday May 13, 2020. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

51,000 Michiganders have recovered from the coronavirus. Hospitals havent, yet.

As Michigan hospitals fought to save the health of thousands of people during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, they could not avoid the side effects on their own financial well-being.

The rising need for and cost of protective equipment, along with the ban on nonessential medical procedures, has proven detrimental for hospital budgets throughout the state.

The cost of the pandemic is easily in the billions of dollars, said Michigan Health and Hospital Association Senior Vice President Ruthanne Sudderth.

No matter whether youve had thousands of cases of COVID come through your doors or just a few, the financial hit has been significant, Sudderth told MLive.

Read more about the unprofitability of treating COVID-19 patients here.

A view of the entrance of Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant on Thursday, May 28, 2020. They have been closed since March 16, 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak and are gearing up to safely reopen to the public on June 1, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Employees at multiple mid-Michigan restaurants test positive for COVID-19

Employees at multiple mid-Michigan restaurants have tested positive for coronavirus.

The restaurants include an Arbys in Shiawassee County, which was only open for drive-thru; the Legends Diner at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, where an employee tested positive but developed symptoms away from work; and Os Pub and Grill in Auburn, where an employee tested positive but never displayed symptoms.

At all three restaurants, all employees who might have been exposed to the virus are self-isolating.

Ferris State University is offering students single-occupancy rooms for the same cost as sharing with a roommate. (Photo provided by Ferris State University)

Ferris State wants students to live alone to slow the coronavirus on campus

Ferris State University is offering students single rooms in residential facilities at the price of a shared room in an effort to promote social distancing.

A single room will cost $5,450 for the 2020-21 school year.

School officials want to lessen the density of students in residence halls to reduce the chances of spreading the coronavirus.

Having two students share a bathroom is much safer than four, said Bryan Marquardt, director of Housing and Residence Life, in a statement.

North Ottawa County Health System has figured out a way to triple its testing capacity by safely using the viral liquid from one test kit on three patients. (MLive file photo) Riley Yuan | MLive.comRiley Yuan, MLive.com

Parishioner of Catholic church in Standish tests positive for coronavirus

A parishioner of a Catholic church in Standish has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending recent services.

Resurrection of the Lord Parish announced on Thursday, July 2, that it had learned the individual in question attended the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, June 28. This person also visited the outdoor reception following the service.

As of Saturday, July 4, there have been 34 confirmed coronavirus cases and two deaths in Arenac County.

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.

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MILAN TWP, MI -- A teenager drowned off Milan Beach on the evening of July 4, police said.

Deputies responded to a drowning call on Saturday at 5:48 p.m. at the beach located at 16339 Cone Road in Milan Township just south of the city of Milan, said the Monroe County Sheriffs Office.

Beach-goers witnessed Jorge Delgadillo-Flores, a 17-year-old from Inkster, struggling to stay above water before submerging, police said. His body was recovered several feet off the Milan Beach shore by the county sheriffs dive team, police said.

It is unknown how long Delgadillo-Flores was under the water, police said. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The Milan Area Fire Department, Dundee Fire Department, Michigan State Police and Milan Police assisted.

Milan Beach is a privately-owned recreation area that has no lifeguards on duty, according to its website.

Members acknowledge and accept responsibility for the risks of visiting Milan Beach and agree to not hold Milan Beach liable for any damages that are a result of activity at Milan Beach, the website states.

Anyone with information related to the drowning is encouraged to call Monroe County Sheriffs Office at 734-243-7070.

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Suspect in custody after Ann Arbor stabbing that left 1 hospitalized

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A former Grand Rapids chief of police, remembered for forging long-lasting relationships between city police and the community, passed away at age 81 early Saturday morning.

William Hegarty served as Grand Rapids chief of police for almost two decades, from 1981-98. The former chief died surrounded by his family at 3:30 a.m. Saturday, July 4, the police department said.

A New York native, Hegarty was the first outsider to take charge of the department. After leading the New Rochelle Police Department in New York for eight years, Hegarty joined GRPD in 1981 and brought with him fresh, new ideas  his most important legacy being community policing.

It was a new concept at the time, and he encouraged officers to get out of their cars and to interact in a more personal humane way with our citizens, said Kurt Kimball, who worked alongside Hegarty as Grand Rapids city manager from 1987-2009.

He was quick to embrace community activists in different neighborhoods and to try and befriend them, Kimball said. I think his legacy is introducing community policing, which continues to this day to be the recipe for improving racial relations in the city. Every police chief that followed him has tried to build on that.

During his 17 years as chief, Hegarty helped connect the department with city residents by forging relationships with neighborhood groups, according to Grand Rapids Press archives. He created the Neighborhood Patrol Unit, which focused police resources in high-crime areas of the city.

When a rash of youth violence hit during the summer of 1994, Hegarty went to the toughest neighborhoods to urge residents to stem the tide, according to archives. Crime fell steadily during the last part of Hegartys tenure, as serious crime fell during 1996 to levels that had last been recorded in 1979.

Kimball told MLive that Hegarty was an awfully gifted police chief who, despite being introverted, had the gift of winning over anyone he met.

He was intimidating, Kimball remembered. But he always had the gift of having the community eating out of the palm of his hand. He could go into, you know, a community meeting where tensions were high and he could calm people down.

Hegarty embraced higher education throughout his career as a police officer, according to his biography on the Grand Valley State University website. He taught as an adjunct professor in GVSUs School of Criminal Justice from 1984-97, and later donated funds to establish the Hegarty Criminal Justice scholarship.

In this MLive file photo, former Grand Rapids police chief William Hagarty leads a discussion at Catholic Central High School about safety in schools. Hegarty died at the age of 81 on July 4.BPN

Hegarty also had a big heart, Kimball said. The former police chief was passionate about helping abused children in Grand Rapids and, in 1993, he founded the Childrens Advocacy Center of Kent County, which provides resources to sexually abused children.

In 1991, Hegarty encountered a young girl, who came to the Grand Rapids police station seeking help with a sexual abuse case, he said in a 2018 interview published on the Childrens Advocacy Centers YouTube channel. Hegarty was struck by the fear in the girls eyes, and began to reflect on how the police department handled child abuse cases.

The police chief sought to make the investigation process more comfortable for children who survive abuse.

The way that we all respond to a child with these kinds of issues  we had to do it differently, radically differently, Hegarty said in the video. I wanted to bring together everyone with some kind of responsibility and skill to deal with this kind of a case.

Since the facility opened, it has served over 20,000 suspected victims of child sexual abuse in Kent County, according to the centers website.

Current Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Payne said he worked with the former police chief during his formative years with the department. Payne commented on Hegartys passing on behalf of the Grand Rapids police force.

He cared deeply about his police department and about his community, Payne said in a released statement. Both were always in his heart and showed in his work. Our hearts in the entire department and community are heavy today.

Sytsema Funeral Home in Norton Shores is handling Hegartys funeral arrangements.

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PORTAGE, MI  Protesters gathered outside The Crossroads mall Saturday, marching down one of the busiest streets in Portage to demand justice for those who have died as a result of police violence.

Organizers said the event, Juneteenth in July (July 4th Blackout) is part of a much larger, ongoing effort to bring awareness to racial injustices and inequalities across the United States.

Demonstrators gathered in the Sears parking lot at the local mall around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4. Signs, snacks and hundreds of bottles of water were passed around before the group took to the streets.

Portage police officers were on scene throughout the march, two SUVs drove directly in front of the group while two officers on bikes provided a single lane next to the sidewalk on South Westnedge Avenue. Police and protesters worked together to block intersections for demonstrators to cross.

The Fourth of July has long been a day to celebrate the nations freedom. But some at Saturdays protest were quick to point out how many people in the U.S. feel like they are still fighting for rights already afforded to white Americans.

The Constitution was not written for everybody, Burton said. So having the Fourth of July as a holiday that states All people are created equal is kind of a falsehood when there are still people enslaved by the incarceration system, theres still segregation, still are cops killing people disproportionately, its just kind of disgusting at this point.

A Portage resident, Burton said it is important that Saturdays protest took place where he lives so his community understands the issue is not going away.

People are neglecting to understand the severity of whats going on right now, so we are here to raise awareness and bring more voices to the table, he said.

Kalamazoo resident Mabry Johnson came to the protest in Portage Saturday and offered the crowd a reminder of American history. He spoke about Crispus Attucks, a Black man, who is recognized as the first soldier to die at the Boston Massacre and thus the first American killed in the American Revolution.

In every war that this United States has fought, Black men and Black women have died for this country, Johnson said. Often times the first people to die. We have Black soldiers and police officers who uphold the laws of a nation that still has the knees on the necks of the Black folks in their own country.

Johnson, who is the son of a veteran drafted into the Vietnam War, said it is vital the country recognizes the contradictions Black soldiers and Black police officers, who put their lives on the line for a country that, Johnson says, actively ignores the voices of Black people in the U.S.

Theres some things we have to call out, this moment in time isnt new, we have to apply to pressure, Johnson said. We have to have conversations with our local police departments and we need to police our own communities.

Protesters left The Crossroads parking lot around 4 p.m. to march down South Westnedge Avenue. The group was led by Quinton Bryant, who led demonstrators in chants of George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, as they walked down Westnedge to West Milham Avenue.

At one point, the group stopped at the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Mall Drive, where Khadija Brown spoke to the crowd, recounting atrocities brought upon enslaved Africans when they arrived in the U.S.

Sometimes youre going to have to stand alone, Brown said. Black people been standing alone forever, since we got over here. White people created all these stereotypes and now different ethnicities dont like Black people because were criminals and thugs, drug pushers and all this other stuff when white people have always been the biggest ones.

Brown led the group in chants of This is what democracy looks like, before leading protesters back to The Crossroads mall. Protest organizers thanked the Portage police officers for protecting them during throughout the march, but reminded the officers in the crowd their job is not finished when they return home.

Were not going to kiss the feet of the people doing their job for once, Kalamazoo activist Trinity Posey said. We need to let them know were not going to let these boys in blue rob us of our family members anymore. We will not have a George Floyd in this community.

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OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- Two men were taken to Mercy Health Hackley Hospital on Saturday night after their vehicle sped off the road, rolled and crashed into a tree, police say.

Ottawa County Sheriffs deputies were dispatched just after 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4, to the crash to North Cedar Drive near 108th Ave in Robinson Township, according to a news release.

The driver, a 55-year-old man from Grand Haven, was driving a 2011 Mercedes Benz SUV east on North Cedar Drive when the vehicle went off the road at a curve. The SUV overturned and struck a tree, according to the release.

The only passenger, a 47-year-old man from Texas, was taken to Hackley Hospital in Muskegon with serious injuries. The driver was also transported to Hackley with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. Neither was wearing a seat belt, according to the release.

The sheriffs office is continuing to investigate the crash. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor, according to the release.

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GREENVILLE, S.C.  A shooting at a nightclub early Sunday left two people dead and eight wounded in South Carolina, a sheriffs official said.

Two Greenville County sheriffs deputies noticed a disturbance at Lavish Lounge just before 2 a.m., and saw a large crowd running out of the building, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said at a press conference. There was active gunfire from inside the building, Lt. Jimmy Bolt said in an initial statement, and Lewis said all the shots were fired inside.

I was in bed and all of a sudden you hear this Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!, local resident Mike Riley told the Greenville News. Riley said he heard four or five shots. He said hes been worried about the club before Sunday mornings shooting  both about violence and whether the club is violating rules designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. He wants it shut down. Its a danger to everyone.

Lewis and Bolt initially said 12 people had been wounded  with at least four in critical condition, Lewis said  but Bolt told The Associated Press that two victims were likely counted twice in the confusion at the hospital.

No one was immediately taken into custody. Bolt told the AP that the sheriff's office was looking for two suspects, but couldn't provide names or descriptions.

We dont really have a person of interest that we can name, Lewis said at the press conference, later adding that authorities werent sure what led to the gunfire.

Lewis said a very large crowd was at the nightclub for some type of concert. A post on Lavish Lounges Facebook page advertised a July 4 performance by trap rapper Foogiano. An Instagram direct message from the AP wasnt immediately returned, but a bookings representative told the AP via text message that Foogiano was fine and his team was safe.

Coronavirus cases in South Carolina have risen swiftly and the states rate of positive tests is three times the recommended level. In late June, Greenville  which has experienced some of the states highest COVID-19 rates  became the first city to mandate face coverings in South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster has refused to implement a statewide mask requirement.

McMaster reminded South Carolinians last week that he hadn't lifted restrictions on large crowds, and that those operating nightclubs illegally or holding concerts against his orders don't have to be caught in the act to face criminal charges, but instead could be charged weeks later if COVID-19 cases are traced back.

Under restrictions imposed by McMaster in March to restrict the spread of the coronavirus, gatherings of 50 or more people in a single room are off-limits. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the club at the time of the shooting.

Lewis said at the press conference that he didn't know whether the club had sought an exemption to the governor's order or secured a permit for Saturday night's event, but said it was clear that the club's patrons weren't 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

Its certainly not the best situation to stop the spread of this virus, the sheriff said.

Bolt said the question of whether the club was in violation of the coronavirus guidelines was a civil, not criminal matter, and has been referred to the governors office.

A phone call and an Instagram direct message from the AP to Lavish Lounge werent immediately returned, but the club posted on Facebook just before 6 a.m. that events have been postponed until further notice.

Lewis said the victims, whose names were not immediately released, were taken to the Prisma Health hospital in Greenville, some via private vehicle. Bolt said that of the eight wounded, some had non-life-threatening injuries and others were in critical condition, but he didn't have a tally of the latter. He said one person has been discharged from the hospital.

Prisma Health spokesperson Tammie Epps said she did not know how many victims were in critical condition.

___

Mallika Sen and Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.
A Black newborn in Michigan is three times more likely to die before its first birthday than a white newborn.

On average, Black men in Michigan live 10 fewer years than whites, and are more likely to suffer from serious illnesses, including diabetes, cancer and heart disease, according to state health data.

The reason for the health disparities lies not in any genetic difference in races  but in this countrys long history of racist practices, starting with slavery, and continuing with Jim Crow laws and redlining,' a discriminatory practice utilized by banks in the 1960s to keep investment dollars out of predominantly Black areas, experts say.

Its why many state and local officials have recently declared racism a public health crisis.

Ive seen the disproportionate impact that racism has had for people of color, not because of genetic differences, (but) because of differences in unequal access to adequate housing, health care, education and jobs, Dr. Joneigh S. Khaldun, the states chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said on June 1. This directly contributes to health disparities.

For further proof, Khaldun points to Michigans coronavirus cases and deaths, which have hit African Americans much harder than other groups.

While Black residents make up just about 14% of Michigans population, they represent nearly 31% of 63,497 confirmed coronavirus cases and 40% of deaths known to health officials as of Monday, June 29.

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With poverty, Khaldun said people are more likely to be exposed to the virus due to working essential jobs, taking public transportation to those jobs. Theyre also less likely to have sick leave, which means they are exposing themselves at greater risk.

People called out that this disparity was going to exist for COVID before it even kind of played out, Khaldun said. These disparities exist for the same reason that (they) exist on other chronic diseases and cancer and heart disease and diabetes.

A ghost in American culture

Always present, but not always seen or acknowledged, Americas racist culture could no longer be ignored following the death of George Floyd, who was killed when Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

The scab covering the wounds of oppression has once again been ripped off, Michigans Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said on June 1 after video of Floyds death surfaced, prompting unrest throughout Michigan and beyond.

Black people across our nation are suffocating and suffering from an injustice that we know all too well, said Gilchrist, a Black native of Detroit.  ... We are simultaneously facing two of the most consequential crisis of our lifetimes, COVID-19 and the persistence of police brutality. As always, the pain of the convergence of these crises is being felt by those in the communities that can bear it the least.

State Sen. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor stands in the Senate chamber on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at the Capitol in Lansing. Both the house and senate met under social distancing guidelines.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

Resolutions to deem racism a public health crisis were subsequently passed by Port Huron, Lansing, Pontiac, Jackson, Ypsilanti, Flint and Romulus city councils, the Washtenaw County Board of Health, and commissioners in Ingham County. A resolution was also put forth in the state Senate but relegated to a subcommittee where supporters expect it to expire without action.

Not all local governments, however, agree.

Jackson County commissioners voted down a resolution of their own.

Some of these things ... (Are they) personal choices, rather than systemic racism, Commissioner Tony Bair said before casting a no vote June 16 on the Jackson County resolution. If we put through policy, I need to see something in there about personal responsibility and personal accountability.

Racism doesnt hold all Blacks back ... If our country was totally racist, how did Barack Obama get elected and then reelected.

Still, many argue the issue could no longer be ignored following Floyds death and the subsequent protests and calls to curb police brutality.

Elder Leslie Matthews, a Detroit organizer with Michigan United whos seeking to have racism deemed a public health crisis by the state Legislature, described racism as a ghost in American culture.

You knew it was present, but you couldnt see it, she said.

Now that many have acknowledged systemic racism exists, at least in regard to policing, Matthews said its time to take race-related reforms further.

If we just say, all police brutality, take a magic wand; were gonna just make this all go away, she said. Would that solve every problem that an African American has? No, absolutely not.

Police officers launch tear gas canisters at protesters in Detroit on Sunday, May 31, 2020, during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (David Guralnick/The Detroit News via AP)AP

Negroes cant get in here'

Michigan has its own racist past. As southern Blacks relocated near Detroit in the early 1900s for work in auto factories, they werent always welcome. Neighborhoods banned Blacks from buying homes, creating the first segregated urban areas, a practice that remained in place until the Supreme Court made formal housing covenants illegal in 1948.

Even then, the practice informally continued. Michigan didnt pass its own Fair Housing Act to ban racist housing practices until 1969.

Negroes cant get in here, Dearborn Mayor Orville Hubbard is quoted telling an Alabama reporter in the late 1950s. " ... Every time we hear a negro moving in, we respond quicker than you do to a fire.

As of 2019 U.S. Census estimates, Blacks only made up about 3% of Dearborns population.

A bronze statue of Orville Hubbard, Dearborn's longest-serving mayor who favored segregationist policies.Photo by Anne B. Hood, Wikipedia public domain image

As poor, Black communities took root in other nearby places like Detroit, white flight began.

Money and the tax base evacuated cities in the 1950s and 1960s with white residents bound for the suburbs. Detroit between 1960 and today flipped from a predominantly white city to one that is overwhelmingly Black.

Related: Life in Detroit grinds to halt

Today, Major Michigan cities like Detroit, Flint and Benton Harbor are listed among the most segregated in the nation, based on this 2019 analysis. Residents of those segregated cities are also among the poorest with residents earning less than half the states average median income, U.S. Census data shows.

With segregated communities in place, redlining became the norm and is a major reason systemic racism continues today Khaldun, other health professionals said.

Its a policy where essentially banks ... were not allowed, if you will, or incentivised to give personal or business loans in communities ... of color, Khaldun said. So what you ended up seeing in the city of Detroit and many other urban places across the country ... was all that investment went outside of communities of color.

Inside the 17-story Lee Plaza at 2240 West Grand Blvd, just west of Detroit's New Center, where scrappers have done extensive damage since it was abandon in 1993, seen here May 15, 2017. The 1927 Art Deco building was once a luxury apartment building and later served low-income seniors.Tanya Moutzalias | MLive Detroit

Matthews said the fallout from redlining is still evident in places like Detroit where nearly 33% of residents live below the poverty rate and regularly do their grocery shopping at gas stations and liquor stores, due to a lack of retail options that exist in wealthier suburbs.

People of color, we tend to live in food deserts, Matthews said. How can you eat well when there is not healthy food right there in your neighborhood.

The lack of businesses caused by redlining translates to todays lack of decent-paying jobs, Matthews said.

And a lot of time, when theres no jobs, its because people are ill-prepared for those jobs, due to inadequate education, she said. Thats racist.

When Michigan released a list of 38 failing Michigan schools in 2017, 25 of them were based in Detroit.

As a result of redlining, the quality gap in public schools also widened. The Supreme Court in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling said public school segregation was unconstitutional, but that didnt stop it from covertly happening in Michigan.

The Supreme Court in 1974 upheld the ability for communities to deny access to schools, so long as it wasnt explicitly based on race. Strict school district lines were drawn and parents of children in poor school districts were given limited options, unless they could afford private school.

If you know American history, you know that racism has been a part of it, Dr. Khaldun said. Whether its slavery and Jim Crow laws ... I think what were all seeing is just a reflection of that and particularly the murder of George Floyd is also a symptom of it ...

When I talk about a public health crisis, I really mean that its something that is a large burden on society. Its something where disproportionately a certain segment of our society is impacted ... and theres something that can actually be done to prevent it.

File photo of abandoned Southwestern High School in Detroit, Katie Bailey | Mlive.com

Ingham County Deputy Health Officer Debbie Edokpolo, whose own commissioners unanimously passed a similar resolution on June 11, said hearing that the ingrained systems so many are a part of are racist is hard to hear.

No one wants to feel like theyre a racist, she said, but its ingrained in our institutions.

Traditionally, when public heath has an emergency, just like this pandemic, we gather all the forces and we begin to work on whatever that emergent issue is, Edokpolo said. My hope is that eventually it will have some money attached to it, but I do think that one of the things it means is that now we need to really start having conversations with black communities and other communities of color to determine what are their needs.

" ... Im hoping that now that we have named this as a crisis ... that now we will begin to really gear our resources and time to really look at it and bring about change.

A moment in time'

Change is percolating.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in April launched a racial disparity task force to investigate why Detroit and Michigans black residents were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, and Khaldun said the state is hiring epidemiologists to look at similar issues.

Efforts to better train and hold police accountable, especially in regard to potentially racist treatment of citizens, are spreading.

Whitmer also announced her support for banning the use of chokeholds by law enforcement, limiting the use of no-knock warrants and a number of other reforms on Monday. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel previously presented her own police reform plan that includes the creation of a publicly accessible police misconduct registry, taking away retirement benefits from problematic officers and mandating an independent investigation of civilian deaths involving police.

People march in Detroit during a rally calling for an end to police violence Friday May 29, 2020. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

Edokpolo said the wave of change that seems to be in motion is about much more than the death of George Floyd, even if that is the incident that sparked it.

A movement often starts out of a moment in time, she said, the George Floyd situation, Breonna Taylor -- you can go through the list of names.

I think its much bigger than just one person. Its an acknowledgment of something weve seen in public health for a very long time.

More on MLive:

Jackson County rejects resolution to deem racism a health crisis

Lawmakers want racism declared a public health crisis

Coronavirus tailor madeto destroy black communities

Whitmer launches racial disparity task force

Life in Detroit grinds to halt
In 2017, when Yoko Ono was presented by the National Music Publishers' Association with their Centennial Song Award, Sean Lennon propelled his mother in a wheelchair onto the stage and stunned people who did not realize that the avant-garde artist was immobilized.

In a short acceptance speech, she began, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She then addressed the elephant in the room, "I've learned so much from having this illness. I'm thankful I went through that."

The "illness" she was referring to was not clarified. Eighty-seven-year-old Ono is still debilitated and requires 24/7 care, rarely leaving her Dakota apartment, reported New York Post.

Also, the widow of John Lennon has been selling off a number of real-estate assets in the past years.

Although she has slowed down, Elliot Mintz, a close family friend of Ono for almost 50 years and has acted as the family spokesperson, observed, "she is as sharp as she once was."

In February, Mintz said he last spotted Ono at her 87th birthday party.

Two years after her divorce with producer Anthony Cox in 1971, Cox fled with Kyoko, Ono's daughter. Kyoko then grew up in Christian fundamentalist communes.

Mintz said Ono is currently very close to Kyoko and her 44-year-old son with Lennon, Sean.

On Ono's relationship with Sean, Mintz remarked, "They have dinner two or three times a week, and he occasionally brings his mom out as a guest star in his band."

Sean took over Bar Wayo in February at the South Street Seaport for Ono's birthday party.

Also Read: Yoko Ono On Beatles Breakup: Says She 'Had Nothing To Do' With Band's Split (PHOTO)

According to Mintz, this year's celebration, Ono simply blew out the candles with Sean and was among the last to leave the party. In pleasant spirits, Mintz helped Ono into her wheelchair and into the car.

He remarked on the "special being," "In these 87 years, she's lived 400."

John Lennon, Yoko Ono Wrote Love Letters To Each Other

At a London gallery, John Lennon and Yoko Ono first met on November 9, 1966, wherein she was prepping for a conceptual art exhibit. The pair were initially in constant contact through the mail.

The remarkable love letters they conversed with were initially thought to have been wiped out until they were found lately at a Beatles memorabilia auction.



John Lennon, Yoko Ono Mailed Acorns to World Leaders

In 1969, after a quick wedding ceremony in Gibraltar, John Lennon and Yoko Ono fled to Amsterdam. They used their Hilton honeymoon suite as a location for a "Bed-In for Peace" week-long protest against the Vietnam War.

Then, they were in Vienna one week later and wore bags over their bodies. They were announcing "bagism," the emergence of a comical new philosophy.

Adding to their famous peace efforts, they underwent a different project in the same year. The couple mailed acorns to a number of the most prominent leaders across the globe and asked them to plant the acorns in support of world peace.

Related Article: Yoko Ono Speaks Out On John Lennon's 'Desire' To Sleep With Men And Fearing His Killer

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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The 5th annual Exclusive Men of the Year (EMYs) Africa Awards 2020 #EMYAfricaAwards2020 held yesterday July 4, 2020, to award men who have excelled in various areas such as business, education, arts, fashion, technology, and communication.

This years award ceremony took place in Accra, Ghana despite the partial ban on social gathering due to the novel COVID-19 pandemic.

Multiple award-winning Radio/TV presenter and CEO of Kaya Tours Company Ltd; Dr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana won Special Recognition Award for Tourism Marketing and Promotion.

Abeiku Santana as he has come to be known as Mr. Tourism is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Tourism Marking and Promotion in Ghana and Africa. With his experience in Tourism, he was appointed as Tourism Ambassador by the former Government of Ghana and he has represented Ghana and Africa in tourism seminars and events across the Globe.

The night saw a number of high-class performances from Efya, Akwaboah, King Promise, and Joe Mettle.

The 5th EMY Africa Awards was shown on Joy Prime and also streamed live on EMY Africa YouTube and Facebook pages.

Warmest congratulations on your award, best wishes for your next adventure Mr. Tourism!
Two persons who allegedly lured a 20-year-old Beninois to Ghana to be sold at a cost of $160,000 to a Police Officer have been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court.

Ibrahim Keita a 33-year old unemployed and Baba Issah a barber and a driver have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and human trafficking.

The court presided over by Christiana Cann did not take their plea and remanded them into Police custody to reappear on July 16.

The case of Prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Simon Apoirsonu was that, Keita is a Malian residing at Agona Nyarkrom in the Central Region while Issah also resides at Agona Nyarkrom.

Prosecution said in the month of April this year, the Swedru Police Divisional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had intelligence that the accused had the intention of selling a young man at a price and were looking for a prospective buyers.

Prosecution said a Police officer feigned interest and began engaging the two accused over the phone.

According to prosecution, the accused initially agreed to sell the victim at a cost of $150,000 but they later decided to sell the victim at a cost $160,000 due to their alleged depreciation of the cedi.

The prosecution said Keita after settling on the amount lured the victim from Benin to Swedru by sending him money for transport so the victim arrived in Ghana on June 26 this year and called Keita.

He said Keita then asked the victim to wait at a lorry station.

The Prosecution said the two accused agreed to meet the buyer to receive the agreed amount in exchange of the victim.

He said in the process the accused were arrested and the purported buyer introduced himself as a policeman and the victim rescued.

Prosecution said later the matter was referred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at the CID headquarters on an extract to continue with investigations.

He said the victim has been given shelter and investigations are ongoing.

---Daily Guide
Authorities at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine (KCCR) is appealing for some of their testing equipment to be replaced.

The centre is one of the leading centres in testing samples for COVID-19 in Ghana.

According to the Director for the Centre, Prof. Richard Odame Philips, the rate at which test results are released, has been affected due to the obsolete nature of their equipment.

He spoke to Citi News after the Alumni of the University Hall of KNUST, Katanga, presented personal protective equipment worth GHS35,000 to KCCR and the KNUST hospital.

There are multiple challenges. One of the challenges is the pressure from those who want the test to meet their expectation. Some expect to get their results within three hours while others expect it in the shot possible time and the huge stress is to meet that demand. So you ask yourself, are you able to do that for everyone? Some of our equipment has broken down because of the stress. So need new equipment to replace the old ones. More investment in research

Scientists at the KCCR have urged the government to take a cue from the global pandemic to adequately resource research institutions and build their capacities to adequately respond to similar situations in future.

With the increasing number of coronavirus infections in Ghana, there is pressure on the Centre to scale up its operations in ramping up tests.

Dr. Michael Owusu, a virologist at the KCCR recently called on the government to invest in research to enable them to understand the dynamics of other diseases.

Research goes with funding, but in Ghana and some of the countries in the sub-Saharan region, we mostly depend on research funded by external bodies and due to that, most of the research is not driven by ideas which are needed to enhance local capacity and to solve local problems. If we had enough capacity in place, then we could have done more than we are doing and the COVID coming is a call for all of us to instead of sitting down to be overwhelmed by this pandemic, we should be investing into research that will enable us to understand the dynamics of diseases, he urged.

KCCR is one of the two high-level research centres in Ghana leading efforts in the testing of COVID-19 samples.

Based in the Ashanti Region, it serves largely the central and northern part of the country.

Between February and April 8, 2020, KCCR had tested about 1,600 samples of suspected COVID-19 cases

KCCR is a joint venture between the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), Hamburg, Germany. KCCR acts as an international platform for biomedical research in tropical medicine.

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Suspect Alhassan Abdullai Mohammed

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Information gathered by DGN Online indicates that one Alhassan Abdullai Mohammed, 44, a teacher believed to be an agent for the National Democratic Congress(NDC) in the ongoing voters registration exercise in the Sagnarigu municipality of the Northern region has been arrested.

According to the Northern Regional Crime Officer, Supt. Otuo Acheampong, the suspect was handed over to the police in possession of eight Voter Registration Forms 1A, a property of the Electoral Commission, which he dishonestly appropriated without the consent of the registration officer.

Supt. Acheampong indicated that the suspect has been cautioned and detained assisting with investigations.

The Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mohammed Baantima Adam Samba told DGN that it was during his tour of some of the registration centres in the region that they discovered the alleged NDC party agent filling the forms and in possession of other forms at the registration centre in the Sagnarigu municipality.

The NPP Chairman claimed that the suspect was an accredited NDC agent who was at the registration centre to monitor the registration for the party.

He had forms filled with the guarantors forms attached which he didn't have the right to do that apart from EC officials and he pleaded with us not to reveal his identity.

Chairman Samba urged party executives , polling stations officers and coordinators to be vigilant at the various registration centres across the country accusing the NDC of plotting schemes to register foreigners in the ongoing voters register exercise.

What we have seen here today is a sign that the NDC will be planning same at other regions and it's only through vigilant and monitoring that can stop them so we must not allow the NDC again to cheat the system.

He called on the police to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

Daily Guide
The identity of dozens of migrants who drowned off Tunisia last month might have been lost without a trace, like thousands of others who have disappeared on the treacherous sea route to Europe.

But when authorities recovered 61 bodies near the eastern port city of Sfax, they carefully took note of any details that could one day help lead to their identification.

Tattoos, moles, fingerprints, dental impressions, DNA, even clothing brands and sizes -- "every clue must be noted and recorded", forensic scientist Samir Maatoug said.

He and his team have gathered photos, medical data and other information on the 30 men, 29 women and two children aboard the migrant boat that capsized off the Tunisian coast in early June, leaving no survivors.

The boat's local captain was quickly identified, but for the passengers -- all from sub-Saharan Africa -- the task was much more difficult.

The migrants were buried in a Muslim cemetery near Sfax, in numbered and indexed graves, in case one day someone should come to claim them or discover their fate.

Dozens of bodies of foreign migrants are recovered from the sea off Tunisia every year, casualties of journeys toward Europe across the Mediterranean that ended in tragedy.

Tunisian authorities long interred them anonymously in makeshift cemeteries.

But in recent years, the identification process has improved, in Tunisia as well as some other Mediterranean countries.

Clues to identity

Italy has been regularly taking DNA samples since 2014, according to forensic pathologist Cristina Cattaneo, who heads an unprecedented operation that seeks to identify migrants who died at sea.

Data is centralised through a broader government entity for missing persons that also handles shipwreck victims, but procedures are not yet harmonised, she said, calling on European institutions to take over the responsibility.

More than 20,000 migrants have died in the Mediterranean since 2014, according to the United Nations -- more than 80 percent of them in the deadliest zone, traced out between Italy, Malta, Libya and Tunisia.

Migrants who perished en route to Europe were buried in a Muslim cemetery near Sfax, in numbered and indexed graves, in case one day someone should come to claim them or discover their fate. By Hamdi ZAGHDANE (AFP)

Only a third of the bodies have been recovered.

War-torn Libya, a departure point for migrants of all backgrounds, buries bodies without keeping records, and gathering information there is difficult.

But Tunisia, despite its limited means, has harmonised its testing procedures, after a series of consultations with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that began in 2017.

"The bodies of migrants who drown must be systematically analysed by forensics" for fingerprints and DNA samples, said Maatoug, who is the head of forensic medicine at the Habib Bourguiba University Hospital in Sfax.

When they arrive at the hospital, the corpses are assigned a number that is written on their file and finally, on their grave.

In the Sfax morgue, the team busily notes the clothes and the physical characteristics of the bodies, bloated and wrapped in seaweed, their faces disfigured.

"These clues can help the victims' families recognise them and finally mourn them," Maatoug told AFP.

But "DNA analysis remains the most reliable way of identifying a person, even decades later", he added.

'Reliable records'

His team alone has carried out 412 DNA tests since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, which marked a sharp increase in departures from the country's coasts.

Dozens of bodies of migrants -- like those retrieved on the island of Djerba last year -- are recovered from the sea off Tunisia every year, casualties of journeys toward Europe across the Mediterranean that ended in tragedy. By ANIS MILI (AFP/File)

A growing number of bodies recovered belong to foreigners, whether they took boats from neighbouring Libya or were among a rising number of West Africans trying to depart from Tunisia.

Identifying them requires a large amount of coordination.

Hospital samples are supplemented with those from police forensics and the information is sent to the courts, said Shahir Jdaim, assistant director of the police forensics laboratories.

But "the centralisation of data and the procedures for sharing it" are yet to be worked out, said Bilal Sablouh, the ICRC's regional coordinator for forensic medicine.

Families looking for loved ones can request information from the Red Crescent or the Red Cross in their own country.

The ICRC then contacts the relevant authorities -- the justice ministry or forensic services in the area where the person might have embarked on their sea crossing.

"We also carry out our own research," said Anne Montavon, deputy head of the ICRC's regional delegation in Tunis.

"The requests are low in Tunisia, there are many more for Libya," she said.

The ICRC said a small number of families had been able to receive confirmation of the death of a missing loved one, and sometimes even locate their body -- key steps in the mourning process.

Maatoug said he had not yet had a request for the repatriation of a body, but nonetheless he and his team "continue to carry out the identification protocols".

"Maybe one day, a son or grandson will come to claim his father or grandfather," he said.

"We must keep reliable records."
The Overlord of Mamprugu, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, has expressed the heartfelt appreciation of the people of Mamprugu and the entire nation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for appointing, for the fourth time, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate ahead of the 2020 general elections.

The Nayiri has also congratulated the Vice President, who hails from Kperiga in the Mamprugu kingdom, for chalking the unprecedented feat of being selected four times in a row as running mate, and making the sons and daughters of Mamprugu and entire northern Ghana proud.

Just about a week ago, I had the information that H.E. President Akufo-Addo had appointed you (Dr. Bawumia) to partner with him for the 2020 election as running mate for the fourth time. I wish on my own behalf and on behalf of Mamprugu, to congratulate you for this feat.

You have indeed made Mamprugu proud. We in Mamprugu cannot but wish you Gods guidance, protection, and above all success in this endeavour, the Nayiri stated on Friday, July 3, 2020, when the Vice President called on him at his palace in Nalerigu after registering for the new Voter ID card earlier in the day.

Let me pay glowing tribute to the President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for endorsing my own son of this great kingdom the fourth time as his running mate. The people of Mamprugu are very grateful to you and your party, Naa Bohogu Mahami II stated.

The Mamprugu overlord commended the Akufo-Addo government for its stellar performance, which has led to major transformations in the lives of Ghanaians.

From where I sit, I observe with great admiration, the stellar performance of the NPP government which has won the hearts of many Ghanaians and the world at large I would like to talk about a few of your projects and pro-poor social interventions that have been carried out in my jurisdiction and Ghana at large.

The tarring of the Nalerigu, Gambaga, and Walewale town roads, Nalerigu to Gbintiri road which is still under construction, the water project within Nalerigu, Gambaga and Chereponi all within the North East Region have all been completed and the people of these communities can now boast of good and potable drinking water in their homes.

The Free SHS policy, the School Feeding Programme, the Planting for Food and Jobs, One Village One dam initiative, one constituency one ambulance, the creation of jobs are all evidence of your great performance. On behalf of the chiefs and people of Mamprugu, I wish to once again register our sincere appreciation and gratitude to you and your government for the good work.
District Chief Executive of Dormaa East, Hon Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman, has commended the office of the Electoral Commission in his District for putting in mechanisms to ensure a peaceful and smooth process of the on-going new voter registration exercise.

The DCE made the commendation when he visited all the registration centers in Wamfie, the district capital on the 3rd day of the exercise.

The visit was to enable him to ascertain the progress of the compilation process, speak on COVID-19, educate registrants on the measures put forward to fight the disease and some of the laws enacted to enforce its protocols. It also gave him the opportunity to distribute sanitizers and nose masks to the people in and around the registration centers.

In almost all the centers, Hon Agyeman expressed satisfaction with the well-organized seated arrangements, the peaceful nature of the process, and the strict adherence of the COVID-19 protocols.

He commended the Supervisors for the good work, asking them to continue to the end of the exercise to ensure a transparent exercise

He visited the electoral office center meant for the aged and the PWD, the Anglican Primary A, Local Council A, R/C Primary A and B, Methodist Primary, SDA Primary, Presbyterian Primary A, Light International School, and Islamic School centers all in Wamfie.

He was accompanied by the presiding member, some assembly staff, and the military.

In a brief message at the various centers, the Hon DCE thanked the registrant for their cooperation and for coming out in their numbers to register. He also commended them for such an act of patriotism, adding that such an act of concern and interest in national issues, facilitates national development, hence the need for Ghanaians to cultivate self-motivation towards contributing to the development of the nation.

He emphasized that the coronavirus is real and very threatening and explained that though the district has not recorded any case of the disease, it would still be wise for citizens to live in carefulness to avoid it. The DCE charged the people to take their destinies into their own hands by protecting themselves against the disease. He as well emphasized the safety protocols and asked the people to support one another in this era of coronavirus.

Meanwhile the Deputy District Electoral Supervisor, Mr. Richmond Amponsah said, it is expected that about 35000 people would have registered by the close of the exercise. In all, there are 82 polling centers grouped into 17 clusters to handle the exercise throughout the district. He was grateful to God the first phase has been incident-free and successful.
On July 4, 2020 at Accra, Ghana, the Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS), an international organization serving the emerging states of Africa seeking self-determination declared the conditions for a Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC) under Article 3 of Geneva Convention (1949) are met.

The NIAC request was made to the OEAS after consultation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC )by the Ambazonian armed forces who have been battling the armed forces of Cameroun since October 2017.

The purpose of the NIAC is to provide relief to the Ambazonian civilians who are the true victims of the conflict as well as participants to the conflict who have laid down their weapons due to sickness or wounds and to extend the protection of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to them.

Ambazonian forces have pledged to cooperate with the ICRC and Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF). Camerounian government forces stand accused of targeting civilians, burning villages, and mass murder. Some of the less disciplined Ambazonian forces stand accused of hostage-taking, theft, and assassinations.

Since October 2017 casualties have exceeded 25,000 and up to a million people have been displaced by fighting in one of Africas most contentious conflicts. Ambazonians are seeking the independence of the former British Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons from French-speaking Republique du Cameroun.

OEAS - ORGANIZATION OF EMERGING AFRICAN STATES

www.oeas.info

[email protected]

House Number 67, Ecowas Road,

Agbogba, Accra-Ghana
"To the NPP, you all know where the NDC is coming from and you know what we can do, the attack on our people must stop else we shall also respond with equal measure", Joshua Akamba, National Organizer of the largest opposition party NDC, has warned.

Mr. Akamba who warned the NPP over attacks on their Members across the country has also charged the police to, as a matter of urgency, get NPP hoodlums who make trouble at the ongoing Voter Registration arrested before things get out of hand.

Mr. Akamba issued this warning on 1st when he visited some registration centres in the Northern Region to appraise the voter registration exercise.

He was accompanied by some of the regional executives of the NDC in the Northern Region. In the Tetebu Constituency, the NDC's National Organizer and his entourage visited the Constituency Secretary of the NDC who was beaten to the pulp by the NPP footsoldiers.

The team proceeded to Tamale where they visited some registration centres, and then to other registration centres in the Gushegu, Karega, Yendi and it's environs.

At each registration centre, the National Organizer of the NDC and his hard-working 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 the media after visiting the centres regarding his observation, furious Akamba expressed his worries about the exercise and urged all eligible Ghanaians to go out in their numbers and register in order to entitle them to exercise their constitutional right and vote out Corrupt Nana Addo's Government 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 and the wearing of Mask was poor.

Mr. Akamba seized the opportunity to appeal to prospective registrants to strictly adhere to the protocols for them to be healthy to vote out the super incompetent Nana Addo and the NPP Government.
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A group calling itself the Concerned Voters Movement (CVM) has descended heavily on the embattled Auditor General, Mr Daniel Yaw Domelevo over his response to the presidential directive to take his accumulated annual leave.

His response the movement says was aimed at satisfying the egos of the former President John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress and think tanks such as IMANI Africa and others.

A statement signed by Mr Razak Kojo Opoku, Founder and President of CVM and copied to the media in Accra said Mr Domelevo's response affirms that he was employed to indeed peddle falsehoods to embarrass President Akufo-Addo's Government.

The statement said, it was misleading for Mr Domelevo to suggest that several appointees of Government had not taken their leave, and on that basis not happy with the President's directive to him.

It asked Mr Domelevo to be bold and mention the names of the government appointees who have not taken their leave since the year 2017.

The group suspected that Mr Domelevo's resistance to taking his leave creates suspicion that he had something mischievous to hide.

"According to the Auditor General, his work has been embarrassing Akufo-Addo's Government. Can we then conclude that he was employed by John Mahama to peddle false audit reports to embarrass Akufo-Addo's Government and appointees of NPP Administration?" CVM queried.

Mr Daniel Yaw Domelevo was appointed as the Auditor-General by former President Mahama five days to his exit from office as President.
After her comment that suggested Vanessa Guillen, a murdered soldier deserved sexual harassment for choosing to join a "good ole boy club," a female Lt. Col from the Air Force is currently under fire.

Identified as Air Force Lt. Col. Betsy Schoeller, the air force veteran got into a heated Facebook thread with a person who shared a post about the death of Guillen. Guillen was the soldier who was killed after she confessed to her friends and family that one of her superiors was sexually harassed her.

According to Daily Mail, Schoeller currently works at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee as a senior lecturer. Based on the reports, Schoeller called out people on social media who expressed sympathy for the fallen soldier and said that being sexually harassed is the price to pay for women who admit themselves to a playground of men.

Moreover, she said that someone who is going to cry like a snowflake - a slang term usually used to describe overly emotional people - about it, there is a price to pay.

The comments from the veteran came just a few hours after Guillen's attorney released the information that she has been bludgeoned to death using a hammer inside the armory room where she was working. Schoeller's post has already been deleted since it prompted the eruption of outbursts from social media users.

Aside from the outrage, netizens also made a petition in Change.org to fire Schoeller from being a senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. They also called her out as part of the problem with the sexual harassment of women which has been entrenched in the armed forces, The Sun reported.

Moreover, people also compared Schoeller's belief with the notion of people telling girls not to wear revealing clothes since men cannot control their urges.

Meanwhile, another veteran called her out and said that her mindset and response to the issue is what encourages such harassment to take place. The said veteran also said that Schoeller's attitude is one of the reasons that harassment continues in the force and that those like her protect these sexual predators.

Read also: NYPD Hunts Attacker Who Slashed the Face of a 2-Year-Old Toddler in Manhattan

The Death of Guillen

On April 22, Guillen confessed to her family that one of her sergeants was harassing her, that was also the last day that she was seen alive in the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas. After that, only her remains were found last Tuesday in Bell county near the Leon River.

Based on a criminal complaint that was released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday, a 20-year-old specialist identified as US Army Specialist Aaron Robinson killed her. The document also stated that Guillen was hit with a hammer on her head on April 22nd, according to a report by NPR.

Hours after the body of Guillen was discovered, Robinson committed suicide.

The suspect left the army base on Tuesday night just before the Army criminal investigators were able to arrest him. However, when the officials were able to catch up with him, he fired a fatal shot at himself.



Related article: Ghislaine Maxwell Charged for Being Chief Enabler in Sexual Trafficking Ring for Young Girl Victims

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Aggrieved workers of the Metro Mass Transit Limited have been directed to call off their sit-down strike with immediate effect.

The directive was given by the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union of TUC (Ghana).

The workers resorted to the strike in protest of unpaid salaries.

A letter from the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union to the Senior and Junior Staff Union of the Metro Mass Transit Limited and sighted by citinewsroom.com said the directive follows a successful meeting they had with the leadership of the company.

The General Transport Union in the letter signed by its General Secretary, Fuseini Iddrisu said: flowing from the said meeting, the National Secretariat of the Union was convinced the salaries in arrears would be paid by the government.

The Union, thus directed that The industrial action should be suspended immediately until further notice. The salaries in arrears should be paid by Monday 13th July 2020.

If by the 13th July 2020, the salaries in arrears are not paid, the National Secretariat of the Union will get back to the workers through the Divisional Union Executives with further directives, portions of the letter read.

Commuters in major cities were left stranded on July 3, 2020, as the strike was in force.

The staff had earlier said they had not been paid salaries for May and June 2020 after taking half salaries for April.

They vowed to continue their strike until they are paid what is owed them.

The Chairman of the Junior Staff Union of MMT, Samuel Kwesi Quaye complained that their situation was dire as some drivers resorted to sleeping in some buses at the company's premises because they could not afford to go home.

---citinewsroom
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I have become aware of OTEC FM interview of some disgruntled Kumawu-Bodomase NPP members who amid threatening, are revolting against Philip Atta Basoah (Hon), the Member of Parliament for Kumawu Constituency. The audios on the interview are trending on WhatsApp and other social media at the speed of lightning, spreading like the deadly novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Joy FM, on the other hand, gave live media coverage of the mutinous members of the NPP, when they had gathered to air their grievances. One Isaac Kodua Marfo in the audio is established to be their spokesperson.

Much as I share their concern, I beg to differ on some of the wild allegations they are making in their desperation to get the NPP National Executive Council remove Philip Basoah from contesting the impending 2020 general elections on the ticket of NPP. To be frank with them, it is too late for any leader within the NPP to get rid of Philip Basoah. Again, it is just exaggeration, if not total irresponsibleness, on the part of Isaac Kodua Marfo and his mutineers, to claim that Philip Basoah pays the one hundred and eighty or one hundred and eighty-four delegates that voted for him a monthly salary. Also, how can he be putting up houses for some of them? Where does he get the money from to do that?

Yes, there is some alleged never abating misunderstanding between the District Chief Executive, Samuel Addai Agyekum, and Philip Basoah, the MP. Samuel Addai Agyekum is such a liar that I had on numerous occasions published articles to alert the citizens of Sekyere Kumawu District to the dangers of his lies. He is most often on Kesseben FM and television telling lies about the developments Kumawu district has benefited from the NPP government. I had many a time arranged for someone in Kumawu to crosscheck his assertions to development projects Sekyere Kumawu district has chalked under the current NPP government. They mostly turn out to be false.

It is more of the duty of the DCE to ensure the district is developed than the MP's, according to their functions. Without gainsaying, the MP can lobby for projects for his constituency but has he not got his hands tied behind his back by the amount of lies told by the DCE as stated above? If anything at all, the mutineers must hold the DCE to account.

I hope the mutineers will rescind their decision but seek to get the MP around the table to discuss their worries and concerns with him.

Threatening to vote skirt and blouse will come to hurt whoever does that in the long run. Don't be pushed by those who bribed some delegates to vote for them but lost and have subsequently sought to cause division within the party by their demand for the removal of Philip Basoah through mutinous threats.

I know that no-one is married to any particular party. Anyone's vote is his or hers to exercise as he or she sees fit. Nevertheless, make responsible judgments in order not to regret of your decision later.

How I hope you could channel your efforts to fighting for justice for Kumawuman in the ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy dispute, the vital key to unlock the doors of development for Kumawuman.

All those who have been sabotaging Philip Basoah from day one, those from Kumawu palace and elsewhere, must be ashamed of themselves.

I shall advise the aggrieved NPP members to seek dialogue with the MP and the DCE, settle their differences, get them to work together to bring development to the district and the constituency. They should not allow themselves to be manipulated by whomever.

I hope both the DCE and the MP will sit up to do the right things and desist from any animosity towards one another if any such thing does exist between them.

By this publication, could the NPP government please go and help Kumawuman for their unadulterated loyalty to the party over the years?

Rockson Adofo

Sunday, 5 July 2020
If you have been the victim of a crime, one of the first interactions you'll have with police is when an officer takes your sworn statement. Language is key to this process: you tell an officer your story, and they record it, usually writing it by hand.

But this becomes complicated in any multilingual society. South Africa, for instance, has 11 official languages and many other spoken languages. This often throws up a language barrier between the officer taking the statement and the victim sharing their story.

And it gets even more complex because despite the country's diversity of languages, English is the sole official language of record . All sworn statements are to be recorded in English. That means the onus is on the police officer to be as proficient in reading, writing and speaking English as a mother tongue speaker of the language. This, in a country where English is only the sixth most commonly spoken home language.

That makes it highly unlikely that either the officer taking the statement or the victim giving it speak English fluently.

Most South African police officers receive no language or literacy courses before qualifying. In fact, police in the country need only fulfil the requirements of six months' worth of basic training  the major elements of which are a driver's licence and a matriculation certificate that attests to the completion of schooling. There is no need for any post school qualification.

Police officers are also not, and are not expected to be, sworn translators or interpreters. This has serious implications for justice. In South African law, a statement takes precedence over any oral narrative when evidence is led in court.

An officer may misunderstand elements of the victim's statement, badly paraphrase an accused person's account of events, or choose to exclude information because they are not properly taught to listen to and sort it. But this flawed written statement will contradict the accused or a victim's oral testimony, bringing the facts of the case and a witness's credibility into question, even when an interpreter is present at trial.

The system needs an overhaul. Linguistic training for police officers, as well as proper resources for interpretation services, must be prioritised and implemented.

A complex process

Linguistically the process of taking a sworn statement is quite complex. It combines translation, where more than one language is spoken, with retelling and reconstruction. The police officer must synthesise everything he's being told to ensure the facts are accurately recorded, a process called subjective synthesis. By doing all of this, the police officer is acting as an transpreter : simultaneously a translator of written text and an interpreter of oral communication.

Police officers can hardly be blamed for not being trained in this process. It's the system that enables the lack of training. The South African Police Services' draft language policy makes no mention of properly training officers. Instead, it states that a trained interpreter may be called to a station to assist if it's practical and money is available.

In reality, this rarely happens. Police officers are largely left to their own devices, acting as transpreters without training. This has real life consequences, as seen in the high profile rape and human trafficking trial of Eastern Cape pastor Timothy Omotoso. In the first trial (from which the judge eventually recused himself; a second trial has not yet started), one of Omotoso's accusers, Cheryl Zondi, was continuously asked during cross-examination why her oral evidence did not correlate with her written statement. Zondi suggested that these questions should be directed to the police, saying :

Why don't you ask the police officer why that was recorded as such in the statement  I didn't say that.

The current model of translation or retelling and rewriting of pre-statements into actual statements has a long history in the South African criminal justice system . Historically, it benefited English and Afrikaans speakers and put African language speakers at a real disadvantage.

Today, it is mostly English speakers who benefit. In the current system English acts to silence speakers who are not conversant in or comfortable enough to speak the de facto language of the criminal justice system. Instead, the (usually untrained) transpreter's voice dominates.

Towards change

So, what can be done to begin shifting the system? Police statement taking is problematic in many multilingual legal systems.

In some countries, like Australia, forensic linguists have been employed to work alongside the police, helping officers to capture statements and training them on best practice models.

Elsewhere  for instance in Belgium and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, police officers are trained bilingually. They are then deployed to areas based on their linguistic competencies. Not only are statements captured in two languages: judicial officers must be fluent in those languages, too. So these languages are prioritised at each step of the justice process.

Ideally, South Africa should begin by developing police officers' current language skills in their mother tongues. Statements can be captured digitally in these languages, then translated into English for trial. This will ensure that the initial statements capture the facts accurately without being lost in translation. Contemporary computer technologies should be considered when facilitating the translation of sworn statements.

Zakeera Docrat receives funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Russell H. Kaschula receives funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Monwabisi K Ralarala does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Zakeera Docrat, Postdoctoral research fellow (Forensic Linguistics/ Language and Law), Rhodes University And

Monwabisi K Ralarala, Assoc Prof in Language Practice and Director: Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development, Cape Peninsula University of Technology And

Russell H. Kaschula, Professor of African Language Studies, Rhodes University
The prevalence of disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic has prompted Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn that:

We're not just fighting an epidemic; we're fighting an infodemic .

The infodemic is defined as an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not, during an epidemic. It makes it hard for people to know which sources are trustworthy and reliable. Part of the problem is the widespread occurrence of misinformation.

To fight this infodemic, we need to understand how misinformation spreads in particular host environments. This requires a study of culture, context and lived experience of media users.

To contain and mitigate the virus of misinformation we need multi-levelled, socio-cultural approaches and methods.

One such tool of analysis available in the media and cultural literature is the classic concept of the circuit of culture . This model explains the complex, interrelated moments and processes involved in the development of socio-cultural phenomena. It can help explain how misinformation travels, is consumed, and amplified or restrained in relation to a range of factors.

In addition to the political and economic contexts within which misinformation is produced and consumed, it is also important to also consider cultural aspects. When we understand how these different moments in the circuit of culture are interlinked, we can design more appropriate interventions. There are the five moments in the circuit of culture that are useful to keep in mind.

Five moments in the circuit of culture

Representation: Texts are sites of struggle, where meanings are contested and counter-meanings produced. Messages are encoded and decoded in relation to their environments. If information, say about the wearing of masks, is coded by health authorities in a technical manner, to explain how they prevent the spread of the virus, but decoded by audiences as an attack on their liberty, a slippage of meaning has occurred.

It is in these slippages that misinformation can easily insert itself. Cultural studies can help us understand how misinformation is constructed in ways so as to appeal to people's everyday emotions, fears and anxieties and which political discourses resonate with them.

Identity: How does consuming and sharing misinformation give people a sense of belonging and community? Previous studies have shown that political affiliation , age demographic and similar identity positions might make people more likely to share misinformation.

Production: The digital media ecology has blurred the lines between production and consumption of information. Parody, rumour, memes and jokes have become a lingua franca. Users can find confirmation of their personal biases and beliefs  from conspiracy theories about 5G-towers as a cause of the virus to pseudo-scientific remedies - in echo chambers or filter bubbles. The implications of this shift in media production are important to grasp when dealing with the infodemic.

Consumption: Cultural studies sees media users as active participants in the making of meaning, not passive recipients. Media users don't merely receive misinformation, but shape it, curate it and share it. A high percentage of African social media users admit to sharing a news story that they knew was made up.

Why is this the case?

We can only answer that question from the perspective of the users' lived experience and context. A lack of trust in official sources of information may lead people to imbue alternative sources of information with more authority.

A lire aussi : Laughter in the time of a pandemic: why South Africans are joking about coronavirus

The legacy of state-owned media in Africa has for a long time turned people to the informal circuits of gossip, jokes and humour to undermine illegitimate sources of authority. Although there has been a global surge in news media consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic, overall levels of trust globally now seem to be at their lowest point ever. Fewer than four in ten (38%) of people surveyed by the Reuters Institute say they trust most news most of the time.

Information overload and noise have also led to the erosion of trust and the inability to make informed decisions. The same study found that 56% of people still did not know what online information was real or fake.

In Africa, people who report higher levels of exposure to disinformation also report lower levels of media trust.

Contradictory and speculative reports about treatments and vaccines, or confusing guidance about the use of masks, for example, may have intensified these trends.

Skepticism in official narratives may make people more susceptible to misinformation. A study in the US suggests that the ongoing and systemic failure of the public health system for black people, has made this community

skeptical of government interventions and medical authorities .

This, the study suggests, means these communities might rely instead on community knowledge for their survival. This could also expose them to dangerous misinformation.

Regulation: Attempts by some countries (like South Africa and Brazil ) to criminalise disinformation about Covid-19 have met with strong resistance from human rights and free speech watchdogs because of the fear that it would stifle free expression and political accountability.

When we have a better sense of why people do not trust official media, or what their motivations may be for sharing misinformation, we can consider more appropriate interventions. Some motivations suggested in the literature are: financial or political gain, to express one's feelings, cope with uncertainty, build relationships or to mobilise against a political order.

No panacea

A focus group research by my colleagues and I in six African countries show some additional motivations. The most common reason for our respondents to share misinformation was to raise awareness out of a (misplaced) sense of civic duty. The second most common reason was to make others aware of misinformation.

Thirdly, media users in sub-Saharan countries said they shared misinformation for fun. Humour, gossip and satire seems to be a refuge for media users overwhelmed by serious or depressing news, to create conviviality and community.

It is these contextual, social and cultural differences that emphasise the importance of considering misinformation practices as socio-cultural phenomena. From that perspective we can evaluate what type of responses may be most appropriate for particular contexts, rather than attempting to administer a panacea.

This article is based on a keynote address given to the World Health Organization's frist global infodemiology conference held virtually from 30 June to 21 July . The address can be viewed here .

Herman Wasserman receives funding from the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences

By Herman Wasserman, Professor of Media Studies and Director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town
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I worry about laws in Ghana. From their enactment by Parliamentarians through their enforcement, prosecution to their sentencing. A rule-of-law governance can and should do better. As at now, my perception of it is more that Ghanaians are made for the law whereas it should appropriately be the other way round.

From its very foundation at the election of parliamentarians, the law is dealt a big blow by the way their election is virtually on the basis of the "highest bidder." If parliamentarians buy their way to parliament, how committed will they be in the making of the laws which is their core mandate.

After elections, the parliamentarians fail Ghanaians by their failure or reluctance to connect with their constituencies for inputs in lawmaking and feedback afterwards. The usual practice if they visit is to attend to the needs of their party members after touring ostensibly for project inspection laced with campaign promises.

Attendance to parliamentary sittings has been below expectation, something the Speakers over the years have been complained about openly even as they attempt defending with claims of committee meetings. Would they complain if those meetings were happening and were time-appropriate. It is also an open secret that a number of them have been granted permission to continue with their private business or attend school etc. The lackadaisical attitude for parliamentary sittings and exclusion of the public contributions degrade the "government by the people" aspect in the definition of Democracy.

Then comes the dissemination/accessibility of the enacted laws to the general public who need it as much as if not more than the lawyers. Our poor reading habit makes their gazetting so far inadequate, more so when the English language used is not a preferred medium at the grassroots.

Our Commission for Civic Education that could have interpreted to localize the laws has not been effective in their delivery so far, for alleged underfunding. The "foreign" perception of our laws (because of its language) and adequate interest in it is further made worse by the undercurrent of various diverse traditional laws that appear to compete with the orthodox ones.

The enforcement of the laws, which fall directly on the doorstep of the police. Our police service have over the years been permitted to corrupt the system with their initial roadside "collection/chop money," debt collection to the more serious ones now as leading armed robbery. So the laws are distorted and sold to criminals in addition to needless delays even before prosecution in court. In situations where witnesses are crucial in a case they are apprehensive of coming out because of the mistrust of the police.

At the courts where the laws are interpreted and prosecuted the challenges are more an extension of the aforementioned problems, such as corruption by some judiciary officers and some judges. Other problems emanate from the delays in prosecution. The practising lawyers are not many so they take many cases at a time and obviously make litigants suffer. Some can even sell the case to the obvious "loser" and frustrate the "winner" with incessant adjournments till eventual boycott by litigant.

At the prisons, from the stories of pardoned convicts etc, the living conditions are poor generally. In some reported situations the neglect in the upkeep of the prisoners can be described as wicked or frankly speaking almost criminal. Eventually, the correctional element consideration in prison life is downplayed and ex-convicts are released back into society as more hardened criminals than reformed.

For a young democracy, Ghana has not done badly though, but there is still more to learn and do. If (after tasting all forms of government since independence) we do not give up, a little effort will push us into a well-understood, well-participated genuine rule-of-law democracy for development.
Good morning,

My daughter, one gathers that you have now taken the needed steps to safeguard the goods in your first shop - bang opposite the St. Gregory Catholic Hospital, in Gomoa Buduburam's Camp Liberia refugee settlement area. Bravo.

That will finally protect your stocked provisions, and other products, from the elements, when it rains, and invariably ends up with you having to throw away goods, which you purchased with your hard-earned money, and margins on which, would have helped you take good care, of all your young children.

May Allah Almighty bless and protect you, and your lovely children. As I always tell you, trust no human being, but have faith in Allah Amighty. He will never let you down - and will defeat all those who are jealous of your success, and daily scheme against you. Above all, do take to wearing facial masks, when serving the public, in both your two shops, my daughter. I am very proud of all of you!

You are living proof that most of the Liberian refugees, who have opted to be integrated into Ghanaian society, are real assets for Mother Ghana - and that most of them can, and will, contribute positively, to Nkrumah's Ghana, if assisted financially, to establish their own micro-enterprises. Kudos to you - and, above all, let me reiterate this point again: do stay safe, as COVID-19 is an existential threat, to all of us, and is no respector of persons!
The Bono regional Minister on Friday, 3rd July 2020 broke the ground for the construction of a multi-million Ghana Cedis market project and other ancillary facilities at the Berekum Thursday market in the Bono region. The over seven million Ghana Cedis project which is under the Secondary Cities Project is expected to start immediately. The Secondary Cities programme is a multi-million-dollar project funded by the World Bank to accelerate development in the various municipalities in the country based on the performance of beneficiary municipalities.

Addressing a gathering before the official sod-cutting of the project at the Berekum Thursday market, the Bono regional Minister, Mad. Evelyn Amma Kumi Richardson said the project was in fulfilment of the Presidents promise in the 2016 general elections to bring development to the people and enhance their livelihoods. The minister minster said the project was an initiative if the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development with the objective of improving urban management and provision of basic services in urban Assemblies.

Mad. Kumi Richardson disclosed that out of the twenty-five municipalities benefiting from the project nationwide, the Bono region alone has three namely Berekum, Dormaa and Sunyani. She said the selection of the three municipalities is a demonstration of their hard work. She appealed to the citizens of the Municipality to lend the necessary support to the Assembly and the contractors to ensure that the project is completed within the nine months duration.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Municipal Chief Executive for Berekum East, Mr. Kofi Adjei said the project will give the market a facelift to meet the challenges of the ever increasing commercial activities of the municipality. Disclosing the details of the project, the Municipal Chief Executive said it comprises of construction of sixty lockable stores, construction of all roads around the market, pavement of the market, construction of ten seater water closet toilet facilities, a health post, creche, police post and fire service post.

The Municipal Chief Executive was full of praise for the cooperation if stakeholders in the market including the market women and men, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union and further entreat them to continue their support towards the timely completion of the project. He also thanked staff of the Assembly for their hard work that culminated into the Assembly meeting the criteria for qualifying for the fund.
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George believes the government was untruthful to Ghanaians on the exact number of security personnel deployed to border towns in the country.

He insists that although personnel from other security agencies such as National Security, Bureau of National Security among others, were part of the recent deployment, only figures on military personnel were accounted for by the government.

It is unfortunate where we find ourselves that you have a government that is not candid, truthful, and doesnt speak to the facts. At the time that we held our press conference on Monday, there were deployments in four regions; Upper East, Upper West, Oti and Volta with a chunk of them being in the Volta and Oti. Arguably, these regions are known to be strongholds of the NDC. The President and the Defence Minister have lied. Dominic Nitiwul did the meet-the- press on the same day. He lied. Im putting it on record that he lied to Ghanaians, he stressed on The Big Issue.

Government deployed military personnel to the countrys border towns with the excuse that the deployment was to stop the importation of COVID-19 into the country.

Volta Region, Oti Region, Northern Region, Upper East Region and Upper West Region, were the regions the military personnel were deployed to.

But the opposition National Democratic Congress believes the deployment was to deter people in the partys strongholds from coming out in their numbers to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

As a result, party members, including its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, have complained about the deployment, insisting that it was a ploy to disenfranchise a number of voters in their strongholds especially the Volta Region.

In an address to the nation on Monday, June 29, 2020, the President said the move is in the best interest of the country as it was done to prevent illegal immigrants into the country to stop the importation of COVID-19.

The Defence Minister has also explained that the government's decision was in the collective interest of Ghanaians since there were over 250 unapproved routes in the country.

In total, 207 soldiers have been deployed along the borders of the Upper East Region; 110 in the Northern Region; 102 in the North East Region; 98 in the Volta Region; 72 in the Oti Region; 69 in Upper West; 64 in Bono Region; 21 in Savannah Region; and 14 in the Western Region.

Sam George slams government

But Sam George said the President and his Minister have only mentioned the number of Armed Forces personnel to Ghanaians.

Giving reasons for his assertion, Mr. George insisted that, The President of Ghana addressed the country and lied. The President and the Minister came and recited a set of numbers. It was a lie. Is it only men of the Ghana Armed Forces that have been deployed into those border regions? So why are they giving us only numbers from the Armed Forces? The numbers that the Minister mentioned are only numbers relative to the Ghana Armed Forces. Our complaint was about the deployment of security forces, not the army. You have the army, police, immigration, BNI, national security, defence intelligence were all deployed there.

He continued, So if men from six different institutions have been deployed to the Volta and Oti regions and we challenge you to it and you want to downplay it by coming to give us numbers of only one of the units of the security agencies, and claim that, that is the number of men so that when they tell you that there are only 23 men in the whole of Oti, it makes it look like the NDC is much ado about nothing. Whereas there may be 23 Ghana army men, but put together, the security men on the ground will be over 300.

---citinewsroom
The Canada branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has paid glowing tributes to the late former General Secretary of the party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie popularly known as Sir John.

Sir John, a CEO of the Forestry Commission, died on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, from Coronavirus complications.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Kwame Abrefah, NPP Canada says Without a doubt, Sir John was very popular in Ghana. Like most things in life, popularity is more complicated than it looks. Some people are popular because they are likable their peers like them, trust them, and want to be around them. Others are popular because they gain status in society and use their power to influence others in a positive way. To me, Sir John's popularity was a combination of both his immense likability and his positivity.

The statement added that Sir John was special because he always made the people around him feel special, recognized, and appreciated. When you were in his presence, he never focused on himself, his problems or his achievements; instead, he projected empathy and optimism.

These are some of the traits that made Sir John so special to all of us. But more importantly, he had other unique qualities: a great wit, traditional knowledge and wisdom, and mastery of the Akan language. Sir John was a great listener, and a skilled communicator, it noted.

He had a way about him that comforted the marginalized and at once charmed and tamed his foes. His charisma allowed him to connect with ordinary folks. That he was revered by the downtrodden is an understatement, according to the statement.

It noted that Sir John loved the proverbial man on the street because he never outgrew his working class roots.

He also loved the spotlight, but never monopolized it. Sir John was our friend, our uncle, and our brother. It was easy for us to welcome him into our living rooms, whether in person or on the television or radio.

Notwithstanding these unique qualities, I believe that there was something else that made Sir John special: his kindness, loyalty, and authenticity. As the Chairman of NPP Canada, I had the unique opportunity to know Sir John at both a personal and professional level. Sir John loved Canada and frequently visited Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Sir John's contributions to NPP Canada cannot be overemphasized. He helped our branch to organize many successful fund raising events, and in 2018, he even braved horrendous weather to fly to Canada to supervise our Branch elections.

Sir John's last visit to Canada was in October 2019 when he visited Vancouver, British Columbia.

Sir John and his team during the said visit met the leadership of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

He was excited about forging a partnership with the University and engaging in a knowledge sharing arrangement between the Forestry Commission and the University. He was so impressed with Vancouver's urban forestry program that he planned to visit again, the statement indicated.

---Daily Guide
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Police in Atimpoku in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region have arrested a middle-aged man for assaulting a Polling agent of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The suspect identified as Ernest Anyoni, and one other, now at large, assaulted the NDC polling agent Moses Asare at Senchi GNAT Hall Polling Station on Saturday alleging that the agent was taking pictures of them during an altercation over an alleged non-resident applicant the NDC protested against.

The two suspects allegedly pounced on the agent and beat him mercilessly in the presence of the Military personnel deployed to the Constituency.

A complaint was lodged at the Atimpoku Police Station after which the suspect was arrested but his accomplice has gone into hiding.

A victim of the assault

The Police has identified the suspect as the same person who attempted to beat a uniformed Police officer at Atimpoku Zongo Mosque polling station earlier on the same day. He is currently in Police custody assisting with investigation.

Meanwhile, a medical form has been issued to the victim for treatment at VRA Hospital.

Chief Inspector Akrofi, the station officer at Atimpoku Police Station, confirmed the arrest to Starr News.

The voters Registration exercise in Asuogyaman Constituency of the Eastern Region has been marred by pockets of violence between the ruling NPP and the opposition NDC.

---starrfmonline
The Overlord of the Mamprugu Kingdom, His Majesty Nayiri Nabohagu Mahami Sheriga has heaped praises on Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, noting that the people of the north are ever proud of him.

He stressed that Dr Bawumia, a true son of his kingdom, has not denied them their fair share of the national cake, commending him for the various interventions in the area since he assumed the position as the second gentleman of the land.

During a courtesy call on him by the Vice President to inform him of his selection as the running mate to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the December 2020 Polls, the King enumerated some interventions in terms of development by the current government, emphasising that the interventions are worth commending, reason the residents of the area will forever be grateful to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The Overlord of the Mamprugu Kingdom, His Majesty Nayiri Nabohagu Mahami Sheriga

You have performed so well as a Vice-President for the entire nation and we are proud of youwe pray for you and continue to stand behind you to continue to do more for the for Ghana and the north. You and the President are working to make Ghana prosperous, and we are all beneficiaries of policies such as our new regions, free SHS, one village one dam, one constituency one ambulance, planting for food and jobs, the roads, the schools, NABCO, and the ongoing construction of the Pwalugu Dam. To do all this in just your first term of office is remarkable. You have honored your promises to us

May God guide and protect you and may machinations by your detractors that you fail backfire, he prayed.

He reiterated that you are in to develop Ghana and not to destroy it and I will continue to pray that the almighty God will see you through."

On his part, Dr Bawumia conveyed the gratitude of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the King and his council of elders for their support during the three and half years of the current administration, reassuring them that the promise to continue to pursue a developmental agenda shall continue unabated.

We are three and half years in government. President Nana Akufo Addo went into government with a promise for transformation of Mamprugu, the North and Ghana as a whole. It is evident that the transformation is being witnessed in Mamprugu, the north and Ghana. But we still have more to do and we ask for your prayers and support for four more years for President Nana Akufo-Addo to do more for you," he stated

He took the opportunity to list other important projects being embarked by government which, he argued, attest to the fact that the Akufo-Addo government surpasses any other government in the history of the fourth republic in terms of development within a government's first term.
Algeria on Sunday buried the remains of 24 resistance fighters returned from Paris after more than a century and a half as it marked the 58th anniversary of its independence from France.

The skulls of the fighters, shot and decapitated in the early years of the French occupation, were laid to rest during an emotional ceremony at El Alia cemetery.

The coffins draped with the national flag were lowered into freshly dug graves in the martyr's square of Algeria's largest burial ground, alongside national heroes such as top revolt leader Emir Abdelkader.

An elite unit of the Republican Guard presented arms while a funeral march played in the background, an AFP correspondent reported.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who took part in the ceremony alongside other officials, on Saturday said it was time to turn a page on years of frosty relations with France, calling on Paris to apologise for its colonial past.

"We have already had half-apologies. The next step is needed... we await it," he told news channel France 24 in an interview.

An apology was necessary to "face the problem of memory that jeopardises many things in the relations between the two countries", Tebboune said.

It would "make it possible to cool tensions and create a calmer atmosphere for economic and cultural relations", especially for the more than six million Algerians who live in France, he added.

The skulls, once viewed as war trophies by French colonial officers, were flown into Algiers international airport on Friday and then moved to the Palace of Culture where they were placed on display.

'Reconciling memories'

The skulls were returned Friday from the Musee de l'Homme in Paris where they had been stored since the 19th century. By - (Algerian TV/AFP)

Despite stifling heat, a long queue formed outside the palace and some men and women, waiting to pay their respects, wept, according to footage broadcast by several television stations.

"I came as a fighter, as an invalid from the war of libration, as a citizen who loves his country," said Ali Zemlat.

The 85-year-old fought in the brutal 1954-1962 war that ended France's 132 years of colonial rule in Algeria.

The skulls had been stored since the 19th century in the vaults of the Musee de l'Homme in Paris, which specialises in anthropology.

Among the remains were those of revolt leader Sheikh Bouzian, who was captured in 1849 by the French, shot and decapitated, and those of his comrades who had met the same fate.

Algeria had officially asked for their return in 2018, as well as requesting the handover of colonial archives.

The restitution of the skulls has been seen as a sign of a thaw in relations between Algeria and the former colonial power, marked since independence by recurrent tensions.

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".

The repatriation comes amid a global reexamination of the legacy of colonialism, sparked by the May killing of unarmed African American George Floyd by a white police officer.

His murder sparked protests across the world, and UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to make amends for "centuries of violence and discrimination".

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 Algiers in December 2017.

At the time, he told news website Tout sur l'Algerie that he was "ready" to see his country hand back the skulls.

During his presidential election campaign, Macron had created a storm by calling France's colonisation of Algeria a "crime against humanity".
Mali's president has met the leader of a protest movement that has brought many thousands on to the streets, the presidency said on Sunday.

A video posted on the presidency's Twitter account showed the meeting between President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Mahmoud Dicko, an imam and leading figure of the so-called June 5 movement, in the capital Bamako on Saturday.

It was the first official meeting between the two men since two demonstrations last month drew tens of thousands to the streets.

The protests have channelled deep-seated frustration over jihadist attacks and inter-ethnic violence that have claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes since 2012.

"We talked about everything that concerns this crisis and the country in general. I think that with the will of everyone and of all the parties concerned, we will, God willing, find the solution," Dicko said in the video.

"My role as an imam, as I have said, obliges me to be someone who always considers peace as being essential: peace in our country, the sub-region and in the world."

Keita, who has been in power since 2013, also met representatives of other political parties with the aim of "easing the political situation", the presidency said.

List of demands

The opposition coalition of religious leaders, politicians and civil society figures said on Wednesday that Keita's resignation would no longer be a condition for talks.

However, they outlined a list of demands including the dissolution of parliament and the formation of a transitional government whose prime minister would be appointed by the movement and could not be removed by the president.

The slow pace of political reform, a flagging economy, a lack of funding for public services and schools and a widely shared perception of government corruption have fed anti-Keita sentiment.

Last month's protests followed demonstrations in May over the results of March's long-delayed parliamentary elections -- which Keita's party won -- as well as over coronavirus restrictions.

The 75-year-old president has taken a conciliatory stance since the demonstrations began, mooting a national unity government in a June 14 address to the nation. Protest leaders rejected that offer.

One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali has been engulfed in conflict since a jihadist insurgency emerged in the north in 2012 and spread to the fragile centre of the country in 2015, as well as to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
The recent case involving the Deputy Trade Minister Carlos Ahenkorah who tested positive for covid 19 reminds me of another significant case involving Typhoid Mary. Carlos Ahenkorah received criticisms from Ghanaians for flouting the protocols as a politician. He and his driver have all tested positive for COVID-19 and this is a double risk from the media. Though he resigned, 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 . This is akin to the woman most famously known for spreading the typhoid fever.

Her real name was Mary Mallon, but she is more commonly referred to as Typhoid Mary, the person most prominently known for infecting dozens of people with typhoid fever while she worked as a cook for wealthy families in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. At the time, medical knowledge and understanding of asymptomatic carriers of disease was essentially non-existent, which is part of what made Mallons story all the more intriguing to doctors and public health officials.

MARY MALLON: WHO IS SHE?

Before she became famous for spreading the typhoid fever. Mallon was born in Cookstown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, in 1869 and emigrated as a teenager to the U.S., where she was eventually hired as a cook in New York City to prepare meals for some of Manhattans wealthiest families.

Mallon cooked for seven families between 1900 and 1907, unaware that she was a healthy carrier of typhoid fever. No one at the time, including Mallon, really understood that a person showing no signs or symptoms of typhoid, such as fever, cough, fatigue, or diarrhea, could still transmit the disease to others.

Mallons story illustrates a unique and unprecedented period in medical history. She was the first healthy carrier of typhoid fever to be discovered, so people had never seen it before and didnt know what to do.

In 1906, a rash of outbreaks erupted in New York and involved the families Mallon worked for. In one particular household, six of the 11 people got sick. That family hired George Soper, a well-known epidemiologist, to find out why. After months of investigation that included following Mallon around for blood, urine and feces samples, Soper concluded that Mallon was the culprit. Some time passed before Soper had Mallon taken into police custody in 1907 and moved to Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island in New Yorks East River, where she was forcibly kept in quarantine for three years.

Mallon hired a lawyer and sued for her release, even requesting a trial to prove her innocence on the accusations made against her. One of the few times the public heard from Mallon directly was in a handwritten note she wrote to her lawyer describing her time in isolation. But a judge found Mallon was still a public threat and ordered her to remain on North Brother Island. She was finally freed in 1910, but on the condition that she stop cooking and stay out of kitchens.

In 1915, Mallon was busted working under a suspected alias in a home kitchen in New York and was once again banished to a life of isolation on North Brother Island, where she remained until her death in November 1938 at the age of 69. In total, Mallon had spent 26 years of her life in quarantine there.

CRITICIZED AND MISJUDGED

Her nickname and reputation as a virus super-spreader reemerged in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the case of Carlos Ahenkorah reechoed. She gave the disease to people she cooked for, in small homes. But in Carlos case, many people had an encounter with him in the community which could be more serious compared to Mallons case.

EQUALS to Ghanaian Case in Carlos

For more than a third of her life, Mallon was confined to living in quiet isolation over concerns and fears she would continue infecting people with typhoid fever if she was allowed to live freely. Those same fears Ghanaians are talking about in the current case as the coronavirus quickly spread and killing notable people. Its important to look to the past to keep the present in perspective.

Like Mallon and typhoid fever, there is still much we dont know about how healthy carriers transmit COVID-19 , and that what we learn seems to be changing from day to day.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

There is plenty for us to learn from the story of Typhoid Mary when taken into the context of how we navigate pandemics like COVID-19. How media and the public handle the stigmatization of carriers of disease is one of them. How Mallon was blamed for having spread typhoid fever, intentionally or not, and then was given the nickname Typhoid Mary. In Carlos case, should we blame the doctors who advised him to go out?

The importance of clear and honest messaging from governments and public health officials in addressing the coronavirus is another key lesson to be learned from Mallons story. Mary Mallon understood there were different messages, and she thought she was treated unjustly.

As the story of Typhoid Mary serves as a cautionary tale of one persons individual rights being infringed upon for the public good. Mary Mallon may not have been afforded the opportunity to have it explained to her why she was being vilified, forced to quit her career in cooking, or why she had to be isolated on an island for years at a time. The lesson we can learn today, is in having an informed public that is willing to work together to eradicate COVID-19. Co-operation is best attained when youre honest and open about what youre doing and why youre doing it.

Dr Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, PhD

The writer is currently an LLB law student at Kings University College, Ghana.
Six students of the Accra Girls Senior High school have tested positive for COVID-19.

Citi News gathered that some students of the school showed symptoms of COVID-19 and were isolated in the school's sickbay on Monday, June 29, 2020.

Health officials from the Ayawaso East Health directorate were called in to deal with the matter.

COVID-19 tests were subsequently run on 11 students. Six of them tested positive and were on Saturday, July 4, sent to the Ga East Municipal Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, calm has returned to the school after agitations over COVID-19 fears among the students. Reopening of schools

Three days after Ghana recorded its first two cases of the novel coronavirus, President Akufo-Addo on March 15, 2020, directed the closure of schools at all levels to curb the spread of the virus.

But after almost 10 weeks of closure, final year Senior High Schools (SHS) students were asked by the President to return to school on Monday, June 22, whereas their counterparts in Junior High Schools (JHS) were to do same on Monday, June 29, to prepare for their final examinations.

Final year university students were also asked to resume on Monday, June 15.

All of these formed part of the phased easing of COVID-19 induced restrictions by the President.

Unfortunately, just a week after final year students in tertiary institutions returned to school, a National Service person at the Academic Department of the Accra Technical University tested positive for the disease.

The case is said to have been recorded on Monday, June 22, 2020; exactly a week after the tertiary institutions reopened. Calls for mass testing of students, teachers

Before and after the decision by the government to reopen schools, many guardians and individuals expressed worry with their wards being put at risk by having to go back to school.

Although there were several calls for the government to conduct mass testing of students, teachers and non-teaching staff to avoid the importation of the virus into the schools, it did not heed to these requests.

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) , for example, proposed mass coronavirus testing of students and all staff before schools reopen.

The opposition New Democratic Congress also suggested that all students, teaching and non-teaching staff be tested to preempt any potential spread on secondary schools and university campuses.

Four Teacher unions; the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate Teachers, Tertiary Education Workers' Union and Coalition of Concerned Teachers even registered their

Opposition to reopening schools .

But President Akufo-Addo has assured all parents and guardians that the government is committed to protecting the lives of the 800,000 students, teachers and non-teaching staff, who will be returning to school.

I will be the last person to put the lives of the 'Akufo-Addo graduates' at risk, he stressed.

 citinewsroom
Ghanaians have been asked to disregard information suggesting that the President Akufo-Addo has been flown to London to receive treatment for coronavirus.

This is according to the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin.

The Information Minister, in a statement yesterday [Saturday] disclosed that Akufo-Addo is on a 14-day self-isolation after getting exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The statement said the President had tested negative for the virus but has still decided to self-isolate out of the abundance of caution.

Even though the statement indicated that the President will be working from the Presidential

Villa at the Jubilee House, Accra, a report by the Herald Newspaper published today [Sunday] said that he has been flown out of the country for treatment.

The newspaper also said that the President has tested positive, contrary to what the Information Minister said on Saturday.

But Eugene Arhin, in a Facebook post, insisted that the President is in the country, and he is currently at the Presidential Villa in Jubilee House, observing the 14-day self-isolation precautionary measure, in compliance with COVID-19 protocols hence the general public must disregard the false story in the newspaper.

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President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has described as needless the explanation given by the government for the deployment of military personnel to the Volta Region and other border towns.

On Citi TVs current affairs show, The Big Issue, he stated that the deployment has nothing to do with the importation of the disease into the country as people are already flouting the coronavirus protocols.

The Minister of Defence was very wrong. The people of Ketu South are not idiots to have noticed that theres an increased presence in the military and to think that immigration officers were doing their work anyway. The borders have been shut already. If indeed the rule is to explain that COVID-19 could infiltrate [the country], Im wondering how plausible that is because we are actually violating COVID-19 rules internally more than we think will be getting across our borders, he insisted.

Military personnel have been stationed at the country's border towns with the government giving the excuse that the deployment is to stop the importation of COVID-19 into the country.

In total, 207 soldiers have been deployed along the borders of the Upper East Region; 110 in the Northern Region; 102 in the North East Region; 98 in the Volta Region; 72 in the Oti Region; 69 in Upper West; 64 in Bono Region; 21 in Savannah Region; and 14 in the Western Region.

In an address to the nation on Monday, June 29, 2020, President Akufo-Addo said the move was in the best interest of the country as it was done to prevent illegal immigrants into the country to stop the importation of COVID-19.

The Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul has also explained that the government's decision was in the collective interest of Ghanaians since there were over 250 unapproved routes in the country.

But Franklin Cudjoe says this move by the government is just for a different purpose and not what it claims.

He said, How many persons have been rounded up in the northern part of our country due to infiltrations here and there? We are breaking the rules internally including ministers of state rather than normal citizens who have already been contained within their borders. I think it was thoroughly unthinkable that something of this sort could be done. So the rules of this explanation is an offside one and unfortunately, nothing of the explanations make administrative and security sense. Agitations from minority

The opposition National Democratic Congress believes the deployment was to deter people in the party's strongholds from coming out in their numbers to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

As a result, party members, including its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, have complained about the deployment, insisting that it was a ploy to disenfranchise a number of voters in their strongholds especially the Volta Region.

They even gave the government a 24-hour ultimatum to withdraw the military men from the regions, a demand to which the government ignored.

On The Big Issue, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George was of the view that the government was untruthful to Ghanaians on the exact number of security personnel deployed to border towns in the country.

He insists that although personnel from other security agencies such as National Security, Bureau of National Security among others, were part of the recent deployment, only figures on military personnel were accounted for by the government.

It is unfortunate where we find ourselves that you have a government that is not candid, truthful, and doesn't speak to the facts. At the time that we held our press conference on Monday, there were deployments in four regions; Upper East, Upper West, Oti and Volta with a chunk of them being in the Volta and Oti. Arguably, these regions are known to be strongholds of the NDC. The President and the Defence Minister have lied. Dominic Nitiwul did the meet-the- press on the same day. He lied. I'm putting it on record that he lied to Ghanaians, he stressed on The Big Issue.

 citinewsroom
The Bongo District Assembly has intensified public sensitization on the Coronavirus Pandemic following a first time recorded case in the district.

The Hon District Chief Executive (DCE) of Bongo District Assembly and leader of the COVID-19 Team of the district, Hon Peter Ayimbisa disclosed this in Bongo during Public Sensitization Forum through Bongo Community Radio on the Impact of Covid-19 on the implementation of the Annual Action Plan (AAP) of the Assembly and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Hon DCE stated that the planning and implementation processes of the Assemblys plans require the active participation of citizens through regular consultations at the community, area, and Zonal council levels for inputs, views, and development priorities of the citizenry.

However, the COVID-19 restrictions on public and social gatherings impacted negatively on the Assemblys efforts to mobilize and facilitate citizens participation in the formulation and implementation of the Assemblys plans.

He further pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic had adversely affected resource mobilization of the Assembly as the lock-down in the major towns and cities and closure of borders greatly impacted negatively on businesses in the district resulting in very low Internally Generated Revenue.

This, according to the Hon DCE, created a huge budget deficit thereby posing a serious challenge to effectively finance a number of well -planned pro-poor activities in agriculture, education, water, sanitation and hygiene to reduce poverty, hunger and improve availability, accessibility, and affordability of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities as a contribution towards meeting the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The people of Bongo were informed that the Assembly had so far received an amount of Seventy Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc70,000.00) from the COVID-19 Relief Fund and these funds were being properly used to support the fight against COVID-19.

The Hon DCE who paused his presentation to pay a glowing tribute to the former Chief Executive of Forestry Commission and former General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie alias Sir John who, according to him, died of the virus, advised the public to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols by wearing face masks in public places, regular hand washing, hand sanitizing and social distancing as the virus is no respecter of persons.

The District Planning Officer of the Assembly, Mr. Thomas Kugoriba and the Local Government Inspector of the Assembly, Mr. Nyaaba Alfred took the public through the Annual Action Plan of the Bongo District Assembly and provided details of COVID-19 Responsive projects in each of the communities, markets, and schools in the district.

According to the Planning Officer, the Assembly had scheduled to review its Medium Term Development Plan taking into consideration the impact of COVID-19 on the Assemblys plan and how to mitigate it.

The Assembly recognized and acknowledged the support of Water Aid Ghana and UNICEF for a number of interventions that contributed significantly to improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in the district.

The Public Sensitization Forum which was organized and facilitated by the Bongo District Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Platform on SDGs with support of Water Aid Ghana sought to contribute towards deepening participatory local governance for increased responsiveness, transparency, and accountability of local government authorities.

The Convener of the Bongo District CSOs Platform on SDGs, Mr. Bismark Adongo Ayorogo explained that facilitating Citizens-Government Engagement through community radio was one of the innovative ways of reaching out to hundreds of community members to engage the Assembly on issues of governance and development without physical mass gathering in this era of COVID-19. He said similar activity had taken place in the Kasena-Nankana West District and urged the two Assemblies to continue engaging with the people after the intervention of the District CSOs Platforms on SDGs.

Community members who participated in the programme through phone-in calls complained of limited WASH facilities in some communities and therefore demanded an increased supply of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in every part of the district to promote handwashing, proper waste management and end open defecation.

Signed

Bismark Adongo Ayorogo

(Convener-Bongo District CSOs Platform on SDGs)
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has advised the Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, to abort any plans of going to court over a directive he received from President Akufo-Addo to proceed an on accumulated leave.

Mr. Domelevo, dont go to court. The court of the public opinion, the people of this country can read between the lines, Sam George said on The Big Issue.

President Akufo-Addo had earlier directed Mr. Domelevo to proceed on his accumulated annual leave of 123 working days.

Mr. Domelevo is said to have 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).

But the Office of the President later added 44 more working days to the 132 annual leave days after Mr. Domelevo, in a letter to the Presidency, urged Akufo-Addo to reconsider the directive, claiming that it breaches the labour law and is unconstitutional.

In the letter , Domelevo argued that based on the labour law and recent practice, no worker is deemed to have accumulated any leave on account of having failed, omitted, neglected or even refused to enjoy their right to annual leave, which the law guarantees for their benefit, not the employer.

But a letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, in response to the Auditor-Generals assertions maintained that Mr. Domelevo has no knowledge in law and thus his perception of the directive being an affront to labour laws is extremely misleading.

It said the government's decision is well-grounded in law and that Mr. Domelevo lacks a proper and legal understanding of his legal entitlements.

In reference to the response by the Presidents Secretary, Sam George, who doubles as a member of the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament stated that the explanation given by the Presidency goes contrary to the labour laws.

Nana Asante Bediatuo in this latest response has shown that he lacks political and emotional intelligence. If you read the tone of this letter, it is as though he has a beef with Domelevo. The language is unbecoming of the Office. And one thing he fails to do in his letter, one fundamental issue of law that Domelevo raises was not answered in there. The question that can leave be accumulated? Asante Bediatuo says Domelevo cannot understand the principles because he is not a lawyer. The fact that somebody is not a lawyer does not mean he cannot read an Act and understand and does not mean the person cannot engage the services of a lawyer to interpret for him.

Austin Gamey who has done quite well with our labour laws in Ghana has come out and said you cannot accumulate leave. Your leave expires at the end of the expiration of that year. He should have taken the annual leave for this year. Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the President who is a lawyer and knows all says that he is accumulating for all those years so he should go for 167 days, he added.

Already, some individuals are of the view that the Presidents directive raises further questions.

The development has since generated heated conversations on social media with many accusing the government of bad faith and employing a tactic to remove the Auditor-General from office for being critical of state spending.

 citinewsroom
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (File image: Reuters)

The finance ministry may assess the capital requirement of public sector banks after the September quarter as there would be greater clarity about a spike in bad loans by that time, sources said. There is widespread fear that non-performing assets (NPAs) of the banks will witness a surge due to the economic slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak and resultant lockdowns.

This will need higher provisioning by banks as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.

However, there could be a silver lining if RBI accepts request of loan restructuring for sectors hit badly by the coronavirus pandemic, sources said.

The pain of NPA will surface only after the extended moratorium ends in August, the sources said, adding it will be appropriate to assess capital requirement only after the second quarter numbers are finalised.

Veteran banker and CII President Uday Kotak had said the public sector banks would need financial support from the government to drive the economy, while private sector banks need to raise capital from various sources to meet the future challenges.

"The COVID-19 outbreak and resulting lockdown has impacted adversely the real economy, businesses, individuals, government and financial sector.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

"While the government is facing the risk of higher fiscal deficit, the banking sector urgently needs the recapitalisation to the tune of Rs 3-4 lakh crore to meet the lending requirements," he had said last month.

Ratings agency Fitch has estimated a shortfall of USD 15 billion (about Rs 1.25 lakh crore) by Indian banks to achieve a 10 per cent Weighted Average Common equity tier-1 (CET 1) ratio under moderate stress and in the absence of which banks would show high risk aversion.

The banking sector's NPAs were expected to increase by 450 basis point through FY21 and FY21 under moderate stress.

The government has infused over Rs 3.15 lakh crore into public sector banks (PSBs) in the 11 years through 2018-19.

In 2019-20, the government proposed to make Rs 70,000 crore capital infusion into PSBs to boost credit for a strong impetus to the economy.

However, the government refrained from committing any capital in the Budget 2020-21 for the PSBs, hoping that the lenders will raise funds from the market depending on the requirement.

In the last financial year, Punjab National Bank was given Rs 16,091 crore, Union Bank of India Rs 11,768 crore, Canara Bank Rs 6,571 crore and Indian Bank Rs 2,534 crore.

Merging entities like erstwhile Allahabad Bank was provided Rs 2,153 crore, United Bank of India 1,666 crore and Andhra Bank Rs 200 crore.

Besides, Bank of Baroda got a capital infusion of Rs 7,000 crore, Indian Overseas Bank Rs 4,360 crore, UCO Bank Rs 2,142 crore, Punjab & Sind Bank Rs 787 crore and Central Bank of India Rs 3,353 crore.

In addition, LIC-controlled IDBI Bank too received additional capital of Rs 4,557 crore through the supplementary demands for grants.

In all, the government has infused Rs 65,443 crore in PSBs in the last financial year as both regulatory and growth capital, as per Budget documents.
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HMD Global, which sells Nokia brand of mobile phones, is betting on its Finnish lineage and focus on security to succeed in the Indian market where it competes against rivals like Xiaomi, Samsung and others. The company, whose lineup includes both smartphones and feature phones, also sees resilience in the Indian market and said sales numbers are inching towards those in pre-COVID time.

"We are the only European mobile phone brand. We have a simple idea at the core of our operations that mobile technology can improve the lives of everyone around the world...We believe that every Nokia phone is built upon the foundations of security, reliability, and dependability," HMD Global Vice President Sanmeet Kochhar told PTI.

He added that the company has five manufacturing locations around the world, including one in India.

All Nokia phones sold in India (except for Nokia 9 PureView and Nokia 8 Sirocco) are locally manufactured in partnership with multiple ODMs (original design manufacturers).

Kochhar said the company is also committed to providing monthly security updates on phones across its portfolio, irrespective of the pricing of the device.

"We are focusing a lot on security of consumer data...those are the values that we stand for and we believe that differentiates us a lot in a commoditised market. That's something that we believe stands to become all the more relevant for our users in the post-COVID world," he added.

According to Counterpoint Research, HMD had 0.5 percent market share in the smartphone segment and 12 percent share in feature phone segment in India in the first quarter of 2020.

Industry watchers say brands like Samsung, Nokia and domestic handset makers like Lava could see higher sales amid anti-China sentiments in the country and calls for boycotting Chinese products from certain sections.

Talking about the impact of coronavirus pandemic, Kochhar said sales are coming back to normal, and added that pent up demand is being seen.

"The market is resilient, there is resilience in mobile phones segment. Demand is coming back and it's also about what kind of proposition we try to build in and we are looking at different aspects," he said.
(Representative Image)

LG Electronics is planning to re-enter the highly-competitive smartphone market in India as it sees a "window of opportunity" amid the anti-China sentiment in the country, reported The Economic Times.

The South Korean electronics major is currently mulling a comeback in the sub-Rs 15,000 segment which is currently dominated by Chinese companies. It will move on to the flagship territory later on.

The anti-China sentiment in the country, which reached its peak due to border skirmishes in Ladakh, has resulted in a 10 times increase in its smartphone sales in the past two months, Advait Vaidya, business head - mobile communications at LG Electronics told the daily.

The short-term window of opportunity is big enough for us to enter the space and achieve scale, he said.

As a result, LG is planning to scale up local manufacturing by 15 times until Diwali along with expanding its distribution network.

To cater to the unique demands on Indian consumers, LG is building an India specific and India first product portfolio, Vaidya said.

So, this year, starting August, we will be launching six phones across all segments - starting from the sub Rs 10,000 category up to the flagship segment. We are ramping up distribution across channels, online and offline, Vaidya said adding that the sub Rs 15,000 segment will by LG's focus for 2020.

LG may also enter the tablet market by year-end, he added

LG is currently in advanced discussions with "one of the largest" contract manufacturers in India. It will make a formal announcement once an agreement is reached.
The 10 most valued domestic companies together added a whopping Rs 4,04,068.05 crore in market valuation last week, with RIL and HDFC Bank leading the gains. Here are the top 10 firms according to their market capitalisation for the week ended April 9:

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"Technology stocks have always been in vogue, as they have generated returns consistently, and have less cyclicality. Also, in bear markets and stress times, investors prefer parking their funds with large tech companies as a defensive bet," Sumit Bilgaiyan, the founder of Equity99, said in an interview to Moneycontrol's Sunil Shankar Matkar.

Q: The market gradually picked up momentum in the last one month and majority of experts feel liquidity was the only reason behind it along with hope that growth will be back sooner than later. Do you agree, why? Do you expect the rally to continue in coming month too as the next phase is expected to start?

A: I feel liquidity is a reason. Along with that, the entry of numerous retail investors is also a major reason behind this rally. In the lockdown period, 21 lakh new depository accounts were opened.

Surprisingly, retail investors are a major part of this rally. I expect the rally to continue provided a) Q1FY21 results are not worse-than-expected b) month-on-month improvement is seen in the performance.

Q: On the one side, the majority of experts say investors should stick to quality large caps, but on the other side, broader markets (midcap and smallcap) continued to outperform benchmark indices in the last one month. What is you advise to investors and does the rally in midcap/smallcaps indicate that we are on recovery path now?

A: It is too early to comment whether we are on a recovery path, as we should wait for Q1FY21 and Q2FY21 results to decide on that. Yes, I believe investors should not stick to only large caps, but they should also buy quality midcap stocks which are at reasonable valuations. They should focus on keeping their risks low. Albeit, large caps should be the major part of the portfolio undoubtedly.

Q: Reports suggested that the government and RBI may come out with another fiscal package to boost the economy. What is your take on it and do you feel so?

A: My take is that it is extremely tough for a big fiscal package, as the government has to take care of their financial position too. If they go overboard, they will face consequences later. The government will definitely come out with smaller stimulus packages in order to help the grappled sectors, but if you are expecting something big, I think you are gearing yourself for disappointment.

Q: In the last six months, all sectors are still in the red with most of them showing double digit decline. Pharma is the one sector which already recovered all losses, rising 23 percent in 1HCY20 and over 60 percent from March lows. Do you think the rally will continue in pharma stocks, why and what are your top bets?

A: I think most pharma stocks are overvalued now, and the rally will stabilise now. Markets become positive too soon, before you can think. I believe pharma stocks which have a great future potential along with a robust business model should be bought even now. My picks are Sun Pharma and Dr Lal PathLabs.

Sun Pharma: It is the largest pharma company of India, and one the largest in the world. It is available at a reasonable valuation currently.

Q: Technology sector traded almost in line with benchmark indices, rising 35 percent from March lows while declined only 2 percent in 1HCY20 against double digit fall in benchmark indices. So what is driving the rally in technology, is it just attractive valuations or liquidity or is it going to be one of leaders in next bull run?

A: Technology stocks have always been in vogue, as they have generated returns consistently, and have less cyclicality. Also, in bear markets and stress times, investors prefer parking their funds with large tech companies as a defensive bet. Investing in companies like TCS and Infosys, is like investing in dollars with better returns. I think it will continue to generate greater returns in future.

Q: IPO or primary market has been the most affected segment as there was only 1 IPO in the Main Board segment and around 8 in the SME segment in 1HCY20 against 7 and 21 respectively in 1HCY19. Do you think COVID-19 is the only reason for weakness in the IPO market and what are your expectations about 2HCY20?

A: Yes, I think the bear markets triggered by COVID-19 are the major reason for disruption in IPO and primary markets. I think the scenario in 2HCY20 should be better than earlier, but the valuation will definitely take some beating, so if the companies are comfortable with lower valuations, deals should go through.

Q: Lot of companies announced the share buyback issue in 1HCY20. What is the general reason behind share buyback and do you expect more share buyback issues in 2HCY20 also?

A: The main reason for share buyback is clear that the company can buy the shares at a much lower value than normally, so they prefer reducing the public stake. Companies with a lot of extra cash have mainly 2 options with them - dividend or buyback.

Q: What are your top three picks for investors?

A: Srikalahasthi Pipes: SPL is one of the leading players in the DI pipe industry. SPL has an equity capital of Rs 46.70 crore supported by reserves of Rs 1,369.45 crore. It has a share book value of Rs 303.25 with a price to book value ratio is just 0.63 which is highly attractive.

During FY20, its operating profit has grown at 39 percent to Rs 260.2 crore and PAT has grown at 60 percent to Rs 187.68 crore. At the CMP of Rs 190, the stock trades at a P/E of just 4.75x. Stock is available with a 70 percent dividend. We are recommending a strong buy for medium to long term.

Gujarat Sidhee Cement: It is a Mehta groups flagship company. It markets cement under the brand name 'Sidhee'. Company has posted turnaround numbers for FY20. During FY20, it has reported operating profit of Rs 77.37 crore against loss of Rs 11.11 crore in FY19. It has reported PAT of Rs 44.84 crore against loss of Rs 5.87 crore. Company has paid a 10 percent interim dividend for FY20 after 7 years. At the CMP of Rs 31.85, the stock trades at a P/E of just 6.2x. We are recommending a strong buy for medium to long term.

Dr Lal PathLabs: It is one of the largest chain of path labs in India. Consolidation in path labs will strengthen giving more power to such players. Company has pricing power but it is growing mainly on the back of volumes.

During FY20, its operating profit has grown at 17 percent and PAT has grown at 13.40 percent. Dr Lal has an equity capital of just Rs 83.3 crore supported by reserves of Rs 949.5 crore. Mutual Funds hold 7.63 percent and FPIs hold 20.01 percent stake in the company. We are recommending a strong buy for medium to long term.

: 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.
A centenarian man from Delhi, who was four years old during the 1918 Spanish Flu, has survived COVID-19 and recovered faster than his son, in his 70s, at a dedicated coronavirus facility here, doctors said.

The 106-year-old patient was discharged from the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) recently after recovering, where his wife, son and another family member also recuperated after contracting the novel coronavirus infection, they said.

"Perhaps, he is the first reported case of COVID-19 in Delhi who also went through the dreaded Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 which like COVID-19 had also ravaged the world. And, he not only recovered from COVID-19, he recovered faster than his son, who is also very old," a senior doctor.

Spanish Flu was a pandemic which hit the world 102 years ago and affected nearly one-third of the global population at that time.

"The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919," according to the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) in the US.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

In the US, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 6,75,000 deaths occurred in America, it said.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the pandemic of 1918-1919 called the Spanish Flu was particularly virulent and killed an estimated 40 million people worldwide.

In India, the disease is believed to have been brought in by the soldiers returning from World War I conflicts.

The first cases of Spanish Flu were reported in areas which are major ports of entry, such as Mumbai (then Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Delhi and Chennai (Madras), where a large number of people returned from abroad.

The casualty count in India from the Spanish Flu is believed to be nearly one-fifth of the entire fatalities in the world, though the statistics for mortality in India are too wide-ranging and debatable.

Doctors at the RGSSH, a dedicated COVID-19 facility were amazed to see the recovery of this centenarian patient from the novel coronavirus, even though he was highly vulnerable to the infection.

"We don't know whether he was affected by the Spanish Flu or not. We haven't seen much documentation on the situation back then as far as Delhi is concerned, but very few hospitals were there at that time. It is amazing this 106-year-old showed the will power to survive," a senior doctor, who monitored his situation, said.

But, what is more interesting is that he recovered faster than his son, who is in his 70s. So, he lived through the Spanish Flu and now survived COVID-19, hence, he lived through two pandemics, he said.

Besides, his wife and an another family member also had contracted COVID-19, and all four have successfully recovered and were discharged about a month-and-a-half ago, the doctor said.

The RGSSH has treated 1,000 COVID-19 patients so fare, and on Monday it is marking the milestone with a symbolic event where Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Heath Minister Satyendar Jain are slated to participate.

Delhi recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally in the city to over 97,000-mark, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,004, authorities said.

The national capital, at present is the worst-hit city in the country, from the pandemic. According to the bulletin, 68,256 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far.
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United States' Secretary of State Michael Pompeo spoke to India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar at the height of border tensions between India and China following the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, The Indian Express has reported.

Twenty Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the clash on June 15-16. There were casualties on the Chinese side too. However, that number is not clear.

Pompeo had made the call 10 days ago and the conversation revolved around the US government's support to India amid escalating border tensions, the report suggests.

Information regarding the call was not put out earlier due to "strategic reasons", the report adds. The telephonic conversation happened at the when India and China were reportedly holding military and diplomatic-level talks.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Maintaining a neutral tone, a statement issued by Washington on June 17 had said that the US government was "closely monitoring" the situation and that it supports a "peaceful resolution of the current situation". However, Washington's statements since then have reportedly indicated of more vocal support of India.

"We welcome Indias ban on certain mobile apps that can serve as appendages of CCP (Communist Party of China)s surveillance state. Indias clean app approach will boost Indias sovereignty, will also boost Indias integrity and national security, as the Indian government itself has stated," Pompeo had said after India banned over 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok.

Due to the cooperation and information-sharing between New Delhi and Washington, India now has a "good sense" of the build-up on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"India and the US have robust defence cooperation, and this has been visible in the deployment of US platforms in the current situation along the LAC," a person aware of these developments told the newspaper. The "platforms" refer to US-built aircraft being flown by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the report adds.
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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.

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 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 BS Yediyurappa on July 1, 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-19 positive report, the person shall isolate himself/herself at home in a separate room and the 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).
On June 30, normally a day when salaried employees look forward to their monthly paychecks, the Millenium Post reported an unsuccessful attempt at robbing a bank in Kolkatas upscale New Market area. The robbers who managed to break into the branch failed to cut open the vault, only succeeding in opening a box of coins which they rightly refused to take.

Clearly, the handiwork of a few incompetent amateurs looking to make a quick buck. The kind that give bank robbers a bad name. After all, theres nothing more fascinating than a daring bank robbery undertaken with finesse and meticulous planning.

Banks are robbed all the time and with the world in the grip of a severe economic winter, it is a fair bet that there will be a few more of such attempts. Just last week, there were reports of a robbery at People's Bank in Baltimore while closer home The Tribune reported that two unidentified men looted Rs 4.8 lakh at gunpoint from an all-women branch of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Mohali. Some years ago, burglars had dug a wide tunnel in a bid to rob the lockers inside PNB's Gohana branch in Sonipat.

PNB, of course, is no stranger to bank heists, with men like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi having left the bank poorer by thousands of crores.

Indeed, their acts show how the day of the bank robber is long gone. All those breath-taking sequences in movies like The Italian Job and Heat or Set It Off are just that, cinematic imagination. For some real inspiration, one needs to go back in time, to the era when bank robberies were chronicled and the robbers were bad-boy icons. Thus, in 1911, the Bonnot Gang was the talk of town in France for a series of bank robberies. Among the burgled banks was Societe Generale, two of whose branches were robbed within months. Significantly, the banks website notes the event among the key milestones in its 150-year journey: This time, they killed two of the bank's employees, but it was to be their last bank robbery, since the gang members were all either killed or arrested just a few weeks later.

Some of the legends who perfected the act went on to write well-received memoirs, none more famous than the one by Willie Sutton. One of Americas most notorious con artists, he did not shed a drop of blood while robbing nearly 100 banks and escaping from three of the countrys most secure prisons. Asked why he robbed banks, Sutton in his book Where the Money Was: The Memoirs of a Bank Robber gives the classic reply, Because that's where the money is.

Who would question that? The big heists in history have yielded rich dividends. In a daring robbery in 2005, robbers tunnelled into the Banco Central in Fortaleza, Brazil, to steal 164 million Brazilian real, while in 2007, bank guards ran off with $300 million worth of funds from the Dar Es Salaam Bank in Baghdad.

Over time though, banks have become more secure and the risk-reward ratio, never loaded in favour of the perpetrators, has turned even more adverse. Following the financial crisis of 2008, a spate of gun-point robberies took place in banks across the US which then acted to make their premises much more secure by using exploding dye packs in cash bundles and bullet-resistant glass. In addition, improved surveillance and tracking technologies and greater cooperation among financial institutions led to most robbers being apprehended.

In this era of cyber crime when online thieves hack into peoples credit cards and bank accounts to rob them of millions, the old-fashioned gun-toting bandit who slipped a note to the teller, your money or your life, is a bit of an anachronism. Indeed, in the hierarchy of criminal minds, the bank robber is low-life, lacking in the kind of brains that enabled a ring of hackers to steal over a billion dollars from 100 banks in 30 countries by hacking into the banks servers.

It almost makes you wish for the return of the old fashioned gun-toting hacker. Whats more, data hacks are far worse than physical loot for a listed company. According to a piece in XDnet, Wall Street does not look upon them kindly and the public disclosure of a data breach can lead to the average share price of a company falling by 7.27 percent on disclosure, with low share value and growth underperformance a reality for years afterwards.
2 | Next crop of COVID-19 vaccine developers take more traditional route: The handful of drugmakers dominating the global coronavirus vaccine race are pushing the boundaries of vaccine technology. The next crop under development feature more conventional, proven designs. The world will need several different vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, given the sheer size of global need, variations in effects on different populations, and possible limits of effectiveness in the first crop. Many leading candidates now in final-stage testing are based on new, largely unproven technology platforms designed to produce vaccines at speed.

Britain is in talks with pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi to supply 60 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, The Economic Times reported.

The deal is valued around 500 million pounds or $624 million.

According to the daily, Britain is considering an option to buy the vaccine if human trials, which are due to begin in September, are successful.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine launch by Aug 15 unfeasible, ICMR slammed for raising unrealistic hope and expectations

The money would be paid in tranches as the development of the vaccine progresses with the final payment to be made on delivery.

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 deal is expected to be announced in the coming days, the report added.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine: ICMR confirms Covaxin launch likely by August 15, clinical trials fast-tracked

GSK and Sanofi are among more than 100 global players working on vaccines against COVID-19, which has killed more than half a million people worldwide.
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Facing growing demand for his resignation, Nepal's embattled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the ruling communist party is facing a grave crisis, indicating that it may split soon, according to a media report on July 5.

Oli, at an emergency meeting of the Cabinet at his official residence, told the Cabinet ministers that some of our party members are also trying to remove President Bidya Devi Bhandari from the power, My Republica newspaper quoted a senior leader as saying.

"Now, conspiracies are being hatched to remove me from the post of prime minister and party chairman, the prime minister said on Saturday, adding that he will not let it happen.

The ruling party is facing a grave crisis, Oli said.

Also read | KP Sharma Oli considers splitting ruling party to counter calls for resignation: Report

After Oli's remarks about the conspiracy to impeach the president, three former prime ministers -- Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda', Madhav Nepal and Jhanalanth Khanal -- met Bhandari and clarified that the rumour about the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders trying to remove her from office were untrue, The Kathmandu Post reported.

On Saturday, a crucial meeting of the NCP's 45-member powerful Standing Committee to decide the political future of Oli was postponed until Monday to allow more time for the top leadership to iron out their differences over his style of functioning and anti-India statements.

During the Cabinet meeting, a defiant Oli said that he will not be forced to accept the party's Standing Committee decision.

He also urged the ministers to make their position clear whether they support him or not.

"I had to make a quick decision to prorogue the budget session of Parliament last week after coming to know that some of our party members were hatching conspiracy to register an impeachment motion against the President at Parliament," Oli told the ministers.

Surya Thapa, the prime minister's press aide, said that the prime minister invited the ministers to share the latest political developments in the country.

Prior to the meeting, Oli held a one-on-one meeting with President Bhandari at her office in Maharajgunj.

Oli's statement comes at a time when the intra-party rift in the NCP is at its peak after majority of the party's Standing Committee members and Central Secretariat members demanded his immediate resignation from the post of Prime Minister and party chairman, accusing the government of failing to live up to the people's expectations.

He has accused NCP executive chairman Prachanda of non-cooperation in running the government while Prachanda is accusing Oli of imposing hegemony in the party.

Prime Minister Oli, 68, last week claimed that there have been various kinds of activities in the "embassies and hotels" to remove him from power.

He said some Nepalese leaders were also involved in the plot after his government redrew the country's political map by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories -- Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.

Raising baseless accusations against India and leaders of his own party by the Prime Minister was not appropriate, a senior leader of the party quoted Prachanda as saying during the Standing Committee meeting last week.

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.

Also read : Plots being hatched to topple me | Under pressure, Nepal's KP Sharma Oli uses tried-and-tested tactics

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 last week.

In May 2018, when Oli and Dahal announced 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 Dahal would run the party as executive chairman.

Dahal 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.
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.
Wikimedia Commons

Kabul/IBNS: A roadside mine blast in the Kohistan district of Afghanistan's Herat region on Saturday left at least three policemen killed, media reports said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at least 100 km away from Herat city.

A police vehicle hit a roadside mine triggering the incident.

The mine was placed by the Taliban to target the security forces, Amindullah Haft Bala, district governor of Kohsan district told Tolo News.

The Taliban did not comment on the incident so far.

The injured people were rushed to nearby hospital for treatment.
With the new year upon us and a legislative session (under way), let us resolve to be the bright light that shines through the darkest night for the smallest and most vulnerable of angels.
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.
Dozens of people stood Nov. 6 at Vermilion's Grand Division parking lot off Main Street for the unveiling of the new Public Art Vermilion prog
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.

Bill Ketter is the senior vice president of news for CNHI. Contact him at wketter@cnhi.com.
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.
Midland Mayor Patrick Paytons comments Friday continued a verbal attack on Gov. Greg Abbott for a pattern of executive fiat over the entire state without legislative checks and balances.

For the third time in a week, Payton called out the governor for overly broad measures and action that conflicted with what Midlands mayor believes should take place at the local level.

Moving forward there must be local control and self-governance until the active engagement of the legislative branch of Texas if we are going to uphold the principles of self-governance, freedom and democracy this country and state are founded upon  principles not to be easily forgotten during a weekend in which we celebrate our historic independence, Payton said Friday in a statement.

In late June, when Abbott called for closing bars and reducing restaurant occupancy back to 50 percent, Payton stated, it is once again very difficult to abide by statewide mandates that apply broadly to the state but with confusion on what is necessary and actionable at the local level. I believe we as a city are on the right course.

When addressing a mask mandate on Wednesday, Payton said, In the midst of this panic associated with the unknown, we have demonstrated how easily we will succumb to the king when we cannot control something or do not feel like we are safe.  In less than one week, the kings and queens of Washington D.C., and even Austin, shut the entire country down uniformly and in some cases unnecessarily.

After the governor announced his latest measure  which called for face coverings to be worn in public across most of the state  in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus, Payton responded that he was disappointed in the ongoing executive overreach of Gov. Abbott into local matters dealing with community health.

The mayor also said, until such a time when the Texas Legislature finally engages this unprecedented season, we at the local level are the only check and balance to statewide mandates being applied to a fluid and varied situation throughout a radically diverse state.

Local control isnt the same as inaction on coronavirus. In March and April, Payton, along with the Midland City Council, put measures into place they believed were in the best interest of community health.

In March, Payton put in a place a disaster order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Gatherings for any event, common endeavor or business operation were limited to 50 people or fewer, except for certain circumstances. The declaration allowed for exceptions in education arenas, government facilities, places of worship, hotels and motels, grocery stores, hospitals or shelters, among other places.

In April, the mayor put into place a different disaster declaration that included measures that mandated social distancing, including limiting the number of customers equal to 10 percent of its occupancy based on square footage.

In late April, the mayor said the governors plan to reopen the Texas economy mirrored the plan offered by West Texas mayors. At the time, he said there is a responsibility of Midland County residents to act in a way that doesnt harm themselves or their neighbor and businesses should have every ability to operate in a manner they deem safe for their customers.

A people living in tyranny freely give their rights away to an empty promise of provision and protection, Payton said Wednesday. Out here in West Texas, we still believe in the power of a free people, even when we cant see the enemy.
This story was first published by Texas Tribune.

The Ector County Republican Party voted Saturday to censure Gov. Greg Abbott, accusing him of overstepping his authority in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, while state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, called for a special session so lawmakers could have a say in how Texas proceeds amid soaring caseloads.

The party executive committee in Ector County, home to Odessa, passed the censure resolution 10-1, with one abstention and three voting members who were not present, according to the chairperson, Tisha Crow. She said she was among those who supported the resolution, which accuses Abbott of violating five party principles related to his exercise of executive power during the pandemic.

While the resolution asks that delegates to the state convention later this month consider  and affirm  Ector County's action, Crow said consideration is "not guaranteed," and one precinct chair, Aubrey Mayberry, said the resolution "doesn't have any teeth" for now  but that it was important to send a message about what they consider Abbott's overreach.

Mayberry, who voted for the resolution, said he was working with precinct chairs in other Texas counties to get similar resolutions passed ahead of the convention.

The Ector County vote came two days after Abbott took one of his most sweeping executive actions yet, requiring Texans in most public places to wear masks. For months, Abbott has used his executive authority aggressively to respond to the pandemic, forcing hospitals to suspend elective surgeries, ordering Texans to stay at home in April except for essential activities, and shutting down certain businesses  and then reopening them before COVID-19 cases surged. Texas is now one of the nation's epicenters for the virus.

Perry wrote Saturday on Facebook that he is "deeply concerned about the unilateral power being used with no end in sight."

"This is why I urge Governor Abbott to convene a special session to allow the legislature to pass legislation and hold hearings regarding the COVID-19 response," Perry said. "It should not be the sole responsibility of one person to manage all of the issues related to a disaster that has no end in sight."

In the upper chamber, state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, has also called for a special session, as have several House Republicans.

Abbott has not explicitly ruled out a special session before the Legislature meets again in January. In a TV interview Friday, though, he made clear it was not his preference at this point.

"The important thing is that we have the capability of responding very swiftly, and now is just not the time [to call the Legislature back]," Abbott told KTRK in Houston. "I will say that all possibilities will always remain on the table, but right now we're just making sure that we do all the right things to ensure that we're putting public health and safety first and that we reduce the spread of the coronavirus."
Ottawa: The Canadian government has expressed its concern over China's move of passing national security legislation for Hong Kong.

"Canada joins the international community in reiterating its serious concern at the passage of national security legislation for Hong Kong by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China," said Canada's foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne in a statement.

This legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kongs legislature, judiciary or people, and in violation of international obligations," the Minister said.

The Canadian leader said the 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.

He said: "Effective immediately, Canada will treat exports of sensitive goods to Hong Kong in the same way as those destined for China. Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong."

He announced Canada will suspend the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty.

Finally, we have updated our travel advice for Hong Kong in order to advise Canadians of the potential impacts of the new national security legislation," he 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.

Images: Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay
The return of a state assessment test in 2020-21 is needed, and Midland ISD parents and teachers shouldnt fear it.

There were headlines across the state last week that the state will move forward with the administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test in the 2020-21 school year. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told State Board of Education members Tuesday that the testing will have some changes, including an expanded testing window and an extended period for online testing.

Testing needs to happen. We cannot go another year not knowing how our students are progressing versus the rest of the state. Assessment is good. It allows us to have a metric to see how our district  not just teachers and students but the entire district  measures against others.

Our community needs to know MISDs deficiencies. And with students having been given a pass this year, it is mandatory that we get back on track with assessments as soon as possible. In talking to people in education, one worry I hear repeatedly is that the three months off campus at the end of the 2019-20 academic year will put entire student populations in a hole that could take years to climb out of.

We must know where the district stands and what those measures were when it came to online learning. We must know where we succeeded and where we failed.

The news about STAAR brought an expected reaction that it will put too much pressure on teachers and students. I hate to hear this, because that is not the way it should be. Our message to teachers and students should be: Teach the best you can, and we will let the chips fall where they may on assessments like the STAAR.

At the same time, community members, parents and district staff must acknowledge that we have not matched the results of other districts around the state when it comes to academic performance.

That must change because the TEA has told central office that this district must do better and because for more than 10 years the district has not performed to a level at whjch it is capable. Anyone wanting to point fingers misses the greater point, and those wanting to put more pressure on teachers and students because of a systemic issue are needlessly placing blame and shouldnt be part of the conversation.

The goal with every hire at Midland ISD  or any other school for that matter  should be a person who can bring positive results when it comes to the academic performance of this district. It doesnt matter the level  from pre-K teacher to superintendent. If that person doesnt accomplish that one goal, then he or she is not useful to the overall mission of the district.

I go back to 2015 being a watershed moment for the district. That is when an entire community learned that our district ranked 199th out of the largest 200 school districts in the state when it came to academic performance (only Ector County ISD ranked lower). We would not have learned that without information from Education Resource Group.

And since then, we know that the number of failing campuses continues to the point where the ones with the worst records are handed over to charter companies. How do we know that we must do better as a district? Because of an assessment. How do we know that nine schools failed and another 10 received Ds they38 rated received either an A or B during the same year? Because of an assessment.

This same assessment shows that districts from El Paso to the Valley are outperforming Midland ISD on the same test. That same assessment shows that demographics or socio-economic status dont hold back other districts.

If someone wants to continue to put pressure on teachers and students concerning the administration of an assessment test, they are missing the point. Let the teachers teach, let the students learn and the STAAR will take care of itself. Venture away from that too much and your issues are greater than what is taking place in the classroom.
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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
University of Missouri Extension announced its plan to expand access to Missouri 4-H programs and resources through a curriculum it plans to debut on the online learning platform Canvas. Pictured are four kids wearing 4-H Club shirts at the Clay County 4-H Fair in July 2019.
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During a speech to U.S. Air Force personnel station in the United Kingdom recently, President Joe Biden warned that global warming is the greatest physical theat to the nations security. Biden has suggested that climate change poses a threat to U.S. military security on multiple occasions. In February, he noted that he had directed the Pentagon to reimagine the countrys strategy for dealing with the impact of climate change. Do you agree with the President that climate change is the great physical threat to the United States? Choices are:

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Abby Martin uncovers the facts about the war on Afghanistan, from the CIA construct of the 80's through today's senseless stalemate. Two decades, three administrations, tens of thousands of lives; it's time to #EndTheForeverWar .

Posted July 04, 20202

Watch Abby's interview with Afghanistan combat veteran for more information about the senseless Forever War: https://youtu.be/-thYBWf_AIM

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

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COLLINSVILLE  An Illinois State Police trooper was being held Saturday in jail in Bond County after being accused of manufacturing psychedelic mushrooms with the intent to deliver.

District 11 Trooper Nolan Morgan, 40, of Greenville was arrested Friday on charges of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver and manufacture of a controlled substance, psilocybin mushrooms.
Warplanes struck overnight at an airbase that was recently recaptured by Libya's internationally recognised government from eastern forces with help from Turkey, a military source with the eastern forces and a resident nearby said.

The strikes were carried out by "unknown aircraft", the military source with the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said.

A resident at the nearby town of Zintan said explosions were heard from the direction of the base.

Watiya's recapture in May by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli marked the start of a sudden collapse of the LNA's 14-month assault to seize the capital and its retreat along the coast to the new frontlines.

Turkish support was vital to the GNA in turning back the LNA offensive with advanced air defences and drone strikes that targeted Khalifa's supply lines and troop build-ups.

A Turkish source said last month that Turkey was in talks with the GNA to establish two bases in Libya, one of them at Watiya, the most important airbase in western Libya.

Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was in Tripoli for meetings with the GNA on Friday and Saturday and Akar swore to do all that was necessary to help it, a Turkish defence ministry statement said.

The LNA is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt. During its advance towards Tripoli last year, the LNA was assisted by Egyptian and UAE airstrikes.

Last month, the United States said Russia had sent at least 14 MiG29 and Su-24 warplanes to an LNA base via Syria, where their Russian airforce markings were removed.

Turkish involvement in Libya has also angered France and Greece and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned of new sanctions on Ankara.

The GNA and LNA are now mobilising forces at the new frontlines between the cities of Misrata and Sirte. Egypt has warned that any Turkish-backed effort to take Sirte, which the LNA captured in January, could lead its army to directly intervene.

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By Pepe Escobar

July 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Greece invented the concept of barbaros. Imperial Rome inherited it as barbarus.

The original meaning of barbaros is rooted in language: an onomatopoeia meaning unintelligible speech as people go bar bar bar when they talk.

Homer does not refer to barbaros, but to barbarophonos (of unintelligible speech), as in those who dont speak Greek or speak very badly. Comic poet Aristophanes suggested that Gorgias was a barbarian because he spoke a strong Sicilian dialect.

Barbaru meant foreigner in Babylonian-Sumerian. Those of us who studied Latin in school remember balbutio (stammer, stutter, babble).

So it was speech that defined the barbarian compared to the Greek. Thucydides thought that Homer did not use barbarians because in his time Greeks hadnt yet been divided off so as to have a single common name by way of contrast. The point is clear: the barbarian was defined as in opposition to the Greek.

The Greeks invented the barbarian concept after the Persian invasions by Darius I and Xerxes I in 490 and 480-479 BC. After all they had to clearly separate themselves from the non-Greek. Aeschylus staged The Persians in 472 BC. That was the turning point; after that barbarian was everyone who was not Greek  Persians, Phoenicians, Phrygians, Thracians.

Adding to the schism, all these barbarians were monarchists. Athens, a new democracy, considered that to be the equivalent of slavery. Athens extolled freedom  which ideally developed reason, self-control, courage, generosity. In contrast, barbarians  and slaves  were childish, effeminate, irrational, undisciplined, cruel, cowardly, selfish, greedy, luxurious, pusillanimous.

From all of the above two conclusions are inevitable.

Barbarism and slavery was a natural match. Greeks thought it was morally uplifting to help friends and repel enemies, and in the latter case Greeks had to enslave them. So Greeks should by definition rule barbarians.

History has shown that this worldview not only migrated to Rome but afterwards, via Christianity post-Constantine, to the superior West, and finally to the Wests supposed end of history: imperial America.

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Rome, as usual, was pragmatic: barbarian was adapted to qualify anything and anyone that was not Roman. How not to relish the historical irony: for the Greeks, the Romans were also  technically  barbarians.

Rome focused more on behavior than race. If you were truly civilized, you would not be mired in the savagery of Nature or found dwelling in the outskirts of the world (like Vandals, Visigoths, etc..) You would live right in the center of the matrix.

So everyone who lived outside of Romes power  and crucially, who resisted Romes power  was a barbarian. A collection of traits would establish the difference: race, tribe, language, culture, religion, law, psychology, moral values, clothing, skin color, patterns of behavior.

People who lived in Barbaria could not possibly become civilized.

Starting from the 16th century, that was the whole logic behind the European expansion and/or rape of the Americas, Africa and Asia, the core of the mission civilisatrice carried as a white mans burden.

With all that in mind, a number of questions remain unanswered. Are all barbarians irredeemably barbarous  wild, uncivilized, violent? The civilized, in many cases, may also be considered barbarian? Is it possible to configure a pan-barbarian identity? And where is Barbaria today?

The end of secularized religion

Barbarism begins at home. Alastair Crooke has shown how in an extremely polarized US both parties are essentially accusing each other of barbarism: these people lie, and would stoop to any illegitimate, seditionist (i.e. unconstitutional) means, to obtain their illicit ends.

Adding to the complexity, this clash of barbarisms opposes an old, conservative guard to a Woke Generation in many respects aping a Mao Cultural Revolution mindset. Woke could easily be interpreted as the opposite of the Enlightenment. And its an Anglo-America phenomenon  visible among the aimless, masked, unmasked, socially disillusioned, largely unemployed and not-distanced victims of the raging New Great Depression. There is no woke in China, Russia, Iran or Turkey.

Yet the central Barbaria question goes way beyond street protests. The indispensable nation may have irretrievably lost the Western equivalent of the Chinese mandate of heaven, dictating, unopposed, the parameters of its own construct: universal civilization.

The fundaments of what amounts to a secularized religion are in tatters. The narrow, sectarian pillar of liberal core tenets of individual autonomy, freedom, industry, free trade was able to be projected into a universal project  only so long as it was underpinned by power.

Roughly for the past two centuries this civilizational claim served as the basis for the colonization of the Global South and the Wests uncontested domination over The Rest. Not anymore. Signs are creeping everywhere. The most glaring is the evolving Russia-China strategic partnership.

The indispensable nation lost its military cutting edge to Russia and is losing its economic/trade preeminence to China. President Putin was compelled to write a detailed essay setting the record straight on one of the pillars of the American Century: that only happened, to a large extent, due to the sacrifices of the USSR in WWII.

Its quite enlightening to check how the civilizational claim is unraveling across Southwest Asia  what the Orientalist perspective defines as the Middle East.

In a paroxysm of missionary zeal, the self-appointed heir to imperial Rome  call it Rome on the Potomac  is bent, via the Deep State, on destroying by all means necessary the allegedly barbarian Axis of Resistance: Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus and Hezbollah. Not by military means, but via economic apocalypse.

This testimony, by an European religious figure working with Syrians, concisely shows how the Caesar Act sanctions  perversely depicted as a Civilian Protection Act and drafted under Obama in 2016  are designed to harm and even starve local populations, deliberately steering them towards civil unrest.

James Jeffrey, the US envoy to Syria, even rejoiced, on the record, that sanctions against the regime have contributed to the collapse of what is essentially Syrian livelihood.

Rome on the Potomac sees the Axis of Resistance as Barbaria. For one hegemonic US faction, they are barbarous because they dare to reject the superior, moral American civilization claim. For another no less hegemonic faction, they are so outright barbarian that only regime change would redeem them. A great deal of enlightened Europe happens to supports this interpretation, slightly sweetened by humanitarian imperialism overtones.

The Wall of Alexander

Its Iraq all over again. In 2003, the beacon of civilization launched Shock and Awe on barbarian Iraq, a criminal operation based on entirely falsified intel  very much like the recent chapter of never-ending Russiagate, where we see malign Russkies playing the role of paymasters to Taliban with the intent of killing (occupying) US soldiers.

This intel  corroborated by no evidence, and parroted uncritically by corporate media  comes from the same system that tortured innocent prisoners in Guantanamo until they confessed to anything; lied about WMDs in Iraq; and weaponized and financed Salafi-jihadis  sweetened as moderate rebels  to kill Syrians, Iraqis and Russians.

Its no wonder that across Iraq in 2003, I never ceased to hear from Sunnis and Shiites alike that the American invaders were more barbarous than the Mongols in the 13th century.

One of the key targets of the Caesar Act is to close for good the Syrian-Lebanese border. An unintended consequence is that this will lead Lebanon to get closer to Russia-China. Hezbollahs secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah has already made it very clear.

Nasrallah added a subtle historical insight  emphasizing how Iran has always been the strategic, cultural go-between for China and the West: after all, for centuries, the language of choice along the Ancient Silk Roads was Persian. Whos the barbarian now?

The Axis of Resistance, as well as China, know that a festering wound will have to be tackled: the thousands of Salafi-jihadi Uighurs scattered across the Syria-Turkey border, which could become a serious problem obstructing the overland, northern Levant route of the New Silk Roads.

In Libya, part of the Greater Middle East, utterly destroyed by NATO and turned into a wasteland of warring militias, the leading from behind fight against Barbaria will take the form of perpetuating the warring  local populations be damned. The playbook is a faithful replay of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

In a nutshell, the universal civilization project has been able to utterly destroy the barbarian state structures of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. But thats where the buck stops.

Iran has drawn the new line in the sand. Profiting from the hardened experience of living four decades under US sanctions, Tehran sent a large business delegation to Damascus to schedule the supply of necessities and is breaking the fuel siege of Syria by sending several oil tankers  much as the breaking of the US blockade on Venezuela. The oil will be paid in Syrian lira.

So Caesar Act is actually leading Russia-China-Iran  the three key nodes in myriad strategies of Eurasia integration  to get closer and closer to the barbarian Axis of Resistance. A special feature is the complex diplomatic-energy ties between Iran and China  also part of a long-term strategic partnership. That includes even a new railway to be built linking Tehran to Damascus and eventually Beirut (part of BRI in Southwest Asia)  which will also be used as an energy corridor.

On Surah 18 of the Holy Quran, we find the story of how Alexander the Great, on his way to the Indus, met a faraway people who could scarcely understand any speech. Well, barbarians.

The barbarians told Alexander the Great they were being threatened by some people they called  in Arabic  Gog and Magog, and asked for his help. The Macedonian suggested they get a lot of iron, melt it down and build a giant wall, following his own design. According to the Quran, as long as Gog and Magog were kept away, behind the wall, the world would be safe.

But then, on Judgment Day, the wall would fall. And hordes of monsters would drink away all the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Buried beneath some hills in northern Iran, the fabled Sadd-i-Iskandar (Wall of Alexander) is still there. Yes, we will never know what sort of monsters, engendered by the sleep of reason, lurk across Barbaria.

Pepe Escobar is correspondent-at-large at Asia Times. His latest book is 2030. Follow him on Facebook.

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
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A woman died early Sunday after she fell out of a moving vehicle in an Applebee's parking lot in east Houston, where she and her co-workers were preparing to set off celebratory fireworks for the Fourth of July.

Sheriff's deputies received reports that the woman and her co-workers had just closed the restaurant on the 5900 block of E Sam Houston Parkway for the night and planned to move into the larger strip mall parking lot to set off firecrackers, said Harris County Sheriff's Office's Sgt. Dashana Cheek-McNeal.
Home Search ICH Leader of ultra-right militia predicts end of U.S. and warns of new civil war By Chris Sweeney July 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - As the US election looms, the gun-toting III% Security Force stands ready for an anti-Democrat uprising. The group has been accused of neo-Nazism, but one of its leaders tells RT they merely protect the will of the people. There is a coup taking place right now, theres a collective effort to overthrow our way of life as we know it  people are starting to realize its not a conspiracy theory. If we dont come together as one, well be living in a post-American world by 2021. Thats the view of Chris Hill, commanding officer of the III% Security Forces Georgia branch. The Three Percenters are a constitutional militia with chapters across the US, their name originating from claims that only three percent of colonists took up arms against Britain in the American revolution. According to them, over the last few months membership has rocketed by 150 percent, with 50 to 100 applicants per day  spurred on by developments like Minneapolis Citys pledge to dismantle their police department and Joe Bidens promise to stand up for Muslim communities if he enters the White House. Hill, also known as General BloodAgent, said: Its like our Founding Fathers stated, we believe we should come together, to lend our arms and council whenever a crisis arises. We advocate and defend our goals and beliefs with regards to our way of life, our constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. The group, whose members are rarely seen in the public eye without military fatigues and firearms, sees its role as protecting the people, allowing them to rise up and take control. They spend a fifth of their time on political activism and the rest doing primitive survivalism, military infantry training, hunting, rescue and first aid. They believe they have been made deliberately obsolete in modern America, a feeling only exacerbated by the national Defund the Police movement and the Democratic Partys pledge to reform the police force. Speaking to RT, Hill, a former marine, explained: How do you get rid of a militia in the United States? You render them useless and over time they fade away. Now were seeing the Founding Fathers had it right, this is something we should have never let the fire burn out on. We have a short amount of time to reignite it. We will be whenever we need to be, wherever God sees fit. Every day we can reach out to another American citizen and say, Are you in favor of communism and anarchism? We have a right to repel that. Claims of neo-Nazism The group, while evidently on the far end of the political right wing, bristle at their depiction in the mainstream media of being racist neo-Nazis, such as a New York Times article which said their America is one where Christianity is taught in schools, abortion is illegal, and immigrants hail from Europe. In one example, the GSF were accused of terrorizing county officials in Georgia out of a meeting to build a new mosque, and linking the place to ISIS  a charge Hill denies. But his group takes reports of things like Muslim community patrols forming in New York after the Christchurch shooting, as signals that attempts to introduce Sharia law are underway. Still, in Hills view, the group is pro-immigration, supports religious freedom, and would not lead with violence. The big caveats are that the immigration must be legal and the newcomers must assimilate. Like many on the American political right, he refers to undocumented migrants as an invasion. I am 100 percent against illegal immigration, he explains. The government is cast with a job and part of that is to prevent an invasion, it doesnt specify armed or unarmed, but if 20 million people are in this country illegally, how can you look at me with a straight face and say we havent been invaded? Legal immigration is fine, as long as whatever caused you to flee, leave that shit where you came from. Learn the language, our practices, our traditions  do not try to advocate for other religious, ideological or political beliefs enforced in whatever country you came from. Im not saying you have to be Christian, in America you are free to practice any religion you like. But if anyone doesnt want to assimilate or come here legally, Id put them in a catapult and fling them into the Gulf of Mexico. Death threats Views like this, and his prominence in the movement, have made Hill a big target for some. He says he and his family regularly receive death threats, forcing him to change his phone number on occasion. He believes they come from the anti-fascist group Antifa, which US President Donald Trump wants to officially label a domestic terrorist organization for its alleged role in the recent riots and the harassment of various conservative figures and their supporters. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter I have been targeted for four or five years, Hill says. When I went to Virginia in January they put up a hit list and my face was there, basically Im a target. If they know I am going to be somewhere, they put up my picture and say theyll kill me. Ive got a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber on my hip and its got 15 bullets in it  if anybody threatens my life, they are going to hit a few of them. One major reason Hill feels hes considered worthy of killing is because of his media portrayal. The influential liberal anti-hate group Southern Poverty Law Center has branded him and his group anti-government, saying he praisesneo-Nazi movements. But he claims that the reporting on him is selective. He is adamant that he cut ties with a group of men formerly in the Kansas Security Force who plotted to bomb the apartment complex of 100 Somali immigrants, and feels their actions are unfairly attached to all Three Percenters to this day. Reports have linked him to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and previous GSF member Michael Ramos, who carried out a racial beating in public in 2017. Hill has no love for the mainstream media: They use freedom of press to slander and lie about me  and put my life in danger because of the lies they are spewing. The images of Hills group almost exclusively have white people in them, but he claims its not on purpose. I would love to have a wide range of skin tones in our militia, multiple races, any race is welcome. People can look at us and say, they dont see a lot of black, Asian or Latino people. Its not for lack of trying, the invitation is there, we need more. Its laughable to say I am racist or KKK, as I turn around and look at my son, my daughter who are half-white, half-Asian  Im married to a Vietnamese woman and our kids are mixed. That information doesnt reach the light of day as it doesnt fit with everybody who wants to say were all racist and KKK. My situation doesnt ever make publication, especially from any left-wing liberal sources. Gun-grabbing Democrats The III% Security Force hope to see President Trump secure a second term in November and believe the Democrats are out to take away their guns. If Joe Biden wins, as depressing as that sounds, and Joe Biden goes after guns on a national level  if hes coming for the guns, he can get it. And any other politician coming for the guns, they can get it too. They are 24 different states that are going with red-flag laws and gun bans. Thats different from a potential President Biden pushing through some national firearms ban. That is the true definition of tyranny. Issues like red-flag laws which allow individuals to petition a court to remove someone elses firearm are paramount for the III% Security Force. If Biden does that, Chris Hill will get up off his ass and fight against that until my last breath. Hill was preparing for that back in 2016, against the threat of gun-grabbing Hillary Clinton winning the election. Back then, Trump won and his resolve to fight back was not put to the test. Now, Joe Biden is the gun-grabbing pedophile (an apparent reference to Bidens barely-appropriate shows of physical affection to women and children) that theres no way in hell Hill will vote for. If Biden does win, Hill, like many Trump supporters, is convinced that the Democrat will have stolen the election with the FBIs help, through methods like hacking and mail-in ballot fraud. Civil war is coming? Ironically, given how extremely polarizing his views are, Hill wants his militia to be a uniting force. During our conversation, he frequently refers to coming together. But at the same time, he warns that a US civil war is looming. The racial divide is there, but its the current-day protesters who are the racists, in Hills view. He sees himself and his group as defenders of freedom of speech. He explained: I believe Black Lives Matter is a racist slogan, I believe the organizers of that movement are Marxists, communists and they have no end-game other than taking to streets to loot or riot. Ive been in Georgia my whole life other than in the military, I have not seen any Klan or Nazi rallies, there are no white supremacists in large groups. I would tell them to rent a stadium, spill your guts, say what you need to say and lets get on with it. Nobody in the USA was born into slavery, I understand what happened prior to me being born, a lot of bad things happened, but I was born free just like the next white man, Asian woman or black man, all people. We are on an equal footing going forward, if you dont like the situation you are in, get a bus ticket and relocate. This is not a movie, its real life. Never without a gun himself, Hill maintains his group isnt advocating a violent uprising. Well protect the voice of the people. It cant come from the end of a gun, if we do that then weve lost the moral high ground and the war before it even starts. Power needs to be given to the people to make changes. But there is no doubt in my mind we are stumbling towards an armed conflict inside the United States of America. Ultimately, in a country thats rapidly dismantling the unseemly elements of its past, the Three Percenters want to see a return to the principles of 1776 when America formed as an independent nation. Hill said: We are a constitutional militia recognized by the Second Amendment. In the last 244 years, would you have said we have moved towards perfection or towards damage done and anarchy? We are definitely heading in the wrong direction. Chris Sweeney, has written for various UK magazines and newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @Writes_Sweeney - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
A man has yet to be found after he went underwater while swimming in Canyon Lake on the Fourth of July.

Luis Alexandria Rodriguez, 25 of Mexico, jumped into the water from a boat to cool off before his disappearance at about 4 p.m. in an area known as Party Cove, the Comal County Sheriff's Office said.
The following editorial appeared in Sunday's Japan News-Yomiuri:

- - -

Negotiations are taking place amid the unforeseen circumstances of the novel coronavirus pandemic. As Britain leaves the European Union, the two sides must swiftly reach an agreement on their new relationship.

The two sides have resumed face-to-face talks that had been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis. The scope of negotiations is extensive, covering the signing of free trade agreements, the creation of rules on fishing rights, mechanisms for resolving conflicts and antiterrorism measures.

The problem is there are only six months left.

Britain left the EU at the end of January but will be treated as equivalent to a member state until the end of this year. If an FTA is not signed within this transition period, tariffs between Britain and the EU will be restored. This will be a burden on the activities of businesses on both sides and will inevitably disrupt logistics networks.

It is feared that multinational companies with production bases in Britain will also be affected. It will be to Britain's detriment if those companies move their bases out of the country.

The EU has asked Britain to bring its subsidies and environmental standards up to EU standards as a condition for signing an FTA. Britain is poised to pursue its own policies. The gap between the two sides remains wide.

The EU's response to the coronavirus crisis has seen its members fall out of step over the provision of medical assistance to Italy. The question is whether the EU will be able to maintain unity during negotiations with Britain.

The administration of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to "regain political and economic independence on Jan. 1 next year." It hinted the idea of the transition period ending even if no agreement has been reached with the EU, which is worrisome.

Britain and the EU should adopt a flexible stance, extending the transition period if negotiations are unsuccessful.

Europe has already been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.

More than 40,000 people have died in Britain, and EU member states also have seen many deaths. There are also aftereffects from the strict lockdowns. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that the economies of Britain and the eurozone will shrink by 10.2% this year.

To prevent further deterioration of the global economy, the two parties must do their utmost in negotiations and transition smoothly to a new relationship.

Japan has started negotiations on a trade agreement with Britain. Japan has an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, but Britain will not be included in the agreement after the transition period.

The relationship between Japan and Britain must be strengthened, with the possibility of Britain joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership in mind.
(Natural News) In a recent memo sent by University of Colorado-Boulder officials to all students and employees, the university dictated which opinions of the recent waves of Black Lives Matter protests will be accepted by the school.

(Article by Chandler Glander republished from CampusReform.org)

Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, protests and riots have swept the country. Led by the Black Lives Matter movement, these protests have taken control of the attention of nearly everyone in the country, including institutions of higher education.

On June 5, 2020, CU Boulder sent a memo to its students and faculty providing a statement on the recent uprisings.

The announcement, co-written by Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Akirah Bradley, and Associate Vice Chancellor the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator Valerie Simons, described a supporting opinion of Black Lives Matter as a non-negotiable condition of enrollment and employment.

[RELATED: Washington and Lee profs consider dropping Lee from universitys name]

This statement would seem to contradict the universitys previous statements on the constitutional right to freedom of speech. A statement from the Chancellor of CU Boulder, Phil DiStefano, explained the value of free speech on campus.

The fundamental role of a university is to be a place where community members hear from a variety of speakers that may inform or oppose their positions, he explains. The quote from DeStefano appears on a page on CU-Boulders website dedicated to free speech on campus, including a short history of free speech at the university.

The university recently released other statements related to Black Lives Matter. In a followup to the June 5 statement, the chancellor spoke on the issue again. In response to incidents of racist and discriminatory speech in our campus community, I want to be clearracist and discriminatory speech runs counter to our values and is not welcome at CU Boulder.

DeStefano then speaks about the First Amendment. He continues, While as a public institution we must acknowledge each persons First Amendment right to free speech, we strongly encourage anyone who doesnt want to or believes they cannot live our values of respecting the rights of others and accepting our differences to reconsider their ability to be a productive member of our community.

The same message went on to detail immediate actions for change to begin the sustained transformation of the CU Boulder experience of our Black students, faculty, and staff, including tasking faculty with developing a CU 101 anti-racism module for first-year students that explores the toxicity of racism in U.S. history, U.S. life and at CU Boulder.

CU-Boulder spokeswoman Deborah Mendez-Wilson told Campus Reform, We value and support the principles of academic freedom and free expression, which are central to our academic mission. Upholding these principles is not mutually exclusive from the idea that we have a responsibility, as an academic community, to embrace, acknowledge and promote equal access and inclusion to all who come to our campus to pursue their academic, research and career goals.

At the same time, to be in alignment with our values as a university and to comply with federal and state laws and university policies, we will not condone discriminatory or harassing behavior toward individuals, and welcome people who dont agree with those values to reconsider whether they want to be part of our community, Mendez-Wilson added.

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education President and CEO Greg Lukianoff characterized it to Campus Reform as one of starkest of attempts to imply that ideological conformity is a prerequisite to being part of the university community.

University presidents and chancellors often take great advantage of their bully pulpit to condemn behavior they deem inappropriate, but they should be careful lest they create a pall of orthodoxy over the classroom, the research, and the institution itself. In order to function as both a marketplace of ideas and the laboratory in the looking glass, an effective institution of research and higher learning needs to always take seriously the possibility it might be wrong, test its assumptions, and not accept any dogmas, Lukianoff continued.

Many campuses across the country appear to be going too far, he added.

Read more at: CampusReform.org
(Natural News) The Boston Arts Commission voted unanimously on June 30 to take down a statue of former president Abraham Lincoln in the city after an intense public petition drive that heavily influenced the commissions decision.

The statue in question is located in Bostons Park Square. It is a replica of sculptor Thomas Balls Emancipation Memorial statue located in Washington, D.C. and was gifted to the city in 1879 by local politician Moses Kimball. It depicts President Lincoln standing over a kneeling and almost naked Archer Alexander, a freed slave who, after escaping slavery and being recaptured under the Fugitive Slave Act, aided the Union Armys campaign against the Confederacy.

The Boston Arts Commission has decided that the statue will be placed in storage. They will agree on a date to take down the statue in their next meeting on July 14. Until then, a temporary sign will be installed above the statue explaining its current situation. Boston Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh has endorsed the commissions decision to erase the countrys history. In a statement, he said that the removal of the statue is a step in the right direction for making Boston a more equitable and just city. (Related: Rioters in Portland TEAR DOWN statue of Founding Father George Washington.)

President Donald Trump has aired his objections regarding the removal of the statue. In an interview with Fox News, he stated that he sees the kneeling freed slave as someone whos about to get up.

Hes being freed by Abraham Lincoln, said Trump. And I can see the controversy, but I can also see beauty in it.

Boston artist Tory Bullock began the signature campaign that helped the commission decide to take down the statue. His petition received at least 12,650 signatures.

Listen to Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, in this episode of his podcast, the Health Ranger Report, as he talks about how the United States of America, which used to be the worlds bastion of freedom and democracy, has turned into a failed state where citizens can no longer rely on basic services.

Abraham Lincolns statue not the first to be targeted by demonstrators

As violent vandals in Washington, D.C. tried and failed to take down the original statue, known as the Emancipation Memorial, rioters in Boston were able to successfully decapitate a statue of Christopher Columbus on July 1.

The six-foot statue of Christopher Columbus, made out of Carrara marble, was decapitated sometime before 12:30 a.m. on July 1. While Mayor Walsh was quick to condemn the act of vandalism, he further added that, because of the statues long history of being targeted for destruction, it should be kept in storage until the city can properly reassess its final fate.

Democratic City Councilor Lydia Edwards, whose district includes the North End neighborhood, condemned the destruction of the statue. Vandalism doesnt help the conversation move forward, she said.

She further stated that, while Columbus exploits in the New World may be controversial, destroying his statue and erasing the continents history is not the answer, and people need to be able to have a conversation about how history is remembered while being sensitive to the world around us.

It has been over a month since the engineered rioting began. Keep up with the latest exploits by the violent mobs at Rioting.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Patch.com

BostonHerald.com

BostonGlobe.com
(Natural News) We have been discussing the growing fear of professors and students over the loss of free speech on campuses for years, but recently those concerns have been greatly magnified with the investigation or termination of professors for expressing opposing views about police abuse, Black Lives Matter movement or aspects of the protests following the killing of George Floyd. There is a sense of a new orthodoxy that does not allow for dissenting voices as campaigns are launched to fire faculty who are denounced as insensitive or even racist for such criticism. The most recent controversy involves the recently installed University of Massachusetts-Lowell Dean of Nursing Leslie Neal-Boylan. Dr. Neal-Boylan had only been in her position for a few months when she was fired. The reason, according to many reports, is that she sent an email on June 2 to the Solomont School of Nursing on the recent anti-racism demonstrations across the country that include the words everyones life matters. As a blog dedicated to free speech, it has been difficult to keep up with the rising number of cases of the curtailment of speech or academic freedom on our campuses. What is equally alarming is the relative silence of most faculty members as individual professors are publicly denounced by their universities, forced into retirement, or outright terminated for expressing dissenting views. This case however raises an equally serious concern over the loss of due process for academics who find themselves the focus of a campaign for removal  or simply summary dismissal.

(Article republished from JonathanTurley.org)

I reached out to the University and updated the column with the response, which does not clarify most of these questions but suggests that the Dean may have been terminated for other reasons. I have also reached out to Dr. Neal-Boylan for a response on both the cause and merits for her termination.

Dr. Neal-Boylan was heralded last September as a visionary leader by the university in taking over the deanship. Her writings include strong advocacy for those with disabilities in the nursing field. Those writings show tremendous empathy and concern for inclusivity in the profession.

This controversy began when Dr. Neal-Boylan wrote the email which started with the following words: Dear SSON Community, the email provided to Campus Reform begins. I am writing to express my concern and condemnation of the recent (and past) acts of violence against people of color. Recent events recall a tragic history of racism and bias that continue to thrive in this country. I despair for our future as a nation if we do not stand up against violence against anyone. BLACK LIVES MATTER, but also, EVERYONES LIFE MATTERS. No one should have to live in fear that they will be targeted for how they look or what they believe.

One can understand that many felt that the statement detracted from the need to focus on the treatment and loss of black lives. However, one can also read these words as a nursing dean expressing opposition to all violence. However, the email was immediately denounced in a tweet as uncalled for and upsetting by Haley. The university quickly responded to Haley and said Haley  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The university hears you and we believe black lives matter. See the letter the chancellor sent out Monday. The letter isa statement in support of Black Lives Matter. Soon thereafter the University reportedly fired Dr. Neal-Boylan.

University spokesperson Christine Gillette issued a statement to the site Campus Reform Wednesday that stated The university ended the employment of Dr. Neal-Boylan on June 19 after 10 months in her role as dean of the Solomont School of Nursing. As with all such decisions, it was made in the best interest of the university and its students.

What is particularly concerning is a June 19 letter referenced on the site that was allegedly written by Neal-Boylan and sent to Provost Julie Nash. The letter states It is important to point out that no one ever gave me an opportunity to share my views of how the college and school were interacting nor explain myself regarding the BLM email. My meeting with you, [Dean] Shortie [McKinney], and Lauren Turner was clearly not intended to give me an opportunity to defend my actions. I was condemned without trial.

The statement from the university does not state what specifically is in the best interest of the university and its students. However, the failure to specifically state the grounds and the process used to reach the decision is alarming. The University let the public record stand  and the view that Dr. Neal-Boylan was fired for expressing the view that Black Lives Matter, but also Everyones Life Matters.

What is in the best interest of the university and its students should include free speech and due process. The mere fact that we do not know if Dr. Neal-Boylan was afforded either right is chilling. If there were other grounds against her, the university should state so. Instead, the clear message to faculty is that the dean was fired for expressing concerns over the loss of lives across the country in these protests.

I can understand the sensitivity to those who feel that the inclusion of other lives tends to take away the focus on the need for action on the treatment of African-Americans in our society. However, it is possible that, as a leading health care figure, Dr. Neal-Boylan was speaking out to seek to end all violence in the protection of human life. Medical and health care professionals tend to oppose all loss of life and violence. The question is whether an academic should be able to express such a view and, equally importantly, whether there is a process through which a professor can defend herself in explaining the motivation and intended meaning of her words.

The uncertainty over the process used in this case creates an obvious chilling effect for other faculty members. In 30 years of teaching, I have never seen the level of fear among faculty over speaking or writing about current events, particularly if they do not agree with aspects of the protests. Not only is there a sense of forced silence but universities have been conspicuously silent in the face of the destruction of their own public art and statues. Even New York Times editors can be forced out for simply publishing opposing views.

As we have previously discussed, chilling effects on free speech has long been a focus of the Supreme Court. Free speech demands bright line rules to flourish. The different treatment afforded faculty creates an obviously chilling effect on free speech. Avoiding the chilling effect of potential punishment for speech is a core concern running through Supreme Court cases. For example, in 1964, the Supreme Court struck down the law screening incoming mail. A unanimous court, Justice William Douglas rejected the law as a limitation on the unfettered exercise of the addressees First Amendment rights. It noted that such review is almost certain to have a deterrent effect on the free speech rights of Americans, particularly for those who have sensitive positions:

Obviously, many of these schools are private institutions but freedom of speech and academic freedom have long been the touchstones of the academy. What concerned me most was that I could not find a university statement on a matter that resulted in the canning of one of its deans  just an ominous note that the page of Dr. Neal-Boylan can no longer be found.

Update:

I contacted the University to confirm (1) whether Dr. Neil-Boylan was fired for her statement about everyones life matters and (2) whether she was given an opportunity to hear the complaints against her and to contest the allegations.

The university responded with this statement:

Leslie Neal-Boylans employment at UMass Lowell ended on June 19, after she was informed she would no longer serve as dean of the Solomont School of Nursing. She had been in that role for 10 months. Although a tenured full faculty member, she declined to join the nursing faculty. As with all such employment decisions, it was made in the best interests of the university and its students. Although we are not able to discuss specifics of a personnel matter, it would be incorrect to assume any statement by Dr. Neal-Boylan was the cause of that decision.

This suggests that there were other reasons for the termination but, if the letter posted from Dr. Neal-Boylan is accurate, she was not aware of what those reasons might be. If she is unaware of those allegations, this would be a rather Orwellian position where the university protects her privacy by refusing to confirm the basis for her termination even to herself. I was hoping that the University would at least say that she was given those reasons and an opportunity to defend herself. Instead, the university did not deny the allegation that Dr. Neal-Boylan was denied the opportunity to respond and contest any allegations.

The problem with the response is it leaves even more questions. Dr. Neal-Boylan was fired soon after the University public stated that it was looking into the controversy over her statement. She has said that she does not know any other reason, or at least that is what the letter posted on the Campus Reform site suggests. Indeed, she is being quoted as writing:

Her firing was attributable to one phrase in my initial email that otherwise was very clearly a message to NOT discriminate against anyone. To those students who were upset regarding my email, wouldnt it have been better to use that as a teachable opportunity to explain that leaders also make mistakes and use this as an example of why lifelong learning is so important?

If her firing was unrelated to the statement, the University could have so stated without any violation of privacy. Such a clarification would have put to rest concerns over free speech. Instead, there is lingering confusion, including with the subject of the action.

Read more at: JonathanTurley.org
(Natural News) Shares of social media giants Facebook and Twitter took a nosedive over the weekend after major advertisers pulled out of both platforms.

Last Friday, household goods giant Unilever announced that it was pulling its ads from both Facebook and Twitter, resulting in shares of both falling by 7 percent by midday. This was followed by Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Diageo also pulling their ads over the weekend.

Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary, Unilever said in a statement.

These represent just the latest cancellations that social media companies, especially Facebook, have endured in recent weeks.

Facebook gets hit by a wave of pullouts

Of all the social media companies, Facebook has been hit the hardest by advertiser pullouts. The four companies pullouts join a growing boycott of the platform that includes companies such as Levi Strauss & Co., Honda, Eddie Bauer and Ben & Jerrys.

The boycott stems from a campaign called #StopHateforProfit that was announced by a coalition of civil rights and other groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

It is clear that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are no longer simply negligent, but in fact, complacent in the spread of misinformation, despite the irreversible damage to our democracy, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement last week.

Late last Friday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a virtual town hall where he announced policy changes to hide or block content considered hateful or harmful to voting, with no exception for politicians  an approach similar to what rival platform Twitter has applied. (Related: Facebook smoking gun: Conservatives targeted for censorship because of their political beliefs Facebook rigging elections.)

We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies, stated a Facebook spokesman Monday. We know we have more work to do.

In addition, Facebook will also continue to work with civil rights groups and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight, the spokesman added.

The ADL, however, has called the changes announced by Zuckerberg small.

We have been down this road before with Facebook, the ADL said in a statement. They have made apologies in the past. They have taken meager steps after each catastrophe where their platform played a part. But this has to end now.

Some companies are also pulling ads from Twitter

Compared to Facebook, Twitter hasnt seen as many advertisers pull their ads from the platform  most seem to be specifically targeting Facebook. That said, the company has come under a new wave of scrutiny, with some companies also pulling their ads. As such, shares have fallen alongside Facebooks.

In a statement, Twitters vice president for global client solutions Sarah Personette reiterated that the companys mission is to serve the public conversation and ensure Twitter is a place where people can make human connections, seek and receive authentic and credible information, and express themselves freely and safely. She also added that Twitter is respectful of our partners decisions and will continue to work and communicate closely with them during this time.

Are boycotts really affecting Facebooks bottom line?

Despite the boycott, the breadth of Facebooks advertising business may mean that the company may not be losing that much revenue. In a note to clients, Rohit Kulkarni, executive director of equity research and trading company MKM Partners, said that Facebook is only looking at a less than five percent hit to revenue.

[Facebook] has more than 160 million registered businesses globally and 8 million paying advertisers, said Kulkarni, who explained that Facebook makes most of its revenue from mobile direct ads and small-business marketing.

Kulkarni also noted that individual companies, including bigger ones, dont really contribute much to Facebooks bottom line. He used the example of Procter & Gamble, considered the largest advertiser in the world, and explained that, by MKMs estimates, it only accounts for less than half a percent of Facebooks revenues.

In addition, he also explained that he had already expected advertisers to spend less on advertisements during the second half of the year due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. This implies a lower marginal headwind for Facebook. Meanwhile, he also noted that Wall Street is estimating a 1 percent year-over-year growth in the second quarter and 7 percent in the third.

We believe near-term Street estimates are reasonable and that there is upside potential given ad market recovery.

Sources include:

WhatsUpWithThat.com

MarketWatch.com 1

Bloomberg.com

MarketWatch.com 2
(Natural News) The Florida Department of Health reported 6,093 new coronavirus cases and 58 deaths Tuesday, raising the states caseload to 152,1434, with 3,505 deaths.

This marks the seventh consecutive day that the state confirmed more than 5,000 new cases in a day, as well as its fourth-highest single-day total since the pandemic began. Currently, the highest single-day total was reported Saturday with a record of 9,585 new cases.

Long-term care residences reporting new cases

These also include a total of 1,868 cases from long term care residents, the highest since the pandemic began. These figures, in particular, were logged from those in assisted-living centers and nursing homes  populations considered at risk for COVID-19, according to a report from the states health department.

The report, which was released Tuesday, breaks down location and category of the increase in new cases, as this weeks caseload was up by nearly 300 from last weeks figures. To note, around 1.3 percent of the states long-term care population had tested positive for COVID-19. Aside from nursing home residents, the number of COVID-19 cases among staff also increased to 3,090.

Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that younger adults  or those between 18 to 44  were responsible for the spike in cases in the state. People from that age group have been going out and socializing more. These activities, according to DeSantis, are driving up the states caseload.

You cant control  theyre younger people. Theyre going to do what theyre going to do, he told reporters in a press conference on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, told Congress that the next two weeks will be critical for new hotspots like Florida, Texas and Arizona as both federal and state governments address the surge in cases. Public health experts, in particular, are concerned that a continued uptick in cases in these states could potentially cause their healthcare systems to collapse. Whats worse, they added, is that all this could happen before fall, when the coronavirus may appear in a second wave.

Rubio urges younger people to stick to CDC guidelines

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is asking young adults to follow the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help mitigate new infections in the state, following Tuesdays figures.

Rubio, in a televised statement, noted that stay-at-home orders in Florida gave officials enough time to improve hospital capacity, ramp up testing and roll out a plan to move forward. He also added that while the initial stages of reopening will see a rise in new cases, state officials are now looking at a new goal. (Related: Florida man hospitalized with coronavirus days after calling pandemic a fake crisis.)

We knew that the moment those lockdowns ended, and they had to end at some point, that we would see new cases. The real issue now is not simply seeing new cases. The real issue now is whether these new cases will lead to a higher death rate, and that really depends on what we do with this moment.

The senator echoed DeSantiss statement on how that states younger population is driving up infections. Currently, the median age of people testing positive for the coronavirus is around 35 years old or younger. Rubio noted that most people in this age group are known to resist guidelines for wearing masks and social distancing.

Statistics tell us that alone is not going to lead to an increase in hospitalizations, much less deaths. But what will is if that surge in infections leads to a surge in the infections of people at higher risk, or over 65, he added.

That needs to be the focus of all of our work right now.

Pandemic.news has more on the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

Sources include:

MiamiHerald.com 1

Bloomberg.com

MiamiHerald.com 2

USAToday.com

MiamiCBSLocal.com
(Natural News) Accustomed to manipulating the emotions of environmentalists and other well-intentioned liberals, the left-wing media has been using scare tactics to sell climate change for many years. These climate doom scare tactics not only boost readership, but they rally support for political agendas and funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to their causes.

A high profile environmental activist named Michael Shellenberger came clean about his role in helping exacerbate the climate scare for thirty years. For years, he wrote about energy and the environment, inciting fear about climate change and the end of the world. Now hes speaking out about the manipulation and the political agendas driving the cult-like climate change hoax. In fact, he penned an eye-opening apology that was published in Forbes.com.

But apparently Forbes.com wasnt allowed to publish his apology, and it was promptly taken down and censored. The apology, preserved here (PDF), admits the climate scare was manufactured over the past thirty years. While he notes that the climate naturally changes, its not the end of the world, he confesses. Shellenberger admits that climate change is not even the most serious environmental problem that humans face.

Former climate alarmist speaks like he left a cult

Shellenberger has provided objective testimony to Congress about energy and its environmental impact. He has even been invited to serve as Expert Reviewer for the Assessment Report provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In his apology, he inferred that the terms climate denialism are used to silence dissent and create more hysteria to embolden the power of climate alarmists and give the climate change scare more credence.

Until last year, I mostly avoided speaking out against the climate scare, he said. Partly thats because I was embarrassed. After all, I am as guilty of alarmism as any other environmentalist. For years, I referred to climate change as an existential threat to human civilization, and called it a crisis.

Shellenberger described what it was like living in a cult: Mostly I was scared. I remained quiet about the climate disinformation campaign because I was afraid of losing friends and funding. He was even threatened and punished if he did not sell the climate scare for the industry. The few times I summoned the courage to defend climate science from those who misrepresent it I suffered harsh consequences. And so I mostly stood by and did next to nothing as my fellow environmentalists terrified the public.

Climate change cult mentally abuses children

Shellenberger finally came to a breaking point, when the climate scare was used to frighten children, scaring them to believe that the end of the world was near. Over the past few years, the worlds most influential green journalist, Bill McKibben, called climate change the greatest challenge humans have ever faced and said it would wipe out civilizations. US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, The world is going to end in twelve years if we dont address climate change. Britains most high-profile environmental group claimed Climate Change Kills Children. The incessant scare campaign resulted in mass manipulation, with half of surveyed people around the world believing that climate change will make humanity go extinct. Worse yet, one out of five British children surveyed now has nightmares about climate change and the end of the world.

I hope youll agree that its perhaps not as strange as it seems that as a lifelong environmentalist, progressive, and climate activist, I felt the need speak out against the alarmism. I further hope that youll accept my apology, wrote Shellenberger.

Apparently Forbes.com and the climate change cult arent accepting his apology.

Sources include:

Whatsupwiththat.com

Whatsupwiththat.com

ClimateAlarmism.news
(Natural News) Journalist Andy Ngo, known for his work on exposing Antifa and American political violence, testified in front of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Monday morning.

(Article by Ben Wilson republished from SaraACarter.com)

GEORGE FLOYD DESERVES JUSTICE, NGO TOLD LAWMAKERS. BUT SO DO COUNTLESS AMERICANS VICTIMIZED BY THE RIOTS.

Ngo briefed the representatives on the violence hes observed and fallen victim to as a result of the demonization of police and the resulting consequences of less police intervention in conflicts and riots.

"You could hear the distant sirens of the police, but no one would show up George Floyd deserves justice but so do countless Americans, journalists, and others victimized by militant extremists who use us as human shields. More of @MrAndyNgos powerful statement here  pic.twitter.com/2b5o7g9pUF  Oversight Committee Republicans (@GOPoversight) June 29, 2020

America is experiencing the consequences of police in retreat because of biased media narratives and poor leadership, Ngo said. This has allowed violent extremists to cloak themselves under the banner of peaceful protest to carry-out widespread arson, shootings, looting and property destruction.

He specifically cited Portland and Seattle where city councils have stripped the use of tear gas from police, while officers are assaulted with bricks, lasers, and projectiles in the two cities. He also pointed to several other cities across the nation where police have been severely injured.

In New York, nearly 400 officers were injured in a two-week period. 150 local and federal officers were injured in Washington D.C. in a week. 130 officers in Chicago were injured in a 48-hour period, Ngo testified.

Ngo reports mainly on the West Coast and has covered the violence shaking Portland for years.

Like in many cities, law enforcement here [in Portland] is routinely demonized by the public and elected officials, Ngo testified. The mainstreaming of police hatred in Portland has created a culture of passive policing and a tolerance of criminal mob behavior. Who suffers the most? Law-abiding citizens and yes, journalists too.

Do you agree with the presidents designation of ANTIFA as a terrorist organization? @Jim_Jordan asks. Yes, @MrAndyNgo unequivocally replies, "based on the activities I see them doing on the ground. And then he goes into detail  pic.twitter.com/OuHPWplCAW  Oversight Committee Republicans (@GOPoversight) June 29, 2020

Ranking Member Jim Jordan, R-OH, asked Ngo about his position on President Donald Trump designating Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Ngo said he agrees with the classification based on the actions hes witnessed  especially a severe assault he suffered at the hands of Antifa in Portland last summer.

Antifa organized an assault on me within view of the policewho did not intervene. They beat me repeatedly and so severely I had to be hospitalized. I was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, among other injuries, Ngo said. Since then, I have been harassed and stalked further by people connected to the same criminal organization.

Ngo continues to report on the crimes and brutality of Antifa  including a video he shared today of Portland protesters once again calling for violence against him.

"I'm gonna beat his ass" At the antifa black bloc gathering outside the Justice Center in Portland before the nightly riot, a person announces on a bullhorn that they will beat me. The crowd cheers. Video: Alexandra Johnson pic.twitter.com/38DGqb7LKd  Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 29, 2020

George Floyd deserves justice, Ngo said in his Monday morning testimony. But so do countless Americans victimized by the riots.

Read more at: SaraACarter.com
(Natural News) As coronavirus cases blast skyward across the United States, it has become increasingly clear that not all of them are being domestically produced, so to speak.

In fact, in some Southwestern regions of the country, the dramatic increases in COVID-19-related hospitalizations are coming from across the border.

As hospital ICUs and floors filled to capacity  and beyond  in southern Texas and Arizona, immigration analysts pointed to a few reports that noted illegal aliens are responsible for a healthy portion of those surges.

Its official. Texas border hospitals are over-capacity with covid patients. This story, like most, omits reference to the fact that covid refugees are flooding in from Mexico, though CNN reported this to be true, Todd Bensman, a former journalist and current fellow at Center for Immigration Studies, tweeted July 1.

It's official. Texas border hospitals are over-capacity with covid patients. This story, like most, omits reference to the fact that covid refugees are flooding in from Mexico, though CNN reported this to be true.https://t.co/lRx4dbGvcG  Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) July 1, 2020

In his tweet, Bensman included a story from KVEO noting that all COVID-19 units in the Rio Grande Valley are at or over capacity, according to doctors on the frontlines.

Cameron county is at 131 percent capacity, we went from being at 71 percent of COVID-19 beds to 131 percent, so overcapacity, said Dr. James Castillo, M.D., Cameron County Health Authority.

In addition, information posted to an online Hidalgo County COVID-19 tracker showed both counties were on Level 1 Emergency, meaning both were at capacity and able to call for outside assistance.

The crush of coronavirus patients was so bad that doctors and staff were pulling beds from other parts of their hospitals, including emergency rooms, leaving fewer spaces available for other types of patients.

Right now people are waiting a long time, unfortunately, some people are leaving without receiving care and thats always a huge concern, said one doctor at the Cameron County press conference, KVEO reported.

As of this week, hospitals had yet to release information as to where additional COVID-19 patients would be sent once all facilities were full.

Bensman isnt the only one to conclude that border-region hospitals are becoming over-stuffed with coronavirus patients from Mexico.

In a June 26 piece for Conservative Review, Daniel Horowitz wrote:

Why should Americans in border states have to go back into lockdown and be treated like criminals by a government that failed to lock down the border when Mexico experienced its worst surge of coronavirus in late May?

Despite the mounting evidence that the worst part of the surge in the southwest is the result of cross-border travel beginning in May, government officials continue to act as if this is a domestic problem and that somehow Americans have been careless in mitigating the virus. They are using the results of their failure to lock down the border as a pretext to lock down Americans. Talk about chutzpah.

Late last month, as cases began to rise, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reimposed some lockdown measures.

Horowitz noted that Brownsville public health director Arturo Rodriguez very aptly recognized, and then described, the phenomenon.

In other words, you have three rates: the U.S., Mexico and your border rate, Rodriguez said, according to the Washington Post.

Horowitz (and Rodriguez) argues that the U.S. experienced its coronavirus peak in March and April, but Mexico was about a month behind, having experienced its peak in May and June.

So, given that data, the dramatic rise in cases along the U.S.-Mexico border is being primarily driven by infections being carried into the United States.

What you see is an unmistakable surge in southern California, southern Arizona, and the Rio Grande Valley counties in southeast Texas, which all share a border with the towns in Mexico that were hardest hit beginning in late May, Horowitz noted citing a chart produced by data analyst and sportscaster Kyle Lamb.

Hotspot Index (HSPI). All U.S. counties through June 23 with cases/deaths and per 100,000. HSPI totals cases for last 21 days as rate of county total, compared to nat'l average and indexed to 100 scale (100 being average). The more color the higher index.https://t.co/5cZVSLWv35  Kyle Lamb (@kylamb8) June 24, 2020

Even before any speculation about the possible spread from illegal immigrants, it is now an open fact that green card holders and dual citizens were completely exempt from the travel ban and came here to access our hospitals, he added.

So  about that immigration reform, Congress?

Sources include:

ConservativeReview.com

ValleyCentral.com

NaturalNews.com
By Nasim Ahmed

July 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Supporters of Israel would have breathed a sigh of relief when the Zionist state postponed its 2 July annexation of the West Bank, in what was a humiliating about-turn. The formula for peace envisaged in the two-state solution is considered the last chance to redeem the Zionist project from tipping over into a full-blown apartheid state.

With annexation being a daily reality for Palestinians, the international backlash concealed a level of hypocrisy and ignorance that is particularly unique to this issue. Israel formalised its annexation of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights with very little resistance from the same outspoken critics. One has to ask: is one set of illegal annexation worse than others? Would annexation of another 30 per cent of the West Bank be as disastrous as its made out to be, when all the territory west of the Jordan River is controlled by Israel? What should Palestinians do when annexation eventually goes ahead?

These were some of the questions raised in Thursdays webinar hosted by MEMO: Israel Annexation, Apartheid & the Media. With three experts: Dr Virginia Tilley, David Cronin and Shafiq Morton offering their unique perspectives on the issue, the 90-minute virtual forum offered MEMO readers around the world a unique opportunity to critically look at the debate around annexation.

We should embrace annexation, Tilley insisted in her 20-minute presentation. The Southern Illinois University professor urged listeners not to get carried away with the palpable alarm over Israels unilateral move, which in reality is merely seeking to formalise what has been de facto annexation for decades. Lets just accept annexation and call Israel on the consequences, advised Tilley.

The arguments presented by Tilley are debated in greater detail in her book The One-State Solution. By embracing annexation, the paradigm that has allowed Israel to continue on a path of ongoing land theft can be challenged more effectively, suggested Tilly. The argument is that Palestinians can advance their cause for basic human rights through an anti-colonial and racist movement, far more effectively than the current failed model of Palestinian statehood. The full weight and scope of law will come to bear on Israel under such a campaign, explained Tilley.

Annexation is Israeli policy and settlements are its instrument, Tilley went on to add, dismissing the illusion that such takeover of Palestine is carried out by religious zealots on little hilltops. Thats a lie, she insisted. Israels takeover of Palestine: Has always been a state-sponsored programme. Every ministry is involved with some ministries spending their entire budget on settlement programmes, according to Tilley.

Tilley argued that the centrality of the West Bank to Zionist vision has made reversal of annexation programmes impossible. Israel is absolutely committed to its annexation programme and no outside actor including the US is going to be able to muster the political will to counter the settlement enterprise, she affirmed. Such a scenario, she claimed, made the creation of a Palestinian state impossible, and therefore forces Palestinians and the international community to rethink how best to uphold and protect the basic human rights of the different populations living within historic Palestine.

Tilley insisted that the alternative to the one-state model was dangerous and would lead to the creation of an apartheid situation with Palestinians forced to live in bantustans. Palestinians can expect to gain much more under a one-state programme, by accepting full annexation of Israel over the entirety of historic Palestine, she argued. They will have access to the full gamut of human rights law developed over the last half century about equal rights including prohibition on racial discrimination and apartheid.

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In his observations about the manner in which the media has covered the topic of annexation, David Cronin spoke about the BBCs failure to discuss this issue in any shape or form that could be considered honest. Concurring with Tilley, the associate editor of the Electronic Intifada explained that though annexation is a daily occurrence, the mainstream media ignores the reality of Israels takeover of Palestine. Facts on the ground are that Israel is in violation of the fourth Geneva Convention; settlement activities are war crimes, asserted Cronin pointing to the BBCs neglect to speak about annexation in a direct manner. He indicated that the BBCs insistence on making light of the illegality of Israeli policies with the phrase settlements are considered illegal except by Israel, is no different to the suggestion that everyone considers the Earth to be round except The Flat Earth Society.

Watch: Israel Annexation, Apartheid & the Media

Shafiq Morton, an award-wining South African journalist described the challenges of covering annexation under a global pandemic. With fewer journalist on the ground, Israel has found it easier to squash news of its illegal practices in Palestine. His main concern over the coverage alluded to the lack of context and history. Many stories pretended as if annexation fell out of the sky, expressed Morton. Annexation, he explained, is: The oldest narrative of the Palestinian story. The global outrage to the threat of annexation of the West Bank, suggested Morton, implied that soft critics of Israel were completely detached from the reality. He warned that without more context, nobody will understand the Palestinian question.

Morton shared several observations on the parallels between apartheid in South Africa, which he covered extensively during his 30-year career as journalist, and Israel. He mentioned the architect of apartheid itself, racist prime minister of white South Africa, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, who in 1963 declared that: Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state.

The two-state model has utterly failed the Palestinians, was the webinars key message. With Israels annexation irreversible, Palestinians have no alternative but to transform their state-focused campaign for self-determination into an anti-colonial, civil-rights movement. Such a campaign has a greater potential for success in protecting the basic human rights of all communities in the territory.

With nearly a century of conflict triggered by attempts to divide Palestine into two countries on the basis of ethnicity, who can argue with that? Maybe now is the time to restore the Holy Land to the original ideals of its people  a state founded on territorial, civic nationalism protecting the rights of all people, of all faiths and communities living in the country without racial and religious discrimination.

- " Source " -

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
(Natural News) The mantra of Black Lives Matter has been pounded into our heads 24 hours a day, and were told its an enlightened, progressive statement while anyone who claims White lives matter is somehow a racist bigot. Even worse, those who utter ALL lives matter are now threatened with being killed by this Harvard graduate, and people are being fired from their jobs for claiming all lives matter.

In truth, almost no lives really matter to the future of humanity, and thats because roughly 97% of the people are oblivious, clueless consumers who are doing absolutely nothing to help secure a legacy of truth and freedom for future generations.

If you are sitting on your ass, watching The View and devouring Weight Watchers donuts as you allow the TV to fill your brain with mush, your life actually doesnt matter. If you were to cease to exist, nothing about the future of human history would change one iota.

If you are still watching CNN and predominantly using Facebook, Twitter and Google because you dont realize all the voices of truth have been banned by the authoritarian Left, your life probably doesnt matter. You are nothing but a mind puppet of the globalist-run corporate propagandists (Big Tech and Big Media).

If you conform to the insane demands of the progressive left-wing fascists because you cower in fear over being cancelled, your life doesnt matter, either.

If youre not standing up against the lunatic left-wing mob to defend logic, reason and rationality, your existence really doesnt matter. You arent changing history; youre being used as a useful idiot to help achieve the aims of the anti-human globalists who despise human populations.

If youre not fighting for the right to speak, the right to disagree and the right to question the lunacy of the mob, your life doesnt matter.

If youre doped up on a dozen prescription drugs to the point that youre mentally incapacitated and can barely process events happening right in front of you, your life doesnt matter. (But you might get nominated as the Democratic Presidential candidate, notably.)

If you vote for candidates based on political tribalism without having any real clue what those candidates stand for, your life doesnt matter.

If you think you are owed everything without having to work for anything, your life doesnt matter.

If you think the answer to todays existential threats to our nation, our freedom and our Bill of Rights are no big deal and everybody should just think positive, then your life doesnt really matter. You will accomplish nothing that matters.

Approximately 97% of the lives of Americans today dont matter one bit. They are NPCs  Non-Player Characters  also known as PLFs (Programmable Life Forms), and they will do whatever they are told by the media, the corporations and the fake establishment authorities. They add exactly zero value to society and if they vanished tomorrow, the course of human history wouldnt be altered one bit.

Heres a video showcasing some members of the 97%  the clueless masses whose lives are pointless and inconsequential. Watch as they explain how the United States of America achieved its independence in 1964 by fighting the Civil War against America. Seriously and two of them are teachers!

Whose lives matter? Those who are informed and who make a difference. The 3%.

Only about 3% of the population have any clue about our history and are actively engaged in shaping our future. Thats fewer than 10 million people nationwide.

It is these 10 million people who will determine our shared future and whether or not we end up enslaved under left-wing tyranny or are able to reclaim our constitutional republic and defeat the anti-American forces that are rising.

So out of a nation of 330 million people, about 320 million lives make no difference at all. They are what globalists call useless eaters, and they are on the list to be exterminated via global depopulation efforts that are now underway via the plandemic and the coming coronavirus vaccine.

Another way to look at this is by simply being active in the effort to spread the truth and defend humanity against tyranny, you matter more than any 33 other people who are oblivious. Your life counts more, in other words, because youre fighting to make a difference. And the 97% figure for the clueless masses is actually quite generous. The real number is probably more like 99%, which means one active, aware person matters more than 99 other people who are clueless.

What makes your life matter isnt the color of your skin or your political affiliation. What determines whether you matter is how committed you are to fighting for human freedom and opposing authoritarianism and tyranny. Notably, people who really matter are self-selected: They alone determine that they wish to take a stand and make a difference. No one can appoint you to this position of relevance; you must seize it for yourself and become a person whose life really does make a positive difference in the world.

How to make your life matter

If you are an oblivious conformist who surrenders to the lunatic mob, your life is pointless and redundant. But if you want your life to really matter, you must break away from the mob and start thinking (and acting) for yourself.

There are many, many people who have set the example of independent thinking that you might allow to inspire yourself to do the same:

Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change. WeAreChange.org

James OKeefe at Project Veritas. ProjectVeritas.com

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of ChildrensHealthDefense.org

Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain.com

Alan Keyes of IAMTV. (See channel on Brighteon.com)

Zach Vorhies, the Google Whistleblower

Stewart Rhodes of OathKeepers.org

Steve Quayle of SteveQuayle.com

Brandon Smith of Alt-Market.com

Autism resolution expert Kerri Rivera at KerriRivera.com

 and many others. There are lots of examples out there. Are you among these types of independent thinkers who challenge the status quo and work to truly empower and uplift humanity with wisdom and knowledge?

Dont go through life on a pointless, narcissistic rampage of a cult-like obedience to the puppet masters of our time: Think for yourself. Learn history. Share knowledge. Branch out and away from the content controllers at Facebook, YouTube, Google and Twitter. Change the channel and stop allowing yourself to be brainwashed by CNN, MCNBC and NPR.

Use alternative platforms for sharing real knowledge, like Brighteon.com, Spreely.com and Parler.com. Seek out uncommon knowledge and use it to empower yourself. Create your own channels and post your own videos, texts or articles.

Freedom is so easily accessible that you can find it by typing a URL into your browser. Instead of typing Facebook.com, type Brighteon.com and discover a whole new world.

Be someone who matters.

Change the future for the better. Join those of us who are doing this work every single day, dedicating our lives to protecting human freedom and a sustainable future of abundance and liberty for all.

97% of lives dont matter, but yours can. What will you choose to do with it?
Michelle Troconis has retrieved her $283 weight bench and glasses from Home Goods from the Farmington home she used to share with Fotis Dulos, her attorney said Friday.

Attorney Jon Schoenhorn had accused Christopher Hug, an attorney an administrator for Fotis Dulos estate, of preventing Troconis from retrieving her personal belongings.

Schoenhorn said he has withdrawn his motion against Hug after his client was allowed Thursday to obtain her items.

Fotis Dulos faced murder and other charges in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife when he died Jan. 30 from an apparent suicide.

Troconis is facing conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution charges in the case.

Jennifer Dulos vanished May 24, 2019 and has been presumed dead by police based on blood evidence found in the garage of her New Canaan home where they believe she was attacked, according to arrest warrants.

Troconis and Fotis Dulos were living together in his palatial Jefferson Crossing home in Farmington when Jennifer Dulos disappeared.

Hug was appointed in February as the administrator of the estate to sort out the tangled financial affairs of Fotis Dulos who was deeply in debt when he died.

Schoenhorn had submitted to the probate court a detailed list of items owned by Troconis that remained in the Farmington home.

The list included towels, a juice maker and several other items. Schoenhorn said in the motion seeking the removal of Hug as the administrator that his client was being denied access to several specific items, including the weight bench and drinking glasses.

Schoenhorn withdrew the motion Thursday after Hug said he would allow Troconis to retrieve the items.

Troconis is next scheduled to appear in court on the criminal charges on Aug. 6. Attorney Kent Mahinney, a longtime friend of Fotis Dulos, has also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the case and is due in court next week.
Bala Chauhan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: In the face of gloomy prognosis of the Indian economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the quarterly report by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has forecast a GDP growth of 1.3 per cent. The report has been co-authored by Prof NR Bhanumurthy -- the first vice-chancellor of Bengaluru-based Dr. BR Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE) University. The economist spoke to The New Indidan Express on steps taken by the Reserve Bank of India and government that may help the economy out of the Covid cloud. On Karnataka economy, he said that the impact of the pandemic would be significant, but the state has fiscal space to address the crisis. Excerpts:

Recently, IMF projected the Indian economy to contract by 4.5 per cent in 2020, slowest since 1961. Your comments.

Many international financial institutions, IMF, Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development among others, have forecast a negative growth for the current year while suggesting a sharp recovery next year. However, in my view, these forecasts do not take the policy measures that India has introduced and hence, their prognosis is largely pessimistic.

NR Bhanumurthy

To what extent, measures taken by RBI and government, particularly, Atmanirbhar Bharat, are supposed to boost home productivity and economic activity?

Measures by RBI and Central government are broad-based; some are for short-term, some are structural. Measures that boost demand in the short-term and supply in the medium and long-term should help smoothen the adverse impact. Additionally, there are concerns due to rising tension between India and China. The Atmanirbhar slogan is timely, though there are some ambiguities as to what it really means  does it mean import substitution?

What is the impact of Covid on the Karnataka economy?

It could be substantial as Karnataka is integrated significantly with the Indian and global economies in both goods and services sectors. However, unlike many other states, the pre-Covid fiscal situation was not alarming. Even for the current year, the budgeted deficit was about 2.55 per cent with surplus on the revenue account. The state has fiscal space to address the crisis. With some reprioritising of expenditure, the government could allocate more resources to health sector.

The extension of PM Garib Kalyan Yojana till November-end comes a day before the LPG prices were increased. How will pro-poor policies boost consumer confidence when unemployment is on the rise?

Extension of PMGKY was necessitated as the economic activities are yet to pick up, especially in rural areas. The hike in LPG and other fuel prices are largely due to increase in international oil prices and to some extent due to increase in duties and other taxes by central and state governments. Given that the governments are seeing a sharp fall in revenues, this appears to be one easy way to mobilise resources for spending on pro-poor schemes. In my view, when economic activities reach pre-Covid levels, one should look at reduction in tax component of fuel prices.

How many people in the country are below poverty line? Is there a recent survey?

One of the big constraints in the public policy sphere is the lack of robust and comparable data on most important social indicators. I understand that currently, we have the poverty numbers based on 2011-12 National Sample Survey Office survey. This may not be particularly useful for anti-poverty programmes such as PMGKY. Even the Socio-Economic Caste Census data is dated. The way we were caught unawares with respect to migrant workers is an example why we need more statistics on social sector.

The NCAER report has forecast a GDP growth of 1.3 per cent. What are the reasons behind the optimism?

We have used an established macro model, which is in public domain, and introduced the policy initiatives in various scenarios. In the context of Atmanirbhar package and measures by RBI, there is no reason for negative growth. One caution here is that all the forecasts are subject to some assumptions.

The increase in public health spending has led to the government not announcing any new schemes for the next five years. What would be the cascading effect of policy paralysis?

At the moment, the effort is to build a strong health infrastructure and recalibrating the government expenditure towards health. Once we overcome this, I am sure governments would start looking at other public policy issues. Prioritising of expenditures will be key to mitigating further risk on both and health and economy.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Twenty men, including manager of a three-star hotel, have been arrested on the charge of gambling. In view of the lockdown, hotels and lodges were ordered to shut, but the police received a tip-off that a few hotels were allowing people to gamble in their premises. Subsequently, the CMBT police conducted raid at a three-star hotel. They also seized Rs 2.4 lakh.
OMJASVIN M D By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: As the medical fraternity continue to figure out ways to prevent COVID-19 deaths, 'Proning' is one such technique, that has received acknowledgement from both government and private hospitals in Chennai.

What is proning? As the word suggests, it simply means to make a patient lie in the prone position, with chest and belly facing downwards. Doctors believe this position helps in improving the oxygen

flow in critical patients, making them less likely to be intubated or require ventilator support.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said that lately, the government hospitals in the city have been following this. "We have been seeing good results in KMC and RGGGH and it is being done under the

supervision of senior allopathy doctors,'' he told New Indian Express.

Explaining the process, Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr Subramanian Swaminathan of Gleneagles Global Health City, said that proning is an age-old technique, normally used on patients with severe respiratory illnesses.

READ| Critical care team starts awake proning on patients not on ventilator

He added that when a person is in a prone position, owing to gravity, air moves up to the air-sacks. "This helps in better distribution of oxygen to lungs and other parts of the body,'' said Dr Swaminathan.

Since the progression of COVID is not catastrophic, this may result in some amount of improvement in patients in not requiring ventilator support. Proning is widely followed in other private hospitals too and doctors say it has given good results.



Dr Anantha Subramanian, Consultant Pulmonologist with Kauvery Hospital says that out of the 400 Covid-19 patients treated in the hospital, at least 60 to 70 per cent people were put in the prone position. "It was also tried on many patients aged above 60 and definitely they showed good improvement,'' he said.

Dr Subramanian said that the candidates for proning are those who have an oxygen saturation of 94 or below, and people with hypoxia too. "People who have spinal issues, neurological weakness and those who are uncomfortable are kept away from this,'' he added.

Recently, a statement from the Apollo Hospitals, too said that five patients who had severe breathing issues, including 65 and 72 year-olds, returned home safely after this mechanism was followed.

While anecdotal evidence of its efficacy come up, there are still no Randomised Control Trials for the success of proning on Covid-19 patients.

In a small cohort study published in the peer-reviewed Jama Internal Network Journal in the US, 25 patients, who required intubation, were studied for proning. In that, oxygen levels of 19 people improved above 95 per cent after one hour of prone position while oxygen levels of six patients did not improve.

Subsequently, out of the 19, seven required intubation and five out of the six, whose oxygen levels were low needed intubation. Totally, 12

were intubated out of the 25 finally, and three died in that.

In India, doctors from AIIMS in Jodhpur are conducting a larger study on proning, which is expected to go on till October.

Doctors, however, said that proning must not be solely relied on for improvement but other forms of treatment too must compliment it.

"Checking viral load in CT scan, steroids and usage of Tocilizumab is also part of the process,'' said Dr Swaminathan.
Nirupama Viswanathan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: With COVID-19 continuing to strike fear into the hearts of city residents, the city's homeless are being found in increased levels of distress since there is no one to spot their condition and report to someone who might help, said organisations working with the homeless population.

NGOs are unable to take them to their shelters, mostly filled with vulnerable sections, for fear of spreading COVID-19, unless they are first tested negative for the virus. At present, there is no protocol in place for what needs to be done when a homeless person is rescued, they say.

The city corporation is also in limbo and despite its preventive efforts, it found 12 people in its Mandaveli shelter tested Covid positive on Sunday. They have been admitted to the Omandurar Medical College Hospital. Officials are still investigating how the infection may have crept inside the shelter, considering no new inmates were brought in from the streets in the last two weeks.

KV Kishore Kumar, Director, The Banyan said, "During normal times, people stop to help (homeless people in distress). Now there is no tendency to do that because of the fear. They don't even get water now."

He recounted an incident last week where a man, aged between 50-55 with a deep surgical cut in his skull, was found in Kotturpuram.

"He was first taken to the Royapettah Government hospital from where he was asked to be taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. There, his wounds were dressed but doctors said they couldn't admit him there because he wasn't a COVID patient," he said.

He has now been accommodated alone in a shelter Dooming Kuppam that is not in use presently.

"Our ability to help is now dependent on the availability of a few proactive Government officials," he said.

S Nagarajan, former additional secretary to Government, Health and Family welfare and Alby John, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South), Chennai Corporation were helpful, he added.

Khaalid Ahamed, founder of the Uravugal Trust said that if at all homeless individuals are tested, keeping them safe until the results arrive prove to be a challenge.

"You cannot test them and leave them back on the streets because if you go back once the results come, you may not find them there," he said.

Harilal R, programme manager for The Banyan agrees. "NGOs can't keep them between the time the tests are taken and the results come because they are responsible for the safety of several others. In this case, where do they go?," he asked.

When contacted, Corporation officials said that their own rescues have not been impacted by the COVID containment operations. "Every day we continue to rescue around 40-50 people, mostly from outside hospitals," said an official.

Another senior Corporation official said that NGOs may contact the Corporation's shelter coordinator to arrange tests for homeless individuals.

"In cases where they cannot bring them for testing, we will even go to where they are and collect samples," he said.


Arun M By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Actor Shamna Kasim was just another prey for the gang which has been extorting money from several small-time film actors and fashion models. And it was to obtain more money -- since they had been successful in getting the minnows to pay up -- that the gang started eyeing bigger targets and thus Shamna came in their crosshairs. The gang used to approach extras offering meaty roles in upcoming movies. After getting acquainted with them, they demand money and gold.They blackmail them, threatening to publicly shame them by publishing online photos, audio clips and videos of the victims. In some cases, the gang approached the family members of the actors with a marriage proposal, like what happened with Shamna.

Disclosing the gangs modus operandi, Vijay Sakhare, Commissioner of Police, Kochi city, said. They first get acquainted with junior actors. And then the gang demand money from the artists after threatening to publish their images. It is to amass more money thatthe accused decided to scale up their potential targets. Beneath the glamour, the case pertaining to the alleged attempt to blackmail Shamna Kasim has yet again raised questions on the link between the Malayalam film industry, gold smuggling, and the extortionists. While the actor abduction case of 2017, in which actor Dileep is one of the key accused, had thrown light on the unholy nexus, the Shamna case points to a similar modus operandi. The lone difference this time round is that it could not be executed following the complaint lodged by Shamna.

Actor Dharmajan Bolgatty, summoned for questioning in connection with the blackmailing case, had disclosed that he was approached by gold smugglers seeking phone numbers of Shamna Kasim and fellow actor Miya George. However, the commissioner ruled out reports of the gangs links with the gold smuggling syndicate. The gold smuggling tale was spun by the gang. Till now, the police have not received any clues establishing their links with gold smuggling, he added. However, as many as 20 women have come forward with complaints of alleged extortion and nine FIRs have been registered at various police stations within Kochi City police limits so far.

Until now,10 persons have been arrested in the Shamna case, with three of them being granted bail. It seems the accused had received assistance from persons having links with the film industry and this too is under the scanner. Officers said production controller Shaji Pattikkara had provided the mobile number of the actors to the gang. It has been found that they had collected the numbers of the actors from two others also, said Sakhare.

According to Unnikrishnan B, general secretary, Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), Those engaging in these sort of illegal activities have hardly any connection to the film world. But these operators tarnish the entire industry. He said those keen on joining the film industry should exercise more caution.Meanwhile, FEFKA has launched helpline numbers and announced a short film to spread awareness on fake casting call agencies and people exploiting fresh faces on the pretext of offering chances in films. The office-bearers of the association said woman artists can avail themselves of the services of FEFKA womens wing.

FEFKA helpline

The office-bearers of the association said woman artists can avail themselves of the services of FEFKA womens wing. Women and transwomen can call up the womens wing of FEFKA at the following numbers: +91 9846342226 or +91 9645342226 -- to report casting-related issues or instances of misconduct.Callers can also inquire about the real status of the casting calls via these helpline numbers.

Registration mandatory

The association will make registration mandatory for casting agencies and casting directors

The details of those who registered with FEFKA will be handed over to the producers association and Association of Malayalam Movie Artists(AMMA)

FEFKA announces a short film to spread awareness on fake casting call agencies and people exploiting fresh faces
By Frederick Douglass

A speech given at Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852

Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens:



He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. I do not remember ever to have appeared as a speaker before any assembly more shrinkingly, nor with greater distrust of my ability, than I do this day. A feeling has crept over me quite unfavorable to the exercise of my limited powers of speech. The task before me is one which requires much previous thought and study for its proper performance. I know that apologies of this sort are generally considered flat and unmeaning. I trust, however, that mine will not be so considered. Should I seem at ease, my appearance would much misrepresent me. The little experience I have had in addressing public meetings, in country school houses, avails me nothing on the present occasion.



The papers and placards say that I am to deliver a Fourth of July Oration. This certainly sounds large, and out of the common way, for me. It is true that I have often had the privilege to speak in this beautiful Hall, and to address many who now honor me with their presence. But neither their familiar faces, nor the perfect gage I think I have of Corinthian Hall seems to free me from embarrassment.



The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable-and the difficulties to be overcome in getting from the latter to the former are by no means slight. That I am here to-day is, to me, a matter of astonishment as well as of gratitude. You will not, therefore, be surprised, if in what I have to say I evince no elaborate preparation, nor grace my speech with any high sounding exordium. With little experience and with less learning, I have been able to throw my thoughts hastily and imperfectly together; and trusting to your patient and generous indulgence I will proceed to lay them before you.



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, to you, as what the Passover was to the emancipated people of God. It carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance; and to the signs, and to the wonders, associated with that act, and that day. 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. l am glad, fellow-citizens, that your nation is so young. Seventy-six years, though a good old age for a man, is but a mere speck in the life of a nation. Three score years and ten is the allotted time for individual men; but nations number their years by thousands. According to this fact, you are, even now, only in the beginning of your national career, still lingering in the period of childhood. I repeat, I am glad this is so. There is hope in the thought, and hope is much needed, under the dark clouds which lower above the horizon. The eye of the reformer is met with angry flashes, portending disastrous times; but his heart may well beat lighter at the thought that America is young, and that she is still in the impressible stage of her existence. May he not hope that high lessons of wisdom, of justice and of truth, will yet give direction to her destiny? Were the nation older, the patriot's heart might be sadder, and the reformer's brow heavier. Its future might be shrouded in gloom, and the hope of its prophets go out in sorrow. There is consolation in the thought that America is young.-Great streams are not easily turned from channels, worn deep in the course of ages. They may sometimes rise in quiet and stately majesty, and inundate the land, refreshing and fertilizing the earth with their mysterious properties. They may also rise in wrath and fury, and bear away, on their angry waves, the accumulated wealth of years of toil and hardship. They, however, gradually flow back to the same old channel, and flow on as serenely as ever. But, while the river may not be turned aside, it may dry up, and leave nothing behind but the withered branch, and the unsightly rock, to howl in the abyss-sweeping wind, the sad tale of departed glory. As with rivers so with nations.



Fellow-citizens, I shall not presume to dwell at length on the associations that cluster about this day. The simple story of it is, that, 76 years ago, the people of this country were British subjects. The style and title of your "sovereign people" (in which you now glory) was not then born. You were under the British Crown. Your fathers esteemed the English Government as the home government; and England as the fatherland. This home government, you know, although a considerable distance from your home, did, in the exercise of its parental prerogatives, impose upon its colonial children, such restraints, burdens and limitations, as, in its mature judgment, it deemed wise, right and proper.



But your fathers, who had not adopted the fashionable idea of this day, of the infallibility of government, and the absolute character of its acts, presumed to differ from the home government in respect to the wisdom and the justice of some of those burdens and restraints. They went so far in their excitement as to pronounce the measures of government unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive, and altogether such as ought not to be quietly submitted to. I scarcely need say, fellow-citizens, that my opinion of those measures fully accords with that of your fathers. Such a declaration of agreement on my part would not be worth much to anybody. It would certainly prove nothing as to what part I might have taken had I lived during the great controversy of 1776. To say now that America was right, and England wrong, is exceedingly easy. Everybody can say it; the dastard, not less than the noble brave, can flippantly discant on the tyranny of England towards the American Colonies. It is fashionable to do so; but there was a time when, to pronounce against England, and in favor of the cause of the colonies, tried men's souls. They who did so were accounted in their day plotters of mischief, agitators and rebels, dangerous men. To side with the right against the wrong, with the weak against the strong, and with the oppressed against the oppressor! here lies the merit, and the one which, of all others, seems unfashionable in our day. The cause of liberty may be stabbed by the men who glory in the deeds of your fathers. But, to proceed.



Feeling themselves harshly and unjustly treated, by the home government, your fathers, like men of honesty, and men of spirit, earnestly sought redress. They petitioned and remonstrated; they did so in a decorous, respectful, and loyal manner. Their conduct was wholly unexceptionable. This, however, did not answer the purpose. They saw themselves treated with sovereign indifference, coldness and scorn. Yet they persevered. They were not the men to look back.



As the sheet anchor takes a firmer hold, when the ship is tossed by the storm, so did the cause of your fathers grow stronger as it breasted the chilling blasts of kingly displeasure. The greatest and best of British statesmen admitted its justice, and the loftiest eloquence of the British Senate came to its support. But, with that blindness which seems to be the unvarying characteristic of tyrants, since Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned in the Red Sea, the British Government persisted in the exactions complained of.



The madness of this course, we believe, is admitted now, even by England; but we fear the lesson is wholly lost on our present rulers.



Oppression makes a wise man mad. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. With brave men there is always a remedy for oppression. Just here, the idea of a total separation of the colonies from the crown was born! It was a startling idea, much more so than we, at this distance of time, regard it. The timid and the prudent (as has been intimated) of that day were, of course, shocked and alarmed by it.



Such people lived then, had lived before, and will, probably, ever have a place on this planet; and their course, in respect to any great change (no matter how great the good to be attained, or the wrong to be redressed by it), may be calculated with as much precision as can be the course of the stars. They hate all changes, but silver, gold and copper change! Of this sort of change they are always strongly in favor.



These people were called Tories in the days of your fathers; and the appellation, probably, conveyed the same idea that is meant by a more modern, though a somewhat less euphonious term, which we often find in our papers, applied to some of our old politicians.



Their opposition to the then dangerous thought was earnest and powerful; but, amid all their terror and affrighted vociferations against it, the alarming and revolutionary idea moved on, and the country with it.



On the 2nd of July, 1776, the old Continental Congress, to the dismay of the lovers of ease, and the worshipers of property, clothed that dreadful idea with all the authority of national sanction. They did so in the form of a resolution; and as we seldom hit upon resolutions, drawn up in our day, whose transparency is at all equal to this, it may refresh your minds and help my story if I read it.



"Resolved, 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, dissolved."



Citizens, your fathers made good that resolution. They succeeded; and to-day you reap the fruits of their success. The freedom gained is yours; and you, there fore, may properly celebrate this anniversary. The 4th of July is the first great fact in your nation's history-the very ringbolt in the chain of your yet undeveloped destiny.



Pride and patriotism, not less than gratitude, prompt you to celebrate and to hold it in perpetual remembrance. I have said that the Declaration of Independence is the ringbolt to the chain of your nation's destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.



From the round top of your ship of state, dark and threatening clouds may be seen. Heavy billows, like mountains in the distance, disclose to the leeward huge forms of flinty rocks! That bolt drawn, that chain broken, and all is lost. Cling to this day-cling to it, and to its principles, with the grasp of a storm-tossed mariner to a spar at midnight.



The coming into being of a nation, in any circumstances, is an interesting event. But, besides general considerations, there were peculiar circumstances which make the advent of this republic an event of special attractiveness. The whole scene, as I look back to it, was simple, dignified and sublime. The population of the country, at the time, stood at the insignificant number of three millions. The country was poor in the munitions of war. The population was weak and scattered, and the country a wilderness unsubdued. There were then no means of concert and combination, such as exist now. Neither steam nor lightning had then been reduced to order and discipline. From the Potomac to the Delaware was a journey of many days. Under these, and innumerable other disadvantages, your fathers declared for liberty and independence and triumphed.



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. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory.



They loved their country better than their own private interests; and, though this is not the highest form of human excellence, all will concede that it is a rare virtue, and that when it is exhibited it ought to command respect. He who will, intelligently, lay down his life for his country is a man whom it is not in human nature to despise. Your fathers staked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, on the cause of their country. In their admiration of liberty, they lost sight of all other interests.



They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. They were quiet men; but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression. They showed forbearance; but that they knew its limits. They believed in order; but not in the order of tyranny. With them, nothing was "settIed" that was not right. With them, justice, liberty and humanity were "final"; not slavery and oppression. You may well cherish the memory of such men. They were great in their day and generation. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times.



How circumspect, exact and proportionate were all their movements! How unlike the politicians of an hour! Their statesmanship looked beyond the passing moment, and stretched away in strength into the distant future. They seized upon eternal principles, and set a glorious example in their defence. Mark them! Fully appreciating the hardships to be encountered, firmly believing in the right of their cause, honorably inviting the scrutiny of an on-looking world, reverently appealing to heaven to attest their sincerity, soundly comprehending the solemn responsibility they were about to assume, wisely measuring the terrible odds against them, your fathers, the fathers of this republic, did, most deliberately, under the inspiration of a glorious patriotism, and with a sublime faith in the great principles of justice and freedom, lay deep, the corner-stone of the national super-structure, which has risen and still rises in grandeur around you.



Of this fundamental work, this day is the anniversary. Our eyes are met with demonstrations of joyous enthusiasm. Banners and pennants wave exultingly on the breeze. The din of business, too, is hushed. Even mammon seems to have quitted his grasp on this day. The ear-piercing fife and the stirring drum unite their accents with the ascending peal of a thousand church bells. Prayers are made, hymns are sung, and sermons are preached in honor of this day; while the quick martial tramp of a great and multitudinous nation, echoed back by all the hills, valleys and mountains of a vast continent, bespeak the occasion one of thrilling and universal interest-nation's jubilee.



Friends and citizens, I need not enter further into the causes which led to this anniversary. Many of you understand them better than I do. You could instruct me in regard to them. That is a branch of knowledge in which you feel, perhaps, a much deeper interest than your speaker. The causes which led to the separation of the colonies from the British crown have never lacked for a tongue. They have all been taught in your common schools, narrated at your firesides, un folded from your pulpits, and thundered from your legislative halls, and are as familiar to you as household words. They form the staple of your national po etry and eloquence.



I remember, also, that, as a people, Americans are remarkably familiar with all facts which make in their own favor. This is esteemed by some as a national trait-perhaps a national weakness. It is a fact, that whatever makes for the wealth or for the reputation of Americans and can be had cheap! will be found by Americans. I shall not be charged with slandering Americans if I say I think the American side of any question may be safely left in American hands.



I leave, therefore, the great deeds of your fathers to other gentlemen whose claim to have been regularly descended will be less likely to be disputed than mine!



My business, if I have any here to-day, is with the present. The accepted time with God and His cause is the ever-living now.



Trust no future, however pleasant,

Let the dead past bury its dead;

Act, act in the living present,

Heart within, and God overhead.



We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and to the future. To all inspiring motives, to noble deeds which can be gained from the past, we are welcome. But now is the time, the important time. Your fathers have lived, died, and have done their work, and have done much of it well. You live and must die, and you must do your work. You have no right to enjoy a child's share in the labor of your fathers, unless your children are to be blest by your labors. You have no right to wear out and waste the hard-earned fame of your fathers to cover your indolence. Sydney Smith tells us that men seldom eulogize the wisdom and virtues of their fathers, but to excuse some folly or wickedness of their own. This truth is not a doubtful one. There are illustrations of it near and remote, ancient and modern. It was fashionable, hundreds of years ago, for the children of Jacob to boast, we have "Abraham to our father," when they had long lost Abraham's faith and spirit. That people contented themselves under the shadow of Abraham's great name, while they repudiated the deeds which made his name great. Need I remind you that a similar thing is being done all over this country to-day? Need I tell you that the Jews are not the only people who built the tombs of the prophets, and garnished the sepulchers of the righteous? Washington could not die till he had broken the chains of his slaves. Yet his monument is built up by the price of human blood, and the traders in the bodies and souls of men shout-"We have Washington to our father."-Alas! that it should be so; yet it is.



The evil, that men do, lives after them,

The good is oft interred with their bones.



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? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?



Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation's sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation's jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the "lame man leap as an hart."



But such is not the state of the case. 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 fa thers, 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. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people!



"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth."



Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!" To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. 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! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.



But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, "It is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less; would you persuade more, and rebuke less; your cause would be much more likely to succeed." But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They ac knowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may con sent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!



For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!



Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Americans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding.-There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.



What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.



What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument is passed.



At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, 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. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.



Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.



Take the American slave-trade, which we are told by the papers, is especially prosperous just now. Ex-Senator Benton tells us that the price of men was never higher than now. He mentions the fact to show that slavery is in no danger. This trade is one of the peculiarities of American institutions. It is carried on in all the large towns and cities in one-half of this confederacy; and millions are pocketed every year by dealers in this horrid traffic. In several states this trade is a chief source of wealth. It is called (in contradistinction to the foreign slave-trade) "the internal slave-trade." It is, probably, called so, too, in order to divert from it the horror with which the foreign slave-trade is contemplated. That trade has long since been denounced by this government as piracy. It has been denounced with burning words from the high places of the nation as an execrable traffic. To arrest it, to put an end to it, this nation keeps a squadron, at immense cost, on the coast of Africa. Everywhere, in this country, it is safe to speak of this foreign slave-trade as a most inhuman traffic, opposed alike to the Jaws of God and of man. The duty to extirpate and destroy it, is admitted even by our doctors of divinity. In order to put an end to it, some of these last have consented that their colored brethren (nominally free) should leave this country, and establish them selves on the western coast of Africa! It is, however, a notable fact that, while so much execration is poured out by Americans upon all those engaged in the foreign slave-trade, the men engaged in the slave-trade between the states pass with out condemnation, and their business is deemed honorable.



Behold the practical operation of this internal slave-trade, the American slave-trade, sustained by American politics and American religion. Here you will see men and women reared like swine for the market. You know what is a swine-drover? I will show you a man-drover. They inhabit all our Southern States. They perambulate the country, and crowd the highways of the nation, with droves of human stock. You will see one of these human flesh jobbers, armed with pistol, whip, and bowie-knife, driving a company of a hundred men, women, and children, from the Potomac to the slave market at New Orleans. These wretched people are to be sold singly, or in lots, to suit purchasers. They are food for the cotton-field and the deadly sugar-mill. Mark the sad procession, as it moves wearily along, and the inhuman wretch who drives them. Hear his savage yells and his blood-curdling oaths, as he hurries on his affrighted captives! There, see the old man with locks thinned and gray. Cast one glance, if you please, upon that young mother, whose shoulders are bare to the scorching sun, her briny tears falling on the brow of the babe in her arms. See, too, that girl of thirteen, weeping, yes! weeping, as she thinks of the mother from whom she has been torn! The drove moves tardily. Heat and sorrow have nearly consumed their strength; suddenly you hear a quick snap, like the discharge of a rifle; the fetters clank, and the chain rattles simultaneously; your ears are saluted with a scream, that seems to have torn its way to the centre of your soul The crack you heard was the sound of the slave-whip; the scream you heard was from the woman you saw with the babe. Her speed had faltered under the weight of her child and her chains! that gash on her shoulder tells her to move on. Follow this drove to New Orleans. Attend the auction; see men examined like horses; see the forms of women rudely and brutally exposed to the shock ing gaze of American slave-buyers. See this drove sold and separated forever; and never forget the deep, sad sobs that arose from that scattered multitude. Tell me, citizens, where, under the sun, you can witness a spectacle more fiendish and shocking. Yet this is but a glance at the American slave-trade, as it exists, at this moment, in the ruling part of the United States.



I was born amid such sights and scenes. To me the American slave-trade is a terrible reality. When a child, my soul was often pierced with a sense of its horrors. I lived on Philpot Street, Fell's Point, Baltimore, and have watched from the wharves the slave ships in the Basin, anchored from the shore, with their cargoes of human flesh, waiting for favorable winds to waft them down the Chesapeake. There was, at that time, a grand slave mart kept at the head of Pratt Street, by Austin Woldfolk. His agents were sent into every town and county in Maryland, announcing their arrival, through the papers, and on flaming "hand-bills," headed cash for Negroes. These men were generally well dressed men, and very captivating in their manners; ever ready to drink, to treat, and to gamble. The fate of many a slave has depended upon the turn of a single card; and many a child has been snatched from the arms of its mother by bargains arranged in a state of brutal drunkenness.



The flesh-mongers gather up their victims by dozens, and drive them, chained, to the general depot at Baltimore. When a sufficient number has been collected here, a ship is chartered for the purpose of conveying the forlorn crew to Mobile, or to New Orleans. From the slave prison to the ship, they are usually driven in the darkness of night; for since the antislavery agitation, a certain caution is observed.



In the deep, still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead, heavy footsteps, and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door. The anguish of my boyish heart was intense; and I was often consoled, when speaking to my mistress in the morning, to hear her say that the custom was very wicked; that she hated to hear the rattle of the chains and the heart-rending cries. I was glad to find one who sympathized with me in my horror.



Fellow-citizens, this murderous traffic is, to-day, in active operation in this boasted republic. In the solitude of my spirit I see clouds of dust raised on the highways of the South; I see the bleeding footsteps; I hear the doleful wail of fettered humanity on the way to the slave-markets, where the victims are to be sold like horses, sheep, and swine, knocked off to the highest bidder. There I see the tenderest ties ruthlessly broken, to gratify the lust, caprice and rapacity of the buyers and sellers of men. My soul sickens at the sight.



Is this the land your Fathers loved,

The freedom which they toiled to win?

Is this the earth whereon they moved?

Are these the graves they slumber in?



But a still more inhuman, disgraceful, and scandalous state of things remains to be presented. By an act of the American Congress, not yet two years old, slavery has been nationalized in its most horrible and revolting form. By that act, Mason and Dixon's line has been obliterated; New York has become as Virginia; and the power to hold, hunt, and sell men, women and children, as slaves, remains no longer a mere state institution, but is now an institution of the whole United States. The power is co-extensive with the star-spangled banner, and American Christianity. Where these go, may also go the merciless slave-hunter. Where these are, man is not sacred. He is a bird for the sportsman's gun. By that most foul and fiendish of all human decrees, the liberty and person of every man are put in peril. Your broad republican domain is hunting ground for men. Not for thieves and robbers, enemies of society, merely, but for men guilty of no crime. Your law-makers have commanded all good citizens to engage in this hellish sport. Your President, your Secretary of State, your lords, nobles, and ecclesiastics enforce, as a duty you owe to your free and glorious country, and to your God, that you do this accursed thing. Not fewer than forty Americans have, within the past two years, been hunted down and, without a moment's warning, hurried away in chains, and consigned to slavery and excruciating torture. Some of these have had wives and children, dependent on them for bread; but of this, no account was made. The right of the hunter to his prey stands superior to the right of marriage, and to all rights in this republic, the rights of God included! For black men there is neither law nor justice, humanity nor religion. The Fugitive Slave Law makes mercy to them a crime; and bribes the judge who tries them. An American judge gets ten dollars for every victim he consigns to slavery, and five, when he fails to do so. The oath of any two villains is sufficient, under this hell-black enactment, to send the most pious and exemplary black man into the remorseless jaws of slavery! His own testimony is nothing. He can bring no witnesses for himself. The minister of American justice is bound by the law to hear but one side; and that side is the side of the oppressor. Let this damning fact be perpetually told. Let it be thundered around the world that in tyrant-killing, king-hating, people-loving, democratic, Christian America the seats of justice are filled with judges who hold their offices under an open and palpable bribe, and are bound, in deciding the case of a man's liberty, to hear only his accusers!



In glaring violation of justice, in shameless disregard of the forms of administering law, in cunning arrangement to entrap the defenceless, and in diabolical intent this Fugitive Slave Law stands alone in the annals of tyrannical legislation. I doubt if there be another nation on the globe having the brass and the baseness to put such a law on the statute-book. If any man in this assembly thinks differently from me in this matter, and feels able to disprove my statements, I will gladly confront him at any suitable time and place he may select.



I take this law to be one of the grossest infringements of Christian Liberty, and, if the churches and ministers of our country were nor stupidly blind, or most wickedly indifferent, they, too, would so regard it.



At the very moment that they are thanking God for the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, and for the right to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, they are utterly silent in respect to a law which robs religion of its chief significance and makes it utterly worthless to a world lying in wickedness. Did this law concern the "mint, anise, and cummin"-abridge the right to sing psalms, to partake of the sacrament, or to engage in any of the ceremonies of religion, it would be smitten by the thunder of a thousand pulpits. A general shout would go up from the church demanding repeal, repeal, instant repeal!-And it would go hard with that politician who presumed to so licit the votes of the people without inscribing this motto on his banner. Further, if this demand were not complied with, another Scotland would be added to the history of religious liberty, and the stern old covenanters would be thrown into the shade. A John Knox would be seen at every church door and heard from every pulpit, and Fillmore would have no more quarter than was shown by Knox to the beautiful, but treacherous, Queen Mary of Scotland. The fact that the church of our country (with fractional exceptions) does not esteem "the Fugitive Slave Law" as a declaration of war against religious liberty, im plies that that church regards religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love, and good will towards man. It esteems sacrifice above mercy; psalm-singing above right doing; solemn meetings above practical righteousness. A worship that can be conducted by persons who refuse to give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy is a curse, not a blessing to mankind. The Bible addresses all such persons as "scribes, pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe ofY mint, anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith."



But the church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors. It has made itself the bulwark of American slavery, and the shield of American slave-hunters. Many of its most eloquent Divines, who stand as the very lights of the church, have shamelessly given the sanction of religion and the Bible to the whole slave system. They have taught that man may, properly, be a slave; that the relation of master and slave is ordained of God; that to send back an escaped bondman to his master is clearly the duty of all the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ; and this horrible blasphemy is palmed off upon the world for Christianity.



For my part, I would say, welcome infidelity! welcome atheism! welcome anything! in preference to the gospel, as preached by those Divines! They convert the very name of religion into an engine of tyranny and barbarous cruelty, and serve to confirm more infidels, in this age, than all the infidel writings of Thomas Paine, Voltaire, and Bolingbroke put together have done! These ministers make religion a cold and flinty-hearted thing, having neither principles of right action nor bowels of compassion. They strip the love of God of its beauty and leave the throne of religion a huge, horrible, repulsive form. It is a religion for oppressors, tyrants, man-stealers, and thugs. It is not that "pure and undefiled religion" which is from above, and which is "first pure, then peaceable, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and with out hypocrisy." But a religion which favors the rich against the poor; which exalts the proud above the humble; which divides mankind into two classes, tyrants and slaves; which says to the man in chains, stay there; and to the oppressor, oppress on; it is a religion which may be professed and enjoyed by all the robbers and enslavers of mankind; it makes God a respecter of persons, denies his fatherhood of the race, and tramples in the dust the great truth of the brotherhood of man. All this we affirm to be true of the popular church, and the popular worship of our land and nation-a religion, a church, and a worship which, on the authority of inspired wisdom, we pronounce to be an abomination in the sight of God. In the language of Isaiah, the American church might be well addressed, "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me: the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons, and your appointed feasts my soul hateth. They are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them; and when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea' when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood; cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge for the fatherless; plead for the widow."



The American church is guilty, when viewed in connection with what it is doing to uphold slavery; but it is superlatively guilty when viewed in its connection with its ability to abolish slavery.



The sin of which it is guilty is one of omission as well as of commission. Albert Barnes but uttered what the common sense of every man at all observant of the actual state of the case will receive as truth, when he declared that "There is no power out of the church that could sustain slavery an hour, if it were not sustained in it."



Let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday School, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery, and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds, and that they do not do this involves them in the most awful responsibility of which the mind can conceive.



In prosecuting the anti-slavery enterprise, we have been asked to spare the church, to spare the ministry; but how, we ask, could such a thing be done? We are met on the threshold of our efforts for the redemption of the slave, by the church and ministry of the country, in battle arrayed against us; and we are compelled to fight or flee. From what quarter, I beg to know, has proceeded a fire so deadly upon our ranks, during the last two years, as from the Northern pulpit? As the champions of oppressors, the chosen men of American theology have appeared-men honored for their so-called piety, and their real learning. The Lords of Buffalo, the Springs of New York, the Lathrops of Auburn, the Coxes and Spencers of Brooklyn, the Gannets and Sharps of Boston, the Deweys of Washington, and other great religious lights of the land have, in utter denial of the authority of Him by whom they professed to be called to the ministry, deliberately taught us, against the example of the Hebrews, and against the remonstrance of the Apostles, that we ought to obey man's law before the law of God.2



My spirit wearies of such blasphemy; and how such men can be supported, as the "standing types and representatives of Jesus Christ," is a mystery which I leave others to penetrate. In speaking of the American church, however, let it be distinctly understood that I mean the great mass of the religious organizations of our land. There are exceptions, and I thank God that there are. Noble men may be found, scattered all over these Northern States, of whom Henry Ward Beecher, of Brooklyn; Samuel J. May, of Syracuse; and my esteemed friend (Rev. R. R. Raymond) on the platform, are shining examples; and let me say further, that, upon these men lies the duty to inspire our ranks with high religious faith and zeal, and to cheer us on in the great mission of the slave's redemption from his chains.



One is struck with the difference between the attitude of the American church towards the anti-slavery movement, and that occupied by the churches in Eng land towards a similar movement in that country. There, the church, true to its mission of ameliorating, elevating and improving the condition of mankind, came forward promptly, bound up the wounds of the West Indian slave, and re stored him to his liberty. There, the question of emancipation was a high religious question. It was demanded in the name of humanity, and according to the law of the living God. The Sharps, the Clarksons, the Wilberforces, the Buxtons, the Burchells, and the Knibbs were alike famous for their piety and for their philanthropy. The anti-slavery movement there was not an anti-church movement, for the reason that the church took its full share in prosecuting that movement: and the anti-slavery movement in this country will cease to be an anti-church movement, when the church of this country shall assume a favorable instead of a hostile position towards that movement.



Americans! your republican politics, not less than your republican religion, are flagrantly inconsistent. 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 hurl your anathemas at the crowned headed tyrants of Russia and Austria and pride yourselves on your Democratic institutions, while you yourselves consent to be the mere tools and body-guards of the tyrants of Virginia and Carolina. You invite to your shores fugitives of oppression from abroad, honor them with banquets, greet them with ovations, cheer them, toast them, salute them, protect them, and pour out your money to them like water; but the fugitives from oppression in your own land you advertise, hunt, arrest, shoot, and kill. You glory in your refinement and your universal education; yet you maintain a system as barbarous and dreadful as ever stained the character of a nation-a system begun in avarice, supported in pride, and perpetuated in cruelty. You shed tears over fallen Hungary, and make the sad story of her wrongs the theme of your poets, statesmen, and orators, till your gallant sons are ready to fly to arms to vindicate her cause against the oppressor; but, in regard to the ten thousand wrongs of the American slave, you would enforce the strictest silence, and would hail him as an enemy of the nation who dares to make those wrongs the subject of public discourse! You are all on fire at the mention of liberty for France or for Ireland; but are as cold as an iceberg at the thought of liberty for the enslaved of America. You discourse eloquently on the dignity of labor; yet, you sustain a system which, in its very essence, casts a stigma upon labor. You can bare your bosom to the storm of British artillery to throw off a three-penny tax on tea; and yet wring the last hard earned farthing from the grasp of the black laborers of your country. You profess to believe "that, of one blood, God made all nations of men to dwell on the face of all the earth," and hath commanded all men, everywhere, to love one another; yet you notoriously hate (and glory in your hatred) all men whose skins are not colored like your own. 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 in alienable 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.



Fellow-citizens, I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretense, and your Christianity as a lie. It destroys your moral power abroad: it corrupts your politicians at home. It saps the foundation of religion; it makes your name a hissing and a bye-word to a mocking earth. It is the antagonistic force in your government, the only thing that seriously disturbs and endangers your Union. it fetters your progress; it is the enemy of improvement; the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it breeds insolence; it promotes vice; it shelters crime; it is a curse to the earth that supports it; and yet you cling to it as if it were the sheet anchor of all your hopes. Oh! be warned! be warned! a horrible reptile is coiled up in your nation's bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic; for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, and let the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever!



But it is answered in reply to all this, that precisely what I have now denounced is, in fact, guaranteed and sanctioned by the Constitution of the United States; that, the right to hold, and to hunt slaves is a part of that Constitution framed by the illustrious Fathers of this Republic.



Then, I dare to affirm, notwithstanding all I have said before, your fathers stooped, basely stooped



To palter with us in a double sense:

And keep the word of promise to the ear,

But break it to the heart.



And instead of being the honest men I have before declared them to be, they were the veriest impostors that ever practised on mankind. This is the inevitable conclusion, and from it there is no escape; but I differ from those who charge this baseness on the framers of the Constitution of the United States. It is a slander upon their memory, at least, so I believe. There is not time now to argue the constitutional question at length; nor have I the ability to discuss it as it ought to be discussed. The subject has been handled with masterly power by Lysander Spooner, Esq. by William Goodell, by Samuel E. Sewall, Esq., and last, though not least, by Gerrit Smith, Esq. These gentlemen have, as I think, fully and clearly vindicated the Constitution from any design to support slavery for an hour.



Fellow-citizens! there is no matter in respect to which the people of the North have allowed themselves to be so ruinously imposed upon as that of the pro-slavery character of the Constitution. In that instrument I hold there is neither warrant, license, nor sanction of the hateful thing; but interpreted, as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a glorious liberty document. Read its preamble, consider its purposes. Is slavery among them? Is it at the gate way? or is it in the temple? it is neither. While I do not intend to argue this question on the present occasion, let me ask, if it be not somewhat singular that, if the Constitution were intended to be, by its framers and adopters, a slaveholding instrument, why neither slavery, slaveholding, nor slave can any where be found in it. What would be thought of an instrument, drawn up, legally drawn up, for the purpose of entitling the city of Rochester to a tract of land, in which no mention of land was made? Now, there are certain rules of interpretation for the proper understanding of all legal instruments. These rules are well established. They are plain, commonsense rules, such as you and I, and all of us, can understand and apply, without having passed years in the study of law. I scout the idea that the question of the constitutionality, or unconstitutionality of slavery, is not a question for the people. I hold that every American citizen has a right to form an opinion of the constitution, and to propagate that opinion, and to use all honorable means to make his opinion the prevailing one. Without this right, the liberty of an American citizen would be as insecure as that of a Frenchman. Ex-Vice-President Dallas tells us that the constitution is an object to which no American mind can be too attentive, and no American heart too devoted. He further says, the Constitution, in its words, is plain and intelligible, and is meant for the home-bred, unsophisticated understandings of our fellow-citizens. Senator Berrien tells us that the Constitution is the fundamental law, that which controls all others. The charter of our liberties, which every citizen has a personal interest in understanding thoroughly. The testimony of Senator Breese, Lewis Cass, and many others that might be named, who are everywhere esteemed as sound lawyers, so regard the constitution. I take it, therefore, that it is not presumption in a private citizen to form an opinion of that instrument.



Now, take the Constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. On the other hand, it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.



I have detained my audience entirely too long already. At some future period I will gladly avail myself of an opportunity to give this subject a full and fair discussion.



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. While drawing encouragement from "the Declaration of Independence," the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. Nations do not now stand in the same relation to each other that they did ages ago. No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. The arm of commerce has borne away the gates of the strong city. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. Wind, steam, and lightning are its chartered agents. Oceans no longer divide, but link nations together. From Boston to London is now a holiday excursion. Space is comparatively annihilated.-Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are distinctly heard on the other.



The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. The Celestial Empire, the mystery of ages, is being solved. The fiat of the Almighty, "Let there be Light," has not yet spent its force. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light. The iron shoe, and crippled foot of China must be seen in contrast with nature. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. "Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand unto God." In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it:



God speed the year of jubilee

The wide world o'er!

When from their galling chains set free,

Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee,



And wear the yoke of tyranny

Like brutes no more.

That year will come, and freedom's reign.

To man his plundered rights again

Restore.



God speed the day when human blood

Shall cease to flow!

In every clime be understood,

The claims of human brotherhood,

And each return for evil, good,

Not blow for blow;



That day will come all feuds to end,

And change into a faithful friend

Each foe.



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By Express News Service

KOCHI: A Maharashtra-based couple, who had arrived in Kochi from Muscat amid Covid-19 fears, returned to their state with their newborn daughter Aradhya on Saturday. Chandrasekhar Mohite, a civil draftsman from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, and his wife Gayathri, a human resources executive, arrived at Kochi in a special flight on June 4. Gayathri, who was nine months pregnant and was hoping to give birth to her child in Muscat, was forced to change her plans owing to the Covid-19 crisis.

In their hurry to reach home amid the lockdown, the couple boarded the first possible flight to India and landed in Kochi. As travelling back to Maharashtra was risky and difficult at the same time, they contacted a social worker from Ernakulam, whose number they received from a stranger, after which things started to look up for the couple. After completing their quarantine period on June 18, the couple consulted gynaecologist Ramani Philip at the Sree Sudheendra Medical Mission Hospital in Ernakulam. A week later, on June 26, Gayathri gave birth to her second child.

They named her Aradhya and got her birth certificate from Kochi. The couples seven-year-old son Sainesh is studying at a school in Thane, Mumbai, and is staying with Chandrasekhars brother Amol Mohite. Under the guidance of medical director Dr M I Junaid Rahman and with the help of the management, the doctors and nurses at the hospital had provided special care and counselling to the couple.

When a stranger came to the couples rescue

In their hurry to reach home amid the lockdown, the couple boarded the first possible flight to India from Muscat and landed in Kochi. As travelling back to Maharashtra was risky and difficult at the same time, they contacted a social worker from Ernakulam, whose number they received from a stranger, after which things started to look up for the couple.
Deena Theresa By

Perhaps it is time to summon Keralas official state fruit to the tablethe humble jackfruit, popularised as Indias superfood, it has many benefits. It can boost immunity and lower blood sugar levels. Rich in protein, Vitamin A, C and potassium, its antioxidant properties, high fibre content and low glycemic index make it a healthy snack for diabetes patients and others.

Recipe by food consultant Simy Mathews

Indisputable evidence

A new study has found that a green jackfruit flour meal improves the defence against diabetes by lowering blood sugar. Presented late last month at the American Diabetes Association (ADA2020) annual conference in Chicago, it showed that the regular consumption of green flour helped in improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients.

Called, A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the glucose-lowering effect of Jackfruit365 green jackfruit flour in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, it was done by James Joseph.

He is a long-time brand ambassador of jackfruit and the founder of Jackfruit365. It was co-authored by A Gopal Rao and Sunil Nayak of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences at Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. Green jackfruit when prepared as a meal is similar in texture to a mashed potato and is a traditional replacement for cooked rice in Sri Lanka and Kerala. In flour form, green jackfruit is easy to integrate with a variety of daily food such as idli, dosa and upma.

India does not consume sufficient fruits and vegetables, said Joseph, instead it relies on excess refined rice and wheat. When one spoon of rice or wheat flour is replaced by that of jackfruit, there is a reduction of carbohydrate which is revealed in ones sugar levels. There is also a decrease in calories, which helps in losing weight. Thirdly, the flour which contains fibre helps largely with bowel movement, he says.

When a pre-diabetic or diabetic patient arrives at the doctors clinic, he is advised medical nutritional therapy which can control blood sugar. For this, jackfruit is a local solution. It has been clinically proven in our study. We need our healthcare professionals to mention about food that is grown and available nearby, James adds.

Dr Tom Babu, who heads the Division of Diabetes & Endocrinology at Silverline Hospital in Kochi, affirms the same. The high-fibre content in jackfruit and the lower glycemic load is not just good for diabetic patients, it also works for cholesterol and obesity patients, he says.

Goodness at every step

Serbia-based food consultant Simy Mathews vouches for the goodness of jackfruit flour. Several years ago, I was a contestant on a cooking reality show on a regional channel.

"A chef on the show spoke about the benefits of jackfruit and mentioned that the flour could be used for baking. So my mother dried raw jackfruit and ground it into flour and thats how I started using the ingredient to bake. Ive been using it for over five years now. When I first baked a cake with it, the difference was unnoticeable. I now use it in pancakes, cakes, cookies and even to make puttu, she says.

Underrated back home

Kerala-based food technologist and nutritionist Jeffriya Joby, also the founder of Jo Fitness, stresses that the tropical fruit is largely underrated in easily available countries.

The properties of jackfruit are such that it can be compared to medicine; every element of the fruit is nutritious. The presence of Vitamin C is an immunity booster. Jackfruits also have cancer-curing properties, she shares.

The lower glycemic value makes jackfruit flour a perfect for chapattis. We suggest unripened fruit to diabetes patients, she says.

Chef Suresh Pillai, Culinary Director, Raviz Group of Hotels, an ardent lover of the fruit, says that of late, Kerala has seen several value-added products of the fruit, ranging from jam to flour. In earlier times, one jackfruit would suffice for six households, he says.

Regardless, the fruit is considered more precious to foreigners.

To a large extent, jackfruit caters to the vegan concept and can be substituted as meat like the soybean. This property has attracted Westerners.

It can also be used to make samosas and fritters. When cooked at the right temperature with meat, it suffices as a wholesome meal. The fruit must be protected at all costs, says Pillai.

Jackfruit Flour Brownies

Ingredients:

Butter: 250 grams

Sugar: 2 cups (can substitute with coconut sugar)

Eggs: 4 large

Jackfruit flour: 1 cup

Cocoa powder: 3/4 cup

Dark chocolate: 220 grams

Vanilla essence: 2 tsp

Coffee Powder: 1 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Chopped nuts: 1 cup

Method:
Bindu Gopal Rao By

Face shields, aerosol obstructors, recyclable beds... these last three months have seen students find their foothold in the world of innovation.

From IITs to government colleges and schools, labs are giving birth to budding inventors. Nishaad Chachra, a Class VIII student of Vibgyor High Marathahalli, Bengaluru, has more on his mind than just online classes and Zooming with friends.

He recently developed an automatic and contactless hand sanitiser. Powered by an infra-red sensor, the device captures human movement and executes the commands accordingly.

Protection is the need of the hour. Students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, made it their motto as they developed affordable face shields. Earlier manufactured using 3D printing, the students moved to the Injection Moulding technique as demand climbed. It helped them quadruple the production rate at a reduced cost. Financial help is also pouring in. The Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, has set up a $1-million fund to support research and innovation. Online hackathons are also awarding the best practices.

Six engineering students from the Manipal Institute of Technology recently bagged the second prize of $5,000 at the CODE19 online hackathonhosted by US-based Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation.

Their project, TeleVital, enables remote diagnosis by capturing their vital statistics through a webcam and browser. The winning entry to bag $10,000 was iClassroomcreated by students of the Government College of Engineering, Kannur, Kerala. The project connects students and teachers through social media-type interface.

Other IITs have upped the ante too. IIT Guwahati students have designed and developed intubation boxes that function as aerosol obstructors. These boxes are placed at the head of the patients bed to limit the flow of virus-laden droplets during intubation. IIT Delhi researchers and PhD students also developed a web-based dashboard for predicting the spread of coronavirus. Called PRACRITI, it gives detailed state-wise and district-wise predictions for a three-week period and is updated weekly.

For some, sustainability is the motivating factor. Anant National University, Ahmedabad, has designed visors, corrugated cardboard beds and separators for recovery facilities. We used materials that can be easily sourced, and are long lasting and recyclable, says Dhaval Monani, Director of Affordable Housing. Advaita Jairam, a second year B.Des student, adds, A good design is a design that is meaningful.
Nayare Ali By

Is it wrong to find joy in the lockdown? Yusuf Motiwala, founder of Mesiboa real-time communication platformisnt so sure. A strong believer in not going with the flow, but rather enjoying it, self-isolation came as an unexpected gift to the workaholic Yusuf.

The fact that there were no domestic help failed to dampen his spirit; he rediscovered his love for cooking.

Siya Kumar

I realised that my needs are smaller than I was aware of, he says Zen-like. The two Japanese termsIkigai and Wabi-Sabi (meaning acceptance of the transience and finding purpose in simple things of life respectively)have found resonance today.

The pandemic has made many pause, appreciate and be grateful for small pleasures.

Today, more than ever, people look forward to what were previously routine occurrencesgrocery trips to the neighbourhood store you had forgotten about, video calls with loved ones, time spent at home with children, and more.

For designer Neetu Gupta, the lockdown came as a shocker and a leveller.

The extra time I get is a gift. I start my day with chanting and follow it up with yoga. Health is topmost on my mind, she says. Self-love is her motto as she focuses on her life inside-out.

From skincare to upgrading her skills with the help of free coursesthe changed world is her oyster.

Every evening I would dance on Zoom with a few friends. And later in the night, unwind with family over music, games, chatter and read myself to sleep. It is collective detox, she smiles.

Sandhya Mendonca, founder and MD of Raintree Media, too found joy in small things. A mundane task such as handling vegetables became a sensual pleasure.

It transformed my attitude towards cooking. Ive also begun to appreciate human relationshipsthe neighbour who made my favourite dish, the friend who sent across fresh vegetables, and most of all my son and his friends taking over the kitchen once a week, she says.

Today, she chats with her sisters and cousins on Zoom in five countries and has also started a talent show on YouTube.

During the initial days of the lockdown, anxiety became a constant companion to undergraduate student Siya Kumar studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, US.

Her love for clothes was an unexpectd savior. I decided to pick up an old sewing machine which was collecting dust at the back of a cupboard somewhere. I found the process of sewing deeply intimate. Every thread out of place or an asymmetrically stiched sleeve shows the individuality of the garment, she says.

For Sanam Sheriff, doing a Masters in creative writing at Washington University, peace came in the form of faith.

Spirituality, poetry, meditation, art, outreach and service have helped her hold on to her happiness.

Poetry reminds me that we will still have power even if we are stripped of our routines. Yoga has encouraged me to start my day with positive thoughts, she says, adding, Gratitude is my axis.
Anand Neelakantan By

The brutal police custodial murder of a father and his son in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu shook the conscience of the nation last week.

It is good to know that we have some conscience left to be shaken. The crime of Mr Jayaraj and Benix was that they had kept their mobile shop open for a few minutes more than the designated time of closure. Some say, even that is not true.

It does not matter now. What matters is that they have been brutally murdered for trying to eke out a living in these cruel times.

This, in a country, where terror accused become MPs, where more than half the elected representatives have criminal cases pending against them and where multibillionaire businessmen loot the country with gay abandon and flee our shores, where quacks and frauds flourish in the name of religion.

A few days ago, many middle-class Indians were gleefully sharing the videos of police beating up impoverished men and women.

The police were punishing them for walking on the street. They were not marching against something or protesting anyone. They were just going home.

They were bolting from the cruel and indifferent cities which were locked down at a notice of four hours. They were walking in empty stomachs because there were neither special flights nor trains nor buses to take them home, until towards the fag end of the lockdown.

The privileged were working from home, holed up with sufficient provision for months and binge-watching television shows.

Since these privileged had to be saved from the dreaded epidemic and the poor who were walking on the streets were assumed to spread Covid, such discipline is necessary, was the argument in favour of this savagery.

We saw the police lashing out with lathis on the backs of these people, making them frog-jump or do multiple squats etc to teach them about the need of social distancing and staying at home.

They were just going home, fleeing from poverty, indifference of the society and lastly from an epidemic brought home by the globe trotters.

A George Floyd incident brought half of USA to the street. If we start marching for every police brutality that occurs in India, we would have been doing nothing else but marching endlessly for the last 70 years.

Police brutality is not new to India. Right from colonial times, ordinary Indians have always been at the receiving end of police lathis. Freedom fighters had faced the batons many times, but there was some poetry in it.

They were fighting against the colonial rule. What changed after Independence was the victims of these cruelties.

The advantaged know how to tackle the police through bribes or pulling a few strings here and there.

The poor, the underprivileged, the Dalits, the minorities are more likely to be the victims of the colonial hangover of our police force.

It would be unfair to brush the entire police force as oppressors, but the way Indians see the police and the way the police see themselves must change.

We celebrate movies that show rebellious police officers fighting corrupt politicians, mafia, criminals etc heroically.

While this may be entertaining, what is often missed is the way these heroes are deified not for upholding the law but for taking the law into their hands, often in a violent way.

It is no wonder that a society that is fed on such ideas would cheer when the police act as judge, jury and executioner, and render street justice. The duty of the police is not to deliver justice but enforce law and order.

The Hyderabad case where the police shot dead suspected rapists of a lady doctor and the support the act received from the public show how much we cherish such law of the jungle.

If the law enforcers refuse to play by the law and rule book, what we have is not law enforcers but state-sponsored criminals.

The Supreme Court had directed states to establish police complaint authorities at state and district levels in 2006 itself. Precious little has been done by most states in this regard.

Niti Aayog had pointed out in 2016 that most states had not complied with the apex court order.

In 2018, the National Human Rights Commission called the Uttar Pradesh Police, an organised gang of criminals.

There have been eight reports of National Police Commission, which have been conveniently ignored by most states.

In many states, the police act as the henchmen of the party in power. Hundreds of years of rampant casteism and feudalism have a deeper influence in our psyche than the imported idea of Democracy, which is yet to achieve maturity in our land.

The government institutions, ministers, members of parliament and assemblies, the police and the army are to serve the people of this country and not vice versa.

If we remember it and remind those who forget it often, perhaps we would have made a step away from feudalism and towards proper democracy.

Anand Neelakantan

Author of Asura, Ajaya series, Vanara and Bahubali trilogy

mail@asura.co.in
Neil McCallum By

In these terrible times, we must savour what few positives we can find. For me, self-isolation has at least spared me the ghastly sight of old white men in shorts, at least for this summer.

Let me be clear: I am of the male, pale and stale cohort myself, as one of my young, female and black colleagues likes to describe my type.

But I am not so lacking in self-awareness as to think someone like me wearing shorts is anything other than a travesty.

Why do others expose themselves so? Can they possibly think the sight of their skinny, pasty legs, knobbly knees and withered shanks are at all appealing?

Maybe its a reflection of that arrogance and sense of entitlement that have made my type so universally disliked? At primary school I learnt early on an important lesson: Big boys wear long pants.

I couldnt wait (aged 9) to make that transition and have never had the slightest inclination to revert to shorts.

In the half century since then I can think of few pairs of male legs Ive ever seen that have struck me as anything other than loathsome.

An Italian chap in East Africa in the 1980s.

A personal trainer at my gym. Theyre about the only exceptions that spring to mind. And what do they have in common? They were both under 30 and had worked hard to achieve such statuesque pins.

This isnt just about good taste. Consider the rise and fall of the British Empire. In long trousers, tiny little British grabbed a quarter of the planet. Then some fool decided that administrators, soldiers and policemen should don shorts.

Big mistake. Uniformed services have a breathtakingly complex range of badges of rank: Stripes on the arm, pips on the shoulder, ribbons around the neck, big feathers in the hat.

Their common purpose is animal in its simply: The more important you are, the more gorgeous your plumage.

You can emblazon your upper body with as much gilt and bling as you please, but if you insist on exposing those pale, aged limbs below, all the world can see you for what you are. Just another old man.

Authority is usually based on an illusion. It is a confidence trick which relies on a willing suspension of disbelief by the majority of the ruled.

But that demands the rulers act, and look like, they have the right to rule. In shorts, human frailty is horribly exposed.

The result? All that the British had snatched and held over two centuries was lost in a matter of decades.

Not convinced? Check out images of the fall of Singapore. The message is clear. Winners dont wear shorts.

Neil McCallum

Author of five novels, Mrs As Indian Gentlemen* being the latest

Twitter: @dawoodmccallum *Writes as Dawood Ali McCallum
By PTI

PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary have tested negative for COVID 19, sources close to the two leaders said on Sunday.

Both leaders had given their samples for testing on Saturday upon learning that Bihar Legislative Council's Acting Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh, with whom they had interacted at a function last week, has tested positive.

The leaders had come into contact with each other at the premises of the state's bicameral legislature on July 1, when nine newly-elected MLCs were sworn in.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was also among those who attended the ceremony.

His test report, which came out late Saturday night, was also negative.
By Peter Koenig

July 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Russia did it again. This time Moscow is accused of paying to kill Americans. How criminal!

Such things only Americans would do  Washington, the Pentagon, CIA. Because killing and have killed is in their mindset and bloodstream. Thats what criminals do: They project their own crimes onto others.

The latest NYT reporting is, Its not the Taliban that were offered a bounty for killing American / NATO soldiers, but Afghan criminals. The NYT admits to a mistake in their reporting  a mistake that had already been confirmed by another two media traitors, the WaPo and the WSJ?  Com-on, NYT! You are openly disclosing that you are a cheat?

Preceding its latest lie, the New York Times (NYT) reported on several consecutive days over the last week that US Intel found out that Russia had paid Afghan Taliban to kill American soldiers and their NATO allies in Afghanistan.

No substantiation whatsoever.

WaPo and WSJ have confirmed accuracy of the NYT story  also with no substantiation, no evidence whatsoever.

All lies.

How long, and how often can Washington get away with flagrant  every time more flagrant lies  and people believe it, or at least pay attention and think to themselves  if these reputed (sic-sic) so-called news-outlets say it  there must a smoking gun.

There is no smoking gun.

These papers have zero, zilch smoking guns  they are inventing, slandering, lying  its pure defamation of a sovereign nation, in this case Russia. To every thinking mind, its clear that nothing would be farther from the Russian Governments intentions than inciting anyone to kill American soldiers. Thats not Russian style. In fact, its not the style of most nations. But IT IS the style of the United States, of Washington, of the occupants of the White House. These people should be criminally pursued and prosecuted for what they are doing.

Whats worse, much worse, is that even progressive pundits from unaligned online-media  are getting up in arms every time a lie of this sort emerges either against Russia or against China. They feel obligated having to justify their raison detre by elaborating and explaining even the most deliberate and obvious falsehood as what it is in the first place  a blatant lie.

By doing so, they lend this circus even more creditability.

It deserves none whatsoever, and should be just silenced into oblivion, by being ignored.

As Russia is doing. Russia largely ignores it. Why respond to a lie?

However, you should know, what is known in psychology is that those who repeatedly and ever and ever again, accuse others of lying or of crimes they allegedly committed, without providing any substantiation, they are themselves prone to commit precisely what they accuse others of being guilty of. Just look at the accuser, the US of A and her vassalic allies  and you know that this simple piece of ancient psychological wisdom has not lost its validity.

See also the RussiaGate hoax  the Russian influence in US election, Russian hacking of US elections.

For thinking people these are the most ludicrous accusations one can imagine. A lie many times reported on, and exposed as a lie, not least by the Mueller Report. Yet, it still hasnt gone away  and is brought up again and again, all with one purpose, actually a dual purpose by the so-called US Democrats  the other dirty face of the same heinous head, to bash Russia and to unseat President Trump. Not necessarily in that order.

Why bring it up then?

Not to undo an obvious lie. Of course not. But in the hope to awake the public at large into shedding these illustrious lie-media, like the Washpost, NYT, WSJ, The Guardian, to name but a few, plus all the related TV networks, who scream in unison The Russians Did it Again.

Its only YOU, the people, who can silence the lies, by ignoring these prominent and outright false news outlets messages and their constant deceptions, and by getting the news from alternative on-line sources.

Its not for nothing that the deep state  or the powers that be  try desperately to silence these truth-seeking and truth-propagating media, by closing them down, by hacking them, by obnoxiously and unconstitutionally censuring them.

The Zuckerbergs, Bezos, Fords, Rockefellers, Gates.. of this world have all the means and money to tell the media what to write, report, and what to show to you, the people. They do it on behalf of the invisible deep dark state.

Almost always with the purpose of brainwashing you into believing a lie.

If this lie is believed by enough people, it gives them  the deep state, the destructive powers that be  the power to carry out the action that is justified by the lie, i.e. going to war, forge regime change, or outright assassinate an uncomfortable leader.

It is time to wake up, friends.

The clock is not stopping. And we keep sliding towards disaster without apparently noticing. And thats the way they want it.

See the light and shred the lie-supported cocoon of comfort  you  and we as a people in solidarity, will begin feeling much better, a purpose in life.

Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a water resources and environmental specialist. He worked for over 30 years with the World Bank and the World Health Organization around the world in the fields of environment and water. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research; ICH; New Eastern Outlook (NEO); RT; Countercurrents, Sputnik; PressTV; The 21st Century; Greanville Post; Defend Democracy Press; The Saker Blog, the and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion  An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed  fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution!  Essays from the Resistance. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.

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By IANS

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday announced a partnership with Facebook to provide training on digital safety, online well being and training on augmented reality (AR) to students and teachers.

The training modules are for secondary school students. The curriculum is now available on the CBSE website.

The curriculum on digital safety and online well-being cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram's guide for building healthy digital habits, Facebook said in a statement.

The module has been designed to guide students to become responsible digital users, identify and report threats and harassment as well as report misinformation.

At least 10,000 students will be covered in the training to be imparted by the Centre for Social Research (CSR).

"I congratulate CBSE and Facebook on its partnership to introduce certified programs in augmented reality for teachers and digital safety and online-wellbeing for students," said Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Also, as part of the collaboration, Facebook will support CBSE in its first-ever initiative to introduce AR as a curriculum.

In the first phase, 10,000 teachers will be trained while 30,000 students will undergo the same in the second phase.

The three-week training, to be conducted in batches, will cover fundamentals of AR and ways to utilise Facebook's software, Spark AR Studio in order to create augmented reality experiences.

The objective is to give the learners an opportunity and platform to conceptualise, create and brand their own AR experiences.

The hands-on learning experience of AR will help in preparing the students for a career in the digital economy.

According to the US tech giant, the teachers who successfully complete the training in the first phase will train 30,000 students in the second phase.

"Through our 'Facebook for Education' programme in India, we wish to support the educational agencies in the country in enabling lessons on fostering safe online experiences," said Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia.

"We are excited to partner with CBSE, and hope that this collaboration grows to support more teachers and students in the country," Das added.
By PTI

PUNE: At a time when wearing face mask is mandatory to contain the spread of coronavirus, a businessman from Maharashtra's Pune district has got himself a customised gold mask worth Rs 2.89 lakh.

Nearly 55 gm of the yellow metal has been used in making the mask, businessman Shankar Kurhade, a resident of Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad town, told reporters here while wearing the gold mask.

"I saw a news on television about a silver mask. I then spoke to my jeweller and ordered a gold mask," he said.

The jeweller delivered the mask, costing Rs 2.89 lakh, in 10 days, the businessman said, adding that he also distributed relief material to the needy people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, another businessman from Pimpri-Chinchwad Datta Phuge shot to fame in 2012 when got made a shirt of 3.5 kg of gold, worth Rs 1.27 crore, and wore it in public.

Phuge, who was in the business of money-lending and chit-fund, was killed here in 2016 by a group of persons over a suspected monetary dispute.

A former MNS MLA from Pune, Ramesh Wanjale, was also known for his penchant for wearing gold ornaments that earned him the nickname of gold man in the political circles here.

He died of a heart attack in 2011.
Sudhir Suryavanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting with the Hotel And Restaurant Owners Association and ensured them that soon Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be prepared for hotels and permission will be granted to restart their business.

Thackeray said that the government has started the Mission Begin Again to unlock the lockdown and restart the manufacturing and other commercial businesses.

Hotel industry has a big place in the tourism industry. Government is working out some mechanism in the backdrop of the pandemic situation. The SOP will be soon prepared and approved by the government.

Then, hotels, restaurant can start their business as per the given SOP, Thackeray told hotel owners in video conferencing meeting.

Thackeray also urged the owners not to lay off their employees. Aaditya Thackeray, tourism minister who was also part of the meeting said that the self-discipline is also important.

We know that tourism business can stimulate the development of the state. Post corona, the hotel industry should get back on to its feet. But now, it is important for to set its own rules for self-discipline.
By PTI

GHAZIABAD: Six women and a 16-year-old boy were killed Sunday when a fire ripped through a candle-manufacturing factory where they worked, officials said. Four other workers were injured in the blaze at the Modi Nagar unit which stocked highly inflammatory material.

Several fire tenders and policemen rushed to Bakhrwa village in Modi Nagar when the fire was reported around 3 pm.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences on the deaths and sought a report from Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani.

It was not immediately clear if the factory operated legally. The in-charge of a police post in the area was suspended for alleged dereliction of duty. Authorities said the factory-made sparkling birthday candles. Explosive substances used for this apparently caught fire.

The administration has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the seven dead workers. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 each.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

KANPUR: With dreaded criminal Vikas Dubey still elusive after two days of the firing incident in which eight cops had lost their lives, UP police arrested one of the accused and close aide of the wanted gangster after a gunfight in Kalyanpur area in Kanpur city on Sunday at 4:40 am.

As per the police sources, Daya Shankar Agnihotri alias Kallu, 42, a close aide of Dubey, sustained a bullet injury in his right left knee in the retaliatory firing by the police team.

He is one of the 18 aides of Dubey named in the FIR lodged in connection with the killing of cops.

Notably, eight police personnel, including a circle officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, three sub-inspectors and four constables were martyred during a past midnight operation against Dubey in Bikru village under Chaubepur police station area in Kanpur on past Thursday midnight.

Dubey, who is still away from police net, has around 60 criminal cases lodged against him.

Besides, seven police personnel were left injured with one being critical in the operation which was launched to nab the dreaded criminal in connection with the case of attempt to murder lodged by one Rahul Tiwari.

The sources claimed that Agnihotri opened fire at the police team chasing him on wee hours on Sunday. Police have recovered a gun and cartridges from Agnihotris possession, it reported.

However, in a video going viral on social media, Agnihotri is shown hinting at the role of local Chaubeypur police station in alerting the don about the approaching police teams with an intention to nab him.

He has conceded in the video clip that there was a call to Dubey from police station about the police action.

The highly placed sources claimed that Dayashankar, husband of Dubeys maid Rekha, disclosed after getting the information about imminent police action, Dubey had called in shooters to his house from outside the village.

However, the police sources said that the cash reward on Dubey was increased to Rs 1 lakh and a fresh cash award of Rs 25000 was announced on the arrest of his aides.

As per Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal, 10 close aides of Dubey were named along with the don himself in the FIR lodged in the case of cops massacre.

Moreover, around 60-70 unidentified persons were also booked in the case.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: To augment India's border infrastructure, a large number of highway projects are underway including in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, both by the BRO as well as NHIDCL, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

Work is also progressing on 17 strategic highway-cum-airstrips, three of which have been completed, he said.

Besides, work is on in full swing on the Rs 12,000 crore ambitious Chardham project for providing all-weather connectivity to Gangotri, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Badrinath.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has achieved a major milestone in the project by successfully digging a 440-metre long tunnel below the busy Chamba town on the Rishikesh-Dharasu national highway, he said.

"We have completed three of the 17 strategic projects where highway stretches can double up as airstrips, mostly in border areas. Work on others is progressing fast," the road transport and highways minister told PTI.

The projects, in collaboration with the defence ministry, will enable highway stretches to double up as airstrips when needed in border areas where there are no airports in 300-400 km vicinity, he said.

The minister said traffic operations on such strips, which are already minimal as they are in remote areas, would be controlled via railway type electronic gates in case of need for airplanes to land or take off.

Earlier, a committee was constituted comprising officials of both the highways and defence ministries to come out with specifications for such highway stretches.

"In addition, we have taken up a large number of projects to boost infrastructure in border areas to develop the same under Bharatmala.

These include Rajasthan border, Jammu and Kashmir borders, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the northeast including Arunachal Pradesh.

The intention is all round development of such areas, to boost industries there and create employment," the minister said.

A large number of these projects are being executed by BRO and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), he said.

A total of about 34,800 kms are being considered in Phase I of the Bharatmala Pariyojna at an estimated cost of Rs 5.35 lakh crore.

"Sound infrastructure brings industries and employment. Simultaneously, it will boost the value of the agriculture and other produce in the border areas," Gadkari said.

Much work has been done on the Rs 12,000 crore Chardham project to ensure all-year connectivity to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

The latest Austrian technology has been used in Chamba tunnel, a major link of Chardham project, he said, adding the tunnel will be opened for traffic by October 2020, three months ahead of its scheduled date of completion of January 2021.

BRO has been working in some of the most difficult terrains and ensuring implementation of critical projects, he said.

It has been entrusted with 251 kms of the Chardham project and this consists of 17 packages out of which 10 projects of 151 km have been sanctioned.

He said BRO recently completed a strategically crucial road from Dharchula to Lipulekh, popularly known as Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route.

The newly built 80-km road connects the Lipulekh pass at a height of 17,000 feet along the border with China in Uttarakhand with Dharchula.

With the completion of this project, the arduous trek through the treacherous high-altitude terrain can now be avoided by the pilgrims of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the period of journey will be reduced by many days.

At present, the travel to Kailash Mansarovar takes around two to three weeks through Sikkim or Nepal routes.

The Darchula - Lipulekh road is an extension of the Pithoragarh-Tawaghat-Ghatiabagarh road.

It originates from Ghatiabagarh and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash Mansarovar.

In this 80 km road, the altitude rises from 6,000 feet to 17,060 feet.

BRO had lost many lives in the construction of this road and 25 equipment were also badly damaged after they fell into Kali Nadi.

But despite all odds, in the last two years, BRO could increase its output by 20 times by creating multiple attack points and inducting modern technology equipment.

Helicopters were also extensively used to induct hundreds of tonnes of equipment into this sector, the government had said.

The minister also suggested converting old defence aircraft into cargo carriers to boost cargo transportation from remote areas and thereby spur the economy of these regions.

"There is need to explore the possibility of converting old defence and airlines aircraft into cargo carriers," he said, adding that pilots can be employed on contract basis.

The minister also said the government is constructing 22 green expressways to augment the country's overall infrastructure.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Twenty-six inmates of Ludhiana Central Jail, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and his wife tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, Ludhiana Chief Medical Officer confirmed.

Sources said that the state jails department had marked five special jails at Ludhiana, Bathinda, Barnala and Patti for new inmates in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The inmates were kept in the selected jails for fourteen days and then after their COVID test, shifted to the normal jails.

In the non-COVID jails, the inmates are kept separately for another 14 days till a second test is conducted.

"Forty-five inmates had last month come at the special jail in Ludhiana jail who were booked under different offences and were in different cases. Then after COVID test kept for fourteen days quarantined and were also under watch. Out of then, 13 were released as they got bail. The rest 32 were

left and were shifted to the normal jail after their second corona test came negative. In the jail, they were again tested and in that test 26 came positive. All of them were first shifted from the jail to the Ludhiana civil hospital and then from there to a special facility under police protection," said a senior jail department official.

He said that since the outbreak of COVID-19, a few cases were recorded in several jails across the state but not on such a large scale as all the precautionary measures are taken by the jails department

from sanitation to wearing of masks is compulsory for all inmates.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) posted at Jandiala Guru near Amritsar and his wife have been told to remain home as their symptoms are mild, a senior police official said.
By PTI

BHOPAL: Resentment over Thursday's expansion of the BJP government's cabinet in Madhya Pradesh continued with ruling party MLA Ajay Vishnoi shooting off a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Vishnoi's letter, sent on Saturday, claimed there was resentment among the people of Jabalpur and Rewa divisions.

68-year-old Vishnoi is a former state minister and four-time MLA, currently representing Jabalpur's Patan seat. "I can understand your difficulties but people can't," he said in the letter to the CM, apparently a reference to Congressman-turned-BJP Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia whose loyalists managed to corner a sizable share of the berths.

ALSO READ | Madhya Pradesh cabinet expansion: Congress to move SC alleging violation of constitutional norms

"I request you (Chouhan) to take charge (as guardian minister) of Rewa and Jabalpur divisions to calm down the people. For your information, (Congress leader) Digvijay Singh, while he was MP chief minister, acted as in charge (guardian) minister of Jabalpur. Hope you will accept my request," he said in the letter.

Vishnoi is an old party loyalist and, in 1983, was Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) president, and Chouhan served as the wing's state secretary. On Thursday, a supporter of Indore BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola tried to immolate himself after the cabinet expansion.

Mendola, a loyalist of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, was not given a ministerial berth in the expansion. While replying to a query about the tussle over the portfolios which is delaying the allocation, Vishnoi told reporters in Jabalpur on Sunday, "The party's image is getting sullied."

"Three to four days delay in allotment of portfolios had never happened in the past, nor our chief minister had to rush to Delhi," he added while referring to Chouhan's visit to Delhi reportedly to discuss the portfolio allocation with the party's central leadership.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: In a first, two militants including a Pakistani national, who were killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmirs Kulgam district on Saturday, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

While carrying out the medico-legal formalities of the slain militants, their samples were taken and sent for COVID-19 test. Today, the test reports were received from CD Hospital Srinagar and both the killed militants were confirmed as coronavirus positive, a police spokesperson said.

It is the first instance when militants have tested positive for coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir after the outbreak of the virus.

FOLLOW COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES HERE

Two militants, including a Pakistani national Ali Bhai alias Hyder and a local Hilal Ahmad Malik were killed in the encounter with troops in Kulgam on July 4.

The police spokesman said bodies of both deceased militants shall be carried through protective care ambulance and buried strictly as per COVID-19 protocol at a graveyard in Baramulla in north Kashmir.

Since the onset of the pandemic, instead of handing over bodies of local militants killed in encounters to their families, police have been burying the bodies quietly in remote graveyards in north Kashmirs Kupwara, Baramulla district and Sonamarg area of central Kashmirs Ganderbal district.

About two months back, DGP Dilbagh Singh had warned that Pakistani was trying to push in COVID-19 infected militants to Jammu and Kashmir.

The police spokesman said since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of people from inherent risk of contracting the infection, the burial of the deceased militants is carried out at designated places.

The medico-legal formalities are strictly followed in respect of such killed militants, which includes post-mortem, DNA and COVID-19 tests, he said.


By Elizabeth Woodworth

July 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recently bought all of Gilead Sciences Remdesivir for $1.6 billion. 500,000 doses at $3,200 per patient  to be available to American hospitals but not for other countries[6]

Thats $1.6 billion tax dollars for a virtually untested drug showing only marginal efficacy in the hospital setting.

How could such a thing happen?

Introduction

If you believe an urgent call from the Yale School of Public Health that was recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology the top epidemiology journal in America  hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) + azithromycin is the quickest and most effective way to halt the Covid-19 pandemic.[1]

According to this Yale statement, hydroxychloroquine  a cheap, natural anti-malarial tree-bark known as quinine for 400 years  is highly effective during Phase 1 of Covid-19, while the virus is loading into the body.

As the first line of defense, it should be immediately, freely, and widely available to symptomatic high-risk patients  through doctors offices, outpatient clinics, and hospitals across the land.

Indeed, under the directorship of Dr. Anthony Fauci, a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) a clinical trial had been launched on May 14 to look into it.[2]

The HCQ + azithromycin protocol is being used successfully by Frances top, award-winning microbiologist, Dr. Didier Raoult. He is director of the Infectious and Tropical Emergent Diseases Research Unit in Marseille (Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire) (IHU), with 200 staff. Raoult, now almost a celebrity in France, has recently published his protocol and results, showing an overall 1.1% case fatality rate.[3]

The same protocol has also been highly successful in China, India, Senegal, and Brazil.[4]

So why suddenly is the U.S. government and the media ignoring recommendations from these top specialists,[5] and waiting, instead, until people get very sick and hospitalized to treat them with the relatively untested drug, Remdesivir, which is administered intravenously?

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Why has the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just bought up all the Remdesivir it could order  500,000 doses at $3,200 per patient  to be available to American hospitals but not for other countries?[6]

To put Remdesivirs cost in perspective, the CDC reports that the flu vaccine costs from $12-$18 a dose.[7]

The government, in order to justify its mind-boggling price, would need to show exceptional efficacy in saving lives. Efficacy, that is, once the disease has been allowed, through failure to use the HCQ + azithromycinearly preventive approach, to advance to Phase 2 (the dangerous inflammatory period) and Phase 3 (ICU ventilator intubation, often leading to death).[8]

What do studies say about the efficacy of remdesivir?

There are three main studies that have examined remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19:

The first, a study of seriously ill patients, was originally reported in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 10, 2020. Treated with compassionate-use remdesivir, clinical improvement was observed in 36 of 53 patients (68%).

The article was co-authored by 56 people, some of whom were on the staff of remdesivirs producer, Gilead Sciences.[9] The study was funded by Gilead, and writing assistance was provided by David McNeel, also of Gilead.[10]

The following day, April 11, the Science Media Centre published expert reactions to the compassionate study from five British university professors. These assessments were not encouraging: the research doesnt prove anything at this point; the data is almost uninterpretable; the research should be treated with extreme caution.[11]

A Wuhan, China randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 237 patients was accidentally leaked by the World Health Organization and published in The Lancet. It showed no statistically significant clinical benefits from remdesivir:

The antiviral medicine remdesivir from Gilead Sciences failed to speed the improvement of patients with Covid-19 or prevent them from dying, according to results from a long-awaited clinical trial conducted in China. [12]

This Lancet study also found that some 14% of patients in the treatment group died after 28 days, compared to 13% in the group that did not receive the treatment.

And it further reported that remdesivir was stopped early because of adverse events in 18 (12%) patients versus four (5%) patients who stopped placebo early.[13]

The preliminary results of a NIAID remdesivir trial of 1063 patients showed a modest benefit in a controlled clinical trial:

The infected people who received remdesivir, an experimental drug made by Gilead Sciences that cripples an enzyme several viruses use to copy their RNA, recovered in an average of 11 days versus 15 in patients who received a placebo. Although a 31% improvement doesnt seem like a knockout, 100% [success], it is a very important proof of concept, said Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).[14]

Health Policy Watch reported that the death rate was 8% in the group that received remdesivir compared to 11.6% in the control group, although this result was not statistically significant. Dr. Fauci told reporters that what [this trial] has proven is that a drug can block the virus.[15]

The excerpt below from a June 24 article in the British Medical Journal assesses the problems in the foregoing studies. (One of the four co-authors, Fiona Godlee, is the editor-in-chief of the BMJ):

A serious imbalance in covid-19 research strongly favours the study of drug treatments over non-drug interventions, with many studies too small or too weak to produce reliable results. Equally concerning is the release of partial or preliminary findings before peer reviewoften through commercial press releasesthat is distorting public perceptions, ongoing evaluations efforts, and political responses to the pandemic. Remdesivir is a key example. The antiviral drug, made by US company Gilead, was unapproved at the start of the pandemic, but in early April the New England Journal of Medicine published a small descriptive study of a compassionate use scheme for patients with covid-19. Gilead funded the study, a third of the authors were Gilead employees, and Gileads press release reported clinical improvement in 68% of patients in this limited dataset. Despite being a non-randomised, uncontrolled, company funded study of just 53 patients, media headlines described hopeful signs and reported two thirds of patients showing improvement.[16] Two weeks later, the Lancet published a randomised placebo controlled trial of remdesivir from China, finding no statistically significant clinical benefit in the primary outcome of time to clinical improvement. Twelve per cent of participants taking remdesivir stopped treatment early because of adverse events, compared with 5% taking placebo. The trial was stopped before meeting recruitment targets.[17]

To summarize, the only study demonstrating even marginal efficacy for remdesivir shows it to reduce hospital recovery times 31%, from 15 days to 11 days.

What is the justification for spending $3,200 tax dollars per Covid-19 patient to save four days in hospital, unless it is to shorten hospital stays, thereby saving the average U.S. bed cost of approximately $2000 per day, while delaying hospital saturation that could leave some people untreated to die?

Leaving people untreated to die could cause civil unrest, which may be the covert political reason for spending the $1.6 trillion.

None of the studies mention side effects of the drug. In the China study, kidney injury led to discontinuation for one patient, and in its use for ebola, liver risks were identified.[18]

How much does it cost to produce remdesivir?

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is a non-profit organization seeking to improve healthcare value through clinical and cost-effective analyses.[19]

In a May 1, 2020 study, the ICER calculated that the cost of producing the remdesivir final finished product, including the pharmaceutical ingredients, formulation, packaging, and a small profit margin, was $9.32 US for a 10-day course of treatment. They rounded this up to $10.[20]

Dr. Faucis NIAID Clinical Trial Evaluating Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin Closes Early

On June 20, 2020, nine days before the Department of Health and Human Services announced its $1.6 trillion purchase of remdesivir on June 29, its NIAID branch closed a clinical trial that had been launched May 14 to investigate whether the inexpensive combination, hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, might be an effective treatment when given early in the course of the disease.[21]

The Department of Health and Human Services knew that hydroxychloroquine (aka chloroquine) was effective against coronavirus because chloroquine was tested against the SARS-1 virus during the outbreak in 2002. This work was written up in 2005, under the auspices of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, which reports to the Department of Human Health and Services.[22]

Truth, as the saying goes, is stranger than fiction.

Who was responsible for this debacle?

Dr. Fauci has served in the National Institutes of Health under six presidents.

Were these bizarre decisions carried out under his authority? Or were they forced upon him from higher up? Or has he become a victim of regulatory capture[23] by the drug industry?

Whatever the answer, this unprecedented fleecing of the American public should have been shouted from the rooftops, had there been a functioning US media.

Notes

[1] Harvey A. Risch, Early Outpatient Treatment of Symptomatic, High-Risk Covid-19 Patients that Should be Ramped-Up Immediately as Key to the Pandemic Crisis, Amer. J. Epid, 27 May 2020 (https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwaa093/5847586). Risch is Professor at the Yale Schools of both Medicine and Public Health.

[2] National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH Begins Clinical Trial of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin to Treat COVID-19, 14 May 2020 (https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-begins-clinical-trial-hydroxychloroquine-and-azithromycin-treat-covid-19).

[3] Jean-Christophe Lagier, et al, Outcomes of 3,737 COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin and other regimens in Marseille, France: A retrospective analysis, Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 25 June 2020 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893920302817). Rault has 2,300 indexed medical journals in print.

[4] The group COVEXIT.com  News About Hydroxychloroquine & Other COVID-19 Treatments, was founded March 29, 2020 by Jean-Pierre Kiekens. It keeps daily track of successful Covid treatments worldwide (https://www.facebook.com/groups/covexit)

[5] Elizabeth Woodworth, The Media Sabotage of Hydroxychloroquine Use for COVID-19: Doctors Worldwide Protest the Disaster, Global Research, 30 June 2020 (https://www.globalresearch.ca/media-sabotage-hydroxychloroquine-covid-19-doctors-worldwide-protest-disaster/5717382).

[6] US Department of Health and Human Services, Trump Administration Secures New Supplies of Remdesivir for the United States, June 29, 2010 (https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/29/trump-administration-secures-new-supplies-remdesivir-united-states.html).

[7] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vaccines for Children Program, CDC Vaccine Price List, updated 1 July 2020 (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/awardees/vaccine-management/price-list/index.html#adflu).

[8] Dr. Raoult identified the three stages of Covid-19 while treating 3,737 patients with HCQ+azithromycin at his own clinic: At the first viral stage, one must give medicines against the virus, in the second inflammatory phase, one needs to give medications against that [inflammatory] reaction, and then in the third phase, its work to be done in intensive care units. Summarized from Didier Raoult, at: The Marx Brothers are Doing Science: the Example of RECOVERY, 9 June 2020 (http://covexit.com/professor-raoult-compares-the-oxford-recovery-trial-academics-to-the-marx-brothers/).

[9] Jonathan Grein, and 55 other authors, Compassionate Use of Remdesivir for Patients with Severe Covid-19, New England Journal of Medicine, 11 June 2020 (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2007016), Editors Note: This article was published on April 10, 2020, at NEJM.org.

[10] Jason D. Goldman, et al., Remdesivir for 5 or 10 days in Patients with Severe Covid, New England Journal of Medicine, no date in header (https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa2015301?articleTools=true). Sidebar:This article was published on May 27, 2020, at NEJM.org.

[11] Prof. Duncan Richards et al., Expert reaction to a study about compassionate use of remdesivir for patients with severe COVID-19, Science Media Centre, 11 April 2020 (https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-a-study-about-compassionate-use-of-remdesivir-for-patients-with-severe-covid-19/).

[12] Ed Silverman, et al, New data on Gileads remdesivir, released by accident, show no benefit for coronavirus patients. Company still sees reason for hope, StatNews, 23 April 2020 (https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/23/data-on-gileads-remdesivir-released-by-accident-show-no-benefit-for-coronavirus-patients/).

[13] Yeming Wang, et al., Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial, The Lancet, 16 May 2020 (original online publication 29 April 2020) (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31022-9/fulltext).

[14] Jon Cohen, Large trial yields strongest evidence yet that antiviral drug can help COVID-19 patients, Science, 29 April 2020 (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/large-trial-yields-strongest-evidence-yet-antiviral-drug-can-help-covid-19-patients).

[15] Grace Ren, Conflicting Remdesivir Trial Results Released; Experts Urge More Research, Health Policy Watch, 29 April 2020 (https://healthpolicy-watch.news/first-remdesivir-rct-shows-no-significant-clinical-benefit-for-severe-covid-19-patients-but-experts-urge-for-more-research/).

[16] Christopher Rowland, Gileads experimental drug remdesivir shows hopeful signs in small group of coronavirus patients, Washington Post, 10 April 2020 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/10/gileads-experimental-drug-remdesivir-shows-hopeful-signs-small-group-coronavirus-patients/).

[17] Ray Moynihan et al.,Commercial influence and covid-19, BMJ2020;369:m2456 (Published 24 June 2020) (https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2456).

[18] Crystal Phend, Remdesivir Safety Forecast: Watch the Liver, Kidneys, Medpage Today, 19 May 2020 (https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/86582).

[19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Clinical_and_Economic_Review

[20] Melanie D. Whittington and Jonathan B. Campbell, Alternative Pricing Models for Remdesivir and Other Potential Treatments for COVID-19, Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, 1 May 2020 (https://icer-review.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ICER-COVID_Initial_Abstract_05012020-3.pdf).

[21] National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, BULLETINNIH Clinical Trial Evaluating Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin for COVID-19 Closes Early, 20 June 2020 (https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/bulletin-nih-clinical-trial-evaluating-hydroxychloroquine-and-azithromycin-covid-19).

[22] Martin J. Vincent et al., Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread, Journal of Virology, 22 August 2005 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1232869/).

[23] Regulatory capture is a theory that regulatory agencies may be dominated by the interests they regulate and not by the public interest. In: Will Kenton, Regulatory Capture, Investopedia, 23 October 2019 (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/regulatory-capture.asp).

The original source of this article is Global Research Copyright  Elizabeth Woodworth , Global Research, 2020

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: In the biggest single-day spike, Assam on Saturday recorded 1,202 COVID-19 cases which took the states tally to 11,001, including 13 deaths.

Of the 1,202 cases, 782 were recorded in Kamrup (Metro) of which Guwahati is the district headquarters. The district recorded 2,741 cases over the past 10 days, most of them in Guwahati.

The states Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the situation in Guwahati was serious as the virus was in the community.

Now, we cannot blame other states. The disease has spread to the community. People with no recent travel history are testing positive. I appeal to the denizens to strictly maintain the guidelines of ongoing lockdown, he said on Sunday.

FOLLOW COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES HERE

The lockdown was enforced on June 28 for 14 days. Sarma said the situation would be reviewed. People are affected by the lockdown. We will review the situation on Wednesday or Thursday and try to maintain a balance between life and economy, he said.

Two Raj Bhawan staff tested positive which made the authorities to declare the place as a containment zone. The Gauhati High Court ordered the cancellation of activities, except urgent matters, in all courts as some lawyers and judges tested positive.

Giving out figures, Sarma said Assam stood 4th among states in terms of tests conducted against per million people. It conducted altogether 4,55,223 tests as per latest figures.

The Minister said Mysuru-based doctor Lithikesh, who is a post-graduate student at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, was the states first plasma donor. He said Ramdesivir was also used on four patients as per protocol.

Over the last 24 hours, altogether 39 Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment at the intensive care units of government-run hospitals, including five medical colleges. During the same period, 17 people were on oxygen and ventilator support.
Gurbir Singh By

Vinayak Jadhav, an 80-year old retired banker, living in Chembur, Mumbai, began feeling breathless and ill on May 12. His son Viren, after preliminary examination, tried to admit him at the L H Hiranandani Hospital, in nearby Powai. The swanky, private hospital refused, insisting on a Covid test. By the time Jadhav had one done, and had tested Covid-positive, the hospital said it had no beds. The patient was finally admitted in Seven Hills Hospital, a municipal facility; but by then Vinayak Jadhavs condition had deteriorated sharply. On May 15, he was dead.

Sarfraz Ahmad, 35, a machinist and a resident of Etbhatti, Goregaon (East), Mumbai, fared worse. He died at home, suffering in his small slum hovel on May 30, waiting for the municipal corporation to take him to a hospital. The authorities had been notified and a health team had examined him, promising to return to pick him up on May 29. They never came. These snapshots are a telling indictment of our collapsing healthcare system. While the central government sanctioned an emergency `15,000 crore for the battle against the Coronavirus, the poor healthcare infrastructure could hardly take the load of the massive flow of Covid patients.

Private healthcare fails

The situation has been worsened with the private health industry turning a blind eye in the fight against the pandemic. Reports from all major cities showed private hospitals turning away Covid patients. In Mumbai, the Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal had to issue an order commandeering 80 per cent of the private beds to ensure Covid patients did not die on the streets. Poonam Muttreja, executive director of Population Foundation of India, told IndiaSpend.org that private hospitals, though they account for two-thirds of hospital beds and 80 per cent of the ventilators, are handling less than 10 per cent of the load of Covid patients.

Indias private healthcare industry is not small. It is a $280 billion industry that accounts for 74 per cent of the countrys healthcare expenditure. But it is not about rendering primary medical services. It is skewed towards five-star hospitals, and lifestyle diseases covered by huge insurance packages. It is also reflected in our failure to test rapidly and widely to detect Covid-19 cases. With just 737 government and 279 private laboratories, we are testing only 5.5 persons per 1,000 population, compared to Russias 124, Italys 85, USAs 86 and Iran 18 per 1000.

At a broader level, the Coronavirus pandemic has exposed Indias underfunded healthcare system. The public expenditure on health is just about 1.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), perhaps the lowest in the world. Allocation for health in the Union Budget 2020-21 is just a modest increase of 5.7 per cent to `67,484 crore from the revised estimate of `63,830 crore in the previous year. In comparison, OECDs report of Health at a Glance shows the US spent the most on its health system, equivalent to 16.9 per cent of its GDP. France and Germany both spent 11.2 per cent of GDP, Italy 8.8 per cent, and Turkey 4.2 per cent.

No money, no will

Unfortunately, healthcare is no ones baby. Disease and pain from lack of healthcare does not evoke strong protests. If there is a tragedy, it is the family that suffers. And, finally, it has no constituency, its not something that garners votes. Weve had ambitious announcements like the Ayushman Bharat scheme that promised universal healthcare, the wiping out tuberculosis by 2025, PPP model hospitals in 112 aspirational districts and making 2,000 essential medicines available through Jana Aushadi stores to the common man. The list goes on, but it is mostly on paper.

On the ground, the World Health Organization (WHO) says close to two-thirds of expenditure on health in India is direct from peoples pockets, compared to the world average of 18.2 per cent. This is pushing 63 million Indians into poverty every year due to unbearable health costs. If there is a takeaway when we come out of this Covid-19 crisis, is that we have to give more money and importance to healthcare. The US spends $10,000, or over `7 lakh per person per year and it is still struggling with Covid. We in India have increased our spend from `1,008 in 2015 to just `1,944 in 2020. We can do better!

A higher investment in healthcare may not yield immediate votes, but it will certainly improve our human capital by increasing productivity, and lowering infant mortality. There is an ambitious National Health Policy in place which promises doubling health spending from the existing 1.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 2.5 per cent by 2025. This means increasing spends on the part of state and central governments by 25 per cent each year for the next 7-8 years. Or till health spending touches `8 lakh crore, up from the current `2 lakh crore. This will translate into, say, 100 hospital beds per 10,000 population (up from the 8.5 beds per 10,000), and more primary health centers. Perhaps, we will be more ready when the next health crisis strikes.

very little spending

The United States spends $10,000, or over H7 lakh per person per year, on healthcare and it is still struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic. In India, spending on healthcare has increased from H1,008 in 2015 to just H1,944 in 2020.
T J S George By

Karl Marx summed up a complete philosophy when he set forth the precept, From each according to his ability.

This was not communism. It was simply the acceptance of a guiding principle of life, that every individual had a responsibility to society.

Does a father or a son, a factory owner or a businessman, a film star or a sportsman, a journalist or an engineer contribute to society according to the best of his ability? If he doesnt, he is living off others who do.

What about politicians? Are they contributing according to their ability? Since Marx was the paramacharya of communism, its only fair to begin by asking whether our communist leaders contributed according to their ability?

The men who emerged as communisms most influential leaders, Jyoti Basu and E M S Namboodiripad, were men of substance, respected by friends and foes alike for their intellectual calibre and political sagacity.

Their eminence within the party was unchallenged.

But their achievements on the ground as chief ministers did not measure up to their ability. In both the states, laws were changed with the sole aim of ending feudal landlordism, just as the textbooks said. What happened to agriculture in the process was not a matter of interest.

In Bengal, regional imbalances developed and grassroots poverty levels rose high. The dilapidated tram system in Kolkata, a disgrace, continued as if to symbolise the stagnation.

In Kerala, the fabled granary of Kuttanad lay waste because paddy fields were entrusted to IAS officers to run. Today, the state is dependent on imported food grains and vegetables. In both states, ideology won over reality.

In China, reality won over ideology. Deng Xiaoping created his own precept when he said famously that the colour of the cat did not matter as long as it caught mice. Cats of enterprise began catching mice so successfully in China that prosperity levels rose within one generation for vast sections of the population.

If EMS and Jyoti Basu had used their power to introduce similar reforms in the party, the story of India would have been different.

But they chose to be men of the moment, not men of history. After them, the party went from bad to worse until, in West Bengal, it was thrown out of power and, in Kerala, it became synonymous with murder politics with Prakash Karat, CPMs most inconsequential general secretary, spending his time reading text books.

The story is no different elsewhere. Jawaharlal Nehru enjoyed popularity and power, rare in democracies.

With the parliamentary majority he enjoyed, there was nothing he could not achieve. He did introduce attitude-altering reforms that helped modernise the country. But it cannot be said that he did the best according to his ability.

There were badly needed changes that only he had the influence to introduce. Administrative and police changes, for example.

The British had developed the civil service and the police force to act as masters and oppressors of the people. They remain just that to this day. What was easy to reform then would be difficult now.

Indira Gandhis power and popularity reached dizzy heights in 1971 following the Bangladesh war. Yet, within four short years, she took the country to its lowest ebb with the imposition of Emergency. Rajiv Gandhis parliamentary majority reached a record 404 out of 533 in 1984.

He even declared a wellmeant plan to clean things up and imaginative programmes in key areas like telecommunication.

But he caved in soon, unable to stop relatives from abroad and friends at home from manipulating the system for private ends. The system devoured him. None of the Gandhis served the country according to their abilities. They made the country serve them.

Ditto with other parties. Mamata Banerjee, with her eccentric twists and turns, is yet to achieve anything of substance.

Mayawati used power to immortalise herself in statues and monuments. The prophet of socialism, Mulayam Singh Yadav, turned rank criminals into Cabinet ministers. The less said about the socialist of Bihar, Lalu Prasad, the better.

Even A B Vajpayee was forced by party pressures to abandon policies of moderation and turned himself into a narrow Hindutva warrior.

The chief minister under whose watch the Gujarat riots took place adjusted himself deftly after he became the prime minister in 2014. But ideological beliefs were strong and he seemed happy to see the fanatic fringe growing.

When those who have the power to act wisely do not do so, they fail to function according to the best of their ability. Marx prescribed a yardstick that was tough. And fair.
IVNP Prasad Babu By

Express News Service

ONGOLE: Being in a quarantine centre in Prakasam district proved to be a harrowing experience for a 24-year-old software engineer who works for a reputed company in Mumbai.

Not only did the youngster from Jarugumilli mandal have to put up with the lack of facilities, but he also wasnt given clarity on when his coronavirus test results would be given.

Advised to leave Mumbai, he landed in Vijayawada on June 21. He gave his samples for testing at the airport, and was allowed to undergo home isolation for 14 days.

He then reached his native place the same day. But on June 25, medical staff and policemen shifted him to the Singarayakonda quarantine care centre saying they would collect his samples again and let him return home in two days.

And thats when his troubles began. The quarantine centre didnt have proper beds or enough toilets, and no proper food was given. Upon his insistence, the staff there collected his samples after five days, but the test results are yet to arrive.

As he started complaining about the lack of facilities, he and 14 others were shifted to the Kandukur Government Polytechnic College quarantine centre on Friday night.

I dont know why I was made to stay for about 10 days, or when I can go home. Since I arrived, I have been asking about by Covid-19 test results but havent got an answer. Compared to the quarantine centre at Singarayakonda, which lacked proper sanitation, food, beds, and even toilets, the centre at Kandukur is a little better, he told TNIE on Saturday.

However, this isnt an isolated incident. Several people who have been lodged at various quarantine centres have been facing a similar situation as their test results have been delayed for more than a week.

We hail from Singarabotlapalem village in Ponnaluru mandal, and have been working as construction labourers at Gadchiroli in Maharashtra for the last few years. After we returned due to the lockdown, the district health staff took us to the Singarayakonda quarantine centre on June 25. Our samples were only collected on June 29, and we were shifted to the Kandukur quarantine centre. There is no clarity on when the test results will arrive, a migrant worker said.

Staff crunch hits testing at Ongole GGH

A supervisor of a company based in Bellary, Karnataka, too had a similar experience. He reached the district on June 23 and was taken to the Singarayakonda quarantine centre the same day. On June 29, they collected my samples, and since then, we were not given any information on when the results will arrive. At least 50 people are lodged here and there are washrooms only for 10-15 people, he complained.

Admitting that there is a delay in getting results of coronavirus tests, Dr Muralikrishna Reddy, deputy superintendent, Ongole GGH said, We are facing a serious problems with respect to testing as we are short-staffed. Our TrueNat testing capacity is 400 and VRDL is 1,000 per day (in three shifts). But about 2,000 samples are collected daily.

As of now, results of about 2,500 samples are pending. On the other hand, the district administration is trying to enhance its testing capacity. Authorities are also seeking additional accommodation to house infectees.

As the number of cases is rising, the authorities at the district Covid-19 hospital are preparing to shift some patients, who were asymptomatic, presumptive positive and having very mild symptoms, to the Ongole IIIT campus and to a corporate hospital.

We are arranging additional beds in the GGH and going to shift those with very mild symptoms to the IIIT campus quarantine centres, Dr D Sree Ramulu, superintendent, Ongole GGH, explained.

Not enough staff for testing

We are facing serious problems with respect to testing as we are short-staffed. Our TrueNat testing capacity is 400 and VRDL is 1,000 per day. But about 2,000 samples are collected daily, said Ongole GGH deputy superintendent Dr Muralikrishna Reddy.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: College students are still unsure whether or not they will have to write their final exams this year, as the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, which was expected to take a decision on Saturday, has not yet taken a call.

Although the State government is deciding on the pros and cons of holding the exams, it will decide based on guidance from the MHRD.

However, until Saturday evening, there was no word from the Union ministry, Commissioner for Collegiate Education, Pradeep P told The New Sunday Express.

While sources said that the government has held discussions on whether to promote students or not, Pradeep said that it would require amendments to rules and approval from the governor. These steps have to be followd even if the MHRD allows promotion without holding exams.

In accordance with MHRD directives, the State government had mandated that lecturers complete the syllabus by June 15 and declared holidays till the end of the month. But on June 30, the MHRD allowed work from home for teaching and non-teaching staff until July 31.

The state government, however, limited the extension of holidays for teaching staff to July 15.

Even if we continued classes, would it be for the same batch or the next one? This would solely depend on the governments discretion, a lecturer told The New Sunday Express.

Should the department decide to hold exams, students must have four weeks of classes prior to that, said Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University. Prof K R Venugopal.

President of Karnataka Government Teachers Association H Prakash said it would do a large number of undergraduate students great injustice if online classes are not compensated by real classroom teaching.

Even in the IT capital Bengaluru, a large number of students (in his estimate, 40 per cent) lack the necessary infrastructure for online classes. Several come from economically weaker backgrounds, he said.

The Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) has drawn the governments attention to yet another hurdle to a seamless academic experience for students -- differing exam calendars among universities.

It has urged the government to focus on a common curriculum system.

Delhi HC declines to entertain plea against Ktaka quota in NLSIU

BENGALURU: The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to entertain a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Karnataka governments decision to provide 25 per cent reservation to students from Karnataka.

A division bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad declined to entertain the petition on the ground that it did not fall under its jurisdiction, but that of Karnataka, and permitted the petitioners the liberty to approach the relevant courts.

The petitioner then withdrew the petition.
Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Indian Space Reasearch Organisation (ISRO) captured an image of Phobos, an elusive moon of Mars, from a distance of 4,200km, on July 1. The image was captured by the Mars Colour Camera (MCC) aboard the Mars Orbiter, which was part of ISROs first interplanetary mission. The orbiter has been revolving around the planet since September 2014. The MCC camera was meant to probe the two moons that orbit Mars - Phobos and Deimos, among other objectives.

While ISRO is not the first space agency to capture the image of Phobos, it is certainly known to be an achievement, a scientist from the space agency said, because the moon is one of the least reflective bodies in the solar system. Which means, being made up of meteorite materials such as carbonaceous chondrites, the moon does not reflect solar light, which makes it less visible by nature compared to other celestial bodies, the scientist explained.

How they captured it

The space agency superimposed six different frames captured by the tri-coloured Mars Colour Camera (MCC) and the raw data obtained from the camera was adjusted to make it more realistic.
By Express News Service

TUMAKURU: The first case of police personnel contracting the COVID-19 has been reported in the district after a police head constable at the Kunigal police station tested positive on Saturday.

Following the incident, the authorities have sealed the station and shifted the others to revenue department's Kandaya Bhavana premises on Sunday. The homes of the police sub-inspector, circle inspector and also the deputy superintendent of police are in the same building.

As many as 32 families put up in the residential quarters situated near the station have relocated themselves overnight, fearing the spread of coronavirus. As many as twenty primary and secondary contacts have been traced and quarantined, official sources informed.

"The PSI and the CPI have been told to home quarantine whereas twelve police personnel have been institutionally quarantined at Morarji Desai residential school", Tahsildar Vishwanath told The New indian Express.

The Kunigal town which is on Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway-75 now has seven containment zones. The traders have now decided to do business between 7 a.m and 1 p.m. With 31 new corona cases reported on Sunday, the district's tally rose to 252.
Mahesh M Goudar By

Express News Service

BAGALKOT/VIJAYAPURA: Silicon City no longer appeals to techies and others from North Karnataka. Most of them, who had migrated for better livelihood and had settled in the capital city, are rushing to their hometowns. The reason is not far to seek. An alarming spike in Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru, a dubious distinction of 1,172 on Saturday alone, is making these panic-stricken people head back home.Most of the buses operating to the districts of North Karnataka from Bengaluru have been running full for the past few days.

Siddramappa Navalgund, a software engineer and a resident of Kamalanagar in Bengaluru, said, Every day, the Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru are seeing a drastic rise. This has created panic everywhere. We have decided to lock our home and leave for Gadag, our hometown, for about a month or till the situation returns to normal.

He has been living in Bengaluru for the past two decades. He said, Since cases in Bengaluru are rising rapidly, the tech firm where I work has given permission to work from home for the next two months. And my father, who works in a private company, has tendered his resignation due to the Covid fear. We feel safer in our hometown than Bengaluru.

Anil Myageri, a resident of Lokapur of Bagalkot, said 12 people, including him, from the surrounding villages, work in automobile companies located in and around Kengeri and Bidadi. We are all friends. Our parents started panicking when they heard of the Covid surge in Bengluru. After taking the permission of our respective managers, we all returned to our hometown on Friday, said Anil.

Speaking to The New Sunday Express, Govinda Reddy, Chief Executive Officer of Vijayapura Zilla Panchayat, said, It has come to our notice that after the rise in Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru, people in large numbers are returning to their hometowns. We cannot insist on home quarantine as they are intra-state travellers.

Officials to keep record of Bluru returnees

However, we have brought this to the notice of the State Government and are waiting for their guidelines, added Govinda Reddy, Chief Executive Officer of Vijayapura Zilla Panchayat.We will wait for the guidelines for the next couple of days. If not, we will come up with a plan to address this issue. At present, I have directed the Panchayat Development Officers of all the villages to maintain a separate record of people returning from Bengaluru. We are creating awareness among the villagers not to panic, he said.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre to build international pressure for a fair trial of the two marines in the Enrica Lexie case. The duo Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre  were accused of shooting two fishermen to death off the coast of Kerala in 2012. Pinarayi, in his letter, said the matter deserved a more sensitive and cautious handling by the Central government. The tribunals decision against the trial of the accused in India was shocking and unfortunate, he said.

The matter definitely deserved a more sensitive and cautious handling from the beginning and during the proceedings in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), as it involved the loss of life of two innocent Indians. Whatever be the technicalities of the international conventions, the decision of the ITLOS has resulted in added grief to the bereaved families and people of Kerala. I wish to convey our strong feelings in the issue, he said.

If the tribunals award is not appealable, Pinarayi asked Modi to take earnest efforts to build international pressure for a fair trial in Italy. He said that India should bargain for an exemplary amount as compensation.We should also keep our option of approaching the ITLOS within the stipulated time of one year if getting adequate compensation is not possible through negotiations, the letter stated.
Abhilash Chandran By

Express News Service

KOTTAYAM: Even as community transmission of the novel coronavirus looms large over Kerala, the state is facing another possible threat  reinfection. Over the past three days, two overseas returnees  one from Sharjah and the other from Abu Dhabi  have tested positive in the state after they had recovered from Covid-19 abroad.While there are no medical documents available to verify the details of their treatment overseas, health experts suggest two possibilities for the development. They could be cases of either viral remnants or reinfections. Viral remnant is a situation where the virus remains dormant even after recovery, but it wont be dangerous as there is little infectivity power, said Dr Vyas Sukumaran, district project manager, National Health Mission, Kottayam.

In most cases, this will be a dead virus. We had some cases here earlier where persons tested positive 40 or 50 days after returning from abroad or other states. To confirm reinfection, a detailed studyincluding culturing of the virus  is required. If it is a live virus, it will have infectivity power, Dr Vyas said.

Officials to test primary contacts of 2 expatriates

According to details released by the health department, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a 27-year-old Paipad native on May 10 in Sharjah and she took treatment there. After her test results turned negative in June, the woman landed in Kerala on June 19. However, she developed symptoms after arrival and a Covid test conducted on July 2 confirmed the presence of the virus in her body. She has been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam.

Similar is the case with a 30-year-old man from Erattupetta who recovered from the infection after receiving treatment in Abu Dhabi. He returned to Kerala on June 30. Though the result of his antibody test in Abu Dhabi showed negative, the antibody test conducted at the Kochi airport turned positive and was directed to undergo institutional quarantine in Kalamassery. With the RT PCR test confirming Covid on July 3, he was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Ernakulam.

A major challenge before the authorities is that the virus can be cultured only in high-security laboratories, with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune being the only such facility available in the country. Also, the health department does not have access to medical records to verify the treatment details shared by these patients.

We have checked for antibodies in the two persons and also conducted the RT-PCR tests to confirm the infection. We will test their primary contacts too, Dr Vyas said. The government has to decide, after discussions at various levels, whether to move ahead with the complex procedures required for the confirmation of reinfection.
You Jong-il



Transition to renewable energy, carbon tax inevitable



By Lee Kyung-min



The government should forgo salvaging "zombie firms" and divert the state resources to financing state-run projects and companies with green initiatives, in a streamlined, measured approach to advance the "Korean New Deal," a grand vision to identify the country's new growth engine post the COVID-19 pandemic, a noted economist said Sunday.



A prompt investment in renewable energy will be a much-needed crisis-turned-opportunity for the Asia's fourth-largest, export-reliant economy once touted as the top global player for shipbuilding industry, following Denmark which lost the industry to Korea in the 1990s but has since re-utilized the infrastructure and became a leader in the wind power generation, according to Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management (KDI School) Dean You Jong-il.



Fierce pushback from "the establishment"  notably the fossil fuel and auto industry  is expected against the drive which they consider "costly and uncertain" as opposed to the status quo whereby their corporate profit is all but guaranteed or at least manageable.



Yet a quicker-than-expected transition to "green economy" will ensue once the government maintains policy consistency, assuring businesses that complying with the initiative will be a boon.



Higher standards will facilitate technological development, which will in turn help Korea known for robust information technology industry emerge stronger bolstering recognition earned for exceptional handling of the virus.



The Ministry of Economy and Finance said June 3 that some 5.1 trillion won will be used for the "Korean New Deal" in 2020, as part of a five-year plan that will need 76 trillion won. Of the 5.1 trillion won, digital and green initiatives will be allocated 2.7 billion won and 1.4 trillion won, respectively. About 1 trillion won will be used to strengthen the social safety net, while 2.5 trillion won will be used for anti-virus and disaster prevention measures.



Efficient allocation of state resources



"Once a directive is set, it is all about consistency," You said in an interview with The Korea Times, June 30.



The once-promising airline business with growing demands has seen the launch of a number of low-cost carriers over the past few years, but their business prospect will remain clouded for the foreseeable future due to the longer-than-feared spread of the virus. Fossil fuel industry providing aircraft fuel will inevitably be affected.



State support granted despite the clear lack of immediate corporate recovery in that sense will be a cost wasted and opportunity lost by other new businesses with huge growth potential in need of stable financing.



"State funding should not be wasted on zombie firms whose financials had long been shaky before the pandemic, nor should it be granted to those whose business portfolio has become unsustainable. Going green should mean support for projects and firms with such business models. Otherwise, what is the point?"



'Korea can look to Denmark'



The Harvard-educated economist said Korea can become a leader in renewable energy in the same way how Denmark has become.



In a recent meeting with You, Danish ambassador to Korea Einar Jensen said losing the country's shipbuilding industry to Korea was a new growth opportunity to advance renewable energy, urging the former top competitor in the manufacturing industry to follow suit.



"The country underwent a radial transition to eco-friendly economy and it is highly feasible," said You who graduated from Seoul National University with an economics major.



Under the "Denmark Green Evolution," the country's energy dependence on fossil fuel dropped to 29 percent in 2017 from 73 percent in 2005, further down from 96 percent in 1995. Its wind energy in turn increased to 48 percent in 2017 from 18 percent in 2005. It accounted for only 3 percent in 1995. The country's biomass also grew from only 1 percent in 1995 to 18 percent in 2017.



Contrary to popular thinking, business community there had little to no opposition chiefly due to hefty investment drawn from foreign investors including Google, a global multinational tech giant which achieved its goal of sourcing 100 percent renewable electricity globally in 2017, as part of "RE 100."



Led by the Climate Group in partnership with carbon disclosure project (CDP), RE100 is a global corporate leadership initiative bringing together influential businesses committed to 100 percent renewable electricity seeking zero carbon grids at global scale. A total of global 241 firms have committed to the initiative.



Google needed immense energy to preserve data center. Continued, stable source of renewable energy at an "affordable" price was its top priority and Denmark was the destination.



Denmark had high wages and its business environment was not particularly favorable to firms, but that did not matter to foreign investors because it had what they needed.



"Wind energy was generated with infrastructure and technology from shipbuilding. Korea with now-failed major shipbuilders can redefine the growth momentum, helped further by decreasing unit price to produce such an energy," he said.



Not one Korean firm has joined the RE 100 initiative, an inevitable result given the lack of renewable energy. But once the government drive takes clear shape, businesses will move fueled by the prospect of greater profit and growth, in his view.



"Businesses by nature are profit-driven. It is the government's role to give them a clear signal with policy consistency to keep them motivated to what they do best. The government-set higher standard will foster technological development, a virtuous cycle facilitating progress and growth."


Soumika M Das And Asish Mehta By

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: With the spike in COVID cases, has come fear, anxiety and a spate of suicides in Odisha. Be it fear of contracting the virus or the grief of losing a family member, several factors have led to at least eight suicidal deaths in a span of two months.

On Friday, a 56-year-old tax collector of Ganjams Kabisuryanagara block and his wife ended their lives after their 27-year-old son died of Covid at a City hospital. The son, a teacher, had tested Covid positive during the treatment. His parents were residing in the City while he was admitted to the hospital. After his death, the couple left for their village where they died by suicide. With no other child, they were completely broken, sources said.

The rise in suicides linked to Covid-induced anxiety has prompted mental health experts call for widespread psychological counselling of people living in areas reporting positive cases. In Erasama block under Jagatsinghpur district, a native was devastated by the death of her dear one. She took the extreme step at an isolation ward of the District Headquarter Hospital (DHH) on Thursday after losing her husband. Sources revealed that the woman turned paranoid upon learning about her husbands demise.

Her previous attempt at the ward was foiled by the hospital staff. However, she managed to shut the door of the room later and ended her life during the second attempt, the source said. Experts believe these incidents reflect the mental health crisis triggered by the pandemic across the globe. Being precise about the States situation, they claimed that the psychological challenges here have increased substantially in the past two months. In such scenarios, experts stress upon the need to deploy professional counsellors across all the blocks to address the issues in different communities.

People staying in the localities, where a Covid patient has been diagnosed, should also be counselled. There is extreme fear and stigma attached to the patients family or the entire area, said mental health expert, Anuradha Mohapatra, of Manam Wellness Foundation. According to Mohapatra, counsellors at her centre received distress calls from people living in hotspots or contaminated areas. The callers were terrified. They didnt know how to deal with life because the fear of contracting the virus made them anxious, she added, claiming suicidal tendencies were also detected in a number of callers.

In fact, a 50-year-old man of Likhiria village in Balangir district had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well after his nephew tested positive for the virus. Mental health experts suspect fear of infection may have drove the man to kill himself. During the lockdown, Manam had launched a helpline for providing tele-counselling. Four of its counsellors attended around 60 distress calls a day on average. Of all such callers, around 30 per cent showed suicidal tendencies, the organisation claimed. We had to follow-up with such cases each day to ensure that no lives are lost, added Mohapatra.

The prolonged lockdown is acting as a negative trigger for people, who were already suffering from clinical depression or other personality disorders. The suicidal tendencies have gone up in patients with psychological issues. I receive at least two to three calls every day from patients who want to end their lives. Even during odd hours, we are counselling such patients, said psychiatrist, Pranab Mohapatra of KIIMS.

The situation has worsened as families of such patients now avoid admitting them to hospitals due to lack of attendants or Covid fear, added Mohapatra. Meanwhile, other factors like financial loss and employment uncertainty have also led to psychological problems in people who have had no history of clinical depression or mental health disorders. Uncertainty has pushed them to a state of anxiety, leading to severe panic attacks in some. On an average 382 suicide cases were reported in 2018 and 374 in 2017.
Deepak Sathish By

Express News Service

COIMBATORE: AIADMK Coimbatore South MLA Amman K Arjunan (58) has been admitted to ESI Hospital for Covid-19 treatment on Sunday.

MLAs samples, which were collected after three of his family turned positive recently, rendered a positive result.

It is to be recalled the MLA's daughter (32), son-in-law (39) and his granddaughter (11) who recently attended a family event in Madurai tested positive on June 30.

Simultaneously, the health department collected samples of the remaining family members including the MLA, and asked them to undergo home quarantine until the result arrives.

On Sunday, the samples of MLA Amman K Arjunan tested positive for the viral infection, thus he was admitted to ESI Hospital for treatment.

ALSO READ | Fourth DMK MLA hospitalised in Chennai after testing positive for coronavirus

Contact tracing shall be done to collect samples of people who had come in direct contact with the infected person.

Two Covid-19 deaths in Kovai

Meanwhile, two persons undergoing treatment for Covid-19 in Coimbatore succumbed to the virus on late Saturday night.

According to the sources, a 57-year-old man from Ganapathy had type-2 diabetes, systemic hypertension, and heart issues. As his samples tested positive, the patient was admitted to ESI Hospital but died without responding to treatment on Saturday night.

In another case, a 65-year-old man from Big Bazaar Street was admitted to a private hospital as he was tested positive. However, he succumbed on Saturday night.

With these two mortalities, Coimbatore records six Covid-19 deaths.

Earlier deaths include a 44-year-old man from Kavundampalayam, A 28-year-old from RG Pudur, a 77-year-old from Velandipalayam and a 90-year-old man near Perur.

Apart from this, a 70-year-old man from Palakkad who was admitted to a private hospital for renal failure and diabetes died on April 11.

However, the swabs and blood samples collected from the deceased turned out to be positive for COVID-19 in two separate tests. His death was cross-notified to Kerala.
By Express News Service

PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao on Sunday held Lt Governor Kiran Bedi responsible for Swachha Bharat scheme coming to a grinding halt in Yanam from July 1.

The garbage has remained piled up for five days now, as the Yanam Peoples voluntary service agency which was entrusted with the sanitation work stopped work due to nonpayment of wages.

The Health Minister who is from Yanam said that the sanitary workers have not been paid for the past five to six months as the files for the same has not been approved by the Lt Governor.

The minister who has been at loggerheads with Lt Governor alleged that Bedi was adopting a discriminatory policy for Yanam, citing that the bills of Swachata Corporation which are doing sanitation work in Puducherry is being cleared every month out of interest from the LG. He said that Bedi had also targeted fishermen by coming in the way of implementation of their welfare scheme.

Though tenders were floated to appoint an agency to take up sanitation work in Yanam, due to lack of response, the regional administration asked Yanam peoples voluntary service to continue doing the sanitization work. Malladi Krishna Rao said that during the last four years, they have been receiving payments very intermittently. Now the Voluntary organization citing non-payment of salary and no increase in wages have stopped work. Rao said that Swachata Corporation which has been engaged for sanitation in Puducherry also could be given the task in Yanam.

At a time of COVID pandemic, if the cleaning work is not resumed and Kiran Bedi does not cooperate, there would be a possibility of Yanam witnessing several health issues for which she has to shoulder responsibility. The central government had already given instructions that during the current COVID-19 situation, wages should not be denied to any workers, as it would affect the source of livelihood of the poor.

He said he would write a letter to the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Home Secretary stating that Bedi has allegedly been derailing the sanitation scheme, welfare and development of Yanam.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to introduce a total lockdown in the Union Territory every Sunday, as people were crowding fish markets and meat stalls without adhering to social distancing norms.
Gokul Chandrasekar By

Express News Service

Every time there is a flood or natural disaster, photographs of policemen doing social service go viral. The hero worship soon begins, lauding them for selfless service. Every time there is a case of custodial death or excessive use of force, the entire department gets typecast in the role of the big evil villain in the society. As in the case of Robert Brownings poem The Patriot, the entire police force gets roses and stones thrown at them alternatively.

Now, the brutal custodial torture and murder of S Jeyaraj and J Beniks, too, allegedly committed by a handful of personnel, has earned hatred for the entire department. Its a shameful episode, no doubt. But, its unfair to treat all cops like villains, say some policemen. Extreme violence aside, a lot of our harsh behaviour stems from work pressure and the animosity we have to deal with, say others. All of them seem to agree on one common point: policing without violence is impossible.

Speaking about the multiple instances of suspects breaking their hands and legs during interrogation, allegedly after falling in bathrooms, a Chennai-based policeman justifies: We do that only to ensure they dont commit the crime again. He says only such action will send a message. Other criminals will take notice and the crime rate will come down. The official claims these measures are taken keeping the public interest in mind.

If a chain snatching accused is merely arrested, he will come out on bail and continue committing the crime. But, what about acts of violence against the public, as in the case of the Sathankulam father-son duo or Velumayils son? Many of them blame the acts on their work pressure. At times, I wonder why I chose this career, says a policeman from Tiruchy. After working round the clock for all these years, all we are left with is a bad name. Its depressing. The justification aside, it is a fact that policemen in the State are overworked, underpaid, and often treated badly by those above and beyond their ranks.

Way back in the eighties, the National Police Commission recommended a fixed eight-hour working day for police personnel. However, Tamil Nadu is one of the States that is yet to implement this recommendation. From making rounds to the courts to filing chargesheets, patrolling, investigating crimes, and visiting elders staying alone in the neighbourhood... theres a lot on our plate. We cannot do it all within 24 hours, says a policeman based in Chennai.

As per station records, we have 44 personnel. In reality, we are just 21. Most of the caseload is dumped on the lower-ranking cops such as us. Despite all this, if something goes wrong, our superiors get very harsh with us. Its not like they are unaware. In most cases, they know what has happened, but the blame will only fall on us. This constant work pressure has deprived many policemen of their sleep and family time, say those in force. That, further fuels the aggression.

Recently, the Tiruchy range DIG relieved 80 personnel because they had anger issues. They were directed to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy for a month. They were all pulled up, according to sources, for being unnecessarily harsh with the public. A senior official in Tiruchy is of the opinion that there is a direct correlation between harsh behaviour and workload. Many of them hardly get enough sleep, he says. Add to it the insulting words and behaviours of the superiors. Its a trickle-down effect.

When you ask one cop to do a work of ten personnel, he should be either well trained to do it or given extra facilities. Otherwise, it just adds to the stress of the individual, trapped in a thankless job as described by many officials, says M Priyamvadha, Associate Professor at Department of Criminology, University of Madras. She often takes sessions for police personnel and interacts with them for research journals. But, can the public bear the brunt of this stress? As a lawyer puts it: Can a civilian go around inflicting violence and blame it on workplace stress?

Regulations needed

Amid allegations that Friends of Police (FOP) had a role in the Santhankulam incident, officials have said implementation of better guidelines and regulations for such personnel is required. Speaking to Express, a police officer said, According to regulations, FOP are volunteers who help the police in forming better relations with the public. However, most of them are persons who have been rejected at police selection. With a thirst for power, these people join FOP and try to replicate the men in khaki.

The government should bring in more regulations and do a background check to ensure that genuine people with good attitude are part of FOP. There is also a necessity to ensure a system of punishment and suspension for such persons if they are caught doing anything wrong. If a policeman is caught doing something illegal, he/she will be suspended or reduced in ranks and sent to Armed Reserve. However, there is no such thing for FOP and many of them feel they can get away with anything. A better system to pull up those who commit mistakes should be brought in, the officer said. A few officials also opined that if any FOP is found guilty of committing any mistake, he/she should be transferred to a different station, away from his native.

Who are they.....

Friends of Police (FOP) are volunteers who support officers in every jurisdiction. This initiative was started by the DGP, CB-CID, Pratheep V Philip, when he was serving as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Kancheepuram in 1991. Two years later, he was promoted as Superintendent of Police at Kanniyakumari, when the initiative was started full fledged. FOP aims at increasing awareness of crime among the people. A senior officer said, volunteers are identified in every locality by Inspector or Sub-Inspector and they give information to the police and, sometimes act as a bridge between the police and the public.They are not paid and have other jobs as well,said the officer.

(Reporting by R Kirubakaran, MP Saravanan, MS Thanaraj, Aravind Raj, Jayakumar Madala, Jayanthi Pawar and Sahaya Novinston Lobo. Written by Gokul Chandrasekar)
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.
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.
Pushkar Banakar By

NEW DELHI: China on Friday refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks of expansionism but Beijing has an ongoing border/maritime dispute with 18 countries primarily because of its claims on the other countrys territory or waters.

In the South China Sea, it has disputes with countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Despite a 2016 arbitration ruling against its claims, Beijing continues to push its claims for jurisdiction over the resource-rich region.

ALSO READ | IAF ramping up deployment in key bases along border with China

China is also involved in a tussle with Japan over the ownership of the Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyudao Islands in China.

While the administration of the waters has been with the Japanese, China lays claim to the islands.

ALSO READ | Era of expansionism is over: Modi puts China on notice amid LAC standoff

As recently as Thursday, the Japanese had lodged a protest when two Chinese vessels entered their territory.

China also lays claims to Mongolia, citing historical precedents.

Beijing does not recognize its northern neighbour. With India, apart from the Ladakh sector where it has a border dispute, China also does not recognize Arunachal Pradesh to be part of Indias territory.

Its maps include Indias northeastern state. Yes of course China is pursuing expansionism.

But China is so hypersensitive about its perceived sovereignty that it forgets that it has another role to play as a modern nation, said Debashis Chaudhari of the Institute of Chinese Studies.

B R Deepak, Sinologist and chairperson of the Centre for Chinese and South Asian Studies at JNU, echoed his views saying China was quick to accuse others of imperialist expansionism but never accepted its own imperial expansionism.

Russia-based political analyst Andrew Korbyko had a slightly different take on the issue.

Modis comment was clearly directed towards China but could unwittingly be just as applicable when it comes to the USs economic neo-colonial expansionism. Considering his intention of directing that comment towards China, it indicates that India wants the entire world to realize that it is the frontline state in containing Beijing and it should be supported, he said.

In its latest expansionist exploits, China has laid claim to a part of Bhutan and also to the city of Vladivostok in Russia. But, Korbyko dismissed the reports as taken out of context.

It was deliberately taken out of context and used as the deceptive lead-in to that report, which intends to drive a wedge between Russia and China.

Its nothing but clickbait and a low-quality attempt at information warfare but it could backfire if Russia realizes that the Indian media is using fake news as part of an information war, he said.

During a surprise visit to Ladakh on Friday, Modi said the era of expansionism was over and said its enemies had witnessed the fire and fury of its soldiers.
Express News Service By

NEW DELHI: The first day of mock test conducted by Delhi University for final year students, meant to facilitate Open Book Exam format, was a flop show.

The website portal crashed as soon as the students started logging in to download the question paper, students and teachers said.

Scores of final year students who appeared for the mock test complained of technical glitches during the three-hour test.

They said the link to download the question paper was not working, so they could not log in with the mail ID.

Besides, the questions were out of syllabus and extra time was not given to the students of Divyaang category as promised.

ALSO READ | Delhi University online registration process for admission extended till July 18

The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) has written to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi raising the issues faced by the students and demanded cancellation of exams.

A DU final year student from J&K said, I visited about 15 common service centers (CSCs) in my district, but none of the centres allowed me to use the system to write the exams.

"I showed them the notification issued by DU, but they said they had not got any such notification. Another student said when he re-tried with the same email ID, it showed the ID not found even though the ID was the same as filled in exam forms.

Akshay Lakra, a law faculty student, said, I did not receive the One Time Password (OTP) to log in.

"My classmates who are physically handicapped did not get extra time. The questions were out of syllabus.

DUTA denounces the callous attitude of the UGC and the MHRD for delaying the release of guidelines and for putting students through this ordeal. DUTA demands immediate scrapping of the OBE and relief to students, said Rajib Ray, DUTA President.

Dean of Examinations, Vinay Gupta, maintained that there was no issue in the exams. We did not observe server failure or website crashing. The mock test was meant for practice as to how to download question papers and upload answer sheets.

Problems galore

Numerous students said that the link to download the question paper was not working and that they could not log in with their mail IDs.
Express News Service By

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing border India-China tension in Ladakh, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan and China have mutual support to each other in the face of common challenges.

According to a statement from the Pakistan foreign ministry, Qureshi spoke to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday during which he said that Indias belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region and added the situation in the region was deteriorating.

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, the statement read.Qureshi also told Wang that Pakistan was committed to the One China policy and firmly backs Beijing with regard to its interests in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang.

Disputes in the region should be resolved through peaceful means and agreed mechanisms rather than resorting to unilateral, illegal and coercive measures, Qureshi said and such measures were reflected by New Delhis decision to scrap Article 370, 35A from Jammu and Kashmir in August last year. Apart from committing egregious violations of human rights, India is seeking to change demographic structure of the occupied territory, he said.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan vowed that the government would complete the CPEC project at any cost. 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, he was quoted as saying. Both sides said they would support each other at multilateral institutions. The ministers said they would promote peace.
By ANI

LAHORE: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), along with the country's diplomats settled abroad, will file an appeal in the coming week against the six-month ban on the national carrier from operating in Europe, The Express Tribune reported.

The airline has also sought the assistance of European and UK parliamentarians of Pakistani origin in resolving the matter as the ban is likely to cost Rs 33 billion (Pakistani rupees) to the exchequer.

Pakistani diplomats are engaged in efforts for the reversal of the decision.

The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended PIA's authorisation to operate in EU member states in the wake of the grounding of 262 Pakistani pilots whose licences were termed "dubious" by Pakistan Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

ALSO READ | Karachi crash aftermath: PIA tries to allay global concerns over pilot licenses after grounding 141 of them

The EU aviation safety watchdog said it was concerned about the validity of the Pakistani pilot licences following the minister's statement.

Following the EASA's move, the UK Civil Aviation Authority also withdrew PIA's permit to operate from three of its airports -- Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester.

The PIA was operating 23 flights to the UK every week -- nine to London, 10 to Manchester and four to Birmingham.

The airline is already facing a loss of 12 billion Pakistani rupees as it will not be operating Hajj flights this year. The suspension of flights for Umrah passengers has also affected its revenue.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently spoke with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell seeking the reversal of the ban.

He assured the EU official that steps being taken by the government were aimed at ensuring the highest level of flight safety in PIA operations. The minister also sought the need for the EASA to review its decision.

ALSO READ | PIA loses close to PKR 8 million in special flights ticketing scam after dubious pilots licenses scandal

But the Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA), the union for PIA's pilots, has alleged that the announcement of the "dubious" licence holders was a planned government move against the pilots to cut their headcount.

Meanwhile, PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) lawmakers have written a letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser calling for the revocation of a notification for the formation of a cabinet committee for the "unconstitutional" privatisation of the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York.

The letter, signed by six PML-N members, on Saturday, said that the privatisation of the hotel was against the Constitution, financially unsuitable and a waste of public money.

On Thursday, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation authorised the privatisation ministry to hire a financial adviser for finalising the transaction structure of Roosevelt Hotel, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance after a meeting.

Every successive government, including that of Pervez Musharraf, has tried to sell or give the hotel on lease. The last serious attempt was made during the PML-N government's tenure when the Privatisation Commission had the hotel valuation done by a third party.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has alleged that the government was finding excuses to sell off the assets of the PIA to benefit its frontmen.
KDB Life Insurance headquarters in Seoul / Korea Times file



By Park Jae-hyuk



JC Partners has drawn keen attention from market observers here, who are wondering whether transforming KDB Life Insurance into a reinsurer could affect the Korea Reinsurance Company's (Korean Re) dominant market share.



The private equity firm (PEF) led by Orix Private Equity's former Korean office head Lee Jong-chul was selected as the preferred bidder for the KDB Life takeover, Tuesday.



It has been expected that the PEF would enter into a competition with Korean Re, taking advantage of the financial regulator's recent deregulatory measures on the domestic reinsurance industry.



According to industry sources, JC Partners has sought to change KDB Life into a reinsurance firm after closing the acquisition deal estimated at around 550 billion won ($458 million).



Woori Bank said it made a 100 billion won investment in a PEF that JC Partners manages for the KDB Life takeover, because the bank expects a rise in KDB Life's valuation, following the life insurer's transition into a reinsurance company.



JC Partners' strategy came as the Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced its plan to ease regulations on the reinsurance industry.



According to the regulator, the minimum equity requirement for a reinsurer will go down to 10 billion won from 30 billion won. In addition, reinsurers will not be subject to regulations imposed on general insurers.



"Competition is expected to heat up in the reinsurance market with newly established reinsurance companies," an FSC official said.



Given that Carlyle Group has been said to consider investing in JC Partners, the local PEF could become a more severe threat to Korean Re that holds over a 57 percent share in the domestic reinsurance market.



After acquiring a 19.9 percent stake in DSA Reinsurance Company from AIG in 2018, Carlyle has expanded its presence in the insurance industry worldwide. Its Asia Partners advisory team managing director John Kim also said his company seeks to build its presence in Korea.



But still, there exist concerns that JC Partners would face difficulties in building up enough experience and capital for the reinsurance business in the near future.



Industry officials noted the buyout firm will need huge capital for risk-taking, if it wants to compete with Korean Re and foreign reinsurance companies.



"A reinsurer should be able to take risks from all insurers it signed with," an insurance industry official said. "Although the current minimum equity requirement stands at 30 billion won, reinsurers need at least 300 billion won to 500 billion won for stable management."


By AFP

QUITO (ECUADOR): Amazonian tribe members in Ecuador released six people they had kidnapped to demand the release of the body of a leader killed by the coronavirus, the government said on Saturday.

Two police officers, two soldiers and two civilians were taken captive by the indigenous people on Thursday in the village of Kumay near the Peruvian border. Their tribal leader who died from COVID-19 was buried according to health guidelines but the body was later exhumed and returned to the people.

Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo said on Twitter that the "liberated citizens" had undergone medical examinations after their ordeal in Pastaza province in the Amazon jungle in southeast Ecuador. "The crowd of those who were holding the kidnapped was approximately 600 people," Romo said, adding the negotiations to free the captives were led by police commander General Patricio Carrillo.

Police said on Twitter that a special team on Saturday carried out an "exhumation and identification process" of the body of the leader, which was transported by authorities to Kumay. Ecuador is one of the Latin American countries hardest-hit by the pandemic with over 61,000 cases, including around 4,800 deaths.
By IANS

SAN FRANCISCO: Tesla and SpaceX CEO has once again denied any links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell after a photo of him with Maxwell went viral on social media.

The photo was taken at a 2014 Vanity Fair party where Musk and British socialite Maxwell, 58, who was arrested and charged with multiple counts of child sex trafficking, were seen together.

Writer Leigh Alexander tweeted on Saturday along with tagging the photo: "Who's your friend? You look like you're having fun".

Musk hit back: "I was at that Vanity Fair party with @TalulahRiley. Don't know Ghislaine. Real question is why did VF (Vanity Fair) invite her?"

ALSO READ | Ghislaine Maxwell arrested by FBI on charges related to Jeffrey Epstein

Alexander further tweeted: "She was on a huge press tour; I've even met her and I work in a niche. Why would you throw your weight at her? Is it her fault you associated with these people?"

Musk has also denied reports that Epstein once toured his SpaceX facility.

"To the best our knowledge, he never toured SpaceX. Don't know where that comes from", tweeted Musk to a user who asked the question.

In a statement to Vanity Fair last year, the Tesla CEO distanced himself from Epstein, who he said was "obviously a creep".

Maxwell, an ex-girlfriend of Epstein, is facing charges in the US after being arrested by the FBI on Friday.

She is accused of assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom victims known to be underage.

Maxwell has previously denied any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein's alleged sexual misconduct.

Epstein died in prison on August 10 last year as he awaited, without the chance of bail, his trial on sex trafficking charges.

He was arrested in New York following allegations that he was running a network of underage girls - some as young as 14 - for sex. His death was determined to be suicide.

Prosecutors allege that between 1994 and 1997, Maxwell helped Epstein groom girls as young as 14.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: 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.
By Associated Press

TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday instituted mandatory mask-wearing as fears mount over newly spiking reported deaths from the coronavirus, even as its public increasingly shrugs off the danger of the COVID-19 illness it causes.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicized an image of himself in a mask in recent days, urging both public officials and the Islamic Republic's 80 million people to wear them to stop the virus's spread.

But public opinion polling and a walk through any of the streets of Tehran show the widespread apathy felt over a pandemic that saw Iran in February among the first countries struck after China. Whether rooted in fatigue, dismissal or fatalism, that indifference has scared Iranian public health officials into issuing increasingly dire warnings.

"Let me first thank our great people. You hand in hand with the coronavirus defeated us!," a health worker in a hazmat suit in a hospital corridor sarcastically bellows in one dark state TV spot.

The new rules mark a turning point for Iran, which has struggled in trying to balance provincial lockdowns to stop the virus's spread with the fears of stalling out an economy already struggling under US sanctions after America's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.

Religious considerations also played a role in this Shiite theocracy as authorities declined for weeks to close shrines where the faithful touch or kiss the tombs' protective bars. For a moment, it appeared the restrictions and public fear had worked, as reported new cases and deaths from the virus dropped to their lowest levels in May.

But new cases soon rose again, with officials initially saying better testing causes the numbers to spike even as they lifted restrictions to boost economic activity. By mid-June, daily death tolls again routinely rose to triple digits.

On June 30, Iran saw its highest single-day reported death toll of the pandemic with 162 killed. Fears persist that Iran's actual death toll from the virus may be nearly double its reported figures, as a parliamentary report in April suggested.

Masoud Mardani, a member of the country's coronavirus task force, recently said that sampling from random antibody tests suggest that 18 million Iranians have so far been afflicted by the virus, without elaborating.

Iran has only reported over 240,000 confirmed cases. "We see that some consider being infected with the virus bad and hide it. If someone knows that they have been infected with coronavirus, they have a religious and human duty to inform others about it," a mask-wearing President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, according to a transcript on the presidency's website.

To fight the virus's spread, the Iranian government issued the mask mandate. The new rules require those in Tehran's subway, riding buses or indoors to wear them. Rouhani said those seeking "public services" also will be required to wear a mask.

Up until this point, wearing a mask in Iran had been encouraged but remained a personal choice. It follows the changing views and mixed messages of the scientific community over the usefulness of masks since the pandemic began.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in April began urging Americans to cover their faces to stop the virus.

In June, the World Health Organisation changed its advice, recommending that people wear fabric masks if they could not maintain social distancing, if they were over age 60 or had underlying medical conditions.

Those masks also help prevent the asymptomatic from spreading the virus as well. Worldwide, rules for mask wearing vary by country. In Asia, masks are mandatory in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.

In China, people commonly wear masks, which are required in certain areas. Japan urges people to wear masks in certain circumstances, but it's not mandatory. And despite mandatory masks rules in India, the poor reuse masks for days while physical distancing remains rare.

In the Mideast, masks are mandatory in nations including Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, although enforcement varies. In Iran, people remain unenthusiastic about wearing masks, although it hasn't become a political statement like it has in the US.

Instead, it appears to be one of fatigue. The state-owned polling centre ISPA published a June survey of 1,055 Tehran residents showing only 41 per cent remain highly worried about the virus, down from 46 per cent in May and 58 per cent in April.

The survey offered no margin of error. That lack of concern also can be seen in media reports suggesting most of the new coronavirus patients attended weddings, parties and funeral services with large groups of other people.

The renewed spike in cases also coincided with Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that sees people celebrate with their loved ones. At two busy gas stations, an Associated Press journalist counted only 15 of 95 drivers wearing masks, while two of the stations' 11 employees wore them.
Whippany, NJ (07981)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Whippany, NJ (07981)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.


Experts expect China to help Pyongyang avoid economic collapse



By Kang Seung-woo



North Korea's economy has been a years-long issue.



Many believe it has been pushed to the edge due to a series of United Nations sanctions imposed on the reclusive state for its nuclear and missile programs, coupled with the recent worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 that has had impacts on its trade after its border closure.



The pandemic has shut down the totalitarian regime already beset by its decades-long self-imposed isolation, further highlighting its economic vulnerability and lack of fiscal resources.



North Korea's recent fiery rhetoric against South Korea is also mostly believed to be an apparent sign from its leader Kim Jong-un, who is in the hot seat over the sluggish economy and ensuing public outcry, in order to urge Seoul and Washington to discuss Pyongyang's economic challenges.



Diplomatic analysts believe the North's economic situation is probably worse than average due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the sanctions. But, for various reasons, they did not agree that the country's economy will fall victim to these difficulties.



"It is difficult to tell how bad off the North Korean economy is at the moment. Three major forces are coming together that are making this a difficult time: the continued impact of economic sanctions over its nuclear program; closing down trade  both legal and illegal  with China due to COVID-19; and the usual cycle of the agricultural sector where food stocks from last year are dwindling until this year's harvest starts to come in," U.S. Naval War College professor Terence Roehrig told The Korea Times.






BRIDGEPORT  Firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire on the roof of Building 8 of the P.T. Barnum apartments Saturday night, which city fire officials said appeared to be sparked by fireworks.

Firefighters were dispatched to Building 8 around 8:30 p.m. for a reported structure fire. Shortly before 8:50 p.m., officials called for a second alarm to send additional manpower to the scene.

According to initial dispatch reports, the first fire unit on scene reported a working fire on the roof of Building 8. Units indicated that the fire appeared to have been caused by fireworks.

The Bridgeport Fire Department said in a brief statement that fireworks were the possible cause.

Heavy, heavy smoke from the roof, one arriving unit reported over the radio waves. Appears to be from fireworks.

The Battalion Chief on scene said flames were showing as he arrived at Building 8 at 8:35 p.m.

Shortly before 9 p.m., officials on scene reported heavy fire was on the roof of Building 8, and that units were transferring to an aerial attack on the flames.

Around 9:20 p.m., fire officials reported the bulk of the flames were extinguished as the aerial attack continued on remaining hotspots. Firefighters were expected to remain on scene for what fire officials said would be extensive overhaul.

Bridgeport Transit Authority was alerted of the incident so buses could provide temporary shelter for the occupants of Building 8.

Fire units were recalled around 10:10 p.m. Officials reported the fire was out as crews continued to chase hotspots.

The Bridgeport Fire Department said around 10 p.m. that about 20 fire units responded to the two-alarm fire. The department said it was not immediately clear how many residents would be displaced or how much fire, smoke and water damage had occurred.
Patricia Hruby Powells newest book, Lift As You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker, is available, signed, from Jane Addams Book Shop or available wherever you buy books; talesforallages.com.
The hardest thing about being a leader? 'Learning how to lead by example, not by overwhelming everyone with rules and policies,' says Danville dropout-turned-C-U success story Tim Donaldson, aka "The Blind Man," who's never far from dog Sissy.
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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).
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Sundiata Cha-Jua is a professor of African American studies and history at the University of Illinois; member of the Executive Council of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, 2016-P; and a member of the North End Breakfast Club. His email is schajua@gmail.com.
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North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, right, said Saturday Pyongyang does not have imminent plans to talks with the U.S. Her statement is believed to a part of Pyongyang's measure to ramp up pressure on Washington ahead of a visit of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, left, to South Korea slated from Tuesday to Thursday. Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



North Korea reiterated that it will not talk with the United States as long as the latter sticks to hostile policies and attempts use dialogue as a "tool for grappling with its political crisis."



The statement by the North's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Saturday, appears to be a move to ramp up pressure on the U.S. ahead of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun's visit to South Korea slated for Tuesday to Thursday.



Also the U.S. special representative for North Korea, Biegun will come here after U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton last week hinted at another summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the U.S. presidential election in November.



This will be Biegun's first South Korea visit since December, fueling speculation over his message on Pyongyang's denuclearization.



Biegun separately said last week the Trump-Kim summit is "probably unlikely" before the election but added Washington is prepared for "engagement between the two sides."



Frustrated by the faltered nuclear negotiations despite three Trump-Kim meetings from 2018 to 2019, the North rather has been backing away from the dialogue and has been ratcheting up military threats.



"Is it possible to hold a dialogue or have any dealings with the U.S. which persists in the hostile policy toward the DPRK in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit?" Choe said, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We do not feel any need to sit face-to-face with the U.S., as it considers the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling with its political crisis."



Choe added the U.S. is mistaken if it thinks "negotiations would still work on us" and that the North has already "worked out a detailed strategic timetable for putting under control the long-term threat from the U.S."



"The North wants to make sure through Biegun's visit that it will no longer be fooled by the U.S. denuclearization goal," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.



Yang referred to the U.S. rejection of the North's demand to lift sanctions before Pyongyang would begin any denuclearization.



He speculated the door remains open for tension between the North and the U.S., with the former's state-controlled media highlighting the third anniversary of the launch of its Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the U.S. Independence Day, Saturday.



The missile is believed capable of reaching anywhere in the U.S. mainland.



Yang said Choe's statement was also aimed at sending a message to President Moon Jae-in who nominated experts on North Korea, Friday, to lead his diplomatic and national security teams.



The measure was seen as an effort to push harder for Moon's North Korea policy amid soured inter-Korean relations.


Madison Village recently marked the completion of a project that rehabilitated the interior wet surface of its Dayton Road water tank.
Longview, TX (75601)

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Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Saturday that Libya must organise elections through its transitional authorities as a political solution to its ongoing conflict.

Speaking to France 24 on Saturday, Tebboune said that "we need to consult with the Libyan people through its institutions," including tribal ones and others, and hold elections.

"The current government is one of these establishments, but things have surpassed it. We have to present institutions that represent all Libyans, hold elections and elect a president and vice president, putting into consideration a balance between all Libyan regions and the adoption of a new constitution," Tebboune argued.

The Algerian head of state also said he was ready to arrange a dialogue between the different Libyan parties should they request it.

He explained that, while talking to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Berlin Libyan Conference earlier this year, he promised not to take "any personal initiative" outside the framework of the political event.

Tebboune said that Algeria has relations with all Libyan parties and contacts them regularly.

We stand at the same distance from all Libyan parties and we will not back one of them against the other, Tebboune stressed, adding that "we still have not lost hope" of settling the conflict.

"We have close visions on Libya with President [Emmanuel] Macron and our Italian friends. Other actors understand that fighting back and forth between armies is not the solution," said Tebboune.

"Who loses today wins tomorrow, and so on, but this is not the solution and it will not offer anything. To take a group of people that includes five from here and five from there is not also a solution."

Tebboune warned that Libya might follow the "Syrian model" and clarified that he spoke with Macron on this issue. Tebboune said that, four months ago in Berlin, he said that "we can count on the basis of popular legitimacy to rebuild the state [Libya]" if no ceasefire was reached.

He described the "Syrian model" in Libya" as a "danger," praising the Libyan tribes for "luckily being wise".

"The same approaches that we saw in Syria are not seen in Libya. Unlike what many people might think, mercenaries and others were those who committed violations. But if the tribes are fed up, they will start arming and protecting themselves," he warned.

In that case, Tebboune said, Libya would not follow the Syrian model, but the Somalian one instead. "No one would be able to do anything at that point in time," he stated.

"The country could turn into a haven for terrorists, and everyone, seeking to clean their countries, will send their terrorists to Libya," he added.

Libyas Government of National Accord (GNA), which is based in Tripoli, is backed by Turkish troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries in its war against the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar.

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Park Jie-won, left, the nominee for national Intelligence Service (NIS) chief, receives condolences from the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo-jong, right, on behalf of her brother upon the death of former first lady Lee Hee-ho on June 12, 2019, at Panmunjeom. Park is accompanied by Chung Eui-yong, then-national security adviser. Park's ties long ties with North Korea's Kim dynasty is one of the primary factors in Moon's surprise decision to name him as the NIS chief. Yonhap



Seoul's capacity to convince Washington on easing sanctions still in doubt



By Do Je-hae



There is much interest in what kind of impact President Moon Jae-in's recent decision to fill his diplomatic and national security team with inter-Korean specialists will have on foreign policy.



The big news about Cheong Wa Dae's reshuffle announcement on July 3 was the President's pick of Park Jie-won, one of the main negotiators of the historic 2000 first-ever inter-Korean summit during the 1998-2003 Kim Dae-jung administration, as the chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). He is to succeed Suh Hoon, the outgoing NIS chief, after undergoing a National Assembly hearing.



Park is known to be one of the few South Koreans to have met almost all of the key figures in North Korea's Kim dynasty  the late Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong. "Park was recommended through various routes," a senior presidential aide told reporters, Sunday. "His nomination was entirely based on the President's decision."



The President's picks for other key posts, including the national security adviser and two special advisers for foreign affairs and national security, are also marked by their long careers of negotiating with North Korea. Moon has decided to retain the service of Suh as the new head of the presidential National Security Office (NSO) and has named his former chief of staff Im Jong-seok and outgoing NSO chief Chung Eui-young as special advisers on foreign policy and security. Suh, Im and Chung were at the forefront of Cheong Wa Dae's efforts to realize Moon's previous three summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018.



Moon also nominated ruling party heavyweight and North Korea expert Rep. Lee In-young, a former floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as unification minister to succeed Kim Yeon-chul, who stepped down last month after North Korea's unilateral destruction of the inter-Korean liaison office, a symbolic outcome of the April 27 inter-Korean summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, held on the southern side of the Joint Security Area in 2018.





NIS chief nominee Park Jie-won, second from right, and other members of the South Korean delegation to the 2000 inter-Korean summit ride on a subway train in Pyongyang on June 14. Korea Times file



Cheong Wa Dae's announcement came after weeks of heated debate about the need to overhaul Moon's diplomatic and national security lineup, after Pyongyang destroyed the inter-Korean liaison office, considered a major sign of its disregard toward the past agreements between Moon and Kim for drastic improvement in inter-Korean relations.



But some experts who talked to The Korea Times, Sunday, were mostly negative in their assessment of the July 3 reshuffle, underlining its heavy focus on restoring ties with North Korea despite continued U.S. opposition that will likely lead to a wider rift in the Korea-U.S. alliance.









If the Moon administration continues rushing to improve inter-Korean relations under his new diplomatic and security team regardless of the speed of North Korea's denuclearization process, the experts particularly warned of real damage to the alliance with the U.S. Bilateral relations have already triggered concerns under the Trump administration due to the huge gaps in key bilateral issues, including the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations for deciding Korea's share of the costs for maintaining U.S. troops here.



Geopolitical chess game



Lee Seong-hyon, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute, pointed out the reshuffle reflects a glaring absence of a "big picture" in Cheong Wa Dae's North Korea policy by not paying due attention to international factors, such as the escalating U.S.-China rivalry.



"The reshuffle is a knee-jerk remedy to overcome the current inter-Korean stalemate. But it lacks a big picture. Both Washington and Beijing see the North Korean issue as a component of the U.S.-China geopolitical chess game. North Korea knows it. South Korea doesn't," Lee said. "Moon is obsessed with North Korea. But North Korea is obsessed with the U.S. That's the geopolitical curse for Moon. Unfortunately, Moon is seen as a pro-China figure in Washington. As long as Moon doesn't secure Washington's blessing, his inter-Korean vision will be a limited endeavor."



Lee added, "South Korea's improving ties with North Korea will inevitably include economic aid and resumption of joint projects that will create further tension between Seoul and Washington. Amid the deepening U.S.-China rivalry, China will welcome the disintegration of the alliance relationship."



The expert in Korea-China relations also highlighted that the reshuffle's role will be "limited" if Moon's greater goal is to engineer another summit between Trump and Kim Jong-un, in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election.



Other experts showed concerns about the loss of credibility in Moon's foreign policy from an international perspective.



"The Moon administration should avoid the impression that North Korean threats and violence get laws changed, activists prosecuted and ministers reshuffled in Seoul. A loss in foreign policy credibility could invite further economic coercion from Beijing and more worries about the alliance in Washington," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "President Moon has purposefully chosen South Korean officials well-known in Pyongyang in hopes of restarting dialogue. But the Kim regime shows little interest in reconciliation and exchange, instead demanding financial benefits without denuclearization."





The leaders of the two Koreas, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il, sing "Our wish is unification" with the members of their respective delegations during a farewell lunch on June 15, 2000, at the North Korea leader's guesthouse after their summit. Park played a central role in organizing the summit. Korea Times
A U.N. agency agreed on Tuesday to change a landmark aviation emissions scheme, in a boost for airlines that said they could face billions of dollars in costs under the current deal when air travel recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) governing council agreed to change the baseline year used for calculating emissions under the global CORSIA deal to 2019, the agency said in a statement.

Airlines, hit with a European-led backlash over pollution from flights, have pledged to spend billions of dollars under CORSIA to cap their emissions at 2020 levels through the purchase of carbon offsets.

Under CORSIA, which starts in 2021, airlines would buy carbon offset credits to cover any emissions from international flights above the current baseline of average emissions in 2019 and 2020.

But because emissions from international flights this year are set to drop significantly due to the sharp reduction in air travel as a result of the pandemic, IATA asked that the baseline be changed exclusively to 2019, before the pandemic hit aviation.

ICAO said it would have created an "inappropriate economic burden to aeroplane operators, due to the need to offset more emissions although they are flying less and generating less emissions."

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Environmentalists opposed efforts to change the baseline to 2019, arguing it would allow airlines to pollute freely for years.

The European Union's 27 member states backed IATA's request, while two sources said the United States also supported the changes. China, Russia and India had argued they wanted more time to study the changes, the sources said.

CORSIA was launched following approval from most of ICAO's member countries at the agency's assembly in 2016.
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.
Trader's body CAIT on Sunday urged the government to not allow Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE to participate in 5G network rollout in India, raising concerns on data security.

The traders' body has written a letter in this regard to Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The 5G refers to the next-generation mobile networks that promise super fast download speeds and the ability to support critical infrastructure and therefore is more critical from the point of accruing data, it said.

"We may like to mention that in several countries both Huawei and ZTE Corporation have been charged with a laundry list of crimes including conspiracy, money laundering, bank and wire fraud.

"We are sure that our above request will be considered by you and necessary decision will be taken to protect not only the security of the country but also the privacy of the people of India through data and as such both Huawei and ZTE Corporation will not be allowed to participate in 5G network rollout in India," CAIT said in the letter to Prasad.

E-mails sent by PTI to Huawei India and ZTE India did not elicit any response till the time of filing the story.

US Federal Communications Commission recently designated Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE as "national security threats", saying the major step was aimed at protecting American communications networks from security risks.

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has been running a campaign for boycott of Chinese goods in the country.
Last week, I received an email from my childrens principal, sharing some of the first details about plans to reopen New York City schools this fall. The message explained that the citys Department of Education, following federal guidelines, will require each student to have 65 square feet of classroom space. Not everyone will be allowed in the building at once. The upshot is that my children will be able to physically attend school one out of every three weeks.

At the same time, many adults  at least the lucky ones that have held onto their jobs  are supposed to be back at work as the economy reopens. What is confusing to me is that these two plans are moving forward apace without any consideration of the working parents who will be ground up in the gears when they collide.

Let me say the quiet part loud: In the COVID-19 economy, youre allowed only a kid or a job.

Why isnt anyone talking about this? Why are we not hearing a primal scream so deafening that no plodding policy can be implemented without addressing the people buried by it? Why am I, a food blogger best known for such hits as the All-Butter Really Flaky Pie Dough and The I Want Chocolate Cake Cake, sounding the alarm on this? I think its because when youre home-schooling all day and not performing the work you were hired to do until the wee hours of the morning, and do it on repeat for 106 days (not that anyone is counting), you might be a bit too fried to funnel your rage effectively.

For months, Ive been muttering about this  in group texts, in secret Facebook groups for moms, in masked encounters when I bump into a parent friend on the street. We all ask one another why we arent making more noise. The consensus is that everyone agrees this is a catastrophe, but we are too bone-tired to raise our voices above a groan, let alone scream through a megaphone. Every single person confesses burnout, despair, feeling like they are losing their minds, knowing in their guts that this is untenable.

It should be obvious, but a nonnegotiable precondition of getting back to normal is that families need a normal to return to as well. But as soon as you express this, the conversation quickly gets clouded with tangential and irrelevant arguments that would get you kicked off any school debate team.

But we dont even know if its safe to send kids back to school is absolutely correct, but its not the central issue here. The sadder flip side  the friend who told me that if their school reopens, her children are going back whether its safe or not because she cannot afford to not work  edges closer.

Why do you want teachers to get sick? isnt my agenda either, but its hard to imagine that a system in which each child will spend two weeks out of every three being handed off among various caretakers only to reconvene in a classroom, infinitely increasing the number of potential virus-carrying interactions, protects a teacher more than a consistent pod of students week in and out with minimized external interactions.

You shouldnt have had kids if you cant take care of them is comically troll-like but has come up so often, one might wonder if youre supposed to educate your children at night. Or perhaps you should have been paying for some all-age day care backup that sat empty while kids were at school in case the school you were paying taxes to keep open and that requires, by law, that your child attend abruptly closed for the year.

Why arent you enjoying the extra quality time with your kid? lays bare what is really simmering below the surface: a retrograde view that maybe one parent (they mean the mom) shouldnt be working, that doing so is bad for children, that its selfish to pursue financial gains (or solvency, as working parents will tell you). It is a sentiment so deeply woven into our cultural psyche that making the reasonable suggestion that one shouldnt have to abandon a career or livelihood if offices reopen before schools, day cares and camps do is viewed as a chance to redeliberate this.

It is not, and youre off the debate team, too.

Ive heard from parents who have the luck of a grandparent who can swoop in or the deep pockets for a full-time nanny or a private tutor for their child when schools are closed. That all sounds enviable, but it would be absurd to let policy be guided by people with cushioning. If you have the privilege to opt out of the workforce and wish to, enjoy it. But dont wield it as a stick to poke others with because far more people are being forced to opt out this year and will never professionally or financially recover.

I resent articles that view the struggle of working parents this year as an emotional concern. We are not burned out because life is hard this year. We are burned out because we are being rolled over by the wheels of an economy that has bafflingly declared working parents inessential.

Part-Time Teachers, Full-Time Parents

For context, let me tell you how the last few months have been for my family. The first few weeks of school and business closures were jaw-clenchingly stressful. I am self-employed and worked full time from home already, so that part required no transition. But I needed to use this flexibility to ensure that my husband, who would normally have been at his office, didnt miss a meeting, call or email while I managed the remote-learning curricula of our two children, one in pre-K, one in fifth grade. I compensated by working until about 2 a.m. each night.

Three weeks later, our marital work-balance stress evaporated as my husband was put on furlough. He took over home-schooling and basically everything else as I became the sole breadwinner, trying to work as hard as I could at every hour. Last week, he was fully laid off.

Despite our own financial strain, weve continued to pay the nanny who used to help shuttle the kids around while we worked, even though she hasnt worked for us since March. Even if we asked for her help in home-schooling our children this fall, who would do so for her school-age children? When will my husband be able to look for work? How can he go back to work if theres no one to watch the kids?

And I speak from a position of significant privilege. We were, until recently, a two-income family with savings, paying for more than the minimum of child care hours that we needed each day just to cover what-ifs, living in one of the most expensive cities on earth. We have laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi, and didnt think twice before panic-ordering pencils, paper, markers and anything else we thought might help our children.

But my family, as a social and economic unit, cannot operate forever in the framework authorities envision for the fall. There are so many ways that the situation weve been thrust into, in which businesses are planning to reopen without any conversation about the repercussions on families with school-age children, is even more untenable for others.

Under the best of circumstances, the impact on children will still be significant. Students will lose most of a year of learning as parents  their new untrained teachers  cannot supervise in any meaningful way while Zooming in to the office. At best, the kids will be crabby and stir-crazy as they dont get enough physical activity because theyre now tethered to their parents workspaces all day, running around the living room in lieu of fresh air. Without social interactions with other children, they constantly seek parental attention in bad ways, further straining the mood at home. And these are ideal scenarios.

But what about kids who cannot learn remotely? What about kids who need services that are tied to schools? Or those who are at higher risk for complications if they get the virus and might not be able to go back even one week out of the three?

When learning plans for children with special needs could not be followed appropriately this year, academic gains for many students were quickly wiped out. Remote learning has already widened racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps because of disparities in access to technology tutors. As parents are crushed by the COVID economy, so are the children who need the most support. Its no wonder the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement this weekend urging that students be physically present in school as much as possible this fall.

The long-term losses for professional adults will be incalculable, too, and will disproportionately affect mothers. Working mothers all over the country feel that theyre being pushed out of the labor force or into part-time jobs as their responsibilities at home have increased tenfold.

Even those who found a short-term solution because they had the luxury to hit the pause button on their projects and careers this spring to manage the effects of the pandemic  predicated on the assumption that the fall would bring a return to school and child care  may now have no choice but to leave the workforce. A friend just applied for a job and tells me she cannot even imagine how she would be able to take it if her children arent truly back in school. Theres an idea that people can walk away from careers and just pick them up where they left off, even though we know that women who drop out of the workforce to take care of children often have trouble getting back in.

And lest you think its everyone versus teachers, I cannot imagine a group this situation is less fair to. Teachers are supposed to teach in the classroom full time but simultaneously manage remote learning? Even in nonpandemic times, teachers would tell you that they already work unpaid overtime on nights and weekends just planning and grading. Where, exactly, will the extra hours come from? For teachers with their own school-age children, the situation isnt just untenable; its impossible.

The Wealthy Win. Again.

Without a doubt, reopening schools is a colossal undertaking. There are no easy solutions to finding enough space for students to socially distance; ensuring teachers and staff are protected; adding more sinks and cleaning staff; and implementing widespread temperature checks, testing and contact tracing.

But after nearly four months since the lockdowns began  four months of working all hours, at remarkable stress levels, while our children have gone without play dates and playgrounds and all of the other stimuli that help them thrive  most parents have been shocked to find that state governments dont have any creative or even plausible solutions.

For parents who cannot simply sort it out, our national response feels more like a dystopian novel where only the wealthy get to limit their exposure and survive the pandemic unscathed. Allowing workplaces to reopen while schools, camps and day cares remain closed tells a generation of working parents that its fine if they lose their jobs, insurance and livelihoods in the process. Its outrageous, and I fear if we dont make the loudest amount of noise possible over this, we will be erased from the economy.

Deb Perelman c.2020 The New York Times Company
A 23-year-old man was arrested from Kochi, Kerala for allegedly posing as a Naval officer, police said on Saturday.

Raja Nath, a native of Nadia, West Bengal, who used to dress up in naval uniform and travel to different places, was arrested on Wednesday near the Naval Base, Kochi.

The arrest was recorded by the Ernakulam town south police station.

A Defence wing statement said that Raja Nath had arrived in Kochi in October 2019 and was residing in an apartment at Thevara, near here. During this period, he obtained naval uniforms made from shops at Kochi.

The arrested has also uploaded videos in 'TikTok' posing as a Naval Officer.

The police have registered a case against the individual under Sec 140 of IPC for impersonating as an officer in Indian Navy and have also recovered Naval uniforms and badges from his residence.

A similar incident was reported earlier also at the same police station of impersonation as Commander in Indian Navy by a person identified as Nibit Daniel. This individual was allegedly involved in fraudulent activities by posing as a senior officer in Indian Navy who had also got uniforms stitched locally.

Indian Navy is taking up the issue of a ban on unauthorised sale of armed forces uniform in the state, with the Kerala government.
Kanye West, rapper, producer, record label executive and fashion designer, has a new ambition: To become the President of the United States. The rapper took to Twitter on Americas birthday (July 4) to officially announce he is running for the highest office in the land.

"We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future," he wrote on Twitter and immediately got to the point. "I am running for president of the United States!" he tweeted. He then added the hashtag #2020VISION, which may be something he continues to use moving forward.

Needless to say, the announcement was quite unexpected.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION  ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

Moments later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that West has his 'full support'.

You have my full support!  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020

Incidentally, the friendship between West and Musk is not unheard of. Kanye and Musk, recently, met and even clicked a picture together, which was uploaded on Twitter by the rapper. Wearing an orange jacket, Kanye captioned it, "When you go to your boys house and youre both wearing orange."

When you go to your boys house and youre both wearing orange  pic.twitter.com/IyPOdEKaVY  ye (@kanyewest) July 1, 2020

It started a meme fest but now we are wondering if it was more than that.

READ: Kanye West and Elon Musk Posing for Photo is a Meme We Didn't Know We Needed

While this is not the first time West has talked about running for the biggest job in the country, but the choice of words in his tweet makes him seem determined. In November, the Grammy Award Winner said "When I run for president in 2024, we would've created so many jobs that I'm not going to run, I'm going to walk" during an event. Probably, West couldn't wait that long and decided to move it up a cycle ahead.

Looking at West's politics is interesting and confusing: For years, eyebrows were raised for his outspoken support of President Trump. However, it has ebbed and flowed with time. The rapper praised Trump in his various interviews and even sported one of the Presidents red and white Make America Great Again hats in public.

He distanced himself from US President Donald Trump some time in 2018. His announcement, then too, was a tweet. In late 2018, he tweeted, "My eyes are now wide open and now realize Ive been used to spread messages I dont believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative."

It was not immediately clear if West was serious about vying for the presidency four months before the November 3 election or if he had filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots. However, the deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.

So, are we supposed to take West seriously this time? Was this just a stab of patriotism on the Fourth of July? Or was it just another way to grab the limelight for a single news cycle?

Well, only time will tell.
While maternity photoshoots are meant to evoke feelings of joy and pleasure, a rather unusual maternity photo by a Texas woman has left the internet confused and slightly disturbed.

Just like wedding photoshoots have become a nuptial mainstay for couples around the world, maternity photoshoots are also popular with new and expecting moms. The idea is to celebrate the joys and pride of motherhood. But one such photoshoot involving a pregnant woman and swarm of bees has gone viral, making many wonder the meaning of the photo.

The controversial photoshoot was carried out by Bethany Karulak-Baker, from Boerne, Texas. In the outdoor shoot, Karulak-Baker, who is also a beekeeper, can be seen standing next to a box bee hive and exposing her bare, pregnant belly to roughly 10,000 live bees.

The woman took to her Facebook to share a glimpse of her photoshoot, however with a warning, "This can be extremely dangerous. Please do not try this without experience and knowledge."

She went on to write, "Here are my maternity photos I promised to share. I wasn't stung once. The queen is tethered to my belly inside of a cage. We just dumped the bees on me and they naturally began to beard. Don't worry, this was approved by my doc. This is roughly 10k bees. Cheers, everyone!"

Bethany also revealed the backstory of the shoot by stating, "This isnt just a photo of a woman with honeybees on her belly."

She went on to expound how a miscarriage last year had pushed her to battle depression. And this maternity shoot "represents much, much more" and will only remind her and the future unborn child, "the warrior inside".

The inspirational photos, however, did not sit well with netizens with many raising concerns over the woman and her baby's safety while attempting such cpmplex photoshoots. Others just couldn't help but cringe at the thought of thousands of live bees crawling on one's belly.

The queen is tethered to my belly inside of a cage. Poetry. pic.twitter.com/KyAJQLEza5 Emily Murnane (@emily_murnane) July 3, 2020

What is wrong with people. Michael Marshall Smith (@ememess) July 3, 2020

I want to hear from the Dr that allowed an allergic pregnant woman to do this. Jim SixFeetPlease Murphy (@MurphInCA) July 3, 2020

It took me like 2 seconds to find this girl on fb and shes a beekeeper and she did this because she had a miscarriage and while I dont get how those are related, thats the story and this is wild af. the socialist mom (@thesocialistmom) July 3, 2020

I know this isnt the worst thing weve been up to, but white women need to chill. Zoe (@zoe_obrian) July 3, 2020

Its nice to see that I'm not completely dead inside, and the world can still surprise and horrify me. Mateo Cristiani (@MateoCristiani) July 3, 2020

Its okay, they got a second opinion. pic.twitter.com/UW2PxZxgBC KJ BLACKLIVESMATTER (@KevinJosephCMX) July 4, 2020

Risking your pregnancy for a photo shoot. How American. pic.twitter.com/pjattvVSJD Mr. Richard S. Licker, MGF (@MikeyMooseNC) July 3, 2020

Maternity photoshoots are popular with celebrities and models who often share photos of their pregnancy to document the monumental event. In 2019, Bollywood actress Sameera Reddy shared photos from her underwater maternity shoot from 2015 before the birth of her son. Her intention behind sharing the images was to inspire positivity among pregnant women who felt insecure of their bodies during and post pregnancy.
Fearing spread of the novel coronavirus, authorities in Assam locked down three villages on Saturday after thousands of people in Nagaon district attended the funeral of a well-known preacher.

The funeral gathering was of 87-year-old Khairul Islam- a vice-president of the All India Jamiat Ulema and Aamir-e-Shariat for the Northeast. The gathering was held at his native place in Nagaon on the afternoon of July 2.

As per a report by Indian Express (IE), the family members wanted the funeral procession to be held on July 3, but later they decided to go ahead with it by July 2. The incident came to light after Islams son, Aminul Islam, an MLA of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) from Nagaons Dhing constituency uploaded pictures of the gathering on a social media platform.

Taking cognizance of the event, district administration officials estimated that at least 10,000 people attended the event. Two police cases have been filed, one suo motu by the police and another by a magistrate present at the spot, said Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Jadav Saikia. A lockdown has also been imposed on three villages surrounding the field in an attempt to contain any spread of the deadly virus.

There were no law and order issues in the gathering. But the gatherers violated the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic laws regarding the gathering, social distancing, wearing masks, etc. The cases are not against any individual but against violators. We will investigate the case and proceed as per law, Saikia told IE.

Commenting on the unprecedented gathering amid pandemic, MLA Islam told IE that his father was a very renowned figure and had a very large following. Following the protocol, the family had informed the administration about the death and the funeral and accordingly, to limit the number of participants.

Earlier in April, Aminul Islam was arrested and booked under sedition for allegedly making communal statements and sharing it on social media.

Assams total tally of positive coronavirus cases crossed the 11,000-mark on Saturday with the detection of 1,202 new cases, the single biggest spike in a day. The figure jumped from 9,777 cases to 11,001.
A former MLA who was convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots died due to Covid-19 at the Mandoli Prison on Saturday.

Mahendra Yadav, 70, was a former MLA from Palam constituency. He was serving a sentence of 10 years at Jail no. 14 in Mandoli since December 2018, according to officials.

The former MLA was lodged in the same jail as Kanwar Singh, an inmate who died in his sleep of Covid-19 on June 15.

All 29 inmates of the jail, mostly elderly prisoners, were tested for Covid-19 after Kanwar Singh's report had come out as positive. A total of 17 of the inmates were found to be infected, but Yadav was among the 12 who were not.

After five days, the 12 were asked to undergo a test again, and in the subsequent report, Yadav was found to be infected on June 26.

According to DG Prisons, Sandeep Goel, Yadav developed uneasiness and some heart-related symptoms on June 26. He was referred to DDU Hospital from where he was further referred to LNJP hospital on the same day.

Four days later, his family requested to shift him to a private hospital under police guard. He was shifted to Akash Healthcare Hospital in Dwarka and was undergoing treatment. According to DG Goel, an inquest proceeding will be conducted by the Metropolitan Magistrate.

So far, 53 inmates have been tested positive in Delhi Prisons. Out of these, 31 have recovered and two have died.

The virus has also affected the jail staff. So far, 88 prison staff have been tested positive for covid19. Out of these, 28 have recovered, said DG Goel.
The exterior of a kindergarten in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where its pupils have complained of food poisoning symptoms, in this June 25 photo. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), sometimes referred to as "hamburger disease," is a life-threatening condition that damages the kidneys.



HUS was first recognized in the United States in 1982, when a large number of people presented with symptoms of severe and bloody diarrhea which was traced to contaminated hamburger patties. It was later found to be contaminated with enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli (EHEC).



EHEC causes damage to the colon's mucous membrane, resulting in symptoms of bloody diarrhea and serious abdominal pain as it destroys the body's clotting cells. This causes thrombocytopenia, affecting red blood cells and causing hemolytic anemia. The destruction of these cells causes a buildup in the small blood vessels and tubules of the kidneys. The resulting damage to the kidneys leads to renal failure. HUS usually affects children between the ages of 1 to 10 years, but can also occur in adults.



According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the number of people infected with the strain of E. coli bacteria in connection to a kindergarten in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, reached 58. The KCDC has been investigating the disease outbreak since a student of the kindergarten showed symptoms of the disease, June 12.



Among 21 hospitalized patients, 16 people, including 14 children, have symptoms of HUS, with four of them undergoing renal dialysis. Following the outbreak, President Moon Jae-in ordered the strengthening of inspections of meals served at preschools and daycare centers across the country, June 26.



Considering the seriousness of the outbreak among children here, Moon has asked the relevant authorities to "go beyond simple administrative procedures."






With two more fresh deaths on Saturday, the toll in the ongoing current wave of Assam floods has increased to 37. The situation, however, has largely improved in seven districts even as 11 lakh people in 18 of the state's 33 districts have been affected, officials said.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that in the current wave of floods in the past two weeks, at least 22 persons have died in Morigaon, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Nagaon, Nalbari, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Udalguri, Goalpara and Dibrugarh districts, taking the state's death toll to 37, while 24 people have been killed in separate landslides since May 22.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Friday talked to Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal and reviewed the current flood situation, announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of persons who lost their lives.

The flood situation has improved in Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Hojai, Udalguri, Majuli and West Karbi Anglong districts.

An official of ASDMA said the flood-hit districts are -- Dhemaji, Biswanath, Chirang, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon, and Tinsukia.

"Around 11 lakh people in 1,412 villages were continued to hit by the monsoon floods and over 53,348 hectares of crop areas were severely affected due to the floods. Around 6,531 people, including women and children, still sheltered in 171 relief camps," an ASDMA official said.

In all, at least 8,91,897 various pet (domestic) animals and 8,01,233 poultry were affected due to the current wave of floods.

The National Disaster Response Force, Assam State Disaster Response Force personnel, along with the local administration, are continuously working to rescue the affected people and render relief services, including distribution of relief material to the marooned villagers.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary have tested negative for COVID 19, sources close to the two leaders said on Sunday.

Both leaders had given their samples for testing on Saturday upon learning that Bihar Legislative Council's Acting Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh, with whom they had interacted at a function last week, has tested positive.

The leaders had come into contact with each other at the premises of the state's bicameral legislature on July 1, when nine newly-elected MLCs were sworn in.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was also among those who attended the ceremony. His test report, which came out late Saturday night, was also negative.
A centenarian man from Delhi, who was four years old during the 1918 Spanish Flu, has survived COVID-19 and recovered faster than his son, in his 70s, at a dedicated coronavirus facility here, doctors said.

The 106-year-old patient was discharged from the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) recently after recovering, where his wife, son and another family member also recuperated after contracting the novel coronavirus infection, they said.

"Perhaps, he is the first reported case of COVID-19 in Delhi who also went through the dreaded Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 which like COVID-19 had also ravaged the world. And, he not only recovered from COVID-19, he recovered faster than his son, who is also very old," a senior doctor.

Spanish Flu was a pandemic which hit the world 102 years ago, and affected nearly one-third of the global population at that time.

"The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919," according to the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) in the US.

In the US, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 6,75,000 deaths occurred in America, it said.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the pandemic of 1918-1919 called the Spanish Flu was particularly virulent, and killed an estimated 40 million people worldwide.

In India, the disease is believed to have been brought in by the soldiers returning from World War I conflicts.

The first cases of Spanish Flu were reported in areas which are major ports of entry, such as Mumbai (then Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Delhi and Chennai (Madras), where a large number of people returned from abroad.

The casualty count in India from the Spanish Flu is believed to be nearly one-fifth of the entire fatalities in the world, though the statistics for mortality in India are too wide-ranging and debatable.

Doctors at the RGSSH, a dedicated COVID-19 facility were amazed to see the recovery of this centenarian patient from the novel coronavirus, even though he was highly vulnerable to the infection.

"We don't know whether he was affected by the Spanish Flu or not. We haven't seen much documentation on the situation back then as far as Delhi is concerned, but very few hospitals were there at that time. It is amazing this 106-year-old showed the will power to survive," a senior doctor, who monitored his situation, said.

But, what is more interesting is that he recovered faster than his son, who is in his 70s. So, he lived through the Spanish Flu and now survived COVID-19, hence, he lived through two pandemics, he said.

Besides, his wife and an another family member also had contracted COVID-19, and all four have successfully recovered and were discharged about a month-and-a-half ago, the doctor said.

The RGSSH has treated 1,000 COVID-19 patients so fare, and on Monday it is marking the milestone with a symbolic event where Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Heath Minister Satyendar Jain are slated to participate.

Delhi recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally in the city to over 97,000-mark, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,004, authorities said.

The national capital, at present is the worst-hit city in the country, from the pandemic. According to the bulletin, 68,256 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far.
The COVID-19 situation in Guwahati, where 2,741 fresh cases were reported in the last 10 days, is alarming and may worsen if the restrictions imposed are not followed seriously by the people, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday.

Assam recorded its biggest single-day spike in COVID- 19 cases on Saturday, with 1,202 new infections, of which Guwahati accounted for 777 cases. The state has reported 11,001 cases so far.

Guwahati, which is under a 14-day lockdown since June 28, has reported 2,741 new cases since June 24 and "by and large all of them are from the community", the minister told reporters here, indicating community transmission of the viral disease.

"We have formally entered the pandemic stage in Guwahati with these 2,741 cases. Earlier, most of the patients were people with travel history, so the pandemic was in the states from where the returnees had come but now, it is here," he said.

The state government has allowed "minimum relaxation" in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, under which Guwahati falls, from Monday and "hopefully, people will be more careful when they come out to buy essential commodities so that the situation does not worsen further," Sarma said.

The administration made partial modifications to the order passed on Saturday, allowing certain relaxations during the ongoing lockdown in the city, including the opening of standalone grocery shops from Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 4 pm.

In the previous order, such shops were allowed to open only on Mondays and Wednesdays.

"The 14-day lockdown in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district was absolutely necessary otherwise the situation in Guwahati would have turned into a catastrophe," he said.

The minister blamed a section of the media for leading a "misinformation campaign" against the disease and trivialising it as "something akin to normal cough and fever and this has led to the rapid deterioration of the situation in the city".

"This created a sense of complacency among the people and they moved around carelessly without taking necessary precautions after Unlock-1 was announced, " he said.

"This was a politically motivated move so that people stay away from tests and also to demotivate doctors and other health personnel who are working tirelessly to serve humanity," Sarma said.

The minister asserted, "We will, however, remain committed, responsible and work with determination in our fight against the pandemic and will overcome it."

He said allegations like COVID-19 patients not being attended to properly by doctors and nurses, not being given food on time or hospitals being unclean are "absolutely baseless".

"I had visited the ICU ward of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, where serious patients are being treated. I had also met patients in the general ward. Nobody had any complaint and on the contrary, they were full of praises for treatment and facilities," Sarma said.

There were also allegations from certain quarters that many people who tested positive for COVID-19 were shown as having tested negative for the infection and vice versa but there were only 49 such cases in the state, accounting for only 0.0001 per cent of the total tests conducted, the minister said.

"This was just a human error by data entry operators while making entries of the more than four lakh test results," he added.

Sarma appealed to the people to be "very careful and responsible" during the lockdown relaxation this week.

"We will analyse the situation and take a decision on whether to extend the lockdown or strike a balance between the economy and health of the people," he said.

Assam has tested 4,55,223 samples for COVID-19 so far, and is fourth in the country in tests conducted per million population after Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Sarma said.

With 6,743 people getting cured of the disease, Assam has a recovery rate of 61.29 per cent while the mortality rate is 0.13 per cent with 14 deaths so far, he added.
The Karnataka government will set up intensive care units in all COVID care centres here, the Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said on Sunday.

During his visit to the sprawling Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), which has been converted into the largest COVID care centre in the country with 10,100 beds, Narayan said the government has set up Covid Care Centres at the GKVK campus, Haj Bhavan and the Art of Living Foundation campus.

In a statement, he said BIEC and Koramangala Indoor Stadium based care centres will soon become operational.

The release quoted Narayan as saying that 10 ICUs will be established at every Covid Care Centre in the city.

"At BIEC alone, 100 ICUs will be set up with all medical facilities, including oxygen supply.

By Monday, 7,000 beds will be ready at the BIEC while another 3,000 beds will be made available later this week.

From the coming week, asymptomatic patients will be diverted to the BIEC Covid Care Centre," he said.

All medical staff will be relieved from their non-medical duty, including administrative work at the Covid Care Centres.

On complaints regarding poor quality of food being supplied to Covid-19 patients and the medical staff, Narayan warned vendors that they stand to lose their contracts in case here are any fresh complaints on the quality of food served.
India, which is tackling the worst locust attack in 26 years for the last three months, should remain on "high alert" during the next four weeks, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Meanwhile, the Indian government has stepped up efforts and is using latest technology and equipment like drones and Bell helicopters for control of the menace.

Rajasthan is the most affected state in the country. The other affected states are Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

The IAF deployed two MI-17 helicopters for the first time in an anti-locust operation and eliminated swarms of insects settled over a 4sq-km area in Osian sub-division of Jodhpur by spraying pesticides.

In its latest update, the FAO said that spring-bred locust swarms that migrated to India-Pakistan border and travelled east to northern states, are expected to return to Rajasthan with the start of monsoon in coming days.

These swarms will return to Rajasthan to join other swarms still arriving from Iran and Pakistan, which is expected to be supplemented by swarms from the Horn of Africa in about mid-July, it added.

"Early breeding has already occurred along the Indo-Pakistan border where substantial hatching and band formation will take place in July that will cause the first-generation summer swarms to form in mid-August," FAO said.

India and Pakistan as well as Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia should remain on "high alert during the next four weeks," it noted.

According to the Union Agriculture Ministry, swarms of immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are active in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Dausa, and Bharatpur of Rajasthan, and Jhansi and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh.

However, the government is continuing the control operations to check damage to crops from locust attacks.

On July 4, a Bell Helicopter took its first sortie in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan and completed its mission of chemical spraying in targeted areas, thereby augmenting the locust control efforts.

In the intervening night of July 3-4, control operations were carried out at 25 places in six districts (Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, and Dausa) of Rajasthan and two places in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh by the Locust Circle Offices (LCOs), it said.

State agriculture departments also carried out control operations at four places in Jhansi and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh and at two places in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan against small groups and scattered population of locusts.

So far, locust control operations have been done in a total 1,35,207 hectares area in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana by the Locust Circle Offices (LCOs).

The state governments have also taken control measures in 1,13,215.5 hectares area in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

"No significant crop losses have been reported in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana. However, some minor crop losses have been reported in some districts of Rajasthan," the ministry said.

Presently, 60 control teams with spray vehicles are deployed in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. More than 200 central government personnel are engaged in locust control operations.

Besides, five companies with 12 drones are deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides.

India is the first country which is using drones for locust control, the ministry said. Weekly virtual meetings on desert locust of South-West Asian countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan) is being organised by the FAO.

So far, 15 virtual meetings of the technical officers of these countries have taken place, the ministry added.

The Indian Air Force deployed its helicopters laden with pesticides early on Sunday on a request by the Jodhpur district administration and sprayed the chemical over a huge swarm of locusts which had landed in Bheekamkor village in the sub-division on Saturday.

"We informed the IAF in the night and two choppers reached the area in the morning to eliminate the locust swarm," said Locust Warning Organisation's Deputy Director KL Gurjar.

Before the IAF helicopters took the anti-locust sorties, the officials had marked the affected area on the ground with red flags to help chopper pilots identify the exact location, he said.

"The chopper sprayed the pesticide on the marked area in an operation that lasted about an hour," said Gurjar.

"About 50 percent of the swarm was eliminated by the end of the operation and remaining 50 percent was not in a position to move due to the impact of chemical," he said, adding the remaining insects would die soon.
Barely three days after the Maharashtra Home Department issued an order for the transfer of 10 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) in Mumbai, it was revoked on Sunday. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Sunday said the transfer order has been revoked.

According to an official, the order for the transfer of DCPs of Mumbai Police had been issued on Thursday. But as per the fresh order issued on Sunday, the transfer was cancelled and the DCPs were asked to continue with their current postings.

"The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) as well as my office have revoked the transfers done by the Mumbai Police Commissioner," Deshmukh said. The minister, however, did not specify any reason behind the cancellation of the transfer order.

He said there was good coordination among the MVA allies -- Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress -- and there were no differences.

Meanwhile, sources in the home department said the transfers were done on the advice of the bureaucracy since they were long-pending, but the government did a rethink in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The transfers were cancelled since the government felt any changes at this juncture would hurt the coordination process and also impact the on-ground deployment of police personnel, who are the frontline COVID -19 warriors," the sources said.

A police official said, "As per the home department's new order, the DCPs were asked to continue with their current postings."

According to the fresh order, DCP (Operation) Pranay Ashok has been given the additional charge of Zone V in central Mumbai after it fell vacant following DCP Niyati Thacker's joining of the Intelligence Bureau as Joint Deputy Director.

DCP N Ambika (Headquarter) was also given additional charge of Zone III after DCP Abhinash Kumar was sent on central deputation, the official added.

As per the previous order, DCPs from Zone VII, Protection, SB-I, Port Zone, CB (Detection), Zone XI, Cyber, Zone I, Operation and LA Tardeo were transferred to different zones in the city police department.

"The order issued today has been signed by Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration) Naval Bajaj," the official added.
Mumbai Rains LIVE Updates: A yellow alert, indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places has been issued for parts of Raigad, Thane and Mumbai for today. This comes a day after Mumbai and neighbouring Thane district received heavy rains on the second consecutive day on Saturday. The heavy downpour caused water-logging and incidents of tree/branch falling in Mumbai resulting in massive traffic jams. Interior Maharashtra also received fairly widespread rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Meanwhile, an orange alert was issued for neighbouring Palghar district.

Here are Live Updates on Mumbai Rains:

 A vacant building in Thane city collapsed shortly before midnight amid continuous rains, an

official said on Sunday. Thane Regional Disaster Management Cell chief Santosh Kadam said there were no injuries as the single-level structure was vacated over a month ago after it was declared

dilapidated and dangerous.

India Meteorological Department predicts intense to very intense spell of rainfall during the next three hours in Mumbai today. https://t.co/tCIh4TZP1V ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2020

 King's Circle has witnessed waterlogging amid the heavy shows.

 IMD says: "Mumbai and its sub-urban areas have received extreme rainfall during last 24 hours. Rainfall till 8.30 am today: Thane-28cm, Santacruz-20.1cm, Colaba-13cm. Forecast- Intense to very intense spell of rainfall is very likely during next 3-hours."

Mumbai and its sub-urban areas have received extreme rainfall during last 24 hours. Rainfall till 0830 hours IST of today: Thane-28cm, Santacruz-20.1cm, Colaba-13cm.Forecast- Intense to very intense spell of rainfall is very likely during next 3-hours. pic.twitter.com/s7vgqcVWxg India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) July 5, 2020

 The yellow warning by the IMD means 'be updated' while orange warning means 'authorities should be prepared' and the red warning indicates 'take action.'

 On Saturday, the Colaba weather station in south Mumbai reported 74.6 mm rainfall during 12 hours since 8.30 am, while the Santacruz weather station in western suburbs recorded 132.2 mm rainfall, said the IMD.

 "Mumbai, NM (Navi Mumbai), Thane; very intense spells of RF (rainfall) last 12 hrs leading to Very heavy (120-200 mm) to Extremely heavy RF (>200 mm) so far. Parts of Thane recd so far more than 200 mm, Boriwali side 170 mm. City so far 70 - 80 mm. Contrast to what happened yesterday. Still more ahead. TC," Mumbai IMD Deputy Director General K S Hosalikar tweeted late in the evening.

 "Very heavy with isolated extremely heavy rainfall (>200mm) forecasted for N Konkan including Mumbai in 24 hrs. Entire west coast very active monsoon. TC," he had warned in an earlier tweet.

 Earlier, in a statement at 3 pm, the IMD said the monsoon remained widespread and active over the entire Konkan belt including Mumbai with heavy to very heavy rainfall in many places.

 "Interior Maharashtra also received fairly widespread rainfall with mostly moderate to isolated heavy rainfall. The intense rainfall activity is very likely along the west coast (including Mumbai) and adjoining ghat areas of interior Maharashtra till 4th July and gradual reduction thereafter," it said.

 The disaster management cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said water-logging was reported in low-lying areas of the city such as Sion, Dadar and Milan Subway.There were 19 complaints of tree/branch falling, but nobody was injured in the incidents, it said.

 The Thane-Belapur Industry Association area reported 116 mm rain from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Saturday, the IMD said. The Alibaug observatory in neighbouring Raigad district recorded 87.4 mm rainfall from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Saturday. Harnai in coastal Ratnagiri district, south of Raigad, reported 52.6 mm rainfall during the period, while the Ratnagiri city weather station recorded 54.1 mm rains. The Satara district in the Western Maharashtra region reported 9.6 mm rainfall, while Kolhapur witnessed 3 mm rain.

 The Colaba weather station in Mumbai recorded 169 mm rainfall during 24 hours from 8.30 am on Friday, while the Santacruz weather station reported 157 mm rainfall in the same period, the IMD said.

 Shanties in Bandra near the sea hit by huge high tides.

 IMD has predicted intermittent moderate to heavy rain expected in Mumbai and suburbs in the next 24 hours and asked fisherman on the Maharashtra-Goa coast not to venture into the sea. Possibility of very heavy rainfall at isolated places.It has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad as well as Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in Konkan Maharashtra in next two days. Besides, Pune, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Satara, Kolhapur, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli are also likely to receive heavy rains, it said.

In next 24 hours, intermittent moderate to heavy rain expected in Mumbai and suburbs. Possibility of very heavy rainfall at isolated places. Maximum & minimum temperatures likely to be around 27 degree Celsius & 24 degree Celsius, respectively: India Meteorological Dept, Mumbai pic.twitter.com/PKSpX42Z2o ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2020

 The Powai lake here started overflowing in the morning after the heavy downpour, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. Mumbai Police urged citizens to stay away from the sea shore and waterlogged areas.The water from the lake, having a storage capacity of 545 crore litres, is used for industrial purposes and it flows into the Mithi river.

 Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority has warned of rain and thundershower with strong winds at many places over Mumbai, Mumbai suburban, Palghar, Pune, Raigad and Thane during the next 2-4 hours.
By Mark Peterson





I'm really hesitant to give my opinion on the Korean education system, but on the heels of my article last week about the Harvard admission policy, perhaps I can venture to offer my humble opinions in hopes of improving an already excellent educational system.



The Korean education system is unquestionably one of the finest in the world. On some scales it is No. 1 or No. 2. What improvements could possibly be necessary?



If there are to be improvements, what are the problems, if any? The first thing that jumps out at us is the suicide rate for high school students. A quick look at the Wikipedia page on suicide in South Korea shows that suicide is a serious problem in the country. Prominent people, actors, actresses, even a former president, have taken their own lives. And the suicide rate for the student-age population is high, and there is evidence that the pressure on high school students to perform in a highly competitive school environment is part of the reason.



Maybe the Harvard approach is part of the answer?



As I outlined last week, the Harvard admission standard includes not only tests and grades, but also other factors including, letters, leadership, accomplishments, employment and family conditions. This came to the front last week because Harvard announced that it would not be using standardized test scores as part of the process this current year affected by COVID-19. But rather, they are looking at the "whole-person" as the criterion for admission.



Would that framework  the whole-person  be useful to Korean educators? Look at Harvard's consideration of "employment"  a high school student holding a part-time job. Such a thing is unheard of in Korea, but maybe if, instead of sending a student to the "hagwon" every night, they had a small job on one or two of those nights, that would help them to be well-rounded and out of the pressure tank? It's a radical idea, but it might be healthier?



Another part of the Harvard education is the form of testing. In all the classes I had at Harvard over five years, I never saw a multiple-choice exam. Every exam was a set of essay questions. There are reports of students from Korea at Harvard as undergraduates that failed their first set of tests because they were not used to taking tests that were all essay questions. Writing is an important skill, more important than the skill of identifying a correct answer on a multiple choice test.



The essay question is also the heart of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the basis for getting college credit in AP high school courses. There is an elaborate grading system used in the AP system in the U.S. The point is that essay tests can be administered for the sake of college entrance and college credit. Whereas it is easy to run a multiple choice test answer sheet through a computer and get results immediately, the essay exam takes more effort, but it is possible. Every year, for two weeks, 100 or 200 high school teachers meet in an American city to read and grade essay exams. For example, the AP history exams have been graded in Salt Lake City, and other disciplines meet in other cities. The teachers' grading is monitored and a teacher whose grading is out of line with other teachers is sent home without finishing the two-week assignment. Teachers that show consistency and accuracy in evaluating essays are asked to return the next year. The point is, even the college entrance exams can be essay exams.



I understand that in recent years some Korean universities are moving partially toward a kind of Harvard-style evaluation of college applicants. But there are the old bugaboo challenges of partiality and preference. Recent cases of alleged corruption in the admission of prominent members of society have challenged the "whole-person" concept of college admission. It's my opinion that even if there is some corruption, a whole-person approach that reaches out to less affluent students is worth the effort. Harvard, too, is accused of corruption from time to time, for example, the recent case of Jared Kushner who is alleged to have gained admission after his father contributed a large amount of money to the school.



There are marked social differences between the United States and Korea; among them is the emphasis on education. To Korea's credit, they hold education highly, which makes it susceptible to corruption. People prize education. I started this article today with the idea that Korea might learn something from the Harvard approach, but I end this essay with the wish the Americans cared more about education  like Korea does.



Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.




The body of a person who is suspected to have died of Covid-19 was wrapped in PPE, and left at a bus shelter in Haveri district for over three hours, adjacent to the Ranebennur Taluk Hospital on Saturday.

Residents were outraged by the incident, and sources told Times of India that the hospital staff who was involved in carrying out the last rites of the person, reportedly wrapped the body in PPE in front of public and left the body at the bus shelter for over three hours.

When they came back, the video of the body had already gone viral, the report by TOI states.

Sources said that a 45-year-old Maruti Nagar had been suffering from fever for over a week, after he decided to go to Ranebennur taluk hospital to receive treatment. His sample for testing was taken on June 28 and he had come to the hospital for collecting his report at around 11am. As his result was yet to come, he decided to rest at the bus shelter.

However, after a while, he died at the shelter. After hospital staff was informed, they rushed to the shelter and wrapped his body in PPE and abandoned it, instead of taking it to the mortuary. After social media outrage, the staff returned and took the body in an ambulance for its last rites.

DHO Rajendra Doddamani said the incident did take place, adding that the police did not know why the staff wrapped the body in PPE and kept it at the shelter instead of going to the mortuary.

An inquiry into the matter has been launched, and stern action will be taken against those responsible, he said. Additional deputy commissioner S Yogishwar said in the report that he was not aware of the happening, but that he would order for a thorough inquiry.
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.

"It is for the negligent and casual approach of the cancer hospital authorities that the virus from one patient infected the entire hospital," a patient claimed.

Police said some patients at the cancer hospital found to be positive for COVID-19 created a ruckus while they were being shifted to a COVID hospital in Bhubaneswar by bus on Saturday night.

Cuttack's Deputy Commissioner of Police Akhileswar Singh said forces were rushed to the spot from Mangalabag and the situation was brought under control.

Police then piloted the vehicle carrying the patients to the COVID hospital in Bhubaneswar, he added.

The city has so far reported 190 cases of COVID-19, of which, 144 have been detected in the last three days and a majority of them were from the cancer hospital, officials said.

Civic authorities have declared a complete shutdown of the municipal area till Wednesday for contact-tracing, and sources said the shutdown could be further extended if the situation did not improve.
Amid the rising COVID-19 cases here, over 3,000 beds in private hospitals have been reserved for treating patients while a 10,100-bed coronavirus care centre, the biggest in the country, has been set up, authorities said on Sunday.

Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said 3,331 beds in 72 private hospitals have been earmarked for COVID-19 patients.

The city civic body - Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said the sprawling Bangalore International Exhibition Centre has been converted into a coronavirus care centre with 10,100 beds.

"Across Bengaluru, 3,331 beds have been reserved in 72 hospitals for treating coronavirus patients. By Saturday evening 733 beds were occupied and 2,598 beds were unoccupied," the Medical Education Minister tweeted.

Recently, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had convened a meeting with private hospital owners during which he directed them to reserve at least 50 per cent beds to treat coronavirus cases.

The government had set a target to reserve at least 2,000 beds for coronavirus patients.

However, the number has swelled to 3,331.

Meanwhile, BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar on Sunday visited the coronavirus care centre at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre along with Yelahanka BJP MLA S R Vishwanath.

"BIEC has been converted into a 10,100 bed Covid Care Centre. Visited the centre along with hon'ble MLA S R Vishwanath, BBMP Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Sarfaraz Khan and other BBMP officials," Kumar tweeted.

He also said the centre is well ventilated, has adequate number of toilets, nursing stations, kitchens and other required facilities.

The centre is ready to house asymptomatic patients, including children.

The BBMP Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Sarfaraz Khan said, "This is the biggest ever COVID care centre in the country. Delhi has a COVID care centre of 10,000 beds in Radha Soami Satsang."

As many as 150 doctors will man the centre. Oxygen facilities will be available in some beds for patients who need it, he said.

In addition, there will be adequate arrangements to shift the critically-ill patients to nearby hospitals, Khan added.

Bengaluru has seen the biggest ever spike in coronavirus cases in the past one week. The city has witnessed 8,345 positive cases, of which 7,250 are active cases.

The city has so far reported 129 deaths due to the virus.
Hyderabad, which witnessed a record spike of 1,600 new cases on Saturday, got another reason for panic when a top city jeweller died of Covid-19. The jeweller, who owned a high-end store in Himayatnagar area, had a few days ago hosted a lavish birthday party which saw over a hundred people in attendance from citys high society circles. Several members of the jewellers association had also attended the party.

According to a report in Indian Express, owner of another top jewellery chain, who had attended the bash, also died of Covid-19 on Saturday. Officials suspect he contracted the virus from the party host.

Soon after the news of deaths spread on Saturday, panicked attendees rushed to get themselves tested at private labs.

Meanwhile, The Telangana health department on Saturday accused private labs of giving abnormal testing results for Covid-19, not adhering to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines and lacking adequate infrastructure and trained manpower and served notices to 13 such labs.

There are currently 23 private diagnostic laboratories in the City that have received ICMRs permission to conduct Covid-19 diagnostics in Telangana.

Hyderabad has emerged as a major coronavirus hotspot for the state. More than 50% of the cases recorded in the state are from the city limits.
Neither equipped with any arms or ammunition nor anticipating that they would face an "encounter-like" situation in Kanpur's Bikhru village, police personnel headed unprepared towards the trap laid by gangster Vikas Dubey at his mansion, said a policeman who survived the ambush in which eight of his colleagues were killed.

Speaking to reporters, Kaushalendra Pratap Singh, the station officer of Bithoor police station in Kanpur district who was injured in the savage attack on a police team, recalled the events of the intervening night of Thursday-Friday that unfolded like a gangster film.

"Dubey's men were fully prepared. Each of them had weapons. They were using semi-automatic weapons. In single shot weapons, there is a time gap between two shots," he said, adding that there were at least 15-20 people firing at the police team.

"On the other hand, all of us did not have 'aslaahaa' (arms and ammunition)," Singh told mediapersons from the private hospital in Kanpur where he is currently recuperating.

Singh said Dubey's gang had been briefed about the imminent police raid and made preparations, even arranging the lighting in such a manner that the policemen had to "face darkness".

"They had made arrangements in such a way that the focus of the light was on us, and not on them. We could not see them," Singh said.

The SO went on to say that his police station had received a phone call and was asked to accompany a raid team from the Chaubeypur police station.

"In the matters of neighbouring police stations, we help each other. We left at around 12.30 am and joined SO Chaubeypur. The police team which had gone there comprised Circle Officer Bilhaur, SO Shivrajpur and police force from Bithoor and Chaubeypur police stations. We parked our vehicles almost 200-250 metres from Dubey's house."

He said when they reached outside Dubey's house, a JCB was placed as an obstruction in such a way that only one person could move to the other side.

"As soon as we crossed the JCB parked near his house, a spray of bullets was unleashed on us. Three persons first got bullet injuries and the rest of us got scattered. Everyone tried to hide wherever they could manage to," he said.

"We had gone there not anticipating that an encounter-like situation would emerge," he added.

Singh said there were two constables along with him and one of them, Ajay Sengar, got a bullet injury in his stomach.

"To save him, we took shelter behind a trolley there and gave cover fire," Singh said and added that he fired 4-5 rounds from his pistol.

He said it was difficult for him to ascertain how the bullet hit him as "indiscriminate firing" was going on. He also said he came to know later when he saw visuals of the attack on social media that the firing was going on from three sides and that at the place where Circle Officer, Bilhaur, was hiding, firing was done from right above him.

To a specific question on Vinay Tiwari, station officer of Chaubeypur police station who was suspended on Saturday, allegedly deliberately lagging behind the police team, Singh said, "It is wrong to say so, as we were moving in a single line."

The eight policemen killed in the line of duty, mostly in their 20s and 30s, included Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra (54).

The others are Mahesh Kumar Yadav (42), Sub-Inspector Anoop Kumar Singh (32), Sub-Inspector Nebu Lal (48) and Constables Jitendra Pal (26), Sultan Singh (34), Bablu Kumar (23) and Rahul Kumar (24). Their bodies were taken back to their homes where senior police officers attended their last rites.

Seven others, including a civilian, were injured in the attack that took place in the in the early hours of Friday. The injured civilian is a helper of SO Chaubeypur, Singh said.

Allegations had earlier surfaced against Vinay Tiwari, Station Officer of Chaubeypur police station in whose jurisdiction the incident took place, following which he was suspended on Saturday.

It was alleged that Tiwari had alerted Dubey that a police team was on the way to his house to arrest him, following which the gangster and his men attacked the police personnel resulting in the slaying of eight of them.
A 27-year old teacher of a private school was arrested on Sunday in Umaria in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly sending obscene messages to a teen student since over a year, police said.

Amit Vishwakarma was arrested after the parents of the 17-year-old student filed a complaint, said Kotwali police station in charge Varsha Patel.

"He is a teacher at a school in Baderi. He used to call the girl over phone repeatedly as well. He was charged

under IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," the official added.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has accessed various recommendation letters by separatists for Pakistani visas for students from Jammu and Kashmir whereby their contributions in the stir against the security forces were highlighted, officials have said.

The NIA had earlier red flagged admissions to medical institutions in Pakistan on the recommendations of separatists in Jammu and Kashmir and termed them as an "alternative mechanism" for funding of terror groups.

In 2017, the NIA had registered a case to probe the terror funding and arrested over a dozen people in this connection including Altaf Ahmad Shah alias 'Fantoosh', son-in-law of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who last week disassociated himself from politics.

The successor of 90-year-old Geelani in Pakistan's chapter of Hurriyat Conference had alleged that the rival faction of the outfit was selling seats to professional courses. Following the NIA probe in the cases, no names were recommended for admissions by the separatist groups from Kashmir last year.

For many years, more than 100 students were being annually sent from Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan for higher studies especially MBBS and the NIA has unearthed the nexus between students, Pakistan High Commission officials and separatists in the Valley, the officials said.

They said the separatist leaders used to charge money which was meant for spreading terror and separatist activities in the Kashmir valley after the NIA crackdown on all non-banking channels including 'hawala'.

In its chargesheet filed in 2018, the NIA said that during the course of its probe, it was found that students who were proceeding to Pakistan on student visas were either relatives of ex-militants or relatives of families of active militants who had indulged in various anti-national activities and had migrated to Pakistan or they were known to Hurriyat leaders.

Further in its probe, the NIA seized recommendation letters from separatists in which links to social media showed the prospective students' participation in anti-national activities, the officials said.

The admissions of students became an "alternative mechanism" for funding of terror groups in the Valley, a senior official said.

The official, referring to the NIA chargesheet, said the agency had red flagged the admission schemes offered by Pakistan as there was a nexus wherein the terrorists, the Hurriyat and the Pakistan establishment were "the three vertices and they are ostensibly patronising the Kashmir students in order to prepare a generation of doctors and technocrats in Kashmir who will have leanings towards Pakistan".

Besides a host of separatists, the NIA had arrested noted businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali in connection with the case. All of them have been behind bars for over two years now and have failed in securing bail.

Watali had secured bail from the Delhi High Court but the same was reversed by the Supreme Court in 2019.
A middle-aged woman doctor, who had tested COVID-19 positive, has alleged that she was detained by a private hospital management here over non-payment of the medical bill.

In a selfie-video which has gone viral in the social media, the civil assistant surgeon of a state-run Fever Hospital is purportedly seen accusing the private hospital of overcharging by making a bill of Rs 1.15 lakh for a day's treatment.

Besides, she claimed that she was not given proper medication and not discharging her.

In the video, the doctor said after testing positive for coronavirus she has been treating herself at her house and as under home quarantine.

On the midnight of July 1, she said she experienced shortness of breath and got herself admitted to the private hospital.

"I am a COVID-19 warrior. For one day, they charged me Rs 1.15 lakh. I could not pay so much. I am a diabetic and I'm not getting proper medication here. They are making baseless allegations. I am in trouble. I paid Rs 40,000, but they detained me," the woman claimed in the video.

She further said she had also filed a police complaint against the private hospital in connection with the incident.

However, it was not clear whether the woman shot the selfie-video at the private hospital, which has denied her allegations.

Reacting to the video, Fever Hospital Superintendent Dr K Shankar said the woman doctor had tested positive for the virus four days ago and has been under home quarantine.

"She was told that the government has made all arrangements for proper treatment of frontline COVID-19 warriors, but without informing higher officials she herself got admitted to the private hospital," Shankar told PTI.

It was only after local TV channels aired the self- video of the woman on Sunday that Shanker said he came to know about the matter. Immediately, he asked the Resident Medical Officer to visit the private hospital, sort out the payment issue and get her discharged.

Upon reaching the hospital, it came to be known that she had already got discharged and is under home isolation now, and her condition is stable.

"She had been on outpatient general duty at Fever hospital and she did not get infected by COVID-19 at the hospital," the Superintendent added.
Lucknow: An aide of absconding gangster Vikas Dubey  the main accused in the cold-blooded murder of eight UP cops  on Sunday admitted that someone from the police department had called Dubey and alerted him about the police raid.

Dayashankar Agnihotri, a close aide of aide of the notorious gangster, was arrested by police after an encounter in Kalyanpur area of Kanpur. Dayashankar was shot in the leg during the encounter on Saturday and has been admitted at district hospital for treatment. He is one of the 18 aides of Dubey on whom the police had declared a reward of 25,000 rupees each.

In a major revelation, Dayashankar confirmed that Dubey had received a call from police before the raid after which he alerted his gang members and got time to prepare an ambush for the police party which was coming to arrest him. Dayashankar further said that during the raid there was just one weapon in the house which Dubey used to fire at the cops. Dayashankar said he was locked up inside a room during the shootout and did not fire. He added that was not sure about the exact number of people who were involved in firing at the police party.

Sources told News18 that during the police raid, electricity supply of Vikru village was snapped in order to help Dubey and aides flee in the dark. It has also been learnt that a phone call allegedly from the Chaubeypur police station was made to the electricity department to stop the electricity supply of Vikru village during the raid.

Meanwhile, after initial investigation, Vinay Tiwari, SHO of Chaubeypur, has been suspended and is being further investigated in the case for his alleged involvement in tipping off Dubey ahead of the police raid.

The reward declared by the police department on Dubey has now been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh as Dubey remains at large even after two days of the incident. More than 60 teams of UP Police along with UPSTF involving more than 1,500 police inspectors are on the lookout for him. On Saturday evening, sources claimed that Dubey was looking to surrender at the Unnao Court. Soon after the information spread, heavy police force was deployed at the court.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's helicopter trip to Nashik in north Maharashtra during lockdow 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".

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Talks with N. Korea will require acute coordination



President Moon Jae-in's bigger-than-expected reshuffle of his security team sends the clearest message yet that he will restart the endangered Korea peace process and mediate U.S.-North Korean talks.



His choice of Park Jie-won as National Intelligence Service (NIS) director-nominee was the big giveaway. Park was instrumental in bringing about the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 between then President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Then he appointed Suh Hoon, the outgoing NIS director, as director of the National Security Office. Suh was a working-level official during the 2000 Korea summit, but was deeply involved in President Moon's 2018 inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.



Together, they bring a deep reservoir of first-hand dealings with North Korea, raising expectation that dialogue between the two Koreas can begin again. To facilitate them, the President tapped two close political aides, Im Jong-seok as special adviser for diplomatic security affairs, and Lee In-young, the former majority whip as Unification Minister-nominee.



The "forward deployment" of his most experienced and closest North Korea hands manifests the urgency to restart dialogue, with less than two years left in office and ahead of the November U.S. presidential election.



Dealing with the North remains a tricky challenge. The tension that peaked with the demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, North Korea, in June has subsided into an uneasy calm.



Just on Saturday North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui ostensibly set up a hurdle, saying the North does not feel any need to "sit face to face with the U.S." for dialogue that serves to tide over the U.S. political crisis. Choe indirectly referred to President Moon as a person thoughtlessly voicing an "intention to mediate a summit." Pundits however noted that Choe's message leaves room for negotiations in particular, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun arriving in Seoul Tuesday.



Nominee Park has said that he will work for the country with utmost loyalty. Suh, who is expected to work mainly vis-a-vis allies  in particular the United States  has said he will deal with the grave inter-Korean affairs with prudence but "at times will move boldly." Unification Minister-nominee Lee has stressed "creative alternatives" to restoring inter-Korean talks and discussing humanitarian exchanges. Chung Eui-young, Suh's predecessor, also remains in the dynamics as a key security adviser.



Their track records offer a glimmer of light in the current Korean Peninsula impasse. But the presence of these bigwigs all together on the team will require extra effort for close coordination within and without to restart dialogue.


Actress and BJP MP Roopa Ganguly declares that she will boycott films of certain Bollywood personalities who have been blatantly practicing nepotism in the film industry. Her assertion comes in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide.

"I will not watch films of certain people after this. Because they have given a message to the country that boys and girls from small towns should not come to the industry. Nepotism will be there everywhere. Parents can definitely help their children. But it should not be practiced in a way so that some people are pushed to death," Ganguly told IANS over phone from Kolkata.

Over a week now, Ganguly has been aggressively demanding Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the untimely demise of Sushant. Her Twitter timeline has been flooding with the hashtag #cbiforsushant.

"Without getting a suicide note, or any stool/chair or anything in the room with which he can hang himself, the police came to the conclusion (that it was suicide). Instead of calling it an accidental death, the police makes a statement that it is suicide. The narrative was set a few days ago that he was going through depression. That has raised a big question in our minds. Without a suicide note, how did police call it a suicide even before the postmortem?" she said.

"A lot of questions have been answered but they don't add up. Why did the forensic team reach his house on June 15? The police said there was no foul play. The forensic team reaching a day late and that raises a big question. Why were there so many marks on his body? That he hanged from the ceiling has no impact on his face as we can see in his last pictures. Why have the police not sealed his house yet? Where is his dog?" she asks.

"Is it not possible that he was murdered? Is it not possible that someone murdered him, locked his body inside the bedroom and said the keys were lost? Why has nobody been arrested yet? The police couldn't prove it is a suicide," alleges the actress-politician.

"A person, who was so grounded, so down to earth, who is so ambitious that he writes his dreams -- would he quit so easily?" she added referring to Sushant.

Ganguly is not doubting the capability of Mumbai Police, which is currently investigating the death of the 34-year-old actor.

"I am not raising question on Mumbai Police's capability, but I feel investigation by a central agency like the CBI would be more unbiased. Why should the police department consider it as an insult to take help from other agencies? If they are so sure that it is suicide then they should actually call the CBI to prove it to us," she demanded.

Asked if she has spoken to any of her party leaders regarding her demand for a CBI probe, the BJP MP replied: "I did not take interest in Sushant's case as an MP, so initially I didn't want to involve any of my party member or leader into this. I am voicing my opinion on social media as a common person. But I feel so bad that I will probably write a letter to the Home Minister. Also, I request the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to ask for a CBI help into the investigation."

Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging in his Mumbai residence on June 14. The actor's postmortem report described his death as suicide.

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Sri Krishna in his address to his Parth (friend) Arjuna right in the middle of the battlefield had spoken of Only the Strong Survive. Only the strong can bring peace because you negotiate only with the strong. He also laid down the path of Dharma (justice & duty) in The Song of God; push for peace at all times, go to great lengths to avoid conflict but if battle is the only way to peace, then do not shirk your duty or hesitate in fighting for your Motherland. In the Srimad Bhagawad Gita, Sri Krishna in Chapter 2 implies that Veer bhogya vasundhara, which means that only the brave rule the land.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Leh quoted this verse from the Srimad Bhagawad Gita to inspire not just the soldiers present there but every single Indian, for the time has come to stand together as one against a bully. The time has come to unite against those that want to destroy our land, our culture and our people.

PM Modi has asked the people of Bharat, the soldiers of Bharat to rise and get ready to defend what is ours. We can do that only if we are strong, self-reliant and infused with self-belief. He stood there in Nimu and told the world that the entire region is the Mastak of Bharat.

He then visited the soldiers injured in the Galwan clashes. Their faces covered under virus protocol also shielded their identity. Many had injuries that were masked. The cameras only caught a few casts in their hands and feet. The world saw survivors, not victims. The message was of intent and resilience. Every angle, every frame, every move was turned into a psy-op.

PM Modis emotions were raw but both at Nimu and at the Army Hospital, he chose his words very carefully. Each word defined not just the strategy of Bharat as a nation going forward (that of offensive defence) but was also intended to psyche the enemy. He spoke of the valour of our braves, of how the world has sat up to take notice. He spoke of how every expansionist in history had perished, either had to turn back or ended up disintegrated. He pitched Vikaasvaad again and told all that the only the strong survive.

He quoted from the Tirukkural, just like he quoted Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. He pitched Bharat as a nation that wanted peace for all and progress for all but is capable, willing and ready to punish those who thought they could get away with bullying. He smartly and ably pitched Bharat as a nation around whom other nations could rally to take on the bully and its cronies. He sent the bully a terse message while not even taking its name. And the bully reacted. From The Gita to Gabbar Singh it is rightly said, Jo Darr Gaya, Samjho Mar Gaya! It was evident that the other side was rattled.

Let us look at why PM Modis visit was a masterstroke in Psy-Ops:

 It caught the other side napping. The visit was kept under wraps till the 11th hour. Preparations were made for Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singhs visit who cancelled his trip late evening the day before and the word circulated was that only the CDS will be going.

 PM seized the psychological advantage as soon as he touched down in Leh. His walk was confident, the chants of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai ensured that immediately the Josh was High!

 PM Modi made the bully react despite not taking its name. They clearly were rattled as they were not controlling the narrative

 Modi-ji energised the soldiers not just in Ladakh but across our borders by his presence there. He also erased any tiny bit of self-doubt by hailing the valour and skill of our armed forces.

 Standing there not far from the LAC, he told the world that Bharat will no longer watch its territories being Salami Sliced and was willing to take the lead in standing up to the bully.

 The Chinese brow-beating and intimidating will not work as the political will and military will of Bharat are firmly and truly aligned.

 Most importantly, the bully reacted. Rattled, it resorted to brow-beating.

The entire nation saw this and respected this. Differing ideologies may exist but love for our motherland and the need to defend its borders at all costs is a unifier and that emotion was seen across an entire nation. Except, among an MP from Wayanad and his motley crew.

Frankly, not all within the Congress agree with the line and approach taken by Rahul Gandhi. His actions, more his words, are bringing to disrepute and causing huge damage to the image of the Grand Old Party which gave this nation such tall leaders in its first 100 odd years of existence. This is the party of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sardar Patel, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Maulana Azad and so many more leaders who dreamt of a strong, self-reliant Bharat. In fact, if we dive into history and read the thoughts of the early leaders, they largely mirrored what PM Modi has spelt out as his vision for Bharat, 73 years post-Independence.

What has the erstwhile Congress party come to in its blind following and obsession with one family? An appropriated surname and a compromised vision that has blurred the lines between personal hatred for PM Modi, ideologically opposing BJP-RSS and working against the interest of the country? How can projecting scion of a family and desperately trying to re-instate him as party president take primacy over Bharat? Sadly, it seems selfless devotion and service to the nation has been replaced by selfish devotion and service to a dynasty.

This is the same person who was inking an agreement with the bully at a time when the PLA was destroying our posts and damaged the Zorawar fort in Demchok. This is the same party that wanted to give away Siachen to the bully and its Vassal State who were already squatting and occupying the crown of our Motherland. This, at a time when Pak-backed terror attacks on Indian soil were at its peak.

Did they not see what the bullys machinations were over a decade and a half? Or did they take to heart what their family patriarch said back in the 60s -- Not a Blade of Grass Grows there -- and forgot about it? Who is he to ask questions without telling the nation the compromises he and his party made with his family member as UPA chairperson when in 2013 the Chinese came within 30km of DBO? Will he tell the country the truth about the IAF landing an aircraft in 2008 and a top minister having no clue about it and actually apologising in private to the Chinese? Will he and his motley crew tell the nation why he and his party lied about him wining and dining with the Chinese ambassador at the peak of Doklam conflict? How does a party that projected itself at the forefront of our nations freedom struggle find itself in bed with the other side these days both along the LOC and the LAC?

Perhaps they are so far down the rabbit hole that there is no turning back. Perhaps that is why they resort to the kind of dirty tricks that play into the other sides narrative. The tweets by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and his loyalists over the last two days indicate that he is being poorly advised. They also indicate that there are some who are so consumed with their hatred for PM Modi that they have lost sight of everything else. Or maybe like Jaichand, Mir Jafar, Ambhi or Jai Gopal, their personal ambitions have blinded them so much that they are willing to compromise a nation and its people just so that they may gain. Their machinations stand exposed.

Many of the rational, nationalist Congress cadre are quiet, confined to the shadows, mourning the fall of their great party in silence. Few who are vocal about the partys misplaced priorities and focus find themselves sidelined or ousted. The dynasty that was perceived to be the nucleus of the party has today become a millstone around its neck. Seems even the Darbaris realise that. Vinashakale Vipareeta Buddhi i.e. idiocy abounds when the end is near or like Sri Krishna said in the Bhagawad Gita, krodhadbhavati sammohah sammohatsmrtivibhramah, smrtibhramsad buddhinaso buddhinasatpranasyati, which means anger (blind hatred) leads to bewilderment, from bewilderment comes loss of memory; and by that the intelligence is destroyed; from destruction of intelligence, he perishes.
New Delhi: The government has allotted a Lutyens' Delhi bungalow, currently occupied by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, to the BJP's national media head and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni, an official of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry had on July 1 cancelled the allotment of the bungalow to Gandhi, saying that she was not entitled to the facility following the withdrawal of her SPG security cover.

The government has asked the Congress general secretary to vacate the 35 Lodhi Estate bungalow by August 1. "Priyanka Gandhi's bungalow has been allotted to Anil Baluni following his request. He will get possession of the bungalow once the Congress leader vacates it," the official said.

Sources said Baluni had made a request for a change of his residence on health grounds. He was treated for cancer sometime ago. Though he has recovered, he has been advised to follow a number of precautions. His current residence was deemed not fully suitable for him, they said.

The government had in November last year replaced the Special Protection Group (SPG) cover of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with Z-plus security by the CRPF.

The ministry official had said that the Congress general secretary, who is in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh, had been allotted the bungalow on February 21, 1997 as she was an SPG protectee. The Z-plus security does not entail such a facility and she has to vacate the bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi.
Rajasthan police has provided a Z-category security cover to Congress MLA Krishna Poonia in view of threat to her life.

Her husband has also been provided two personal security officers (PSO).

The security cover for the MLA from Sadulpur in Churu and her husband has been enhanced following an Intelligence Department order issued on Friday, a senior police official said on Sunday.

The decision was taken on the report of CID Superintendent of Police (Security), who reviewed the threat perception to Poonia, who had been accused of being involved in exerting pressure on Police Inspector Vishu Dutt Vishnoi who committed suicide in May.

The BJP and BSP leaders had alleged that Vishnoi was being coerced by Poonia, a charge denied by her.

The Vishnoi suicide case has already been referred to the CBI.

Poonia, an Olympian-turned-politician, is the second MLA after Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot to get Z-category security cover in the state.
A decade of political upheaval was finally settled with Indira Gandhis emphatic victory in Lok Sabha elections in the winter of 1980. Or so it seemed.

The Janata Party had disintegrated; just like an amoeba. The Opposition was in tatters. The Congress was back with an absolute majority - at the Centre and in many states.

However, in politics, as in life, there is a beginning in every end. And an end to every beginning.

Six months after the Congress return to power in 1980, the wheels of change started to turn again.

Sometime during April that year, a motely group of political activists waited at the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border to welcome Ambedkar Mela on Wheels. The tableau was a depiction of Dr BR Ambedkars life and struggle; and persisting discrimination against socially and economically weaker sections.

The mela travelled that day from Manihar in Bihars Kaimur district to Chandauli, recalls Jagannath Kushwaha, who has now parted ways with the BSP.

Jagannath Kushwaha contested the 1989 Lok Sabha polls on a BSP ticket from Chandauli.

Kushwaha, then all of 28, had found his ropes with a political outfit called Soshit Samaj Dal. The SSD was led by radical socialists Ram Swaroop Verma and Babu Jagdev Prasad.

Verma had earlier served as a minister in the 1967 Charan Singh government. Prasad, a disciple of Ram Manohar Lohia, had carved a niche for himself in the aggressive subaltern politics of Bihar. An MLA from Jehanabad district, he was killed in police firing while leading a protest march in September 1975.

By 1980, the post-Emergency Janata experiment had failed. And political activists like Kushwaha were floating about in search of an anchor.

That was my first meeting with Kanshi Ram as we welcomed manyavar to Uttar Pradesh, says Kushwaha.

Almost unnoticed for over two months, Kanshi Rams juggernaut travelled about three dozen cities in north India. In Lucknow, a young college graduate from Allahabad who heard his speech on social reforms was impressed. Like Kushwaha, Jung Bahadur Patel also decided to join the ranks and file of Kanshi Ram.

Patel would later contest to inflict a defeat on his political guru in a parliamentary election in 1996. But thats a separate story which we will come to later.

Kanshi Ram, the former employee of Defence Research and Development Laboratory Pune, had finally hit the road to trigger a unique experiment in heartland politics in north India. The Backward and Minority Community Employees Federation, or BAMCEF, formed by Kanshi Ram and his associates in 1970 had weaved a strong network of support base among government employees.

A year later, Kashi Ram took another step forward by forming a quasi-political outfit, the Dalit Soshit Samaj Sangharsh Samati or DS4. On December 6, 1984, Dr Ambedkars death anniversary, DS4 would metamorphose into a political party  the Bahujan Samaj Party.

A Long Journey From BAAMCEF to BSP

Kamta Prasad was an employee with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Varanasi. In the early 80s, one Subedar Ram, an officer with the Income Tax department, took him along to meet an activist who was spearheading a national federation of Backward Class employees.

In that short meeting at the Mughal Sarai railway station, Kanshi Ram enrolled Kamta Prasad to lead the BAMCEF in 18 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

We travelled to Delhi for our meeting with manyavar once every month. And the message from the meeting was communicated to cadre as I travelled for work to other districts under my jurisdiction, says Prasad, who has now retired from his government job and lives in Varanasi.

The message to Dalit employees was straight and simple -- efforts by Dr Ambedkar had helped them secure fees, scholarship, job and promotion. And for those who could thus attain economic stability, it was now payback time.

Kanshi Ram called a meeting of his core group of workers in Delhi. Feedback was collected, programs were given. And the workers returned to their posts.

Kamta Prasad recalls how they were asked to organise the ceremonial 13th day mourning after Babu Jagjivan Rams death in 1986.

A program was organised in every fifth village. And we reached tried to reach out to our community through this exercise and explain our policies and programs, Prasad says.

Before the formation of the BSP, in one of the meetings at Delhis Mavalankar Hall, Kansi Ram sought Jaganath Kushwahas views on why the Shoshit Samaj Dal had failed in its efforts to mobilise the social groups at the lower end of the caste hierarchy.

Sau mein nabbe shoshit hain, shoshiton ne lalkara hai. Dhan-dharti-raaj-paat mein nabbe bhaag hamara hai. (Deprived communities form 90% of the population, and thus it is our right to have 90% share in all resources).

This was popular slogan among SSD cadre. Like Kushwaha, Babu Jagdev Singh came from the backward Koeri community. And his messaging was particularly popular among lower section of the backward communities who were either tillers or had very small land holdings.

Kanshi Ram explained to us how it was tactically futile for the SSD to launch an over-aggressive campaign against powerful and feudal communities. The idea was right, but the approach was wrong. He told us to remain under the radar while strengthening our network. So as to catch the adversary unawares, Kushwaha says.

Kanshi Ram also adopted the SSDs 90 vs 10 approach to stitch a broad social coalition for his political mobilisation.

In 1982, Kanshi Ram published Chamcha Yug (Era of Stooges). The hundred-odd pages are addressed to his political constituency to warn against fake and opportunist leaders within the community.

The last but one page of the book has a chart to illustrate that 85 to 90 percent of the population remain at the receiving end of the social and political pyramid.

Broad-based inter-caste and community alliances were imperative to build a critical mass of votes to acquire political power to bring about social and economic equity.

So, in Kanshi Rams scheme of things, mobilisation of backward communities was critical to building winning coalitions. Having extensively travelled the state, he had a fair idea of the demographics. And as such, he could identify and promote leaderships in smaller social groups which were hitherto completely neglected.

In eastern UP, for instance, the BSP gave representation to Rajbhar, Chauhan, Maurya, Kushwaha, Nat, Nishad et al. And these caste groups together topped up the BSPs core vote base among Dalits to create a winning combination.

Take the case of Kurmis in UP who are a socially and economically diverse caste group. In Rohilkhand region, the community is relatively economically well off and is seen to be politically aligned to the BJP. But in Poorvanchal and Bundelkhand regions, the same caste finds itself placed much lower on the social ladder. The BSP effectively used this intra-caste division to create a strong base among the Kurmis outside western UP.

A municipality election in 1987 gave Kanshi Ram his first opportunity to test his 85 vs 15 master key to political power.

The otherwise non-descript town of Orai in Jalaun district on the Kanpur-Jhansi railway route is famous for just one thing - its gulab jamuns. Here they sell them fresh and warm them in clay pots covered with soft muslin.

And so it happened that one Akbar Ali was locked in a close contest against BJPs Babu Ram MCom in local body polls.

Ali, who was with VP Singhs Janata Dal, lost by a close margin, but was successful in garnering votes from a large section of the Backward and Dalit communities.

Kanshi Ram was impressed. He came along with Mayawati and addressed a meeting in Orai to announce Ali as BSPs candidate for the 1989 assembly polls.

Akbar Ali with Mayawati

In the four seats in Jalaun district, the BSP fielded a Muslim candidate, two OBC and one Dalit face.

The BJP tried to polarise the elections. Bajrang Bali vs Ali was their slogan. And walls around the city were scribbled with graffiti, Ali says.

The BSP won 12 assembly seats in the 1989 elections.

The last Congress chief minister in UP, ND Tiwari, could not save the day for his party.

Of the four assembly segments in Jalaun, the BSP won three. Its candidate in the fourth seat stood second.

In the electoral history of post-Independence India, Akbar Ali would go down as the first candidate to win an election on the BSP election symbol - the elephant. He defeated BJPs Babu Ram MCom. Results to the Orai seat were announced ahead of the other 11 assembly seats where BSP candidates had won.

Ali later became a minister in Mayawatis first government. He left the party and after an extended sojourn to the SP and Congress, is once again back in the BSP.

But in his absence, so much has changed. Both in state politics and in the BSP.

This story is part of a series on subaltern identity politics in Uttar Pradesh
Five Shiv Sena members from Parner 'nagar panchayat' in Ahmednagar district joined Nationalist Congress Party in the presence of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in Baramati on Saturday.

NCP MLA from Parner, Nilesh Lanke, who was also present, said Mudassar Sayyad, Nandkumar Deshmukh, Kisan Gandhade, Vaishali Auti and Nanda Deshmane joined as they were not happy with the local leadership of the Sena.

"I had told them since Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have formed Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state, instead of taking them in the party, we will help them carry out work in their wards," said Lanke.

After realising they would not be taken into NCP, they got in touch with BJP and their entry into that party was almost certain, he added.

"They told me they were joining BJP but there was still time for NCP to take them in its fold. The development was then brought to the notice of senior leadership, which was of the opinion that if they join BJP, it will hurt the MVA and if they join NCP, the strength of MVA will remain intact. Hence, it was decided to taken them in the party," claimed Lanke.
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.

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 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 cabinets, I V (intravenous) stand, and other medical equipment.

Earlier, when Congress leader Kapil Sibal was asked about Modi's 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.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday hit out at the BJP over the issue of appointment of 12 Maharashtra Legislative Council members from the governor's quota, saying delay in their nomination would amount to violation of the Constitution and suppression of freedom.

In his weekly column 'Rokthok' in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, "politicking hasn't stopped", be it over the border standoff with China or handling of the coronavirus situation.

The Rajya Sabha member said there were speculations that the appointment of 12 Legislative Council members from the governor's quota may be put on hold and the "new government" (after ousting the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi) would make its own appointments after October.

"This is just a dream as there is no threat to the MVA government. The governor should stop any attempt of politics being played using the constitutional post," Raut said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is yet to recommend 12 names to the governor for nomination in the Legislative Council. The term of the 12 governor-nominated appointees ended last month.

Raut also hit out at Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis over his comments that the BJP is not interested in pulling down the MVA government, which would fall "because of its own internal contradictions".

"He (Fadnavis) has realised this after all attempts to topple the government have failed. But new experiments to create hurdles before the government would continue," he said.

Raut alleged that the opposition party does not want MVA-recommended members to be nominated to 12 seats under the governor's quota in the Upper House of Legislature.

"The 12 governor-nominated members will be from the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena. The question is whether the governor would make the appointments," he said.

Raut said the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi is still remembered.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the "greed for power of one family led to the imposition of Emergency and it was violation of the Constitution and suppression of freedom," Raut claimed.

"Just like the Emergency, not appointing 12 members in the Legislative Council intime would amount to violation of the Constitution and suppression of freedom," the Sena leader said, adding that all official agencies were politicised.

Raut said those responsible for the hush hush swearing-in of Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar (as CM and DyCM, respectively, last year) will also indulge in politics over the appointment of 12 governor-nominated members in the Legislative Council.

He said it was mandatory for the governor to abide by the cabinet's recommendation.
You just bought a new laptop. Work from home has consumed you too and you need a good laptop to get work done on rather quickly. With a new laptop come a lot of hopes. Of a faster computing experience. Being able to do tasks quickly. Slick performance. Good battery life. And hours and hours of looking at your new prized possession with a loving gaze. The thing is, this entire thing gets soured rather quickly when you set it up, start using it and realize that the performance is not what you had expected it to be. So, what is wrong? There are multiple reasons for why your new Windows 10 laptop may be acting all strange and slow. And before you are inevitably held responsible for buying the wrong specs and something that isnt as powerful as it should have been, lets iron out the other possibilities one by one. Who knows, what you may have purchased might start to work better?

For starters, your laptop is most likely struggling with a whole lot of unnecessary preloaded apps. This, in more loving terms, is known as bloatware or crapware. Basically, what you dont need but the laptop maker has still gone ahead and cluttered your new laptop with those anyway. These would include unnecessary apps, app bundles, so-called utilities, games demos and free game bundles, shortcuts to websites, an anti-virus and so on. Go to Start Menu -> Settings -> Apps -> Apps & Features and pick out the apps from the list, the ones that you absolutely do not need. It could include everything from links to shopping websites to photo editing software to file transfer utilities to system management software to even Microsoft Office alternatives. Some may even entice you with a premium subscriptionjust do not let your heart melt.

Your laptop is most likely struggling with a whole lot of unnecessary preloaded apps. This is known as bloatware

The thing is, almost all laptop makers are guilty of preloading apps and software on the laptops they sellbe it Dell, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, HP, you name it and they all follow this trend. And it is not restricted to any particular price band eitherall laptops have different quantities of preloaded apps. Android phones, particularly those made by the Chinese tech companies, suffer from the same problem. That has also led to a rather varying experience with Android for many users.

Secondly, Windows 10 has something called the Windows Defender, which does everything from keeping your PC safe from malware, virus, spyware and keeps the firewall up and running. It is then a bit perplexing for laptop makers to further drain the resources by preloading an antivirus solution, such as McAfee or Norton security suite (with due respect to both, just referencing them as examples). If all you intend to do on your new laptop is safe web browsing and promise to go nowhere near dodgy apps or websites, you can uninstall the additional antivirus suites that your laptop maker might have bundled along with Windows 10 on your laptop. This will free up significant system resources, allowing it to work faster and betterthis is most visible in the lower powered machines running the Intel Core i3 processors or machines with less RAM.

The thing is, almost all laptop makers are guilty of preloading apps and software on the laptops they sellbe it Dell, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, HP, you name it and they all follow this trend

Third, a lot of new laptops still run an older Windows 10 version out of the box. You may not realize it but there isnt someone who is constantly updating Windows 10 on new and as yet unsold laptops. For instance, just in the past few weeks, we have received multiple laptops running Windows 10 1903 out of the boxthis version of Windows 10 rolled out in October 2019. Since then, we have had significant updates with the larger Windows 10 1909 and Windows 10 2004 updates, as well as the regular monthly patches. Yes, even though Windows 10 is a live and always updating OS, you may not get all the updates on Day 1. Take time out to manually update Windows 10 to get all the performance improvements and bug fixes that come with the newer Windows 10 versions. Head to Start Menu -> Settings -> Update & Security and check for new updates.

This should also bring in the necessary driver updates for the hardware, which could also optimize performance. While at it, also check the support section on the website of your laptop manufacturer for any specific system firmware that may fix bugs or bring in performance improvements.

Finally, there are the startup items. These are apps that are configured to run with Windows 10, every time you boot up the laptop. This not only slows down the time taken by Windows 10 to be ready for work, but these apps continue to run in the background eating into RAM and processor resources. Some suspects include Google auto-update utility once you install Chrome and Drive, Microsofts OneDrive cloud storage app and any driver utilities. You can do Alt + Ctrl + Del -> Task Manager -> More Details -> Startup tab -> Disable everything except the most critical utilities. Next time you press the power button to turn on the laptop, Windows 10 will load much faster and will be quicker when it comes to responsiveness as well.

In the end, your laptop will run as fast as it can, and should. An Intel Core i3 processor powered machine will not be as fast as an Intel Core i5 powered machine, for instance. But if we do this cleanup of new Windows 10 laptops, it simply eliminates any artificial ceilings that may be put in place by unnecessary hogging of precious system resources.
With Black Lives Matter protests hitting the streets in USA in light of George Floyds murder, questions regarding the use of facial recognition by police departments to identify protestors came to light. This follows a known pattern, where preceding protests in Hong Kong led to questions being raised regarding the use of Chinese state-backed facial recognition, coupled with a directive to ban the wearing of masks to safeguard privacy. In India, a glimpse of this was also seen during the Delhi riots that took over the early part of 2020. On this note, what has been uniformly underlined is the need to regulate facial recognition, and understand the thin line that breaches the privacy of a common man.

Highlighting these factors and much more, on June 25, senators in the United States of America proposed a new legislation that aims to prevent the police or any law-keeping body from using facial recognition technology under the guise of legal recourses. Filed by senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley, the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act is calling for a full ban on the use of facial recognition technologies by the government and government bodies. This injunction of sorts aims to remain in place until proper legislation safeguarding privacy and human rights  as well as stringent levels of data protection  are brought up. The moratorium will supposedly be lifted once the US Congress passes a bill years later allowing it, and as per the proposal of the senators, any federal agency in USA still proceeding to use facial recognition will not receive grants from the centre to function.

Relevance, now more than ever before

The move is particularly relevant at this time, when technologies such as facial and voice recognition are allegedly being used to identify protesters across the world. On June 15s episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver stated that almost half of Americas population have likely had their faces indexed or searched for by USAs law enforcement agencies. This coincides with reports raising questions on how racial profiling may be an inherent part of todays facial recognition technologies  Amazons alleged racial bias in its system come up in recent memory. Compounding the misery, a startup called Clearview AI  that rose to notoriety with its severely privacy-ending facial recognition tool sourced to the police  did not even seem to have a legal clause that would stop it from scraping faces off public domain photos and throwing them into a surveillance data system.

Taking cue from the recent discourse, on June 9, IBM stated that it will exit the facial recognition business. In the letter declaring so, CEO Arvind Krishna said that as an organisation, IBM will not condone any technology that enables mass surveillance and racial profiling to violate fundamental human rights. Soon after, Microsoft followed suit, enforcing a ban on selling its facial recognition technology to American police and other agencies. Amazon, which previously refused to stop selling the technology to the police by citing sufficient safeguards in its terms of service, has also announced a one-year moratorium on sourcing facial recognition to the police.

A reverse-China precedent

This is of particular importance, as it shows that USA, which often leads discussions on new technologies, is understanding the side-effects of using facial recognition for legal purposes, and may be prepared to lean away from it. The first notion of this had come up when the European Union had discussed a possible blanket ban on all facial recognition usage in public spaces, before scrapping it  apparently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But, in a world where China, the worlds most populous nation, has enforced what is being referred to as a social credit score, this move is significant. In fact, this can form a precedent that might define how India would look at facial recognition in the near future.

A November 2019 documentary titled China: Power and Prosperity by PBS NewsHour illustrated the plight of individuals living in a surveillance state such as China. In the documentary, Jessica Tan, co-CEO of one of Chinas main facial recognition technology suppliers Ping An, revealed how the entire model of facial recognition in China has been built from the ground-up to recognise minute details, such as micro-expressions on a persons face to detect driving discipline, or even straight-up face recognition to detect bad social behaviour, such as jaywalking. People noted to be in breach are then publicly shamed, to promote good behaviour. This sets an ominous note on the overall scheme of things when it comes to facial recognition  one which India should be careful to avoid.

What this means for India

In India, the Advanced Facial Recognition Software (AFRS), developed by private firm INNEFU Labs, has been in use with the police for over two years. In a previous News18 report, it was revealed that the technology was initially procured to identify and track missing children and women, in a bid to tap into human trafficking rackets in Delhi. However, this technology soon developed into a full-fledged law enforcement tool, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah revealed in March 2020 that over 1,100 faces were identified using this tool as perpetrators of the violent riots that broke out in Delhi in early 2020.

However, such use of the technology has seen considerable protest and backlash from communities such as lawyers and privacy overseers. In a previous interview with News18, N.S. Nappinai, cyber law advocate at the Supreme Court of India, had stated that there are no laws that govern the use, data capture and storage of facial recognition and related assets in India. Worryingly, despite not having a legal framework to back it up, New Delhi has already appeared among the top 20 most surveilled cities in the world, as per a market survey by Comparitech.

In hindsight, USAs ruling does not particularly mean anything directly for India. Right now, India does not have a legal framework in place for enabling or restricting facial recognition, which is what puts the onus more on the government to proceed in this avenue with extra caution. It is important to note that US lawmakers are pushing to ban use of facial recognition during a turbulent time due to the lack of enough legal framework, and not enabling it. Whether India goes down this road, or follows one that is closer to China, would be the most critical deciding factor behind Indias stance on fundamental human rights of freedom and privacy. With strong anti-China sentiments sweeping the nation in light of the Galwan Valley clash, it is important that we reserve the same sentiments when it comes to facial recognition, too.
By Jason Lim





North Koreans of the "arduous march" generation  those who starved to death in mid-1990s in quiet desperation while waiting in their homes for the public distribution system to deliver rations that never came  are forever gone. Today's North Koreans are market-savvy burgeoning capitalists.



There is now a moneyed class  consisting mostly of party and military officials who have profited from the trade between North Korea and China. There is conspicuous wealth, from new high-rises and department stores filled with modern electronics to pricey restaurants and amusement parks. North Koreans have found a taste for money and are not happy that the current sanctions are cramping their style. More importantly, the sanctions are cramping the style of Kim's core power base, the Pyongyang-living, inner-circle bureaucracy that Kim depends on to keep his regime afloat.



The bitter rhetoric in recent pronouncements allows us to glimpse into the economic pain that the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant shutdown of North Korea's border with China has had, and Kim's real concern over his ability to deliver the goods again. Kim sold them the inter-Korean rapprochement and the Hanoi summit only to come home empty-handed, and things have progressively gotten worse.



Kim's legitimacy depends on presenting the Kim dynasty as a patriotic house who kept Korea's people intact and pure from foreign invaders and is transitioning the country to prosperity after heroically securing the nation through nukes. But nukes were just half the bargain. The other half was prosperity.



This was the "white rice and beef soup" promise that was made originally by Kim Il-sung at the founding of the country and echoed endlessly by his son and, now, his grandson. If the grandfather liberated them from the Japanese and the father developed nukes for self-defense, then today's Kim is expected to deliver the economic goods. The North Korean people feel entitled to some prosperity after decades of sacrifice. Another exhortation to tighten their belts and prepare for a second arduous march won't go over too well. Kim's heavenly mandate will be seriously questioned by those in a position to do something about it.



Sanctions relief and economic development are not just nice-to-have anymore; they are a must-have. Once people have tasted money, there is no going back. Democratization might not be too outlandish a price to pay for not ending up like Libya's Gaddafi or, more similarly, Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu. They were loved by their people, too, once.



But it's not just democratization. It's unification that really speaks to legitimacy. To understand how important unification is to all Koreans, you have to realize modern Korea's rebirth as a reaction against the brutal occupation in early 20th century by Imperial Japan that sought to eradicate Korean culture outright  this conversely ignited an ethnocentric form of nationalism that continues to drive Korean people's  both North and South  self-identity to a large extent.



In North Korea, Kim Il-sung skillfully transformed this national narrative into the Juche principle in which the Korean people will no longer be dependent on outside forces and be fully autonomous in all things, especially national security and people's welfare. It's essentially the Korean version of, "We will never be slaves again!" Kim created both a social identity based on the Korean ethnicity and the associated purpose of independence and autonomy, rising out of self-mastery of their own wellbeing.



Unification is the live wire of Korean ethnicity. It is the foundational story that calls all Koreans to a higher purpose and meaning as a people  gives them a provenance along which they can trace backwards to a glorious and righteous past that could be reimagined for a brighter future. Being elected the inaugural president of a unified Korea would be the ultimate good that the Kim dynasty can deliver to cement its place in Korean history and guarantee itself a lasting legitimacy. This would also feed naturally into Kim Jong-un's inevitable sense of personal grandiosity and legacy. His manifest destiny.



All this probably seems like pie in the sky and even a dangerous distraction from the difficult work of finding the right sequencing formula that both North Korea and the U.S. can live with. But doing the same thing and expecting different results is outright insane. Perhaps it's worth a try to go into a different kind of crazy, one that attempts to resonate with the pathos of the enemy you are dealing with, not just his logos. After all, it's the emotions that ultimately drive our decisions. It just might be crazy enough to work.



What do we have to lose? Throw the offer over the fence and see how Kim reacts. Let it sink in and work itself into the North Korea's thought space. Ultimately, everyone agrees that denuclearization is not a problem you can solve without a regime change in North Korea. Just do it through an election, rather than a war. After all, delivering not just on denuclearization but also democratization and unification to the Korean Peninsula in one fell swoop would certainly be some kind of a legacy for everyone involved.





Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture.


Saudi Arabia's coronavirus infections have passed 200,000 and neighbouring United Arab Emirates 50,000, with the number of new cases climbing after the Arab world's two largest economies fully lifted curfews last month.

Restrictions had been in place in both countries since mid-March and their gradual lifting has allowed commercial businesses and public venues to reopen.

Other Gulf countries have also moved to ease restrictions, although Kuwait has maintained a partial curfew and Qatar, Bahrain and Oman did not impose one at all.

Saudi Arabia, which has the highest count among the six Gulf states, reported more than 4,100 cases on Friday and on Saturday to take its total to 205,929, with 1,858 deaths. The daily tally first rose above 4,000 in mid-June, but had dipped.

The United Arab Emirates, where daily infection rates recently dropped to between 300 and 400 from a peak of some 900 in late May, registered more than 600 cases on Friday and over 700 on Saturday, taking its toll to 50,857, with 321 deaths.

Dubai, the region's business and tourism hub is due to reopen to foreign visitors on July 7, although this has not been implemented at a federal level in the UAE, which does not provide a breakdown of cases for each of its seven emirates.

Qatar, which has the second highest regional infection rate, has seen its daily case numbers fall from a peak of more than 2,000 in late May to around 500 on Saturday, bringing it near to 100,000 cases in total.

In Oman, the health minister warned on Thursday that there had been a disturbing surge in infections in the last six weeks and urged people to comply with health measures.

Iran, the epicentre for the disease in the Middle East with a total infection count of 237,878 and 11,408 deaths as of Saturday, has imposed new curbs to halt the spread of the virus.
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.
China must be held fully accountable for its "secrecy, deception and cover-up" that allowed it to spread the coronavirus all over the world, US President Donald Trump has said, upping the ante on Beijing over its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Addressing the nation for a second time in as many days on the occasion of 244th Independence Day on Saturday, President Trump touted the country's "progress" against the COVID-19 disease despite a nationwide spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

"We have the manufacturing record for ventilators. We have the most and the finest testing anywhere in the world. We are producing gowns, masks, and surgical equipment in our country. It was almost exclusively made in foreign lands, in particular, China, where ironically this virus and others came from," he said in his address from the lawns of the White House.

"China's secrecy, deception, and cover-up allowed it to spread all over the world, 189 countries and China must be held fully accountable," he said, once again accusing Beijing of covering up the outbreak of the pandemic.

On Friday, 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."

Praising America's "scientific brilliance", Trump said on Saturday that the US will likely have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year.

Trump has expressed disappointment over China's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past. In May, he claimed that it was the "incompetence" of Beijing that led to the mass killing across the globe.

China has denied US' claim of "covering up" the extent of its coronavirus outbreak and has accused the US of attempting to divert public attention by insinuating that the virus originated from a virology laboratory in Wuhan.

"China was the first country to report the COVID-19 to the World Health Organisation (WHO), (and) that doesn't mean the virus originated from Wuhan... There has never been any concealment, and we'll never allow any concealment," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in April.

The novel coronavirus which first originated in Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 5 lakh lives and infected more than 11 million people globally. The US is the worst affected country with over 1.2 lakh deaths and over 2.8 million infections, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly credited his February ban on travelers from mainland China as his signature move against the advance of the coronavirus pandemic, a "strong wall" that allowed only U.S. citizens inside, he boasted in May.

But Trump's wall was more like a sieve.

Exempted were thousands of residents of the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau. Efforts to track US residents returning from mainland China were riddled with errors and broken communications.

An analysis of Commerce Department travel entry records and private aviation data obtained by The Associated Press shows that nearly 8,000 Chinese nationals and foreign residents of Hong Kong and Macao entered the US on more than 600 commercial and private flights in the first three months after the ban was imposed.

When US residents flying from mainland China arrived at US airports, the system meant to flag and monitor them for the development of symptoms lost track of at least 1,600 people in just the first few days the ban went into effect, according to internal state government emails obtained by the AP.

Trump's continuing travel restrictions on China, which he followed with a ban on travel from European nations in March and a new prohibition on entry from virus-plagued Brazil last month, remain the administration's first line of defense against foreign sources of the pandemic.

"We did a great job on CoronaVirus, including the very early ban on China," Trump tweeted last week. "We saved millions of U.S. lives!"

Trump on January 31 announced the original travel ban on any non-US residents who had recently been in mainland China. His action came weeks after Chinese officials acknowledged a new highly contagious and deadly virus was spreading through the city of Wuhan.

Travelers from Hong Kong and Macau were exempted from that ban, and they did not face the same enhanced screening and quarantine procedures required of Americans and others returning from Wuhan and China's mainland.

Flight records provided to the AP by FlightAware, an international aviation tracking company, show that more than 5,600 Chinese and foreign nationals from the two administrative zones flew to the US in February. Those totals dropped to 2,100 in March and just 150 in April, Commerce Department travel entry records show.

There is no clear evidence that the small but steady flow of people from Hong Kong and Macau introduced COVID-19 cases inside the U. in January or in the four months since, but the exemptions "certainly undercut the purpose of the ban," said Dr. Ronald Waldman, a professor of Global Health at George Washington University.

Waldman, who dealt with international quarantines as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official during a cholera outbreak in Africa in the 1990s, said travel bans can temporarily hobble the pace of a surging virus. Such moves "slow down the transmission and buy you time, but they have to be structured properly and followed with other strong measures," he said.

Hong Kong had struggled to quell influenza outbreaks earlier in the 2000s, but has won praise for strict health precautions in recent months that minimized its virus caseload in the wake of Wuhan's flare-up. But when it exempted Hong Kong from the China travel ban, Trump administration officials had no way of knowing whether Hong Kong's anti-virus regimen would succeed or if any infected travelers entered the US from the Chinese territory.

None of the agencies involved in crafting and announcing the China ban -- the National Security Council, the State Department, the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services -- would comment publicly to the AP about why Hong Kong and Macau were exempted. In a brief statement, the State Department said it would not "comment on internal policy decisions," and deferred to the White House.

The White House did not respond to repeated requests for an explanation.

Officials familiar with the internal discussions that took place in late January before the China ban was announced cited concerns that a ban that was too broad might jeopardize trade talks and harm the travel industry. One official said the intent was to craft a ban that was "surgical" and would limit disruption.

A second administration official noted that the decision to impose a travel ban came after hundreds of thousands of travelers had entered the U.S. from China in January. That same month, more than 12,700 people entered the U.S. from the two Chinese territories, Commerce records show.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hong Kong and Macau have long been given preferential economic and trade treatment from the U.S. because of their financial importance and their status as independent enclaves within China's orbit.

A 2019 State Department report on Hong Kong said more than 1,300 U.S. firms operated there, including nearly every major U.S. financial company, "with hundreds of billions of dollars in assets under management." Macau is a world-renowned island of casinos, some owned by U.S.-based companies.

Former Ambassador Richard Boucher, who was Hong Kong consul general in the 1990s, said that under the Hong Kong Policy Act passed by Congress in 1992, "we are obligated to treat Hong Kong as a special jurisdiction as long as it functions independently."

When Trump's China travel restrictions went into effect on February 2, at least 15 cases of the new coronavirus had already been detected in Hong Kong, along with one death, and seven more cases had been found in Macau. All the initial Macau cases were later traced to the outbreak in Wuhan.

As of this week, the former British colony had registered 1,248 cases and seven deaths and Macau had 46 cases. Even with those low totals, Hong Kong has struggled with at least three spikes of COVID-19 cases: one in late February. another in mid-March, and a surge of 130 cases over the past two weeks.

Hong Kong's virus surges led both the CDC and the State Department to issue a series of warnings to Americans considering flights to Hong Kong -- actions that would appear to be at odds with the continuing travel ban exemptions allowing travelers from Hong Kong and Macau to enter the country.

"Once we see that there is significant human to human transmission so it's not just, hey, there is something going on there we go to what is called a level one. And right now that's Hong Kong," the CDC's director, Dr. Robert Redfield, testified during a House hearing on February 27.

The CDC's warnings on Hong Kong and Macau have since been raised to the agency's highest alert level, urging Americans to "avoid all nonessential travel." Separately, a less-heightened warning from the State Department urges Hong Kong travelers to "exercise increased caution."

Since that time, there has been a turnabout. Hong Kong has banned U.S. citizens and other international travelers from arriving by air, as more than 2.7 million Americans have tested positive and more than 128,000 have died of COVID-19.

If the flow of Americans going to Hong Kong and Macau was stifled, the stream of Americans and others coming back to the U.S. from mainland China was unabated. And the program to screen them had real problems.

Federal health officials planned to funnel the thousands of people returning from China through 11 airports for health screenings over the several weeks. Those with symptoms would be quarantined by the CDC. Others would be allowed to go on their way, but be monitored by state and local health departments, who would be responsible for contacting the travelers within 72 hours to advise them to isolate themselves for two weeks and to monitor whether they developed symptoms.

The system was flawed to begin with. States could opt out of receiving passenger information from the CDC, and six did so: Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon, North Carolina, Arizona and Illinois. For the opt-out states, CDC simply disabled notifications. Any passengers from mainland China coming to their state would do so without being flagged or tracked.

At the time, a robust testing and contact tracing effort might have been able to curb the spread of any virus arriving with travelers from mainland China, according to a CDC postmortem of mistakes that led to the virus' early spread in the U.S.

But the effort immediately ran into problems.

"Hearing word of people already leaking through screening system and ending up in states without the funneling airports," a CDC employee wrote to several local health officials on Feb. 6, soon after the program began, according to an email obtained by the AP through a public records request. "Knew it would not be perfect but it has begun."

"One flight did not receive any screening," said another email between New Hampshire officials stated on February 7.

The CDC said it had no record of any complete flights not being screened. But it said if the Department of Homeland Security failed to send the CDC that information, it would not know whether whole flights were missed.

New Hampshire state officials soon began getting calls from people who had recently returned, but that they hadn't been notified about, according to a February 10 email.

New Hampshire officials said the individuals who called were proactively reaching out to self-report their travel based on their understanding that local health departments would monitor them. They noted "it took a period of time" to establish the process of passing along traveler information to states.

CDC spokesman Scott Pauley said the agency didn't get enough information from customs officials with Homeland Security, who were responsible for gathering passenger data at airports.

"The records were poor quality, and the data wasn't complete enough for anyone to be able to do anything with," Pauley told the AP.

The CDC said some 26,000 travelers from China were screened in all of February. The agency acknowledged that data problems contributed to thousands of notifications not being sent to state health departments. Because of these problems, the CDC has since issued a rule requiring airlines to report passenger data directly to the agency during public health crises.

Despite the breakdown in notifying states, the CDC pointed out that at the time, travel screening was just one of a number of infection control measures in effect. There was a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travelers from Wuhan city, and for those with known exposure to the virus.

But even when notifications were sent to states, the information wasn't reliable, frustrating local officials worried about getting in touch with them quickly enough to prevent any spread. "There was lots and lots of bad information," said Fran Phillips, Maryland's deputy secretary for public health services.

The data was plagued by bad telephone numbers, erroneous itineraries, and people claiming they had never even been to China. Because the CDC wasn't able to verify the information, the agency told local officials that they were trusting that people were telling the truth, according to internal notes shared among California state health officials.

In New Mexico, officials were left scrambling after a woman who had just returned from China appeared on the television news. The state got no warning from the CDC and couldn't reach her. They were left to judge her condition based on the TV segment. "Fortunately, she appears healthy, without cough," wrote the state's chief of epidemiology to others in the health department in an email.

Public health experts and state officials have criticized the administration for failing to quickly follow up the travel restrictions with social distancing, ample testing and other anti-viral measures. Researchers have shown that virus-borne travelers flying in from European nations also stoked infections in New York and other cities during February and March before the administration suspended travel from Europe.
(Newser)  Falling from 14,000 feet up is hair-raising enough, but doing it at 103? "I never thought I would be around this long," Al Blaschke told ABC News after making his Guinness World Records-breaking leap with two grandsons. Blaschke, who tied the record back in 2017 at age 100, took to the skies Thursday over San Marcos, Texas, to celebrate his 22-year-old twin grandsons' graduationsKevin Blaschke from the University of Texas and Jason Blaschke from Texas A&M. "I'm mainly here to see my twin grandsons," he told the Austin American-Statesman. "That's been my goal, to jump the second time to honor their graduation. And that's why Im here."

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Kevin and Jason agreed to the leap with a little trepidation: "It means a lot to him. He talked us into it. I committed to it. Just a little nervous, you know," said Kevin, while Jason, who said he can "fly Cessna 172s, kinda," admitted "it will go against my nature to jump out of a perfectly good airplane." Yet the jump-party went airborne in the Havilland Twin Otter aircraftincluding Kevin's fiancee, who just learned about this the day beforeand the three men jumped. Blaschke seemed a bit shaken afterward, saying, "that was too much swaying. ... This was altogether different from my first jump. This was a real jump." But his grandsons looked aglow as the three of them sat together. "We love you for it," Jason told him. "We really do." (Read more skydiving stories.)
(Newser)  A woman taking photographs during an off-trail hike at the Grand Canyon fell 100 feet to her death, park officials said. She was taking photos with family members, USA Today reports. Maria A. Salgado Lopez, 59, of Scottsdale, Arizona, accidentally stepped off the rim just west of Mather Point, officials said. Her body was recovered Friday afternoon.

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The National Park Service, which asks hikers to stick to marked trails and walkways, and the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the death, per the St. George News. (The Grand Canyon had closed to visitors April 1 because of the coronavirus pandemic.)
(Newser)  Kanye West's presidential ambitions appear to have been reborn on the Fourth of July, reports Reuters, with the rapper tweeting thusly: We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States, West wrote, adding an American flag emoji and #2020VISION." The BBC is skeptical how much teeth the rapper's tweet-candidacy has, noting that West doesn't appear to have registered with the FECthough one "Kanye Deez Nutz West" did file with the Green Party in 2015 under the address "1977 Golddigger Avenue, Suite Yeezus." He does, however, already have two big-name endorsements: Predictably, Kim Kardashian West; and Elon Musk, who tweeted, "You have my full support!" Reuters notes that the deadline for independent candidates to get on the ballot hasn't yet passed in many states. (Read more Kanye West 2020 stories.)
(Newser)  Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night. Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument near the Little Italy neighborhood, reports the AP. Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures, and others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas. According to the Baltimore Sun, the statue was owned by the city and dedicated in 1984 by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and former President Reagan.

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A spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young told the Sun the toppling of the statue is a part of a national and global reexamination over monuments that may represent different things to different people. We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative, Lester Davis said. "We understand the frustrations. What the city wants to do is serve as a national model, particularly with how weve done with protesting. Weve seen people who have taken to the streets, we have supported them. We are going to continue to support it. Thats a full stop." Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Va.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Boston, where one was decapitated.

(Read more Christopher Columbus stories.)
(Newser)  A weekly Kansas newspaper whose publisher is a county Republican Party chairman posted a cartoon likening the Democratic governor's order requiring people to wear masks in public to the roundup and murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. The cartoon on the Anderson County Review's Facebook page depicts Gov. Laura Kelly wearing a mask with a Jewish Star of David on it, next to a drawing of people being loaded onto train cars. Its caption is, Lockdown Laura says: Put on your mask ... and step onto the cattle car. The newspaper posted the cartoon Friday, the day that Kelly's mask order took effect. Dane Hicks, the papers owner and publisher, said in an email to the AP that he plans to publish the cartoon in the newspaper Tuesday. Kelly issued a statement saying, Mr. Hicks decision to publish anti-Semitic imagery is deeply offensive and he should remove it immediately.

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But Hicks said in an email that political cartoons are gross over-caricatures designed to provoke debate and fodder for the marketplace of ideas. The topic here is the governmental overreach which has been the hallmark of Governor Kellys administration, he said. As for the cartoon's Holocaust reference to the, Hicks said critics of President Trump have compared him to Adolf Hitler, and, I certainly have more evidence of that kind of totalitarianism in Kellys actions, in an editorial cartoon sort of way, than Trumps critics do, yet they persist in it daily." Rabbi Moti Rieber of Kansas Interfaith Action said comparisons of current political events to the Holocaust are odious and its incoherent to equate an action designed to save lives with mass murder. This thing is like the trifecta of garbage. Hicks said if Holocaust survivors or other Jews are offended, he'd apologize because he means "no slight to them. Then again, they better than anyone should appreciate the harbingers of governmental overreach and the present but tender seedlings of tyranny."

(Read more Holocaust stories.)
(Newser)  Turns out Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest was no small affair. The alleged madamwho's accused of delivering underaged girls to infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epsteinwas collared by more than 20 armed police and agents who stormed her private New Hampshire retreat, the Guardian reports. Seems they kicked down the door of her rural property, called Tucked Away, and led her off in handcuffs. The 58-year-old disgraced socialite is currently held in Merrimack County jail in New Hampshire pending her transfer to New York and a court appearance this week. In related news:

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Accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims Maxwell could be heard crying and wailing in her remote court appearance, but other reports contradict that. Giuffre told 60 Minutes Australia she heard "a very loud British woman screaming, 'Why is this happening? How is this happening? How could this happen?'and just crying her eyes out," but reporters say Maxwell only spoke in a low voice while responding to procedural questions, per the New York Post. The Daily Mail suggests Giuffre confused Maxwell with another woman because observers of the remote appearance could only hear the audio.

A 2002 photo has emerged of Maxwell kidding around on the queen's throne at Buckingham Palace with Kevin Spacey beside her in the place reserved for the queen's husband, per the Telegraph. Seems Prince Andrew, a close friend of Maxwell's, had organized a tour for Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Maxwell and Spacey came along. Andrew has been accused of partaking in Epstein's sex ring, while Spacey's career was tarnished by accusations he came onto a 14-year-old boy.

(Read more Ghislaine Maxwell stories.)
TUV Rheinland CEO Carsten Lienemann, right, and Oh Chang-ho, vice president at LG Display TV department, pose for a commemorative photo after LG was the recipient of an Eye Comfort Display OLED (Low Bluelight, Flicker Free) Certificate Award at LG Twin Tower in Seoul on June 30. / Courtesy of LG Display
(Newser)  An off-duty police officer in Oklahoma opened fire on a customer who allegedly stole a BBQ grill from a Walmart, TMZ reports. The Langston University cop was caught on video (WARNING: violence) struggling with the suspect, who was in the driver's seat of a car in the Walmart parking lot. After the vehicle backs up into the officernearly knocking him over with the car's open doorhe draws his firearm and shoots off at least eleven rounds. Incredibly, the shoplifting suspect was said to be hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition.

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Officials say police are investigating the Del City incident and will present evidence to the district attorney, who will consider possible charges, per KOCO. Police believe the off-duty officer worked at the Walmart, per KFOR, but his identity and the suspect's remain unknown. Police say the suspect had a receipt for purchased items but also took things without paying. (Read more police shooting stories.)
New Zealand is a country full of inspirational entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of New Zealands economy.

The reality of this fact has been felt and understood more than ever as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking a positive from a negative, there are plenty of new opportunities within New Zealand to explore entrepreneurship and create innovative new businesses.

Now is the time where you could potentially realise the dream of starting your own business.

Newshub spoke to three experts - MYOBs Country Manager Ingrid Cronin-Knight, and two MYOB Partners and accountants - Scott Mason, Managing Partner at Findex Dunedin, and Emma Murphy, Associate Tax & Business Advisor at Kiwitax.

Each of them have many years under their belts working with a range of Kiwi startups and together they share some top tips on the best ways to kick start your own startup.

1. First steps

According to Ingrid Cronin-Knight, new entrepreneurs should be encouraged by the strength of New Zealands startup ecosystem, within which business advisors - including accountants - play a key role.

"Accountants tend to specialise in certain areas, so finding one that has experience with startups is important  its even better if they personally have a passion for the business industry too as they can provide even more insight for you to consider. Dont feel afraid to shop around to get the right fit," she says.

"Startup founders shouldnt think of themselves as too small, or too early in their business journey to seek advice. Accountants work with businesses of all sizes and they tend to form long-term relationships with clients, a lot of which begins when the business is in the startup phase," she says.

"Having an Accountant or bookkeeper on your team, is no longer just about checking in tax time," Ingrid says. "Technology today provides real time visibility of how businesses and markets are performing, and these advisors can help you use that information to make real time decisions. They can help sense check trendsetting and forecasting, plus provide crucial advice before a business even starts trading."

2. Trust is essential

"Trust is key to any sustainable relationship and if the chemistry is right, these advisor roles offer so much more," Ingrid says. "The industry has evolved and accountants play a much more pro-active advisory role, so its important to make sure you pick one you are comfortable with. This is particularly important when youre thinking about the potential for uncomfortable conversations about money."

"Most accountants provide a free consultation to meet clients; gauge what they need and make sure the chemistry is right. Plus, pricing is no longer 'set' so you should try to negotiate fees up front to avoid unpleasant surprises and to help you budget."

Scott Mason of Findex Dunedin, admits that when it comes to the hard questions, you need honest answers . "Bear in mind these questions can be hard to ask yourself, so advisors are probably the best people to be having honest conversations with and answering some difficult questions," he explains.

3. Prepare and plan

A lot of work goes on before a business even gets off the ground. Scott explains that generally people who are behind startups, are really good at something and have an incredible vision.

"A lot of them may be good at understanding or delivering key components, but not everyone considers the commercial aspects, and they might not have commercial acumen or experience yet," he says.

"By seeking sound professional advice early on, theyll be better placed for success. Starting a business can be a challenge for an entrepreneur. As advisors, many of us have been in business long enough to know what needs to be done and the pitfalls to avoid. This means we can advise startups on how to make sound business decisions from the get-go," Scott says.

"Bringing a good idea to life can be incredibly exciting in the beginning. For many budding entrepreneurs, adding commercial rigour to a concept during the business planning stage may feel tedious, especially when you go it alone," adds Ingrid.

"Objective and critical thinking at this point from an advisor, can highlight gaps, opportunities or show-stoppers that founders may not have considered. Working through this process together also helps to ensure that the business has a robust strategy and provides the founders with a fuller picture which can prove helpful if they find they need to change tack."

"Once this groundwork is done, it'll make it so much easier to prepare investment proposals, funding requests, marketing plans etc. Youre already winning if you have this kind of support before youre even trading."

4. Hygiene matters

"This refers to something thats not sexy or fun but has to be done," says Scott. "We cant do everything for a business, but we like to teach them, and encourage them to take control of their own destiny. As an advisor we provide guidance which helps the client to make informed decisions, but we also encourage them to take responsibility for these decisions," he says.

Scott points out its important for startups to talk to an accountant when they are starting to operate so they are up-to-date with compliance, to enable their business to accept money and account for funds.

"At the early stage every dollar is seen as precious, he says. But you dont want to start by cutting corners early. Proactive management here also shows potential investors you can deliver on your plans. So, one of the first things is to do is your due diligence."

According to Emma Murphy of Kiwitax, startups should seek advice early on so they can access expert guidance and advice around their business structure, and prepare for tax planning and registrations that may be required by the IRD e.g GST.

"Its important for startup founders to gain knowledge about what types of costs are deductible (or not). Your accountant or bookkeeper can also provide advice around the online software solutions available to capture important business data," she says.

COVID-19 - what to do next?

All the experts agree entrepreneurs shouldnt be deterred, because now could be a great time to start up a new and innovative business.

MYOB has a network of 40,000 accountants and bookkeepers across Australia and New Zealand who can share good advice and encouragement for startups that may be struggling to deal with the uncertainty brought about by COVID-19.

"Kiwis should embrace their enterprising and adventurous natures, and now is actually a really good time to take the plunge and start a new business. With the right advice and tools to support startup founders on their journey, theres every chance for their success," Ingrid Cronin-Knight says.

Right now, MYOB is offering an MYOB Essentials subscription for only $5 a month for Kiwi startups that are 0-2 years old. Find out more here.

This article was created for MYOB NZ
One person remains in Auckland City Hospital in a stable condition. One significant cluster remains open and is due to be closed on Monday, July 6.

Saturday's lab testing figures have been delayed by an IT update and will be provided as soon as possible.

Case details

All three cases arrived in Christchurch on June 30 on a flight from Delhi, India. Their flight had transited at Singapore, but they did not leave the plane.

All three individuals have been in managed isolation since their arrival in Christchurch, and each case was detected during routine testing on day three of their respective 14-day mandatory isolation periods. They have all been transferred to the Chateau on the Park quarantine facility.

The first case is a woman in her 30s. The second case is her husband, a man also in his 30s. Their close contacts include two daughters, who will be tested on Sunday. They have also been transferred to the quarantine area.

The third case is a man in his 70s, who travelled with his wife. She is regarded as a close contact.

The latest reporting from the World Health Organization shows 212,326 new cases have been confirmed globally inside 24 hours - the largest daily increase on record.

"This figure and the cases reported here today continue to reinforce the critical importance of our border controls in keeping New Zealand and New Zealanders safe," the Ministry of Health said in Sunday's statement.

"Every person who arrives in New Zealand must be isolated from other people in New Zealand for a minimum period of 14 days. They must also test negative for COVID-19 or if a case be cleared by health authorities before they can go into the community.

"Our 14-day period will continue to be vitally important as a key protection measure during the global pandemic."

NZ COVID Tracer app

The Government's official NZ COVID Tracer app has recorded 588,800 registrations as of Sunday. The ministry continues to encourage as many New Zealanders as possible to download and actively use the app, as it aids contact tracing efforts under alert level 1.

There have been 76,337 QR code posters created by businesses to date, and 1,340,052 poster scans.
After visiting the UK for Woodward to give birth around friends and family, the couple made their way home with their son, via a stopover in Auckland, to introduce the family to baby Noah.

However, Tonga's border shut, leaving them stuck in the city since March.

Hafu said they were lucky to be staying with family, but their savings would not last forever.

He has friends who had travelled to Auckland for work and to see family and were also locked out of the country.

"There's a lot of people who not only want to get back, but need to get back to Tonga," he said.

Hafu said the Government was offering no certainty or clear planning to citizens and "no one has a clue what's going on, so we're just sitting here in limbo".

The couple had heard rumours of the border reopening any time from September to two years from now.

More than 7000 Tongans are thought to be stranded overseas, including a large number of seasonal workers whose employment in New Zealand and Australia has dried up.

Tonga's Ministry of Tourism said it was planning to repatriate 50 stranded citizens last month and even conducted a drill for staff.

But last Wednesday Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa said the plan had been deferred and that he would make a formal announcement about the government's plans "soon".

Woodward said she was considering applying for a New Zealand work visa as it didn't look like they would be heading home any time soon.

"We're having to plan around the worst-case scenario."

Tonga has to date recorded zero COVID-19 cases. The border has been closed since March 23.

RNZ
A woman who escaped an Auckland managed isolation facility scaled two fences during her breakout, one of which was 1.82 metres high.

The 43-year-old fled the Pullman Hotel in central Auckland on foot just before 6:20pm on Saturday night, but she was caught by police on nearby Anzac Avenue at 8pm.

She could face a six-month jail term or a $4000 fine if she's charged under the Government's COVID-19 legislation.

Minister Megan Woods, the Government representative overseeing COVID-19 quarantine and managed isolation facilities, said on Sunday the woman was outside a common area when she climbed the fence - she didn't just walk out the door.

"My understanding is there was some temporary low fencing indicating a closed space with a permanent fence about 1.82m high behind that," she told NZME.

She says patrolled perimeters won't be set up since this incident happened at a hotel.

"This is a clearly marked area where it's a given you shouldn't be leaving," she says.

"We're not putting up unclimbable walls at these hotels. We're asking those rejoining the team of five million to follow the rules."
The woman who broke out of an Auckland hotel after returning to New Zealand has been returned to managed isolation.

She escaped from central Auckland's Pullman Hotel by jumping two fences on Saturday night, and was found by police just under two hours later.

Police say the 43-year-old was returned to managed isolation, but didn't specify if she was at the same hotel.

She was medically assessed while in police custody and was deemed fit to return to isolation.

Once she's completed her 14-day managed isolation, she will appear in the Auckland District Court where she'll face a charge under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act. She could face a six-month jail term or a $4000 fine.

Five police officers helped get the woman into custody, but only two had immediate contact with her. Although the woman tested negative for the virus, all five officers went into self-isolation as a precaution.

"Following an assessment in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, four of the officers were deemed to have had no contact or took necessary measures. These officers have since returned for duty," police say.

One officer is still in self-isolation because they're waiting for the result of their COVID-19 test.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, head of managed isolation and quarantine, commended the speed at which the woman was found and apprehended.

"This was excellent work by police staff who located the woman as quickly as possible. She was located outdoors. The exact movements of the woman are still being determined," he said on Sunday.

She travelled alone to New Zealand from Brisbane on June 27.

"We recognise that managed isolation can be stressful for people who come to it with a variety of circumstances," Webb says. "However, wilfully leaving our facilities cannot and will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will be taken."
It happened to Honey as well.

"I lost the custody of my child. She went to my mum," Honey says.

Jamie-Lee says mums using meth is a massive problem.

"I couldn't tell anybody, because if I told anybody - I'd lose my kids. That was my biggest fear, that I'd lose my kids."

Remember, these mums are just one meeting in one town. It will be happening all over New Zealand.

"I was ruining my kids' lives - I really was," Jamie-Lee says.

It is confronting - and makes Mark regret dealing meth.

"Moments like this I feel shit. Because I'd sell to mums and that. And to hear the stories of Jamie - shit, I'm one of those causes," he says.

And this meeting has a real difference - local police come along each week to see and hear things from the other side. They're officers like Senior Constable Alan Wells.

"I think you were there when my kids got taken eh?" Jamie-Lee says to him.

"Yeah. We've been to multiple family harm incidents. I've been there when she has been in a real bad way on drugs... and the kids are wandering around," he replies.

But Jamie-Lee went to rehab, got clean and now has one of her children back and access to the other two.
A woman who escaped from a managed isolation facility in Auckland on Saturday evening has been caught by police.

She absconded from the Pullman Hotel on foot just before 6:20pm, Air Commodore Darryn Webb, head of managed isolation and quarantine, said on Sunday. She was apprehended at 8pm on nearby Anzac Avenue.

"This was excellent work by police staff who located the woman as quickly as possible. She was located outdoors. The exact movements of the woman are still being determined. "

Charges are being considered against the 43-year-old.

"She is receiving appropriate care while in custody and will be assessed by a clinician."

She arrived in New Zealand from Brisbane on June 27. A COVID-19 test came back negative, but this doesn't necessarily mean she isn't carrying the virus. She was travelling alone.

"We recognise that managed isolation can be stressful for people who come to it with a variety of circumstances," said Webb. "However, wilfully leaving our facilities cannot and will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will be taken."

New arrivals are expected to spend 14 days in isolation, or quarantine if they're showing symptoms, and undergo two tests for the deadly virus, which has killed more than 520,000 people worldwide.

"This 14-day period forms a critical part of the actions being taken to keep New Zealand and New Zealanders safe during a global pandemic when case numbers are constantly increasing overseas," said Webb.

The five officers who caught the woman are undergoing tests for the virus.
She also challenged Bennett on his point of view that the spending, as she put it, isn't "for real people".

"Particularly in my patch, our neck of the woods in Auckland Central there is $22 million to help complete Auckland City Mission's homeground, which is going to house 2000 homeless people in the city centre. That is real stuff for real people and I find it really gutting when we end up in this kind of politics that talks about so-called real New Zealanders."

But Bennett says he was talking about infrastructure spending, and brought up the Government's now-scrapped light rail plan for Auckland.

"Where's that gone? Where have those projects gone? They've been cancelled because they've been failures."

Swarbrick says Cabinet agreed to the original light rail project, but Transport Minister Phil Twyford wanted to explore other options. It was then that New Zealand First shut the idea down.

"What happens as a result of that is we revert back to the original 2018 Cabinet decision and are able to progress."

The pair also discussed the National Party's reshuffle that was announced on Thursday. It came after former deputy leader Paula Bennett announced her resignation earlier in the week.

Muller came under fire after his selection as leader because of the lack of diversity in his shadow Cabinet line-up - he had no Maori MPs - or people of any other ethnicity - on his front bench.

But Thursday's reshuffle means Maori MP Dr Shane Reti has been promoted to number 13, making it the highest position held by someone who isn't Pakeha.

Bennett says Reti's promotion is well-earned.

"We've promoted Shane Reti who is an excellent performer and has really proven himself in his terms in Parliament, and he's a shining star in Parliament and will be a future successful minister for the National Party," he said.

Former leader Simon Bridges, who is also Maori, is back in the shadow Cabinet too and holds the foreign affairs portfolio.

Swarbrick says she has "a lot of time and respect" for Dr Reti, but believes the National Party got in the way while they were working together on cannabis reform.

"I actually dealt quite a bit with Shane on medicinal cannabis, and we were working together to push forward to the Government doing its bits and pieces. I obviously have the privilege of doing that in confidence and supply - I have one foot in and one foot outside of Government," she said.

"Unfortunately what happened is some other National party MPs got involved and decided to politicise the whole thing. I think that really let the good doctor down. I have a lot of time and respect for Dr Reti, but in terms of the politicising and partisanship of the whole thing, when it comes to those really critical and serious issues around people's wellbeing, I think he really walks the talk on it. The problem is some of the folks who are around him are telling him how to politicise it."
Ardern outlined a big COVID-19 recovery plan during the conference, saying checks and balances were progressing for a trans-Tasman bubble and also reconnecting with Pacific countries.

The Government is apparently ready to go, but it's a case of waiting for Australia.

"What's the hold up then for hitting the go button? You may or may not have seen the state of Victoria is in a very difficult state at the moment and it's up to them whether they chose to move state by state or as a whole," she said.

Ardern suggested Australia is not interested in state-by-state bubbles, despite parts of the country being COVID-19-free in the community like us.

National Party leader Todd Muller is blaming Labour for dragging the chain.

"The borders stay close and we wait I guess for a vaccine. That is a recipe for economic disaster in this country," he says.

But he hasn't yet hatched a plan of his own.

"We're doing some deep thinking of what that could look like."

Neither of Labour's big announcements at its conference were new. It extended the existing loan scheme for small businesses who are suffering due to COVID-19, and it revealed $162 million would go towards creating 2000 green jobs to help clean up New Zealand's waterways.

Tova O'Brien's analysis

If Jacinda Ardern is certain she'll win the election, she certainly didn't say so publicly. Hubris serves no politician well when they're trying to get re-elected, and neither the ninth floor nor the party proper were particularly stoked with the "New Zealand's saviour" comment.

The Prime Minister has had a good run getting the country through the health response to COVID-19, and that's why there's the blurring of the lines between wearing her Prime Minister hat and wearing her Labour leader's hat. The party wants you to conflate the two when you're thinking about whose box to tick in 76 days' time.

But if a day is a long time in politics, 76 is a lifetime. The polls are looking good for Labour, but sometimes when you're on top, staying up there can be the hardest thing.
Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tena koutou katoa

Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Poneke, tena koutou

Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa

Ko tatou!

Ko to tatou mana!

Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa

Welcome. I consider it an honour and a privilege to be with you all here today.



This will sound perhaps a little bit dramatic, but no one could have predicted a few months ago that we would be here, all together, in what we used to call a Labour Congress but we now all know as a 'mass gathering.'

And I know we have all been around the Labour Party long enough to know that not all of our gatherings would deserve that metric.

But here we are. And I am very grateful for that.

And I am very grateful for all of you.

What has been happening over the last few months in New Zealand, it's not over.

But I don't want to wait till it is before I say thank you.

You, our Labour members, you were amongst our team of 5 million.

But more than that, you were worried for the rest of the team. Like many Kiwis, you wanted to know that everyone had what they needed during lockdown, that they were well looked after.

So hundreds of you joined our teams of volunteers, and you called people for no other reason than to ask if they were ok. Over 81,000 calls. It's that kind of thing that makes me proud to be a New Zealander, and proud to be Labour.

I'm also very proud to be part of our Parliamentary team.

Each and every one of them work so hard, and while I am loathe to single any one person out, I feel safe in doing so for Kelvin Davis.

I saw who Kelvin is captured perfectly recently by one of our amazing new candidates, Ibrahim Omer who wrote recently on Facebook: "Hon Kelvin Davis was kind enough to invite me to his office today. As well as warmly hosting me and giving me good advice, he told me that when he first became a Labour candidate he didn't have a suit and had to borrow one from his mate. He then reached into his wardrobe, pulled out this collection of his suits and handed them to me. What a bro."

And that is the Kelvin I know, a person who helps makes our team, a team.

I've thought a lot about this idea of a team lately.

Mainly because our team, and by that I mean our entire team of 5 million, have been through a lot in the last fifteen months.

I can't think of a time in our recent history when we have been collectively challenged by such a cruel combination of events - a terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, a global pandemic and now its ensuing financial crisis.

Our national character has been repeatedly put to the test and yet, somehow we have come back with an almost stronger sense of ourselves, and of what matters most to us.

Gamal Fouda, the Imam of Al Noor mosque, perhaps said it best when in the wake of March 15 he said, we are broken-hearted but we are not broken. We are unbreakable. We are alive. We are together.

And a year on, in the midst of such uncertain and tough times, together we remain.

Being a team, and being unified, does not mean though that we are uniform.

We are still a country of diverse belief systems, a place with strongly held opinions and views on issues and politics - in fact we frequently try to model that even around the Cabinet table.

But that is what makes us, us. That's what has always given us the confidence to do things our way.

When a terrorist tried to divide us we came together and we said they are us.

When a volcano erupted we threw our arms around those effected whether they were from near or far.

And when COVID arrived we didn't hesitate to act, knowing it was the only way to protect those around us.

We stayed home.

We stayed home, sometimes juggling care and work and kids and schooling.



We stayed home despite not knowing if there would be a job to return to at the end of it or a business to re-open.

We stayed home even when it meant we were separated from loved ones, sometimes in amongst grief and hardship.

We stayed home, and that made all the difference.

As I stand before you today we are 65 days since we last had a case of community transmission in New Zealand. That has meant we have been able to open up our economy sooner and more fully than most other places. It has given us opportunities that many others do not have.

I know that none of us take that for granted.

There is no playbook for what the world is going through, no rules on what we should or shouldn't be doing. That means we won't always get it right, but it also means we can make our own choices, and have our own plan.

And that is exactly what we have done.

Through our health response, our plan was simple. Go hard, go early. That gave us the best position to save lives and livelihoods by opening up our economy sooner.

Had we chosen another path, if we'd chosen to have an ongoing tolerance of COVID and cases all around us in the community, I have no doubt we would still have restrictions in place that would be costing us in many, many ways.

The health response has not ended. It will need to be ongoing as the pandemic surges around us.

And it is surging. When we closed our borders on the 19th of March there were 240,000 cases in the world. Today there are more than 10 million.

So while we in New Zealand experience huge freedoms the rest of the world is still battling to keep the virus under control.

Our strong health response now gives us an economic head start, the ability to move from responding to COVID-19, to recovering and rebuilding.

Today I am announcing our 5 point plan for our economic recovery.

It's about investing in our people, it's about jobs, preparing for our future, supporting our small businesses, entrepreneurs and job creators and positioning ourselves globally.

I've seen economic downturns before and what they can do to those left behind.

And yes we must be mindful of the debt that future generations may carry because of what we need to do now.

But we would be wrong to characterise debt as solely being financial.

If we choose not to invest now, during the rainy day we have been preparing for, we burden the future with debt of another kind.

Some call it economic scarring - the long-lasting damage to individuals of an economic downturn. I call it the loss of potential, and the greatest of wastes.

I am a child of the 80s and 90s. I have seen responses to troubled times that have failed to take this into account, and have left people behind. We see the impacts of that still. Poverty, inequality, persistent unemployment.

It does not have to be this way, and under Labour, it won't.

We are the Party that puts people first. It is in our DNA.

The First Labour Government delivered New Zealand from the Great Depression and created the platform for the longest period of economic prosperity we'd ever seen off the back of investments in health and education, social security and public housing, employment and decent wages.

Michael Joseph Savage called it applied Christianity, I call it kindness. But no matter what we call it the principle is the same. If we put people at the heart of what we do, and at the heart of our recovery, we will prevail, and we will prosper.

Which brings me to point one of our plan - investing in our people.

With economies around the world shutting down, health systems being overrun by the virus, and borders closing the IMF is describing this as an economic crisis like no other and is projecting the global economy to decline by 4.9 percent in 2020. US unemployment was estimated to have reached as high as 16 percent.

New Zealand is not immune to what is happening in the rest of the world, but we can buffer our people from it. And we can do that, because we were prepared.

New Zealand is a place where the unexpected can happen. That's why, when we were criticised for being focused on getting debt down to under 20 percent of GDP, we steadfastly argued that it was necessary - it was for a rainy day.

Thank you for your foresight Grant Robertson. You have been the Finance Minister New Zealand needed at this time, because that rainy day has arrived.

Now is the time to put the umbrella up, to provide support to those who need it. You were smart and tough enough to put us in the position to do that, but kind enough to know when it needed to be called on.

We have doubled the winter energy payment, increased main benefit rates by $25 a week, made changes to the In Work Tax Credit so we can reach more families, and introduced the COVID income relief payment.

We have supported Whanau Ora agencies who played an absolutely critical role in supporting whanau on the ground and will continue to do so.

We have brought back PACE, a scheme that supports our artists and our creatives in a time that has been devastating to their sector and made sure in the meantime that they were eligible for the wage subsidy.

But truly investing in our people, means much more than just an income.

Long before COVID, as we faced the challenges of digital transformation, the changing the nature of work, the need to move to a low carbon economy, and issues of low productivity. There was already a pressing need to prepare our people for a very different future through training and retraining.

Now we have the opportunity to make sure our COVID response does just that, and to do what I have heard Joseph Stiglitz calls "double duty" - solutions that solve multiple problems, and get us ready for what the future holds.

That's why we made a $1.6 billion investment in trades and apprenticeships training, which includes making all apprenticeships free.

We've also made those areas of vocational training where we need people the most like building and construction and mental health support workers - all free. The potential impact of these policies is huge.

I was talking to someone from one of our industry training organisations recently who reminded me that this is not just a policy for those exiting school.

He had received a call recently from a mum, whose son had seen an ad for the trades. He was already in the workforce, but was deeply unhappy. He decided to retrain, and in her words, it had saved his life.

But retraining isn't enough if there aren't jobs to go into at the end of it.

And this is where the second part of our plan kicks in, what I like to simply call, jobs, jobs, jobs.

Again this is where we are marshalling our resources to ensure there are not only jobs available but that they are in areas that address long term challenges - the underinvestment in infrastructure, housing and protecting our environment.

Now stay with me as our run through this, because these initiatives are substantial.

First is the Big New Zealand Upgrade Programme designed to tackle our core infrastructure deficit. We announced it at the beginning of the year, and it amounts to $12 billion of road, rail, public transport, school and health capital funding. It could not have come at a better time.

It's expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in every community in New Zealand - already more than 1200 schools have had projects totalling over $200 million approved or completed; delivering new teaching spaces, laboratory upgrades and much-needed renovations, opening up job opportunities the length and breadth of the country.

Next up is our investment in housing. During COVID-19 something many of us thought wouldn't be possible in such a short space of time happened - we housed our chronically homeless.

Now we need to keep it that way.

As part of our COVID response we have committed funding to providing an additional 8000 public houses, bring the total number of state and transitional houses to be built by this Government to over 18,000 by 2024 - thank you Megan Woods and Kainga Ora.

It is the largest house building programme of any Government in decades, and I'm proud of it.

But when we're talking about infrastructure, it's not just about the projects we in the government are responsible for, we also have the opportunity to partner with communities, with iwi and local government.

That's what the $2.6 billion worth of shovel ready projects we announced earlier this week were all about.

Things like Home Ground, a project by the Auckland City Mission that will provide 80 apartments with wrap-around support and care, or the Poverty Bay Rugby Park Grandstand, least Kiri Allen stage a sit-in, right through to the Invercargill inner-city development.

Collectively these projects are estimated to create over 20,000 jobs in the next five years.

But there is one more area where double duty can be truly brought to life. And that is our environment.

We campaigned on cleaning up our waterways.

David Parker, alongside ministers like Damien O'Connor, has worked tirelessly on delivering on that promise, and we have.

The essential freshwater programme aims to make our rivers swimmable again. But we know there is much we can do to support this work. And now is the time.

In the Budget we allocated $1.1 billion for nature-based jobs.

DoC already has a number of conservation projects already underway, such as clearing wilding pine, but we are now stepping up the pace.

Today I am announcing a package of 23 projects across the country that will clean up our waterways and deliver over 2,000 jobs.

These projects will help restore our wetlands, rivers and streams, regenerate native bush and control pests while creating much needed meaningful work in the regions.

Whether it's Environment Southlands plans to actively manage 1000 of their top biodiversity sites across 300,000 hectares with pest control, wetland creation and fencing.

Or Tairawhiti Environment Centre who plan to create hapu employment opportunities through hill country restoration and erosion mitigation.

Or Bay of Plenty regional council who will create 170 jobs through a conservation cadets programme.

These are projects that are ready to go and have the support of local councils and iwi.

They're projects that are not just part of our recovery, they are part of our rebuild.

They will help restore our environmental reputation to what we know it should be, a reputation that underpins so much of our tourism, our trade, our brand.

These initiatives aren't just double duty, they're triple, and they're helping pay down the environmental debt that would otherwise be paid by the next generation.

That brings me to the third plank of our plan - preparing for the future.

Restoring our environment is one thing, decarbonising it is another.

Investments in waste management and improving energy generation will be key- and this is where I am signalling there is more to come.

Preparing for the future also means supporting our businesses to innovate, especially as we go through a period of digital transformation.

There will be few among us who haven't changed our routines and habits as a result of COVID-19. By the end of lockdown I can confirm that Damien O'Connor did indeed discover the unmute button on zoom.

We want to support our small businesses through this digital transition, which is why we established a $10 million fund to incentivise e-commerce and train more digital advisors.

It's also why we will keep encouraging innovation in all forms. So we've created a $150 million fund to provide loans to R&D-intensive businesses.

All of this builds to the fourth part of our plan, supporting our small businesses, our entrepreneurs and our job creators, work that is being ably led by Stuart Nash, and on this occasion I don't mind you recording what I say next.

One of the first thing we did when the virus arrived in New Zealand was to introduce the Wage Subsidy programme.

Over 1.6 million New Zealanders have benefitted from the scheme - keeping them in work, and providing them with an income during the most difficult months of lockdown.

It has meant our unemployment rate hasn't spiked as it has in other countries where there has been little or no support to keep businesses and their staff afloat.

I know this part of our plan has made a huge difference to business owners, because they have told me that. In fact, over the course of our COVID response, during lockdown and beyond, Grant Robertson and I would frequently discuss some of the mail we were getting from employers. I remember at the end of a particularly hard day, Grant sent me a message.

It was headed "Kia ora from a small business in Blenheim".

It read: "12 weeks ago today we received the wage subsidy to help maintain us during the tough times. I have to admit I had a lump in my throat when I explained the prospects to our staff at the end of March. Many scenarios played out in my head, but I promised that we would all hold tight for the 12 weeks of the subsidy and do our best.

You all know how the last 12 weeks has played out so I thought it prudent to offer my sincere thanks. We are now back on our feet and even taken on a staff member laid off from another related business.

The email was signed off with a simple, "No grizzles here. Nga mihi maioha."

But I want to say thank you back. To all those businesses who passed on that wage subsidy and provided that shelter to others, who worked so hard and gave so much to help over 1.6 million New Zealanders people put food on the table - nga mihi maioha to you.

And now, our support for you must continue.

Alongside the wage subsidy sits the Small Business Loan Scheme. This scheme provided access to zero-interest loans, administered by IRD and underwritten by the Government.

It filled a much-needed gap not being filled by the banks and helped business meet their cashflow needs.

Not so long ago I met a business owner in the Hawkes Bay - they shared their story, and that the loan scheme had provided them with a buffer as they faced the uncertainty of rebuilding their business in such unchartered territory.

A building services business told us the loan gave them breathing space after lockdown. They had a lot of outgoings but nothing coming in so the loan bridged the gap as work came back on stream.

These businesses are not alone in facing cashflow issues - we've received more than 90,000 applications from small businesses so far, and paid out over $1.5 billion in loans. Around 80 percent of firms who applied have between one and five staff.

Currently this much-needed lifeline is due to close for applications on 24 July.

Today I am announcing that will be extending the scheme through to the end of the year.

This means those businesses who are doing ok now, but who may experience cash flow difficulties further down the track will still have access to it.

And the final plank of our five-point plan is to continue to position New Zealand globally as a place to trade with, to invest in, and eventually to visit again.

This has been an export-led lockdown, and so too will it be an export-led recovery.

Since February 1, our merchandise exports to the rest of the world have kept pace with last year's, which is incredible during one of the biggest global recessions the world economy has seen.

Exports of Gold Kiwifruit in March were double the same month last year. The rest of the world wants not only our protein, but our furry fruit as well.

It's no surprise. We market ourselves based on our clean, green and safe production. But we cannot take that for granted.

That's why a few months ago we provided $200m to help exporters re-engage with international markets, and support firms looking to export for the first time.

It's also why we continue to expand our trade relationships. The limitations of the last few months didn't stop us launching our free trade agreement talks with the UK - apparently Boris is interested in importing Orcs. And before that gets written up as a metaphor I'm pretty sure he meant it quite literally. I'm yet to break it to him that they are fictional - at least they are outside of politics anyway.

But our position on the world stage will continue to be linked to the ability to come here. To be part of the culture of Aotearoa, to experience this place, our environment and our manaakitanga.

We are investing $400 million in tourism because we know it is part of our future, and because open borders will be again too. It is not a matter of if, but when it is safe.

And on that, we already have work underway.

We are progressing with all the checks and balances needed for a trans-Tasman bubble, and also on reconnecting with our Pacific neighbours. We have a framework in place that will help Cabinet make a decision on when quarantine free travel with these parts of the world should resume.

In the meantime, we are applying the same approach we have to biosecurity at the border, to health, working with the likes of Singapore on smart border. And I thank Jenny Salesa and her team for that work. All in preparation for developments like rapid and reliable testing at the border, or treatment.

COVID is hitting everyone hard, and it's hit every aspect of our lives.

So that's what our response has had to do. That's why our immediate response has been to support our people, and invest in them. But as we move to recover and rebuild, we must also grow and create jobs, but not just any jobs, but the kind that supports the investment we are making in infrastructure, the environment, and our future.

There wasn't a playbook for COVID. There wasn't a playbook for the recovery. And speaking frankly, there hasn't been one for much of what has happened this term.

But as a team of 5 million we have achieved so much anyway.

We have shown grit and determination.

We have shown unity.

We have shown a commitment to supporting one another.

And Labour has been there every step of the way.

So today my ask of you is simple.

Don't put on the brakes when now more than ever is the time that we need to speed up.

When we need to put people at the centre of our recovery.

When we need to do what Labour has always done.

So let's keep up the momentum.

Let's keep rolling out our plan.

Let's keep rebuilding.

Let's keep moving.
Each participating New Zealander will receive their own official COVID-19 ballot pen, Wright confirmed, in a bid to reduce the possible transmission of infection from voter to voter.

"This is your year to get your official COVID-19 ballot pen - so if you come into a voting place, we'll give you a pen so that you can vote, and you can take your pen away," she said.

Two million of the pens have been produced so far.

As of Monday, 87 percent - about 3.27 million - of New Zealand's potential voters are on the electoral roll, Wright said. The electoral commission is hoping to see that number rise through their campaign, which is kicking off this week.

Board members particularly want to see an increase in the percentage of enrolled young people. Currently, just 61 percent of New Zealand's young people are on the roll - indicating that 39 percent will not be having their say come September.

Teams of workers and youth advocates will be out in the community, visiting places typically frequented by young people to encourage enrolment, Wright said.

Starting this week, personalised enrolment packs will be sent to New Zealand's 3.27 million enrolled voters to ensure their details are up-to-date. The pack will include information on how to vote, who the candidates and political parties are, when voting is open and where to find local voting places. It will also include an EasyVote card, making voting quicker on the day.

Those who wish to enrol can also do so online, by filling out the digital form at vote.nz.

"We've got some big decisions to make and it's important to be enrolled before you vote and have your voice heard. Over the next few weeks we'll help you get all the information you need to take part," Wright said.

"This year, more than ever, it's important to enrol early so you get information about the election and referendums in the mail along with an EasyVote card, which will make voting faster."

Alongside the election, people can also vote on two significant referendums - whether the End of Life Choice Act 2019 should come into force, and whether the recreational use of cannabis should be legalised.

How to get ready for the election
A Pacific bubble could be drifting further out of reach after New Zealand's quarantine fumbles caused anxiety in some island nations.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says while some of the realm countries are keen to establish travel between themselves and New Zealand, others are more hesitant.

"It's not just about New Zealand - it's about the other countries too," Ardern told The AM Show on Monday.

She told host Duncan Garner she intends to check back in with Cook Island Prime Minister Henry Puna to gauge his response to the quarantine audit.

"We spoke a few weeks ago but that was prior to the audit and prior to some of the issues that have been had there."

The audit found managed isolation facilities to be under "extreme stress" and struggling to meet increasing demand.
Ardern told supporters that "being unified" in our approach has worked.

"When a terrorist tried to divide us we came together and we said 'they are us'. When a volcano erupted we threw our arms around those affected, whether they were from near or far.

"And when COVID arrived we didn't hesitate to act, knowing it was the only way to protect those around us. We stayed home.

"We stayed home, sometimes juggling care and work and kids and schooling. We stayed home despite not knowing if there would be a job to return to at the end of it or a business to re-open. We stayed home even when it meant we were separated from loved ones, sometimes in amongst grief and hardship.

"We stayed home, and that made all the difference."

It's been 65 days since the last case of community transmission was recorded, Ardern said.

"That has meant we have been able to open up our economy sooner and more fully than most other places. It has given us opportunities that many others do not have... Through our health response, our plan was simple. Go hard, go early. That gave us the best position to save lives and livelihoods by opening up our economy sooner.

"Had we chosen another path, if we'd chosen to have an ongoing tolerance of COVID and cases all around us in the community, I have no doubt we would still have restrictions in place that would be costing us in many, many ways."
A couple from the Wairarapa named this year's Share Farmers of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy Awards over the weekend have been praised for their hard work, dedication and leadership.

Nick and Rosemarie Bertram took out the prestigious honour on Saturday night, ahead of runners up Sarah and Aidan Stevenson and third place's Samuel and Karen Bennett.

The Bertrams were "high achievers in all areas", said share farmer head judge Jacqui Groves.

The couple impressed the judges by remaining true to the vision, their mission and values in life, Groves said.

Nick, 33, and Rosemarie, 27, are 50/50 sharemilkers on a 150ha, 440-cow farm owned by Barry and Carol McNeil in Woodville.
England's had the biggest relaxation in COVID-19 rules since the lockdown began, with pubs and restaurants reopening at the weekend.

After more than three months, the drought was finally over, but for Kiwis living in London, it was being able to get together at Secret Gold Mine cafe to celebrate which made it special.

"I'm loving it. I'm actually a lot more excited than what I thought I was going to be, to be out and about," one tells Newshub.

"It's good to be out with some friends and just being able to socialise," another says.

Kiwi brewery Yeastie Boys were helping quench the thirst that's been building since March.

"Being stuck in London in little apartments and not being able to get out and do the social stuff has been very hard for a lot of young Kiwis especially," Yeastie Boys founder Stu McKinlay says.

But not all pubs were serving, with some choosing to stay boarded up and closed.

Restaurants could finally open too, with customers dining in for the first time in 100 days.

The streets were bustling and people were busting for a haircut. The city's barbers and stylers run off their feet and booked out for weeks.

The restrictions eased in England only - the wait continues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Shamokin, PA (17872)

Today

Chance of an isolated thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Chance of an isolated thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
TDT | Manama

National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) will now receive and investigate complaints about medical errors and serious accidents by institutions, said Chief Executive Officer Dr Mariam Al Jalahma. This, the CEO said, will improve their performances and allow NHRA to take disciplinary measures against the guilty.

Dr Mariam Al Jalahma was speaking during an online lecture for the Shura Council the health sector legislation and the role of the NHRA in monitoring and regulating the healthcare system in Bahrain. During the lecture organised by the Bahrain Institute for Public Development (BIPD), she explained that NHRA is an independent regulatory body established in 2010 under Law 38 of 2009 with a mission to regulate healthcare sector in Bahrain.

Besides, ensuring best practices per international standards, NHRA is also responsible for implementing and developing health regulations for both governmental and private sectors. NHRA is also responsible for registration and pricing of medicine, licensing pharmaceutical factories, granting approvals for conducting clinical trials, investigating professional misconduct claims, and conducting disciplinary hearings for health professionals in the Kingdom.

Al Jalahma said the laws regarding the practice of medicine and dentistry as well as the pharmacy are to be amended, saying they had been referred to the Supreme Council of Health.
TDT | Manama

Alternative sentencing brings a qualitative shift in reducing recidivism and helps offenders become a contributing member of society, observed a top judicial official. Bahrain, according to Judge Ibrahim Salman Al Jafn, President of the second High Criminal Court of Appeal, is the first amongst its neighbours to bring into force such a law that provides families and civil society a role in reforming offenders, where traditional penalties are avoidable.

The law no 18 of 2017, Al Jafn said, brings a qualitative shift in Bahrains traditional sentencing system as it also allows the public prosecution or a judge to replace pretrial detention with commuted punishments.

Alternative penalties include community service, house arrest, the prohibition of access to a particular place or places, commitment to non-exposure or contact with certain persons or entities, electronic surveillance, attending rehabilitation and training programmes and repairing the damage caused by the crime.

Judges began implementing the law, ratified by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, soon after its enforcement, with its provisions expanding to include more areas overtime, Al Ayam quoted, A Jafn as saying in a report published yesterday.

Al-Jafn said the Supreme Council of Judges, represented by Counselor Abdullah bin Hassan Al-Buainain, President of the Court of Cassation and Vice-President of the Supreme Council of Judges, soon after the issuance of the law organised courses for judges to accommodate this new law in situations that deemed suitable.

On the factors which make alternative sentencing desirable, Al Jafn said the law is having a huge positive impact on the convicts and their families. Keeping wrongdoers with his family members, ensures that they continue to fulfil their family duties, avoids personal and social damages of family members and raise their children to become good citizens.

While traditional system strangles the freedom of a convicted person resulting in him losing his financial ability to support family members, the alternative method not only prevents all of this but also avoids inflicting lasting psychological harm to the convicts, thereby helping him contribute to the social developments.

The process also speeds up delivering justice to victims in cases where they seek damages for the loss they suffered from theft, fraud, embezzlement and other crimes. Alternative sentencing while not depriving the wrongdoers of his civil liberties also ensures that the victim is compensated properly for his losses by obliging the offender to pay as determined by the court.

Judge Ibrahim Al-Jafn explained that the method provides the court with a third option, especially when the crime involved doesnt warrant confinement. In such cases, alternative measures can be an appropriate option, which will give judge to explore more options in estimating an appropriate punishment for the crime committed.

For example, in violations related to coronavirus (COVID-19) preventive measures, the alternative system is employed frequently to ensure that the spread of the disease is minimised, where violators are subjected to house arrest and electronic monitoring.

Alternative sentencing, AlJafn said, allows a judge to replace pre-trial detention with communal punishments, while the investigation continues and public prosecution refers it to a competent court for trial. Judge Ibrahim Al-Jafn indicated that a concerned judge might implement one of the seven alternative methods defined by law in cases where it deemed fit after hearing the statements of the Public Prosecution.

Alternative punishments are also effective in cases where the person involved are unable to pay the fine. The accused and his representative may also directly request the judge to enact one of the alternative penalties in situations where the rule is applicable. The judge also by his own accord can replace the decree that is depriving of liberty with an alternative penalty.

In the case of an accused or his agent requesting alternative penalties after the issuance of the ruling, this shall be the prerogative of the judge and the extent to which the legal conditions are met after hearing Public Prosecution. With that being said, it is easy to see the advantages that have been associated with alternative sentencing for it to be used more frequently.

Though there are not enough statistics all around the world to make a strong, casual argument that alternative sentencing definitively reduces recidivism, there has been enough to suggest they are more humane, less costly, and though they do not decrease recidivism, they do not increase it either. Experts have also pointed out that alternative sentencing would substantially reduce corrections costs.
I am the great grandson of a slave. I lived through the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the ensuing riots across America. As a congressman, I counseled President George H. W. Bush following the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police and the riots that followed which resulted in the deaths of 68 people. After seeing the video of the horrific killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, I have been searching for solutions Congress and Americans can adopt now to stop the systemic racism problem in America and its institutions.

We need the U.S. justice system to work fairly and quickly. For Americans  especially the Black community the wait for justice is simply too long. In the case of civil rights charges brought against police, Congress should enact legislation requiring an expedited legal process  90 days from indictment to conclusion.

In nearly all of the wrongful deaths of Black people, regardless of the criminal verdict, families have often been able to recover millions of dollars in civil lawsuits. King received almost $4 million in damages. Who pays? The taxpayers, despite having nothing to do with the incident other than being the employer of the police officer. That needs to change.

The police officer, however, rarely has the personal resources to fairly compensate a victims family. The police union associated with the incident should be required by law to pay the victims families per a civil case decision. Congress should include this provision as part of any amendment to the Civil Rights Act or as a new policing law only to be used when the death of a Black person or other protected person occurs at the hands of a police officer or law enforcement official. As we have seen, Black Americans are dramatically at risk of dying in police custody. If these events start to affect police revenue or pension funds, it would truly act as a deterrent. The families should receive not only just damages, but taxpayers should no longer pay the price for the wrongdoings of police officers.

The federal government should enforce the executive order written by former Nixon Assistant Labor Secretary Arthur Fletcher that requires fair employment practices (hiring, promotion, terminations, compensation) in all levels of employment, from the executive suites and board of directors to the janitors and receptionists, and all levels in between (hourly, clerical, supervisory, manager, director, vice president).

We are ignoring the laws already on the books that would help the Black community and make for a more diverse workplace. Hundreds of thousands of Black Americans are being affected daily. In some instances, violations are an affront to existing civil rights laws that prohibit any federal dollars going to companies that discriminate on the basis of race. Evidence in each job classification of disparate treatment in employment practices would be the determining factor. When you control the work of an individual, you control the quality of life and longevity of life for that person. You determine whether they live in a safe neighborhood or one filled with violence and poor schools, you determine their generational wealth and access to quality health care.

Every Fortune 1000 company, university, association, firms (of size), etc. should display their reports on race and employment practices prominently on their websites. Where there are problems, they can develop a plan that would include goals and timetables for meaningful progress to be made. No company should be immediately punished, as long as they acknowledge their results and adhere to a defined corrective action.

Black Americans do not want favors, just fairness. We need to quickly show the Black community, the nation, and the world that the greatest country in the history of humankind can make adjustments to its system to quickly put the country on a trajectory that would eventually allow America to live up to its creed of liberty and justice for all.

America, we can do this. America, we must do this.

Gary Franks was the first Black Republican elected to the US House of Representatives in nearly 60 years, first black Member of U.S. House of Representatives from New England, the nations first black conservative member of Congress, and represented Connecticut from 1991 to 1997. Hes the host of the We Speak Frankly podcast.
Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.
The Quiruvilca Mine (the "Property"), Quiruvilca District, Santiago de Chuco Province, La Libertad, Peru is located 6 miles south-east of the Company's San Vincente Property.

The mine is located at an elevation of 3,800 meters in the Andes Mountains of Northern Peru, approximately 80 miles inland from the coastal city of Trujillo, Peru in the district of Agallpampa, Province of Otuzco. The Property is located in the occidental part of the Tertiary Volcanic Belt of the Western Cordillera and is underlain by rocks of the Calipuy Formation, a precious and base metals metallotects formation found in Peru. The Calipuy Formation is the product of post tectonic volcanism in the Cordillera region.

Quiruvilca Mine

Quiruvilca is one of Peru's oldest mines with mineralization first reported in the area in 1789. Mining at a corporate level started in 1907 and more or less until 1930 or so. The Quiruvilca Mine has been in continuous operation since about 1940 until 2018 and was initially, focused on the silver bearing veins on the property. In 1967, the mill started to treat complex ores producing silver, lead and zinc concentrate. In 1995, Pan American acquired an 80% interest in the Quiruvilca Mine and increased their interest to 99.7% by 1996.

The workings are extensive, spread out over a wide area, in many veins. Currently, grades run at about 150 g/t silver, 4% zinc, 1.5% lead and 0.5% copper. Stoping has taken place in, reportedly, 60 places. Considering the 1,725 tons/per/day that the mine can process, that is a lot of small stopes! The underground working places are accessed by several adits/ramps and one shaft. Ore is moved to surface, primarily, by one long conveyor belt system but also supplemented by rail movement from ore passes plus skip-hoisted ore.

The Quiruvilca deposits are in layered volcanic rocks of the Miocene Calipuy Formation which includes andesite and minor basalt flows. The Calipuy formations have an estimated thickness in excess of 2,000m. Intrusive rocks include andesite stocks and dykes. The ore zones have four distinct zones. Ores in the central part of the district are mesothermal and are dominated by enargite. The mesothermal deposits grade outward to the epithermal deposits. Lewis (1956) described the various zones in some detail. The inner zone is called the Enargite Zone and, in the past, encompassed the major part of the Quiruvilca Mine. Little mining is done in that zone today. Minerals associated with the enargite in this zone are pyrite tennantite, wurtzite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, orpiment, galena and rare hutcinsonite. The second zone outwards is the Transition Zone which is up to 1,400m wide. Its dominant ore mineral is sphalerite with pyrite and tennatite-tetrahedrite. Other sulphides include chalcopyrite, galena, marcasite, arsenopyrite, covellite and wurtzite. Gangue minerals are mostly massive quartz and occasional rhodochrosite and calcite. The third zone outward is the epithermal Lead-Zinc Zone characterized by sphalerite and galena accompanied by pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite-tennantite, marcasite, arsenopyrite and gratonite. Gangue minerals in the lead zinc zone are quartz, dolomite, rhodochrosite and calcite. The outermost zone is the Stibnite zone. In addition to stibnite, the other minerals there are arsenopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and arsenic.

Leonard De Melt, CEO of Lida stated,

"This transaction is an important consolidation of land in an important part of Peru. The San Vicente mine was in production of gold and silver concentrate until 2011. The Quiruvilca Mine is only 6 miles away from the Company's San Vincente Property and we feel that mineralized zones connect the two properties. I feel that the large near massive sulphide copper rich zone near the bottom of the Quiruvilca mine has excellent potential and I believe this structure had a 2.5km potential that had only a few drill holes into it. I believe this combined project would potentially make an excellent exploration/resource build project that could return to mining with some key investment and management. Our goal is the completely change the mining methodology. The 2.5km gold/copper sulfides zone requires infill drilling to prove out tonnage. Our objective is to change from a vein type silver mine profile to a high tonnage gold/copper mine profile."

About Lida Resources Inc.

Lida acquires properties by staking initial mineral claims, negotiating for permits from government authorities, acquiring mineral claims or permits from existing holders, entering into option agreements to acquire interests in mineral claims or purchasing companies with mineral claims or permits. On these properties, the Company explores for minerals on its own or in joint ventures with others. Exploration for metals usually includes surface sampling, airborne and/or ground geophysical surveys and drilling. The Company is not limited to any particular metal or region, but the corporate focus is on precious and base metals in South America, specifically Peru, as at the date hereof.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION DISCLAIMER

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward looking information, including but not limited to, expansion of operations. Forward looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward looking information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward looking information as a result of competitive factors and competition for investment opportunities, challenges relating to operations in international markets, transaction execution risk, changes to the Company's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable based on current expectations and potential investment pipeline, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. 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, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE Lida Resources Inc

For further information: Leonard De Melt, President and CEO (604) 724-9515, [email protected]; Geoffrey Balderson, CFO (604) 604-0001, [email protected]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Ram Nath Kovind and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance at Rashtrapati Bhavan today, read a post on the official Twitter handle of President of India.

The Prime Minister on Friday made a surprise visit to Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at Nimmoo amid ongoing border tension with China. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

Taking an apparent dig at China, while addressing the soldiers in Nimmoo, Leh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the age of expansionism is over and added that the new age of development is here.

Prime Minister @narendramodi called on President Kovind and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. pic.twitter.com/yKBXCnfboE  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 5, 2020

Also Read: Kanpur encounter: Vikas Dubey knew about raid, reveals close aid to police

Also Read: Kanpur encounter: Vikas Dubey knew about raid, reveals close aid to police

From Leh, Ladakh to Siachen and Kargiland Galwans icy watersevery mountain, every peak is witness to the valour of Indian soldiers. Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, said PM Modi. The Prime Minister also said that the people of Ladakh have rejected every attempt to create separatism in the region.

Ladakh is the head of the country. This is the symbol of pride for the 130 crore citizens of India. This land belongs to the people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the country Every attempt to create separatism in the region was rejected by the nationalist people of Ladakh, Modi said.

PM Modi said the bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. Bharat Matas enemies have seen your fire and fury, he added.

The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength. Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today. I once again pay my tributes to the brave soldiers martyred in Galwan Valley, said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister paid tributes to the valour of the Indian Armed Forces, stating that their courage and devotion to Mother India is unparalleled. He said Indians can go about their lives peacefully because they know that the armed forces are standing firm, protecting the nation in the borders.

Prime Minister remembered the soldiers who lost their lives in the Galwan Valley clash. He said those who sacrificed their lives belong to all parts of India and epitomised our lands ethos of bravery. He further said, We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idealise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshana Chakra.

The Prime Minister added that India has increased expenditure on development of infrastructure in the border area by three times.

Highlighting women empowerment in the battlefield, PM Modi said, I am looking at women soldiers in front of me. In the battlefield at the border, this view is inspiring.Today I speak of your glory. Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace. Whether World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity, he added.

The soldiers were seen maintaining social distancing while the Prime Minister addressed them. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month.

Also Read: Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh visit DRDOs Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid-19 facility in Delhi

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With heavier deployments of frontline fighter aircrafts along the LAC, and adequate resources in terms of men and equipment, IAF pilots say they are ready for all challenges against China at the 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.

Also read: Army rejects charges on treatment to personnel, calls reports unfortunate

Also read: Priyanka Gandhi calls party meeting over UPs law and order situation

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.

Also read: PM lauds BJP workers for relief work done during lockdown

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Deemed as the largest Covid-19 facility in the world, the centre was inaugurated within a record time of 11 days as an isolation centre for mild to asymptomatic patients, with more than 2000 beds in the first phase of operation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the DRDO-built Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID-19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Sunday. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy were present as well.

The DRDO-built Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID-19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment, the temporary hospital structure that has been erected in 11 days and has 1,000 beds including 250 ICU beds, informed DRDO officials.

Also read: Highest single-day spike of 24,000+ Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours

Also read: Complete lockdown in Bengaluru for 33 hours due to Covid-19 surge

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while visiting the DRDO-built Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID-19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Sunday said that the facility is a perfect hospital and was built here in compliance with the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation.

The DRDO, Ministry of Home Affairs, Tata Sons Industries and with support of many organisations this 1,000-bed temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients has been set up. The speciality about this hospital is that it has been set up in just 12 days, Singh told ANI.

I have been given the information that more than 250 intensive care unit beds have been established here. It is a perfect hospital. This hospital has been set up as per the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation, he added.

Also read: Kolkata restricts flights from Delhi, Mumbai and others from July 6

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A Covid-19 positive Corona Warrior Dr. Sultana was detained at a private hospital in Telangana. As coronavirus cases spike across the country, treatment prices at private hospitals rise with them, despite regional price caps at government hospitals.

The government of Telangana has capped the cost of conducting a Covid-19 test in a private lab at Rs 2,200 while the fee for treatment in an ICU without ventilator support is Rs 7,500 per day. It would be Rs 9,000 per day for those who are on ventilator support and for mere quarantine and treatment (not ICU) only Rs 4000 rupees. But most private hospitals blatantly violate these norms and are cashing in on the fear among Covid-19 patients.

There are many complaints of hefty bills against private hospitals in Hyderabad. Dr Sultana, Divisional Medical Officer (DMO) of the Government run Fever hospital, who was admitted with COVID-19 in Thumbay Hospital New Life in Chaderghat (old city of Hyderabad), was given a bill of Rs 1.15 lakh for 24 hours of Covid-19 treatment.

According to reports, the hospital staff had detained her for paying only Rs. 40,000 and demanded her to pay the rest of the amount and leave the hospital.

Dr. Sultana (DMO) of Fever hospital who was admitted with COVID-19 in Pvt hospital Of hyd was charged Rs 1.15 lakh for 24 hours of COVID-19 treatment.the hospital staff had detained her for paying only Rs 40000 @KTRTRS @TelanganaCMO need to control fee in pvt hospitals pic.twitter.com/7GQ5geCyze  Lokesh journo (@Lokeshpaila) July 5, 2020

Also Read: Highest single-day spike of 24,000+ Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours

Also Read: Kanpur encounter: Vikas Dubey knew about raid, reveals close aid to police

Dr. Sultana released a video about her bitter experience and complained to the police in writing. She wrote I am a Covid warrior doctor. On 1st July 2020 midnight, I had breathing problems for which I was admitted at Thumbay hospital. Neither is the medicine good or nurses responsible. They did not give any medication on time. After 22 hours, I was discharged. A 1.15 lakh bill was given to me for a day. I paid Rs 40,000. I do not have money. They have detained me. Please help.

She was later shifted to govt run super specialty hospital NIMS. The Health minister ordered free treatment for her. Not only corona warrior Dr. Sultana, but also many patients who undergo treatment in private hospitals are given bills amounting to lakhs. The Tumbey hospital management said that she fought with hospital staff so many nurses refused to treat her.

When NewsX contacted the industrialist and health care expert Dr. Gedela Srinubabu, he said, Due to better facilities, we all demanded Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals at affordable prices. However, many hospitals are violating norms. I request the government of Telangana to keep an eye on such hospitals and take stringent action on them. Only then will they fall in line.

Also Read: Amid India China tensions, IAF displays combat preparedness along LAC

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National toll inches closer to the 7 lakh mark with almost 20,000 deaths, while Maharashtra continues to remain the most affected state with more than 2 lakh confirmed cases, the Health Ministry reported on Sunday.

India has reported its highest-ever single-day spike of 24,850 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

With these new cases, Indias coronavirus count now stands at 6,73,165 cases of which 2,44,814 patients are active cases. Indias cured/discharged patients crossed the 4 lakh mark with 4,09,082 patients cured/discharged and while one patient has migrated.

613 deaths due to coronavirus were reported in the country in the last 24 hours taking the death toll in the country to 19,268.

Also read: Complete lockdown in Bengaluru for 33 hours due to Covid-19 surge

Also read: Kolkata restricts flights from Delhi, Mumbai and others from July 6

As per the Health Ministry, coronavirus cases in Maharashtra  the worst affected state from the infection  has breached the 2 lakh mark with 2,00,064 cases including 8,671 deaths. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has a total of 1,07,001 cases and 1,450 fatalities.

Delhis coronavirus tally nears the 1 lakh mark with 97,200 cases and the number of people succumbing to the virus stands at 3,004 in the national capital.

The total number of samples tested up to July 4 is 97,89,066 of which 2,48,934 samples were tested yesterday, informed the Indian Council of Medical Research on Sunday.

Also read: Indias Covid vaccine likely to be launched by August 15th

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Absconding criminal Vikas Dubey's accomplice, Daya Shankar Agnihotri, revealed to the police that Dubey had already received a phone call from the police station after which he gathered people and opened fired on police's arrival.

The main accused in the Kanpur encounter case, Vikas Dubey, had received a phone call from the police station before the police came to arrest him following which he had called other accomplices and fired bullets on the police personnel, claimed Daya Shankar Agnihotri, an accomplice of Dubey.

Earlier today, the police arrested Daya Shankar Agnihotri, an alleged accomplice of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey in Kalyanpur.

He (Vikas Dubey) received a phone call from the police station before the police came to arrest him. Following this, he called around 25-30 people. He fired bullets on police personnel, said Agnihotri.I was locked inside the house at the time of encounter, therefore, saw nothing, he added.

Also read: Amid India China tensions, IAF displays combat preparedness along LAC

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Dubey is the main accused in the Kanpur encounter case, in which a group of assailants allegedly opened fire on a police team that was trying to arrest a criminal in the city late on Thursday night. Eight policemen were killed in the incident.

In another development, a photo of Vikas Dubey has been put up at check-post near the India-Nepal border in Rupaidiha, Bahraich district.

According to sources, Dubeys last location was traced in Auraiya and it is suspected that he might have gone to Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan, crossing the Uttar Pradesh border.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has contacted the police of both the states. Even after 55 hours, UP Police and ATS have not yet discovered anything in this regard, sources informed.

Review of all the old cases of Dubey has been commenced, the Director-General of Police (DGP) has asked for the current status of these reports while it is being monitored by the Police Headquarters, sources added.

In March, the STF had sent a list of 25 felony criminals to the police headquarters, which did not have Dubeys name. Vikas has run away with CCTV recordings of a dozen cameras installed at his home, said sources.

The sources have also stated that the names of about 20 policemen have come out in Dubeys call details in which there is evidence of constant contact with two policemen beside one police personnel from Chaubepur Police Station.

According to police sources, Vinay Tiwari, station house officer at Chaubepur Police station tried to save Dubey. Tiwari did not want the backup police party to reach the spot, so he delayed the rest of the team from going to the spot, sources said.

Tiwari was on a constant phone conversation with Dubey, he did not want any action to be taken, sources informed. Under pressure from CO Devendra Mishra, the SHO became a part of this operation.

Vinay Tiwari had already told Dubey about the pressure coming from CO following which CO Devendra was killed ruthlessly, said sources.

Meanwhile, Chhatrapal Singh, Operator, Shivli Power Sub-station, Kanpur said, On 3rd July, I had received a call from Chaubeypur Power Station to cut power in Bikaru village (site of Kanpur encounter) as a power line was damaged there.

Following which the power was cut from this sub-station, at present, the Kanpur police is also questioning the operator of this sub-station.

Also read: Priyanka Gandhi calls party meeting over UPs law and order situation

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PM Modi extended his heartfelt greetings to US President Donald Trump on the occasion of the country's 244th Independence Day. He invoked ideals of liberty and democracy marked by the Fourth of July.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his wishes on Americas 244th Independence Day.

Earlier today, Modi 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. @WhiteHouse

I congratulate @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and the people of the USA on the 244th Independence Day of the USA. As the world's largest democracies, we cherish freedom and human enterprise that this day celebrates. @WhiteHouse  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2020

While replying to PM Modis wishes, Trump tweeted: Thank you my friend. America loves India!

Also read: Pakistan under pressure to review China policy or face global isolation

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Thank you my friend. America loves India! https://t.co/mlvJ51l8XJ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2020

The US President also attended the July 4 American Independence Day celebrations in South Dakota.

Also read: Boycott China: Indian Americans, Taiwanese Americans and Tibetans protest at Times Square

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In Independence Day address,Trump said US economy was doing great until it was hit by the novel Coronavirus; China's deception and secrecy helped spread it worldwide.

Launching another scathing attack on China, US President Donald Trump addressed the second Salute to America on Americas 244th Independence Day, saying that the country was doing great until it got hit by a virus that came from China.

The power of tariffs being imposed on foreign lands that took advantage of the United States for decades enabled us to make great trade deals where there were none. Tens of billions of dollars are now paid to the US treasury by the same countries but then we got hit by the virus that came from China, Trump said.

He further said, Were producing gowns, masks, and surgical equipmentIt was almost exclusively made in foreign lands, in particular, China where ironically this virus and others came from.

Also read: Pakistan under pressure to review China policy or face global isolation

Also read: WHO team to visit China next week to investigate origins of coronavirus

Chinas secrecy, deceptions, and cover-ups allowed it to spread all over the world and China must be held fully accountable.

Speaking on the coronavirus vaccines, Trump said, We are now unbelievably doing well and are testing on vaccines, treatments and therapeutics. I want to send our thanks to scientists and researchers around the country and the world who are at the forefront of our historic effort to rapidly develop and deliver life-saving treatments and ultimately a vaccine. We are unleashing our nations scientific brilliance and we will likely have a therapeutic and vaccines solution long before the end of the year.

He said that the country has till now tested almost 40 million people and, hence, the country is showing results that no other country is showing because no other country is testing like we havewe have the finest testing facilities.

Also read: Global coronavirus tally touches 11 million

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Unlike her martyred son, Alberta King never gained world-wide fame, was never awarded a peace prize, was never memorialized with a statue in the nations capitol, never honored with a national holiday in her name.
Combination with HIV drug showed no reduction in mortality, immediate halt to affect other studies using hydroxychloroquine to find Covid-19 cure.

The World Health Organisation on Saturday has halted its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination of HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients after they failed to reduce the death rate, Al Jazeera reported.

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 the standard of care. Solidarity trial investigators will interrupt the trials with immediate effect, the WHO was quoted as saying in a statement.

The WHO has added that this decision will now affect the other studies where the drugs are being used for non-hospitalised or as prophylaxis.

Also read: Canada advises citizens against travelling to Hong Kong

Also read: WHO team to visit China next week to investigate origins of coronavirus

Meanwhile, the WHO has reported a total of 212,326 new cases of coronavirus globally in 24 hours.

The agency further stated that 5,134 deaths have been reported in past 24 hours, taking the total toll to 523,011.

The WHO had declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11.

Also read: Global coronavirus tally touches 11 million

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Fireworks are an American tradition, most notably as a way to celebrate Independence Day. While we wont be able to enjoy the West Haven fireworks this year due to COVID-19 gathering guidelines, many residents are already experiencing an increase in fireworks in residential neighborhoods. As a collective body that cares about the safety and well-being of our West Haven residents, the West Haven City Council is asking that you care for your neighbors by considering the following:

In Connecticut, most fireworks are not allowed by law for use by non-professional, non-licensed users. There are several reasons for this. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 8500 people in the United States are treated in emergency departments each year for fireworks-related injuries. Many of them are children.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 51F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 51F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
The Associated PressA worker passes public school buses parked at a depot in Manchester, N.H. School districts across America are in the midst of wrenching decisions during the summer about how to resume classes in settings radically altered by the coronavirus pandemic, with socially distanced school buses, virtual learning, outdoor classrooms and quarantine protocols for infected children as the new norm.
Niagara Region staff will get to work Monday crafting a motion that would make wearing masks mandatory at indoor locations where physical distancing isnt possible.

Region Chairman Jim Bradley has opted to call a special meeting of regional council for Wednesday afternoon to consider the motion.

Councillors will use the special meeting to debate, amend and eventually vote on a bylaw  or defer the issue for more study.

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said he supports the mandatory mask concept.

We see visitors here every day from the GTA, and we are failing if we arent protecting our residents, Sendzik said. The goal is to protect the community and the economy.

With local businesses struggling, Sendzik said he is concerned about the economic fallout from a second wave of the COVID-19 virus and another lockdown.

Brock University recently announced everyone entering a campus building must have a face covering.

Daryl Barnhart, a communications specialist at Niagara Region, said the chair made the decision Friday to call the special meeting.

Communities across the province are having this debate, he said.

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said many tourism operators, such as Niagara Parks Commission, have decided on their own to make masks mandatory. The parks commission hands them out for free at its attractions.

Catharines city council has a meeting to consider a similar motion scheduled for Monday. Niagara Falls will take up the issue at a council meeting on July 14.

Guelph-Wellington introduced a mask policy on June 10. Windsor-Essex and Kingston-Frontenac enacted one at the end of the month. Toronto city council voted to make masks mandatory starting July 7.

The mayors and chairs of the GTA and Hamilton have signed a joint letter to Queens Park asking for a mandatory-mask policy to cover the entire province.

Last month Premier Doug Ford said Ontarians should wear their masks when they cant social distance but said he is reluctant because the provincial legislation would be difficult to enforce.

In the same news conference, Dr. David Williams, the provinces chief medical officer of health, said local officials with local knowledge should decide.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagaras acting medical officer of health, said such an order is best made by elected councils using bylaws. They can then turn to their bylaw enforcement officers to deal with compliance issues.

An order from a public health department requires taking violators to court one at a time.

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The Regions procedural bylaws have two methods for calling a special meeting.

The first is by the chair. The second is through a petition from more than half of the councillors. The clerk has to give council members at least 48 hours notice.
For years, Facebook Inc. brushed off complaints from civil rights groups that it didnt do enough to combat racism, discrimination and voter suppression flourishing on its site. Now, pressure from a boycott by major advertisers is forcing the social media giant to address their concerns.

Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet on Tuesday with leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change to discuss their requests. Facebook is increasingly playing defence against a growing group of civil rights organizations, employees and companies demanding that the technology giant do more to fight injustice on its platform.

Right now is a moment of real reckoning for the company, said Vanita Gupta, chief executive officer of The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights. Theres a lot of pressure.

The advocates led the campaign to persuade advertisers including Starbucks Corp. and PepsiCo Inc. to halt spending on the platform, focusing attention on Facebooks policies as public outrage swells over racial inequities in America following the shocking video of the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Civil rights groups have long been asking Facebook to make policy and staffing changes to address their grievances. Concerns have included how the platform has promoted discriminatory advertising, allowed foreign adversaries to try to suppress the Black vote, and let white supremacy groups organize rallies.

Leaders of the groups said their efforts to get the social media platform to change have often been only given lip-service, and, at times, even attacked.

Facebook declined to comment, but pointed to an announcement Friday that it will attach to posts about voting a link to an information portal that explains how and when users can vote and how to register. The company has set a goal of helping to register 4 million new voters before the presidential election.

Increasing scrutiny

Facebook is also under increasing scrutiny in Washington. Zuckerberg has agreed to testify before a House antitrust panel along with CEOs of other large technology platforms and the company faces antitrust investigations by two federal agencies and nearly all 50 states.

Gupta and other advocates said Facebook has improved its response to concerns about Census misinformation and has curtailed discriminatory ads, but has fallen short in fighting voter suppression, election misinformation and moderating political speech.

They are making many of the changes at our urging, but are missing the core piece, Gupta said, pointing to Zuckerbergs insistence on leaving misleading political speech unchecked because he deems the content newsworthy.

Gupta was on a call with Zuckerberg last month, along with Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, and Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to discuss Facebooks plans to prepare for the upcoming elections. Donald Trump had recently threatened on social media to withhold funding from Michigan over the states mail-in balloting plans. When Gupta questioned Facebooks policy on political speech, Zuckerberg told her Trumps posts represented hard edge cases, she recalls. Gupta said she disagreed and told him at every turn you should be making the decision to weigh in favour of fair elections and protecting voting rights.

Civil rights advocates had been contacting Facebook as early as 2017 about issues such as hate speech and election interference, but intensified their outreach following reports that Russian operatives had exploited Facebook and other platforms to suppress Black voting, stir social unrest and help Trump win the 2016 election.

Madihha Ahussain, a special counsel for Washington-based group Muslim Advocates, said that while her group initially thought they were making progress with Facebook over anti-Muslim posts, they began to realize the company wasnt taking systematic action. They were just listening to us and nothing is changing on the platform itself, Ahussain said. We were just getting the runaround.

For Robinson, the turning point came in November 2018, when he got a call from a New York Times reporter asking him to comment on startling revelations: Facebook had hired Definers Public Affairs, a former Republican-linked firm, to compile opposition research about billionaire investor George Soross funding of groups that were critical of Facebook  including Color of Change  and circulate it to reporters. Soros had attacked Facebook earlier that year as a menace to society.

It became very clear that we had to reset the terms of the relationship, with Facebook, said Robinson. We knew that we must have been on to something if they were trying to spend their money to discredit us.

The advocates sent an open letter to Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg calling for the creation of a C-suite position to advocate for users needs and work with civil rights groups. They also sought more transparency about a civil rights audit the company had initiated. Facebook fired Definers and Sandberg later apologized in a meeting with the advocates. Facebook tapped Laura Murphy, a veteran at the American Civil Liberties Union, to do the audit and agreed to release the results.

Election war room

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Meanwhile, the groups were growing increasingly concerned that Facebook wasnt prepared to spot and eliminate voter-suppression campaigns or misinformation on its platform ahead of the 2018 mid-terms.

About two months before the election, groups including the National Urban League and the NAACP travelled to Facebooks headquarters in Silicon Valley to see its election war room and discuss its election-integrity plan with company officials, including Sandberg, said LaShawn Warren, executive vice president of government affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which also attended.

To Warren, the Facebook team seemed more focused on eliminating inaccurate information about poll locations and opening and closing times than it was in detecting more sophisticated ways bad actors could try to dissuade voters. Her group pressed Facebook to hire more people with voter-suppression expertise.

On Dec. 18 2018, Facebook released an update from Murphy detailing what Facebook had done. Facebook had also hired voting experts to help with its election-integrity work.

It wasnt enough for the groups. That same day, more than 30 organizations representing civil rights advocates, big tech critics and liberal causes wrote a letter expressing profound disappointment regarding Facebooks role in generating bigotry and hatred toward vulnerable communities and called for Zuckerberg and Sandberg to step down from the board.

They didnt step down, but Sandberg and other Facebook officials continued to talk with civil rights groups about their complaints. Sandberg met with advocates and members of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington in May 2019.

Facebook won praise from the groups for its plan to ban content that misrepresents the 2020 U.S. Census, but tensions flared again in October of last year around Zuckerbergs speech at Georgetown University, in which he defended the companys policy to not fact-checking political ads. He extolled the platforms fight to uphold free speech, citing protests against the Vietnam War and Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

Zuckerberg had previewed his remarks during a phone call with at least one civil rights leader who expressed concern that his emphasis on free speech could come at the expense of civil rights, according to a person familiar with the matter. The leader told Zuckerberg that Facebooks top executives had no civil rights experience. The co-founder responded that he had a lot of former president Barack Obama people on staff, the person said. The leader also cautioned him against invoking Martin Luther King Jr. to make his point, the person said.

Zuckerbergs speech won praise from conservatives, but criticism from civil rights advocates including Kings daughter, Bernice King, who argued that Facebook was avoiding reforming its content-moderation practices.

Just before the speech, Politico reported that since July 2019, Zuckerberg had been meeting with prominent conservative thinkers, including commentator Ben Shapiro, Brent Bozell and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Facebook was increasingly facing criticism for catering to conservatives in its polices and rhetoric. It was only after news broke about Zuckerbergs meetings with right-leaning pundits that he invited the civil rights advocates to a dinner at his Palo Alto, California, home in November 2019.

I did feel that Zuckerberg listened to us, said Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, who was at the dinner. Listening is not quite the same, you know, as being willing to actually make change.

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TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:

Business outlook

Bank of Canada will release its business outlook survey and Canadian survey of consumer expectations on Monday. The banks previous survey revealed that business sentiment had softened in most regions of the country before COVID-19 delivered a shock to the Canadian economy.

Housing starts

CMHC is scheduled to release June housing starts data on Wednesday. The federal housing agency said in June that it expects a combination of factors related to the pandemic, such as higher unemployment and lower income, to slow housing starts and push sales and home prices below pre-COVID levels.

Pandemic effects

Statistics Canada will release its report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families and children on Thursday. Organizations representing child care providers from several provinces have recently said their ability to provide a safe environment in day care and foster child facilities have been jeopardized due to a lack of government funding and confusion over pandemic measures.

Shaw earnings

Shaw Communications will hold its third-quarter conference call on Friday. The Calgary-based company laid off up to 1,000 people in April, just days after it provided a cautious but hopeful financial report to analysts and said most of its business was performing well operationally during the COVID-19 crisis.

June job numbers

Statistics Canada is scheduled to release its labour force survey for June on Friday. The agencys previous monthly report showed that the country got back 289,600 jobs in May  which mirrored a similar bump in the U.S.  after three million jobs were lost over March and April and about 2.5 million more people had their hours slashed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2020.
OTTAWA - Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the countrys finances after four months of COVID-19  and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year.

Wednesdays fiscal snapshot will be the first public assessment of the countrys economic and financial situation since the pandemic started in earnest in March, forcing provinces into lockdown and the Liberal government to start doling out billions in aid in lieu of a federal budget.

The snapshot is expected to give an idea of how the government sees the rest of the fiscal year playing out, including figures for a potential deficit.

But the Conservatives and NDP made clear Sunday that they want more than just numbers: they want action. That includes additions, changes and expansions to federal COVID-19 support programs along with more accountability and transparency.

Yet while the Conservatives also called for the Liberals to produce a plan to get government spending under control, the NDP warned against any premature efforts to cut federal assistance.

Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre on Sunday blasted the Liberals handling of the economy while small business critic James Cumming underscored the importance of accurate fiscal projections and planning from the government for Canadian business.

What business needs as they start to open up is some level of certainty, Cumming said during a news conference on Parliament Hill.

They need to understand what the governments finances are to understand how long these programs are going to last to assist them and when they will be starting to phase out. And a lot of that has a lot to do with the financial health of the government.

Federal figures last week showed direct government spending on COVID-19 supports at just over $174 billion, which included another increase to the budget for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. That is now expected to cost $80 billion as eligibility increased to 24 from 16 weeks.

At the same time, Statistics Canada last week reported that the Canadian economy shrank 11.6 per cent in April  the largest monthly drop on record. That follows a 7.5 per cent contraction in gross domestic product in March. Both are expected to hit Ottawas bottom line through lost tax revenue.

Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux has previously predicted that the increased spending and lost revenue could combine to see the federal deficit top $250 billion this year.

With COVID-19 in retreat across most of the country  at least for the moment  Poilievre said it was time for the Liberals to produce a plan to start getting what he described as Ottawas fiscal mess under control.

That includes weaning Canadians off the CERB and getting them back to work by phasing out the $2,000-per-month benefit based on how much they earn rather than simply cutting off anyone who earns more than $1,000 in a month.

The government is punishing Canadians for working, Poilievre said. We think that people on it should be rewarded when they make the courageous decision to go back to work and make a wage.

Poilievre, who also demanded more money for the federal auditor generals office to better scrutinize government spending during the pandemic, dismissed suggestions that Ottawa needs to keep the taps wide open to stimulate the economy as it starts to reopen.

He instead took aim at various Liberal policies and regulations around natural-resource development, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as having stunted economic growth and prosperity in Canada.

Removing these government obstacles is the way you unleash growth and create a cornucopia of opportunity for our workers and businesses that will generate the wealth, he said. More deficit spending does not create jobs and growth.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet also called last week for the CERB to be phased out to encourage Canadians to return to work. He made an exception for seasonal workers in the arts, hospitality and agricultural industries who will not earn a full income until next summer.

Yet NDP finance critic Peter Julian warned against any early cut to COVID-19 benefits and support and instead repeated longstanding calls from his party for the federal government to crack down on tax havens and tax wealthy Canadians and businesses to pay for the federal aid.

Theres been a call for ... dealing with the economic and financial fallout of the pandemic through cutting services, Julian said in an interview.

We actually believe that now is the time to handle the pandemic from the revenue side. We believe in tackling the tax haven problem, which is more acute in Canada than any other country. And to put in place a wealth tax.

The NDP is also pressing for the Liberals to ease the criteria for businesses to access the federal wage subsidy, which covers up to 75 per cent of employees salaries, to encourage more hiring. And it wants the government to provide promised support for Canadians living with disabilities.

While the fiscal update will be presented in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Julian said the report itself will not require a vote. However, he suggested NDP support for future legislative proposals from the government could be contingent on the Liberals accepting the NDPs requests.

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The Liberals have leaned heavily on the NDP since being elected to a minority government in October. That included securing NDP support for several confidence motions in the winter and spring that, if defeated, could have triggered a federal election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2020.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the federal deficit could top $250 million this year.
WINNIPEGA second teen now faces charges in a series of shootings in Winnipeg that left a woman dead on Canada Day.

Police say a 15-year-old boy was arrested on Friday afternoon and is now charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempting to commit murder as well as aggravated assault and other offences.

A 14-year-old boy already faced one count of first-degree murder in the death of a 27-year-old woman and a slew of shooting charges.

The deceased has been identified as Danielle Dawn Cote of Winnipeg.

Police allege the two boys were present together for three separate incidents, and they say the younger boy now faces additional charges in another, fourth shooting early on July 1 that injured a 17-year-old girl, who was able to get away on foot.

Neither of the two suspects can be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and Const. Jay Murray told reporters Saturday that motives for the shootings arent yet known.

The two suspects weve determined were acquaintances, essentially friends with each other, and its still immediately unclear what prompted these incidents, Murray said.

Police have said their investigation began when a 44-year-old man was struck by a vehicle around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and it was later found he had been shot. Hes in stable condition in hospital.

Less than an hour later Cote and an 18-year-old man were walking along a street when they were shot. The woman died immediately and the man, who police have said was able to make his way to a nearby convenience store, was taken to hospital and is in stable condition.

Police were then called to The Forks, a popular historic and tourist area of the city, around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. A 40-year-old man had been shot and was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Investigators allege the fourth shooting, where only the younger boy is charged, was uncovered during the course of their investigation and happened on Isabel Street early Wednesday in between the first and second incidents.

With regards to why the 15-year-old wasnt charged with that incident at Isabel, its believed that he had briefly broken away from the 14-year-old and then later met up with him again or soon after, Murray said.

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So he just wasnt in that immediate proximity when that shooting happened.

Police have said a firearm has been recovered and is believed to be the one used in the shootings.

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OTTAWAThe national immunity task force has started testing thousands of blood samples for COVID-19 antibodies and should be able to produce a more detailed picture of how many Canadians have been infected with the novel coronavirus within a couple of weeks.

It will be much longer, however, before we know more about what kind of protection against future infection having the antibodies provides, said Dr. Timothy Evans, executive director of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.

Plus, said Evans, most of the people whose blood is being tested will not be informed of the results because of how the blood is being collected for testing.

There wont be an opportunity for individuals to find out their status, said Evans, who is also director of the McGill School of Population and Global Health.

At least 105,000 Canadians have tested positive for COVID-19 since the coronavirus was identified in January, while many others were sick but couldnt get tested because provinces were limiting who could access the procedure until just a few weeks ago.

Evans also said a significant number of people get the infection and show no symptoms and will have no clue they were ever sick. Evans said immunity testing in other countries has suggested the actual infection rate is 10 to 20 times more than the number of confirmed cases.

There are multiple prongs to the task forces plan to figure out the true infection rate here, starting with running antibody tests on 40,000 samples collected from people who donated blood to Canadian Blood Services and Hema Quebec since May. Evans said about 1,600 of those samples are being run through the test kits every day now, and analyses are already under way on the results.

Hopefully within the next two weeks we will have an initial first number, he said.

The first results will reveal how many samples showed antibodies, but include no specifics like whether they are male or female or where they live.

By the end of the month of July, we expect to have a more broken down picture of what we call the seroprevalence, the presence of antibodies in the blood, that will look at it by age group and geographic location, Evans said.

Evans said Canadian Blood Services cant trace back the samples to the actual patients who gave them, so positive antibody tests will not be reported back for anyone who donated blood outside of Quebec. He said Hema Quebec said it might be possible to identify the patients but hasnt yet decided if it will do so.

Another testing program is now beginning on 25,000 blood samples taken from pregnant women, using blood routinely drawn during the first trimester to screen for sexually transmitted infections and check for immunity to other illnesses like rubella. COVID-19 antibody testing will be added to that list for all pregnant women in Canada, going back all the way to December. The women will be informed if they test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, said Evans.

Evans said there are also about 30,000 blood samples held in provincial labs that are being tested for antibodies.

He said together these projects can provide a piecemeal picture of the infection rate across the country, though it wont be a truly representative sample until a national household survey can be run. That isnt going to happen until the portable antibody tests become reliable, but a plan is being developed with Statistics Canada so its ready when the tests are.

Wed love to have a test that didnt require a formal blood draw, but rather a pin prick but were not quite there yet, he said. Theres some things on the horizon. Were trying to get those validated quickly but we still havent got what I would call a good portable test that could be used in the home.

The tests the task force is using now require only a small amount of blood  less than 1/20th of a teaspoon, generally  but it is still more than what comes from a finger prick.

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Evans said understanding how many people got infected can help drive policy decisions about where to vaccinate first, the impact specific public health measures might have had in some settings like long-term care centres, hospitals and schools, or communities that have been hit particularly hard.

The task force also has a two-year mandate to try to look at what kind of protection someone has from having antibodies, as well as how long the levels of antibodies last in a persons blood. Evans said those studies are just getting underway and will take time, including looking to see whether people who have the antibodies get infected during a second or third wave of the pandemic.
The OPP are warning people to check campfire sites before using them after a seven-year-old boy received burns to 75 per cent of his body when a buried propane container exploded while a group of people were roasting marshmallows.

The boy was in serious but stable condition Sunday night in the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontarios intensive care unit after the incident late Saturday night at the Tay River Tent and Trailer Park, near Perth, in eastern Ontario.

The young boy is doing well and its expected that he will be moving out of the intensive care unit, Paddy Moore, a spokesperson with the hospital said late Sunday.

Two adults who had been with the child at the fire were released from hospital Sunday, according to the Ontario Provincial Police, who didnt immediately say how  or whether  the child and two adults are related.

It isnt clear how long the propane cylinder had been at the campsite, or who had placed it there, said an OPP spokesperson.

Were still investigating exactly what happened, said Const. Lori Lobinowich, with the OPPs Lanark County detachment.

But she did say the group was roasting marshmallows, sitting near a campfire that was surrounded by bricks, when the explosion happened. The object that exploded was not a large container, the officer pointed out.

Lobinowich urged campers to be cautious when building fires.

Please dont put anything into a campfire, said Lobinowich, later adding that includes spray cans and garbage. Campers should always check a fire pit before lighting flames, she added.

A staff member answering the phone at the park said the facility wouldnt be issuing any statements.
TEL AVIV, Israel - Israel said Sunday it has ordered thousands of people into quarantine after a contentious phone surveillance program resumed while Palestinians in the West Bank returned to life under lockdown amid a surge in coronavirus cases in both areas.

Israels Health Ministry said Sunday many messages had been sent to Israelis following the renewed involvement of the Shin Bet domestic security agency. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 30,000 people were notified they must enter quarantine since Thursday.

Just weeks ago, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank appeared to have contained outbreaks after imposing strict measures early on during a first wave of infections. But after reporting just a handful of new cases a day in early May, both areas have experienced a steady uptick in cases following an easing of restrictions.

We are at the height of a new corona offensive. This is a very strong outbreak that is growing and spreading in the world and also here, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet.

We are in a state of emergency, he said, adding that Israel would need to further clamp down to rein in the virus.

Israel is now reporting around 1,000 new cases a day, higher than its peak during the previous wave. Late Sunday, the parliaments coronavirus committee voted to impose new restrictions limiting gatherings in bars, synagogues and function halls to 50 people. Additional restrictions are expected in the coming days. It is requiring citizens wear masks and has urged more stringent social distancing.

With its contact tracing apparatus struggling to keep up with the mounting caseload, Israel last week redeployed the Shin Bet to use its sophisticated phone surveillance technology to track Israelis who have come in contact with infected people and then notify them that they must enter home quarantine. The measure is typically used to monitor suspected Palestinian militants.

The contentious tactic was used when the outbreak first emerged earlier this year, and when civil rights groups challenged it in the countrys Supreme Court, the court threatened to halt its use unless it was put under legislative oversight. The Israeli Knesset has since done so twice using temporary legislation, most recently Wednesday.

While officials have defended the practice as a life-saving measure, civil rights groups attacked it as an assault on privacy rights.

Israeli media reported that of the thousands ordered into home quarantine, many Israelis complained that had been falsely identified as being at risk and that a hotline for them to appeal was not functioning. The government said it was trying to resolve the problem.

Israel appeared to have put the pandemic behind it in May, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proudly urging Israelis to go out, grab a coffee or a beer and have fun. Critics have charged Israel let down its guard, reopened too quickly and failed to capitalize on its gained time to improve its contact tracing capabilities to contend with a second wave.

Netanyahu, who was largely seen as having capably handled the first wave, has suffered in public opinion polls more recently.

Since the start of the outbreak, Israel has seen more than 29,000 cases and 330 deaths. More than 17,000 people have recovered.

In the West Bank, residents have been ordered since Friday to remain at home unless they need to purchase food or medicine. Movement between cities and towns is heavily restricted. The lockdown is expected to last five days.

On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas extended a state of emergency in the territory for 30 days, a measure that allows officials to impose additional virus restrictions, including extending lock downs, banning movement between cities and deploying security forces.

Palestinian authorities fear that if the outbreak spirals out of control it could overwhelm its under-resourced health care system.

In the past two weeks, Palestinian health authorities have reported more than 1,700 confirmed coronavirus cases in the West Bank city of Hebron and hundreds more in Bethlehem and Nablus.

The West Bank has reported over 4,000 cases since the outbreak began. Twenty have died.

Elsewhere in the region the virus was also on the rise.

In Iran, the regions virus epicenter, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said there were 2,560 new confirmed cases since Saturday, with 163 new deaths. That put its death toll since the start of the outbreak at more than 11,500, out of 240,438 confirmed cases.

Pakistan reported 93 more coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, increasing the countrys fatalities to 4,712 since the start of its outbreak at the end of February.

According to Sundays government statement, as many as 3,191 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours, increasing the countrys overall cases to 228,474. It also indicated a steady reduction in coronavirus cases in recent days, apparently stemming from a decline in testing.

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Officials say COVID-19 tests are decreasing because many people preferred to quarantine themselves at home after developing symptoms of coronavirus.

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Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
PORTLAND, Maine - School districts across America are in the midst of making wrenching decisions over how to resume classes in settings radically altered by the coronavirus pandemic, with school buses running below capacity, virtual learning, outdoor classrooms and quarantine protocols for infected children the new norm.

The plans for the upcoming school year are taking shape by the day, and vary district to district, state to state. The debates have been highly emotional, with tempers flaring among parents and administrators, and have been made all the more vexing by record numbers of COVID-19 cases being reported each day.

In Florida, some school districts want students back in the classroom in early August, even though the virus is surging through communities. On average, Florida has reported more than 7,000 new cases each day recently  more than seven times what it was reporting a month ago.

New Mexico, which has been largely spared major outbreaks, plans a hybrid model of virtual and in-person learning. Parents in New York have demanded schools reopen in the fall. And in Maine, more outdoor learning is planned. Districts nationwide are coming up with various rules for wearing masks. Some want all students to wear them. Others, such as Marion County, Indiana, plan to limit the requirement to older children.

Each of these decisions is fraught, trying to balance health concerns with clawing back as much normalcy as possible. Parents, wrung out after months of juggling full-time work and full-time home schooling, are desperate for help. Children, isolated from their peers, are yearning for social interaction. And everyone, including teachers, is concerned about stepping into the unknown, with so much still uncertain about the virus.

Districts are worried about being able to afford added supplies  including masks and more buses. And school officials said the resurgence of virus cases underway could shatter reopening plans before theyre even put in place.

If we see large outbreaks happening across communities, its going to be very hard to keep schools open, said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, on Fox News Sunday. The good news is we think kids transmit less. They are certainly less likely to get sick, but ... imagine Arizona right now. If schools were open right now, they would not be able to stay open.

Aimee Rodriguez Webb, a special education teacher in Cobb County, Georgia, is wrestling with her own health concerns while waiting to hear her districts plans. She also has a 3 year old.

I love being in the classroom. And this year I get my own classroom, so I was looking forward to decorating it and all that, she said. But then the flip side is ... I dont know that Im mentally ready to step into the unknown like that.

Schools around the U.S. shut down suddenly this year as coronavirus cases first began rising. That led to a hodgepodge of distance learning, on-the-fly homeschooling and, for some families, a lack of any school at all. Districts are now turning their focus to how to create more structured environments.

But the debates have been filled with tension. Near Rochester, New York, parents rallied in favour of fully opening schools, holding signs outside an administration building June 29 saying: No normal school? No school taxes!

Christina Higley, a parent in the Rochester suburb of Webster, said she started a Facebook group initially to demand answers and have a say in what school would look like, but the discussions there sparked a movement for reopening schools.

Theres a lot of parents that are saying, `Open our schools, let us have the decision if we feel comfortable sending the children in to them, said Higley, whose children just finished kindergarten, third and fifth grade.

The decisions are even more complicated in districts where the case count is rising. In Manatee County, Florida, the working plan is for all elementary students to return to school full time on Aug. 10. Older students would rely on virtual learning while they are phased back into brick-and-mortar schools.

But that proposal isnt set in stone amid a surge in infections. The county recorded its highest number of new cases in a single day in late June.

If a student tests positive for the virus in the new school year, classrooms or whole buildings would need to be disinfected, said Mike Barber, a district spokesman. Students and staff with confirmed infections wouldnt be able to return until they had tested negative twice.

Meanwhile, medical experts have expressed concerns for childrens development and mental health. The American Academy of Pediatrics said it strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.

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In Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Shael Norris said shes particularly concerned about children who could face abuse at home and parents who risk losing their jobs to care for their kids. Norris has two children set to attend high school in the fall and runs a non-profit that combats sexual assault.

There are so many equally important risks, and were focused entirely on COVID, she said. But I get it. Its scary.

Maine never saw a major outbreak, and it is now reporting, on average, a few dozen cases each day. Still, the states largest school district of Portland has left all the options on the table: a full reopening, a partial reopening or fully remote learning.

The district sent a letter to parents that said it plans to use outdoor space when possible  a solution for only a few months a year, given Maines weather.

In order to keep kids a safe distance apart on school buses, districts will need more vehicles  an especially thorny issue for rural districts, where students travel vast distances. New Mexico has issued guidelines that buses should be run at 50% capacity, according to Nancy Martira, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

Many districts plan to lean heavily on federal bailout money to pay for their extra transportation needs.

Its all adding up to an anxious start to the school year.

Nobody has really laid out a clear plan for how youre going to keep kids safe, especially smaller kids who are not going to be able to social distance all day, and theyre going to touch things and take their mask off, said Duncan Kirkwood, whose 9- and 11-year-old daughters attend the Charter School for Applied Technologies in Buffalo, New York.

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Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York.
CHICAGO - A loose network of Facebook groups that took root across the country in April to organize protests over coronavirus stay-at-home orders has become a hub of misinformation and conspiracy theories that have pivoted to a variety of new targets. Their latest: Black Lives Matter and the nationwide protests of racial injustice.

These groups, which now boast a collective audience of more than 1 million members, are still thriving after most states started lifting virus restrictions.

And many have expanded their focus.

One group transformed itself last month from Reopen California to California Patriots Pro Law & Order, with recent posts mocking Black Lives Matter or changing the slogan to White Lives Matter. Members have used profane slurs to refer to Black people and protesters, calling them animals, racist and thugs a direct violation of Facebooks hate speech standards.

Others have become gathering grounds for promoting conspiracy theories about the protests, suggesting protesters were paid to go to demonstrations and that even the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police, was staged.

An Associated Press review of the most recent posts in 40 of these Facebook groups  most of which were launched by conservative groups or pro-gun activists  found the conversations largely shifted last month to attacking the nationwide protests over the killing of Black men and women after Floyds death.

Facebook users in some of these groups post hundreds of times a day in threads often seen by members only and shielded from public view.

Unless Facebook is actively looking for disinformation in those spaces, they will go unnoticed for a long time and they will grow, said Joan Donovan, the research director at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy. Over time, people will drag other people into them and they will continue to organize.

Facebook said it is aware of the collection of reopen groups, and is using technology as well as relying on users to identify problematic posts. The company has vowed in the past to look for material that violates its rules in private groups as well as in public places on its site. But the platform has not always been able to deliver on that promise.

Shortly after the groups were formed, they were rife with coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories, including assertions that masks are useless, the U.S. government intends to forcibly vaccinate people and that COVID-19 is a hoax intended to hurt President Donald Trumps re-election chances this fall.

Posts in these private groups are less likely to be scrutinized by Facebook or its independent fact-checkers, said Donovan. Facebook enlists media outlets around the world, including The Associated Press, to fact check claims on its site. Members in these private groups have created an echo chamber and tend to agree with the posts, so are therefore less likely to flag them for Facebook or fact-checkers to review, Donovan added.

At least one Facebook group, ReOpen PA, asked its 105,000 members to keep the conversation focused on reopening businesses and schools in Pennsylvania, and implemented rules to forbid posts about the racial justice protests as well as conspiracy theories about the efficacy of masks.

But most others have not moderated their pages as closely.

For example, some groups in New Jersey, Texas and Ohio have labeled systemic racism a hoax. A member of the California Facebook group posted a widely debunked flyer that says White men, women and children, you are the enemy, which was falsely attributed to Black Lives Matter. Another falsely claimed that a Black man was brandishing a gun outside the St. Louis mansion where a white couple confronted protesters with firearms. Dozens of users in several of the groups have pushed an unsubstantiated theory that liberal billionaire George Soros is paying crowds to attend racial justice protests.

Facebook members in two groups  Wisconsinites Against Excessive Quarantine and Ohioans Against Excessive Quarantine  also regularly refer to protesters as animals, thugs, or paid looters.

In the Ohio group, one user wrote on May 31: The focus is shifted from the voice of free people rising up against tyranny ... to lawless thugs from a well known racist group causing violence and upheaval of lives.

Those two pages are part of a network of groups in Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania created by conservative activist Ben Dorr, who has for years raised money to lobby on hot-button conservative issues like abortion or gun rights. Their latest cause  pushing for governors to reopen their states  has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers in the private Facebook groups they launched.

Private groups that balloon to that size, with little oversight, are like creepy basements where extremist views and misinformation can lurk, said disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz, a fellow at the nonpartisan Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C., think-tank .

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Its sort of a way that the platforms are enabling some of the worst actors to stay on it, said Jankowicz. Rather than being de-platformed  they can organize.

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Associated Press technology writer Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, California, contributed.
Protesters asking for more equality were arrested Saturday afternoon after they marched to the base of the Atlantic City Expressway.

The protest began around 1 p.m. in front of the Atlantic City Public Safety Building. Demonstrators were holding Black Lives Matter signs and chanting the names of those who have died in police-involved incidents.

Protest organizer Steve Young, center, marches with other Black Lives Matter protesters along Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Nomusa Mzimela of Ocean City came out to demonstrate outside the police department to call for an end to social injustice. Mzimela said there had been an awakening in the country, and more people have to be involved in making sure that it moves forward.

To the white people, I would say, please talk to your black friends, Mzimela said. We amongst ourselves have this conversation all the time, and it is very uncomfortable, but please do it. It is worth the effort. We need their help to make these changes because unless they are helping them make the changes, they are part of the problem.

People march up to the Peter Egnor Bridge on Albany Avenue during a Black Lives Matter protest in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

While the rumors of the Pagans coming out to the protest did not come to fruition, bikers from American Legion posts from Somers Point and Williamstown were on hand to watch the march. Also, there were pro-police supporters, like Connie Hackney.

I am a retired police officer, and I know what its like being on their side, Hackney said. I wanted to come out and show them some support because morale has been down for them and just wanted them to know Im thinking about them and showing them some support.

A counterprotester, left, argues with a Black Lives Matter protester in front of the Atlantic City Police Station, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Protest organizer Steve Young and other members of the Black Men United Coalition  a combination of businesses, individuals, and non-profit organizations that support a Black agenda  were on hand to speak to the crowd. Young said there are many problems in the country and the city that have to be addressed, stating he wanted to meet the people in the city who make the decisions to fix the issues. Among the issues Young mentioned were no nearby access to a maternity ward within the city limits, and keeping revenue generated by casinos in the city.

It is the Black Mans time that we stand up and we fight back for freedom, justice, and equality just like their Constitution and Independence Day is supposed to be about, Young said. If your Independence Day is supposed to be about freedom, we want to be free too, and we are going to make that known today because this is very important.

Black Lives Matter protesters march along Arctic Avenue in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

If you are saying it is okay for all of these people to come from all over to come into Atlantic City with COVID-19, and then leave and leave us with a disease, that is another form of genocide. The Governors office and everyone else making the decisions in Atlantic City are causing a genocide to the Black community. That is worth shutting it down. If you wanted to open it up, everyone should be checked for COVID-19. That says Black Lives Matter. If you say Black Lives Matter, let it happen.

After Young finished talking, he and the protesters began marching in the city, first down Atlantic Avenue, making their way to the Peter Egnor Bridge on Albany Avenue. The gathering stopped while on the bridge, chanting Black Lives Matter and Say It Loud, Im Black and Im Proud.

People march during a Black Lives Matter protest in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In the background, an Atlantic City Police Department officer was reading a statute twice, stating the protesters had not lawfully gathered and were blocking the road. The officer on the second reading said that it was the protesters second and final warning, and, if they did not leave, they would be arrested.

Black Lives Matter protesters raise their fists in the air as they march along Arctic Avenue in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Law enforcement agencies ranging from the citys police, Atlantic County Sheriffs Office, and State Police, and Unites States Department of Justice Community Relations Service were watching on standby. Also looking on was Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., who had met earlier in the week with Young to try to postpone the march, but the talks to end it broke down.

Black Lives Matter protest in front of the Atlantic City Police Station, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

We support peaceful protests, but the agenda and the selfish purpose is clownish, Small Sr. told NJ Advance Media.

As the protesters moved past the Tanger Outlets, where some businesses had boarded themselves up again after riots ensued in May, and headed to the base of the Atlantic City Expressway, police moved in on the march. Young, along with a few others, was handcuffed with zip ties and placed in a police van.

Some Black Lives Matter protesters are arrested after marching onto the Atlantic City Expressway in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The protesters and other assembled media, including NJ Advance Media, were told to back away from the scene and to head off of the expressway, which was closed because of the ongoing march.

Atlantic City Police Officers arrest a Black Lives Matter protester, who appeared to be resisting arrest, after protesters marched onto the Atlantic City Expressway in Atlantic City, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Young and six others were arrested.

The Atlantic City Police Department and our law enforcement partners have been preparing for this protest due to threats made by organizers, Atlantic City Chief of Police Henry M. White Jr. said in a statement. 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.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Lori on Instagram at @photog_lori.
The big day is coming soon.

Katie Robinson and Eric Colvin are supposed to get married on Aug. 1, with a reception at Liberty House in Jersey City.

The coronavirus  and Gov. Phil Murphys decision to delay reopenings for indoor dining  has thrown it all into chaos.

Liberty House, which is owned by Landmark Hospitality, a company that owns a dozen restaurants and wedding venues in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is refusing to give the couple a refund on their $20,000 deposit.

It was going to be amazing  100-plus people in the intimate setting of the Liberty Room, with a reception set against the backdrop of the lower Manhattan skyline in the warmth of an early August Saturday evening, Robinson said. Our save the dates went out in February, and we were excited to start to finalize the details with Liberty House.

But now, the couple says, while the company offered different dates to reschedule the big party, a weeknight isnt their idea of a reasonable compromise.

Robinson and Colvin first asked about rescheduling in late March, emails show.

When they finally heard back, the couple said they were open to ideas.

(Liberty House) called Eric and verbally provided several alternative dates, all of which were weekdays or Sundays, or an alternative date on Friday June 4, 2021, Robinson said.

They wanted a Saturday night wedding, and they had paid a premium, so Colvin asked about Saturdays later in 2020 and in 2021.

They asked the company to hold the June 4 date, noting they first needed to talk to their guests to see if they could make it.

We considered this because there were no Saturdays offered after March, and we wanted a warm weather wedding, Robinson said. (The next day) we told her that we conferred with some of our key out of town guests, and that June 4 would not work for us because of their schedules.

The couple asked what would happen if they couldnt agree on a reschedule date.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

In an email exchange, Liberty House said the couple would only get back $3,000 of their $20,000 if they canceled.

In the middle of May, the couple turned to an attorney, who wrote two demand letters that the company didnt answer.

Colvin tried email again on June 6, saying it was now less than 60 days to their scheduled date but events like their wedding still werent approved by Gov. Murphy. (Last week, Murphy announced the limit on the number of people allowed at outdoor gatherings in New Jersey will increase from 250 to 500, but large indoor gatherings are still banned.)

Liberty House responded, asking again if they would consider a postponing to a future date.

The couples attorney sent a third letter on June 10, this time demanding the couple get their money back, citing a clause in the contract known as force majeure.

Liberty House had an obligation to provide alternative dates for the wedding venue which were mutually agreeable to our clients and which fell within 90 days of the original wedding date of August 1, 2020, the letter said. In the event Liberty House could not provide a mutually agreeable wedding date within 90 days of the wedding date, then the entirety of the monies paid to Liberty House by our clients is to be refunded less a 15% administrative fee.

Emails show Liberty House responded to this letter, saying it was still hopeful that we will be up and running for August 1st.

Robinson said their attorney responded, basically saying the company was not acting in good faith and that it is clear that Liberty House is attempting to force my clients to terminate the contract rather than to terminate it itself.

Liberty House responded, saying if it is open on Aug. 1, it could host the wedding.

We want to make your clients happy, but we cannot agree to return any funds if we are open on August 1st. Like your clients, we too have suffered, and we need to start the road to recovery, which unfortunately does not allow for refunds to be issued if we have the capacity to provide our service, Liberty House said.

On June 16, the couples the attorney terminated the contract, declared Liberty House in breach of contract and demanded a full refund.

Their refusal to abide by the contract and their subsequent decision to withhold the $20,000 that weve paid them is having a terrible impact on our wedding experience, Robinson said. We cant even plan for an alternative, much smaller wedding because all of our wedding funds are tied up by this inexcusable behavior.

The couple reached out to Bamboozled.

MONDAY IS THE NEW SATURDAY?

Brides and grooms across the state have struggled to make plans despite the coronavirus shutdown and the states slow reopening.

Most venues have tried to reschedule weddings, and few have been willing to give refunds.

Before we had a chance to reach out to the venue, we got another complaint.

Taylor Kaminsky and John Groff planned their wedding at the Boathouse at Mercer Lake, another Landmark Hospitality venue, on Saturday, May 30.

Taylor Kaminsky and John Groff were supposed to be married on May 30 at the Boathouse at Mercer Lake. They had to cancel the venue because of the coronavirus outbreak, but got married in the backyard of the groom's parents.

The couple had paid $20,000 of the $24,310 cost.

Because of the virus, they decided to cancel on March 26, Kaminskys mother, Margaret Sherman, said. They married on their original May 30 date in a 25-person ceremony in the grooms parents backyard.

The venue agreed to refund 85% of the costs when our offices are up and running again, said Jeanne Cretella, Landmarks owner, in an email. But it took until Sherman started making noise on Twitter before they got the refund on June 11.

They were unhappy that Landmark kept the 15%, so we asked the company about it when we reached out about the Robinson/Colvin wedding.

Owner Jeanne Cretella responded via email.

Although we always try to provide like dates, many times this is just not possible and (that) is why Monday is the new Saturday! Cretella said.

Monday is the new Saturday? For weddings?

She said moving wedding dates for hundreds of couples has been enormous.

Cretella agreed the contract has a force majeure policy which applies should we be unable to provide services due to causes beyond our control.

Obviously, our goal throughout this entire process is not to keep 15% but to keep the entire wedding and find another date, Cretella said. Although some may feel we had no costs incurred if the event did not take place, please note that there are absolutely costs which include: marketing, the payroll during the planning, ground and building maintenance, etc.

She also said refunds of 85% are sent within seven to 10 business days of the actual event date, not the date the refund was requested.

Cretella did not address whether couples would be charged less for a weeknight wedding rather than a Saturday night.

On Robinson and Colvins wedding, Cretella said the couple selected the Friday in June 2021  the date the couple said they asked to be held but they released the next day  and she said the couples original Aug. 1 date is still theirs.

Should they want to move forward with their August 1st (date) we feel confident that we will be able to accommodate them, Cretella said, noting our force majeure policy will not apply if we are open.

On the Kaminsky/Groff wedding, she confirmed they received their refund but didnt address returning the 15%.

The objective of all venues has always been to assist and unfortunately we dont have a file we can pull out with instructions on how situations like this have been properly handled in the past, Cretella said.

Neither of the couples are happy.

They are the only vendor that we dealt with that did not return the full deposit and the only vendor that we know of from talking to other brides, that didnt return the full deposit, Sherman said. Its not a good look for them.

Robinson and Colvin said its ridiculous that the company thinks Aug. 1 could still work, taking into account guest travel and vendor planning alone  and oh, yeah. The coronavirus.

COVID-19 has changed the world, but it hasnt turned Monday into Saturday, Colvin said.

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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
In the pre-coronavirus days, hundreds of landlords and tenants would pack into courtrooms to settle disputes that often carried the threat of eviction.

Before the judge would begin the proceeding, a video would be shown in English and Spanish informing everyone of their rights. Some tenants and landlords would work out settlements in the hallway, while others would go to trial. If a landlord didnt show up, the case was dismissed.

That ended in mid-March, when COVID-19 arrived in New Jersey, forcing a shutdown of just about everything, courts included. All trials in landlord-tenant court are suspended indefinitely, and Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order banning lockouts until 60 days after the public health emergency ends.

But landlords have still been allowed to file eviction actions over the last four months against some of the thousands of out-of-work New Jerseyans who could not pay their rent, contributing to the backlog that already existed.

Now, two county courthouses are beginning settlement hearings over Zoom to chop through the avalanche of filings  and housing and racial justice advocates are worried this will make it much harder for tenants to know their rights.

In letter to the administrator of the state court system, 29 community leaders, advocates and lawyers are demanding the courts take more steps to protect tenants by ensuring due process and that eviction complaints follow guidelines set by the federal CARES Act, which is designed to help residents cope with the economic fallout from the pandemic.

If the pandemic, or this wave, is followed by waves of evictions and displaces thousands of low-income people, and it happens in a way that doesnt serve due process, well have done an incredible injustice to our neighbors, said Catherine Weiss, chair of the Lowenstein Center for Public Interest. Its important for courts to take a role in ensuring fairness, because otherwise, tenants have no shot.

Weiss said without due process, mass evictions will begin amid the public health and economic crisis, leading to greater instances of displaced families and homelessness, particularly affecting communities of color and low-income residents.

When we say flatten the curve, its not just coronavirus. Its mass eviction, and were going to have another wave of mass eviction and that has not been adequately discussed. The government has to play a role in making sure people dont lose their homes because they got sick or lose their job, she said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media. Thats not an acceptable consequence of the pandemic.

The advocates say in the Zoom proceedings, there are dozens of people on and off mute in the lobby while the judge reads the docket. Settlements are worked out in a breakout room  but those without access to a camera have to hang up and re-enter the large video conference. Many cant hear their rights being read, or understand that the conference is voluntary.

Weiss noted some glaring issues in landlord-tenant court  lack of legal representation for tenants, chaos swirling around hundreds of cases each day, tenants who arent familiar with their rights  will be exacerbated once the deluge of evictions need to be heard.

Burlington and Mercer county courthouses have already begun limited settlement conferences, in an effort to speed up the process.

A spokesman for the state court system, Peter McAleer, said the courts will work to respond to the advocates issues.

We met with the authors of the letter on Wednesday and are exploring different measures to address some of their concerns, said McAleer. It is important to note that evictions are not occurring at this time.

But some of these cases are being filed illegally or do not protect the tenants due process, the advocates said in their letter.

Under the CARES Act, landlords in federally subsidized housing, Section 8 housing or housing programs for at-risk groups like seniors and veterans, or who hold federally backed mortgages are barred from filing evictions.

In New Jersey, there are no requirements that landlords verify an eviction complies with the CARES Act. And the tenant is unlikely to know what type of mortgage their landlord has or what other properties they own. Fourteen other states require landlords to certify that they are within the federal guidelines to file eviction.

Its unknown how many of the thousands of eviction actions pending throughout the state were filed in violation of federal law, the letter states. This serious problem is compounded by the initiation of settlement hearings throughout the state.

And tenants might not be familiar with every executive order the governor has signed and how it could affect them, Weiss added. Some residents didnt know they still had to pay rent during an eviction moratorium, or that a landlord cannot add certain fees as additional rent.

Many, many tenants dont know theres a moratorium on being removed. They often dont know that landlord-tenant trials are suspended. They dont know these settlements theyre entering are voluntary. These things have to be said before the tenant agrees to anything, she stressed.

The advocates say courts should only hold the conference if both parties have lawyers and access to video. Those without a screen face a severe disadvantage and further confusion, especially during stressful negotiations, the letter says.

Allison Nolan, staff attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for Justice in Newark, said theres been an imbalance when landlords are represented and tenants are not.

Its an extraordinary time, said Nolan. Were all facing a lot of challenges, so these protections are more important now than ever.

Whats at stake in these cases is a tenants home, Nolan added. Thats why it matters so much that the court get these cases right and that tenants voices are heard.

The state Department of Community Affairs created a $100 million rental assistance program for low-income residents or those who became unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic in May. Applications for the lottery begin Monday.

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Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz.

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State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli offered to resign over leaks to the media from anonymous employees in her office who have criticized her response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to recorded conversations obtained by NJ Advance Media.

In two recordings made without her knowledge  one from late May and another less than two weeks ago  Persichilli talked with Department of Health officials, recounting conversations that she had with some of Gov. Phil Murphys advisers. They urged her to fire the people in her inner circle because they believe these officials are most likely sharing information and recordings with the media, Persichilli said on the recording.

Persichilli then said she refused to fire anyone and offered her resignation instead.

Well, we think its in your inner circle.' Matt (Platkin, the governors chief counsel) said get rid of everybody,' " Persichilli says on the recording from late May. So I waited, paused and I went, No, I am not going to do that. This is all targeted to me. So you will have my resignation in the morning. Im the one that should leave first.

The Murphy aides did not seek her resignation or accept her offer to quit, according to the recording.

Then less than two weeks ago, Persichilli again recounted a similar conversation she had with Murphys top advisers, who she said wanted her to fire her senior team. Again, she refused.

This is becoming a distraction for everybody, and Im ready to leave. Id be happy to step out if it makes anything easier. Thats where I am, the commissioner said to other Health Department officials on the recording.

A spokeswoman from the governors office said no one from the administration would comment. A spokeswoman for Persichilli did not respond to a request for comment.

The recordings have been provided to NJ Advance Media by a department official who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, but whose identity is known by the news organization.

They are the latest in a series of secretly recorded conversations revealing behind-the-scenes tension between Murphy officials and Persichilli, whom the governor calls the woman who needs no introduction during his daily coronavirus briefings.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

New Jersey has been hard hit by the pandemic, recording the fifth-highest number of cases and second most deaths in the nation. Murphy and his administration were praised for their response early on in the pandemic, and his poll numbers have been strong.

But as the deaths of nursing home residents grew, a group of anonymous public health professionals shared internal documents and excerpts of recorded meetings that showed the state was slow to respond to the crisis. More than 6,500 residents of long term care facilities have died of the virus in New Jersey. The group, which has remained anonymous out of fear of reprisals, also wrote letters to state lawmakers, urging them to investigate.

In one recording in April, Persichilli complained about the cost of a three-week contract for a consultant to evaluate the long-term care industry in New Jersey. She tells several unnamed colleagues that she initially had refused to sign the contract because of its cost, and because the company did not have hands-on nursing home experience. Persichilli signed the contract with Manatt Health after negotiating the price from nearly $700,000 to $500,000.

Murphys administration asked the state Ethics Commission to investigate the source of the leaks, and more than two dozen people now have been questioned, according to the health department sources. Assistant Commissioner Christopher Neuwirth was fired amid reports that he allegedly failed to disclose a side job, but that action predated the ethics commissions investigation.

Neuwirth denied he shared confidential information and filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the state. He claimed he was ordered in late April to provide test kits to family members of George Helmy, the governors chief of staff, for COVID-19. Neuwirth, concerned the request was unethical at a time of a testing shortage, said Persichilli advised him not to do it, something the commissioner was also heard saying in another secret recording.

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NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL
A maintenance technician at the Arbor Terrace Senior Living Facility in Morris Plains was charged with sexually assaulting an 82-year-old resident there Friday, police said.

Anthony Ligon, age 61, of Morristown, was charged with sexual assault and criminal sexual contact, according to a joint release from the Morris County Prosecutors Office and Morris Plains Police Department.

No other information about the alleged sexual assault was provided.

Ligon was charged was taken to Morris County Correctional Facility, the office said.

Anyone with information about the incident was asked to call the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit of the Morris County Prosecutors Office at 973-285-6200 or the Morris Plains Police Department at 973-538-2284.

At Arbor Terrace Morris Plains, we take any allegation of misconduct seriously and do not tolerate any form of abuse, an Arbor Terrace Morris Plains spokesperson told NJ Advance Media. While we cannot provide details on the alleged incident because there is an ongoing investigation, what we can tell you is that we acted swiftly, immediately calling the police, notifying the residents family, suspending the staff member in question and reporting the allegation to the New Jersey Department of Health.

We are working with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation, they continued. Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of the residents entrusted to our care - they are our family.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
The July Fourth holiday, for Candice Iheme, should be a day for protest  not celebration.

We chose to not celebrate it because on Independence Day, July 4, 1776, Black people were not free and arguably Black people are still not free today, Iheme said on Saturday to hundreds of demonstrators at the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark.

Iheme, a Rutgers Law School student, was part of a group of activists called the Young Professionals for Justice. In the wake of George Floyds death, they called for a long list of police reforms: the demilitarization of police, reallocation of police funding to more community services, mandatory college degrees for cops and a ban on the use of chokeholds.

Community activist Larry Hamm, left, and event organizer Candice Iheme, right, stand together as the Young Professionals for Justice and People's Organization for Progress hold a rally July 4, 2020 to protest police brutality and fight for Black lives by the Abraham Lincoln monument outside Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media

Some of those reforms have already happened in Newark. Mayor Ras Baraka signed an ordinance that would divert about $11 million from the citys public safety budget to create more social services in a newly created Office of Violence Prevention.

But more work needs to be done, activists said.

Demonstrators marched from the courthouse to Military Park. The courthouses seated Lincoln statue and the Wars of America monument in the park were created by Gutzon Borglum, who had ties to the Ku Klux Klan.

Iheme said she wanted to create awareness around the statues histories and would let residents decide what should be done with them. When protesters arrived at the Wars of America monument, it already had the word DECOLONIZE spray-painted on it.

To us, its a testament to how racism and oppression are so embedded in this country and we have no idea, Iheme said of the monuments. We want to bring together likeminded people and also help to facilitate these discussions.

The statue at Military Park was created by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who had ties to white supremacy, and was pointed out as community members participate in a march to protest police brutality and fight for Black lives organized by the Young Professionals for Justice and People's Organization for Progress on July 4, 2020 in downtown Newark, New Jersey.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media

The Young Professionals for Justice and People's Organization for Progress hold a rally July 4, 2020 to protest police brutality and fight for Black lives by the Abraham Lincoln monument, which was created by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who had ties to white supremacy, outside Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media

There has been heightened awareness around statues in Newark. The city removed a Christopher Columbus statue overnight last month, but some Italian groups were upset that it was done without public discussion first.

The city collaborated with Newark artists last week to paint the words ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER and ABOLISH WHITE SUPREMACY on two roadways. Mayor Ras Baraka said those words wouldnt have been painted if white supremacy didnt exist.

If whiteness wasnt put on us as an animal around our necks to destroy us, to bring us down, then we wouldnt have to advocate being Black, he told demonstrators.

Peoples Organization for Progress Chairman Lawrence Hamm called for the state Supreme Court to uphold the Newark Civilian Complaint Review Boards subpoena power to investigate allegations of police misconduct outside of internal affairs. The Newark FOP Lodge No. 12 is legally challenging the boards power.

Hamm, who is challenging Cory Booker for his senate seat in the July 7 primary, also demanded state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal reopen the criminal investigation into Earl Faisons death. Faison, a 27-year-old aspiring rap artist, died 21 years ago in Orange police custody but the cops involved were only found guilty of federal civil rights charges.

We want justice not only for Floyd, not only for Breonna (Taylor), not only for Ahmaud (Arbery), said Hamm, referring to Black people who have recently been killed in other states. But we want justice for the people that were killed by the police right here in the State of New Jersey.

Community members participate in a march to protest police brutality and fight for Black lives organized by the Young Professionals for Justice and People's Organization for Progress on July 4, 2020 in downtown Newark, New Jersey.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media

Hamm and Faisons family marched several times more than two decades ago to call on prosecutors to criminally charge the Orange officers, but they were never charged. The state Attorney Generals Office said it had no comment on reopening the Faison case when reached by NJ Advance Media.

Freeholder candidates Anthony Diaz and Sabre Burroughs also attended the rally.

Be the generation that says no more Black bodies on TV, Diaz said. No more Black bodies in the street, no more Black bodies in the news.

Community members participate in a march to protest police brutality and fight for Black lives organized by the Young Professionals for Justice and People's Organization for Progress on July 4, 2020 in downtown Newark, New Jersey.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media

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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.
New Jerseys primary election is just two days away, and Michael Harper is preparing for what he sees can be a long day.

Harper, the Hudson County Board of Elections clerk, said the vote-by-mail ballots could reach between 60,000 to 65,000  a huge number they would be dealing with, he said. And though mail-in ballots must be postmarked with a July 7th date, Harper must wait until July 14 before he can start vetting the provisional ballots.

Thats going to be a major one in this election, Harper said. Making sure provisionals hadnt already voted by mail.

As of Sunday, the Board of Elections had received 50,000 primary ballots, which is more than half of the 85,000 that were cast county-wide during the 2016 presidential primary.

The clerk added that he could see 20,000 provisional ballots  or in-person voters  on Tuesday, which would be the most the boards ever handled, he said. On average, the board receives between 8,000 to 10,000 per election.

Someone might be worried they only sent their vote-by-mail the day before and they say, Ah, I dont know if its going to get there, let me go and vote anyway, Harper said.

If both a provisional and mail-in ballot is received from the same voter, only one ballot would be counted, Harper said.

On Tuesday, polling places throughout the county will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., but people can also drop off their vote-by mail ballots at the clerks office by 8 p.m. that day. Voters can drop-off up to four ballots, including their own.

People may find their nearest polling place by visiting www.hudsoncountyclerk.org, choosing Elections in the menu and then Find My Polling Location. The new mapping software is provided by the Office of the County Clerk, the Administration of Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and its Office of Digital Information.

But as voters head to cast or drop-off their choices, Harper said theyll start counting ballots around 5 a.m. to hopefully get preliminary results later that night. About 40 to 50 people will be helping Harper strip down and scan ballots at the clerks office at the Hudson County Plaza.

Harper said he doesnt expect to have official results until either July 23rd or 24th.

Ive been doing this for 14 years, but it doesnt matter how long youve been doing it, Harper said. This is new for everybody, so well be pumping away at those on election day.

Candidates who win the primary may move onto the general election in November.
A sign at thhe gate to The Old Barracks Museum warns that masks are a must.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

As New Jersey lifts some coronavirus restrictions, Trentons Old Barracks, the only remaining colonial barracks in New Jersey, has reopened. Although most visitors associate the building with the Battle of Trenton, the site is no stranger to the history of disease control.

Following the famous battle on December 26, 1776, General George Washington designated the barracks as a military field hospital to specialize in the inoculation of soldiers with smallpox. This method of disease control was controversial for its time and pre-dated the discovery of the vaccine.

Historical interpreter Daryian Kelton speaks inside a meeting room routinely used by George Washington in the officer's quarters building at The Old Barracks Museum.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The museum reopened on Thursday after the Trenton landmark closed its doors on March 14 due to the pandemic. Tickets can only be ordered online and in advance. A maximum of 10 people are allocated a two hour block of time. Masks are required throughout for all.

Old Barracks Executive Director, Richard Patterson points out that their museum isnt like a more typical big box museum building with high ceilings and space to move things around. With their living history approach in such close quarters, he says, It can be very difficult to figure out how to present or what we can present.

Hand sanitizer is available throughout the museum.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Visitors can expect tradesman demonstrations and musket firings outdoors, in the shadow of the Statehouse, where social distancing isnt a problem, and can also still tour inside the soldiers and officers quarters.

From left; Squeeze the Day; vloggers Cindy Heath and Eddie Carter; of Yardley; Pa.; listen to a presentation by Asher Lurie of the Old Barracks Museum.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Historical interpreter James Vevan does a musket-firing demonstration at The Old Barracks Museum.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

An abundance of virtual programming has been available on the Old Barracks Museums Facebook page, and the museums website includes a number of virtual exhibits. A new Ask the Barracks program was implemented to help students with distance learning.

John OSullivan, president of the Board of Trustees, praised the staffs work with online initiatives and even more so in preparing for the reopening.

Theyve all been working very hard for this to happen, OSullivan said. Were proud of the work they are doing and their making sure safety concerns are addressed.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
About 250 people from across Essex County joined together under intense heat in Newark on Sunday to protest systematic racism after the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd by police in late May.

The Sisters in Solidarity Rally started around 1 p.m. at Military Park on Broad Street, led by the non-profit Circles for Healing, Divine 9 sororities and other Black-owned organizations.

Christina Jaquez, President of Circles for Healing, said the goal of the rally was to encourage people to get involved in finding solutions to the issue of systemic racism, such as through building programs or voting.

If we desire to put an end to systemic racism in America, we must not wait for help. Help is not coming from the outside - in. Sustainable change is only going to come from the inside - out. Now is the time for togetherness, said Jaquez, who founded Circles for Healing in 2018. The non-profit has fed over 1,000 families and has supported healthcare workers at numerous New Jersey hospitals since the pandemic struck New Jersey a few months ago.

Musicians and dancers rallied the crowd in 90-degree weather before organizers were introduced tp speak. New Jersey-based non-profits Bergen in Color and A Day at a Time, NJ were among the groups involved.

Also speaking at the event was Natacha Pannell, the sister of Phillip Pannell, a black teenager killed in 1990 fleeing a white Teaneck officer, Gary Spath, who was later acquitted of manslaughter charges. She held a photograph of her sibling.

Todays Sisters in Solidarity rally was conceived to gather and recognize the strength of women to lead movements, particularly this one that focuses on injustice toward Black and Brown people. Our work is far from done, and todays rally is an installation in gathering strength and moving forward, Circles of Healing Board Member Bergson Leneus said.

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Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
If youre planning to vote in-person on Tuesday for New Jerseys primary election, there are a few things you should know.

The coronavirus has changed this election -- and not just the date. New Jersey was supposed to hold its primary on June 2, but Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order that moved the date to July 7 so that officials would have more time to address the health and safety concerns brought on by the pandemic.

Residents have been encouraged to vote by mail. The state sent 3.6 million absentee ballots to registered Republicans and Democrats and 2.4 million unaffiliated voters were sent applications to request a ballot to vote in the primary.
A group of Princeton University graduate students says the school needs to do more to combat systemic racism on campus, beyond its recent move to strip President Woodrow Wilsons name from the school of public policy for his segregationist policies.

Princeton Policy School Demands, a group of 500 students and alumni of the School of Public and International Affairs, sent a letter outlining seven demands to the administration.
Thank you to the Barnegat community for working with us to address the fireworks issues that had the greater Ocean... Posted by Barnegat Police Department on Sunday, July 5, 2020

There werent supposed to be fireworks in Barnegat this Fourth Of July, after the town cancelled its display over coronavirus concerns.

But that didnt stop township residents from creating their own displays, and setting fireworks off at a record pace over the Fourth of July weekend, police said. There were so many backyard pyrotechnics that the greater Ocean County area (looked) like Magic Kingdom last night, police said Sunday morning.

Between July 1 and midnight on July 4, police responded to 64 fireworks complaints. Of those, 38 were on July 4, and only 10 were outside the hours of 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., police said.

During the same timeframe last year, police received a single complaint about fireworks, police said. Aerial fireworks, including skyrockets and Roman candles, remain illegal in New Jersey.

About five people were charged with illegal use or possession of fireworks, Chief Keith A. Germain told NJ Advance Media.

It certainly was the highest volume of fireworks-related calls Ive seen in 26 years, Germain said, adding that the complaint calls continued well after midnight.

Fireworks complaints have risen sharply across the nation as businesses remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. In Jersey City, complaints were up 3,500% in the three weeks leading up to June 24, Mayor Steve Fulop said.

My gut is that its a combination of people whove been cooped up doing their best to comply with the Governors executive orders combined with the mistaken belief that all fireworks have been legalized in NJ, Germain said. Most people were cooperative when police were called, he said.

Instead of a weekend full of large displays across the state, only a handful of towns sponsored fireworks this year. Toms River was the only Ocean County town to host their fireworks on Saturday (a number of other towns cancelled or postponed to later this summer).

The American Pyrotechnics Association expected an all-time high in backyard fireworks sales this year as families stuck to home celebrations.

Another way to track spikes in fireworks are levels of air pollution. A 2015 study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that air pollution spikes just after dark on July 4th annually, with an average increase in pollution of about 42%.

Pollution in Fort Lee rose sharply around 9 p.m., about 30 minutes after the sun set, and a spike in Newark began about an hour before sunset, data from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection monitoring stations show.

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Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
During the Revolutionary War, Thomas Paine wrote These are the times that try mens souls. America has experienced many difficult times since then. This is one of them, with debate over policing, race, and history has developing into lawlessness over police killings of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.

It is disheartening to see activists and anarchists destroying, looting and burning property that does not belong to them, while mayors, mainly Democrats, instruct police to stand down. We saw a six-block area of Seattle taken over by radicals, and the mayor  weeks before her recent order to clear the zone  calling it a summer of love. Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York City seems to favor reducing funding for police, a foolish and unwise decision.

What gives vandals the right to deface and tear down statues? And, why am I not hearing the media and leading Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, condemning all of these lawless acts? Even some Republicans are not speaking out.

Perhaps trying to deny President Donald Trump a legislative win before the November election, Democrats blocked U.S. Sen. Tim Scotts police reform bill, as some accused the African American Republican from South Carolina of being a token for legislation supporting good cops with common-sense steps to rebuild trust between communities of color and law enforcement. (House Democrats passed an alternate bill imposing stricter standards on police.)

There will always be injustice in the world because we are all imperfect people. We are all of intrinsic value to God.

On a weekend when we celebrate the 244th birthday of America, remember the many who fought for and died for our freedoms, and to speak out against those who would seek to destroy the nations foundations and principles.

Barbara Essington, Carneys Point Township

All about Amy

Amy Kennedy is the voice we need to represent us in Congress right now. As a mother of five, a former teacher and a longtime South Jersey resident, she knows our people, our schools and our towns better than anyone.

If she wins the 2nd District Democratic Primary, she will give the party its best chance to beat Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew in November. Elected as a Democrat in 2018, Van Drew pandered to President Donald Trump late last year when he switched political parties.

We don't need someone representing us who cares more about winning an election than they do about the needs in our towns and communities. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the primary election is being conducted mostly with mail-in ballots. I am sending in my vote for Amy Kennedy because she will make sure towns get the federal support they need from Washington.

Kennedy believes in supporting people when they need it most and, right now we need support from Congress. She will fight for that support and is the best candidate for the Democrats nomination.

Denise McDermott, Mantua Township

Editors note: Kennedy is one of five candidates seeking the Democrats nomination. There is limited in-person voting Tuesday (July 7); completed mail-in ballots must be postmarked by July 7, or dropped off at a small number of dropboxes by 8 p.m. July 7.

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The Rev. David Jefferson, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark, was once a friend and ally of Gov. Phil Murphy, who spoke at his church and promised to bring racial justice to the workings of New Jerseys economy.

But Jefferson is furious now, saying the governor wholly failed to deliver, has undercut a key Black-owned investment firm based in Newark, and has added insult to the mix by refusing to respond to his personal protests.

He has a message for the governor, and for all Democrats who take the Black vote for granted: We have two Democratic parties, a Black party and a white party. I think the gap is wide, and its going to get wider. People are coming to the notion that we are not important to them.

I will not let the Democratic Party get away with this. I will make this a campaign issue, he says. I told the governor, I supported you, but you cant treat Black people like this.

The flashpoint is a lawsuit filed last week by Blueprint Capital Advisors, a Black-owned investment firm based in Newark whose CEO claims he was denied a chance to manage $500 million in state pension funds because of his race, and that a manager in the pension office with whom he developed a relationship, Chris McDonough, confirmed that to him directly.

He told us we needed to clean our material of any mention of it being a minority-owned firm because he didnt think the committee was ready, says the CEO, Jacob Walthour. Chris is not a bad person. Im not making him out to be a hood-wearing racist. I think he was just being honest.

McDonough declined comment as did the governors office. The Department of Treasury issued a statement denying wrongdoing, and saying it conducts vigorous efforts to solicit black-owned companies.

There are reasons to hold off choosing sides in the lawsuit. Blueprint has just one deal with a public pension, for firefighters in Chicago, and it was decertified from that post last year after a key player left the firm. And after Blueprint protested its initial exclusion from the New Jersey funds, the board did put $175 million under his management, about a third of what he says he was promised. Overall, just over 5 percent of the pension funds are invested with four Black-owned firms, according to Treasury, and one more is in the pipeline.

But Jeffersons judgment carries weight. Hes a lawyer with a business degree who worked in the corporate world for years. His church is massive, with 1,700 seats, a theater, kitchens, a preschool, and a bookstore. Its a must-stop for politicians of every race, a nod to Jeffersons influence.

So, his fury presents a serious problem for Murphy.

I have not seen the governor stand in any major way on anything economic that would move the needle in terms of economic empowerment for Black people, Jefferson says.

To Jefferson, this goes way beyond the mistreatment of Bluepoint, and points to the urgent need to build wealth in the Black community. The murder of George Floyd has put a spotlight on racism in the criminal justice system, but he says economics the key to elevating the Black community.

The knee on the neck on TV draws out feelings and emotions because all of us, at least Black people, can put ourselves under that knee, he says. What is not as visible and graphic is the injustice when it comes to finance and economics, the structure that is really holding our communities back.

A Black money manager, he says, would be more likely to invest in Black businesses, to build affordable housing, to help nurture young Black talent, to support local economies. Racism at the pension fund is especially grating, he says, because so many African-Americans contribute to the fund. At one Sunday service, he asked his worshippers about that.

I had them stand if they paid into the pension funds, he says. It was about 60 percent. African-American teachers, African-American firefighters, people who work for the state and the city. These people pay into the pension funds. They deserve to see some of their money come back into the community.

Walthour says that is precisely his intention, once hes ensured a good return for investors. Hes lived in South Orange for 21 years, and his drive to Jeffersons church on Sundays takes him through some of Newarks most depressed neighborhoods.

I realize nothing has change from the point of view of an African-American in Newark, that one can argue things are even worse, Walthour says.

He moved his firm to Newark from Manhattan three years ago, and says hes trained 50 interns from Newark public schools and donated $250,000 to local organizations. We wanted to be a catalyst for wealth creation and inspire other businesses to come to Newark, he says. And we wanted to provide a pipeline of young Black professionals going to Wall Street.

Hes spent a career in finance and says the industrys reputation for racism is well-deserved. He quit one job, he said, after he was passed over for a promotion on bogus grounds.

People look at African-Americans who work on Wall Street with nice cars, nice suits, their kids in private school, and think, What could possibly be wrong? he says.

But when those people take their shirts off, thats when you see the lashes. When those people go home, in private, thats where they cry. The relationship African-Americans have with Wall Street is like a classic abusive relationship. To the public, everything seems peachy. In private is where one would really see it.

If this lawsuit moves to trial, we will get an unusually intimate peak at the inner workings of the pension funds, and the hurdles that a Black fund manager faced. That would be risky for the governor, so my guess is the case will be settled.

I know this stuff is corrupt in terms of the good old boy network, and thats what this case will reveal, Jefferson says. It will show that deep in bowels of the asset management industry, we have a good old boy network that has shut individuals out

Jefferson has turned a corner against the governor at a perilous moment for Murphy, when the American public has never been more sympathetic to the racist barriers that keep down African-Americans.

I wanted to talk to Murphy, but as always, his imperial majesty refused. His press aides noted that some of the charges in the lawsuit date to the Christie administration, and listed reforms Murphy has pushed to benefit the Black community, including a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, equal pay rights, and programs to train Black entrepreneurs. They cited his support for prisoner re-entry programs as well, a nervy claim after the governor just cut all funding for those programs in his emergency budget.

To Jefferson, all that is thin gruel. African-Americans are fed up with the crumbs, he says. And if Murphy doesnt change course, Jefferson plans to defect, perhaps to a third party, and bring as many of his flock along as he can -- at least in state elections.

This public threat of divorce puts the heat on Murphy. If he wants to keep the marriage together, its time for him to make his move. He could start by returning the reverends call.

Editors note: This story has been modified from the original to include a denial of wrongdoing from the Department of Treasury.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
By Stephanie James Harris

Like all other unexpected elements of 2020, the anticipated celebrations and commemorations of the 4th of July have been rethought, modified, abridged, or short-circuited across the nation. Typically on Independence Day we pay homage to the Declaration of Independence. The ideals of justice, liberty, shared freedoms, the God-given rights of man and the need for self-governance in the face of tyranny and economic oppressions, spurred the colonists to craft a statement of their grievances while making a proclamation of their intended independence.

While America might have a singular Declaration of Independence, the celebratory markers in which its inhabitants have been able to exercise the promises of freedom have multiple dates and circumstances. As we celebrate Independence Day weekend, the events of the last few weeks have reminded us that America is still grappling with the reality that the ideals of freedom were subjective, even as they were being written. The promises of the undisputed God-given rights spelled out in the revered document were not intended to be applied universally.

The last 244 years have seen the extended inclusion of Americas inhabitants into the promises and ideals within the Declaration of Independence. These inclusions have required many hard-fought battles in courtrooms, in legislative chambers, in marches and protests, at lunch counters, on battlefields, as well as behind oratory podiums. Those who were originally left out saw the hypocrisy and injustices of their exclusion and often held up the sacred document as a checkpoint and a mirror.

One of the most famous examples of this phenomenon is captured in the infamous words of Frederick Douglass, when in 1852, he delivers his What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? speech to the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society in his post-freedom adopted hometown of Rochester, New York. Great historical speeches dont have dead ends, they offer us inspiration to better ourselves and a vision of what could be ahead. Frederick Douglass -- African American preacher, orator, abolitionist, social reformer, writer, ambassador and statesman who had previously escaped from his enslavement in Maryland -- used the power of his voice to outline the promises in our Declaration of Independence. He beseeched America to perfect itself away from its contradictions; towards its full promise.

His famous speech follows the same sentiments as the motto of The North Star, his anti-slavery newspaper: Right is of no Sex - Truth is of no Color - God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren. It speech is often highlighted for Douglasss brilliant rhetorical analysis of the principles of freedom illuminated in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. He weighs this against the lived contradictions for those who were conjoined in the building of this nation, yet were still enslaved within it. He makes arguments for our universal brotherhood and bemoans the establishment of supremacist systems that denied all-inclusive access to those freedoms.

What most dont realize is the date of the speechs delivery. Frederick Douglass purposefully refused to deliver the address on July 4th, insisting instead to give his speech on July 5th. His intent was to pay homage to another forgotten independence day. July 5th, 1852, was the 25th year commemoration of New York state ending its 200 years legacy of enslavement, beginning with the arrival of the first Africans into the New Amsterdam settlement in 1627.

In order to not bring any undo harm or evoke any hostilities among New Yorks white citizens, this emancipation day celebration was pushed to July 5 across the state, to protect the African American participants from any disruptions or attacks from white revelers on the public holiday. In New York City, a parade of more than 4,000 jubilant African Americans paraded down Broadway on July 5th, 1827; preceded by an honor guard on horseback and a grand marshal carrying a drawn sword to celebrate the end of legal enslavement in their state. Annual emancipation celebrations had been held across New York in remembrance of that proclamation of guaranteed freedom for 25 years.

The 25-year period from that date to the day of Douglasss speech had seen massive encroachments on that freedom for the African American populations in New York. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 allowed federal bounty hunters to seize runaway slaves who had fled to states like New York where slavery had become illegal. There was no recourse for those mistakenly taken and enslaved or re-enslaved. The law gave those accused of being fugitive slaves no right to a trial or even to speak in self-defense. It led to nationwide fears and further endangered the already precarious freedoms within African American communities.

For students of history, the significance of the specific date choice can not be lost on us. The date was certainly etched in the thoughts of every attendee listening in Corinthian Hall. When Douglass stepped to the podium that July 5th afternoon he felt deeply the desperation of brethren American citizens who had just been further denied the rights and privileges of the American ideal through the Fugitive Slave Law.

Douglasss speech uses the nations foundational documents as a mirror for national self-reflection and a call to action. He leaves us with an understanding that he still reserves hope that Americas democracy will live up to its promises, thereby being inclusively ever-evolving. With the agency and advocacy of the plurality of its citizens, America could abandon its contraindications if it was willing to confront them. By delivering this message on July 5th, Douglass reminds us all that our nation will have a plurality of independence day commemorations that should be used as markers of reflection and self-correction, as we move toward an alignment with our nations full ideals of ......with liberty and justice for all.

Stephanie James Harris, Ph.D. is executive director of the New Jersey Amistad Commission, the New Jersey Department of Education.

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By Edward J. Alessi, Rachel Levitan and Sarilee Kahn

New rules proposed by the Trump administration would put an end to asylum as we know it, especially for LGBTQ individuals fleeing persecution from the 70 countries that criminalize same-sex consensual sex between adults, a dozen of which impose the death penalty for such acts, not to mention the additional countries where their rights are limited.

It has never been easy for LGBTQ individuals to win asylum in the United States. Among other strict criteria, applicants must effectively out themselves by providing documentary evidence of their sexual orientation or gender identity with photos taken at gay bars, social media that references their LGBTQ identity and/or detailed accounts of their sexual encounters. For many, it is a humiliating and traumatic experience.

But the new rule would make it even harder for LGBTQ claims to succeed by increasing asylum officers and immigration judges discretion to deny cases that they deem to be frivolous. These Trump policies could condemn many to persecution and even death.

As celebrations continue for Pride, World Refugee Day and the recent Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ rights in the workplace, members of the public should get to the Federal Register website where public comments on the new rule are open until July 15, and contact our representatives to seek Congressional oversight of the implementation of all asylum rules.

Rather than imposing new rules that undermine the United States status as a beacon of hope for refugees and an (often problematic) upholder of LGBTQ rights, we must expand our existing rules to create greater opportunities for LGBTQ asylum seekers to explain their stories of persecution safely, with dignity and without fear that their claims will be rejected for failure to meet adjudicators often narrow understanding of the LGBTQ experience. There are four ways we can do this.

First, we must improve the training of asylum adjudicators and immigration judges, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to conduct an in-depth analysis of an LGBTQ asylum seekers claim. Credibility should not hinge simply on whether the individual meets a judges notion of how an LGBTQ person should behave, which in many cases is based on Western stereotypes. For example, determining whether claims are credible based on whether the applicant has ever been to a gay or lesbian bar may unfairly jeopardize their chance of receiving asylum.

Second, the new Trump rule requires adjudicators to consider whether an LGBTQ individual could escape persecution by moving to another part of their country of origin. Our asylum rules should instead be based on research, including from the U.S. Department of State, demonstrating that LGBTQ individuals regularly face targeted violence throughout the countries they come from, not just in certain areas.

Third, we need to ensure that asylum seekers are able to interact with adjudicators and immigration judges who understand the trauma that LGBTQ applicants have experienced. The process must include mental health professionals who can help LGBTQ asylum seekers comprehensively narrate and document their complex trauma histories. We have found that, because many asylum seekers are used to the perception that their LGBTQ status is shameful, they feel unsafe reporting some of their experiences to adjudicators, particularly if they were sexually abused. This failure to disclose key information may lead judges to deem their case frivolous or not credible  an even greater possibility under the new Trump rules that would dangerously loosen the judges authority to make such a determination.

Fourth, we need to ensure the category that has been used as a basis for granting asylum claims brought by LGBTQ individuals  membership in a particular social group  keeps evolving as diverse sexual orientations and gender identities become better understood. The proposed new rules would likely limit the interpretation of this category, giving judges and asylum officers the ability to deny claims altogether that are based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

There is still time to call for changes to the asylum system that will protect LGBTQ asylum seekers. Canada has already taken many of these actions, and the United States should follow suit. If the Trump administrations proposed changes are implemented, they could extinguish the fire of hope that our nation has provided since 1991 for those who are persecuted just because of who they are and who they love.

Edward J. Alessi, Ph.D., MSW, is an associate professor and Chancellors Scholar of LGBTQ Mental Health, Trauma, and Resilience at Rutgers School of Social Work. His research examines the impacts of trauma and stress on the health and well-being of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers.

Rachel Levitan, LLB, is the vice president for International Programs with HIAS, a US-based NGO with an active U.S. asylum program and operations in 16 countries. She has provided legal advice to LGBTQ refugees and conducted extensive advocacy and research on LGBTQ refugee protection gaps.

Sarilee Kahn, Ph.D., MSW, is an adjunct professor at McGill Universitys School of Social Work. She conducts mental health research on LGBTQ asylum seekers and is an expert witness for LGBTQ asylum claims.

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A driver and his passenger were killed in a two-vehicle collision early Sunday morning at a Salem County intersection.

An Infiniti I-30 sedan was traveling east on Route 56/Landis Avenue in Pittsgrove Township just before 12:30 a.m. when it collided with a Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling south on County Road 638/Gershal Avenue, according to a New Jersey State Police spokesman.

The two occupants in the Infiniti were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are withholding the names of the victims pending notification of family.

The Dodge driver, a 34-year-old Franklinville man, suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The roadways were closed for about five hours and the cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
It looked like it was about to rain, but Ana Diaz still walked from North Bergen to Holy Redeemer Parishs food bank in the next town over with her folding shopping cart in tow.

She had been making these trips to the Catholic church in West New York even before the coronavirus hit New Jersey in March. But in the last few months, as unemployment numbers steadily rise, the lines at the pantry started getting longer.

My daughter stays home with three kids, said Diaz as she waited on a line that stretched four blocks. When the children are home, they eat more.

The line for the food pantry at Holy Redeemer Parish in West New York stretched four blocks on June 27, 2020. The food bank's director said at least 300 people would show up each week before the pandemic. Now, more than a thousand line up.Rebecca Panico | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The church on 65th Street got a little extra boost last weekend to feed those in need from a self-proclaimed Thanksgiving fanatic. Robert Solomon brought Thanksgiving meals to those who stopped by on a holiday he invented: Summersgiving.

Its my favorite holiday because there are no gifts involved, said Solomon, who lives in Norwood. Its just food and Im a foodie. Thanksgiving just makes me remember the dishes my grandmother made when I was a kid. Just the smells bring me back my childhood. So Ive just always loved Thanksgiving.

He donated about 650 Thanksgiving-themed meals that were cooked by staff at El Unico de Elena restaurant. He paid for the meals out of pocket, but also set up an online fundraiser in case anyone wanted to donate to the cause.

Solomon has been hosting private get-togethers with his friends at home each summer to cook Thanksgiving meals - because celebrating the day just once a year wasnt enough for him. In 2019, he decided to fill out paperwork to register the holiday on the National Day Calendar for the first Saturday of the summer solstice, which fell on June 27 this year.

The National Day Calendar lists holidays for all types of funky ideas, from Meteor Watch Day to National Eat Your Beans Day. The organization gets thousands of applications each year and picks just a small fraction for its calendar, Solomon was told.

Robert Solomon, an attorney based in Newark, paid for a majority of the 650 Thanksgiving dinners distributed at a West New York food pantry on Summersgiving. He invented and registered the holiday himself.Rebecca Panico | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

When Solomon isnt being a turkey fanatic he practices personal injury and medical malpractice law in Newark. He decided to help out in West New York since he used to reside here and a good friend who worked with the parishs food bank suggested working together.

This marks the second year since the holiday has been registered, but it was the first time Solomon hosted the party at a food bank. For the last decade, hes hosted Summersgiving in his backyard.

The extra help has taken on new meaning this year as long lines at food banks mirror the Depression-era. And the virus hit close to home for Solomon. He, his wife and daughter all became ill with the coronavirus, and luckily all got better without being hospitalized.

Its been a really, really tough year for us, 2020, Solomon said. So I was like, Ive got to do something more.' People have things far worse than what Ive gone through this year.

Juan Pena, the director of the food pantry, said pre-pandemic there were between 300 and 360 people coming to the food bank on a weekly basis. Now, there are more than a thousand, he said.

I believe it is because of the (coronavirus), Pena said through his N-95 mask. They were not expecting this today. That was a surprise for them. But this is the regular, normal people who come every Saturday since the COVID-19 started.

Holy Redeemer Parish in West New York opens its food pantry every Saturday.Rebecca Panico | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Carlo Fortunio, the pastor at Holy Redeemer Parish, looked up at the sky and joked that God kept the rain at bay for the hundreds who lined up to stock their carts with fresh vegetables and canned food.

Its not just for the food, but so the people dont feel abandoned, dont feel longing in this situation, said Fortunio, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 for a week. Many of them are out of work.

The church has become a hub of social services, even more so during the pandemic. Not only is the church feeding more people, theyre also working to get computers donated to families in case online classes continue in the fall. Psychologists from Felician University also provide therapy.

Some of the people who come to the food bank, Fortunio noted, may be undocumented and arent able to collect unemployment or a stimulus check, either. But despite the hardships theyre facing, the pastor said, parents who usually work two jobs are now reconnecting with their children and loved ones.

In everything, there is - if we want to see - there is a blessing, he said.

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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.

Have you seen an inspiring story in your community during this troubling time? Tell us about it.
Near the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in New Jersey, Linden Mayor Derek Armstead was spotted in a neighborhood going door-to-door, talking to residents, with a candidate for city council.

One resident, who did not want to be identified, told NJ Advance Media at the time that Armstead was harassing everybody.

Armstead, a Democrat, denied allegations he was campaigning for 6th Ward candidate Joao Goncalves on Kennedy Drive on April 23 in a city that, at the time, had more than 900 positive cases of COVID-19 and at least 42 deaths. As of July 3, the Union County city of approximately 43,000 residents had at least 1,362 cases of the coronavirus with at least 109 deaths, according to statistics on the Linden website.

In an interview with NJ Advance Media a day after he was seen in the neighborhood, Armstead offered this explanation: Our candidate lives on Kennedy Drive. Thats where we were at. He lives on the street. We had a meeting at his home yesterday. Hes talking to his neighbor he knows for God knows how long.

Linden Mayor Derek Armstead walks away from a house on Kennedy Drive as 6th Ward council candidate Joao Goncalves stands on the front stairs. (Submitted photo)

After the meeting, Armstead explained, the team was walking to their cars to head to Armsteads home to take campaign photos when they stopped to chat with some neighbors who initiated the contact.

We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and theyre using this against me, Goncalves, the candidate, said at the time.

But in a new video obtained by NJ Advance Media from a body-worn camera of a police officer who responded to the neighborhood to a report of a man heckling the mayor and his crew, Armstead and his chief of staff, Alex Lospinoso, admit to the officers they were campaigning.

Were just trying to campaign here, Lospinoso is heard telling an officer. Were keeping our social distance, we got our masks on, what do we need a problem for.

Armstead adds, Listen, if you are out campaigning, Im not going to come follow you, whether I support you or not support you. We just want to get out here, talk to a few people. Its a beautiful day out, were practicing our social distance, we got our masks on.

Were not kissing any babies or shaking hands, the mayor quipped.

Police were called to the scene because John Kaczor was taking pictures of Armstead and his team campaigning. Armstead told the officers who responded that Kaczor has no business following us around, but the officers assured the mayor Kaczor was allowed to take pictures and videos. Kaczor walked away without incident.

Im sorry to trouble you guys, Armstead told the officers. Ill tell anybody, you know what I mean, if youre looking for trouble, Im going to give you all the trouble you can ask for and youre going to be dressed in blue.

In a second body-worn camera video obtained by NJ Advance Media, Armstead, now speaking to an officer who is in his patrol car getting ready to leave, says, theres no reason for a real, formal report. Just a little incident report.

Im not going to file a complaint, the mayor continued.

The officer responds, So you want to put it down as a dispute?

No, we were out here minding our own business and he comes up and, ya know, starts following us, Armstead said. We dont know what his intentions are (but) I dont think its well. Thats my opinion.

The officer said he would do a quick report, before driving away.

Gov. Phil Murphys stay-at-home order, which has since been lifted, did not mention campaigning, but at a press conference on April 7, Murphy said: People should not be going door-to-door campaigning. Period. Thats not what we need right now. Stay at home. Pick up the telephone. Send an email. Send a text.

Armstead did not immediately respond Sunday to a phone call and a text message seeking comment.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Locals are quick to point out to visitors that, despite the trappings of certain tourist enterprises, New Orleans is not a Cajun city  that Cajuns historically settled well west of the metropolis, and that this largely rural ethnic group should not be confused with the Creole society of New Orleans.

Its a point worth making  but not overstating.

There is one corner of the modern metropolis where Cajuns and other coastal peoples have interacted economically for nearly 200 years, and have resided for over a century. Its in the Westwego area, the spot where greater New Orleans nearly abuts the Acadian Triangle, those 22 contiguous parishes where most Cajuns live.

This French-Canadian ethnic group first arrived in Louisiana after a years-long diaspora following their expulsion by the English from the Acadie region in Nova Scotia during the French and Indian War.

Starting in 1766, Spanish administrators in Louisiana, who sought to increase the colonys population, offered the Acadiens land grants west of New Orleans. Understanding that the area had a Catholic Francophone society, many took the offer, forming what would become known as the Cote de Acadiens.

In the decades to come, the Acadiens spread throughout south-central Louisiana, from the Barataria Bay westward to the Attakapas prairies and as far north as Marksville. The French demonym Acadiens got corrupted to Cadiens and eventually anglicized to Cajuns, a term that in Louisiana today is generally synonymous with Acadians.

A Cajun pipeline

What brought Cajuns to Westwego was a new connection between the Acadian region and what was then called the right bank of New Orleans  todays West Bank.

In 1829, a consortium of planters and merchants won state approval to form the Barataria and Lafourche Canal Co. Using a sliver of Camille Zeringues plantation on Nine Mile Point, the company aimed to excavate a channel to Bayou Segnette, through lakes Cataouatche and Salvador, and southwestwardly to Bayou Lafourche and beyond. The channel would also access Barataria Bay and the fishing villages of Cheniere Caminada and Grand Isle.

In between were vast stocks of cypress timber, Spanish moss, shells for making mortar, game, fur-bearing animals, and estuarine waters abounding in finfish and shellfish. The mostly Francophone ethnic groups who worked these environs included Houma, Chitimacha, and other native groups; Creoles of various racial backgrounds; those of German, Spanish and African descent; and of course Cajuns.

Using enslaved labor and state subsidies, the B & L Canal Co. dug its way to Bayou Segnette in the early 1830s. By 1841, it reached Bayou Lafourche, where it built a lock, giving rise to todays Lockport. The waterway became known as the Company Canal.

At the same time, a few miles to the east, neighboring planter Nicholas Noel Destrehan set about to create a similar waterway, this one pointed southward toward the island communities. Started in 1839 with the use of Irish contract labor, the Destrehan Canal opened in 1844, bringing Barataria Bay resources to what is now Harvey. The waterway would later be renamed for Joseph Hale Harvey, husband of Nicholas Destrehans remarkable daughter Louise, who in her elder years would bring the company into the modern era.

Together, the Company Canal and Harvey Canal enabled coastal resources  oysters, crabs, shrimp, fish and game as well as timber, moss, shells, and other raw materials  to flow inland on small steamboats, luggers, barges, skiffs, bateaus, and pirogues.

The Harvey Canal gave rural Baratarians access to the urban market, while the Company Canal, because it reached deep into the Acadian areas, became something of a Cajun pipeline into the Creole city.

Making tracks

The canals would soon get competition from railroads, starting in the 1850s and especially after the Civil War. In 1869, the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad aimed to connect north Texas with Mobile by building tracks on both banks of New Orleans, with a train ferry crossing the river.

The railroad company decided to build its tracks alongside the Company Canal to the Mississippi River, forming a key intermodal transportation node they dubbed West-We-Go, to herald the new westward access. The facility was completed in 1870, after which the operation would become known as the Texas & Pacific Railroad. In time, the catchy name got truncated to Westwego, and came to imply the adjacent settlement.

With trains ushering in cargo from the west, a canal bringing in seafood from the south, and busy wharves on the Mississippi, Westwego developed an industrial base. Some coastal families who previously did business here came to settle for the job opportunities.

In 1892, a 65-year-old Spaniard named Pablo Sala purchased part of the Zeringue plantation and laid out lots immediately adjacent to the Company Canal. Salaville would become the historic heart of Westwego, and among its first residents were African American families who were previously enslaved on Zeringues plantation. They formed the True Vine Baptist Church, which still operates on Sala Avenue today.

By 1893, up to 200 people lived in Salaville and Westwego, three-quarters of whom were African American.

Winds of change

In October of that year, a hurricane struck Barataria Bay, wreaking havoc on Cheniere Caminada and killing over 800 residents.

To the rescue came the people of the West Bank, who had intimate ties to the devastated region, and the means to get there.

Canal owner Horace Harvey, son of Joseph and Louise Destrehan Harvey, guided a vessel down the Harvey Canal and arrived to find hordes of haggard and starving people [with] ungovernable damnable thirst, according to an Oct. 6, 1893 report in the New Orleans Item. More rescue operations followed, sponsored by churches, social clubs, newspapers, businesses, relief committees, even theaters and music academies.

But the vessels bringing relief to the coast soon found themselves transporting refugees from the coast. Storm victims had every reason to leave: their fishing fleet had been obliterated, and the oyster reefs were buried in sand.

With nothing to go back to and nothing left to lose, many storm victims cast their eyes to the one part of greater New Orleans with which they had familiarity: Westwego and Harvey, at the heads of the Company and Harvey canals.

The Harvey family granted space along their waterway as a temporary encampment, to which the Sisters of Charity distributed donated supplies. By October 9, up to 74 Chenier families were taking refuge along the Harvey Canal. The number would later grow to 126 families.

Pablo Sala by this time had subdivided Salaville, and lots could be bought cheaply. By late 1894, 20 refugee families had built homes on or near Sala Avenue. Kin settled nearby, some on houseboats moored up and down the Company Canal and into Bayou Segnette.

The refugees and later migrants would impart to the West Bank a lasting cultural change, as they were mostly Acadian, with varying amounts of Houma, Creole, and other bloodlines. Their names were a whos-who of Louisiana Cajun clans: Terrebonne, Pitre, Chabert, Guedry (Guidry), Bourdro (Boudreaux), Gaspard, Ducos, Broussard, plus a few of Italian, Spanish, Croatian and Anglo origin.

The 1893 storm is a case study of the tendency of disasters to prompt demographic change. It made Westwego and adjacent communities the closest greater New Orleans would have to a Cajun neighborhood.

A 1942 Tulane thesis by Edwin Ney Bruce estimated that Westwegos population had nearly tripled after the 1893 storm, to about 500. Most of the people speak a French dialect, wrote Bruce of the community in the early 1940s. Even the people who speak Spanish speak French also, [namely] Creole and Arcadian (Cajun). The High School offers a course in Classical French, but it is not generally popular.

'Market' forces

Around this same era, as technology advanced in refrigeration and rail networks expanded, demand soared for Louisiana seafood. Westwego became greater New Orleans cannery row, taking advantage of its canals, railroads, and coastal-savvy denizens.

The nucleus of the seafood processing scene was Sala Avenue at 2nd Street, where Durac Terrebonnes Fishermens Exchange, a crab meat processor, a shrimp factory, two ice manufacturers, a cold storage unit, and a seafood retailer operated, all within a block of the Company Canal fish wharf and shed.

By the 1940s, five major processors employed 567 people in Westwego (population 5,000), of whom 83% were women and nearly 60% were Black. Most spoke French.

Wartime ship-building jobs attracted additional Cajuns and other coastal peoples to the metro area, as did the oil and gas industry.

Into the late 20th century, the Westwego census tract comprising old Salaville and the former Company Canal enumerated 2,952 residents who claimed French as their mother tongue, meaning the main language of ones childhood home, by far the most throughout the metropolis. Adjacent tracts in Westwego, Marrero and Harvey also had high numbers.

According to the 2000 Census, more people claimed French ancestry in parts of Westwego, Marrero, and Harvey down to Lafitte, than anywhere else in the metro area. The 2013-2017 American Community Survey showed that the heart of Westwego was the only census tract in the metro area in which a measurable percentage of respondents (7.05 %) identified Cajun as their ancestry. Combined with those who claimed French ancestry, as many Cajuns do, fully one out of every three residents claimed this heritage, among the highest rates in the metropolis.

While Cajun French is no longer heard in the streets of Westwego, Cajun ethnicity is very much present. Names like Pitre and Terrebonne are still prominent, and Durac Terrebonnes Fishermens Exchange is still standing, though its now home to the Westwego Historical Museum and Society. A walk around the Westwego Shrimp Lot, with its open-stall vendors of fresh seafood and the nearby fishing fleet on Bayou Segnette, is like a trip to Acadiana practically within sight of downtown skyscrapers.

And while the seafood markets address is on the West Bank Expressway, it aligns precisely with the now-filled front end of the circa-1830 Company Canal, the areas original connection to the Cote de Acadiens.

Richard Campanella, a geographer with the Tulane School of Architecture, is the author of The West Bank of Greater New OrleansA Historical Geography (LSU Press), from which this material was drawn, as well as Bourbon Street: A History, Bienvilles Dilemma, and other books. He may be reached at rcampane@tulane.edu, richcampanella.com, or @nolacampanella on Twitter.
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The Fourth of July holiday weekend began Saturday with some sobering numbers in the Sunshine State: Florida logged a record number of people testing positive for the coronavirus.

State health officials reported 11,445 new cases, a single-day record since the pandemic began earlier this year. The latest count brings the total number of cases in the state to more than 190,000. A website maintained by the Department of Health shows an additional 245 hospitalizations from the outbreak.

In the past 8 days ending Saturday according to data analyst Jeff Asher, Florida has reported 67,092 new cases. That's more than Louisiana has recorded in total -- 63,289 -- since the state reported its first case on March 9. Louisiana didn't report new coronavirus cases Saturday because of the July 4th holiday; the state will resume daily reporting Sunday at noon.

Florida officials and health experts are worried that people will gather over the holiday weekend and spread the virus through close contact. Theyve tried to mitigate spread by shutting bars statewide. Some regional attractions, such as Zoo Miami and Jungle Island, have closed. Universal Studios in Orlando is open.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez closed Miami-Dade County beaches through the weekend. Municipalities elsewhere in South Florida, from Vero Beach to Broward County, did the same. Beaches in the Florida Keys are also closed. Public beaches along Pinellas Countys 35 miles of sand are open.
The duo behind the University of New Orleans' new doctorate in Justice Studies didn't have to look far for their inspiration to create the program two years ago.

They found it on the city's streets, under interstate overpasses and blighted neighborhoods, and in the lives of citys poor, homeless and underserved.

Kim Martin Long, dean of UNO's College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development, wrote the proposal for the new program with Mahyar Amouzegar, UNO provost, following long discussions between the two about developing a catchall academic degree that would encourage scholarly research in matters most pressing around their urban university: social justice, gender and race, criminal justice and high incarceration, environmental challenges and unequal chances in public education.

We need a deeper understanding of some of these issues, Long said.

The program was approved last week by the supervisors of the University of Louisiana System, and with much of the nation seething over racial injustice, inequality and criminal justice reform, the degree program also seems to have arrived right on time, she said.

Although there are a few, similar programs around the country, there are none in Louisiana.

Long said her and Amouzegar's discussions about Justice Studies began when they were newcomers to UNO a few years ago and saw with fresh eyes the citys potential as a laboratory for social change. This was evident in the challenges endemic to New Orleans: high incarceration rates, involving mostly black prisoners; substandard housing; homelessness and poverty. Even if Hurricane Katrina hadnt ravaged the city in 2005, they said, New Orleans would have had painful, lingering social problems.

But they felt city also has sources for solutions, including intellectual capital at UNO, a public research institution, and its faculty members in fields like sociology, criminal justice, education, environmental science and other disciplines who are deeply committed to social change.

It doesnt take long to be in this city and say, Wow. We have a lot of work to do here, Long said.

That work started with developing the program, which will be open to students and others with academic backgrounds in related studies. Long said the program will start small, drawing faculty members principally from several existing UNO departments, and with as few as five or 10 students in the first year, expected in 2021. Within five years, the Justice Studies doctoral program should grow to more than 30 students, she said.

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Long said the program will likely include students who seek answers for promoting social justice for Black and Brown Americans, as well as law enforcement professionals studying better ways to protect and serve the public.

In promoting the program before the system supervisors at the June 25 meeting, UNO President John Nicklow said the academic program and the city were a good match.

The city of New Orleans and the University of New Orleans are rich with both successes and challenges in the continuing fight for social justice, he said. The university carries an obligation to catalyze change through education and research and this degree is great progress. The University of New Orleans is proud to assume a greater role in striving for racial justice.

New Orleans is where Homer Plessy challenged racial segregation in an 1892; its where in 1960, New Orleans public schools were desegregated after tumult surrounding two schools in the lower Ninth Ward. Two years before that, Nicklow said, LSU-New Orleans, now UNO, first opened as an integrated, state-supported public campus.

The intended Justice Studies program will equip students with a comprehensive knowledge of the worlds justice systems and provide them with advanced-level knowledge and skills to create meaningful, real-world change, Nicklow said in a letter to the board.

Proponents say the program is necessary in Louisiana because the state trailed the other 49 and the District of Columbia in the JustSouth Index report in 2017 by the Loyola University New Orleans Jesuit Social Research Institute.

Program administrators are deciding how to deliver the program to students. It may be a classroom-only program; it may involve hybrid courses involving both in-class and online components.

Were leaving it open, Long said. All kinds of models will come forth.

She said the program should improve the dialogue about justice and social needs around Louisiana.

She said she expects students to enroll from out of state and from around the UL System  schools include McNeese, UL Lafayette, Southeastern Louisiana, UNO, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Grambling State, Louisiana Tech and the University of Louisiana at Monroe  will also be lured to the campus to develop answers to social challenges in their own areas.
The company that runs Boomtown Casino in Harvey is warning of 197 looming job cuts slated for Aug. 15, according to a filing with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the latest in a string of mass layoffs at casinos across the state as the gaming industry struggles to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Casinos in Louisiana were shuttered for nearly two months by emergency orders aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus but were allowed to reopen at limited capacity in mid-May.

The Boomtown job cuts were announced in a legally required WARN notice filed with the state. The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act mandates that all but the smallest companies give state officials and workers 60-day notice of plant closures or mass layoffs.

WARN notices indicate the company doesn't believe the employees will be rehired anytime in the next six months.

+6 'I need to relieve the boredom': Gamblers return to New Orleans casinos under new restrictions You pays your money and you takes your chances once again for New Orleans area gamblers, as casinos outside of Orleans Parish got back to busi

Boomtown was one of four Louisiana casinos managed by Penn National Gaming that the Pennsylvania-based company said will have layoffs in August. The L'Auberge casino plans to cut 602 jobs between its facilities in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, while the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City plans to cut 347 jobs.

Boomtown said Sunday that it had furloughed 26,000 employees across all its properties in April with the hopes of being able to bring them back in a couple of months, but the last several weeks of having some casinos open on a limited basis has made it clear business will not be back to anything approaching normal anytime soon.

"After thoroughly reevaluating our business in light of the ongoing pandemic, we wanted to communicate honestly and openly with our team members that it could be some time before all of our remaining properties are open, and that those properties that are open will unfortunately not require the same level of staffing due to limitations and restrictions placed on occupancy and offerings to create a safer environment," said Eric Schippers, Penn's senior vice president of public affairs and government relations.

Schippers added that the company may not necessarily be laying off the full number it reported to the state.

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Sunday's news follows an announcement last month that Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner would laid off 340 people, cuts that went into effect Wednesday.

By mid-August, a total of nearly 4,000 casino workers in Louisiana will have lost their jobs since the coronavirus pandemic struck in March, according to public filings with the Louisiana Workforce Commission. At least one Louisiana casino  the Diamond Jacks riverboat in Bossier City  has announced plans to permanently close during the pandemic.

Coronavirus closures cause New Orleans casino revenue to drop 60.8% in March Casino winnings in the New Orleans gambling market were down 60.8% in March from a year ago, as mid-month closures of the states gambling hal

The shutdown and limited reopenings cratered gambling revenue in Louisiana. According to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, which oversees the industry, the state's 14 remaining riverboat casinos brought in just $60 million in revenue during the month of May  compared with $157 million in May 2019.

At Boomtown, revenue for May plunged more than 60% compared with the year before. June revenue figures have not yet been released.

Revenue from video poker machines, meanwhile, suffered a similar collapse, according to Louisiana Gaming Control Board figures, dropping by 56% in May compared with the same month in 2019.

A number of large upscale chain hotels in New Orleans  where the city's outsized tourism industry has been decimated by the sudden halt in travel beginning in March  previously announced mass layoffs there.

Thousands still furloughed at Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, other big New Orleans hotels amid pandemic The Louisiana Workforce Commission published on Wednesday more than a dozen notices from New Orleans-area hotels warning that thousands of fur
A man was shot near the intersection of Bienville and Decatur streets in the French Quarter on Saturday night, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The shooting was the fourth shooting in New Orleans since Friday morning. Six people were wounded and two killed in the prior shootings.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting about 8:25 p.m. and found one man suffering from a gunshot would, according to NOPD. The man was transported to a hospital by Emergency Medical Services, according to NOPD.

The NOPD did not provide additional details on the victims' condition or injuries.

+2 Seven shot in multiple incidents Friday in New Orleans; two killed Seven people were injured and two were killed after three separate shooting incidents on Friday in New Orleans, the New Orleans Police Departm

The violence this weekend started with two separate shootings, both at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday. In the first, a man was found in the 2800 block of S. Claiborne Avenue after being shot and died after being transported to the hospital.

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Minutes later, police responded to a triple shooting in the 8400 block of South I-10 Service Road. One of the victims died at the scene and two more were injured.

+7 2 men dead, 1 injured in separate afternoon shootings in New Orleans; NOPD investigating Two men are dead and an unidentified person is injured after two separate shooting incidents in New Orleans on Friday.

A second triple shooting occurred at 10:48 p.m. in the 500 block of North Carrollton Avenue. All three victims were taken to the hospital by private vehicles.

The police have not released any information on suspects or motives in any of the shootings.

transported
Two juvenile girls were injured in a shooting in St. Claude on Saturday night, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

It was the second shooting in New Orleans on July 4, and the fifth reported since Friday morning. In total, eight people have been injured and two have been killed.

Man injured in French Quarter shooting Saturday night, 8th New Orleans shooting victim in two days A man was shot near the intersection of Bienville and Decatur streets in the French Quarter on Saturday night, according to the New Orleans Po

The latest shooting was reported around 8:50 p.m. in the 3100 block of St. Claude Avenue. Both girls received graze wounds to the leg and were transported to an area hospital for treatment, police said.

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No other information is available at this time.

This is a developing story. Stick with nola.com for the latest updates.
A man was shot dead in Algiers early Sunday morning, according to New Orleans police.

The NOPD was responding to a traffic incident near General DeGaulle and Westbend when they found the man, 35, suffering from gunshot wounds around 3 a.m. He was transported to a hospital where he died.

Investigators believe the victim was shot in his car at an another location before he crashed on General DeGaulle, the NOPD says.

The NOPD is investigating the shooting as a homicide.

The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office will determine the official cause of death and release the victim's name, after an autopsy is completed and the family is notified.

Details about a motive or possible suspect(s) weren't provided.

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This marks the 7th shooting and 10th shooting victim in New Orleans since Friday. On Saturday, a double shooting in St. Claude left two girls injured. On Friday, seven people were shot and two were killed.

+2 Seven shot in multiple incidents Friday in New Orleans; two killed Seven people were injured and two were killed after three separate shooting incidents on Friday in New Orleans, the New Orleans Police Departm

Another man was shot in a separate shooting in Central City on Saturday night, the NOPD said.

The victim was shot in the foot and shoulder around 11:38 p.m. near Simon Bolivar and Martin Luther King Blvd.

Double shooting in St. Claude leaves 2 girls injured; NOPD investigating Two juvenile girls were injured in a shooting in St. Claude on Saturday night, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The man arrived at the hospital via a private vehicle, according to the NOPD.
Because they are less likely to have access to good preschool and pre-K programs, Black children are on average nine months behind in math and almost seven months behind in reading by the time they enter kindergarten, compared to their White peers.

That's according to the National Institute for Early Education Research, which issued a special report on race in June after George Floyd's killing sharpened focus on racism and systemic inequity around the country.

In the study, researchers Allison Friedman-Krauss and Steven Barnett highlighted what they said was unequal treatment toward Black children beginning at an early age, which in turn has contributed to inequalities in learning and development later in life.

"Math and reading abilities at kindergarten entry are powerful predictors of later school success," they said. "Children who enter kindergarten behind are unlikely to catch up."

Statistically, it's likely that similar inequities exist in Louisiana for children so young, largely because of the "enormous disparities" in child poverty along racial lines, according to Kenneth Francis, the director of child advocacy for the organization Agenda for Children.

But because the state doesn't collect that kind of detailed enrollment data across its multiple early education programs, it's impossible to make a comparison, or do a local analysis of whether White children were more likely to attend high quality programs, Francis said.

Francis said the data Louisiana does have is disturbing. In 2019, 87% of African American fourth graders in the state scored below proficient on national testing for reading, compared to 63% of white children.

And in 2018, 51% of African American children in Louisiana under the age of 6 lived in poverty, compared to 16% of white children, according to the KIDS Count Data book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a philanthropic and research organization dedicated to improving outcomes for children.

"Put another way, a young African American child in Louisiana is more than three times as likely to live in poverty as a young white child," Francis said.

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In their report, the National Institute researchers advocated for universal preschool, saying that such a measure could eliminate the learning gaps seen between Black and White children.

Advocates who push for universal preschool want all children to have access to public school at an early age, like they do starting in kindergarten. Right now, many states, including Louisiana, offer a hodgepodge of programs funded by various federal and state programs that are typically limited to a fraction of the families who could use them.

Lawmakers have resisted the idea largely because it would be expensive.

"The nation is hamstrung by limited public funding," Barnett and Friedman-Krauss wrote.

For change to happen in Louisiana, Francis said it was imperative that the state start by collecting data to identify racial disparities, so officials could develop interventions to eliminate them.

He also said the state needed to put more public funding toward early education.

The Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program, the primary program that provides slots for 4 year olds, is currently funded at $4,580 per child, an amount far below state funding provided for children in K-12, which is closer to $10,000 a child, according to state data.

That's even though lower child-teacher ratios require higher costs for running early education programs, Francis noted.

"As a state we have made remarkable progress in increasing the quality and access of early care and education over the past decade," Francis said. "However, Louisiana has tolerated unconscionable disparities in child poverty, and educational outcomes for children of color for far too long."
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.
State

NPF, NPCC slam govts reply to Governor

DIMAPUR, JUL 4 (NPN) | Publish Date: 7/4/2020 1:30:09 PM IST

Govt has humiliated Governor: NPFLP

NPF Legislature Party (NPFLP) hit out at the state governments reply to the Governors letter by terming it as an unsavoury response and nothing but an assorted collection of distorted facts and figures to deceive the Governor and the Nagas at large.

NPFLP said, after taking charge on August 1, 2019, Governor R.N. Ravis observation revealed the precarious law and order situation prevailing in the state, which cannot be merely dubbed as a study that does not appear to be factual.

It pointed out that Ravi, a 1976-batch IPS officer and former Deputy National Security Advisor served the nation in various capacities and was not a schoolboy to not understand the basic parameters of identifying law and order situation in the State.

NPF noted with disappointment that the state government had dismissed the findings of a man of such calibre merely as one that does not appear to be factual. NPF said the state government had also humiliated Ravi in public domain in the state, regional and national media. This is display of political shrewdness of the cheapest standard, it added.

NPFLP demanded to know as to what had prevented the chief minister and his cabinet, at the June 19 meeting with the Governor, from telling the him that the end result of his observation was not factual?

It said when the issue could have been clarified officially at the June 19 meeting, was it necessary for the government to publicly humiliate the Governor by challenging the factuality of his observation in public domain through I&PR department?

NPFLP said as evident and noted by the Governor, there has been steady down-slide in all parameters of development in Nagaland under the present day government. It said these were due to alleged siphoning off huge amount of funds meant for road connectivity, healthcare, education infrastructures etc. by diverting them to various non-functional projects.

While the economy of the state continued to be in doldrums, NPFLP said the states financial position was kept under wraps for reasons best known to those at the helm of power. Taking a jibe at the governments refusal to disclose the actual financial position of the state, NPFLP said this was probably the much-hyped catchphrase on transparency and accountability.

On the ongoing Dimapur-Kohima 4-lane road construction and various other road projects under MoRTH, NPFLP said sanction was accorded through the initiative of the previous government but the project was incomplete till today.

NPFLP also pointed out that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed under the direction of the Governor, to prevent unlawful activities and book miscreants obstructing the 4-lane road work, but it was yet to come up with any tangible result till date.

NPFLP said that the stand of the state government to the governor, that the law and order continues to be normal and peaceful, held no water.

It pointed out that business establishments were being threatened on a daily basis by anti-social elements, especially in Dimapur. NPFLP said such incidents go unreported due to the lack of trust of public on government machineries. This situation only allowed such elements to take maximum advantage and at times malign the image of the Naga national movement.

It pointed out that the best example of the laid-back attitude of the government was the way it dealt with the Public Action Committee (PAC) formed under the aegis of Naga Council Dimapur.

It pointed out that the PAC had served an ultimatum on the state government (till July 31) to initiate an anti-crime Act similar to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) or the Goonda Act to control organised crime. NPFLP however said that the government remained in deep hibernation and paid scant regard to PAC and other civil societies who have come out to address grievances of the public.

NPFLP reiterated that the state government will sooner or later, have to come face to face with the harsh reality and cautioned that the rage of the general public was growing every single day and that a final culmination was not very far off.

NPFLP said the Governor had cited several problems in the state that have emerged since the instruments of law and order remained totally unresponsive.

Healthcare and education have hit rock bottom while the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has made the matter worse, it added.

NPFLP also said that the grievances of public and those at various quarantine centres continue to surface every now and then but many went unattended.

It cited the Tuensang and Peren fiascos, which it said, portrayed the incompetency and negligence of the government in handling the pandemic and which might lead to risk of possible community transmission .

NPFLP also stated that the genuine demands of the Eastern Naga People Organisation (ENPO) and the Zeliangrong Students Union, Nagaland (ZSUN) have failed to find logical conclusion till date.

Further, NPFLP charged the state government of nepotism, in the recent state cabinet decision to regularize the post of 27 GDMOs, appointed on contractual basis on May 27, 2020 for a period of 12 months. However, when pressure mounted , NPFLP said the decision on the plea of shortage of manpower to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, had to be revoked.

Adding to the over-all burden of the public, NPFLP said that the COVID cess on fuel has led to sharp rise in prices of various commodities in the state.

Assessing the present state of affairs, NPFLP said that one cannot help but come to the conclusion that the raison detre of the present day government was not for the welfare of its citizens as it ought to be.

In any case, the autocratic functioning of the state government since the past more than 2 years speaks for itself, NPFLP stated.

Govt reply an insult to public: NPCC
Lewisburg -- Winning a Fulbright Scholarship wasn't part of Julia Stevens of the Class of 2020's plans when she originally came to Bucknell - and neither was adding Russian Studies as a second major alongside French and Francophone studies.

"I'd always thought it was cool that my dad studied Russian in college, and I wanted to try learning a language with a different alphabet," explains Stevens, a Presidential Fellow from North Tonawanda, N.Y. "That's when I realized it wasn't just French that I loved, but languages in general."

Looking for ways to dive deeper into Russian language and culture, the double major decided to pursue educational opportunities that would take her abroad after graduation. This year, Stevens became one of three Bucknellians who earned English teaching assistant awards through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program  one of the world's most prestigious cultural exchange initiatives.

Administered by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, these awards send U.S. citizens to foreign countries for an academic year to supplement local English language instruction in schools.

"Being embedded in the country affects how well you can speak the native language, and how much you understand the culture itself," says Stevens, who will travel to Russia in January 2021.

After making the most of her French education by studying abroad through the Bucknell en France program, Stevens says she's looking forward to rounding out her third language.

Joining Stevens as Fulbright winners are Soni Madnani '20, an economics, political science and Spanish triple major whose service in Indonesia was unfortunately canceled because of COVID-19; Maren Burling '19, an anthropology and Spanish double major who will travel to Mexico in January; and Marie Catanese '20, an international relations and environmental studies double major who will teach English in Malaysia.

Cataneses decision to pursue a teaching assistant position in Malaysia was inspired by her experience living in the country during her senior year of high school through the YES Abroad Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the program provides American high school students scholarships to study for one academic year in countries throughout the Balkans, Africa and Southeast Asia.

It was during this stint abroad that Catanese observed firsthand the impacts of the Southeast Asian haze, large-scale air pollution caused by slash-and-burn agricultural practices. The issue sparked the Maryland native's interest in the intersection of international development and environmental science, which she later pursued at Bucknell. Now with an eye toward eventually working in the United States Foreign Service, Catanese hopes that her upcoming journey to Malaysia will give her a closer look at the environmental issues facing the region.

I wanted to go back to Malaysia because I wanted to give back to a place that taught me so much about myself and my passions, she says. Having gained all of this knowledge around international relations and environmental studies at Bucknell, the Fulbright is a great opportunity to get an even better understanding of the challenges Asia is battling and what possible solutions there are."

Like Catanese, winning a Fulbright is a massive step on Burling's journey to eventually working abroad. She also hopes that spending time as a teaching assistant in Mexico will give her the firsthand experience she needs to eventually serve as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service.

"Mexican and U.S. relations are very important to our shared security," says Burling, who applied for the Fulbright after graduating. "So getting a better understanding of that relationship through this award will help me make a lot of headway toward my future career as a foreign service officer."

This won't be Burling's first experience working in another country. As an undergrad, the Connecticut native spent a semester teaching English to primary school children while studying in Barcelona, Spain. Since graduating from Bucknell, Burling has been tutoring Spanish-speaking students at a bilingual school through the AmeriCorps City Year program, an educational nonprofit that supports academic achievement in urban, low-income areas.

"My passion for educating youth in Spanish settings has developed so much over the years," Burling says. "I'm excited to continue exploring that while experiencing life just south of the U.S."

For Madnani, becoming a teaching assistant was more than an opportunity to immerse herself in a different culture. As an Indian American who grew up Hindu, working in Indonesia  home to the largest Muslim population in the world  would have been a chance for Madnani to engage with her own identity in a powerful new way.

I really wanted to spend time in a culture that has, at times, been in opposition to mine, she says. Being a teaching assistant in Indonesia felt like a great way to build a bridge across the Hindu and Muslim cultures for me.

Despite her service being cancelled due to the pandemic, Madnani says shes grateful for the guidance and support she received from faculty throughout the application process.

At Bucknell, you have all these people who believe in you and encourage you to do big things, like applying for a Fulbright, she says. Once you graduate, you dont necessarily have people constantly cheering you on. Im going to really miss that about Bucknell.

Madnani plans to relocate to Washington, D.C., where shell work as a government and public services consultant for Deloitte.
Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, protests erupted across the country, and then across the world - from France to Japan and even Syria.

Public anger boiled over, making this about much more than Floyd's death. The law enforcement involved have been charged with second degree manslaughter or aiding and abetting, but protests and riots have continued. Protesters have been making their point clear with their persistence: actions taken against the four officers are not enough.

Calls are ringing out across the country for systemic changes; however, exact demands vary wildly among different groups. The most extreme are calls to abolish the police entirely and replace them with a variety of social workers and community-based public safety policies.

Another demand is to cut funding for police departments and move those funds to other areas that may help reduce crime, such as education. The idea has gained traction in Philadelphia as a late-night decision slashed the police budget by $33 million on June 18.

Less extreme - and more likely - measures include modifying qualified immunity for police, banning chokeholds, increases in accountability and transparency, and changes in hiring and training processes. Protesters and supporters typically quick to point out that chokeholds had been banned in New York City for several years when Eric Garner died from an officer compressing his neck and chest in a chokehold.

That officer was fired, but not indicted: a metaphorical slap on the wrist. What is the point of adding new police conduct laws if police can ignore them with impunity?

House and Senate Democrats have presented one set of proposed sweeping reforms, Republicans another, and various state and local governments have been bringing their own ideas to the table.

The Pennsylvania Senate passed one much-discussed reform measure on June 30: House Bill 1910, after final approval from the Governor, will establish a database of officer misconduct complaints that departments will be able to access during the hiring process. Previously, an officer with a record of excessive use of force or other misconduct could switch departments without their record following them, possibly allowing them to continue their misconduct in other departments indefinitely.

In addition, House Bill 1841 was also approved by the Pennsylvania Senate - an act that will require background checks for police officers during the hiring process. The bill also frees previous employers from liability for sharing information with a hiring police department in good faith.

Of the bills, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said:

I commend todays vote to establish a mandatory, statewide database of police misconduct  a key change sought by reform advocates and a down payment on the improvements we need to make. When the Governor signs these bills, Pennsylvania will become one of the only states in the country to change its laws in the aftermath of George Floyds killing. I heard the community, and worked to bring a breakthrough coalition of law enforcement leaders forward to get this done. This legislation would make all Pennsylvanians safer by preventing departments from unknowingly hiring officers with past records of misconduct, and is a first step that shows we can make meaningful changes in our criminal justice system. I thank Representatives Harry Readshaw, Chris Rabb, Dan Williams, Jason Dawkins and all of the partners who came together to support this reform that the community was calling for and to commit to continue making needed changes.

The two main federal proposals are the JUSTICE Act proposed by Republicans in Congress and the Justice in Policing Act brought forth by the Democrats. The two proposals cover some of the same subjects, but the Democratic Party proposal is more strict. Major parts of the bills are listed below.

The JUSTICE Act (Republican legislation)

Defines chokeholds as maneuvers specifically meant to incapacitate an individual

Makes departments that refuse to ban chokeholds forfeit federal grant money

Makes lynching a federal crime

Gives police departments additional funding for body cameras

Creates a commission to study the conditions of Black men and boys specifically, including rates of homicide, drug use, poverty, health issues, and so-on

No-knock warrants are allowed but must be well-documented and reported

Requires use of force and shooting incidents to be reported to the FBI

Calls for harsher punishments for falsified reports

No change to qualified immunity, which protects police from legal actions taken against them

The Justice in Policing Act (Democratic legislation)

Defines chokeholds as any maneuver that prevents or inhibits a person's air intake

Bans chokeholds except when use of deadly force is authorized

Makes departments that refuse to ban chokeholds forfeit federal grant money

Makes lynching a federal crime

Stops giving police departments military-grade equipment

Creates a national police misconduct registry

Bans no-knock warrants

Modifies qualified immunity for police, making it easier to successfully file a lawsuit against an officer

Despite the bills' similarities, arguments have erupted over the strictness or lenience of the two federal proposals; Democrats seem to believe that the Republican proposal is not strict enough, while Republicans find the Democratic proposal too strict.

Pennsylvania's Congressman Fred Keller is co-sponsoring the GOP's JUSTICE Act. Regarding the co-sponsorship, he states:

I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of the JUSTICE Act. The legislation includes several bipartisan provisions that will help improve law enforcement procedures and bring about a culture of mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Throughout the law enforcement listening sessions I have held across Pennsylvanias 12th Congressional District, we have heard consistently that enhanced training, accreditation, and the implementation of best practices can help improve law enforcement practices while not mandating an unworkable one-size-fits-all national approach. The JUSTICE Act takes the necessary steps to implement needed improvements in law enforcement to help ensure equal justice is applied to every American.

While the exact reforms are as yet unclear, it is clear that changes are coming. COVID-19 help foster conditions for unrest by shining a spotlight on the country's inequalities, leaving many people feeling abandoned by the government and giving people who would otherwise be working or worn out by their jobs time to take to the streets.

Despite liberal use of tear gas, curfews, presidential Twitter threats, and various crowd control measures, protests continue to grow from week to week; slowly but surely, they seem to be getting results.
Move over, Galaxy M31: it looks like your title of "battery monster" will go to a newer phone soon. Samsung has apparently made a new mobile power-pack with a rated capacity of no less than 6800mAh. It has leaked out thanks to a few official certifications for this component from Korean and Chinese regulators.

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3C has reportedly issued its approval for a new battery called the EB-BM415ABY. Nothing very unusual about that - except that it has a rated capacity of no less than 6800mAh. Its model number also suggests it may be destined for a Samsung phone, even though the Chinese telecomms regulator lists its manufacturer as Ningde Amperex Technology.

A second new certification from Safety Korea bearing the same model number includes a photo that suggests the EB-BM415ABY is indeed a Samsung product. This image does not adequately confirm the object's apparent rated capacity, however, although other information found in the Korean documentation matches that from 3C.

Therefore, it is indeed possible that the OEM is now ready to provide a new and improved generation of the battery found in devices such as the Galaxy M30s, which had impressively long screen-on times as a selling point.

In addition, Samsung may in fact market its apparent successor as having 7000mAh in typical capacity. This could make it the largest singular battery in the industry, whereas other OEMs such as Realme may have only just cracked 6000mAh in their own latest rounds of product development.

As to the phone to be graced with this new rumored super-battery, it could be the Galaxy M41, going by the model number included in these new leaks and Samsung's usual practice of matching these identifiers to those of phones. However, it is also possible that an M51 could be the one to turn up rocking this spec instead.
BATON ROUGE, La.  Jessica Starr of Mullen was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Starr was initiated at Fort Hays State University.

Starr is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission is To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.
The new scholarship examining Black homesteaders will provide the basis for expanded understanding of our nations epic homestead story. After the Civil War and Emancipation, Black homesteaders arrived in the Great Plains. They sought to build new lives, provide for their families, and educate their children, aided by opportunities provided through the Homestead Act. The study explores six major black homesteading communities settled at Blackdom, New Mexico; Dearfield, Colorado; DeWitty, Nebraska; Nicodemus, Kansas; Empire, Wyoming; and Sully County, South Dakota.

To celebrate this important study, Homestead National Monument will be doing extensive work creating digital content for its website and social media accounts. This will include using digital materials already created, as well as building new digital pages. This part of the project is expected to take approximately 18 months. The Center for Great Plains Studies will also be creating a traveling exhibition, Staking Their Claim: Black Homesteaders and the Promise of Land in the Great Plains. One of the six communities in the study, Nicodemus, Kansas, hosts an annual Homecoming Emancipation Celebration  every year, descendants of the original homesteaders return to Nicodemus. Due to impacts from COVID-19, this years Homecoming (July 31 to Aug. 1) will be held virtually. For more information, visit nicodemushomecoming.org.
CURTIS  The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis has announced on-campus classes will begin for the fall semester on Aug. 24.

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, part of the University of Nebraska system, is planning a schedule for all classes to be on campus for the 2020-21 academic year, said NCTA Dean Larry Gossen.

A small campus in a small, rural community is to our advantage since we can spread out for student safety and physical distancing measures in this period of COVID-19, Gossen said. However, If the pandemic requires revision certainly NCTA will do so according to all state directives.

Classes will begin August 24 as new students will be moving into student residence halls and the community on the weekend prior.

Campus closed on Labor Day

Also, since many agriculture students and families exhibit livestock or are involved directly with the Nebraska State Fair or ag production activities in late August, NCTA students will not have classes on Labor Day, Gossen said.

There will not be a fall break, but there will be two days break for Thanksgiving and the Friday after.
LINCOLN  Rabbit owners need to be aware of a highly contagious viral disease known as homorrhagic disease virus, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture warned in a press release issued this week.

The virus has been diagnosed as the cause of death in wild and domestic rabbits in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Colorado, as well as domestic rabbits in Nevada and Utah and wild rabbits in California. To date, the virus has not been found in Nebraska.

It is important that rabbit owners know about this disease so they can more closely monitor the health of their rabbits, particularly ones that may be comingling with other animals, said NDA State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes.

Symptoms of RHDV include fever, anorexia, wasting, diarrhea and respiratory illness. RHDV can also cause sudden death in rabbits. The virus is spread directly between rabbits and can survive for weeks in contaminated environments.

RHDV is a notifiable Foreign Animal Disease, and practitioners who suspect RHDV should contact the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 402-471-2351. Individuals who have concerns about unusual deaths of wild rabbit and hare populations are encouraged to contact Nebraska Game and Parks at 308-763-2940.

All rabbits entering Nebraska must be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI, or health certificate). If you are considering moving an animal into Nebraska from an affected state, please call 402-471-2351 to learn more. Additional information on RHDV can be found on NDAs website at nda.nebraska.gov/animal/diseases/rhd/index.html
WASHINGTON  Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., opened nominations this week for the 2020 Angels in Adoption Award for Nebraskas 3rd District.

Angels in Adoption, a project of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, provides members of Congress the opportunity to honor an individual or entity from their districts for extraordinary contributions on behalf of children in need of homes, according to a press release from Smiths office.

In times of hardship, we can be heartened by those doing good works in our communities such as the families in the 3rd District who open their homes to children in need. The 2020 Angels in Adoption Award will seek to highlight those serving our community and the love they provide to youth in need of adoption and foster care. I look forward to reviewing the nominations.

To make a nomination, please visit adriansmith.house.gov/angelsinadoption. Nominations must be received by Friday.

For more information on Angels in Adoption, please contact Smiths Grand Island office at 308-384-3900.
A light agenda greets the Lincoln County commissioners on Monday for their regular meeting.

The board will consider authorizing Chairman Bill Henry to sign an understanding of services with the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts for the Lincoln County audit for the fiscal year ending June 30.

The commissioners also will discuss and consider adding a door for Lincoln County Court.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Lincoln County Courthouse.




ZIMBABWE needs to strengthen and refocus on the measures the country adopted at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown in March if it is to avert a local transmission crisis, a senior Government official has said.





In an interview yesterday, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro urged citizens to remain alert, continue practising good hygiene and social distancing, as the country is set to experience a spike in local transmissions. These have been on the rise lately. By yesterday, Zimbabwes Covid-19 confirmed cases had risen to 698, with 107 cases attributed to local transmissions, something that has seen authorities raising alarm.





From the tests done yesterday, 73 cases were confirmed positive with 55 being returnees from South Africa, Botswana (three), Mozambique (three), United States of America (two), Australia (one), Zambia (one) and local transmissions (eight). The Ministry of Health and Child Care also reported the death of one Covid-19 positive woman, aged 21, from Harare, bringing the number of deaths due to the pandemic to eight in the country.





According to Dr Agnes Mahomva, the Chief Co-ordinator of the National Response to the Covid-19 pandemic, of the 99 local cases (recorded by Friday), 77 are directly linked to returnees while 22 are a result of community transmissions. This has been attributed to the relaxation of lockdown measures and the increased mingling of locals and returnees over the past few weeks. Issues of sanitation and hygiene, and the fact that the country is currently in the influenza season, have also been highlighted.





Said Dr Mangwiro: The upsurge is a sign that people are mixing up so we are saying let us stay at home where necessary and continue practising hygiene, social distancing and correctly wearing face masks.





For those that are coming from outside, they should adhere to quarantine measures and not mix with others before they are tested. This is a sign that we need to restrengthen and refocus on the measures that we had in the beginning.





However, he was quick to say that presently there were no discussions of reverting back to strict lockdown measures.





These issues need to be balanced, the economy and Covid-19, so we are saying at individual levels one must make it a priority to make sure they are protected and they protect their loved ones, he said.





Zimbabwe is under Level 2 lockdown, where both formal and informal businesses have reopened. Restaurants have also been allowed to serve sit-in customers.





Epidemiologist, Dr Portia Manangazira, also said surge in transmission was expected due to water and sanitation infrastructure which is inadequate, as well as returnees.




SUTHERLAND  Sirens blared and car horns honked as the 2020 Sutherland Fourth of July Car Cruise took the place of the traditional parade on Saturday.

This was the 83rd year of the annual celebration that tried to capture at least a portion of the tradition with the car cruise. The rodeo queens rode in the back of the trucks and cruise participants waved enthusiastically at the people viewing from their yards along the route.

Missing from the usually boisterous event were the squeals of children running after the candy that is normally tossed from the vehicles as they pass by  a result of social distancing practices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sutherland Chamber of Commerce was so disappointed there are so many things not happening today that traditionally happen here in Sutherland, said Muriel Clark, member of the chamber. We put our heads together and decided, what could we still do, what could we still work out.

She said with the cruise night success in North Platte, the chamber decided to give it a try.

We decided to have it in the morning so people have the rest of the day to be with families before the rodeo, Clark said. It really seems to have taken off.

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I have traveled all over the world, and I believe America is the most multi-ethnic, most racially integrated, most colorblind country on Earth. We promise civil rights with the rule of law, and we rely on our courts to back up that promise. Our market economy makes economic mobility possible here in a way that is only a dream in many other nations. The idea the United States today is a horribly racist country has no relationship to truth or reality.

We fought a Civil War to end slavery. That war resulted in over 800,000 casualties. Adjusted for todays population, that would be the equivalent of over 8 million casualties. No nation on the face of the Earth has ever laid such a sacrifice upon the altar of human freedom.

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the states in rebellion.

In 1865, Lincoln led the effort to get the 13th Amendment passed in Congress, legally abolishing slavery throughout the United States.

Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1871, the Enforcement Act of 1870, the Force Act of 1871, the KKK Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1875. These were all efforts to advance the cause of integration.
Copies of Bill Duncans book are still available from his wife, Ada Duncan, at 541-673-1073 as well as at While Away Books in Roseburg.
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I received a call this week from a very nice reader who was looking for someone to review their estate plan and help complete it if necessary. As we spoke over the phone, I picked up on something pretty quickly. The reader wasnt an Indiana resident.

At some point I had to stop the conversation and let them know that I wasnt licensed in their state. It wasnt that I didnt want to help them; I simply couldnt. Since I receive one of these calls almost weekly, I was able to direct them to another attorney that I thought might be able to help them.

The truth is that it isnt always easy to find the right attorney and a lot of people dont know where to even start. I bet that for most of my readers, Im the only estate planning attorney they can name off of the top of their heads.

Not all attorneys practice in the area of estate planning and settlement. Just like you wouldnt go to a podiatrist if you were having heart issues, you probably dont want to go to an attorney that concentrates in criminal law if you need a trust.
Joseph S. Pete Business Reporter Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military. Follow Joseph S. Pete 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

One of Northwest Indiana's most beloved doughnut shops is normally open 24/7, except when a car slams into it or another car creates a drive-thru where there was none before.

But the coronavirus ended up temporarily shuttering Munster Donut, along with almost everything else, after the outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in mid-March.

Now the vintage doughnut shop at 8314 Calumet Ave. has announced it will tentatively reopen on Tuesday. But don't expect to be able to just pop in and grab a few chocolate donuts to go.

For the time being, the restaurant will only take phone-in orders and and offer curbside service. No one will be allowed to enter the building, not even to use the bathroom.

The old school doughnut joint, which marked its 50th anniversary last year, will not take orders online, just over the phone.

"Thank you all so much for your understanding," Munster Donut posted on its Facebook page. "We appreciate you all so very much for sticking with us through this trying time. Please check back with the Facebook page for any updates or changes."

The business will be open from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the time being.
No new local COVID-19 deaths were reported in NWI's counties on Sunday for the second day in a row, according to updated statistics provided by the Indiana State Department of Health and local health departments.

Lake County reported 42 new coronavirus cases, bringing the county's total of 5,146. Porter County added seven more cases, bringing its total to 761. LaPorte County again added 10 for a total of 573.

Jasper County saw seven additional cases for a total to 121.

Newton County reported no new positive cases, leaving its count at 98.

ISDH reported 596 new coronavirus cases across the state during the 24-hour reporting period, which brought Indiana's total to 48,008. New cases were reported Saturday. All data were provisional and subject to change as more information is reported to the state.

Sunday's data reporting marked the third day in a row of more than 500 new coronavirus cases in Indiana, which quickly pushed the state's overall count past 47,000 and 48,000 over the past two days.

There were again six additional fatalities across the state, bringing the death total to 2,500. New deaths were reported between June 17 and Saturday.
Survived by many nieces and nephews. Special friend of Mary Placier. Moira, "Sis", was born in Allentown, PA, in 1945 and spent her youth growing up in Coplay with her parents and three brothers. She graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1963 and then enrolled at St Francis College in Fort Wayne, IN. She graduated in 1967 with her Bachelors Degree in Education and it was in college that she first came into contact with the Sisters of St Francis of Perpetual Adoration. She followed the Lord's call to religious life and entered the convent in Mishawaka, IN, in September of 1967. During the next 35 years, Moira received her Masters Degree and taught science in various parish schools in Illinois, Indiana and Louisiana. Moira also served as the Principal of some of these schools throughout her ministry in education. Moira chose to leave religious life in 2003 and continued to teach in Louisiana.

In 2005, two months before the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Moira moved to Homewood, Illinois, and moved in with Mary. Moira taught for a short time at the Sylvan Learning Center in Homewood and then worked as a Unit Secretary at St James Hospital in Chicago Heights. Moira returned to her first love, teaching, in 2007 when she was hired as a science teacher for the upper grades at St. Thomas More school in Munster, IN. She retired from her lifelong vocation of teaching in 2013 to enjoy some much deserved "quiet time" at home. Moira was so well loved by many, which became apparent as the news of her illness was shared. Daily she received cards, flowers, messages, texts and visits from family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who wanted to convey their love, support and prayers as she battled the pain related to her cancer diagnosis. The best way to attempt to convey what Moira meant to those of us who knew her and loved her, was to share some of the heartfelt comments from her family, friends and students shared on learning of Moira's death; "She will be remembered for her strong faith, infectious laugh, sweet spirit"; "Such an amazing lady, I'm honored to have known her"; "She was one of my all-time favorite teachers"; "Miss McGinley was someone who was more than a teacher, she was a friend"; "Her integrity was amazing"; "A beautiful soul, wonderful teacher and a treasured friend. One's legacy couldn't be any better than that"; "There was always lots of laughter when Moira was around"; "Moira was a phenomenal teacher who passed on her love of God and her love of learning to her students"; "Your impact in my life is undeniable. As a teacher you pushed me to do better. You cared about us and it showed"; "Moira McGinley was an amazing teacher, but better yet, she was an even more amazing person". So Moira, rest now good and faithful servant. Our hearts are heavy as we try to imagine life here on earth without you. We are comforted as our eyes look to the heavens and our faith reminds us that one day we will be reunited in the Love that surpasses all understanding. "And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand".
It was only after the intervention of some concerned villagers the next day that it was discovered that Dube had nothing to do with the missing phone. The gadget was in fact recovered from one of Congos boys.
At the country level, a lot of W.H.O. technical staff are scratching their heads, said a consultant at a regional office in Southeast Asia, who did not wish to be identified because he was worried about losing his contract. This is not giving us credibility.

The consultant recalled that the W.H.O. staff members in his country were the only ones to go without masks after the government there endorsed them.

Many experts said the W.H.O. should embrace what some called a precautionary principle and others called needs and values  the idea that even without definitive evidence, the agency should assume the worst of the virus, apply common sense and recommend the best protection possible.

There is no incontrovertible proof that SARS-CoV-2 travels or is transmitted significantly by aerosols, but there is absolutely no evidence that its not, said Dr. Trish Greenhalgh, a primary care doctor at the University of Oxford in Britain.

So at the moment we have to make a decision in the face of uncertainty, and my goodness, its going to be a disastrous decision if we get it wrong, she said. So why not just mask up for a few weeks, just in case?

After all, the W.H.O. seems willing to accept without much evidence the idea that the virus may be transmitted from surfaces, she and other researchers noted, even as other health agencies have stepped back emphasizing this route.

I agree that fomite transmission is not directly demonstrated for this virus, Dr. Allegranzi, the W.H.O.s technical lead on infection control, said, referring to objects that may be infectious. But it is well known that other coronaviruses and respiratory viruses are transmitted, and demonstrated to be transmitted, by contact with fomite.
Got to die of something, said Bruce Benge, a corrections officer who lives in nearby Pinetop and who left his mask on the front seat of his Ford pickup truck, which he had festooned with a Trump 2020 flag. If I feel threatened, Ill put it on.

On the trucks back seat was his assault-style rifle, and in a holster on his hip was a handgun with an extra magazine. Mr. Benge said he had heard that people who associate with antifa might turn up to disrupt the parade, and he had thus brought extra ammunition.

In Washington, federal officials planned a 35-minute show for Saturday night, the 2020 Salute to America, at which they said more than 10,000 fireworks would be set off shortly after 9 p.m. The celebration, which was also set to include flyovers of military planes, moved forward even as the citys mayor urged people to avoid large crowds.

In Austin, more than 100 protesters rallied outside the Texas governors mansion against Gov. Greg Abbotts order requiring face coverings, dubbing their gathering Shed the Mask, Don the Flag.

Debbie Esparza, 67, drove from San Antonio to take a stand against what she called a threat to our civil liberties. She did not wear a mask, saying she was not afraid of the virus.

Im not worried, Ms. Esparza said. Im extremely healthy.

Others altered their traditional celebrations in response to the increased focus on racism in America that followed the killing of Mr. Floyd, saying that it felt as if the country was not worthy of celebrating.

For more than 20 years, Kayla Nelsons family has been gathering on the Fourth of July in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. But this year, Ms. Nelson, 17, said her family was hesitant to give off the impression they were satisfied with the current state of the country.
Two of the nations largest utility companies announced on Sunday that they had canceled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would have carried natural gas across the Appalachian Trail, as delays and rising costs threatened the viability of the project.

Duke Energy and Dominion Energy said that lawsuits, mainly from environmentalists aimed at blocking the project, had increased costs to as much as $8 billion from about $4.5 billion to $5 billion when it was first announced in 2014. The utilities said they had begun developing the project in response to a lack of energy supply and delivery diversification for millions of families, businesses, schools and national defense installations across North Carolina and Virginia.

The two energy companies won a victory just last month in the Supreme Court over a permit from the U.S. Forest Service, but said that recent developments have created an unacceptable layer of uncertainty and anticipated delays for the pipeline. They cited the potential for further legal challenges.

Dominion also said on Sunday that it was selling all of its gas transmission and storage assets to an affiliate of Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway in a deal valued at $9.7 billion.
The lowercase B in Black has never made sense to me as a Black woman, and it didnt make sense to me as a Black girl, said Destinee-Charisse Royal, a senior staff editor in the Graphics department and one of the editors consulted on the change. My thought was that the capital B makes sense as it describes a race, a cultural group, and that is very different from a color in a box of crayons.

The style change is one of dozens of other updates or additions that have been made to The Timess usage guide this year, Mr. Abrams said. The decisions can take anywhere from hours to months. Suggestions for changes are typically submitted by staff through email or an online form, filtered into a spreadsheet and parsed each month by the Standards team.

New entries, intentionally, can often lag behind the most current language. Ms. Royal likened new style guidance to new dictionary entries: The Times adds words once people are already widely using them, not before.

We dont treat the stylebook as an instrument of activism; we dont view it as at the vanguard of language, Mr. Abrams said. We generally want the stylebook to reflect common usage.

Most updates dont require much input or approval from other editors, but on sensitive issues, he said, particularly those that reach every corner of Times coverage, a range of perspectives is vital.

Some have been pushing for this change for years, Mr. Lacey said. They consider Black like Latino and Asian and Native American, all of which are capitalized. Others see the change as a distraction from more important issues. Then there are those troubled that our policy will now capitalize Black but not white. Over all, the view was that there was a growing agreement in the country to capitalize and that The Times should not be a holdout.

Before the style change, Ms. Royal said, some writers might have been inclined to use African-American  the only uppercase option, and still acceptable per the Times stylebook  even when Black might have been more accurate.
MEXICO CITY  President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors visit with President Trump in Washington this week will no doubt embarrass many Mexicans and outrage many Americans. The meeting, intended to bolster Mr. Trumps campaign, is an opportunity for Mr. Lopez Obrador to return a favor.

When, in April, Mexico balked at reducing its oil output, endangering a global agreement to shrink oil production, Mr. Trump stepped in and promised that the United States would pick up the slack for its southern neighbor with its own cuts. Theyll reimburse us, sometime at a later date, when theyre prepared to do so, Mr. Trump said of Mexico. Mr. Lopez Obrador is doing just that by breaking his custom of never leaving Mexico.

The only precedent for such acquiescence in modern Mexican history was in August 2016, when Mr. Lopez Obradors predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, invited Mr. Trump, not yet elected, to the presidential residence. Nothing justified that invitation, and after it was extended, many of us demanded that Mr. Pena Nieto at least ask for a public apology from Mr. Trump, who had branded Mexicans as rapists and murderers.

We urged him to tell Mr. Trump that Mexico would never pay for his wall. But Mr. Pena Nieto avoided the issue of the wall altogether and even stooped so low as to absolve Mr. Trumps affronts. After spending four hours in Mexico City  probably the most profitable hours of his campaign  Mr. Trump returned home to a political rally where he declared that Mexicans would pay for the wall. Mr. Pena Nieto and Mexico got nothing, while Mr. Trump got the photo opportunity he needed to look presidential.
I have received communication from  Morgan Tsvangirais party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and these are my recommendations. That we immediately disengage (the late former President Robert) Mugabes government and lobby the EU to take a common position on sanctions. High Commissioner Brian Donnelly has met with  Tsvangirai, Tendai Laxton Biti, and David Coltart, the latter two are lawyers who are assisting in the drafting of the sanctions document and are giving great insights on what our role should be in the upcoming 2002 presidential elections.
When New York theaters reopen  in January, or next spring, or when some epidemiological genius figures out how to make enclosed spaces with cramped seating even passably hygienic  I have a suggestion: Revive Lorraine Hansberrys Les Blancs. This drama, unfinished at her death in 1965, and completed by her former husband, had a monthlong run on Broadway in 1970. In 2016, the South African director Yael Farber, the dramaturge Drew Lichtenberg and Joi Gresham, the literary executor of Hansberrys estate, collaborated on a revised version of the script, which then ran at Londons National Theater.

Now National Theater at Home has made the production available for streaming on its dedicated YouTube channel, through Thursday. Haunting, haunted, devastating, its a work of the past that speaks  lucidly and startlingly  to the confusions of the present.

Set in Ztembe, a fictional African country, the play begins with the arrival of Charlie Morris (Elliot Cowan), a white American journalist, at a rural mission. Reporting on Ztembes struggle for independence, he hopes to interview Tshembe Matoseh (Danny Sapani), an intellectual who has returned home to bury his father. Tshembe lives in England. He has a white wife and a young son. While he sympathizes with the revolt, he doesnt see himself joining it. But his time at the mission and his interactions with his brothers  Abioseh, who is in training to become a Catholic priest, and Eric, the product of his mothers rape by an English officer  make the conflict personal and necessary.

In Farbers production, bathed in Tim Lutkins tenebrous lighting, a skeletal outline of the mission revolves on a carousel. (The designer is Soutra Gilmour.) Around the mission stand the Black characters, including a group of women who sing in the Xhosa split-tone style as they trail smoke and incense. Under Farbers direction, the play moves away from realism and toward expressionism, even as it becomes a kind of ghost story, in the sense that no one participating in colonialism  as oppressor, oppressed or ostensibly neutral observer  can ever be fully alive.
These were just the toddlers.

In all, nine children under 18 have been killed since June 20 as Chicago reels from another wave of gun violence. The last two were killed on Saturday evening. A 14-year-old boy was shot to death on Chicagos South Side. A 7-year-old girl was struck in the forehead by a bullet when three gunmen opened fire on a July 4 street party on the citys West Side, the police said.

The Windy City is becoming the Bloody City, said the Rev. Michael L. Pfleger of Saint Sabina Church, calling it the worst period in the 45 years he has worked on social issues. I have never seen the despair, hopelessness and anger all mixed together at the level it is right now.

The violence comes amid a wrenching debate nationwide about policing in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of the police. Those who defend the police say that the violence shows they need more support, not less, and that it is people living in high-crime areas who most need effective policing. Critics say the violence shows how the police are failing the public, how deeply residents distrust officers and the need for reforms and the transfer of funds to address underlying problems, including unemployment, mental illness and drug use.

At least 336 people have been murdered in Chicago through July 2, according to the Chicago Police Department; because murders typically increase in the summer, the city is on track to match the 778 deaths in 2016, its deadliest year since the mid-1990s. (New York City, with almost three times the population, had 176 murders as of June 28.)

Chicago had 658 murders in 2017, 567 in 2018 and 492 in 2019, according to Chicago police records.

Ahead of the July 4 weekend, Mayor Lori Lightfoot made an appeal to young men, who she said were responsible for the bulk of the shootings. Think about the number of children that have been killed just in the last two weeks, she said at a news conference. Families that will not recover from this hardship. Mothers hearts that are broken, fathers hearts that are destroyed, grandparents who are living in mourning.
To voters unsettled by President Trumps disruptive approach to the world, Mr. Biden is selling not only his policy prescriptions but also his long track record of befriending, cajoling and sometimes confronting foreign leaders  what he might call the power of his informal diplomatic style. Ive dealt with every one of the major world leaders that are out there right now, and they know me. I know them, he told supporters in December.

Brett McGurk, a former senior State Department official for the campaign against the Islamic State, said Mr. Biden had been an effective diplomat by practicing strategic empathy.

Mr. Biden is a foreign-policy pragmatist, not an ideologue; his views have long tracked the Democratic mainstream. For a decade before the Iraq War, he was known as a hawk, but more recently he has become a chastened skeptic of foreign intervention. In lieu of grand strategy, he offers what more than 20 current and former American officials described in interviews as a remarkably personal diplomacy derived from his decades in the glad-handing, deal-making hothouse of the Senate. It is an approach grounded in a belief that understanding another leader  what they want and what they need, in the words of James Rubin, a former Biden aide who later served as the State Department spokesman  is as important as understanding his or her nation.

Its very Lyndon Johnson-esque, said Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington who attended many meetings with Mr. Biden.

Yet Mr. Xi has clearly tested the limits of that approach. Mr. Bidens record is short on public warnings that the Chinese leader could become the thug that the presumptive Democratic nominee calls him today. And as American relations with China slide from bad to worse, Mr. Biden is facing uncomfortable questions about why he didnt do more to stiffen Obama administration policy toward Beijing  about why his strategic empathy didnt come with more strategic vision.
WASHINGTON  Prince Andrews lawyers had discussions with a Washington lobbyist with ties to the Trump administration about the possibility of assisting the prince with fallout from his relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawyers from the London-based firm Blackfords consulted the lobbyist, Robert Stryk, who represents international figures with sensitive legal or diplomatic issues, in recent weeks about Prince Andrews situation, according to a person familiar with the circumstances.

Mr. Stryk has a history of taking on clients with unsavory reputations. But he expressed discomfort about the possibility of assisting Prince Andrew, and talks about the potential representation appear to have fizzled, according to the person familiar with the situation.

It is not clear precisely what type of assistance Blackfords might have been seeking from Mr. Stryk, who is not a lawyer, or what he could do to help Prince Andrew. Nor is it clear whether Blackfords has reached out to other Washington lobbyists or consultants about the possibility of working on the issue.
President Trump dismissed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States over the weekend, downplaying the impact of the disease and saying that while the testing of tens of millions of Americans had identified many cases, 99 percent of them were totally harmless.

His remarks about a virus that has already claimed nearly 130,000 lives were perplexing. The coronavirus is surging across the Sunbelt states and has rebounded in California. At least 2.8 million Americans have been infected, and public health officials have said the real number of infections may be 10 times higher.

WHAT WAS SAID

Likewise, testing  there were no tests for a new virus, but now we have tested over 40 million people. But by so doing, we show cases, 99 percent of which are totally harmless. Results that no other country will show, because no other country has testing that we have  not in terms of the numbers or in terms of the quality.

False. No matter how you define harmless, most public health experts and respected coronavirus disease models would flatly contradict Mr. Trumps assessment.
TOKYO  In rewarding Tokyos first female governor, Yuriko Koike, with a second term on Sunday, voters endorsed her highly visible leadership as the sprawling metropolis has avoided the kind of spiraling death toll from the coronavirus seen in other world capitals.

But a recent resurgence in cases in Tokyo has made clear that her challenge is far from over.

Even as Ms. Koike, 67, cruised to victory on Sunday, with exit polls by Japanese news media showing her winning 60 percent of the vote, Tokyo reported 111 new infections, its fourth straight day over 100.

The creeping increase in cases has started to raise anxieties that the capital may have to reinstate elements of the nearly two-month state of emergency that it emerged from at the end of May. That growing caseload was felt in the election: About 15 percent of voters cast their ballots before Sunday, and turnout on Election Day was just above 37 percent.

During the emergency period, in which the government issued voluntary requests for businesses to limit operations and residents to stay home, Ms. Koike made herself the face of Tokyos response to the virus. She anchored near-nightly news conferences to deliver daily test figures and advice on how to avoid infections.
Teresa and Marvin Bradley cant say for sure how they got the coronavirus. Maybe Ms. Bradley, a Michigan nurse, brought it from her hospital. Maybe it came from a visiting relative. Maybe it was something else entirely.

What is certain  according to new federal data that provides the most comprehensive look to date on nearly 1.5 million coronavirus patients in America  is that the Bradleys are not outliers.

Racial disparities in who contracts the virus have played out in big cities like Milwaukee and New York, but also in smaller metropolitan areas like Grand Rapids, Mich., where the Bradleys live. Those inequities became painfully apparent when Ms. Bradley, who is Black, was wheeled through the emergency room.

Everybody in there was African-American, she said. Everybody was.

Early numbers had shown that Black and Latino people were being harmed by the virus at higher rates. But the new federal data  made available after The New York Times sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  reveals a clearer and more complete picture: Black and Latino people have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus in a widespread manner that spans the country, throughout hundreds of counties in urban, suburban and rural areas, and across all age groups.

Race or ethnicity with the highest coronavirus rate in each county 25 people per 10,000 50 White Black Latino Asian Native American No race data White Black Latino Asian Native American No race data 25 50 people per 10,000

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Note: Data is through May 28 and includes only cases for which the race/ethnicity and home county of the infected person was known. Only groups that make up at least 1 percent of a countys population are considered in determining the highlight color on the map. Sparsely populated areas in counties are not highlighted. The C.D.C. data included race/ethnicity information, but no county location, for infected people in eight additional states: Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Texas and Vermont.

Latino and African-American residents of the United States have been three times as likely to become infected as their white neighbors, according to the new data, which provides detailed characteristics of 640,000 infections detected in nearly 1,000 U.S. counties. And Black and Latino people have been nearly twice as likely to die from the virus as white people, the data shows.

Rate of Black and Latino coronavirus cases, compared with white cases Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Note: Data is through May 28.

The disparities persist across state lines and regions. They exist in rural towns on the Great Plains, in suburban counties, like Fairfax County, Va., and in many of the countrys biggest cities.

Systemic racism doesnt just evidence itself in the criminal justice system, said Quinton Lucas, who is the third Black mayor of Kansas City, Mo., which is in a state where 40 percent of those infected are Black or Latino even though those groups make up just 16 percent of the states population. Its something that were seeing taking lives in not just urban America, but rural America, and all types of parts where, frankly, people deserve an equal opportunity to live  to get health care, to get testing, to get tracing.

The data also showed several pockets of disparity involving Native American people. In much of Arizona and in several other counties, they were far more likely to become infected than white people. For people who are Asian, the disparities were generally not as large, though they were 1.3 times as likely as their white neighbors to become infected.

The new federal data, which is a major component of the agency's disease surveillance efforts, is far from complete. Not only is race and ethnicity information missing from more than half the cases, but so are other epidemiologically important clues  such as how the person might have become infected.

And because it includes only cases through the end of May, it doesn't reflect the recent surge in infections that has gripped parts of the nation.

Still, the data is more comprehensive than anything the agency has released to date, and The Times was able to analyze the racial disparity in infection rates across 974 counties representing more than half the U.S. population, a far more extensive survey than was previously possible.

Disparities in the suburbs

For the Bradleys, both in their early 60s, the symptoms didnt seem like much at first. A tickle at the back of the throat.

But soon came fevers and trouble breathing, and when the pair went to the hospital, they were separated. Ms. Bradley was admitted while Mr. Bradley was sent home. He said he felt too sick to leave, but that he had no choice. When he got home, he felt alone and uncertain about how to treat the illness.

Teresa Bradley, 60, and her husband, Marvin Bradley, 61, both had Covid-19 earlier this year. Elaine Cromie for The New York Times

It took weeks, but eventually they both recovered. When Mr. Bradley returned to work in the engineering department of a factory several weeks later, a white co-worker told Mr. Bradley that he was the only person he knew who contracted the virus.

By contrast, Mr. Bradley said he knew quite a few people who had gotten sick. A few of them have died.

Were most vulnerable to this thing, Mr. Bradley said.

In Kent County, which includes Grand Rapids and its suburbs, Black and Latino residents account for 63 percent of infections, though they make up just 20 percent of the countys population. Public health officials and elected leaders in Michigan said there was no clear reason Black and Latino people in Kent County were even more adversely affected than in other parts of the country.

Among the 249 counties with at least 5,000 Black residents for which The Times obtained detailed data, the infection rate for African-American residents is higher than the rate for white residents in all but 14 of those counties. Similarly, for the 206 counties with at least 5,000 Latino residents analyzed by The Times, 178 have higher infection rates for Latino residents than for white residents.

Coronavirus cases per 10,000 Black residents Insufficient or no race data 2 times the rate of white cases 4 times

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Notes: Map shows counties that have more than 5,000 Black people, that have more than 50 cases and that have case data for both Black and white residents. Sparsely populated areas in counties are not highlighted. Data is through May 28.

As an African-American woman, its just such an emotional toll, said Teresa Branson, the deputy administrative health officer in Kent County, whose agency has coordinated with Black pastors and ramped up testing in hard-hit neighborhoods.

Experts point to circumstances that have made Black and Latino people more likely than white people to be exposed to the virus: Many of them have front-line jobs that keep them from working at home; rely on public transportation; or live in cramped apartments or multigenerational homes.

You literally cant isolate with one bathroom, said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, who leads Michigans task force on coronavirus racial disparities.

We just have to keep working'

Latino people have also been infected at a jarringly disparate rate compared with white people. One of the most alarming hot spots is also one of the wealthiest: Fairfax County, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Three times as many white people live there as Latinos. Yet through the end of May, four times as many Latino residents had tested positive for the virus, according to the C.D.C. data.

Coronavirus cases per 10,000 Latinos 2 times the rate of white cases 4 times Insufficient or no race data

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Notes: Map shows counties that have more than 5,000 Latino residents, that have more than 50 cases and that have case data for both Latino and white residents. Sparsely populated areas in counties are not highlighted. Data is through May 28.

With the median household income in Fairfax twice the national average of about $60,000, housing is expensive, leaving those with modest incomes piling into apartments, where social distancing is an impossibility. In 2017, it took an annual income of almost $64,000 to afford a typical one-bedroom apartment, according to county data. And many have had to keep commuting to jobs.

Diana, who is 26 and did not want her last name used out of fear for her husbands job, said her husband got sick at a construction site in April. She and her brother, who also works construction, soon fell ill, too. With three children between them, the six family members live in a two-bedroom apartment.

Diana, who was born in the United States but moved to Guatemala with her parents as a small child before returning to this country five years ago, is still battling symptoms. We have to go out to work, she said. We have to pay our rent. We have to pay our utilities. We just have to keep working.

Diana, with her 3-year-old son. She was sick with the coronavirus in April. Hector Emanuel for The New York Times

At Culmore Clinic, an interfaith free clinic serving low-income adults in Fairfax, about half of the 79 Latino patients who tested for the virus have been positive.

This is a very wealthy county, but their needs are invisible, said Terry OHara Lavoie, a co-founder of the clinic. The risk of getting sick from tight living quarters, she added, is compounded by the pressure to keep working or quickly return to work, even in risky settings.

The risks are borne out by demographic data. Across the country, 43 percent of Black and Latino workers are employed in service or production jobs that for the most part cannot be done remotely, census data from 2018 shows. Only about one in four white workers held such jobs.

Also, Latino people are twice as likely to reside in a crowded dwelling  less than 500 square feet per person  as white people, according to the American Housing Survey.

The national figures for infections and deaths from the virus understate the disparity to a certain extent, since the virus is far more prevalent among older Americans, who are disproportionately white compared with younger Americans. When comparing infections and deaths just within groups who are around the same ages, the disparities are even more extreme.

Coronavirus cases per 10,000 people, by age and race Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Note: Data is through May 28.

Latino people between the ages of 40 and 59 have been infected at five times the rate of white people in the same age group, the new C.D.C. data shows. The differences are even more stark when it comes to deaths: Of Latino people who died, more than a quarter were younger than 60. Among white people who died, only 6 percent were that young.

Jarvis Chen, a researcher and lecturer at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, said that the wide racial and ethnic disparities found in suburban and exurban areas as revealed in the new C.D.C data should not come as a surprise. The discrepancies in how people of different races, ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses live and work may be even more pronounced outside of urban centers than they are in big cities, Dr. Chen said.

As the epidemic moves into suburban areas, there are good reasons to think that the disparities will grow larger, he said.

The shortfalls of the governments data

The Times obtained the C.D.C. data after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to force the agency to release the information.

To date, the agency has released nearly 1.5 million case records. The Times asked for information about the race, ethnicity and county of residence of every person who tested positive, but that data was missing for hundreds of thousands of cases.

C.D.C. officials said the gaps in their data are because of the nature of the national surveillance system, which depends on local agencies. They said that the C.D.C. has asked state and local health agencies to collect detailed information about every person who tests positive, but that it cannot force local officials to do so. Many state and local authorities have been overwhelmed by the volume of cases and lack the resources to investigate the characteristics of every individual who falls ill, C.D.C. officials said.

Even with the missing information, agency scientists said, they can still find important patterns in the data, especially when combining the records about individual cases with aggregated data from local agencies.

Still, some say the initial lack of transparency and the gaps in information highlight a key weakness in the U.S. disease surveillance system.

You need all this information so that public health officials can make adequate decisions, said Andre M. Perry, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at The Brookings Institution. If theyre not getting this information, then municipalities and neighborhoods and families are essentially operating in the dark.

Higher cases, higher deaths

The higher rate in deaths from the virus among Black and Latino people has been explained, in part, by a higher prevalence of underlying health problems, including diabetes and obesity. But the new C.D.C. data reveals a significant imbalance in the number of virus cases, not just deaths  a fact that scientists say underscores inequities unrelated to other health issues.

The focus on comorbidities makes me angry, because this really is about who still has to leave their home to work, who has to leave a crowded apartment, get on crowded transport, and go to a crowded workplace, and we just havent acknowledged that those of us who have the privilege of continuing to work from our homes arent facing those risks, said Dr. Mary Bassett, the Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.

Dr. Bassett, a former New York City health commissioner, said there is no question that underlying health problems  often caused by factors that people cannot control, such as lack of access to healthy food options and health care  play a major role in Covid-19 deaths.

But she also said a big determinant of who dies is who gets sick in the first place, and that infections have been far more prevalent among people who cant work from home. Many of us also have problems with obesity and diabetes, but were not getting exposed, so were not getting sick, she said.

The differences in infection case rates are striking, said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Some people have kind of waved away the disparities by saying, Oh, thats just underlying health conditions, Dr. Nuzzo said. Thats much harder to do with the case data.

In June, C.D.C. officials estimated that the true tally of virus cases was 10 times the number of reported cases. They said they could not determine whether these unreported cases had racial and ethnic disparities similar to those seen in the reported infections.

But they said that more-severe infections  which are more often associated with underlying health conditions, and with people seeking medical care  are more likely to be recorded as cases.

That difference in the reporting of cases might explain some portion of the race and ethnicity disparities in the number of documented infections, C.D.C. officials said. But they said that it was also clear that there have been significant disparities in the number of both deaths and cases.
Algeria at last buried the remains of 24 fighters decapitated for resisting French colonial forces in the 19th century, in a ceremony Sunday rich with symbolism marking the country's 58th anniversary of independence.

The fighters' skulls were taken to Paris as war trophies and held in a museum for decades until their repatriation to Algeria on Friday, amid a growing global reckoning with the legacy of colonialism.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said he's hoping for an apology from France for colonial-era wrongs.

``We have already received half-apologies. There must be another step,'' he said in an interview broadcast Saturday with France-24 television. He welcomed the return of the skulls and expressed hope that French President Emmanuel Macron could improve relations and address historical disputes.

Tebboune presided over the interment of the remains Sunday in a military ceremony at El Alia cemetery east of Algiers, in a section for fallen independence fighters. Firefighters lay the coffins, draped with green, white and red Algerian flags, in the earth.

The 24 took part in an 1849 revolt after French colonial forces occupied Algeria in 1830. Algeria formally declared independence on July 5, 1962 after a brutal war.

Algeria's veterans minister, Tayeb Zitouni, welcomed ``the return of these heroes to the land of their ancestors, after a century and a half in post-mortem exile.''

Algerians from different regions lined up to pay respect to the fighters on Saturday, when their coffins were on public display at the Algiers Palace of Culture.

Mohamed Arezki Ferrad, history professor at the University of Algiers, said hundreds of other Algerian skulls remain in France and called for their return, as well as reparations for French nuclear tests carried out in the Algerian Sahara in the early 1960s.

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We are really in a fix and heading nowhere. Factories are now ghost towns, unemployment levels have reached abnormal levels, everything is just upside down, this is why I am saying wherever he is, uMdalawethu uNkomo is turning in his grave. This is not what he fought for, this is not what he stood for, this is not what he always preached, Sibangilizwe said.
How will the Families First virus act apply to employees child care needs after the kids school would have been closed for the summer anyway?

The quick answer is that there would be no more FFCRA leave based on the school closing, but there could be FFCRA leave for the parents if their kids summer programs are unavailable for reasons related to coronavirus.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, recently issued a Field Assistance Bulletin discussing the summer program care issue in more depth. The bulletin discusses what investigators should consider during an FFCRA enforcement action. Unfortunately, employers do not have the authority to ask the questions that the government investigators may ask.

HelpfulHowever, it is still helpful to employers to know how the division is approaching this issue. According to the bulletin, the closing of a summer day camp or other program would be considered the same as the closing of a day care center or other place of care for a preschool child.

If the closing or lack of available summer care was due to coronavirus, one of the parents would be entitled to FFCRA leave to care for the children, assuming the other requirements of the law were satisfied.
Ive patted myself on the back because Ive never considered myself to be a part of the problem, but I certainly was too comfortable, and I wasnt part of the solution, Anders said.

Opelikas inputOpelika Mayor Gary Fuller was represented by Dozier Smith T, Ward 3 on Opelikas City Council.

The key right now is to listen, he said. To listen to all that everyone has to say that didnt grow up like I did, that doesnt look like me and I think thats what we all need to do, is to listen.

Dean Joe Aistrup from the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University spoke about the role of education in race relations.

I have to admit to you, of all the incidents that have been happening over the course of the last few months, the incident involving Ahmaud Arbery was the one that really bothered me the most, Aistrup said. Ahmaud Arbery harkens back to some really bad years in American history.

For the 100 years after the Civil War, Blacks across the South, in fact, across the United States faced lynchings and beatings and killings for just no reason whatsoever other than the fact they may have looked at whites the wrong way.
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.
Luckily, I didnt get that close to dying," State Sen. Mike Moser said, after spending more than a month in the hospital being treated for COVID-19. The senator said he hadn't been wearing a mask before he got sick; now he does. "This is one of those things where the consequences can be pretty dire.
Seattle's response to the pandemic evolved. At first, Juneau said the district wouldn't try to teach kids at home because not all families had internet access, and because educators couldn't switch to online teaching overnight. Instead, Seattle started broadcasting school lessons on cable TV.

But Trice found TV lessons were uneven at best. Some days, the sound didn't work, and other days there were "these weird clips of physical education  there was no method to the madness," she said. Eventually, the channel became background noise to the family.

Trice has been frustrated by Washington Middle School, where, she says, the teachers have been disengaged. Tytasia is a visual learner who relies on teachers as guides, Trice said. She had been having a strong year, but computer-based lessons weren't engaging her. When she found out there would be no celebration for eighth-grade promotion, "she pretty much shut down," Trice said. "She felt like she put in a lot of hard work not to be recognized."

Trice has nothing but praise for Bailey Gatzert, where she feels like the staff has gone out of their way to work with Xavier and Jordan, adapting their lessons to meet the two boys' needs. They have been thoughtful and attentive, she said.
Corn prices put on a dazzling display last week, exploding to three-month highs on the heels of a USDA report.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its estimates of this years planted acreage and shocked markets with a drastic cut of 5 million corn acres.

This news created fireworks across the grain markets, with December corn futures topping $3.60 per bushel. Wheat and soybeans went along for the ride, with Chicago wheat nearing $5.00 and November soybeans topping $9.00.

Despite the slashed corn acres, this years plantings will likely outpace 2019, and crop conditions are stellar so far, suggesting a bin-busting crop. If weather stays good, corn supplies could exceed expectations and send prices careening lower again.

As a result, farmers are facing an age-old conundrum of determining when and how to sell this years crop that is still growing in the field. If they sell too early, they could miss out on higher prices or commit bushels they may not grow, but if they wait too long, prices could be sharply lower at harvest time.

Bitter Cocoa Market
As of Thursday, no other second-floor court workers had tested positive, Steel said.

Court staff said health officials have been unable to pinpoint a source in most cases. Officials suspect the cashier got it from her supervisor. One of Kleines prosecutors, who was the first known positive case at the courthouse, contracted it on an out-of-state, nonwork-related training trip.

Riley said the three cases in his office have been no joke.

All three of them said it kicked their ass, Riley said.

Thankfully, he said, those people have recovered. And Riley said the Douglas County Health Department has done a good job of tracing and testing people who have come in contact with the staff members. In addition, the Omaha-Douglas Public Building Commission has deep-cleaned court offices in the aftermath of each exposure.

A handful of Douglas County district judges reportedly have been skeptical  thinking that officials are overreacting to the virus. Then a personal trainer for one of the judges got it. That judge now is in quarantine.

Kleine said he has had to talk to his offices visitors about his mask policy. One visitor told Kleine he didnt need to wear one. You do if youre coming in my office, Kleine said.
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.
In the military, I had an outside guy come and inspect me, Bacon said. Maybe a little bit of that outside review  would be helpful.

Bacon has said he agreed with about 70% to 80% of the House bill from Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said he was trying to sound bipartisan without actually being bipartisan.

The Democratic group pointed to a Bacon comment about the House bill on the right-leaning social media service Parler. He wrote that Speaker Nancy Pelosis House bill will do nothing to ensure our communities are safe.

Bacon said through a spokesman that he could not support the House bill, despite supporting much of whats in it, because of its mandates on law enforcement officers.

He said he objects to a provision in the House bill that lessens the qualified immunity that officers now have from being sued privately for violations of civil rights.

Bacon said he doesnt want police officers worrying about family finances when theyre trying to keep people and property safe. He said the change could make it more difficult to recruit good cops.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with light rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy with light rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
I think a kid wearing their mask 50% of the time is better than a kid not wearing their mask at all, she said.

Kids are going to be more resilient than people think, she said.

Over time, she said, kids will learn to wear them and become acclimated.

Lawyers at Haases firm have been sorting out the legal issues for districts they serve.

She said that authority for requiring masks can be found in state law, although masks are not specifically addressed.

We dont have a state law that says boards are allowed to require face masks, she said.

But state law allows schools to govern student behavior and appearance to avoid disruption, she said. In addition, school boards can make regulations to keep schools safe and healthy, she said.

She believes a district could refuse attendance to a student who comes without a mask under the emergency exclusion provisions of the student discipline act, though shes not sure districts would or should do that.

That allows us to refuse a student access to school if his or her presence creates a risk to himself, herself or others, she said.
I like the way they managed to make this continue to happen this year, even with everything changed, said Kim Alger, who dressed up as John Hancock, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It was a very creative way to make it happen and still keep people safe.

Alger and two others, whove done historical reenactments for theater, set up a lawn display on Walnut Street, where they talked to parade patrons about the Declaration of Independence, among other things. For them, the best part of this years event was that it wasnt a normal parade.

Its kind of hard to sign a declaration and walk at the same time, said Johnnie Richards, who played Americas second president, John Adams, on Saturday.

Sixty displays registered to be a part of the reverse parade, Fox said.

The VFW Post 247 honor guard, which regularly leads the parade, was posted in front of Westminster Presbyterian Church just north of Woolworth Avenue as cars and pedestrians streamed by.

Its fun to get out of the house and have something fun for the kids to do, said Abbey Sualy, a mom with three kids in tow.
The Air Force has awarded a $144 million contract to a California firm to begin a total reconstruction of Offutt Air Force Bases 79-year-old runway, the 55th Wing announced in a press release Thursday.

The building and design firm Gilbane Federal of Concord, California, won the contract. The company built the National World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to the companys website, as well as buildings on U.S. military bases around the world.

The project will be the most extensive rebuilding of the Offutt runway since it was first constructed in 1941 and extended to its current length in the mid-1950s. Contractors will completely rebuild the concrete end sections, asphalt center section and asphalt shoulders, as well as install new lighting systems, the press release said.

The runway is more than 70 years old and has fallen into disrepair, said Col. David Norton, director of the Air Force Civil Engineer Centers facility engineering directorate, which will help oversee the project, in the press release. We have incorporated modern design and construction techniques to rebuild the runway and to ensure the longest lifespan at the overall lowest life cycle cost.
A hit-and-run accident took the life of a man Sunday morning near 96th and L Streets.

The Omaha Police Department reported that officers were called to the scene about 6 a.m. A passerby had found a male victim on the westbound shoulder of L Street, police said.

Omaha Fire Department medics pronounced him dead.

The police said roadway evidence, including vehicle parts at the scene, revealed that he had been struck by a westbound vehicle that left the scene.

Anyone with information should contact the Omaha Police Department traffic unit at 402-444-5627 or Crimestoppers at 402-444-7867.

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Were serving more Nebraskans, were serving way more people online than we ever did, and we have (new) partnerships with organizations across the state, and won awards from the City of Lincoln and national awards; I dont know how else I could judge success, Jones said. Our mission is to serve the people of Nebraska, and were clearly meeting that goal.

Three members of the History Nebraska board say Jones has been an outstanding leader whos enacted much-needed changes at the agency, while upping revenue and visitation. Most of the gripes, they say, are because people hate change. They maintain that if History Nebraska is to complete an ambitious goal amid state budget challenges to digitize a million items in its collections in the next two years  a push that might cost $10 million  it will need a foundation thats fully behind that.

One big difference in the new foundation is that its board members will be appointed by the History Nebraska Board of Trustees, who oversee the agency.

We can request their help, but we cant demand it, Eileen Wirth, who serves on the Board of Trustees, said of the current foundation. Wirth is a retired Creighton University professor and former journalist. They dont have to say yes. Theyre a separate organization, we respect that.
Fighting the coronavirus requires testing and medical treatment, but it also requires something else: information. Data, that is, about how the disease is affecting individual population subgroups.

Armed with that information, health officials can develop the most effective strategies to combat the virus and reduce the overall risk to the public.

Nebraska has been tardy in collecting such data, but last week the state announced its initial findings. The numbers make clear the need for greater public health outreach and testing in the states Hispanic communities. Hispanics account for 11.2% of Nebraskas population but almost 60% of the states coronavirus cases and 26.5% of deaths attributed to the virus.

The higher incidence stems in large part from the fact that Hispanics make up a large percentage of the workforce in Nebraska packing plants hit hard by the virus. But the findings also highlight the general need for greater public health services for the states Hispanic residents and also for some other communities of color.
You know you have a stupid declaration on your hands when you have to explain what some on your side really mean. Such is the burden of Democrats trying to limit the damage from the childish demands to defund the police.

Oxfords U.S. dictionary defines defund as prevent from continuing to receive funds. To the educated ear, defund registers as abolish.

No responsible Democrat supports getting rid of police. Joe Biden has refused to get sucked into that conversation. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a civil rights hero who knows something about police brutality, has warned Democrats not to let attention seekers hijack the movement to reform policing with calls to, in effect, end it.

The group capturing headlines with these demands is actually tiny. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll finds that only 16% of Democrats and 15% of Republicans favor even reducing law enforcement budgets.
For those of us who fought in Vietnam, we know these men. We have looked into their eyes and journeyed into their souls. These are the men who, in combat, discovered a commitment beyond themselves. These are the men who, like us, learned by baptism of fire that our first obligation was not to ourselves, but to each other.

Vietnam was the war of the 60s. The 60s were an ugly decade filled with a destructive parade of horribles, not the least of which was the domestic turmoil involving race. Yet, for those of us who went to Vietnam, the realities of combat quickly erased the politics of race.

When I arrived in country, I attended an infantry orientation before we were sent to the field. We were greeted by a lean, tough-looking sergeant on his second tour in Vietnam. Forget about your politics, thats ancient history, he told us. Where youre going, the only politics you need to know is that you guys are all Americans and Charlie aint.

None of us cared that this tough NCO was black. We not only respected this veteran, we were in awe of him. He was going to teach us to stay alive.

None of us gave a damn about whether our foxhole buddy was black or white. That wasnt the point. Our only concern was that he be a good soldier and that he not get anyone killed.
Mid-Day 09 Jul 2020

Chelsea moved up to third in the Premier League table after holding out to win a 3-2 thriller at Crystal Palace, while Leicester..
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called for the U.S. to have a united stance on how to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, saying that a requirement for everyone to wear face masks in public should be part of it.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says opening up Government loans for small businesses until the end of the year will provide a bigger safety net in uncertain Covid-hit times.The loans are interest-free if repaid within a year, and...
HOLBROOK, NY (Kaiser Health News / OnSachem.com / OnTownMedia.com)  COVID-19 cases were climbing at Michigans McLaren Flint hospital. So Roger Liddell, 64, who procured supplies for the hospital, asked for an N95 respirator for his own protection, since his work brought him into the same room as COVID-positive patients.

But the hospital denied his request, said Kelly Indish, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 875.

On March 30, Liddell posted on Facebook that he had worked the previous week in both the critical care unit and the ICU and had contracted the virus. Pray for me God is still in control, he wrote. He died April 10.

The hospitals problems with personal protective equipment (PPE) were well documented. In mid-March, the state office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) received five complaints, which described employees receiving zero PPE. The cases were closed April 21, after the hospital presented paperwork saying problems had been resolved. There was no onsite inspection, and the hospitals written response was deemed sufficient to close the complaints, a local OSHA spokesperson confirmed.

The grief and fear gripping workers and their families reflect a far larger pattern. Since March, more than 4,100 COVID-related complaints regarding health care facilities have poured into the nations network of federal and state OSHA offices, which are tasked with protecting workers from harm on the job.

A KHN investigation found that at least 35 health care workers died after OSHA received safety complaints about their workplaces. Yet by June 21, the agency had quietly closed almost all of those complaints, and none of them led to a citation or a fine.

The complaint logs, which have been made public, show thousands of desperate pleas from workers seeking better protective gear for their hospitals, medical offices and nursing homes.

The quick closure of complaints underscores the Trump administrations hands-off approach to oversight, said former OSHA official Deborah Berkowitz. Instead of cracking down, the agency simply sent letters reminding employers to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, said Berkowitz, now a director at the National Employment Law Project.

This is a travesty, she said.

A third of the health care-related COVID-19 complaints, about 1,300, remain open and about 275 fatality investigations are ongoing.

During a June 9 legislative hearing, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said OSHA had issued one coronavirus-related citation for violating federal standards. A Georgia nursing home was fined $3,900 for failing to report worker hospitalizations on time, OSHAs records show.

We have a number of cases we are investigating, Scalia said at the Senate Finance Committee hearing. If we find violations, we will certainly not hesitate to bring a case.

A March 16 complaint regarding Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, New Jersey, illustrates the life-or-death stakes for workers on the front lines. The complaint says workers were not allowed to wear masks in the hallway outside COVID-19 patients rooms even though studies have since shown the highly contagious virus can spread throughout a health care facility. It also said workers were not allowed adequate access to PPE.

Nine days later, veteran Clara Maass registered nurse Barbara Birchenough texted her daughter: The ICU nurses were making gowns out of garbage bags.  Dad is going to pick up large garbage bags for me just in case.

Kristin Carbone, the eldest of four, said her mother was not working in a COVID area but was upset that patients with suspicious symptoms were under her care.

In a text later that day, Birchenough admitted: I have a cough and a headache  we were exposed to six patients who we are now testing for COVID 19. They all of a sudden got coughs and fevers.

Please pray for all health care workers, the text went on. We are running out of supplies.

By April 15, Birchenough, 65, had died of the virus. They were not protecting their employees in my opinion, Carbone said. Its beyond sad, but then I go to a different place where Im infuriated.

OSHA records show six investigations into a fatality or cluster of worker hospitalizations at the hospital. A Labor Department spokesperson said the initial complaints about Clara Maass remain open and did not explain why they continue to appear on a closed case list.

Nestor Bautista, 62, who worked closely with Birchenough, died of COVID-19 the same day as she did, according to Nestors sister, Cecilia Bautista. She said her brother, a nursing aide at Clara Maass for 24 years, was a quiet and devoted employee: He was just work, work, work, she said.

Responding to allegations in the OSHA complaint, Clara Maass Medical Center spokesperson Stacie Newton said the virus has presented unprecedented challenges.

Although the source of the exposure has not been determined, several staff members contracted the virus and a few have died, Newton said in an email. Our staff has been in regular contact with OSHA, providing notifications and cooperating fully with all inquiries.

Other complaints have been filed with OSHA offices across the U.S.

Twenty-one closed complaints alleged that workers faced threats of retaliation for actions such as speaking up about the lack of PPE. At a Delaware hospital, workers said they were not allowed to wear N95 masks, which protected them better than surgical masks, for fear of termination or retaliation. At an Atlanta hospital, workers said they were not provided proper PPE and were also threatened to be fired if they raise[d] concerns about PPE when working with patients with Covid-19.

Of the 4,100-plus complaints that flooded OSHA offices, over two-thirds are now marked as closed in an OSHA database. Among them was a complaint that staffers handling dead bodies in a small room off the lobby of a Manhattan nursing home werent given appropriate protective gear.

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More than 100 of those cases were resolved within 10 days. One of those complaints said home health nurses in the Bronx were sent to treat COVID-19 patients without full protective gear. At a Massachusetts nursing home that housed COVID patients, staff members were asked to wash and reuse masks and disposable gloves, another complaint said. A complaint about an Ohio nursing home said workers were not required to wear protective equipment when caring for COVID patients. That complaint was closed three days after OSHA received it.

It remains unclear how OSHA resolved hundreds of the complaints. A Department of Labor spokesperson said in an email that some are closed based on an exchange of information between the employer and OSHA, and advised reporters to file Freedom of Information Act requests for details on others.

The Department is committed to protecting Americas workers during the pandemic, the Labor Department said in a statement. OSHA has standards in place to protect employees, and employers who fail to take appropriate steps to protect their employees may be violating them.

The agency advised its inspectors on May 19 to place reports of fatalities and imminent danger as a top priority, with a special focus on health care settings. Since late March, OSHA has opened more than 250 investigations into fatalities at health care facilities, government records show. Most of those cases are ongoing.

According to the mid-March complaints against McLaren Flint, workers did not receive needed N95 masks and are not allowed to bring them from home. They also said patients with COVID-19 were kept throughout the hospital.

Filing complaints, though, did little for Liddell, or for his colleague, Patrick Cain, 52. After the complaints were filed, Cain, a registered nurse, was treating people still awaiting the results of COVID-19 diagnostic tests  potentially positive patients  without an N95 respirator. He was also working outside a room where potential COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatments that research supported by the University of Nebraska has since shown can spread the virus widely in the air.

At the time, there was a debate over whether supply chain breakdowns of PPE and weakened CDC guidelines on protective gear were putting workers at risk.

Cain felt vulnerable working outside of rooms where COVID patients were undergoing infection-spreading treatments, he wrote in a text to Indish on March 26.

McLaren screwed us, he wrote.

He fell ill in mid-March and died April 4.

McLaren has since revised its face-covering policy to provide N95s or controlled air-purifying respirators (CAPRs) to workers on the COVID floor, union members said.

A spokesperson for the McLaren Health Care system said the OSHA complaints are unsubstantiated and that its protocols have consistently followed government guidelines. We have always provided appropriate PPE and staff training that adheres to the evolving federal, state, and local PPE guidelines, Brian Brown said in an email.

Separate from the closed complaints, OSHA investigations into Liddell and Cains deaths are ongoing, according to a spokesperson for the states Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

Nurses at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center also said the complaints they aired before a nurses death have not been resolved. (KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)

On March 18, nurses filed an initial complaint. They told OSHA they were given surgical masks, instead of N95s. Less than a week later, other complaints said staffers were forced to reuse those surgical masks and evaluate patients for COVID without wearing an N95 respirator.

Several nurses who cared for one patient who wasnt initially suspected of having COVID-19 in mid-March wore no protective gear, according to Amy Arlund, a Kaiser Fresno nurse and board member of the National Nurses Organizing Committee board of directors. Sandra Oldfield, a 53-year-old RN, was among them.

Arlund said Oldfield had filed an internal complaint with management about inadequate PPE around that time. Arlund said the patients illness was difficult to pin down, so dozens of workers were exposed to him and 10 came down with COVID-19, including Oldfield.

Lori Rodriguez, Oldfields sister, said Sandra was upset that the patient she cared for who ended up testing positive for COVID-19 hadnt been screened earlier.

I dont want to see anyone else lose their life like my sister did, she said. Its just not right.

Wade Nogy, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente Fresno, confirmed that Oldfield had exposure to a patient before COVID-19 was suspected. He said Kaiser Permanente has years of experience managing highly infectious diseases, and we are safely treating patients who have been infected with this virus.

Kaiser Permanente spokesperson Marc Brown said KP responded to these complaints with information, documents and interviews that demonstrated we are in compliance with OSHA regulations to protect our employees. He said the health system provides nurses and other staff with the appropriate protective equipment.

California OSHA officials said the initial complaints were accurate and the hospital was not in compliance with a state law requiring workers treating COVID patients to have respirators. However, the officials said the requirement had been waived due to global shortages.

Kaiser Fresno is now in compliance, Cal/OSHA said in a statement, but the agency has ongoing investigations at the facility.

Arlund said tension around protective gear remains high at the hospital. On each shift, she said, nurses must justify their need for a respirator, face shield or hair cap. She expressed surprise that the OSHA complaints were considered closed.

Im very concerned to hear they are closing cases when I know they havent reached out to front-line nurses, Arlund said. We do not consider any of them closed.
The Oregon Health Authority on Sunday reported 301 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 and 2 new deaths, bringing the states total reported cases to more than 10,000 for the first time, and raising the death toll to 215.

This is the fourth consecutive day Oregon has surpassed 300 new cases. The state set a record Thursday with 375 daily cases. On Saturday, health authorities reported 303 new cases, after reporting 344 on Friday.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend left Oregon health officials worried about a spike in coronavirus cases. They urged people to remember that the phased reopening does not mean going back to business as usual and asked Oregonians to choose low risk activities to celebrate the holiday.

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.

Any new infections from holiday weekend gatherings, however, wont be identified for days.

Where the new cases are by county: Clackamas (25), Columbia (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (8), Douglas (4), Hood River (5) Jackson (3) Jefferson (1), Josephine (3), Lane (10), Malheur (15), Marion (38), Morrow (9), Multnomah (72), Sherman (1), Umatilla (41), Union (1), Wasco (3), Washington (51) and Yamhill (7).

New Fatalities: A 96-year-old woman in Lincoln County tested positive on June 30 and died on July 2 in her home. She had underlying medical conditions.

A 70-year-old man in Marion County tested positive on June 11 and died on July 3 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying medical conditions.

Since it began: Oregon Health Authority reports the state has 10,230 total confirmed or presumed infections and 215 deaths; 253,971 people in Oregon have been tested.

--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB

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For the second time in less than 24 hours, Portland Police declared a downtown demonstration a riot during Fourth of July protests. More than a dozen were arrested, and police used tear gas to drive the crowd away.

Mayor Ted Wheeler expressed concerns about Portland being on edge, heading into Fourth of July weekend. A riot was declared around 4 a.m. Saturday in downtown Portland after overnight demonstrations, but events through the day remained generally peaceful until late Saturday, when police again declared a riot.

Saturday marked the 38th consecutive day of protests in Portland since the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who pleaded for air while a white officer knelt on his neck. Since then, thousands of people in Portland and across the state have met en masse to decry police violence and broader racism.

Protests were staged across the Portland area Saturday, but the day ended with confrontations between police and protester outside the Justice Center and federal courthouse downtown.

Shortly after 9 p.m., a crowd of hundreds began congregating on Main Street around the elk fountain. By 9:30, people set off fireworks and burned American flags while speakers addressed the crowd and spoke about colonialism, racism and police brutality.

At 10:35 p.m., a police announced orders for protesters to stop directing fireworks at the Justice Center. A short time later, police appeared to set off devices that deployed smoke. Around 11 p.m., police again warned protesters not to engage with the federal courthouse and warned them they would be subject to arrest and use of force if they continued.

Around 11:10 p.m., police ordered protesters to leave the area and declared a riot. Protesters were ordered to leave downtown immediately.

Police also deployed tear gas to clear the crowds. Under a court order signed in June, Portland police arent allowed to use tear gas unless officers believe there is a risk to life or safety. Police said they used it in this case after people in the crowd aimed fireworks toward officers, threw bricks and shined lasers at the police.

Police also declared a section of downtown closed, and the closure expanded over the course of the night. By morning, police had locked down the city between Interstate 405 and Southwest First Avenue from Columbia to Burnside streets.

Fifteen people were arrested over the course of the night, according to police. One man arrested was illegally carrying a firearm, police said. Other charges included reckless endangerment, second-degree disorderly conduct and riot. One person was arrested on suspicion of attempted assault of a police officer.

Protest continued July Fourth in downtown Portland outside the Justice Center.Beth Nakamura/Staff

Protests continued July Fourth in downtown Portland outside the Justice Center and federal courthouse.Beth Nakamura/Staff

Saturday morning in downtown Portland, a video on social media showed a brief exchange between opposing protesters as someone placed an American flag where the now-removed elk statue once stood, although reports do not indicate the conflict escalated.

A man one the sidelines yells can you do this in Vancouver? pic.twitter.com/CuFitY3ztD  Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) July 4, 2020

A motorcycle ride from Revolution Hall to the downtown Justice Center was planned for 6 p.m., and was being called Bars Up, Guns Down.

According to the pdx.blm.events Instagram account, various events took place Saturday in and near Portland:

A Funeral Procession for the End of Racism, was scheduled for 11:45 a.m. to start at Clackamas High School and form a procession through the suburban area.

An Anti-Independence Day march, described as an Indigenous solidarity march for Black liberation, began at the Portland State University Native American Student and Community Center at noon. Videos from social media showed demonstrators marching near Portland State and chanting Black Lives Matter.

A Peaceful Protest Drive, was planned to begin at Peninsula Park at noon and end at the downtown Justice Center.

A family march and bike ride, Stand up and Ride Against Racism, from Sabin Elementary to Irvington Elementary was planned for 1 p.m.

A youth-led protest and march began at Maywood Park at Mt. Hood Community College at 2 p.m. Videos on social media showed a crowd of several dozens gathered on the community college campus.

According to social media posts, a rally also happened in Lake Oswego at Westlake Park.

There is also an art auction benefitting Dont Shoot PDX and can be found at Artists for Social Change, on charityauctionstoday.com.

In Salem, A Black Lives Matter rally took place near the Capitol building and was confronted with a counterprotest by a group including Proud Boys, right-wing street fighters. Also within the counterprotest were three percenter militia members, according to the Clypian, South Salem High Schools student publication.

Police kept the groups separate, and by 2:30 p.m., the Clypian Twitter account reported the right-wing counterprotesters had left for a rally at the riverfront.

At the Capitol itself, a Black Lives Matter rally issued calls for solidarity, the Statesman Journal reported.

A few frames from the Fourth of July Black Lives Matter solidarity rally at the Oregon State Capitol. Check out the full gallery here: https://t.co/yTypbEKu7P pic.twitter.com/yjypmlaSqS  Brian Hayes (@_Brian_ICT) July 5, 2020

-- K. Rambo

krambo@oregonian.com

@k_rambo_

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 life or safety. Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this report incorrectly reported the conditions required under the order.
UPDATE: This story has been updated with a Lincoln City Police comment on the lack of bias crime charges.

Police arrested seven men on the central Oregon coast Saturday night following an alleged racist incident during a Fourth of July celebration on the beach.

Lincoln City Police said the men were part of a group of 10 white people from Clark County, Washington, who had been harassing a Black family by yelling racist slurs and using Nazi salutes as people spent the holiday on the beach in front of the Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City.

After officers arrived, they formed a barricade between the group and the family, allowing the family to safely leave the beach, police said.

Members of the group, who police said were highly intoxicated, then began taunting the officers, challenging them to a fight and setting off illegal aerial fireworks, according to the police department. Ahead of the holiday weekend, Lincoln City officials warned people against using illegal fireworks, threatening consequences for those who did.

Additional officers arrived at the beach and arrested the seven men on several charges, including riot, interfering with police, disorderly conduct, harassment, possession of illegal fireworks and offensive littering.

Gennadiy Kachankov, Antoliy Kachankov, Andrey Zaytsev, Oleg Saranchuk, Ruslan Tkachenko and Yuriy Kachankov, all from Clark County, were arrested Saturday and later released, police said. One man who refused to identify himself was taken to the Lincoln County Jail for fingerprint identification.

Lincoln City Police said Monday that the group will not face bias crime charges, as there was allegedly no physical contact, destruction of property of threat of serious injury involved in the altercation.

Unfortunately using racist or derogatory language is not in itself criminal under Oregon law, the police department said in a news release. We will file the appropriate charges we can prove under the law.

Police also said the men were released Saturday according to the Lincoln County Jails policy related to COVID-19, which limits the number of charges for which a suspect can be incarcerated before trial.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of continued nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality against people of color, spurred by the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department in May.

Protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement have occurred around the Pacific Northwest, including on the central Oregon coast.

Protests have also taken place in Clark County and have renewed criticism of the Clark County Sheriffs Department for adorning vehicles with Thin Blue Line stickers that are often affiliated with the Blue Lives Matter countermovement. The chair of the Clark County Council responded to the criticism after the sheriff ordered the stickers removed by saying that she doesnt believe systemic racism exists in the community.

--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB

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State and local officials are wisely counseling Oregonians not to call 911 on people who refuse to abide by Gov. Kate Browns statewide mask mandate. As concerned as people may be over the potential spread of coronavirus, asking police to confront those who wont wear one is a misuse of law enforcement.

So instead, officials are largely putting the onus on businesses to ensure customers are wearing face coverings in indoor public spaces, such as grocery stores  even, paradoxically, if that means calling law enforcement to remove those who refuse to comply or leave the premises. In fact, businesses who fail to adequately police their customers could face fines from Oregon Occupational Safety and Health.

Its certainly logical to ask businesses to take a strong stand in requiring customers to wear masks as a condition of providing service. Many have similar policies already in place. And businesses have a clear stake in promoting a safe and healthy environment for both employees and customers.

But with the governor emphasizing voluntary compliance by individuals and Multnomah County health officials actively encouraging people to call OSHA on businesses that fall short in policing customers, the double standard of government officials tasking businesses  under threat of fines  to enforce a government mandate is hard to ignore.

The mask mandate comes on top of many other requirements that business are struggling to comply with as they try to stay open amid unprecedented challenges. From restaurants that must reduce seating for customers to hair stylists taking clients temperature, business owners are navigating a thicket of health, safety and economic hurdles in which the rules, best practices and expectations keep changing. But even as the risks and responsibilities of taming this public health threat increasingly fall on businesses, the state has so far failed to adequately recognize that. Despite pleas from businesses  as well as local governments and school districts  that the Legislature enact liability protections for entities complying with state laws and guidelines, lawmakers authorized only a working group to study the issue.

When lawmakers convene in their next special session, passing liability protections from coronavirus lawsuits must be a priority. The coalition of business, schools and local government groups isnt asking for protections for those that are acting negligently. Nor are they seeking a permanent shield. Rather, the group is seeking a base level of certainty amid ever-evolving mandates that their compliance will provide some protection from litigation. With 10 Democratic House representatives joining with Republicans in the call for reasonable liability limitations, the governor and legislative leadership should commit to making that happen.

Consider the on-the-ground difficulties of enforcing just the mask mandate. As The Oregonian/OregonLives Brad Schmidt reported, four Oregon State Police troopers, none of whom wore masks, entered a Corvallis coffee shop last week, on the first day the face-covering order went in effect. An assistant manager told Schmidt he notified each of the officers of the requirement to wear a mask. But they all declined, with the first trooper cursing Brown and saying that the troopers would not wear masks  putting the employee in an extremely uncomfortable position. The coffee shop served the troopers but, after about 10 minutes, the assistant manager asked the group to leave. The first trooper is now on administrative leave and an internal investigation is ongoing.

OSHA Administrator Michael Wood said the coffee shop handled the situation well although, he added, the workers should have denied service to the troopers. Still, he would not consider the business in violation of the mask mandate, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board. He noted the steps they took to inform the troopers and their follow-up efforts to alert Oregon State Police of the troopers failure to obey the law.

Situations will vary, but it may be exceedingly difficult for employees to deny service to those intent on turning a refusal to wear a mask into some misguided stand for freedom. Its also a tricky balance considering exemptions for those with a disability. While OSHA recommends businesses use their normal methods for removing trespassers  including calling the police  for those who refuse to wear masks and lack an exemption, thats a heavyhanded and potentially risky move. In some cases, the situation may be best defused by serving individuals to get them out of the business as quickly as possible. Should businesses face fines or legal action by customers or others for their good-faith actions designed to keep everyone as safe as possible?

To be sure, OSHA has been judicious in its enforcement so far during the pandemic. The agency, which has received more than 5,500 coronavirus complaints in the past three months, has issued only nine fines to those businesses that, Wood said, were clearly flouting the law. Otherwise, the agency has focused on notifying businesses of allegations, receiving their responses and helping them comply.

While OSHA is taking the lead, other agencies, including local public health authorities, have the power to enforce the mandate, such as issuing civil penalties to individuals, according to Charles Boyle, the governors spokesman. Yet Multnomah County isnt interested in that aspect. As spokeswoman Julie Sullivan-Springhetti said in an email, its too difficult for them to catch someone in the act. Its unclear why health officials wouldnt, for instance, visit grocery stores and monitor compliance for themselves. Regardless, instead of foisting all responsibility onto businesses and OSHA, the agency should consider also taking complaints themselves, as Washington County and Clackamas County are doing. That would also help ensure complaints about churches or non-business groups are also registered, something that Multnomah County Public Health Director Rachael Banks acknowledged hadnt been thought through.

Containing this pandemic requires a strong partnership across the community. Individuals need to play their part by wearing masks and physically distancing. Businesses need to adhere to strict operating guidelines. State and local authorities should start with legislation providing some liability protections and step up their own role in enforcing the mandate by their health departments to show they too understand what partnership means.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

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Darleen Ortega

Ortega is a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The Oregon Supreme Court, following the leads of Washington and Utah, decided last week to create a temporary exception to the requirement of bar examination passage in order to obtain a license to practice law in Oregon, allowing admission to 2020 Oregon law school graduates based on their diplomas (called diploma privilege). The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board swiftly declared it a decision to side with future lawyers struggling to gain licensure during a global pandemic rather than with the public (No bar exam, no problem  except for the public, July 1). That position assumes that the bar exam has been protecting the public, a completely unfounded assumption that should have been addressed a long time ago.

The bar exam does not function to protect the public by assuring a minimum level of competence to practice law. In decades of watching it closely and assisting scores of law school grads through the process, I could not be more certain about this.

Every year, the examination weeds out people who, I can attest, were very ready to practice law. The test, while difficult, does not screen for the skills actually needed to demonstrate minimum competence. Instead, this very expensive test requires people who, to varying degrees, can't afford it (having just completed a very expensive three-year course of study) to spend considerable time and money on another course that aims to teach them to pass the bar examination. The exam requires them to answer questions under timed conditions that do not parallel the realities of actual practice. Indeed, answering a client's questions quickly from memory would in most cases constitute malpractice. And a major portion of the examination consists of multiple-choice questions that aim to trick the test-taker, requiring them to choose the best among several slightly wrong answers.

The fact that the test is difficult and that significant numbers of people fail it each time does not prove its legitimacy. The passing score is set to ensure that a significant percentage fails, lending to the appearance that the examination is screening for competence without actually doing so. The public is no better protected by this examination than it would be without it; indeed, I have never heard anyone make a cogent connection between the types of lawyer conduct that harms the public and the screening that occurs via the bar examination. Instead, scores of people who go on to be excellent lawyers end up having to retake the examination, and none of them would tell you that the exam preparation had anything to do with their readiness to practice law. Most lawyers wouldn't say that either, if they are being honest.

Like all manifestations of injustice, the bar examination disproportionately impacts members of marginalized communities. I could speculate about why that is (additional economic burdens, the weight of daily encounters with racism and bias, the pattern that the skills they are bringing are undervalued inside the system, the bias of the examination methods toward dominant culture thinking). But the pandemic is revealing a very clear pattern: all systemic harms are disproportionately felt by the marginalized. The solution is not to "fix" those disproportionately impacted; it is to fix an unjust and ineffective test.

The public is no less protected by admitting 2020 Oregon law graduates without bar passage than it would be if they passed the bar. Given those realities, those of us who are admitted to practice in Oregon need to assume responsibility for our long-neglected work to address the problems inherent in the bar examination. Although it may be awhile before a consensus is reached as to a defensible way to establish minimum competence to practice law, we should be very careful not to punish those who have just been deemed eligible for diploma privilege by suggesting that they are getting away with something by taking that option, or by requiring that their bar license come with an asterisk pointing out that they did not take the bar. We should not contribute to any presumption that they are not competent. They have suffered enough in this season of upheaval, uncertainty, trauma, and risk, and not for a good cause. The granting of diploma privilege doesnt expose the public to any risk greater than they already faced with a bar exam. For those who are convinced that something more than a law degree is necessary to establish minimum competence, we should address that question without further burdening this group of graduates, who did not create the problem and have suffered quite enough.

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New York, US (PANA) - As a major United Nations forum prepares to assess progress towards a fairer future for people and the planet, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that each of the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Six individuals were arrested and taken into custody after the discovery of alleged embezzlement of US$2
NORMAL  Audre Knecht is scheduled to transfer to Illinois State University this fall. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit and she lost her job, she began to have second thoughts.

I am a little bit worried from a financial standpoint, said Knecht, who was furloughed from her job at McHenry County Community College, where she was a student and received her associates degree this spring. She picked up a job at a McDonalds to make ends meet.

I considered some alternatives, like going some place closer, like Northern (Illinois University) or taking a gap year, said Knecht, who lives in the northern Illinois community of McHenry.

But in the end, Knecht decided it was best to go ahead with her original plan to major in psychology at ISU, where she was awarded a merit scholarship.

Knecht is not alone in having second thoughts.

According to a recent survey by Strada Education Network, reported in Inside Higher Education, 34% of Americans have canceled or changed education plans because of the pandemic. That includes delaying enrollment, switching institutions or reducing the number of courses in which they are enrolling.

For some, the concern is over the pandemic itself. For others, it is uncertainty about how the fall semester will be conducted, including online or hybrid courses.

Financial considerations come into play for those who may have lost income or savings because of the pandemic. But state and university officials said that those who have had a change in their financial situation can still contact their colleges financial aid office to review their changed financial circumstances.

Change of income status is definitely one of the main questions were getting, said Lynne Baker, managing director of communications for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. There are many families who have had decreases in their income or their savings.

The FAFSA factor

Families with concerns should contact the financial aid office of the institution they are attending or planning to attend, Baker said.

In many cases, families filled out forms months ago. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a form used for many types of financial aid, including Illinois Monetary Award Program, commonly called MAP grants, was completed in November.

A lot has changed since then, said Greg King, associate vice president for enrollment management at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Were able to take new information and really correct the FAFSA to make it mirror the current situation and  re-create the estimated family contribution, said King, noting these changes can be made for current students as well as entering students.

We have had just a couple of those conversations with parents whose employment had been affected, said King.

Both IWU and Illinois State University also have internal funds to help students.

We have several different funds set up at ISU for emergency situations, said Jana Albrecht, ISUs associate vice president for enrollment management. If a family has a significant loss of income, we use our funds to help them out.

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The hardship need not be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

IWU has been using its emergency fund to help current students.

Were fortunate to have a number of generous alumni who stepped up, King said.

Mentors, help available

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission's ISACorps is a group of recent college graduates trained to mentor high school students and help their families navigate applying to college. The mentors also can assist students in working through the process with their schools financial aid office to document any changed financial circumstances since they completed the FAFSA.

The organization typically holds in-person workshops, but that hasnt been possible because of the pandemic. Instead, one-on-one assistance is being provided.

We realize there are challenges, Baker said, but we strongly encourage most students not to take a gap year.

They could lose their momentum and have more trouble starting their degree or completing it if they already started one, she said. There is data that about 10% of students who take a gap year never actually enroll in college.

The worst-case scenario is people who started college then dont complete a degree but have student loan debt and no degree to enable them to get a better-paying job, she said.

Some good news for those seeking help: The recently passed fiscal 2021 budget has level funding for state scholarships and grants and ISACs outreach program.

The Monetary Award Program will receive $451 million, the same amount as last year. That allowed us to serve more than 135,000 students in FY20, said Baker.

The FY2021 budget also includes $35 million for the AIM HIGH program, designed to encourage Illinois residents to attend in-state schools.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This version has been corrected.

PHOTOS: IWU graduates' names recognized with chalk during coronavirus

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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NORMAL  A $630,505 construction project on a portion of Sugar Creek bank could begin as early as late July with Normal Town Council approval.

The Normal Town Council is set to approve a contract with Stark Excavation Inc. of Bloomington for the "Creek Bank Stabilization" project, which will improve water flow and address flooding concerns along Sugar Creek.

The bank in question is a portion of the creek that runs from College Avenue to north of Blair Drive. It is a continuation of a project to stabilize the creek bank, and prior work was done on the bank from Vernon and College avenues in 2015.

"It's a pretty major construction project," said Normal City Manager Pam Reece. "That creek bank has been on our radar for a while. There's been a lot of erosion in recent years; that's why we identified it as an issue in our storm water management plan."

In recent years town staff identified issues with the erosion of Sugar Creek bank flooding residential backyards and believes the improvement and planting along the bank will fix erosion and flooding issues.

If council approves the contract bid with Stark Excavation Inc., then construction could begin in late July and with completion this fall, Reece said.

Prior to the meeting council will hold two public hearings on the proposed amendment of the Community Development Block Grant citizen participation and consolidated plans.

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Council had two public meetings regarding the plans in May, but is holding a second public hearing due to a publication error, Reece said.

In other business council will hear two presentations, one from the Illinois Fire Juniors and the other from Connect Transit.

The Illinois Fire Juniors will be speaking on the group's plan to build a 100-acre multi-sports complex in north Normal, which they hope to begin the process by fall.

The group later approved a list of 13 recommendations, including a fixed-route, one-way fare of $1.25 for all riders, including Connect Mobility, and a fixed $40 rate for monthly passes.

In addition to the recommendations, Connect Transit will also discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its budget and changes it has made in response.

Can you identify these Bloomington-Normal locations from aerial photos? 

Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry.

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has named Ing. Charles Kraikue as the Acting Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA.



He replaces the current Director-General, Ing. Simon Allotey, who retires on July 31st, 2020.



Ing. Simon Allotey has been manning the affairs of the aviation authority since 2015.



A statement from the GCAA said that Mr. Allotey will hand over all his responsibilities to his successor by the end of July.



The acting Director-General brings to the job an extensive experience, having served as the Deputy Director General (Technical) for the past two years.



In this role, he led the transformation of GCAAs air traffic management systems and enhanced safety within the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR).



This included the replacement of all ageing communications, Navigation, and Surveillance facilities within the FIR which had been in service for two decades.



He also served previously as Electrical Manager and as Director, Air traffic Safety Engineering of the Authority between 2007- 2018.

Source: ghanaweb









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The Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC) on Sunday called on the security agencies to ward-off unauthorized intruders of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) operational landscape filling stations.



OMCs have noted with concern the breach of the functions of National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) the legally mandated bodies charged with the responsibility of inspecting or auditing petroleum products and filling stations for compliance.



It is unfortunate and unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue as it creates security concerns and endangers the consumers safety at the Filing Stations, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, AOMC Chief Executive Officer told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.



We must caution that the filling stations are confined spaces for safety reasons, therefore besides quickly buying fuel or patronizing any of the other related services, one should not trespass unless one has been legally mandated to perform certain functions at the stations.



We would like to assure the general public that OMCs/LPGMCs will continue to pursue and uphold consumers interests and will always be at their service he said.



Mr Agyemang-Duah who is also the AOMC Industry Coordinator noted: We must state unequivocally that, OMC have over the years cooperated with and will continue to cooperate with all the regulatory agencies and duly mandated groups to enhance compliance and improvement of industry standards.



For instance, we have cooperated with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) as it currently inspects our fuel dispensing pumps every six months.



Additionally, we have cooperated with the inspectors of the National Petroleum Authority as they regularly inspect our stations for general compliance including; fuel dispensing pumps delivery levels.



He said OMCs have provided 10-litre measuring cans at filling stations to enable our cherished consumers who may want to confirm the fuel dispensers delivery levels to do so and where they are dissatisfied.



Consumers also have the opportunity to report discrepancy at any filling station to the AOMC, GSA or NPA to check if indeed they are right for appropriate action to be taken by the regulators against the operator involved.



Mr Agyemang-Duah noted that where OMC is found to have breached the law, AOMC has at all times supported these regulatory agencies to make that particular oil marketing company face the full rigors of the law.



He said for the avoidance of doubt, it is important to remind the general public about the existing legal regime governing the entities mandated to perform such tasks.



The AOMC Industry Coordinator explained that per NPA Act 2005, 691 Section 2(2), the NPA is mandated to: protect the interest of consumers and Petroleum Service Providers.



The NPA is also obliged to monitor standards of performance and quality of the provision of petroleum service; initiate and conduct investigation into standards of quantity of petroleum products offered to consumer.



He said the NPA was also authorized to investigate on a regular basis the operations of Petroleum Service Providers to ensure conformity with best practices and protocols in the downstream industry.



He revealed that the Ghana Standards Authority is also mandated to handle all issues related to weights and measures. These issues include; checking the accurate measurement of fuel dispensing pumps.



Mr Agyemang-Duah noted that based on the law, and as a demonstration of commitment to consumer protection, the AOMC has agreed with the GSA to begin a quarterly verification of fuel and gas dispensing pumps and accessories from January 2021, instead of the current half-yearly inspection.



We would therefore like to reiterate that any group or entity wanting to assure itself of the pump delivery accuracy at any fuel station should engage the relevant regulators to collaborate and ensure that the requisite Health, Environment, Safety, Security and Quality (HESSQ) protocols are complied with.

Source: GNA









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Mr. Shaibu Ali, the Vice President of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana, has urged brokers to carefully assess the commercial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on their clients to protect themselves from the risk of claims.



Mr Ali, who is also the CEO of KEK Reinsurance Brokers (Africa) Limited, said Insurance brokers were already inundated with queries from their clients relating to the impact.



"The Covid-19 pandemic brings insurance brokers duties and obligations into sharp focus, both in terms of dealing with existing queries from their clients and the advice they provide on future renewals," he said.



Mr Ali said this at the 4th Webinar series on the theme: Effects of Covid-19 on Corporate Ghana- the Insurance Industry which was organized by Krif Ghana Limited publishers of Integrity Magazine in Accra.



The virtual event brought on board seasoned insurers across the country, who touched on various angles of the insurance sector, with a clarion call on Ghanaians to "be interested in insurance".



He noted that: "To protect themselves from the risk of claims, brokers need to carefully consider the practical and commercial implications of the pandemic on their clients.



In addition to the challenges insurance brokers may face in dealing with insurance claims, they should also be mindful of potential risks in advising their clients moving forward."



He said from a practical perspective, most insurance brokers, insurers and their clients were likely to face a sustained period of home and remote working which will inevitably lead to a period of adjustment for the parties involved.



Madam Ernestina Abeh, Managing Director of Enterprise Insurance Company Limited, in her analysis, said the country's general insurance industry was not plagued with "large claims from the pandemic" as compared to western markets.



She explained that the pandemic had fast-tracked the move of insurance companies in going digital and the reduction in operational cost.



Madam Abeh said: "The lockdown in Ghana pushed companies to provide employees with the requisite tools such as laptops, Internet Routers as well as equip them with corporate level communication and collaboration platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, etc.) to work remotely.



The operations of insurance companies to be digitalized and has directly affected the operational cost of companies as Utility bills, Motor running cost and stationery in the industry in a positive manner."



The Reverend Kennedy Okosun, Chief Executive Officer of Krif Ghana Limited, tasked the insurance sector players to offer packages that would protect individuals and businesses from losses in these difficult times.



Rev. Okosun, who is also the Editor of the Integrity Magazine, urged insurance companies to do more in building trust with their stakeholders, stressing that the world economy was a downward spiral since the pandemic broke out and as usual the insurance industry in Ghana was impacted adversely.



Other speakers includes: Mr. Michael Kofi Andoh, Deputy Commissioner, National Insurance Commission; Mr. Edward Forkuo Kyei, CEO, GLICO Group; and Mrs. Nancy Ampah, CEO, Nationwide Medical Insurance.



Others were: Mr. Adedayo Arowojolu, Managing Director, WAPIC Insurance Ghana.

Source: GNA









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An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 32-year-old man who sexually abused his 13-year-old granddaughter to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour.

Emmanuel Attakora Yeboah, who is the younger brother of the victims grandfather, pleaded not guilty to the charge of defilement.



He was convicted by the court, presided over by Mrs Christina Cann, after a full trial.



Prosecutions facts

The Prosecutor, Sergeant Opoku Aniagyei, who presented the facts of the case to the court, said the convict lived in the same house with the victims mother, Beatrice Deku, who was the complainant in the case.



Sergeant Aniagyei said on May 3, 2019, the victim was not feeling well and as a result, did not go to school.



The victim, therefore, went to sleep in one of her relatives room.



While the victim was fast asleep, Yeboah went and knocked on the door, after which the victim woke up to open it.



He said Yeboah entered the room and offered the victim biscuit. The victim, upon receiving the biscuit, went back to sleep on the bed.



The prosecutor said Yeboah then followed the victim to the bed and sexually abused her, after which he warned her not to tell anyone or risk dying.



However, the victim, who was not happy with the act, told one Sister Akor.



On her way back, the prosecutor said, Yeboah followed the victim and hit her with a frying pan.



Sergeant Aniagyei said on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, the victim revealed her ordeal to her grandfather, Yaovi Teku, who in turn informed the complainant.



He said a case was lodged at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra and the complainant was issued with a police medical form to send the victim to the hospital for examination and treatment.



Yeboah was later arrested and in his caution statement to the police, pleaded alibi.



However, the alibi was investigated and it came to light that Yeboah left the house at dawn around 4 a.m. and returned to have his bath around 6 a.m., after which he worked on a painting in his studio located in the house for sometime before leaving to one Mr Sally's house.



It was deduced by the police that Yeboah might have committed the act before leaving the house.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has signed the Book of Condolence as he mourns late co-politician Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie.



This was when he paid a visit to the former Ghana Forestry Commission Boss family popularly known as Sir John.



Taking to Twitter to announce his visit to the family, he penned an emotional tribute to the former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).



According to reports, he died Wednesday evening at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after contracting Covid-19.



Sir John reportedly succumbed to complications of COVID-19 while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.



Read the tweet below:









My friend Sir John is gone to his Maker indeed: I have had no option but to visit his residence this morning to commiserate with his family & sign a Book of Condolence. What is Man, that, we should boast of our existence? Sir John, I shall deeply miss you. pic.twitter.com/i7Ws7WkYbQ

 Samuel Koku Anyidoho (@KokuAnyidoho) July 3, 2020









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Former 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.





Source: Citinews









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The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Okere District Assembly, Daniel Kenneth, has dismissed rumours that Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere Constituency Daniel Botwe has died.



According to him "Hon Daniel Botwe is fine by Gods Grace and was discharged on Saturday, 4th July 2020 around 1 pm."



"I wish to implore all concerned persons not to be alarmed and that hes home with his family. Let us all continue to offer prayers of good health and long life for him," he said in a statement.





Below is the full statement from the Okere DCE:



Official: HON. DANIEL BOTWE IS ALIVE



It has come to our notice the rumour circulating that Hon. Daniel Botwe, MP for Okere Constituency is dead.



I wish to inform the general public that this news is false and should be treated with all the contempt it deserves.



Hon Daniel Botwe is fine by Gods Grace and was discharged on Saturday, 4th July 2020 around 1 pm.



I wish to implore all concerned persons not to be alarmed and that hes home with his family. Let us all continue to offer prayers of good health and long life for him.



We are also very grateful for all loved ones and genuine persons for their prayers and show of concern. Thank you for your attention



Sgn



Daniel Kenneth

DCE, Okere District Assembly.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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This past week, on US President Donald Trump's watch Russia and China have effectively re-aligned the coming world order. They didn't do it together, but both took advantage of uncertainty and unpredictability that Trump has helped create.



It's far from clear that the next US President will be able to roll back the consequences of this week, which leave both Presidents Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Xi Jinping in Beijing more decisively in control of their own countries and more able to act assertively.



In other words, Trump has made an indelible mark on the world -- and it may not be for the good.

It is no coincidence that Putin and Xi have cemented their grip on cherished goals, as the clock runs down on Trump's first, and possibly only, term in office.



This past week, in a referendum on constitutional revisions so predictable that copies were on sale before the vote, Putin has effectively been made President for life, as Xi has moved equally ruthlessly, taking control of Hong Kong through a new national security law, while telling US allies Canada, Australia and the UK to keep out of China's internal affairs.



Both seem to be of the view the US has neither the will nor the consistency to put up resistance. Indeed, Trump's White House gave evidence of exactly that this week, floundering for a coherent response to allegations Russia paid the Taliban to kill US forces in Afghanistan. The Russian Embassy in Washington and the Taliban have both denied the claims.



As David Ignatius wrote in The Washington Post this week, Putin "is in the payback business. He believes the United States destroyed his former country, the Soviet Union. He likes the United States to feel pain." He now has plenty of years for more payback.

According to White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews: "President Trump is a world-class negotiator who has consistently furthered America's interests on the world stage."



Former senior US officials provided CNN contributor Carl Bernstein with a very different take. They thought Trump "delusional" about his ability to bend other leaders to his agenda, believing he could "either charm, jawbone or bully almost any foreign leader into capitulating to his will."



But Putin "just outplays him," said one of Bernstein's sources. Trump's "fawning over authoritarian strongmen, his ignorance of history and lack of preparation" jeopardized US national security, Bernstein was told.

Whether it's Putin's payback or Xi's decision to violate and chip away at the Hong Kong agreement signed with the UK in 1984, both leaders appear to see opportunities.



Go back three years. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dropped into the Oval Office the day after Trump fired James Comey as FBI director. Comey was overseeing the investigation into allegations of Russian election meddling. An official Russian photographer caught the bonhomie, as Trump told his visitors: "I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job."



Two months later, Trump met Putin -- alone -- on the margins of the G20 summit. The White House trumpeted the encounter as a success, highlighting a new ceasefire deal in Syria. The Russians cynically used the deal to freeze the conflict, allowing the Assad regime backed by Russia to pick off rebel-held areas one-by-one.



Trump could have protested, ripped up the deal, forged a new US policy on Syria that would have crimped Russia's growing influence in the Middle East. Instead he bought the lie.





It would be a recurring theme. Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton recalls in his new book "The Room Where It Happened" Trump's 2018 meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland.



"Putin had to be laughing uproariously at what he had gotten away with," writes Bolton, after Trump accepted Putin's assurances there had been no Russian interference in the 2016 US campaign.



So fast forward to this year as Putin, in power for 20 years, needed a constitutional fix to hold on for longer. He appears to calculate that despite tightened US sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine, and the poisoning of exiled former agent Sergei Skripal in the UK, Trump won't push back for what he does at home.



He was right. He is now effectively President for life, hoping to emulate Soviet leaders by stepping down only into his grave.



Xi's experience with Trump has been different. Tangled in a trade war, he has had to calculate Trump's real intent: on money, human rights issues, such as the Uyghurs or Hong Kong, and simply stopping the rise of the world's next superpower.



At a large and raucous Beijing business dinner two years ago, I sat next to a former Chinese ambassador. The trade war was just beginning to ramp up, but tariffs on solar panels, washing machines, steel, soybeans and aluminum were already biting into China's bottom line.



The diplomat, who had spent many years in Europe, told me in very precise terms that Trump was intentionally preventing China taking its rightful place in the world as a high-tech advanced economy.

I can be sure of what he'd say now as the Trump administration tries to persuade allies not to allow Huawei's 5G technology into their digital bloodstream.



But those allies are less willing to say no, partly because of China's commercial power but also because their relationships with the US have frayed.

Only this week German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who Bernstein's sources say was berated by Trump in phone calls, appeared to reject Trump's China tactics, saying "only together can the 27 EU member countries have enough weight to achieve ambitious deals with China."



While Trump has been applauded for confronting China on its trade policies, commercial espionage and intellectual property theft, his tactics face heavy criticism.



In an analysis for The Council on Foreign Relations, Robert Blackwill wrote: "Now the challenge for the president and his successors is to persuade Beijing, through enhanced US power projection, more able alliances, and adroit diplomacy, that the United States will grow ever stronger in Asia and, with its allies and friends, will robustly confront destabilizing Chinese actions."



All of this will have been in Xi's calculations about Trump, whether he is an existential threat to China's rise to be the world's superpower, or a prelude to a smarter adversary with the same goal.



Xi appears to have hedged toward the latter, choosing to act now against Hong Kong's determined pro-democracy movement, and pushing the narrative that the West is behind it, before it became a real thorn in his side.



Hong Kong's new National Security Law, promulgated in Beijing this week and immediately enforced on the territory's streets, is a game changer. According to the UK, it breaks the 1984 joint Sino-British declaration of one country-two systems.



The question historians may well debate in the future is not whether Trump's presidency affected Putin's and Xi's decisions but by how much his delusions changed the world in their favor.





Source: cnn









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Nana Owusu-Yeboa, the Oti Regional Minister, has urged the people in the region to go out to the centres to register and vote in the December poll.



He said the Constitution guarantees the civic right of every citizen to register and to participate in elections.



However, only the citizens who met the legitimate qualification measures would be accepted and asked the people to be vigilant against intruders.



Nana Owusu-Yeboa said this when he visited some registration centres in the first phase of the voter registration exercise to ascertain the successes and challenges of the compilation process.



The Minister was on the tour with Mr Patrick Jilima Chartey, Municipal Chief Executive for Krachi East and Madam Comfort Attaa Akua, District Chief Executive of Biakoye.



In all, the Regional Minister toured a total of eleven registration centres in the Krachi East constituency.



At the Dambai Roman Catholic and ARS 1 and 2 centres, about 4,168 people had registered and issued with the voter ID cards since the inception of the exercise, while in the Biakoye District 2,608 were registered and given new voter ID cards from two centres.



Nana Owusu- Yeboa was glad about the progress of the registration exercise and urged the people in the region to cooperate with the Electoral Commission (EC) and to also follow the safety protocols to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.



At the centres visited, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) saw Veronica buckets with water for handwashing, thermometer guns to check the temperature of registrants, and hand sanitizers.



The people at the centres were all in face masks in strict adherence to the social distancing protocols.



The Electoral Commission (EC) officials told the Regional Minister that the majority of the registrants came with their Ghana card or Passport and some without these documents had two people already issued with the new Voter cards to guarantee for them.

Source: GNA









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Pope Francis is praising the UN Security Council efforts for worldwide ceasefires to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic.



In remarks to the public in St Peter's Square today Pope Francis hailed the Security Council's 'request for a global and immediate cease-fire, which would permit the peace and security indispensable for supplying so urgently needed humanitarian assistance'.



Pope Francis called for the prompt implementation 'for the good of the so many persons who are suffering'.



He also expressed hope that the Security Council resolution be a 'courageous first step for the future of peace'.



The Security Council resolution calls on parties to armed conflicts to immediately cease fire for at least 90 days.



This is to enable safe, sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, including medical evacuations

Source: dailymail









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Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and his wife Theresa are not on self-isolation as a result of coronavirus, contrary to news making rounds, his aide confirmed to Dailymailgh.com.



News has it that the former first family have been asked to isolate having come into direct contact with an infected person.



However, speaking to Dailymailgh.com on Sunday, the spokesperson of Kufuor, Kwabena Osei-Adubofour said its not true.



He just moved to his new house at Peduase about three days ago and thats where he lives now. There is nothing about COVID-19. He and his family are safe and in good condition, he added.



President in self-isolation



The news follows a statement from the Information Ministry announcing a 14-day self-isolation for President Akufo-Addo after one of his inner circles tested positive for COVID-19.



On the advice of doctors, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is from today, July 4, 2020, taking a fourteen (14) day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with COVID-19 protocols, the statement signed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said.



The statement noted that the President has elected to do so after at least one person within his close circle tested positive for COVID-19 today.



The statement further noted, although President Akufo-Addo has tested negative for the virus, he has still decided to self-isolate out of the abundance of caution.



Case count in Ghana



Ghana has confirmed 697 new Covid-19 cases pushing the countrys caseload to 20,085.



The latest data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) also confirmed that 122 persons have died after contracting the deadly contagion.



The number of active cases are 5,093 with the discharges/recoveries count pegged at 14,870.

Source: Dailymailgh









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The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) on Sunday said the Southern part of the country will experience slight to modest rains during this month, as the rainy season tapers off to an end.



"Although there may be breaks from time to time, we are still in the rainy season, Madam Felicity Ahafianyo, Acting GMet Officer in charge of Central Analysis and Forecasting, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.



She said although the rainy season in Southern Ghana was tapering off to an end, it was not over yet, adding that the month of July would be typified by cloudiness with intermittent slight or continuous rains.



The Senior Meteorologist said temperatures would also be low and were expected to record below 22 degrees Celsius.



Madam Ahafianyo said people in the transition zone of the country, which included; the Bono Ahafo and parts of the Northern sector, would experience thunder storms with lightening and moderate winds.



She said the rains in the Southern sector would, however, not be accompanied by thunder storms according to weather indicators.



The rainy season in the Northern sector on the other hand would peak in August and end in October, she said.



The Senior Meteorologist cautioned drivers to be cautious, especially around forest and mountainous areas, because of the formation of fog and mist patches over these areas.



"Motorists should be particularly careful at dawn and reduce their speed because of reduced visibility," she said.



Madam Ahafianyo said the Northern sector was expected to experience an average of two to three rain storms every week, and urged inhabitants of the regions to pay attention to weather warnings by GMet, in order to plan their movements and activities accordingly.



"Radio stations in the Northern sector should please call GMet on 0302-777-172 for information on the weather," she said.



Madam Ahafianyo also urged the entire public to wear protective clothing to avoid the ill effects of cold weather, and to also pay close attention to the weather forecast.



The rainy season in the Southern part of the country is expected to slow between the end of July and the early part of August, she said.

Source: GNA









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In the wake of COVID-19, Consolidated Bank Ghana has reached out to the Potters Village Orphanage in Dodowa, Accra with food items including bags of rice, boxes of tin tomatoes, cooking oil, bags of gari, bags of sugar, boxes of tuna flakes, and boxes of biscuits.



The donation is in line with the bank's commitment to support the Covid-19 fight in Ghana.



Presenting the items to the orphanage, the delegation from CBG reiterated the banks passion to stand with customers and Ghanaians at large during these difficult times.



The bank over the Covid-19 period has remained committed to its tagline, We Stand With You by assisting needy communities and institutions. Prior to this donation, CBG has made a number of donations to some communities in Accra and Kumasi. Others are Ministry of Health, University of Ghana Medical Center, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Northern Development Authority, Ministries and East Legon Police Stations both in Accra. The bank will continue to fervently look out for opportunities to make impacts.



While observing the social distancing protocols, the CBG team shared some happy moments with the children by taking photos, singing with them, and touring the new shelter under construction for the kids.



On behalf of the Orphanage, Dr. Mrs. Jane Irina Adu, CEO and Founder of the Potters Village Orphanage expressed gratitude to CBG for the kind gesture. We are happy you drove through town to visit, not worried about contracting the virus, all for the love you have for us. Thank you so much for these items, we needed them. God bless CBG!



She further called on other corporate entities to support them especially on the new facility which is still under construction.



The donation is an extension of the banks recent donation of food items to over 2,000 people in some deprived communities during the lockdown and the Easter festive period.



Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Henry Kwabena Kokofu has described as unfortunate issues raised by the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelovo following an order for him to proceed on his accumulated leave.



This comes on the back of concerns raised by Mr Domelevo over the President's directive to take his accumulated leave.



Mr Domelevo, in a statement dated 3rd, July 2020 and addressed to the Presidency said, tenets of the countrys law flaw the Presidents directive to him, to take a mandatory 132-day leave.



He suggested that the directive was made out of bad faith and was resultant of his work which was embarrassing government.



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, he indicated.



Reacting to this in a panel discussion on Kumasi-based Hello FM, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, former Member of Parliament for Bantama constituency asked the A-G to focus on his 'well deserved' leave and stop writing letters to the President.



He says "the issues he (Domelevo) raised is neither here nor there; the appointing authority is the President. The constitution provides some level of protection but the same constitution gives the President power to discipline his appointees and so on."



"Before you came; were people not working at the Audit Service? You are only a fraction at the Audit Service; why is he behaving like he is all in all? He should go on leave quietly, enjoy your leave because it is well deserved," he said.



Meanwhile, the office of the President has extended Mr Domelovo's leave days to 167 from 132.



Daniel Domelevo was sworn into office as Auditor-General on December 30, 2016.



Rejoinder from presidency



Meanwhile, the Office of the President has reiterated its directive for the Auditor-General (A-G) to proceed on his annual leave or risk being subjected to what it described as disciplinary control to ensure adherence, adding that the move was backed by the law.



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 action over you to ensure that you comply with the terms of your appointment.



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 cannot be misled by your lack of understanding of the position of the law, for which you may be forgiven since you are not a lawyer."



In a statement signed by Nana Bediatuo Asante, Secretary to the President, and dated 3rd July 2020, also citing the Labour Act 2003, Section 31 specifically, they noted that Mr Domelevo could not forgo his annual leave and any agreement to relinquish his entitlement to annual leave or to forgo the leave is void.



Listen to Kokofu in the video below





BackgroundPresident Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed Mr Domelovo to take his accumulated annual leave of 123 working days effective Wednesday, 1 July 2020.A statement released by the office of the President and signed by the Director of Communications, Mr Eugene Arhin on Monday, 29 June 2020, said: The Presidents decision to direct Mr Domelovo to take his accumulated annual leave is based on Sections 20(1) and Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), which apply to all workers including public office holders such as the Auditor-General.Mr Domelovo is said to have taken only nine days leave.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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It was a breach of protocol for the Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul to put out the number of soldiers on deployment, according to Kweku Baako



The opposition NDC had alleged that security deployment along the countrys borders was to intimidate and prevent persons living in the Volta Region from partaking in the ongoing voter registrations exercise.



The Defense Minister, in response to the NDC, had said the deployments were made as far back as March 30, to help the immigration service ensure compliance to the border restrictions.



We are concerned about people coming into this country. It is our duty to protect Ghana. What we are doing is to make the people of Ghana safe by blocking all the unapproved routes and as long as our borders are closed, it is our duty as a government to ensure that Ghanaians are safe, he said.



Giving a breakdown of the deployment, the Minister said 102 are in North East, 110 in Northern, Upper East has 207 and Savannah 21.



The rest are Upper West, 69; Oti 72 and Volta Region 72.



However, Kweku Baako believes but for the need to respond to the allegations from the NDC, it was not standard practice to put out the figures.



"There was an unusual thing that the Defence Minister was compelled to come public with figures and locations; unfortunately . . . it's not always advisable for the government to disclose what it is doing (security-wise); it's not standard practice," he said.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku has expressed delight over the active participation of Ghanaians in the new voters registration exercise.



Sammi Awuku, after visiting registration centres at Adenta and Ayawaso West Wuogon constituencies, is convinced Ghanaians are not joking with their right to vote, hence their eagerness and readiness to obtain a voter ID card.



I visited not less than eight centres today from Maajor in the Adenta area down to Ayawaso West Wuogon and to Maamobi in the Ayawaso North and down to the Alajo area in the Ayawaso Central Mosque area. Throughout some of the major registration centres, the numbers are very overwhelming.



Clearly it shows that the Ghanaian people are ready to register for a new voters ID. What we can do to support them as a political party is to support them with constant education that we also need to keep alive, he said in an interview with Joy FM.



He was however worried about some negative reports regarding the exercise saying if we focus too much on the negativity, what we going to do then is to scare people from these centres or not do much to help with the education. The EC is doing its best; I have grave reservations about some of the things I also saw.



He further commended the various political party agents for their vigilance at the registration centres.



Let me commend the agents of these political parties who have kept an eagle eye on the process. Let me also commend the mobilizers and the whispers of the various political parties who moved from house to house to also get supporters and get sympathizers and Ghanaians who havent heard of this whole exercise to also throng the place.

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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A special Aide to ex-president John Mahama has said the Information Ministers statement about the self-isolation of President Akufo-Addo is "veiled and deceptive" and will not help our fight against the disease.



The campaign spokesperson for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) James Agyenim Boateng is demanding candour from the Information Minister as the president goes into Covid-19 isolation.



James Agyenim Boateng wants Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to tell Ghanaians whom within the circles of President Akufo-Addo is Covid-19 positive.



Read his full write up below . . .



I write to wish President Akufo-Addo well following a statement released a while ago by the Information Minister that the president is taking a fourteen (14) day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with Covid-19 protocols on the advice of his doctors.



While I acknowledge the information given the public on the presidents close contact with Covid-19 as an important step, it is worth pointing out that we are going to need a lot of candour and clarity in dealing with the coronavirus disease.



In the first place, the Information Ministers veiled and deceptive statement will not help our fight against the disease.



What exactly does the statement mean by AT LEAST ONE PERSON within his close circle tested positive for Covid-19 today? [Emphasis mine].



Is there a good reason for the statement lacking precision and exactitude as regards the number of person (s) who has/have tested positive within president Akufo-Addos close circle? Why is it talking about at least one person when it could have provided Ghanaians with precise and accurate information? Is the statement intended to generate or encourage controversy about the number of persons infected in the close circle of the president? Does it intend that people conjure their own number(s) of persons infected in the close circle of the president? Does at least one person infected with coronavirus within the presidents inner circle connote two, three, four, five, six or more person?



I may be opposed to the president and disagree with him on policy and his highhandedness but I do not wish him struck by Covid-19.



Again, following the statement by the Information Minister, health professionals have been excited to point out the difference between the terms isolation and quarantine. Lovelyn Mawuena Enam, for example, clarifies both terms in a facebook post as follows:



Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. These people may have been exposed to a disease and do not know it, or they may have the disease but do not show symptoms. In public health The purpose is to prevent the spread of contagious disease/ preventing exposure to people who have or may have a contagious disease.



Do we take it that the Information Minister did not have a full appreciation of what isolation connotes or was that his way of letting us in on the real situation with the president? Back to the at least one person bit in the statement (I have already emphasised that it could mean more than one person), did that person (or persons) accompany Mr Akufo-Addo on his tour of registration centres to inspect the ongoing voter registration exercise? If she/ he (or they) did, that will certainly be nightmarish for contact tracing.



President goes into self-isolation



President Akufo-Addo has decided to go into self-isolation after at least one person within his close circle tested positive for Covid-19.



The statement did not name the member of the Presidents inner circle who has tested positive.



A statement signed by the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said on the advice of doctors, the President is from July 4, 2020, taking a 14-day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with Covid-19 protocols.



The statement, however, stated that the president himself has tested negative as at today [July 4].



That negative test notwithstanding, the statement said, the President elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution.



The President during this precautionary self-isolation period will be working from the Presidential Villa at the Jubilee House, it stated.

Source: James Agyenim-Boateng









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Musicians Okyeame Kwame and Wiyaala have been appointed by WaterAid Ghana (WAG) as ambassadors for its Hygiene Behaviour Change Coalition (HBCC) for COVID-19 Control initiative.

The two join a list of celebrities such as broadcaster Anita Erskine and fashion influencer Afua Rida, who are long-standing WAG Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) ambassadors, to prosecute the HBCC for COVID-19 Control agenda.



At an unveiling ceremony at the WaterAid Ghana offices on Wednesday, July 1, the Country Director, Mr Abdul Nashiru Mohammed, explained that the initiative, which was funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and Unilever, would be carried out in six districts across five regions, targeting over five million people.



He said WaterAid Ghana acknowledged the important and influential roles Okyeame Kwame and Wiyaala played within Ghana and beyond, hence their appointment as WASH ambassadors to help disseminate hygiene messages to curtail the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.



WAG will work with you, our WASH ambassadors, to implement this and other WASH projects of the country programme. WAG is counting on your popularity and large following on social media and in your communities to extensively disseminate hygiene messages to the project target audience, he said.



Okyeame Kwame, on behalf of Wiyaala, who joined the ceremony via zoom, thanked the management of WAG for deeming them fit to be WASH ambassadors at this crucial moment.



According to him, the task was enormous but they would use their good standing in the music industry to create the needed awareness.



The HBCC campaign, which is on the theme: Clean Community, Safe Environment, is to motivate people to practise personal and social protective behaviours and to complement the governments efforts to contain the spread of the virus.



The campaign, according to WAG, would involve hand washing with soap, maintaining physical and social distancing, wearing masks in public, cleaning frequently touched surfaces regularly and self-isolation when experiencing symptoms to protect others from the virus.



WaterAid Ghana said it would also install contact-less (hands-free) handwashing facilities in public locations.



The HBCC will be implemented in two phases over nine months and will leverage on WaterAid Ghanas extensive experience in running hygiene behaviour change campaigns, with the first phase focusing on an extensive promotion of five key hygiene behaviours related to COVID-19 using social, digital and mass media channels.



The second phase will also support government-led hygiene campaigns for sustained behaviour change, while continuing to promote the wider mass media crusade.



The HBCC for COVID-19 Control beneficiary communities are Wa Municipal in Upper West; Bongo and Kassena Nankana West in Upper East; Nanumba South in the Northern; Kwahu Afram Plains North in the Eastern; and Ablekuma Central Municipal in the Greater Accra Region.





Source: Daily Graphic









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Ahead of the commencement of Season 5 of the Big Brother Naija show on Sunday, all new housemates are currently in quarantine.



The organizers had announced that the 2020 edition of the reality show will go live on Sunday, July 19.



Amid the Covid-19 crisis and the social distancing protocol, many wondered if BBNaija will hit TV screens this year.



At a virtual press briefing on Thursday, MultiChoice disclosed that they were working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure the highest level of safety of housemates and the production crew.



The organizers announced that potential housemates are currently in quarantine ahead of the July 19 premiere.



They will be monitored whilst in quarantine until they are deemed fit health-wise. Anyone that shows signs of ill health, will as expected not to be a part of the show.



The Big Brother House has also been disinfected and wont be accessible to anyone till when the housemates make their way into their new abode.



Channel Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, explained that even before the pandemic, housemates usually go through extensive health checks before entering the house.





Noting that, that has been elevated due to the present circumstances, she said, the Big Brother show lends itself to a certain level of quarantine, seamlessly integrating into the Covid-19 guidelines.



Past winners of the show include Katung Aduwak ( guys2006), Michael Efe Ejeba (2017), Miracle Igbokwe (2018) and Mercy Eke (2019).







Source: dailypost.ng









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Popular Ghanaian dancehall artiste Shatta Wale has revealed that he has switched allegiance from Accra Hearts of Oak to Kumasi Asante Kotoko, after years of being an avid supporter of the Accra based club.



The controversial artiste made this revelation via Twitter, declaring that not only has he himself made that switch, but he has moved along with his massive fanbase.



According to him, his decision is in line with the appointment of CEO of Rigworld Group, Dr. Kofi Amoah Abban as Board member by the Life Patron, and owner of Asante Kotoko, The Asantehene.



In May, Shatta Wale was spotted wearing a Hearts of Oak shirt with many believing he was part of the Phobian family.









Since my Godfada @kofiAbban19 is now a Board member of Asante kotoko. I am now supporting kotoko with full vim including my fans ..Wukum Apim apim b3ba !!!  pic.twitter.com/2ATBDbyELG

 SHATTA WALE (@shattawalegh) July 4, 2020

Shatta Wale wrote, Since my Godfada @kofiAbban19 is now a Board member of Asante Kotoko. I am now supporting Kotoko with full vim including my fans ..Wukum Apim apim b3ba !!!









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Actress Rose Mensah, aka Kyeiwaa, is ready to walk down the aisle once again after her 2nd wedding was indefinitely postponed due to the coronavirus.



Kyeiwaa and her husband, Michael Kissi Asare, have set a 2nd date for their wedding after the COVID interrupted one.



On Saturday, July 24th 2020, Kyeiwaa would be a married woman once again.



The Ghanaian actress and her U.S based fiance were scheduled to get married on March 21st, but it had to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.



Massachusetts, the sate in which the two reside, placed a ban on public gatherings of more than 25 people leading to the wedding being postponed.



However, with restrictions now being eased the wedding is ready to go ahead with Kyeiwaa finally finding some happiness after her bitter first marriage which ended in about a week.









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Managing Director of the Despite Media Group, Fadda Dickson is mourning the death of his bosom friend, Kwadwo Wiafe Annor who goes home today.



The media personality has taken to social media to share fond memories and thoughts about the late Kwadwo Waife.



In one of his posts, he wrote, Some people come into our lives and quickly go, some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.



Fadda Dickson went on to drop a video where the late Kwadwo Wiafe was being grateful for life and thanking God whilst he emceed a wedding program.



The fallen Despites media presenter, Kwadwo Annor Wiafe went home today, July 4th.



Funeral rites took place at Tabora No2 in Accra.



Check out the posts below;















































































View this post on Instagram





























A post shared by Fadda Dickson (@faddick) on Jul 3, 2020 at 9:55pm PDT







































































View this post on Instagram















Farewell! My Brother God knows when we shall meet again.













A post shared by Fadda Dickson (@faddick) on Jul 4, 2020 at 1:16am PDT













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View this post on Instagram



Happy birthday to a KING  what a perfect Gentleman you are Nana Nana Papabi God Bless your new age 
Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has asked the public to disregard false story published by the Herald Newspaper to the effect that the President was on Saturday flown out of the country to London for COVID-19 treatment.



The Herald newspaper on Sunday published the story claiming President Akufo-Addo has been flown to the United Kingdom for treatment.



But Eugene Arhin reacting to this effect with a picture of the president and his family observing the 14-day self-isolation at the Presidential Villa in Jubilee House after a close person tested positive for coronavirus said; it is clearly a figment of the authors imagination.



Read Facebook post























Kindly disregard the FALSE STORY published by the Herald Newspaper to the effect that the President was on Saturday...





Posted by Eugene Arhin on Sunday, July 5, 2020











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Four people were injured in an overnight shooting in Lancaster County.

According to Ephrata Police, the shooting occurred around 1:42 a.m. Sunday near Blackberry Lane and Eastbrooke Drive in Ephrata Township.

The suspected shooter is in custody. That persons name has not yet been released.

Police say four males were shot during a dispute. They are being treated at Lancaster General Hospital. There is no word yet on their conditions.

No other details were immediately available.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the police, 717-733-8611.

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Editors note: This story was updated with additional information about a verbal altercation that occurred at Gettysburg National Cemetery Saturday.

Although the social media posts promoting flag burnings, destruction and violence in Gettysburg on the Fourth of July were never confirmed, dozens of people, many armed, stationed themselves around the battlefield and National Cemetery Saturday to make sure nothing happened.

This years holiday was hot and dry, but that didnt deter the masses from flocking to one of the most historic towns in the midstate to show their patriotism. Some wore red, white and blue, while others carried American flags or dressed in Civil War costumes.

Visiting Gettysburg on the Fourth is a tradition for some. But others came from as far as Delaware to protect the Confederate monuments from vandalism, in light of Facebook posts which claimed anti-fascist groups were planning violence under cover of fireworks.

The rumors appeared to stem from a Facebook post, ostensibly by a group called Left Behind, that said anti-fascists  Antifa  would hold a peaceful protest the afternoon of July 4 at the cemetery and planned to burn the United States, Confederate and Blue Lives Matter flags.

The post was later removed by Facebook. But the fact-checking website Snopes said a far-right media outlet and a Facebook post spread rumors that Antifa was planning violence.

A screenshot of the since-removed Facebook post, which said flag burnings would be taking place on the Fourth of July in the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

Snopes concluded that the rumors likely had no basis. Central PA Antifa labeled them a right-wing hoax.

But they drew people like Dillsburg resident Mike Boyer, who said he came to the cemetery to make sure things didnt turn violent.

We will defend everybodys right to freedom of speech. We want everybody to have a voice, because we think we all participated in building this nation, Boyer said. [But] everyones lives matter, end of story.

Meanwhile, a group of people nearby were loudly arguing with a man wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

Are we in agreement that all lives matter? one man asked the crowd, drawing cheers in response. Homeland Security officers soon arrived and led the man in the T-shirt away, with chants of USA and suggestions to get the [expletive] outta here trailing him.

The Washington Post later identified the man as Trent Somes, a seminarian and associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hanover. He told The Post he was visiting the grave of an ancestor when a crowd of about 50 people surrounded him and aggressively questioned him about his shirt.

Jason Martz, the Gettysburg National Military Parks acting public affairs officer said he was escorted from the area for his own safety.

An argument broke out near the Lincoln Address Memorial between a group of visitors and a man wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt. The Department of Homeland Security is here breaking it up. pic.twitter.com/aFnY4kGUWK  Jenna Wise (@JennaRWise) July 4, 2020

Maelea Burley and her husband brought their children to the cemetery to educate them on American history, but werent sure if theyd stay for the whole day once they heard about the rumors.

We dont want people shooting people, Burley said in reference to the many people openly carrying weapons through the area. Vandalism of a statue isnt worthy of death.

No incidents were reported as of 6 p.m. Saturday in Gettysburg, other than verbal altercations on the battlefield, Martz said.

Martz said federal, state and local authorities ramped up security in Gettysburg because of the posts. Agents from Homeland Security had a presence on the battlefield. Martz said they dont often see rumors such as these on the holiday.

Dexter Parham, 65, has made the trek to Gettysburg from his Keymar, Maryland home several times on the Fourth of July  including in 2017, when other rumors of flag burnings drew several hundred armed people, including one who accidentally shot himself in the leg. No protesters showed to burn flags.

Anybody destroying these monuments and history  its not going to help, Parham said, clad in camouflage and clutching a Confederate flag. [Change is] going to have to happen inside each one of us, caring about each other. Were caring people and want good things to happen for the veterans, for the blacks, for the whites. All of us.

Others were adamant that vandalizing or removing Confederate monuments does more harm than good.

If you destroy history, you forget what happened and make the same mistakes, said Art Miller, of Boyertown.

Our Fourth of July isnt a celebration of destroying things, echoed 20-year-old Connor Tressler, of Dauphin.

Many in the group said they planned only to take action if protesters get violent or destructive.

This is all about freedom  everybodys freedom, Boyer said.

Visitors at the Gettysburg National Cemetery on the Fourth of July get into a loud argument with a man wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt. Authorities later escorted the man out of the cemetery.

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A third big name might be joining Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the presidential election.

Kanye West.

Thats right.

Dont laugh.

The famous rapper tweeted Saturday that he is running for president in 2020.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION  ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future, West wrote. I am running for president of the United States!

His wife, Kim Kardashian West, retweeted the post, and Elon Musk responded You have my full support.

West previously said he planned to run for president in 2024.

The 43-year-old has also been a public supporter of Trump.

So, maybe thats not the case anymore, provided West actually follows through and enters the race.
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Independence Day 2020 weekend has brought us at least hints of the revelry usually associated with the Fourth of July.

Americans typically enjoy more than 15,000 fireworks displays and consume more than 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day. Those numbers have been tamped down slightly over concerns with the pandemic, but Americans still love to celebrate American independence in big ways.

Especially this year, its important to ask ourselves how many of us took time to reflect on the Declaration and what it took to win our independence?

How many thought about the 56 men who labored in Philadelphia in the hottest days of 1776 under conditions one founder said a more merciful God would not allow?

Did we truly celebrate the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world or was it just another summertime party?

Of course, we should celebrate American Independence as we do. After all, John Adams, who was largely responsible for getting a resolution of independence through the Continental Congress, told us that "it ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from One End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Interestingly, Adams thought we'd celebrate Independence Day on July 2, the day on which the Continental Congress voted unanimously to sever the 13 colonies' ties with Great Britain. He also believed that the day should be "commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by Acts of Devotion to God Almighty."

It was two days later, July 4, that the Continental Congress actually approved the text of the Declaration.

Although many believe it was signed that day, only two signatures were affixed on the Fourth of July.

Most of the signatures were added a month later, on Aug. 2.

Some never signed, including Robert Livingston, a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration. John Dickinson refused to sign, but nevertheless took up arms in the fight for American liberty, serving as a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia.

The Declaration of Independence is loved, honored and revered by Americans and freedom-loving people around the globe. It has formed the basis of similar declarations by several other nations. It was the first written statement of grievances against a sovereign justifying severing ties.

For the first time, a new nation declared that the rights of its citizens came from God, not from a sovereign or government. That was truly revolutionary idea; one that's as important today as it was 244 years ago.

Weve seen repeated efforts over the past few months to re-write our history and even erase it. But, these truths remain constant.

The truth of American history is that, even with our flaws (and what nation has ever been without them?) it inspires the patriotism we witness in this weekend.

America is truly exceptional. It has been a beacon of hope to the rest of the world since its inception. We never had to build walls to keep people in.

The responsibility to teach our history with respect, honesty and appreciation is being subverted by a minority who view America as an innately evil nation that must be destroyed. They are false historians.

John Adams worried about the future of liberty and the cost of preserving and protecting it. "I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost to maintain this Declaration," he told us.

The Signers of the Declaration all knew what was at stake. Their closing pronouncement was, " with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Many of the signers suffered the hardships to which they alluded. Each of them knew the gallows awaited if the war was not won. All of them laid everything on the line for freedom and liberty.

As we enjoy parades, pool parties and cookouts, we should each ask ourselves if we care as much about the defining principles of the Declaration as we do about the fireworks. We should ask what we are doing to pass along the truth America against the false narratives being promoted today.

We know what the founders risked. In our comfortable and cozy 21st-century lives, do we share the same commitment to liberty?

As John Philpot Curran reminded us, The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.



Charlie Gerow is a Republican strategist and CEO of Quantum Communications. His column appears weekly in PennLive opposite Democrat Mark Singel. Charlie and Mark can be seen each Sunday morning at 8:30 on CBS-21s Face the State.
Donald Trump does not want to hear anything bad about Putin & intelligence briefers got this message. He has tacitly accepted the invasion and annexation of the Crimea, much like Chamberlain accepted the annexation and eventual dismantling of Czechoslovakia.

Putin has the same goal for Ukraine. Yet Trump is pushing to get Putin back in the G7 after being expelled for this.Trump reluctantly imposed sanctions on Russia pushed primarily by Republicans. He believes Putin over his own intelligence agencies. He has accepted the fringe theory, probably developed by the Russian GRU, that it was the Democrats that interfered in the election through Ukraine and he was looking for the servers on which this was done.

His stooge and gofer Rudy Giuliani was in Ukraine for this purpose to essentially assist Russia in a massive disinformation campaign. Trumps administration denies so-called uncorroborated intelligence that Putin was paying the Taliban a bounty on US & UK troops in Afghanistan. National Security Adviser OBrien uses this as an excuse to doubt the intelligence, but had over 19 months to do something about it and did nothing. Now OBrien claims that the mainstream media has compromised such intelligence and muddied the waters.

Yes, blame the media for his inaction. Some have speculated that Trump is working for Putins interests, but the truth is more banal. Trump is probably appeasing Putin for his own self-interests and greed. He is looking for a future deal with Putin to build hotels in Russia, which he was even doing in late 2016. This is something that Putin is using to string him along. At least, Chamberlain cared about peace in his time and tried to do his best. When that failed, he ended up seeing the folly of appeasement, which led to war with Germany.

George Magakis Jr., Norristown, Pa.
On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set to-day a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

On Independence Day, Americans pause to recall the heroics of leaders who put their lives on the line. It is a fact that the signers of the Declaration pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of freedom. While citizens today carp about inconveniences like masks and social distancing requirements, the freedoms that our forefathers won came at a brutal price. The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were hunted by the British. About half of them suffered or died in the Revolutionary War. Many of them lost their homes and fortunes.

When you are enjoying your beer and burgers this holiday, give some thought to those who made it possible. Here are a few Pennsylvania heroes to thank:

Mad Anthony Wayne led his men into battle at Brandywine and Germantown before facing a harsh winter with George Washington at Valley Forge. He led a daring nighttime assault on the British at Stony Point, New York armed only with bayonets. Thats how he got the nickname.

Edward Hand was an Irish immigrant who settled in Lancaster to practice medicine. He took up arms for the American cause in 1775 and served as a lieutenant colonel in the battles of Long Island, Trenton, and Princeton and rose to brigadier general before the war ended. His command at Fort Pitt was marked by securing neutrality from Indian tribes throughout the state.

James Irvine commanded the 2nd Regiment and fought in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Canada. Captured by the British at Chestnut Hill near Philadelphia, he lost three fingers and suffered a severe back injury in the fight. He was held prisoner for four years but insisted on returning to active duty after his release. He went on to be elected vice president of the commonwealth, the equivalent of todays Lieutenant Governor.

Samuel John Atlee from Lancaster was studying law when he chose to enter the army. By the time he was sixteen ,he was placed in command of a small company and rose to the position of colonel. His war record included the Battle of Fort Duquesne, and the Battle of Long Island, where he was captured and imprisoned for two years. A member of the Continental Congress, Atlee also served in the general assembly and helped negotiate land treaties with American Indian tribes.

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was a preacher in Virginia when he led his congregation in a verse from Ecclesiastes: For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. He ended his homily by saying: There is a time to preach and a time to fight. Now is the time to fight. With that, he threw off his clerical robes and revealed the uniform of an officer in the Continental Army. One biographer writes: Drums began to roll, men kissed their wives, and they walked down the aisle to enlist. The next day, he brought 300 men from his and neighboring churches to enlist with General George Washington. Muhlenberg moved to Pennsylvania after the war and served with distinction in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Many Americans are sagging from the weight of challenges that seem to have no end in sight. Many have been driven to their ideological corners by a constant flow of information that simply confirms their own biases. Some families are just overburdened with the reality of making a living and dont have the time for reflection.

The fact is that those who came before us had it much worse. When they had a choice between their own comfort or the furnace of battle to forge a nation, they chose to fight. When they were threatened with the overwhelming power of the strongest military forces on earth, they saddled up.

My advice to all who celebrate Independence Day this weekend is to rise above the news cycle. Just for this weekend, think what your country has asked of you lately. If it is just to stay socially distant to ride out the pandemic, then do it. If it is to share perspectives with members of a different race or religion, give it a try. If it is to vote, that fundamental act that secures this experiment in representative democracy, do it.

We celebrate our forbearers by remembering them. We honor them by being more perfect citizens as we grow into a more perfect nation.

Mark S. Singel is a former Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. He and Republican Charlie Gerow can be seen at 8:30 a.m. each Sunday on CBS21s Face the State.
President Trump is president for all Americans and female voters know that President Trump has delivered on issues they care about. President Trumps first duty has always been to protect the American people and keep families safe. He wants to ensure every American child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe and secure environment. A President who stands for law and order is especially invaluable given the recent weeks of violence, chaos, and destruction in our nations cities. President Trump has taken bold and decisive action to confront this lawlessness, showing he will always stand for justice and law and order.

President Trump values working side-by-side with women and has given hundreds of women the opportunity to serve in lead roles in his administration. Not only did he name the first woman to head the Central Intelligence Agency, he has also had women serving as Secretaries of Education, Transportation and Homeland Security. The Trump Administration also has over 300 women serving in politically appointed roles as judges and ambassadors.

President Trumps most special working relationship is with his daughter Ivanka, who serves as an Advisor to the President. He greatly respects her opinion and works alongside her on many initiatives for women. President Trump approved the largest paid parental leave program ever, guaranteeing 12 weeks of paid family leave for all federal workers. He also directed over $200 million per year to technology education grants for women and programs that encourage participation in STEM careers. Together the President and Ivanka believe that empowering women to pursue careers and realize their economic potential is crucial for economic progress both here and abroad. Ivanka also has developed global initiatives like W-GDP, which delivers assistance to help women succeed in the workplace and seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025.

Women feel secure in the fact that President Trump built the greatest economy in the world and will do it again. Under President Trump prior to the pandemic, womens unemployment reached the lowest level in 67 years and last year over 70 percent of news jobs went to women. Women have already started seeing the positive effects of the Great American Comeback with close to 200,000 jobs gained and a falling unemployment rate. With an unprecedented economic record during President Trumps first three years, women are confident that this President has already proven he can create economic opportunities for American families and they look forward to four more years of unparalleled growth and success.

The choice for women is clear  Joe Biden has spent over 40 years in government pushing policies that have hurt Pennsylvania families. The most recent job-killing policy that will directly affect Pennsylvania workers and their families is the Green New Deal. In Detroit, Joe Biden promised a fracking ban that would kill 609,000 Pennsylvania jobs and cost the state of Pennsylvania $261 billion by 2025. Joe Bidens energy policies would cost the average American much more when heating your home, filling your car with gas, etc. Energy rates would increase and as a result consumer costs would increase. We need to elect a president who understands the need for lower energy costs on the American family. President Trumps pro-energy, pro-worker policy created an increase in energy sector employment in May and June, which plays a major role in Pennsylvanias economy.

As American women look forward to another four years, the enthusiasm gap between President Trump and Joe Biden widens every day. We have the most transparent President who enjoys communicating with the American people and listens to their everyday concerns in contrast to Joe Biden who has been hiding in his basement and refuses to condemn the violence of rioters and looters. Bidens past policy failures that hurt Pennsylvania families are not something he can hide from forever. Pennsylvania women want to know what their President stands for and the forward vision he has for our country. They also want the assurance of a strong leader who fights for them every day and makes decisions in the best interest of their community and their families. Pennsylvania women want a leader they can trust, and President Trump has earned that trust through his Promises Made, Promises Kept.:

Bernadette Bernie Comfort is 2020 PA Trump State Chair.
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KIGALI  Former Rwanda Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has been arrested.

Dr Habumuremyi, who served as Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014, was arrested on Friday. He previously served as Minister of Education from May 2011 to October 2011.

Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) confirmed that Dr Habumuremyi was arrested alongside Prof Egide Karuranga, President of Kibungo University.

It is not immediately clear why the duo was arrested and RIB refused to offer details, saying investigations are still underway.

There had been media reports outside Rwanda that police were investigating the former prime minister and his family for possible links to the Rwandan rebel group FDLR, based in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

He has written a book The Political integration in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide: Utopia or Reality, which was published by the Palotti Press, Kigali, in 2008.

Habumuremyi started his career as an academic, serving as the assistant professor at the National University of Rwanda from 1993 to 1999, and also served as a lecturer at the Kigali Independent University and the Kigali Lay Adventist University during 1997-1999. During this period, he also worked as a project coordinator at German Technical Assistance programme (GTZ Kigali) during 1995-1997 and a Senior Project Manager for the Catholic Relief Services during 1997-2000.

From 2000 to 2003, he was the Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda, after which he served as the Executive Secretary until 2008. Habumuremyi was elected as one of Rwandas nine representatives in the East African Legislative Assembly on 11 May 2008. He was succeeded as Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission by Charles Munyaneza in July 2008.

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Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired three rockets at neighbouring Israel on Sunday, the Israeli army said, without reporting any casualties.

An army statement gave no indication on where the first two fell, but Israeli media said they hit uninhabited ground.

Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted a third rocket, the army said in a later statement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Hamas warned Israel in late June that its planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank amounted to a "declaration of war".

Two rockets were fired the next day at the Jewish state from Gaza, triggering a punitive Israeli air raid on Hamas installations in the Palestinian enclave.

On July 1, Hamas fired a volley of rockets into the sea as a warning to Israel not to go ahead with annexation, sources in the Islamist organisation told AFP.

Israel's proposal to annex its settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley forms part of a broader US peace plan released in January.

The proposals foresee the ultimate creation of a Palestinian state on the remaining West Bank territory and the Gaza Strip.

But the plan falls far short of Palestinian aspirations, with a state on reduced territory and without east Jerusalem as its capital.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars, with the latest conflict in 2014 killing 2,251 Palestinians and 74 people on the Israeli side.

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At the beginning of the month, Iowas Matthew Michmeister Mich had just $3,344 in live tournament earnings, nearly half of which came from two small WSOP cashes, one in 2018 and the other in 2019.

What those paltry numbers dont reveal is his experience and success online, which has been on display here in the 2020 WSOP online bracelet events as hes cashed in all three events thus far. It started when he took 19th in Event #1: $500 NLH Kickoff, and on Thursday he final tabled Event #2: $1,000 NLH 8-Handed Deepstack for $15,628. In Event #3: $400 NLH, he placed 298th for a $602.20 min-cash.

Mich, a former poker dealer, traveled to Las Vegas with Taylor Howard, a Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) champ who finished in 26th place in the aforementioned kickoff event.

He was only planning on being out here a couple weeks, but now I think he might stay with me and chase the leaderboard, Howard said of his friend.

Mich, one of the breakout performers of the online series thus far, is in action today looking to go four for four.
Charleston's 350th Commemoration

In 2020, the City of Charleston and its citizens will commemorate its 350th anniversary of the arrival of English settlers from Barbados to Charles Towne Landing in 1670 and share Charlestons full and accurate story up to the present day. Throughout the year, we will honor the customs, diverse cultures, and rich heritage through a deep reflection and true representation of the citys history.
When the federal government goes big, in a hurry, it's predictable there will be some confusion as initiatives are rolled out and rules are announced and often revised.

That's certainly been true with the trillions of dollars being pumped into the economy to help businesses pay employees and rent through the Payroll Protection Act, to juice the economy and the stock market through expansion of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet, and to send CARES Act checks and enhanced unemployment benefits to individuals.

Certainly, the U.S. government seems to be doing its best to keep accountants and tax attorneys employed.

At least for individuals who don't operate a business, direct financial assistance has come in two forms that are fairly easy to understand: the $1,200 economic impact payments that about 160 million people have so far received, and the enhanced jobless benefits received by tens of millions.

Those who received a $1,200 CARES Act payment don't have to do anything. Those one-time economic impact payments are not taxable.

Workers who lost their jobs or were furloughed and received unemployment benefits will need to pay attention so they don't have an unpleasant surprise at tax time. That's because unemployment compensation is taxable, and millions of people are collecting more money through enhanced unemployment benefits than they were making at their jobs.

It may seem odd that people who may have remained employed don't have to pay tax on their $1,200 checks, while those who lost their jobs have to pay tax on unemployment benefits, but those are the rules.

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The federal government threw the unemployed a lifeline, an extra $600 weekly, through July on top of regular unemployment benefits that states pay out. That's been crucial to helping people pay their bills, particularly in places like South Carolina where the normal maximum unemployment benefit is just $326.

The extra money has helped people pay their rent or mortgage, helping landlords and banks in addition to the unemployed. It's helped people buy groceries and medicine, make car payments, and even build up some savings for the lean days that may yet be ahead.

However, people who have been collecting unemployment need to be prepared for the tax bill they will eventually owe, particularly if they are getting more income from benefits than they received while working. Those filing for unemployment benefits in South Carolina had the option of having state and federal taxes withheld at 7 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

Those who are receiving benefits, and did not choose to have taxes withheld, can change their withholding option for future payments through the "my benefits" portal on the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce's website.

Otherwise, they will likely owe the government when they file their state and federal returns in 2021. Another choice, for those who return to work this year, is to adjust their withholding in order to set aside the anticipated taxes on unemployment benefits.

If a person collected the maximum $926 in weekly unemployment and elected to have taxes withheld, the state would have held back $64.82 weekly for its share and $92.60 for federal taxes. If they didn't have that money withheld, those numbers are a guide to how much they need to set aside, or have withheld from paychecks, for every week they collected benefits.
I have seen the month of June roll around 80 times (Keller speaking here), but I cant remember a more rough and heavily freighted passage than June 2020.

The worldwide drama that weve witnessed since February, the devastating coronavirus pandemic, took a very worrisome turn locally in June. We were all feeling relief that South Carolina had flattened the curve and life was returning to normal. Then in June the viral infections spiked. And the Lowcountry, with our crowded bars and beaches and shopping streets, is in the red zone. Now we know that the danger to health and life is far from being over. In fact, it is worsening.

The public killing of George Floyd happened on May 25, but by June it was a tsunami of outrage engulfing the whole country. The obscene image of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed black man, who is appealing to the officers humanity with his last breath, stunned every woman and man with a conscience. The aftermath of that brutal act has largely defined the month of June this year. The movement for racial justice and equity in this country has come to shore and is rearranging the landscape.

The known vulnerability of older people to the coronavirus has kept most of the seniors I know indoors and off the streets. Some have joined the public protests because they felt compelled to be there. But regardless of what our response has been to this crisis, now the elephant in the room has been revealed. The fear and jeopardy felt by people of color all over this country, fueled by raw instincts of self-preservation, have been fully disclosed. Any presumption of ignorance we had before this June has been stripped away.

Those of us born in the '30s, '40s and '50s, grew up knowing where color and class lines were. For whites, at least in the middle-class neighborhood I grew up in, these things were not spoken out loud. It was a matter of staying within respectable social bounds. We knew who we could play with, who might be invited for dinner, where we might feel safe riding our bikes.

For blacks, though, it was a matter of life and death. It had to be talked about by parents who were afraid for their children. That was true then and is true now; and now white parents know it too.

The economies and demographics of our cities have changed substantially over the years, but the subtle attitudes and practices of systemic racism, such as racial profiling, are resistant to change. It takes a horrific event such as the Mother Emanuel or George Floyd murders to expose them to the light. The presumption of ignorance on the part of white society has been torn away. And now we have work to do.

What is the work we have to do? The pastor of the Lutheran Church in the south Minneapolis neighborhood where Floyd was killed said this in a recent interview: In predominantly white communities, its really important to name the fact that dismantling white supremacy is the work of white people. We need to hold each other accountable rather than expecting people of color and indigenous people to do the work for us.

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That was Ingrid Rasmussen, who is white, talking to white people about the work we have to do. Her co-pastor Angela Khabeb, who is Black, talked about the work shes doing: Im marveling now at a shift thats happening inside of me. I did not see it coming, and I could not have predicted it. As a child I was raised to be polite, to put things in the most positive light, and, above all, not to hurt peoples feelings. But Ive been reading Frederick Douglass, who was criticized for being too blunt. And Ive been thinking about Malcolm X, who said, Its not time to compromise. Say what it is. Something has switched inside of me, something has turned, and Im not going to compromise. Especially when my humanity is at stake. What point is there in me being polite when you could snuff my life out? Politeness has left the building.

One aspect of the white privilege or white supremacy that Rasmussen was talking about is the prerogative of naming the event. We can name the street activity riots and violence. That frame leads to SWAT teams and tear gas, and weve seen that happen in Charleston.

Elders who have watched this same sorry scene play out for generations may be waking up to the fact that we can start dismantling white supremacy, in Rasmussens words, by reframing what we see. Reframe means to see something, speak of it, think about it and act on it, in a different way than we have before. The point is, we can decriminalize riot by reframing whats happening as social unrest, or even as righteous anger. That opens us to new meanings and to new ways to respond.

Reframing is not a new idea. I remember how startling it was for me to notice signage in places like the Caw Caw Interpretive Center replacing slave rebellion language with freedom movement. Of course! Well, the freedom movement that started with the Stono Rebellion in 1739 is now strategically moving to Marion Square, to responsible police audits, to public education bills in the Legislature. Elders, stirred and awakened by the events of June, can support such reframing both in our language and with our votes. Because when we reframe our language, we step toward reframing our attitudes and redirecting social and political action.

Where does the energy for the radical work of reframing reality come from? Because its not just a mental trick we play, to call something by a different name and pretend weve changed the thing itself. Elders, who have ourselves undergone profound changes in our lives, know that change happens when something old dies. After confusion, and with struggle, the new reality is born. Whether that process is personal or one affecting the whole society, it is not easy and takes a strong engine to power it.

What Ive come to believe is this: The engine that powers real, lasting change is grieving. We grieve when we realize that something is deeply wrong, that someone deeply loved is absent, or that something vitally important to our life, something that really matters, is missing. Grief means feeling loss in our heart, in our mind, in our gut.

Grieving is not nostalgia, wistful attachment to lost fantasies. Grieving is the painful business of letting what was, what has been, pass away, and making a place for the new reality. And thats exactly what reframing requires.

June 2020: The month the coronavirus grabbed us again, the month George Floyds death plunged us into the furnace of change. The month we confronted vulnerability, brutality, confusion, deep loss, radical challenge. May it be a turning point in our story.
My wife, Becky, believes that its not enough to have only a single day in July to celebrate Independence Day.

She has said for years that we should set aside the entire month of July to celebrate and display our patriotic pride.

Lets call it Freedom Month,  she suggests.

I agree. And thats why todays column will be the first of four that Ill write this month to honor the freedoms we all enjoy.

Serving your country to maintain freedom

In the summer of 1994, I received paperwork ordering me from civilian comforts into active duty as an Air Force Chaplain.

At my swearing in, I promised to faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter. So help me God.

In other words, I pledged to follow orders and do my duty, which I easily did.

That is, until I was given an order in the hours following the horrifying events of 9/11. The base commander at Patrick Air Force Base ordered all non-essential personnel to return home.

No! No way! I thought. Put me on a plane. Lets go get the bad guys!

Not only was I being labeled as unnecessary, but I felt like I was being told to retreat, run and hide. For a military officer, it seemed like defeat.

I reluctantly obeyed the order.

Later, I would realize that my superiors were more informed than I of the military strategy that would disperse personnel so they wouldnt become easy targets.

Following orders is obviously an integral part of military life because carrying out those orders becomes the way we serve our country.

I once visited a military office where the commanding officer was fond of intimidating his trembling, freshly minted officer, Lieutenant! What have you done for God and country today?

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This Fourth of July, Im asking you to serve by doing something for God and country.

No, you arent too old, and I promise there are no health exams for this service.

Ensuring our nations freedom wont require you to deploy to a combat zone as I did in Iraq. You wont need the weeks of training I had in humid Montgomery, Ala., or blisteringly hot San Antonio, Texas.

Better yet, your nation wont ask that you spend five years in a prisoner-of-war camp as did John McCain. This task will require some sacrifice, but itll be nonexistent compared to those who returned without their limbs.

Alright already, you say. What can I do for God and country today?

The answer is easy. Stay at home when you can. Wear a mask where you're asked. Keep a respectable social distance and wash your hands.

Its easy. No real sacrifice.

Thats all your country is asking from you. No more.

Now, you may not believe in a mask, or you may think the whole thing is a part of a planned-demic hoax. But if you want to serve your country, you do what your country is asking you to do.

For instance, I didnt question my deployments because those above my pay grade were better informed. Thousands of other brave men and women served alongside me, also without question.

On 9/11, first responders didnt stand around debating the structural stability of the Twin Towers. They served their country by following the orders to run up the stairs in a sacrificial effort to save trapped victims.

Im not suggesting that we cant question our government leaders. You can and you should. Debate is the heart of democracy.

But while youre debating and conferring, indeed, no one knows everything, can we simply wear a mask while keeping our distance?

I love my country. I served my country. I know you want to do the same. Wear a mask.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
While some grocery stores are still trying to find a balance with their in-store supplies, at-home activities such as raising chickens during the pandemic have taken off.

Jeremy Storey, owner of Storey Farms on Johns Island, said since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic he's seen more people reaching out to him and his staff about advice on raising chickens.

And he's not necessarily surprised.

"I definitely have noticed," he said. "Chickens are fairly easy to have."

Storey is a former Chicago waiter who moved to the Charleston area years ago to start a chicken farm. In comparison to other animals, chickens don't require as much hands-on attention, he said. They just need a few essentials.

But a big misconception he usually sees people have around raising chickens is that they'll be fine just eating grass and laying eggs.

"Which is totally false," he said.

So to help residents who are either first-time chicken owners or thinking about purchasing baby chicks, here are some expert tips.

Chicken feed

Chickens require a special feed with enough protein and nutrients to get them to a place where they can routinely lay eggs, Storey said. They also require a substance called grit mixed with their feed. This helps them break down the feed since they lack teeth.

Laura Polutta, owner of Barnyard Feed & Supply in Ridgeville, also has seen an influx in demand for chickens recently. With local hatcheries having trouble distributing chickens during the pandemic, meeting that demand had been difficult.

"I very rarely have any birds I can sell," she said.

But when it comes to chicken feed, she said there are also different types of feed. There's even organic feed that she orders for her customers if they request it.

For the first five months of life, there is also a starter feed chickens are typically given for growth. Polutta encourages residents to try to stay away from medicated feeds unless it's something natural.

Is breed important?

One of the first things local farmers and sellers advise residents to do is consult with an expert about the type of breeds they should get. Since Charleston is prone to high temperatures, they advise purchasing a chicken that is comfortable being in warmer climates.

The color of the chicken is also an important consideration.

"You don't want to get a white chicken because the hawks will catch a white chicken," Polutta said.

If potential owners prefer their eggs to be a certain color, breed is important. Eggs can range from white to multicolored.

According to Polutta, Cinnamon Queen chickens and Rhode Island Red chickens both lay brown eggs. The Rhode Island Red is one of the more popular breeds in the Lowcountry, she said.

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Build a secure shelter

Tory McCagg, author of "At Crossroads With Chickens: A 'What If It Works?' Adventure in Off-Grid Living And Quest for Home," said that a "Fort Knox" chicken coop is a good first step for expecting owners.

Over the years she and her family have lost chickens to weasels and hawks. Predators have even ripped through wires to get to the birds. So it's important to have a shelter for them that nothing can get into.

In building a shelter, McCagg said it's great to make sure they have space to roam around. Chickens enjoy taking dust baths, so new owners shouldn't be surprised to see divots appearing in their yard.

"They're social creatures and they're gossips," McCagg said. "It's not fun to be cooped up in a small area."

And Storey agrees. Additionally, owners should make sure the coop is shaded and the water is cool since chickens don't sweat and the Charleston area gets hot. Some experts suggest adding an ice cube to the water and a fan to the coop.

For their first week in a new shelter, Storey suggest that owners keep chickens in an enclosure. That makes them feel secure that the area is their home. Since they're creatures of habit, they will continue to go back to the space to lay their eggs.

Determine purpose

Most people tend to raise chickens for their meat or eggs. So experts agree that it's vital for potential owners to make the meat or egg determination early on.

This way, they can make a plan for their chickens. They usually have three to five years of egg-laying production, Polutta said. With meat production, there are similar restraints.

"The older the bird gets, the tougher the meat would be," she said.

Some chicken breeds are more suited for egg laying than for meat production.

Additional tips

The most common question long-time chicken farmers and sellers hear from new owners is whether a rooster is needed in order for hens to produce eggs.

Roosters are only good for producing more chickens, Polutta said.

Potential owners should reach out to their neighborhood association to see if there are any rules about owning chickens. Most don't allow roosters. Though hens don't tend to be as loud roosters, some neighborhoods still don't allow them.

New owners also should be mindful of chickens having a pecking order, Storey said. Two roosters in the same coop will be a problem since one has to be dominant; they likely will fight.

With hens, he said, the pecking order might come into play with a new chicken being introduced or mixing the ages of the chickens. Sometimes the hens will prevent the younger or newer chicken from eating.

But in general, experts encourage residents to do as much research as they can before purchasing any chickens.
GREENVILLE  Two people were shot dead and eight others were injured when gunfire ripped through a nightclub outside Greenville early Sunday, authorities said.

The packed nightclub, Lavish Lounge, was wracked by gunfire shortly before 2 a.m., a sheriff's official said.

Two Greenville County sheriff's deputies noticed a disturbance and saw a large crowd flee the nightclub, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in a news conference. All the shots were fired inside and at least four people were critically wounded, Lewis said.

The Greenville County Coroner's Office has identified two deceased victims: Clarence Sterling Johnson, 51, of Duncan, and Mykala Bell, 23, of Greenville.

When deputies arrived, there was active gunfire from inside the building, Lt. Jimmy Bolt said in a statement. Initial reports from sheriff's officials said 12 people were shot, but Bolt said two victims were likely counted twice at the hospital.

No one was immediately taken into custody. Investigators are asking for the publics assistance in identifying 4 persons of interest in this incident. Investigators have reason to believe that they may be from the Atlanta, Georgia area, per the Greenville County Sheriff's Office and the Associated Press.

We don't really have a person of interest that we can name," Lewis said, adding authorities weren't sure what led to the gunfire.

The club is on the White Horse Road corridor near Interstate 85 in an urban area of Greenville County outside city limits. Lavish is next door to another club, Dolce, where a shooting occurred early Saturday.

At a vigil on Sunday night, about 100 people stopped by near the club to show support for the victims and their families. Rev. U.A. Thompson of Greenville spoke to participants in front of Dolce. Those gathering included relatives of some of the victims.

Pastor U.A. Thompson helped organize a prayer vigil in front of the Dolce nightclub on Sunday evening. About 100 people gathered, including relatives of some of the victims.

Asked what he thinks the Greenville County Sheriffs Office ought to do, Thompson said, "Well I think they need to look at these nightclubs that are violating orders and are not being held accountable."

Thompson said he was with Bell's parents earlier Sunday.

So sad, he said. They are very tore up about it.

"Those lives will never be the same because trauma is real. Trauma is real, so let's pray for all of the victims," Thompson said.

Greenville County Councilman Ennis Fant, who represents the area, described the shootings at Dolce and Lavish as a setback for everything he and his constituents have tried to do in the diverse district with a large Black and Hispanic population.

Its unacceptable, Fant said. This is our worst nightmare. One of the things weve always tried to do in District 25 is cut back on crime. Crime is our Achilles heel.

A 2 a.m. curfew the council passed two years ago, he said, had gone a long way to help.

The sheriff described attendance at Lavish as a very large crowd.

Speaking after a news conference at the club, County Councilman Lynn Ballard said the club appeared to have been breaking COVID-19 assembly limits set by the governor.

They had way too many people inside, so they broke that rule, Ballard said.

Ballard said he and Fant also assured the recently elected sheriff he would have the full support of County Council going forward. In 2017, the council passed an ordinance requiring clubs to close at 2 a.m. Ballard said some clubs had been trying to get around that by operating as restaurants or concert venues. What exactly was going on early Sunday at Lavish is under investigation.

Public safety has always been the No. 1 priority at County Council, Ballard said.

Investigators are asking for the publics assistance in identifying 4 persons of interest in this incident. Investigators have reason to believe that they may be from the Atlanta, Georgia area, per the Greenville County Sheriff's Office and the Associated Press.

Lavish Lounges Facebook page advertised a July 4 performance by Georgia trap rapper Foogiano. A bookings representative for the rapper told The Associated Press in a text message that Foogiano was fine and his team was safe.

Foogianos real name is Kwame Brown, 26. He grew up in rural Georgia and spent time in prison for a variety of crimes, according to an April 30 interview posted on the website Kulturehub.

Brown said he spent three years behind bars for burglary and robbery, and spent a total of 10 years imprisoned on a range of charges.

Burglary, armed robbery, everything, he said in the interview. Brown launched his music career after being released and signed onto rapper Gucci Manes 1017 record label in March, signing a $1 million deal. Trap music features song structures similar to rap but often incorporates heavy electronic sampling, pitch manipulation, complex hi-hat rhythms and deep bass.

Foogiano posted to his social media accounts on Saturday a promotional of himself touting the concert that night.

Greenville yall ready!? Fuggiano wrote.

On Friday, Gucci Mane  who has more than 8.5 million Twitter followers  promoted a compilation of songs from artists on his label to the social network site, including a collaboration between himself and Foogiano.

Coronavirus cases in South Carolina have risen swiftly and the states rate of positive tests is three times the recommended level. In late June, the Upstate city of Greenville  which has experienced some of the state's highest COVID-19 rates  became the first city to mandate face coverings in South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster has refused to implement a statewide mask requirement.

McMaster reminded South Carolinians last week he hadn't lifted restrictions on large crowds, and that those operating nightclubs illegally or holding concerts against his orders don't have to be caught in the act to face criminal charges, but instead could be charged weeks later if COVID-19 cases are traced back.

Lewis said he didn't know whether the club had sought an exemption for Saturday night's event, but said it was clear that the club's patrons weren't 6 feet apart.

Fant said the 2-year-old curfew appears to not have been enforced this weekend, nor a state mandate amid the pandemic to reduce nightclub attendance by 50 percent.

Obviously, there is a countywide disregard for the 2 oclock curfew," Fant said. It goes back to most of the time when you see these problems its always after 2 oclock.

Fant said he plans to reach out to the Sheriffs Office on Sunday and wants to form a task force with law enforcement, nightclub owners and people from the community.

Weve got to come up with ways to improve safety and to enforce these curfews, Fant said. This incident raises so many questions: Are they supposed to be open at all? Whos enforcing the 50 percent rule? Why are you staying open after 2 oclock?

Lavish Lounge posted on Facebook just before 6 a.m. Sunday that events have been postponed until further notice.

Lewis said the shooting victims, whose names were not released, were taken to the Prisma Health hospital in Greenville, some via private vehicle. Bolt said of the eight wounded, some had non-life-threatening injuries and others were in critical condition, but he didn't have a complete tally.

The Greenville County Council will meet at the end of July, Fant said, and his concerns about the curfew and social distancing at clubs will be raised.

Fleming Smith and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Weeks after becoming South Carolinas first coronavirus hotspot, Kershaw County is beginning to return to normal.

Testing sites have jumped from one to nearly a dozen across the region in a matter of weeks, more than $740,000 has been doled out to local businesses through a disaster relief fund and community leaders have a pipeline to personal protective equipment that didnt exist just a month ago.

But county leaders have cast a wary eye on the litany of data coming out of the states public health agency that suggests another outbreak could be imminent. Like the rest of the state, cases in Kershaw County tripled in June compared to May.

But if it returns with strength, officials in this rural Midlands county of just more than 66,000 believe theyre ready for it. Its the 22nd most populated county, but ranks 15th by total number of positive coronavirus cases.

Kershaw County was one of the first places in the state where the virus was detected, in early March. Now, its hospital occupancy rate is nearly 70 percent, close to the state average, with more than 700 confirmed cases.

"We didn't really ever plateau enough to be out of the first wave of it," Kershaw County Administrator Vic Carpenter said.

As of Friday, masks were required to be worn in any public venue within limits of Kershaw's main city, Camden.

This is the right thing to do. Im happy we dont have to say, What if today, Camden Mayor Alfred Drakeford said before the Town Council vote. The county hasn't yet adopted a mask mandate.

Meanwhile, county leaders have found new partners that allow the county to be self-sufficient in getting personal protection equipment.

Hengst North America, located in Camdens Steeplechase Industrial Park, announced plans in March to produce 85,000 face masks per day, shifting away from its production of automotive filtration systems.

Dean Riddle, the companys human resources director, said workers went from inspiration to perspiration mode once the transition was finalized.

Carpenter said that gear, along with supplies from other providers, has allowed the county to stockpile personal protective equipment for rapid deployment to first responders, nursing homes and other frontline locations.

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Kershaw County helped launch mobile testing sites that have become common across the state.

Sandhills Medical Foundation in Camden was among the earliest adopters of drive-through coronavirus testing in the state, setting up a site in mid-March. Now, there are nine such locations spread across Kershaw County.

Elgin Mayor Melissa Emmons is watching these preparations closely. This unincorporated part of the county  population 1,627 based on U.S. Census estimates  is in the 29045 ZIP code, which has 239 reported cases, but may be hiding up to 1,468, according to state public health data.

Because the town straddles Kershaw and Richland counties, Emmons said its difficult to pin down an epicenter, though Emmons said the Kershaw County numbers are not near as high as the cumulative figures suggest.

But just a half year away from Elgins 45th annual Catfish Stomp, Emmons hopes the virus will abate enough for the popular pre-Christmas festival to fill Potter Community Park, which remains closed to the public.

Everything is up in the air right now, Emmons said.

Two years ago, leaders in Kershaw County established an emergency relief fund, setting aside budget surpluses in case of a financial crisis brought on by a disaster. Since then, its grown to nearly $2 million and was used for the first time to set up a small business and nonprofit relief program.

As of July 1, nearly $800,000 has dispensed to 242 recipients, who have used their money to hire back staff, purchase supplies or upgrade facilities. Each check averaged just more than $3,000.

"It was determined to be a grant, not a loan, to help keep them afloat," Carpenter said.

In addition to direct financial aid, Carpenter said his office is a resource local businesses have tapped into for an understanding of the various state and federal guidelines that have been implemented over the past several months.

"We developed a much greater level of communication with our industries small and and large in the county to try and support and help them," he said. "We have kind of put it into a much higher gear. A lot of these smaller ones, they don't have an in-house legal staff or anything like that, so they're not getting the kind of direction that they would like."

The county's funds came just in time for Terry Coleman, who runs an automotive repair shop just off U.S. Highway 21 in Camden.

I thank the county for doing that. The money that they gave, it helped a lot. We weren't behind on anything but once we got rolling, I got some stuff paid off and ahead of things, Coleman said. Thanks to the Lord, we hadnt missed a day. We were blessed, thats all I can keep saying.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 59F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 59F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Find a testing site Locations and times for mobile testing sites throughout the state can be found at the health department's website, scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.

Disproportionately high cases of COVID-19 among South Carolina's Spanish-speaking population indicate the pandemic is hitting Hispanic communities harder than any other, exacerbated by a lack of information and wariness of government involvement.

Trident Health, a North Charleston-based hospital system, says 40 percent of patients it is admitting for treatment are Hispanic. And during a recent spike in Greenville County, DHEC said 30 percent of cases were among the Hispanic community.

Because of patient privacy protections and a lack of data in some cases, it is hard to say for certain where or why Hispanic people are falling ill with the virus disproportionately.

Deylin Marquez, a volunteer helping to spread messages of public health in the Spanish-speaking population in North Charleston, said the Hispanic community already has a lack of trust in established media because they believe theyve been lied to about prior emergencies like hurricanes and tornadoes, Deylin said. She said many are failing to take the pandemic seriously until someone close gets sick.

"We have to wait to see somebody that we know get sick, she said. Its a cultural problem that were suffering as Hispanics.

Across the state, difficulties reaching a group of people who tend to lack trust in the government and health care institutions are translating into hospitalizations and even deaths.

Trident Health's numbers are far beyond what the hospital would expect, given just 6 percent of the tri-county population it primarily treats is Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

By comparison, 30 percent of its COVID-19 patients are Black, a population that accounts for roughly 25 percent of the tri-county population.

"That made us start scratching our heads," said Dr. Lee Biggs, chief medical officer for Trident Health.

Biggs said four Hispanic men in their 30s  roommates who worked for the same employer  showed up to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 recently. Three ultimately died. For people living in close quarters with others, Biggs said infected patients' viral loads can be much higher than usual. That can translate to a more severe case of coronavirus disease.

"Theyre coming in sicker than the average COVID-positive person," Biggs said.

Across the state, at least 13 percent of reported COVID-19 cases are in Hispanic people  though the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control doesn't know the ethnicity in 30 percent of cases.

A higher-than-expected portion  20 percent  of Beaufort County's COVID-19 cases are Hispanic. They make up only 11 percent of the county's population.

A spokeswoman for DHEC said the agency is working hard to connect Spanish speakers to the information they need. She said outreach materials are almost all available in Spanish. Bilingual medical personnel or translators are available at testing events in communities where they are likely to be needed.

A DHEC public health expert is making the rounds on Spanish-language radio stations.

Lydia Cotton, board chairwoman for the Latino-focused Art Pot Multicultural Group, said the Spanish-speaking community has been left out of the pandemic's messaging, left to piece together information on COVID-19s impact from national news sources as well as reports from friends and family abroad.

A lack of reliable and consistent information puts the S.C. Latino community at risk, she said.

They just dont understand the importance of it, Cotton said. We are being left behind, honestly.

Cotton and other volunteers with Art Pot, a nonprofit organization that works with the Spanish-speaking community in North Charleston, Hanahan and surrounding areas, have been working with officials and Latino churches to spread awareness of the risks posed by the coronavirus.

A lack of Spanish-language media in the area exacerbates the problem. Despite Art Pot members going house by house in some cases, messages aren't reaching enough people, Cotton said.

"They don't believe that this was happening because we were the only ones talking about it, she said. Many believe this is a religious issue. They believe that God will fix it if anything happens, and this is not only happening in the Hispanic community."

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Many Spanish speakers are also afraid to go to the hospital, Cotton said.

"They believe if they go to the hospital, they wont get out," she said.

Art Pot has been working with North Charleston city officials and police to distribute masks in the Latino community.

On Tuesday, a group of volunteers and police went into residential areas near Ashley Phosphate and Stall roads to hand out masks and spread public health messaging.

Ryan Johnson, a North Charleston spokesman, said the city bought 15,000 masks and received 10,000 more as donations last week. The personal protective equipment was distributed in grocery stores and other businesses in areas of the city with underserved populations.

Police and Art Pot volunteers went to Ashley Phosphate and Stall early Tuesday to reach residents before they left for work, Johnson said.

They went door-to-door to make sure they had face coverings, he said. By and large, almost no one did."

On Wednesday, another 10,000 masks were received by the city, Johnson said.

Cotton described the outreach efforts as nonstop, and said organizations like hers are working as hard as they can but dont have the manpower to reach everyone. Mixed messaging is confusing to the general public, and even more so for those who speak little-to-no English, she said.

The big mistake is not thinking about language, heritage and culture, Cotton said. "It should not be that way. We should be having it translated, everything in Spanish."

Fetter Health Care Network's migrant worker program has been successful reaching agricultural laborers in the past, but staff have run into new-found roadblocks with the pandemic that have made reaching the community harder, said Aretha Jones, the primary care organization's CEO.

In past years, Fetter's team has been able to lay groundwork in the spring to build trust with groups of migrant workers. Jones said they work with nine regional farms. But this year, lockdowns prevented Fetter from reaching out to the workers.

The workers worry about the government's involvement in managing the pandemic, Jones said. When testing, Fetter's staff has to ask for identification, so that when someone calls back they can ensure they are giving the results to the right person. Though they have to collect some health information, Fetter does not share it with any authorities.

Still, reasons for distrust of the health care system among the migrant community abound.

A recent testing event in Walterboro targeted to the migrant community was not well-attended, Jones said.

Across the rest of the community, Fetter has seen a high number of Hispanic individuals test positive, Jones said. Fetter has networked with employers to try to spread more information about the pandemic and has Spanish-speaking staff and health care providers.

Other health care providers have similar capabilities: Prisma Health, for example, has Spanish-speaking team members at all of its testing sites.

Brayan Marquez, Deylin's son, said he has noticed many people not being cautious or wearing masks. Marquez said he believes that's because of fear and reluctance to go to the hospital or to get tested for the coronavirus.

Many Spanish speakers dont know where they can get tested, much less where they can get tested for free.

They need more information, Brayan said. Some have gone to get tested and returned frustrated, saying they were charged for a test. "When we tell people the numbers, the information, they look at us like were liars. They say the media is not telling the truth. When they see the cops and they see us wear masks, that kind of motivates them to also do it."

But despite resistance to the message, Deylin Marquez said she has has seen some hopeful signs.

Weve gained a lot of trust in parts of the community, she said. "We see people that are actually listening."
Following a month of rises in daily case numbers and hospitalizations, South Carolina is beginning another week with a record number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus and a high percentage of people testing positive for the virus.

South Carolina logged more than 1,400 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, with eight more deaths blamed on the illness, public health officials said.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has set up more than 40 pop-up testing clinics, with many of them in under-served and rural communities. Through Aug. 4, 42 mobile testing events are planned around South Carolina, in addition to 170 permanent sites.

Statewide numbers

Number of new cases reported: 1,463, plus two new probable cases

Total number of cases in S.C.: 44,717, plus 130 probable cases

Number of new deaths reported: 8, plus one probable death

Total number of deaths in S.C.: 813, plus seven probable deaths

Number of patients currently hospitalized: 1,251

Percent of tests that were positive: 16.6 percent

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Total number of tests in S.C.: 473,543

Hospital Bed Occupancy:

As of this Sunday, 68 percent of all hospital beds are in use, with 1,251 of the 7,296 occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19. Hospitalizations have risen steadily over the past few weeks, and 61 more patients are hospitalized on Sunday across the state than Saturday.

Which areas are hardest-hit?

Charleston County led the state Sunday in new confirmed cases with 276, while Greenville County picked up another 168. Horry County added 158 and Richland County picked up 116.

Deaths

Five of Sundays eight deaths occurred in elderly residents, while three were between 34 and 64 years old. They lived in Charleston, Dorchester, Greenville, Horry, Lancaster, Orangeburg and Spartanburg counties. A probable death occurred in an individual from Lexington County.

What do experts say?

The rise in the number of people hospitalized with the virus has concerned medical officials. Officials with the Medical University of South Carolina and Roper St. Francis Healthcare warned that their hospitals were preparing for a rise in new cases, and begged residents to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Elliott Summey officially became the $290,000-a-year chief executive of the Charleston County Aviation Authority last week. For those of you still trying to understand how this travesty happened, theres the story of Jerome Heyward, consultant for hire.

Its been six months since the aviation authority board set off a firestorm by naming Summey  no search, no experience required  to run the Charleston International Airport, a publicly owned $83 million-a-year business. Elliott Summey has all the qualifications needed: He is the Son of Keith, and he wanted the job. What else matters?

The Summeys have turned the airport into a wholly owned subsidiary of their North Charleston cabal, and the board dutifully fell into line, with some notable exceptions. The mayors of Charleston and Mount Pleasant, John Tecklenburg and Will Haynie, voted no; board member Henry Fishburne did the right thing and resigned, and another board member, Walter Hundley, was absent for the vote.

That left six "yes" votes, just enough for the 11-member board to act. One of those votes was Heyward, a lobbyist who joined the board last year despite a 2016 filing for bankruptcy, including a $300,000-plus claim for back taxes from the Internal Revenue Service. He was appointed by Charleston County Council, whose chairman is Elliott Summey.

All this was known at the time because I reported it. But heres what was not known, except to a select few county insiders: As Heyward was providing the crucial sixth vote to make Summey the airports CEO, Heyward was also on the countys payroll, pulling down as much as $12,000 a month.

According to a monthly list of county payments, Heyward was working as a "consultant" both for the sheriffs department and on "parking garages." He was paid at least $82,000 in fiscal year 2020 and $80,000 the year before, the transaction reports show.

Heyward also was paid $30,000 from the sheriffs office in both fiscal years 2017 and 2018.

The county contracts spelled out his duties, such as they were. In the sheriffs contract, worth $5,000 a month, the department sought to "supplement its standard protocols by using social activists in the minority community," the contract said. Heyward "is a well-known social activist in the county."

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The other contract, for $7,000 a month, was for "procurement of state funding to help address transportation needs for the community." In state ethics filings, Charleston County isnt registered as having a lobbyist and Heyward isnt registered as a lobbyist. The county discontinued the contract in May.

Heyward didnt disclose any of this in the reports he filed in June with the State Ethics Commission for 2019 and 2020 in relation to his 2019 run for North Charleston City Council. He also didnt list what he was paid as a consultant for Mayor Keith Summey; those payments ended after he was elected to City Council.

Eighty thousand dollars a year is real money. The question: Should Heyward have disclosed this before voting to give the chairman of County Council a $290,000-a-year (plus $1,500 a month for a car) job? Or recused himself?

Heyward didnt return my calls and emails, but his lawyer did. "Mr. Heyward has always been very careful to be above board," Jerod Frazier told me. "There is no existing conflict."

Helen Hill, chairwoman of the aviation board, said she doesnt know anything about Heywards consulting contracts. "I can assure you that Mr. Heyward is not doing consulting for the airport," said Hill, who also runs the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Six months later, the Elliott Summey deal smells worse than ever. Even with all the machinations, Summey & Co. were still able to muster only six of 11 votes. Without Heywards support, they couldnt have done that.

Steve Bailey can be reached at sjbailey1060@yahoo.com. Follow on Twitter @sjbailey1060.
The news release was breathless: "Solicitor Scarlett Wilson blames Walter Scotts Murder on himself during 2016 Trial: 'He lost his life for his foolishness.'"

It was followed by social media posts with the 2016 YouTube video showing Ms. Wilsons opening argument in the murder trial of Michael Slager, where she tells jurors shes going to put it out there, and then does:

If Walter Scott had stayed in that car, he wouldnt have been shot. If Walter Scott had not resisted arrest, he wouldnt have been shot. He paid the extreme consequence for his conduct. He lost his life for his foolishness.

If Ms. Wilson had stopped there, it would have been appalling. It would have been a classic case of victim-blaming and, much more significantly, excusing the criminal actions of the by-then-former North Charleston police officer who killed Mr. Scott. But of course the prosecutor who made the decision to charge Mr. Slager with murder didnt stop there.

+3 Editorial: On this Independence Day, these 'self-evident truths' can still unite us On this Independence Day, the United States is a nation at war with itself. Fractured along ideological lines, approaching an election that threatens to leave voters convinced that they've been disenfranchised, plunged into economic turmoil borne of a global pandemic that many don't acknowledge, further torn by racially fueled civil unrest. Yet we have a shared political heritage to celebrate.

She pivoted. In the very next breath. To what she wanted the jury to do: bring accountability to Michael Slager, for his choice, for his decision, to go too far. For his decision to let his sense of authority get the better of him. For his decision to shoot an unarmed man in the back. Five times. To try to shoot him eight times.

Its awful that were in a place where a prosecutor can be pilloried for recognizing her biggest obstacle in persuading jurors to convict a bad cop and then tackling it head on. That acknowledging reality is taboo. Its disturbing that the criticism came from someone who could replace her as solicitor.

But my point isnt about whether Ben Pogue should be granted the awesome power to prosecute if hes willing to use such a truncated version of a quote to try to score a win. Its not even about Walter Scotts murder. Or its not just about Walter Scotts murder.

Its about elephants and snowflakes and the things that all of us have to be willing to do if we want to stop unjustified police killings of black people and close the growing chasm between people who think cops can do no wrong and people who think cops can do no good.

Many of us, when we see video of a police officer gunning down a fleeing suspect, think: Thats outrageous. He needs to rot in jail.

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A lot of people see those same videos and think: Only guilty people run. And even if they dont think The officer had no choice but to shoot, to stop him from escaping, theyre predisposed to believe the officers inevitable claim that he feared for his life. Even when the suspect isnt armed.

And you know what? Theyve got a point. People who run from cops usually are guilty  of something. Rarely, though, are they guilty of a capital offense. Mr. Scott, for instance, was behind on child-support payments and probably thought he would end up in jail if Mr. Slager ran a check on him. So he ran. And a bad cop killed him.

Editorial: Together, we can turn passion over George Floyd into real change The nation was rightly horrified over the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The protesters who took to the streets i

A prosecutor who wants to convict a cop for killing an unarmed, fleeing suspect has to start by addressing that elephant in the room. By acknowledging that people shouldnt run from cops. And then convincing jurors that running doesnt give the officer license to act as judge, jury and executioner. That its a crime to shoot someone who doesnt pose an immediate threat to the officer or someone else. As unarmed, fleeing suspects rarely do. Every prosecutor trying a cop has similar elephants that have to be addressed.

The gruesome killing of George Floyd galvanized public support for police reforms, but a lot of that support is fragile, and it can slip away once we get down to details  particularly if we allow the police can do no good voices to drown out sensible voices.

If we want to translate this moment into significant reforms, if we want to change a culture that says cops are always right, we all have to be willing to address the elephants in the room.

That means bucking the snowflake culture and admitting that victims sometimes put themselves in situations that contribute to their victimization. That doesnt mean theyre to blame; the people who kill or injure or rape or rob them are always, always to blame. But its a reality that we often have the ability to reduce our chances of becoming a victim.

And yes, it is deplorable that in 2020 I know to be extra polite if Im pulled over so I wont get a traffic ticket, and my African American friends know to be extra polite so they wont become a statistic. But thats where we are, and its why black parents have to spend so much time lecturing their children about not arguing with police and not copping an attitude  and certainly not running.

+2 Scoppe: Scary demands to 'defund police' won't fix anything. These reforms will. We do not need to defund the police, and were never going to do that in South Carolina. And making such a radical demand is the best way an

Addressing the elephant in the room means being willing to have real conversations at the intersection of law enforcement and culture and race. And not just the conversations where African Americans and white liberals lecture white conservatives about racism. Also the conversations where African Americans and white liberals and those of us in the sensible center listen to the objections and answer the questions of white conservatives  even if we think those questions are insincere. Sometimes they are; usually they arent.

Whatever the case, if we answer peoples questions, we might just change some hearts, which is the only way to make lasting change. If we call them racists for asking the questions, we'll only harden those hearts.
COLUMBIA  When U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham fired off his first attack ad of his 2020 reelection campaign at opponent Jaime Harrison last month, he did not dive deep into the candidate's past or uncover some little-known fact about him. He simply highlighted Harrison's party affiliation.

"Jaime Harrison's TV ads are missing some things," the narrator says. "Not once does he mention he's a liberal Democrat."

Democrats cast the negative ad as a sign that Graham is worried about the threat Harrison poses after the challenger shattered South Carolina fundraising records in the first year of the race, drawing rare national political attention to the Palmetto State.

But the simplistic opening salvo also underscored the view from strategists that Graham will boost his already favorable odds of reelection if he can make the race a narrow question of partisanship and little else, reasoning that there remain more voters in the state who instinctively identify as conservative than as progressive.

Even the most ardent Democrats generally do not expect their presidential nominee, Joe Biden, to beat President Donald Trump in South Carolina, a state that hasn't picked a Democrat for president in more than four decades, though many predict he will narrow the margin from Hillary Clinton's 14-point loss here in 2016.

So for Harrison to pull off an upset victory over Graham in November and become the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in South Carolina since the late Fritz Hollings' last reelection in 1998, he will likely need to outperform his party's top-of-the-ticket candidate.

That has become an increasingly rare feat in an era of rising polarization and partisan sorting, as fewer and fewer voters are willing to cross party lines between presidential and Senate races.

In 1988, a majority of U.S. Senate victors around the country  17 out of 33  won despite their states voting for the opposing party's presidential nominee.

That number gradually dwindled over the next few election cycles until it bottomed out at zero in 2016. Every state with U.S. Senate on the ballot during the last presidential race elected the same party's nominees in both contests.

What Harrison is attempting to do is even more statistically difficult: unseat an incumbent senator against the tide of presidential results in his state. In the past two decades, only two challengers have succeeded at that, both in unusual circumstances.

Democrat Mark Begich ousted Alaska's longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens in 2008 even as Republican presidential nominee John McCain carried the state. But Begich was aided by a late development in the race when Stevens faced federal corruption charges that were later dismissed.

In an even more extraordinary race, Democrat Mel Carnahan posthumously defeated Missouri's Republican incumbent John Ashcroft in 2000 after dying in a plane crash three weeks before election day, even as George W. Bush defeated Al Gore there.

Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, who outperformed Obama by 22 percent to eke out a narrow victory in North Dakota's 2012 U.S. Senate race, said Harrison's early focus on his biography  rising from poverty in Orangeburg to go to Yale and enter politics  could help him connect with voters across the political spectrum.

"The more your story can personally identify with the voter, the more people can say, 'well he might be a Democrat but he's like me,' the better chance you have of overcoming that kind of partisanship," Heitkamp said in an interview.

While Harrison has already found some success picking off disaffected moderate Republicans, like former Michelin North America CEO Dick Wilkerson, winning over conservative Republicans who still back Trump is more challenging.

Harrison's campaign  as well as super PACs supporting his bid  have played up differences between Trump and Graham, recirculating clips and quotes of them attacking each other in 2016, in attempt to dislodge Graham's popularity with Trump voters.

Whereas Trump rose to power as the ultimate anti-politician who would speak his mind no matter who it offended, Harrison's campaign is looking to paint Graham as the opposite, a career politician who shifted his views on Trump to stay in power.

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"He is the epitome of why everybody hates politics," said Harrison's campaign manager Zack Carroll. "He will say and do anything to get elected, whereas Jaime is someone who says what he means."

Graham's campaign counters that Harrison has not denounced progressive policy proposals from the furthest left members of his party, like defunding the police, government-run healthcare and the Green New Deal, minimizing his chances of persuading traditional Republicans to give him a shot.

"His continual pandering to donors in San Francisco and Manhattan may be working for his campaigns bank account, but it wont win over voters in South Carolina," Graham campaign spokesman T.W. Arrighi said.

While Graham touted his 68 percent haul in last month's GOP primary as a career-high, the results showed that at least some Republican voters still have qualms about the three-term incumbent.

But most of those anti-Graham GOP voters cast primary ballots for candidates who were running as even more conservative alternatives, making them less likely to vote for a Democrat in November.

Those voters will have other options, though, as Harrison himself alluded to in a recent interview with The New York Times.

Two Libertarian Party candidates, Keenan Wallace Dunham and David Weikle, and Constitution Party candidate Bill Bledsoe also filed to run for the Senate seat. If they dilute Graham's haul at all, that could lessen the hurdle Harrison needs to overcome.

Jessica Taylor, the Senate analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, shifted her rating of South Carolina's race from Solid Republican to Likely Republican in April, an acknowledgement that Harrison's fundraising prowess had created the potential for a more competitive race.

But Taylor said it's typically more difficult for candidates from a state's minority party to counter partisan dynamics in Senate races than in governor's races, which can become more about management competency than policy views.

"I'm not sure entirely sure what the profile of a Trump-Harrison voter would be, although he needs them," Taylor said.

A study last year found South Carolina voters are more likely to split their tickets for lower-ballot races like sheriff or county council than they are for more high-profile contests like U.S. Senate.

Harrison has followed a similar playbook to the one that helped Democrats win U.S. House districts in 2018 that Trump carried two years earlier, including U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham in the Lowcountry, focusing on kitchen-table issues like health care, prescription drug costs and, more topically, the coronavirus pandemic.

Tyler Jones, a Democratic strategist behind Cunningham's upset win who is now advising an anti-Graham super PAC, said he has seen voters in South Carolina focus groups who say they plan to vote for Trump but would be open to backing Democrats for Congress to balance it out and put a check on him.

"Those voters really do exist," Jones said. "There could be some crossover, a good amount of crossover."

In a response to Graham's attack ad, Harrison sought to bring attention back to local concerns and away from congressional power struggles.

"People are hurting and Lindsey's playing Washington games, while we need to solve South Carolina's problems," Harrison said as a clip of him handing out ice cream to children flashed across the screen.
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
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They had less mental health complaints because they experienced the crisis before. We dont have the experience in the U.S. We dont know what to do. People have not felt were going in a good direction, and that increases the anxiety and depression here, Dr. Taveras said.
I thought I had seen it all when it comes to politicizing George Floyds death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, but this is a new and particularly contemptible one: Floyds death was Israels fault. That is, according to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the body to which, unfortunately, my own congregation belongs.

The ELCA is a relentlessly left-wing organization that survives because few Lutherans pay any attention to it. But this is hard to ignore. The context is a letter by the ELCA opposing Israels annexation plan:

A week earlier [ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth] Eaton joined 26 other U.S. Christian leaders in a letter to Congress asking it to wield its power of the purse and not allow any United States funds provided to Israel to be used for the recognition, facilitation or support of annexation, or for denial of Palestinian rights and violation of international law, including continuing occupation.  The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of ELCA Global Mission, said that one should be aware of the connection between the Israeli governments repressive tactics against Palestinians and those taking place against people of color in a number of localities around the United States. As it has been reported, the kind of police tactics used to kill George Floyd are among those taught to a number of police departments that have taken part in training by Israeli police and military forces, Malpica Padilla said. For example, 100 Minneapolis police officers received counterterrorism training from Israelis at a conference held in 2012.

This is painfully dumb. First of all, is there any reason to think that Derek Chauvin participated in the referenced training event? The ELCAs director of Global Mission cant even read his own link. The Minnesota Public Radio story says that the 2012 training session was attended by 100 Minnesota police officers, not members of the Minneapolis department. In fact, the MPR story doesnt say that any of the 100 were from Minneapolis. Moreover, there are around 800 officers in the Minneapolis Police Department, so even if some of the 100 who participated came from Minneapolis, in all probability Chauvin wasnt one of them.

More important, what did the training session consist of? Lessons in how to kneel on the necks of arrestees? Of course not. The ELCAs own linked article explains:

About 100 Minnesota law enforcement officers attended a counter-terrorism training conference in Minneapolis Monday. The conference was put on by the Israeli consulate in Chicago, the FBI and Minnetonka police.

***

Deputy Consul Shahar Arieli said Israeli law enforcement officers shared techniques to prevent terrorist acts, such as suicide bombings. We have a police commander who is speaking from the point of view of the police chief, Arieli said. And we have a bomb tech specialist who is actually speaking about the techniques and the improvised explosive devices that were used by the terrorists.

The idea that a one-day training session on counterterrorism that was co-sponsored by the FBI, and which Derek Chauvin in all probability didnt attend, had something to do with the death of George Floyd, is insane, and can only be explained by a vicious desire to link Israel, however irrationally, with anything bad that happens in the world.

The ELCAs letter ends with a ritual attempt to disassociate the organization from anti-Semitism:

Consistent with its Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine and Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community, the ELCA draws a clear distinction between critiquing unjust government policies and its commitment to defend against anti-Semitism.

An unbiased observer might suggest that unfounded attempts to blame Israel for events with which it has zero connection are not how one defend[s] against anti-Semitism, but rather can only be explained by the anti-Semitism of many of those who run the ELCA.
Ive been offline for a day or two, visiting family in South Dakota for Independence Day. (Or Independence Day as CNN would have it.)

We had a big group: three of my kids, a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, a fiance and a boyfriend. This year, more than ever, it was good to spend the 4th in a land of freedom and unabashed patriotism. South Dakota was in the news, too, with President Trumps terrific speech at Mount Rushmore. The press tried to spin the speech as dark, but everyone we talked to here liked it, when they werent too busy setting off fireworks to comment.

There is a big recreational lake a few miles from my home town, where I spent summers growing up. We had dinner at a nice restaurant (excellent meats) there Friday night. There, and most places, we saw flags. The flag-to-mask ratio was huge:

My home town has a surprisingly good zoo. Unfortunately, my pictures didnt do it justice. This is a jaguar:

We visited my 98-year-old father, the main purpose of our trip, and then shopped for fireworks at what must be the countrys biggest fireworks emporium:

You push a shopping cart up and down the aisles and select from a vast array of explosives. For a few hundred dollars, you can put on a display roughly equivalent to what a town would do. And many people do. As it turned out, with several of us shopping separately, we wound up with more fireworks than we had time to detonate, and had to save some for next year. Almost everything we bought would be illegal in Minnesota. (As a clerk at the drive-through window of a liquor store in South Dakota once put it, everything is illegal in Minnesota.)

Then it was back to the lake, where one of my brothers lives, for a pontoon boat ride, dinner and fireworks. My granddaughter with a sparkler:

Fireworks are hard to photograph, but this is a fountain that shot colored sparks eight feet or so in the air:

Neighbors on both sides shot off lots of fireworks, and we had, among other things, a 24-shot reloadable mortar. All around the lake, you could see fireworks exploding in the sky. Again, impossible to photograph, but here is an attempt:

A lot of people are leaving blue states, both to escape from their oppressive conformity and to seek better job and investment opportunities. If you are in that category, South Dakota is an option you should consider.

By the way, I will be interviewing South Dakotas Governor, Kristi Noem, in a webinar on Wednesday that will focus mostly on her administrations freedom-based (and highly successful) approach to the COVID epidemic. But I also will ask her about the Presidents appearance in South Dakota, where she also spoke, and about liberals threats to destroy or deface Mount Rushmore. If you are interested, you can register here.
Things havent gone well for Oberlin College in court recently. First, it was found liable for defaming Gibsons Bakery. After the bakerys owner tried to stop a black student from shoplifting, the Oberlin student senate condemned the bakery as racist and called for a boycott of its products, which Oberlin stopped purchasing for a time. A jury awarded the Gibson family $44 million in damages, reduced to $33 million by operation of Ohio law. The case is on appeal in state court (not federal court, as I mistakenly said in the original post).

Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that a male student may proceed with a claim of sex discrimination against Oberlin for railroading him out of the college for alleged sexual assault. The case was filed under Title IX, which bars universities that receive federal funds from discriminating against students based on their sex.

Although the male student will now be able to present his claim against Oberlin, he still has suffered through a nightmare that even a successful lawsuit will not fully mitigate.

For purposes of determining whether the male student can proceed with his case, the facts he asserts must be taken as true. However, the basic facts here are undisputed, or were until the woman who accused the student of assault changed her story.

A male student, John Doe had consensual sex with a female student, Jane Roe, in December 2015. In February, Doe texted Roe and asked what are you up to tonight? Roe said she was about to smoke marijuana in a room in Does dorm. She asked, if it was cool if she came to his room afterwards. Doe said yes.

Roe did come to Does room. After some small talk and foreplay, they began to have intercourse, using a condom, at Roes request. At some point they stopped and then resumed until Roe said she was dry and not sober. At that point, Doe stopped but asked Roe if she would perform oral sex. Roe agreed.

Nine days later, Roe complained to Oberlins Title IX coordinator that Doe had sexually assaulted her. Oberlin policy states that investigations of a sexual assault claim should usually take no more than 20 days and resolution of the entire matter no more than 60. However, it took the colleges investigator 120 days just to issue a report.

During the investigation, Roe agreed that Doe had asked her to perform oral sex. But when the hearing finally took place, she changed her story. She claimed that Doe never asked, but instead grabbed her by the neck and forced her mouth onto his penis. Doe denied using any force on Roe.

In October 2016, about 240 days after Roe complained, the hearing panel issued its decision. It found Doe guilty of sexual assault because he had not established that effective consent was maintained through the entire sexual encounter. Consent was absent, the panel found, from the moment Roe told Doe she was not sober.

The panel recommended that Doe be expelled. Oberlin expelled him.

Doe sued under Title IX. The district court dismissed his case for failure to state a claim.

The Sixth Circuit reversed by a vote of 2-1. Judge Raymond Kethledge, a Bush 43 appointee and reported finalist for the Supreme Court vacancy filled by Neil Gorsuch, wrote the opinion. He was joined by Judge Chad Readler, a Trump appointee. Judge Ronald Lee Gilman, a Clinton appointee, dissented.

On appeal, it was agreed that Doe alleged facts sufficient to establish the first of the two elements needed to sustain his Title IX claim  that there is doubt as to the accuracy of the disciplinary proceeding outcome. The appeal turned on whether Doe alleged facts sufficient to demonstrate the other required element  a particularized causal connection between the flawed outcome and sex discrimination.

The majority found that Doe alleged such facts. Among other indicators of a connection with sex discrimination, the court noted that during the time of the investigation, hearing, and decision, Oberlin was under pressure from the Obama administration to crack down on sexual assault or else lose federal funding.

In this regard, Oberlin boasted in 2016 that every single case that went to a hearing resulted in the accused being found guilty on at least one charge. The court found that a 100 percent guilty record in cases where most if not all respondents were male supports an inference of bias.

The court also leaned heavily on the merits of the decision itself. This wasnt just a case in which the facts cast doubt on the accuracy of the outcome. Here, the decision was seemingly inexplicable, given the facts, except as discrimination against the male on the basis of his sex.

Oberlins own policy states that intoxication doesnt negate consent  only incapacitation does. The policy also states that incapacitation means the alleged victim lacked conscious knowledge of the nature of the act (here oral sex), or no longer understood who she was with or what she was doing, or was asleep, unconscious or otherwise unaware that sexual activity was occurring.

The facts make it clear that none of these conditions of incapacitation was satisfied in this case. For example, Roe was able to arrange the hookup via texts. She engaged in small talk with Doe before they began foreplay. She remembered to request the use of a condom.

She wasnt asleep or unconscious. She knew what she was doing and with whom she was doing it. Manifestly, she was not incapacitated.

The majority called this matter nearly a test case regarding the colleges willingness ever to acquit a respondent sent to one of its hearing panels during the 2015-16 academic year. I worry that its also a classic and tragic example of the rampant unfairness in the handling of sexual misconduct claims brought against male students at our colleges and universities.
Looking for an excuse to offer one more extended lockdown edition of this series, I thought it might be fitting to compile a set with an American theme in honor of Independence Day. As always, the compilation reflects the limits of my taste and knowledge, but I hope some readers may take pleasure in discovering something new, in rediscovering something old in a new context, or in returning to a song you may have forgotten about.

Take, for example, James Taylors On the 4th of July  a love song artfully infused with the holiday theme.

I have to ask you to indulge me on the Grateful Deads Jack Straw (Leaving Texas, fourth day of July). This is a pop song in dialogue form between two criminals on the run, as Mike St. Thomas explained in a recent tribute to the Dead as the great American band. Jerry Garcia sings the part of one man on the run, Bob Weir the other. The song starts with the hope of companionship, but one is moving too slow for the other, and the tension rises as they ride the rails across the countryTexas, Santa Fe, Cheyenne, Tulsa, Tucson, he explained. The song builds to its climax, where we learn that Jack Straw from Wichita cut his buddy down.

Getting serious about the theme of the holiday, I ask you to attend to Bob Dylans Chimes of Freedom as channeled by the Byrds.

Felix Caveliere and Eddie Brigati wrote People Got To Be Free for the Rascals in the annus horribilis of 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King. When I saw Felix perform it live last year at the Dakota, I thought the song sounded better than ever. Felix still has his heart in it.

Paul Simon has aspired to be a great American songwriter in the mold of the Gershwins. I think he hit the mark in An American Tune.

Stephen Stills wrote Find the Cost of Freedom. Freedom isnt free. I thought this concise reminder came from an unusual source at the time.

Mickey Newbury created An American Trilogy for his Frisco Mabel Joy album in 1971. This is how it sounded before Elvis Presley got to it  pretty, pretty good.

The medley struck a deep chord with Elvis. This he believed. Peter Guralinick writes in the second volume of his incomparable Elvis bio that it could almost have stood for an anthem of national reconciliation, as it joined together Dixie, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and the old Negro spiritual All My Trials. That reconciliation is obviously what Elvis heard in the song. Elvis, Guralnick adds, performed the song in a swelling orchestral setting that never failed to bring down the house.

Ray Charless magnificent version of America the Beautiful is a perfect song for Independence Day. In order to overcome the familiarity that prevents us from hearing the words, Charles begins with the songs third verse on martial sacrifice: O beautiful for heroes proved/In liberating strife That gets our attention. After the chorus, Charles sings the songs true first verse, but playfully prefaces it, You know when I was in school we used to sing it something like this. . . He sings the first half of the verse like a precocious choirboy and then gives us the second half with an adult lovers passion. As he returns to the chorus he testifies in gospel style: America! I love you America! Thank you, Mr. Charles.
While Florida has approached New Yorks daily case high mark, and passed 10,000 cases a day for four days in a row, Texas has warned that the state could run out of available hospital beds.
The conventional wisdom right now is that Joe Biden is semi-senile, and that his choice of a vice president is all-important as it is likely this person (almost certainly a black female) will become president at some early point in the next few years if Biden wins in November. This conventional wisdom may be narrowly accurate, but ultimately wrong. Why?

First, there is an imperceptible difference between a senile Biden and a feeble-minded Joe Biden. Lets face it, Biden has been feeble-minded since he entered national politics almost 50 years ago. What is decisive is that even if he isnt trending toward senility, he has already sold out to the far left of the Democratic Party, and has signaled his intent to implement a far-left agenda if he wins.

Dont take my acerbic word for it. Read Michael Tomaskys article Bidens Journey Left in a recent New York Review of Books. Tomasky is one of the smarter lefty writers who I make a point of following. And his article makes clear that a Biden administration would be the most left-wing administration in historyfar to the left of Obama.

Among other things, Tomasky reports that Bidens campaign was having close and cordial contact with Bernie Sanderss campaign well before Bernie dropped out, and that Biden quickly incorporated a lot of key Sanders people in his campaign when Bernie finally departed the race:

Biden and Sanders get along fairly well personally, and Biden understands that he needs to take the left seriously. . . After Sanders withdrew, the discussions between the two turned more toward substanceand the extent to which Biden would be willing to adopt pieces of the Sanders agenda. Thus were formed the six task forces that the Biden campaign unveiled on May 13. These eight-member groups cover the economy, health care, immigration, criminal justice, climate, and education, and each is co-chaired by one Biden supporter and one Sanders supporter. The left-wing presence on many of them is remarkable. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez co-chairs the climate panel with John Kerry. Representative Pramila Jayapal of Seattle, a major Sanders backer, co-chairs the health care task force with Obama surgeon general Vivek Murthy. The economist Stephanie Kelton, a top Sanders adviser and proponent of Modern Monetary Theory, which holds that the government should pay for major new investments like the Green New Deal by printing more money, is on the economic task force. The task forces, Im told, have a threefold mission: to publicly recommend the policy positions that Biden should run on, to guide the writing of the party platform, and to inform the transition, should Biden win the election (assuming there is an election, or an uncorrupted one). It stands to reason that some of the members of these task forces might also fill important slots in a Biden administration.

If you dont have an NYRB subscription, here are some more key samples of Tomaskys analysis:

One of the oldest truisms of presidential politics is that candidates run to the left or right (respectively) during the primary and to the center in the general election. But since he became the presumptive nominee, Joe Biden has moved left. . . Biden might now be willing to depart from the economic principles that have governed policy-making in this country over the last forty years: the so-called neoliberal principles of free markets, little government intervention or investment, wariness about deficits, and more. He might be willing, that is, to cast off the values and policies that have given us our eras raging inequality, this uber-class of billionaires, this ethos of the deserving versus the undeserving. Republican administrations have embraced those principles fullyexcept when it comes to deficits, on which the GOP is completely unprincipled and hypocriticalbut our two recent Democratic administrations have also at times done so, as when Obama began talking about deficit reduction in early 2010. The Obama experience was a bitter one for a lot of people who hoped for more public investment in infrastructure, health care, and climate initiatives. Obama and his teams acquiescence inindeed, public endorsement ofthe turn to austerity in 2010 was absolutely fucking disastrous, the UC Berkeley economist J. Bradford DeLong, who served in the Clinton administration, told me.

Translation: Biden will spend like theres no tomorrow. And there might not be, if the radical Democrats get their way. The point is: Bidens mental acuity may not matter much, given that the decision has been made to move the country hard left if he wins.
As the tally of people infected with the coronavirus continues to rise in Nigeria, no fewer than eight prominent figures announced their positive status last week.

Nigeria has recorded over 28,000 coronavirus cases out of which over 11,000 have recovered. The country has also recorded over 600 deaths.

Over 4,000 new cases of the virus were recorded last week. Some of those who announced their positive status last week include governors, their aides and relatives.

A majority of those infected have not shown any symptoms and have reportedly gone on self-isolation as recommended by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

PREMIUM TIMES takes a look at the eight prominent Nigerians, who announced their COVID-19 status last week.

Akeredolu

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Tuesday, announced that he tested positive for the dreaded respiratory disease.

He stated that he is asymptomatic and has been self-isolating, adding that irrespective of his COVID-19 status, work still continues.

Although there are reports that his wife, Betty Anyawu-Akeredolu, is also positive, the Ondo State government has neither confirmed nor denied such.

Ebonyi Governor

On Saturday, the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

He added that he is asymptomatic and has since isolated himself in line with NCDC protocols.

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State

He said he has handed over the running of the state to his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, noting that some of his close aides also tested positive for the virus.

Governor Okowa and his wife

The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, and his wife, Edith Okowa, tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

The couple had gone into isolation last week after one of their daughters contracted the virus.

Edith Okowa, wife of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State (Photo Credit: Punch)

My wife and I have tested positive for COVID-19. We are well and continuing with our isolation/medication. We thank you all for your continued prayers for us and our daughter, Mr Okowa announced on Wednesday.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olisa Ifeajika, further indicated that the governor and his family members will immediately commence self-isolation for 14 days.

Benue First Lady

The wife of Benue State Governor, Eunice Ortom, on Friday announced that she has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In a signed statement, the First Lady said her son and some Government House workers were also infected, adding that she has gone into self-isolation and has commenced treatment.

READ ALSO:

A few moments ago this evening, I received my result from the tests earlier carried out on me by NCDC personnel on routine screening at Government House, Makurdi which returned that I, my son, and some staff are COVID-19 positive.

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We have from this moment, gone into total isolation as required by the protocol and would immediately begin the management treatment as advised by medical experts, she said.

Osun SSG

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Osun, Wole Oyebamiji, Tuesday tested positive for coronavirus.

Mr Oyebamiji and ten others were confirmed positive on Tuesday.

The states Commissioner for Health, Rafiu Isamotu, attributed the recent rise in coronavirus cases in Osun to lack of strict adherence to safety protocols and guidelines by residents.

Governor Lalongs Chief of Staff

Noel Donjur, the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang, Mr Donjour is asymptomatic and in good condition.

Mr Manjang, on Friday, said that health officials have begun treatment for Mr Donjour at one of the isolation centres in Jos, while members of his family and other contacts were being traced, tested and quarantined.

Chief Medical Director of UNIMEDTH

Also, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State, Oluwole Ige, tested positive for coronavirus.

This was announced a few hours after the states health commissioner, Wahab Adegbenro, died from COVID-19 complications on Thursday.

According to Adeeyo Babatunde, Director of Administration at the hospital, the CMD is currently being treated and he is responding to the treatment.
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) under the supervision of the minister of state, labour and employment on Monday constituted and inaugurated a committee to supervise the planned employment of 774,000 Nigerians.

Unsatisfied with the modalities used in setting up the committees, the National Assembly joint committee on labour and employment invited the management of NDE and the minister.

What seemed like a peaceful meeting ended abruptly in chaos as both parties began to exchange words.

Speaking with journalists, Mr Keyamo accused the lawmakers of trying to take control of the recruitment exercise under his ministry despite being given 15 per cent slots.

Earlier, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, dismissed an allegation that himself and some other senators, received job slots from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in the ongoing recruitment exercise for the Batch-C N-Power beneficiaries.

APC Crisis

The crises rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) has hit its state chapter in Ekiti as an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC leaders accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of non-performance.

This is as the national caretaker commitee of the crisis-ridden party constituted a reconciliatory committee ahead of the Edo and Ondo polls.

Its national caretaker commitee has also embarked on reconciliatory visits to top leaders of the party its chairman, Mai Mala Buni, declared it was time for true reconciliation.

The commitee visited national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, who declared there was no crisis or differences to be sorted out within the party.

Edo, Ondo polls

Nigerias electoral umpire recognised the candidature of Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Godwin Obaseki and 12 others as candidates in the upcoming Edo State Governorship election.

The two major political parties, APC and PDP have constituted governorship campaign committees for the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.

While the APC constituted a 49 man commitee headed by Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, the PDPs 77 man committee is chaired by Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

Meanwhile, the PDP named former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to chair its screening panel for the Ondo election.

The panel upon completion of its screening of nine aspirants, announced the disqualification of two.

In preparation for the governorship election coming up in Edo State, the PDP announced the dissolution and reconstitution of its South-west zonal caretaker committee.

Others

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Ahead of the 2023 general election, over 30 prominent Nigerian activists, academics, and other professionals, have launched a new political movement.

Members of the group reportedly include former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Naabba; former deputy governor of the Central Bank, Obadiah Mailafia; Olisa Agbakoba; Femi Falana; Abubakar Umar; Oby Ezekwesili; Jibo Ibrahim; Yabagi Sanni; Nkoyo Toyo, Isa Aremu, Chidi Odinkalu, and Shehu Sani.

At least two members have since dissociated themselves from the group saying they were not consulted before their names were announced.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed 41 non-career ambassadors-designate for confirmation by the Senate.
For the first time in seven weeks, new weekly coronavirus infections reduced in Nigeria, a PREMIUM TIMES review of official data shows.

Prior to last week, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had increased for six consecutive weeks.

A total of 4,087 new cases were reported in the past week (June 28 to July 4), a four per cent decrease from the 4,269 cases recorded in the previous week (June 21 to June 27).

The new cases dropped despite an increase in the number of people tested across Nigeria last week.

Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that 21,030 people were tested last week, a two per cent increase from the 20,588 tested the previous week.

Recoveries and deaths

The number of people who recovered from the virus and were discharged also increased last week.

A total of 2,837 patients recovered and were discharged last week, a 32 per cent increase from 1,907 who were discharged in the previous week.

Meanwhile, seventy-two new deaths were reported between last Sunday and Saturday, which amounts to a 27 per cent increase when compared with the 52 who died from the virus in the previous week.

Fire on the mountain?

Although Nigeria witnessed a reduction in infections last week, the resumption of domestic flights and interstate travels might pose a threat to its fight against the spread of the virus.

While interstate travels officially began last week, the Nigerian government has announced that domestic flights will resume on July 8.

Experts have, however, warned that the step might be disastrous if social distancing and other safety protocols are not adhered to.

The action by Nigeria and other African countries necessitated the World Health Organisations call on African nations 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, while giving an update on the status of the pandemic in Africa, 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.

Read also:

She said while opening 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.

Nigeria so far

As of the time of reporting, 28,167 cases have been confirmed, 11,462 cases have been discharged and 634 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory,

A breakdown of the 28,167 confirmed cases shows that Lagos State has so far reported 11,045 cases, followed by FCT  2,153, Oyo  1,466, Edo  1,353, Kano  1,264, Delta  1,227, Rivers  1,181, Ogun  974, Kaduna  855, Katsina 579, Borno  528, Bauchi  516, Gombe  513, Ebonyi  438, Plateau  421, Ondo  410, Abia  383, Enugu  372, Imo  352, Jigawa  318, Kwara  269, Bayelsa  234, Nasarawa  225, Osun  165, Sokoto  153, Niger  122, Akwa Ibom  104, Benue  97, Adamawa  89, Kebbi  84, Zamfara  76, Anambra  73, Yobe  61, Ekiti  43, Taraba  19, and Kogi  5.

Only one state, Cross River, is yet to officially report any case of the virus  although there are controversies surrounding the cases discovered at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

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Of all the states with official cases, only Zamfara has not reported any new confirmed case in the past 47 days.

As regards testing, the country has so far collected 148,188 samples since the beginning of the outbreak in Nigeria in February.

Timeline last week

On Sunday, 490 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.

On Monday, 566 new cases of the virus were reported in the country. That brought the tally of confirmed cases to 25,133 as of 11:55 p.m. on June 29.

On Tuesday, 561 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded.

A total of 790 new cases of the pandemic were reported on Wednesday which brought the number of confirmed cases to 26, 484.

The NCDC figures, as of 11:55 p.m. on July 1, also showed that 10,152 patients had been discharged while 603 had died.

On Thursday, 626 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.

On Friday, 454 new cases were reported in Nigeria, hence bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 27,564 as of 11:55 p.m. on July 3

On Saturday 603 new cases of the pandemic were recorded.

A total of 28,164 cases have now been reported, out of which 11,462 have recovered and 634 have died.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Saturday, with the total rising by 212,326 in 24 hours.

The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil and India, according to WHOs daily report.

Nigeria recorded 603 cases on Saturday, a relatively moderate figure compared to recent daily figures.

The previous WHO record for new cases was 189,077 on June 28 and deaths have remained steady at about 5,000 a day.

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 11 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.

While the daily figures are getting higher, more countries are opening up their economy as governments battle to maintain a balance between public health and economic survival.

Nigeria

The Nigerian government last week lifted the ban on interstate travels, which was largely breached even when in force. The government also announced a resumption of domestic flights, from July 8, as Africas largest economy struggles to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Nigeria has, so far, recorded over 28,000 cases of the virus.

Till date, 28, 167cases have been confirmed, 11, 462 cases have been discharged and 634 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) stated.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Nigerias new coronavirus cases increased for six consecutive weeks before reducing last week.
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An officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) has allegedly stabbed his lover at his Lagos residence and killed himself.

This was contained in a statement released by Bala Elkana, the spokesperson of the police in Lagos State, on Sunday.

The 47-year-old officer identified as Emmanuel Mekuri allegedly stabbed Patricia Ogunshola, his lover, on her right thigh and subsequently stabbed himself on the stomach around 1p.m. on Sunday.

Mr Elkana, a superintendent of police, said the Morogbo Police Station, on Sunday afternoon, received a distress call from Zoo area, Araromi, that Mr Mekuri stabbed Ms Ogushola with a knife.

Alarm was raised by the 13 years old daughter of the woman (whom she had from a previous marriage), which drew the attention of neighbours to the scene.

The girl stated that the deceased person, whom she referred to as her step father, made further attempts to stab her mother on the head but she quickly ran out of the room. That he subsequently stabbed himself on the stomach, his intestines gushed out and he died on the spot.

Mr Elkana said homicide detectives preserved the crime scene and rushed the injured woman to the hospital for medical attention and she is currently in stable condition.

A blood stained knife was recovered from the scene. Preliminary investigation revealed that the couples started cohabiting in February, 2020, but not legally married.

There was a protracted argument between the couples that degenerated into physical assault purported to have arisen from allegations bordering on infidelity on the part of the man, the police said.

The police spokesperson said the corpse was evacuated to a mortuary for autopsy, adding that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department Panti, Yaba for investigation.

This is coming barely two weeks after a couple were found dead at their residence at Road 5, House 16a, Victory Point Estate, Ilasan. The 39-year-old Chris Ndukwe allegedly murdered his partner over suspicion of infidelity and committed suicide thereafter.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned a Boko Haram attack on a United Nations (UN) helicopter in Borno State.

The attack occurred when Boko Haram fighters attacked Damasak on Thursday, causing the death of two civilians including a 5-year-old, the UN said on Saturday.

The pilots were, however, able to fly the helicopter back to Maiduguri, about 150km away.

A UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter was hit by bullets during the attack. No aid workers were on board at the time and crew members are all safe, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon, said in a statement.

This latest cowardly attack on the UN humanitarian helicopter is yet another desperate rear guard action by the Boko Haram terrorists who have been under intense pressure from the Nigerian military, Mr Buhari said, on Sunday, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu.

According to the statement, Mr Buhari condemned the dastardly attack.

Let me reassure the international community and Nigerians that this latest cowardly attack on a UN helicopter which claimed the lives of two people, including a five year old baby, would not go without severe consequences.

Boko Haram terrorists are clearly on the back foot and their increasing attacks on innocent civilians, including UN humanitarian workers, was part of their desperation to prove that they are strong in order to cover up their dwindling fortunes.

President Muhammadu Buhari [Photo:  Presidency]

Mr Buhari said, the security of foreigners and Nigerians remain the top priority of this administration, and we shall leave no stone unturned until we eliminate these remorseless enemies of humanity.

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He also underscored the need for all humanitarian and other aid workers in the region to, at all times, properly coordinate movements  air or land, with the Theatre Commander and other military authorities.

The latest attack on a UN asset occurs five months after a separate attack on another UN facility in Borno.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the attack on the UN facility in Ngala, a border town in Borno in January.

An entire section of the facility was burned down as well as one of the few vehicles UN agencies rely on for movement and aid delivery, Mr Kallon had said of the January attack.

The Boko Haram, which seeks an Islamic caliphate in Northern Nigeria, has been able to carry out attacks on civilian and military facilities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe despite the efforts of security agencies.

The Boko Haram insurgency has killed over 30,000 people since 2009 and displaced millions of others, mainly in North-east Nigeria.
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Arik Air, on Sunday, announced the resumption of its domestic flights from July 8, following the federal governments decision to re-open Lagos and Abuja airports for flight operations.

The Arik Air Chief Executive Officer, Roy Ilegbodu, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos.

Mr Ilegbodu said that the airline would be operating three daily flights from Lagos to Abuja in the first phase of the restart.

He said further that Port Harcourt would be added to the schedule from July 11, when the Port Harcourt International Airport would be reopened for operations.

Passengers have been assured of their safety and wellbeing at every stage of their flight.

The airline has put various measures in place, in line with COVID-19 health protocols, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport three hours before scheduled departure time so as to have ample time to undergo all security and health protocols before flight.

Furthermore, all passengers are required to come properly kitted with their face masks.

We are ready to fly our esteemed customers again. All preparations have been made to make flying in this extraordinary period in the world safe and pleasurable.

Arik has worked actively with aviation agencies for an effective re-start of the industry and also ensure that agreed health measures are effectively implemented, Mr Ilegbodu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Arik Air suspended flight operations on March 27, following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

(NAN)
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The Council of Legal Education has said that 1,864 students of the Nigerian Law School passed the Bar Final Examinations conducted in January.

The council made this known in a statement signed by the Director-General of the School, Prof. Isa Chiroma on Sunday in Abuja.

The council said that a total of 2,515 students participated in the examinations.

Mr Chiroma, who described the performance as outstanding, said that among the 1, 864 students who were successful, only 5 made First Class while 632 others failed the examinations.

Candidates graded in First Class are 5, Second Class Upper 77, Second Class Lower are 633, those who got pass marks are 1,067 and those with Conditional Pass are 82.

632 candidates failed the examination, 17 were absent and 2 results are withheld.

Mr Chiroma further explained that only 0.2 per cent made First Class, 3.06 per cent made Second Class Upper, 25.17 per cent made Second Class Lower and 42.42 per cent passed.

He said other performances include a 3.26 per cent for those with conditional pass, 25.12 per cent failed the examinations, 0.7 per cent were absent and 0.8 per cent results are being withheld.

He also said that screening and Call to Bar ceremony dates for the successful candidates would be communicated in due course.

(NAN)
Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole eliminated 75 Boko Haram/Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in 17 encounters within the North-east theatre of operation in June, the Defence Headquarters has disclosed.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, in a statement on Sunday, said the sustained onslaught by the troops also resulted in surrendering of a number of insurgents during the month.

He added that the encounters also led to the capture of assorted arms and large cache of ammunition, including one anti-aircraft gun, 13 AK-47 rifles, one sniper rifle, 21 locally made guns, two dane guns and one rocket propelled gun.

Other items captured, according to him, were three hand grenades, five rocket-propelled gun bombs, 205 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition and 1,018 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.

Also captured were two Boko Haram criminals flags.

In the same vein, one gun truck, one vehicle borne Improvised Explosive Device, one Toyota Starlet car and several makeshift structures belonging to the terrorists were destroyed by the valiant troops within the period.

Regrettably, one officer paid the supreme price while one soldier was wounded in action.

The wounded personnel has since been evacuated to a military medical facility where he is recuperating, he said.

Mr Enenche further disclosed that four terrorists, including two women, Aishatu Manye and Kelune Mate, identified as wives of the local Boko Haram commander at Gajingi in Madagali area of Adamawa, were captured during the period.

He added that the troops also arrested one Boko Haram spy named Kawalu, in Michika, while another Boko Haram fighter was captured in an encounter at Miyanti general area in Bama area of Borno.

According to him, the period under review also witnessed four surrenders by Boko Haram criminals.

The trio of Mohammed Babagana, Modu Jugudun and Alhaji Usman surrendered to troops of Delta Company at Strong Response Area, Pulka, in Gwoza, while one Mustapha Kori surrendered to troops of Army Super Camp 11 Gamboru, Ngala, in Borno.

It is equally heart-warming to note that during the period, troops rescued 35 persons from the captivity of BHTs/ISWAP criminals.

Amongst those rescued were 18 women, 16 children and one adult male.

Polio vaccine was promptly administered on the rescued children in line with the Buratai Intervention Initiative while First Aid was administered on the women as required.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has commended the troops for the resilience and patriotism they have continued to demonstrate in crushing the remnants of BHTs/ISWAP criminals.

Lieutenant-General, Tukur Buratai  CAS

He also urges them to maintain the tempo against the criminals as we approach the end of insurgency in our country.

In a similar vein, the Military High Command encourages the troops of Lafiya Dole to remain resolute in curtailing the activities of terrorists and their collaborators in the North-East zone of the country.

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The high command equally appreciates Nigerians for their support and urges them to continue providing timely information to troops on activities of BHTs/ISWAP collaborators in their respective localities for prompt and effective action, he said. (NAN)
The summer weather, the 4th of July holiday and general quarantine fatigue have helped coax many Americans out of coronavirus-induced isolation and into more social gatherings. But as authorities across the pond in England discovered this weekend, even well-intentioned efforts to remain safely socially distanced can fall apart when alcohol comes into play.
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The police have confirmed the abduction of Goodluck Ofobruku, Chairman of Delta chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Saturday night in Asaba.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, who confirmed the incident to journalists on Sunday in Asaba, said that Mr Ofobruku was a victim of armed robbery before he was kidnapped at gunpoint.

The incident was a case of armed robbery and abduction. The gunmen were robbing in the street when the labour leader was driving out of his home.

They intercepted his car and forcefully abducted him and took him to the nearby bush, Mr Onovwakpoyeya said.

The police spokesperson, however, said that the command had dispatched its operatives to comb the bushes and rescue the NLC chairman.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that Mr Ofobruku was abducted at about 8 p.m. on Saturday, while driving out of his house behind the Immigration office on the Ibusa/Asaba road.

The Secretary of NLC in the state, Innocent Ofoyade, told journalists on Sunday that Mr Ofobruku was driving in the congresss official Toyota Sienna space bus before he was abducted.

The chairman was on his way out that night to get some drugs when the incident occurred. He was intercepted by the hoodlums along his street and taken away.

We learnt this morning (Sunday) that the abductors have yet to establish contact with the victims family, Mr Ofoyade said.

(NAN)
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the call by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the arrest of some of its prominent members over alleged linked to suspected fraudster, Raymond Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, as reckless and irresponsible, saying it further exposes a victimisation agenda of the ruling party.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, Sunday evening, PDP said the alleged fabrications have exposed how the APC administration has been using agencies under its control to frame innocent opposition members, dissenting voices, rival political parties and perceived opponents of the government on trumped-up charges under the guise of fighting corruption.

The APC had accused a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki; a former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a former senator, Dino Melaye, of links with Mr Abbas.

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.

BASELESS ACCUSATION

Mr Ologbondiyan in the statement accused the APC of trying to victimise PDP members.

The desperate bid to frame innocent Nigerians who are not in any way involved with Hushpuppi, even after a very broad investigation by prominent investigators including the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), leaves no one in doubt that APC government has been victimizing opposition members with fabricated charges.

The PDP said it has been made aware that the statement by the APC is part of a design by certain power mongers close to the APC administration to commence a fresh clampdown on perceived political rivals within and outside the opposition circles, ahead of the 2023 general election.

Nigerians should not be surprised when the APC will begin to list the names of innocent political leaders, including those who are now being persecuted in their party, on trumped-up charges, for political interests.

While our party has no link whatsoever with Hushpuppi, as the APC also acknowledged, Nigerians are aware that his pictures with some prominent Nigerians, such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, which the APC is frenzied about, do not suggest any affinity beyond the usual jostling by people, world over, to be photographed with leaders.

He admitted that such happens to all prominent individuals, especially leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

It is therefore unfortunate that a ruling party, which is now led by a sitting governor, is spending its energy to frame innocent Nigerians instead of confronting the myriads of economic and security problems it caused the nation, in addition to finding solution to the serious demands of COVID-19 pandemic.

If the APC is indeed fighting corruption, it should have called for the investigation of its leaders who, as state governors, ministers and even APC National Chairman have been indicted for stealing and treasury looting.

He said the party should instead channel their call for investigation to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who was seen on video clips allegedly collecting kickbacks.

The APC should be calling for the investigation of one of their state governors, who was seen on a viral video, stuffing his robe with gratification, in foreign currency, as well as their candidate in a forthcoming election, who has been declared by a former APC National Chairman as a treasury looter, who is only good for night meetings and not fit to be state governor.

The PDP also cautioned the APC to steer clear of its members and other hard working Nigerians, in various fields of endeavor, who are perceived to be opponents of the APC.

The opposition party said it will not be distracted by the APC, which, it said, has gone into panic mode over its imminent electoral loss in Edo and Ondo states.
Frina Joe, like many other women of reproductive age around her, has suffered from the absence of healthcare facilities and potable water supply in Kpaduma, a rural community in Asokoro district of Abuja.

After two children, my husband and I decided to stop childbearing because of the stress of accessing healthcare, she said. Many women in this community have died due to pregnancy-related complications of which they would have survived if we have a health facility.

Kpaduma chiefdom, which comprises seven communities and has over 5,000 residents, has been abandoned by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, the residents complained.

The chief of the community recently passed on and some residents said he might have survived his ailment if he had received timely medical care.

The number of deaths in the community was said to have increased during the recent lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than half a million people globally.

Access

According to Mrs Joe, most pregnant women in Kpaduma do not register for antenatal care at the Asokoro General Hospital, due to the distance of the facility  even though it is the closest  and their limited resources.

Unfortunately, when such women develop complications, getting care becomes difficult, sometimes leading to preventable deaths.

Sometimes before we get to Asokoro, either the child, the mother or both may have died. Also, a lot of women are rejected at Asokoro because they didnt register for antenatal with the hospital.

Majority of the women do not have money for transport so they carry on at the chemists we have around, she said.

Although it will cost N200 to access the Asokoro or Karu General hospital on a motorcycle taxi, it costs as high as N2,000 to convey emergency cases to the same hospitals in a vehicle.

Primary healthcare

The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers the primary healthcare system the first line of defence during pandemic outbreaks.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how pregnant women in Nigeria suffer as the world battles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some members of Rotary Club at the ground breaking ceremony for a Primary Health Care Centre located at Kpaduma community (PHOTO CREDIT: Nike Adebowale)

PACaH@Scale, a leading health advocacy group, believes primary health systems have an important role to play in the fight against the pandemic.

While infectious disease control requires highly specialised interventions with facilities removed from communities, there is still an important role for PHCs in infectious disease prevention, the group said.

The group lamented the multiple challenges with Nigerias PHC system.

Primary Health Care centres in Nigeria, even if equipped poorly, are the hub for healthcare in the community and well-positioned as the primary point of care under the Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) National Policy.

The fight against COVID-19 should not be one which trades off PHCs against a specialised and central command system of service delivery, the group said in a statement.

Hope for Kpaduma

Fortunately, the narrative is about to change in Kpaduma as Rotary Club of Abuja, District 9125, recently commenced the construction of a primary healthcare centre, strategically located at Kpaduma 3 for easy access by the seven communities in the chiefdom.

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Rotary is one of Nigerias development partners in the health sector.

The Rotary District Governor, Jumoke Bamigboye, describes this development as a life-changing project.

She noted that the intervention falls within Rotarys area of focus on disease treatment and prevention.

According to Mrs Bamigboye, the PHC would bring succour, better health and employment opportunities to the community whose cries have gone unheard for decades.

They dont have any medical facility and need to travel. Im also worried about women who have to travel that far to Asokoro to deliver. We are seeing how we can give them water to go along with this.

This health facility we are bringing to them will reduce high cases of maternal and child mortality here and also impact meaningfully on the community by way of employment; we will engage the people around here for the nonprofessional jobs, she said.

Mrs Bamigboye said an MoU has been signed to ensure smooth running of the project after its completion.

Some members of Rotary Club at the ground breaking ceremony for a Primary Health Care Centre located at Kpaduma community (PHOTO CREDIT: Nike Adebowale)

When a community accepts ownership of a project, it is easy to sustain. We wont have to look for external people to maintain the place. When we are done, we will hand over the project to them and they are willing to take it as their own.

Women in the community could not hide their excitement as they count the number of days when they can begin to enjoy access to quality health care services.

But they may have to wait a little longer, as the President, Rotary Club of Abuja Federal, Patrick Ezie, said the project would take at least a year to be completed.

He said providing care to about 10,000 persons is a great choice as it means a lot to Rotary whose focus on humanity.

Each community in Abuja has its peculiar issues. However, during the pandemic lockdown, we reached out to all communities under our jurisdiction.

Kpaduma has a population of over 5,000. However, during the lockdown they couldnt access any health care facility and so, there were lots of maternal mortality and other deaths within that period.

Also, the women and community members were complaining, we were seeing a lot of children without access to immunisation vaccines because there was no PHC to store the vaccines. Due to all of these, the club decided to put a PHC at the minimum to provide some form of health care.

People here need help, they are the most abandoned in society. Its a one year project, we will ensure people in this community get the care that they need, he said.

More efforts

Although one of the many prayers of Kpaduma may be answered through Rotary Club, the government still has a huge role to play by making necessary consumables especially vaccinations available for children.

Following the completion of documentation for the free status, Nigeria is already close to being declared free of wild polio.

Mrs Bamigboye warned against reduced focus on routine immunisation, to avoid a possible reemergence of polio in Nigeria.

Its not over yet, for as long as any part of this world is polio-endemic, it is a risk. What we need to do is to consciously monitor to ensure immunisation programmes are being followed and every child is vaccinated

As long as we are going to be having children, we must make sure they receive vaccinations; that is the only way to maintain this status. But if we go to sleep or become complacent because we have been certified polio-free, it will hit us when we least expect.
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Governor Bello Matawalle has said negotiation with bandits is the best option for lasting peace in the state just as he said he has no regrets in his administration choosing that option.

Mr Matawalle made this assertion in the wake of opinions being expressed as to the efficacy of the method in solving the lingering insecurity in the North-West.

We applied the peace accord as a means of honest solution to the problem in Zamfara State which has yielded tremendous result never expected in the last one year, Mr Matawalle observed.

He said that amidst heavy presence of the military and relentless offensives against the bandits under his administration, the wanton killings and maiming by bandits was still increasing in a fearful proportion.

However, our honesty and focus in the deal saw the near total drop in banditry attacks which allowed our roads, markets, schools and farms to be re-opened. In the same vein, nearly 1000 persons were willingly released by the ex-bandits and thousands of dangerous weapons willingly surrendered without payment of a single kobo, Mr Matawalle said.

He said the peace accord initiated by his administration has achieved in his first three months more than what its absence achieved in eight years.

Governor Matawalle said the different past peace accords employed in the state or elsewhere totally differ in approach and content from that of his administration.

We categorically made it clear that money was not part of the negotiations. Everyone must come to the table with honesty and genuine intention to end the carnage in our state. Nobody was enjoying the trend, including the so-called bandits, the governor noted.

Mr Matawalle said he believes that the method applied by his administration in the pursuit of peace is still the best where those who agree to the peace (who are the majority) will be pardoned to live a normal life while those who refuse (who are minority) will face the wrath of our security operatives.
The Oyo State Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, was on Sunday prevented from entering the venue of eighth day Islamic Firdau prayer for the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi.

Mr Ajimobi who died from coronavirus complications was buried last Sunday in Ibadan, the state capital.

Mr Ajimobi, who led the state as governor for eight years, was elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) while the current governor, Seyi Makinde, is a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The state government and the Ajimobi family have been trading blames over the management of Mr Ajimobis illness and burial.

Florence Ajimobi, Mr Ajimobis wife, had expressed disappointment at what she said was the poor treatment of her husband and his family by the Oyo government.

Sundays Visit

On Sunday, a delegation of the Oyo State government led by Mr Olaniyan, commissioner for land Abiodun Abdul-Raheem and his energy counterpart, Seun Ashamu, were turned back from entering the venue of the prayer at the Oluyole residence of Mr Ajimobi.

Security details attached to the venue resisted Mr Olaniyans efforts to enter the venue and almost engaged in open confrontation with security details attached to Mr Olaniyan.

Mr Olaniyan and the two commissioners left the venue after making frantic calls to people believed to close to the family.

Mr Ajimobis spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji, while reacting, however, said that the prayer was a family affair.

Mr Tunji in a statement made available to journalists, on Sunday, said the deputy governor arrived at the venue after the prayer had started.

Mr Tunji, who apologised to Mr Olaniyan, also said that no one was aware that he was coming to the prayer.

There is the need to clarify the believed presence of the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan at the 8th day prayer of HE Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the immediate past Governor of Oyo State.

The Deputy Governor arrived after the prayer had started.The event was strictly a family affair.

Makindes deputy, 2 commissioners bar from attending Ajimobis Fidau prayer

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There was a need to comply with the Covid-19 protocol as established by NCDC- Social distancing, not more than 30 people in a place and seats arranged, accordingly. After which the gate was shut.

No one was aware that the Deputy Governor was coming as neither the advance team nor the protocol informed us.

By the time we got to the gate to usher him into the sitting room, he had left. Everything happened within a spate of 10mins.

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Through a serving senator and a former attorney-general we tried to get in touch with him that it was not to slight him and he could sit in a private sitting room provided by the family. Unfortunately, he had left. We, however, apologise to his Excellency.
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.
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If the warnings of physicians and public health experts that the COVID-19 pandemic will ease over the summer but come rampaging back in the fall and winter come to pass, the impact on the 2021 gubernatorial election will be significant.

The Murphy administrations response to a second wave of the virus infecting and possibly killing thousands of people and causing economic and personal disruption will dominate the gubernatorial and legislative campaigns.

Will New Jerseyans already weary from months of home confinement, closed schools and business closures accept a second shutdown as the price of controlling the spread of a lethal virus for which there is no known cure?

The state has begun a cautious crawl out of the economic trough into which its been driven and some level of normalcy has slowly returned.

The pace of re-opening has been criticized by some Republicans and financially distressed business owners, but Murphy has steadfastly opposed a premature lifting of restrictions.

His approach has been validated by the experience in a number of other states whose governors re-opened commercial activity, only to retreat and re-impose restrictions following a surge in infections.
Why are we so willing to accept the pandemic advice of Bill Gates? He is not a doctor of any science yet on the strength of his tens of billions in net worth we assume he knows best and tend to blindly accept his dictates.

Well count me out, if what Gates says sounds self-serving I will pass on his advice.

Stephen Kruger

Brigantine

Restore trampled rights

1918 set the bar for the definition of a pandemic in modern times. 500 million people were infected with the Spanish Flu, a full 27% of the world population at the time. Estimates of deaths were up to 50 million. America lost 675,000 souls. In terms of percentages 2.7% of the worlds population died from the flu, America fared much better at 0.64%.

Although this event is hardly over and may resurge, the numbers and percentages dont even approach 1918. Thus far 507,000 people have died worldwide for a percentage of 0.0055% of world population, in America 129,000 have died or about 0.035% of the population. Even if the numbers increase tenfold they would fall far short of 1918 percentages. Current numbers have been challenged to be higher and lower; I contend they are inflated due to a number of reasons not the least of which involve COVID money.
The 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary race is one of the most hotly contested in the nation, and will be decided in the state's first mainly vote-by-mail primary election.

Emotions have run high in the district ever since freshman Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who was elected as a Democrat, switched parties to Republican after voting "no" on impeaching President Donald Trump.

Van Drew's actions angered and motivated Democrats, who have been fighting hard to replace him.

The district covers all or part of the state's eight southernmost counties.

Five Democrats are vying for the right to try to unseat Van Drew, while Van Drew faces only one Republican opponent, who pundits say has little organizational support or financing.

Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the election to be mostly vote-by-mail in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to minimize close physical contact at the polls by voters to avoid spreading the coronavirus. He moved the primary to July 7 from its traditional June date to give counties more time to get vote-by-mail ballots and information to voters.
The Irving Police Department said officers fired at the man about 10 a.m. local time, after finding the suspect in a backyard near where he allegedly shot his wife.
Now that COVID-19 cases are declining and the majority of Minnesotans have received vaccinations, what activities are you most looking forward to resuming this summer?

You voted:
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tokyo Olympics: Ugandan tests positive for Covid in Japan A member of Uganda's Olympic squad has become the first to test positive for

Police arrest two Karela fans over attack on Medeama players Police have arrested two persons believed to be Karela United fans who attacked
Southbury, CT (06488)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
Daily Mail

July 5, 2020

Ghislaine Maxwells 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.

Those who know the French-born British socialite, who also holds U.S. citizenship, say they are concerned for her well-being.

Im absolutely worried for her safety, said Christopher Mason, a TV host and journalist who has known Maxwell since the 1980s.

Do I think shes in danger? Yes.

A d v e r t i s e m e n t



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.

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Zero Hedge

July 5, 2020

Iran has made no secret in the last months of desiring to blow past Iranian enrichment caps set in place by the 2015 JCPOA. Top officials previously boasted of doing just that, so its no mystery.

What is a mystery, however, is the latest increased number of random explosions and fires at remote Iranian countryside areas known for being weapons and nuclear development sites.

For example last week a massive explosion was observed lighting up the midnight sky outside Tehran, caught on film by local residents, which Irans military dismissed as a gas leak explosion incident. But it was later revealed to have occurred at a ballistic missile development facility.

And just days ago, another reported accident occurred at Natanz nuclear complex. But that particular mystery blast caused Iranian officials to lash out in anger Thursday, saying hostile countries like the US and Israel are near the point of crossing red lines. Crucially, Iran also said there were no radioactive leaks as a result of the incident.

Irans Atomic Energy Organization ultimately denied that nuclear material was even present in the building.

Last week a similarly mysterious blast took out large parts of an Iranian military site outside of Tehran:

Adding to the suspense of what could be behind these latest accidental blasts an anonymous Middle Eastern intelligence official asserted that the Natanz facility was targeted with a bomb planted there.

The blast was caused by an explosive device planted inside the facility, the official told The New York Times. The official added that the bombing destroyed much of the aboveground parts of the facility where new centrifuges are balanced before they are put into operation.

Reports out of Irans state media also suggest a possible cyber-attack, to which Tehran military officials say theyll respond if the attack did indeed originate from Irans enemies.

Interestingly, the NY Times went so far as to raise the question (even if in the form of doubts) of whether US-Israeli black ops targeting Iran, which go back to the start of Bushs so-called war on terror, could explain the rise in deeply suspicious and unexplained blasts and fires:

The timing was suspicious: A series of unexplained fires have broken out in recent days at other facilities related to the nuclear program. Still, experts noted that if the explosion was deliberately set, it showed none of the stealth and secrecy surrounding the complex cyberattacks by the United States and Israel that were first ordered by President George W. Bush toward the end of his term, and then extended by President Barack Obama. The Persian language service of the BBC reported that several members of its staff received an email from a previously unknown group, which referred to itself as the Homeland Cheetahs, before news of the fire became public. The group claimed responsibility and said it was composed of dissidents in Irans military and security apparatus. They said the attack would target aboveground sections of the targeted facilities so that the Iranian government could not cover up the damage.

The US State Department, meanwhile, has said it is monitoring reports of a fire at an Iranian nuclear facility. It added: This incident serves as another reminder of how the Iranian regime continues to prioritize its misguided nuclear program to the detriment of the Iranian peoples needs.

Is either Israeli or US intelligence behind this? Tel Aviv has for months vowed it would stop at nothing to prevent the Islamic Republic from achieving nuclear weapons capabilities.

Such a possible sabotage campaign would indeed be a natural first step, as an alternative to preemptive strike or an all-out war scenario (also reported to be on the table in Netanyahu and defense ministry national security discussions).

This article was posted: Sunday, July 5, 2020 at 4:37 am

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July 5, 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) quietly updated a timeline this week to reflect that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) never reported its discovery of the coronavirus to the WHO and that the global health agency had to learn about it by itself, despite the WHOs praise of Chinese transparency.

An old WHO timeline of the virus, published on its website, stated:

31 Dec 2019

Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China, reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A novel coronavirus was eventually identified.

A note on the old timeline now states, This statement is no longer maintained. An updated version was published on 29 June 2020.

The updated WHO timeline reflects that WHOs own office in China found open-source reports on the coronavirus and alerted the WHOs Western Pacific Regional Office, and on January 1, WHO requested information from Chinese authorities. It states (emphasis added):

31 Dec 2019 WHOs Country Office in the Peoples Republic of China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of viral pneumonia in Wuhan, Peoples Republic of China. The Country Office notified the International Health Regulations (IHR) focal point in the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office about the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission media statement of the cases and provided a translation of it. WHOs Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) platform also picked up a media report on ProMED (a programme of the International Society for Infectious Diseases) about the same cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause, in Wuhan. Several health authorities from around the world contacted WHO seeking additional information.

1 January 2020 WHO requested information on the reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. WHO activated its Incident Management Support Team (IMST), as part of its emergency response framework, which ensures coordination of activities and response across the three levels of WHO (Headquarters, Regional, Country) for public health emergencies.

The update came after Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) released an interim report on its investigation of Chinas response after it discovered cases of the coronavirus in Wuhan.

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"It is a pleasure to be representing Grenada in the UAE," said Rose-Ann Benjamin, Grenada's Consul General. "I'd like to thank the Government of the UAE for this opportunity and the warm welcome I have received. My Government is serious and committed to strengthening the relations between the two countries."

Grenada is an English-speaking island in the Eastern Caribbean, with a population of approximately 120,000 and 348 square kilometers in size. It is the world's second largest producer of nutmeg.

Grenada has been a friend of the UAE since its creation, and the recipient of numerous generous grants from the Government of the UAE, including funds aimed at rebuilding Grenada's Parliament building.

Grenada has one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, averaging 5 per cent growth since 2013. The economy is powered mainly by tourism, agriculture, St. George's University School of Medicine, and investment from both local and foreign investors, particularly via the country's respected Citizenship-by-Investment program.

Grenada's Consulate in Dubai aims to bolster the country's Citizenship-by-Investment program, working actively to promote it to potential investors and its many benefits for family members and the peace of mind that comes with convenient global mobility.

For developers, the new consulate will foster ties between the Middle East and Grenada while providing invaluable, quick, and convenient services to Grenada passport-holders not just in Dubai, but in the wider region. The process is fast, efficient, straightforward, and gives visa-free travel to over 130 destinations worldwide including the UK, the EU Schengen States, China, Russia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore. Citizens can take advantage of the US E2 visa, which allows them to live and work in the United States.

The Grenada consulate commends the UAE for its strong support for the development of robust sustainable development goals post-2015. Grenada also applauds the UAE for hosting the Headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency and championing the thrust to renewables in Small Island Development States. Renewable energy is also a priority for the Government of Grenada as the high prices of energy have such negative effects on the economy. Grenada sees the UAE as an important development partner and welcomes the idea of deeper cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1195334/Grenada_Consul_UAE.jpg

SOURCE Office of the Consul General of Grenada to the UAE
SELBYVILLE, Del., July 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest report "Facial Recognition Market by Component (Software [2D Facial Recognition, 3D Facial Recognition, Facial Analytics], Service), Application (Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security, ID Management, Attendance Tracking & Monitoring, Intelligent Signage, Photo Indexing & Sorting, Physical Security), End-Use (Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, BFSI, Education, Retail & E-Commerce, Healthcare), Regional Outlook, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2026", by Global Market Insights, Inc., the market valuation of facial recognition will cross $12 billion by 2026. Growing security concerns in public places will surge the demand for advanced identification and verification technologies to ensure public safety.

The North America facial recognition market will observe significant traction from 2020 to 2026 due to rising adoption of technology across various sectors, such as defense, homeland security, retail, BFSI, and healthcare.

The demand for 3D facial recognition systems that offer enhanced accuracy compared to traditional 2D technology will drive market growth. 3D systems offer accurate results even in dim light conditions as they use facial parameters, such as the depth of the eyes or the shape of the nose & chin of the captured image, for comparison with the available database of images. 3D systems also ensure more accuracy while capturing images from videos. These systems can also track certain parameters, such as aging or changes in the skin texture, that 2D systems usually cannot track with precision. The technology is mainly used in document verification, cross-border monitoring, and identity management.

Request a sample of this research report @

https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2593

Intelligent signage with facial recognition will gain traction as retailers are adopting smart marketing to gain customer insights and maximize profits. Interactive digital signage with facial recognition helps in the identification of customer demographics to display interactive, relevant, and personalized advertisements. It can also offer customized promotional offers to attract potential customers. Facial recognition-based digital signage measures the effectiveness in real-time and displays targeted advertisements.

The technology is gaining popularity in the healthcare sector for various applications. Facial identification with artificial intelligence capabilities can be used to track depressed patients from their facial expression analysis. It can be deployed in hospitals to identify regular patients, staff, and doctors and to separately categorize new patients. It is also deployed to track pain levels and manage chronic pain in patients to speed up diagnosis and treatment. As of February 2019, more than 30 hospitals in Beijing, China installed cameras with facial recognition technology.

The North America facial recognition market will observe significant traction from 2020 to 2026. The rising adoption of technology across various sectors, such as defense, homeland security, retail, BFSI, and healthcare, is driving the market demand. In October 2019, an international payment solution provider, SnapPay deployed a facial recognition payment technology for merchants in North America, enabling convenient payment solutions for consumers at retail outlets.

Request customization of this research report @

https://www.gminsights.com/roc/2593

Some major findings of the facial recognition market report are:

- Growing demand for facial recognition from several sectors is being witnessed for precise identification of individuals for access control to ensure security. Players are developing face identification software that can easily be integrated with the existing system for attendance monitoring and identity management.

- Implementation of the technology in surveillance & security applications is driving facial recognition market growth. Cameras integrated with facial recognition are deployed on streets on a massive scale to help law enforcement agencies identify criminals or blacklisted individuals.

- Face identification systems are adopted by large stadiums and public places, such as museums, to track unwanted intrusions at the entry point itself, thereby ensuring public safety

- 3D face recognition systems have gained traction as they offer enhanced precision over 2D systems. They ensure accurate identification by tracking parameters such as depth of the eye and shape of the nose. 2D systems cannot handle pose variations and lack accuracy while capturing an image from a video.

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 3. Facial Recognition Market Insights

3.1. Industry segmentation

3.2. Industry landscape, 2016  2026

3.3. Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

3.3.1. Global outlook

3.3.2. Regional outlook

3.3.2.1. North America

3.3.2.2. Europe

3.3.2.3. Asia Pacific

3.3.2.4. Latin America

3.3.2.5. MEA

3.3.3. Industry value chain

3.3.3.1. R&D

3.3.3.2. Software providers

3.3.3.3. System integrators

3.3.4. Competitive landscape

3.3.4.1. Strategy

3.3.4.2. Distribution network

3.3.4.3. Business growth

3.4. Industry ecosystem analysis

3.4.1. Component suppliers

3.4.2. Software developers

3.4.3. Technology & platform providers

3.4.4. System integrators

3.4.5. Managed service providers

3.4.6. Service providers

3.4.7. Distribution channel analysis

3.4.8. End-users

3.4.9. Aftermarket

3.5. Technology & innovation landscape

3.5.1. AI & machine learning

3.5.2. Big data analytics

3.5.3. Cloud computing

3.6. Regulatory landscape

3.7. Industry impact forces

3.7.1. Growth drivers

3.7.2. Pitfalls and challenges

3.8. Growth potential analysis

3.9. Porter's analysis

3.10. PESTEL analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @

https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/facial-recognition-market

About Global Market Insights, Inc.

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

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Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights, Inc.

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Related Images

global-facial-recognition-market.jpg

Global Facial Recognition Market revenue to cross USD 12 Bn by 2026: GMI

The North America facial recognition market will observe significant traction from 2020 to 2026 due to rising adoption of technology across various sectors, such as defense, homeland security, retail, BFSI, and healthcare.

Related Links

Emotion Detection and Recognition Market Size

Gesture Recognition and Touchless Sensing Market Size

SOURCE Global Market Insights, Inc.
She completed every assignment during class, got along with all of her peers, and colored the most precious pictures ever given to me. Natalia never hesitated to ask for clarity when needed. Sometimes, her quiet spirit gave her the strength to lead the reading lessons within her group, and she soared when it came to doing math. During e-learning, Natalia was always present and participating. At the end of each class session, she would type in the chat box, I Love You.
Former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will be the keynote speaker, while former External Affairs Minister Prof.Bolaji Akinyemi, renowned scholar, Prof. Anya. O. Anya are among dignitaries to speak at a webinar

According to a statement released by the family and signed by Dr.(Mrs) Dere Awosika, the launch of the Foundation is in furtherance of the ideals of a peaceful and better society which the late Okotie-Eboh stood for in his lifetime.

"Peace is the hope of every nation, the promise of every politician and the desire of every living person. The effects of conflict and violence are far-reaching and it is impossible to truly separate oneself. Peace is the only solution that provides security and promises sustainable development towards a better future.

"It is for these reasons that The Joseph Adolo Okotie-Eboh Peace and Conflict Resolution Foundation was established."

Dr. Awosika further noted that more than 600 million young people all over the world live in volatile and conflict prone areas and are impacted in several ways economically and socially.

"It is the hope of The Foundation, through well structured and consolidated efforts, to deliver lasting and enduring peace to those who need it most: the youth."

Programme of activities for the launch will kick start with a memorial service at First Baptist Church Ikoyi, Lagos on; a talk show on 'Millennials in Politics' both on Monday, July 6. The talk show will be powered by DigiConverge, a tech platform for live streaming and web conferences.

Born on February 22, 1955 to the famous family of Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, Nigeria's first post-independence Finance Minister in Ugbori Community, Warri in the present day Delta State.

Okotie-Eboh trained as a pilot in the prestigious Burnside-ott Aviation Training Centre, Opa-locka Airport, United States of America, but went into private business on returning to Nigeria.

He was also involved in the politics of the fourth republic as a foundation member of the People's Democratic Party(PDP) in Delta state and was one of the key figures in the evolution of the All Progressive Congress(APC).

SOURCE Okotie-Eboh Foundation
Tehran, July 5 : Iran has filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against the US over effects of sanctions on Iran's fight against the Cov id-19 pandemic, Leila Joneidi, Iran's presidential aide for legal affairs has said.

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 a leading Iranian daily on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

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 re-imposed heavy sanctions against Iran.
Quot;desperados" : &; Cast: Nasim Pedrad, Anna Camp, Sarah Burns, Lamorne Morris, Robbie Amell, Heather Graham; Direction: LP; Rating: * * (two stars)By Vinayak Chakravorty Take "Bridesmaids", add a dash of "Girls Trip" with a sprinkle of "Bad Moms" thrown in, and voila! Cooking up a rom-com yarn about three very confused ladies never seemed easier.

Easy ain't always effective in rom-com, though -- especially when you out hawking familiar jokes in a storyline that deliberately tries being scatterbrained. If there's anything that "Desperados" reminds you, it is the fact that creating good nonsensical comedy drama actually demands some amount of brains.

This is the sort of film that reiterates an awful truth about the burgeoning OTT culture: Since space of storage is not a problem, the digital platform is fast emerging as dumping yard, a blessing in disguise of sorts for content creators who would otherwise probably struggle to find an outlet for their very average (or below average) products in the big screen market.

This is the story of ditzy young Wesley (Nasim Pedrad) who meets the dashing Jared (Robbie Amell) by chance, and sparks fly. Wesley decides Jared is the man of her dreams, and is promptly accommodating him in her longterm day dreams.

The problem is after that one wonderful night, Jared simply vanishes. Thinking he has used her and given her the short shrift, Wesley, in a fit of drunken rage, shoots him off a nasty email loaded with the most colourful vocabulary imaginable. Helping her in the exercise is her two buddies, Brooke and Kaylie (Anna Camp and Sarah Burns).

Twist in the tale comes almost immediately. Even as the email has gone, Wesley gets to know Jared has been stranded in a Mexican hospital since the very next day he met her, after a terrible accident.

Wesley has a ditzy brainwave -- she decides she must reach Jared's resort room before he is relieved from hospital, and delete the mail from the inbox of all his devices. But to pull this off, she needs Brooke and Kaylie to go on the trip with her.

What follows makes up most of the film's 105-odd minutes. The (mis)adventures of the three women are clearly supposed to be a non-stop slapstick train that sustains the runtime, given the fact that there is very little plot and even lesser twists to hold your interest.

Sadly, rehashing much of what traditionally defines silly humour, very little of the storyline regales. The pile of attempted gags singularly keeps reiterating just one fact -- Wesley is wild and crazy, and she habitually courts trouble. Just about everything is inherently wrong about her, so she keeps falling in one mess after the other. The idea does get monotonous after a while, as she keeps ending up the butt of all jokes.

Periphery characters including Wesley's buddies Brooke and Kaylie are given token problems of their own, which command minimal footage in the screenplay. More interesting is the character of Sean (Lamorne Morris), who begins on a wrong foot with Wesley as the film begins, but shapes up into an endearing protagonist as the minutes tick.

Nasim Pedrad's Wesley is fun to watch. Although stymied by a shoddily-penned script and role, she renders a certain effortlessness that keeps her protagonist as well as the film from sinking. Pedrad and Morris try valiantly to get some sort of chemistry going -- at least as much as this circus of comic cliches lets them.

(Vinayak Chakravorty can be reached at vinayak.c@ians.in)
New Delhi, July 5 : Soon, Akshay Kumar will be seen essaying role of a transgender in "Laxmmi Bomb". Sonam Kapoor has explored the complexities of being a lesbian in Indian society in last year's "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga", while Manoj Bajpayee (in "Aligarh") and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan ("Kapoor and Sons") have played gay characters in Hindi films. Bollywood projects have given the occasional voice to the LGBTQIA+ community, but is there enough representation?

Some feel there is a need for more authentic queer characters. Some feel the community needs to own the narrative of their stories. Some feel Bollywood needs to apologise for using the community as a "comical relief" for long -- a stereotype which they "battle till today".

"If you really think of mainstream cinema, things have not really changed. I do not identify with the characters that are there in recent films depicting LGBTQI issues. I contradict the characters. There should be a normal way of looking at people in the community," filmmaker Onir told IANS.

"People put in so much effort to say the right thing, to pass that thinking level like 'Oh my god! This has to be done'. And that is why I keep saying that just like it is important that women start telling their story, it is important that the community starts telling their story,"

Onir added, and raised a question: "Why aren't platforms making LGBTQI stories with LGBTQI filmmakers who are out and proud. How can someone else be telling my story what I had to say?" Popular drag queen Zeeshan Ali feels "we have just scratched the surface of the LGBTQIA+ with masculine looking gay men or hyper feminine lesbians in romantic comedies".

"The representation of the LGBTQIA+ community has changed in the industry to quite an extent, as compared to 10 to15 years ago. But that's not enough. It's still not as authentic as it needs to be," Zeeshan said.

"Right now we have scratched the surface of the LGBTQIA+ with masculine looking gay men or hyper feminine lesbians, in romantic comedies. I'm totally here for a queer rom-rom but I'm not okay with the typical representation. Very rare mainstream films like 'Aligarh' actually delve deep into the stigmas faced by the community and I applaud the sincerity of their storytelling. We need scripts with more authentic queer character portrayal. I also feel Bollywood as a whole needs to apologise to Bobby Darling specifically, transwomen, the 'Hijra' community and effeminate men, as their 'comical relief' which did get us laughs, had a strong negative effect on the queer community which we still battle till today," added Zeeshan, who was part of Vh1 India's recent virtual pride parade.

Harish Iyer, who engages in advocacy for a number of causes, including promoting the rights of LGBT community, feels there are "very few movies related to the LGBTQI community".

"We are almost seven to 10 per cent of the population, which is not heterosexual and cisgender. And we don't have seven or 10 per cent -- or even two or three per cent -- of movies that are focused on LGBTQI issues. And, when I say focused on LGBTQI issues, I don't mean from scene 1 to scene 365 there should be only LGBTQII things, but we are not the main characters or not even part of the subplot. We are nowhere in the scene. So, we are actually celebrating very little that we get, but the truth is we need to have more representation," Iyer said.

Maya the Drag Queen mentioned: "I still feel the LGBTQIA+ community is still used as a trend and not as a way to give voice to the community." In Bollywood, there was a time when gay characters were mocked at, stereotyped or used as comic relief with big entertainers like "Dostana", "Bol Bachchan", "Veere Di Wedding" and "Partner" leading the list of examples. But things have changed since then.

If there is a story of a professor who was fired for having an affair with a man in Manoj Bajpayee's "Aligarh", there is Pakistani actor Fawad Khan's portrayal of a man opening about his sexual orientation to his family and finding acceptance in "Kapoor and Sons (Since 1921)".

The Sonam Kapoor-starrer lesbian drama "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga" was touted as pathbreaking. Not to forget films like "Fire", "My Brother.Nikhil", "Margarita With A Straw", "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd." or sub-plots in "Fashion", "Heroine" and "Dishoom".

Director Onir however feels "queer visibility" is still missing.

"We are constantly talking about the industry, how it is willing to put out a woman's perspective. I think platforms, the production and authors who are looking at the essence of legitimising the LGBTQI community through cinema, are walking on an old road of doing something related to the us. One of the movies, 'Boy Erased' shook me up and I could relate it to an incident that happened recently, where a girl committed suicide because there was immense pressure from her family that there is something wrong with her. It is high time that people need to understand that," he added.

Onir was referring to the 2018 film "Boy Erased", aired in India on Sony PIX HD. It follows the life of the son of Baptist parents who is forced to take part in a gay conversion therapy program.

Anwesh Sahoo, who was crowned Mr. Gay World India 2016, feels "we have moved into an era where we need more and more representation".

"So there has to be more people from the queer community which have to be shown. I think Faraz Arif Ansari is doing 'Sheer Khurma' right now, where he is talking about non-binary individuals, and I think that will be an incredible film. Even in the recent films that have come out, I would really like to see roles where people like us are doing dignified jobs and is a strong will person. In terms of that we have a long way to go," Sahoo said.

Drag Queen Alex Mathew noted that there is a need to "put more queer stories out there".

"If you see there are a lot more queer stories coming out. Put real people for queer roles," Mathew said.

To this, Ma Faiza added: "I'd like to see more storylines with queer characters, where their sexuality becomes irrelevant and they have meatier roles with depth other than their sexual preference and their sexual path. It would be good to see characters who were open and queer and accepting of themselves but also much more than their sexual identity." Drag queen Prateek Sachdeva, aka Betta Naan Stop, is also pitching for more "trans inclusion".

"So far the trans representation is stuck to sex workers or beggars at the signal. It's totally not done where there are so many beautiful stories and faces to be showcased in all aspects of life. There should be diversification," added Sachdeva, who was part of Vh1 India's recent virtual pride parade.

Onir explained: "I don't want anyone else to be talking about me. I want out and proud people, not the ones who are scared of being who they are. I've had directors telling me, 'Oh Onir! We are doing your kind of story'. Don't do it. If you think it is my kind of film and you cannot resonate then don't do it," he added.

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)

-- Syndicated from IANS
Mumbai, July 5 : Actress and BJP MP Roopa Ganguly declares that she will boycott films of certain Bollywood personalities who have been blatantly practicing nepotism in the film industry. Her assertion comes in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide.

"I will not watch films of certain people after this. Because they have given a message to the country that boys and girls from small towns should not come to the industry. Nepotism will be there everywhere. Parents can definitely help their children. But it should not be practiced in a way so that some people are pushed to death," Ganguly told IANS over phone from Kolkata.

Over a week now, Ganguly has been aggressively demanding Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the untimely demise of Sushant. Her Twitter timeline has been flooding with the hashtag #cbiforsushant.

"Without getting a suicide note, or any stool/chair or anything in the room with which he can hang himself, the police came to the conclusion (that it was suicide). Instead of calling it an accidental death, the police makes a statement that it is suicide. The narrative was set a few days ago that he was going through depression. That has raised a big question in our minds. Without a suicide note, how did police call it a suicide even before the postmortem?" she said.

"A lot of questions have been answered but they don't add up. Why did the forensic team reach his house on June 15? The police said there was no foul play. The forensic team reaching a day late and that raises a big question. Why were there so many marks on his body? That he hanged from the ceiling has no impact on his face as we can see in his last pictures. Why have the police not sealed his house yet? Where is his dog?" she asks.

"Is it not possible that he was murdered? Is it not possible that someone murdered him, locked his body inside the bedroom and said the keys were lost? Why has nobody been arrested yet? The police couldn't prove it is a suicide," alleges the actress-politician.

"A person, who was so grounded, so down to earth, who is so ambitious that he writes his dreams -- would he quit so easily?" she added referring to Sushant.

Ganguly is not doubting the capability of Mumbai Police, which is currently investigating the death of the 34-year-old actor.

"I am not raising question on Mumbai Police's capability, but I feel investigation by a central agency like the CBI would be more unbiased. Why should the police department consider it as an insult to take help from other agencies? If they are so sure that it is suicide then they should actually call the CBI to prove it to us," she demanded.

Asked if she has spoken to any of her party leaders regarding her demand for a CBI probe, the BJP MP replied: "I did not take interest in Sushant's case as an MP, so initially I didn't want to involve any of my party member or leader into this. I am voicing my opinion on social media as a common person. But I feel so bad that I will probably write a letter to the Home Minister. Also, I request the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to ask for a CBI help into the investigation." Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging in his Mumbai residence on June 14. The actor's postmortem report described his death as suicide.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Lucknow, July 5 : A PETA hoarding with a photograph of a goat, asking people not to slaughter it, was removed from the Uttar Pradesh capital following the objection by a senior Sunni cleric.

President of the Islamic Centre of India, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali sent an email to the Lucknow Police Commissioner demanding removal of the controversial hoarding.

The Maulana objected to the hoarding by placing a photo of the goat before the festival of Bakrid.

"Bakrid is expected to be celebrated on July 31. Why such a hoarding is being put up just ahead of the festival?" the cleric queried Two complaints were also lodged with the Kaiserbagh police demanding the removal.

The message on the hoarding reads, "Main jeev hoon, maans nahi, hamare prati nazariya badlein, vegan banein" (I am a creature, not meat. Change your perspective towards us, turn vegan)".

Such hoardings have been put across the country by PETA which works for animal rights.

A letter was also sent by the director of Centre for Objective Research and Development (CORD) Athar Husain.

"Muslims observe 'qurbani' (sacrifice) on the festival. The hoarding is sending out a wrong message, it is objectionable. The community strongly objects to it," he added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Agartala/Kolkata, July 5 : The "Border Haats" along the India-Bangladesh frontier must restart soon while maintaining necessary precautions against Covid-19, including social distancing as these markets boost the economy, fortify ties among the people of the two neighbouring states, and also check illegal trades, experts and economists said as they urged the Centre to prioritise.

The four "Border Haats", set up in Meghalaya and Tripura in 2011, 2012 and 2015, have remained closed since March as precautionary measures against the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus forced a lockdown, causing immense loss to the people living near these borders.

Experts, academicians, researchers and economists from India as well as Bangladesh, while speaking at a day-long discussion on a virtual platform earlier this week observed that the prolonged closure of "Border Haats" (markets) would lead to hardship that could egg the people in these areas to pick up informal cross-border trade.

Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank Atiur Rahman said people living in the border areas used to rely on informal trade due to remoteness of where they live and marginality of their living conditions.

"Informal trade is definitely a risk to border security. The innovative approach of 'Border Haats' has enabled the local people to exchange goods and products through a formal arrangement and also reduce the security risk." Rahman, also the Chairperson of Unnayan Shamannay, Bangladesh's prominent non-profit and non-governmental research organisation, said that field studies have shown that "Border Haats" have become a preferred formal local-level platform for exchange of local produce. They have also created additional earning for people living along the boundaries.

"Border Haats" have significantly contributed in reducing informal trade along the border areas. At the macro-level, the markets are contributing towards cementing a good economic understanding and cooperation between the two vibrant economies of South Asia. Even as the frontier has divided many families, "Border Haats" have created a formal mechanism through which exchange of goods take place, enabling the people to reconnect with each other, said Rahman, a renowned economist.

Jaipur-based CUTS International Executive Director Bipul Chatterjee said that existing four "Border Haats" in Meghalaya and Tripura along the India-Bangladesh border need to be re-opened at the earliest after adopting proper precautionary measures related to health and hygiene.

"Following the suggestions and proposals that emerged from the discussion, we have submitted the 'Standard Operating Procedures during the Covid-19' period and 'Health and Hygiene Safety guidelines' to the government to be maintained after reopening the 'Border Haats'," Chatterjee told IANS over phone from CUTS International headquarters in Jaipur.

The proposed measures include barring entry of aged persons above 65 years of age, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years, monitoring the health and hygiene measures by the officials of two countries, wearing hand gloves and face masks during the marketing hours by visitors, vendors and officials, regular cleaning and disinfection in the "Border Haats", maintaining social and physical distancing norms, controlling the crowd, and carry out a campaign about the preventive measures on Covid-19.

Considering the growing demands of all sections of people, proposals also submitted to the Central government include, increase in the number of haat (marketing) days, remove the five-km radius restriction, promote the sale of essential commodities and allow the trading of protective equipment.

He said that considering the benefits emanating from the existing "Border Haats", it was also proposed that India and Myanmar should engage in dialogues about establishing such border markets along their border to generate livelihood opportunities for the people residing in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

CUTS International Assistant Policy Analyst Arnab Ganguly said that "Border Haat" is once-a-week semi-formal market which allows people from both the countries to trade in vegetables, fruits, spices, food items, agri-implements, cosmetics, toiletries, garments, melamine products, aluminum products, bamboo and plastic products besides fruit juice, processed food items and other such indigenous products.

"The 'Border Haats' are located on the zero line of the border between India and Bangladesh and each buyer is allowed to buy commodities worth up to $200 (around Rs 15,000) a day. However, currencies of both India and Bangladesh are valid in these border markets," Ganguly told IANS from Kolkata.

According to government records, before the Coronavirus-triggered lockdown period, on an average, each "Border Haat" registered an annual business of Rs 3 crore.

On the weekly market day, on an average, at least 25 vendors from the two countries participate at "Border Haat".

The first "Border Haat" had started functioning on July 23, 2011 at Kalaichar (India)-Kurigram (Bangladesh) in West Garo Hills of Meghalaya.

Three other haats were later set up at Balat (Meghalaya)-Dolora (Bangladesh) in 2012; Srinagar (Tripura)-Chhagalnaiya (Bangladesh); and Kamnalasagar (Tripura)-Kasba (Bangladesh) in 2015.

The four Northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share a 1,880-km long border with Bangladesh.

India's Industries and Commerce Ministry has been spending an average Rs 3.5 crore to develop the infrastructure and necessary facilities for each "Border Haat" in 5,625 sq. metre areas of two countries' territories or 'no-man's land'.

CUTS International, the Jaipur-based international NGO, has conducted several studies to understand and examine the effect of "Border Haats" on poverty alleviation and other multiplier effects such as reduction in informal trade.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bareilly, July 5 : Some traders in Bareilly have urged District Magistrate (DM) Nitish Kumar to order closure of shops for 15 days from July 7, due to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Mandal district President, Shobhit Saxena said: "We have submitted a memorandum to Bareilly DM requesting him to close all the shops in the city for 15 days from July 7.

"This decision aims at protecting fellow businessmen and shopkeepers who are exposed to the infection in marketing operational. Over the past two weeks, there has been a significant rise in COVID-19 positive cases across the district. However, the ration shops and medical stores can still operate." However, a few traders were against the move, saying that it would be against the unlock guidelines which have been imposed by the Central government.

Another Vyapar Mandal member Rajendra Gupta said: "Shutting down markets will only aggravate financial crisis in such troubled times." Meanwhile, DM Kumar said: "The markets shall continue to operate as per the roster that was previously set by the district administration in the city. For those who want to close their shops can do so but others who are not willing, cannot be pressurized considering the financial crisis being faced by everyone." The imposition of section 144 of CrPC has further been extended in the district till July 31, he said.
Lucknow, July 5 : Two senior ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the past few hours.

Uttar Pradesh Minister for Rural Development Rajendra Pratap Singh, popularly known as Moti Singh, his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren have all tested positive for the virus.

Narendra Agarwal, CMO Lucknow, said: "After a re-confirmatory test, the Minister and his family were admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS). Contact tracing is being done." The second Minister to test positive is Dharam Singh Saini, who heads the Ayush Ministry.

CMO Saharanpur BS Sodhi said: "Minister Dharm Singh Saini complained of cough and was tested for COVID-19. He has been admitted to Pilakhni Medical College after confirmation of the infection. Samples of 27 persons who came in contact with him have been sent for testing." Meanwhile, the state's leader of opposition and senior Samajwadi MLA, Ram Govind Chaudhary is also in SGPGIMS after he tested positive for coronavirus.

Since he is also a cardiac patient, he has been put on oxygen support.

Medical superintendent, SGPGI, R.K. Singh said: "Ram Govind Chaudhary is on oxygen support in the intensive care unit but he is stable and all his co-morbidities are under control as of now."
Lucknow, July 5 : It has been more than 48 hours since gangster Vikas Dubey went missing after killing eight police personnel in an ambush in Kanpur, but the state police still has no clue about the whereabouts of the criminal.

All the phones of Vikas, his associates and relatives have been put on surveillance but the gangster has not used any communication tool so far.

The Yogi Adityanath government, on Saturday night, increased the reward on Vikas to Rs one lakh. A reward of Rs 25,000 each has been announced for his 18 accomplices.

Sixty police team are frantically searching for the man, who is now 'most wanted' in Uttar Pradesh.

On Saturday, the police razed the house of Vikas in Bikru village where he had killed the policemen in the early hours of Friday. Two SUVs and two tractors parked in the premises were also trampled upon by the same earthmover that had been sued to block the police team's path when the incident took place.

The station house officer of Chaubeypur police station, Vinay Tiwari, was suspended on Saturday after a 12-hour grilling at the Special Task Force. Tiwari was found to have fled from the site when the encounter began. He is also suspected to have tipped-off Vikas about police action.

Ram Kumar Dubey, father fo Vikas, who was interrogated by the STF till late on Saturday night, maintained that his son was not present in the village when the incident took place.

"My son is innocent and I will fight for him right up to the Supreme Court. He is being framed for political reasons," the father told reporters.

It has also been found that a phone call was allegedly made from the Chaubeypur police station to the local power sub station, asking them to disconnect the power supply in the village. The police team could not find an escape route when Vikas and his men fire at them because the area was plunged into darkness.

Two personnel of the sub-station have been detained for interrogation.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the police seized two cars and a motorcycle from Vikas' Lucknow residence in Krishna Nagar area. An ambassador car seized from the house is said to belong to the UP Estate department and was earlier allotted to a principal secretary.

Vikas' family claimed that it had purchased the vehicle in an auction but could not produce the papers to substantiate its claim.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is preparing to serve a notice to Deep Prakash, brother of Vikas who lives in Krishna Nagar and is presently absconding. LDA officials said that the map of the house was not passed as per records and if the owner failed to produce the relevant documents, the house would be razed.

Meanwhile, sources said that there was a strong possibility that Vikas had fled to Nepal or to some other state and would surrender in court when the furore over the incident subsides.

The state police have stepped up vigil around the courts to pre-empt any move by Vikas to surrender in court.
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 dont take precautions, you get a lot of COVID.
It is now clearly conveyed to the nation that India had put China on notice for its recent aggressive conduct on LAC and warned it of serious consequences of any further misadventure it might be planning against this country. Prime Minister Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' on June 28, which is like an address to the countrymen, talked of India's strong resolve in dealing with the military face-off with China on the LAC in Ladakh and gave out that 'a befitting reply had been given to those who cast an evil eye on India's territory'. He added that 'India can handle friendly relations but also knows how to look into the eyes of anyone who challenged its sovereignty'.

Giving an insight into India's strategy, the Prime Minister informed the people that among other things India was taking measures to become self-reliant in various spheres, including indigenous production of defence hardware to meet 'exigencies of national security and sovereignty'. India has since stepped up border infrastructure development on our side of the LAC as well as mobilisation of troops on the ground -- apart from readying our Air Force and Navy for defensive action against any external aggression. The message given to China is loud and clear -- stay off from giving any provocation by attempting to encroach on any point of disputed territory along the LAC. Defence of Ladakh is geared up in line with the declared stand of the Modi government that Aksai Chin had been illegally occupied by China and that this matter had to be set right. That India will stretch China on various fronts -- economic and geo-political -- is emerging as a strategic element of India's long-term response to the current hostility of this neighbour.

While the situation on the LAC is still evolving, India has from its side confronted China with the demand of return to the status quo ante and engaged that country in border talks at the level of Core Commander on disengagement and deescalation. The government, meanwhile, is keeping up military and foreign policy endeavours to prepare for any aggravation. It is in this background that Prime Minister Modi, in a brief address to the nation on June 30, did not touch on China and confined himself to an announcement of extension of free ration scheme covering nearly 80 crore people for five months -- till November end -- giving them relief in a difficult time to see through Diwali and Chhat festivals. An added facility of using ration cards on an all- India basis was promised.

The Prime Minister reiterated the need for total caution during the Unlock-2 against corona. He came off as a compassionate leader who appeared to be giving priority to the internal scene relating to people in distress and by not bothering the latter with the issue of India-China tension on the border, also giving a message that his government was fully in control of things on that front. Since the majority of migrants belonged to UP and Bihar, what is the harm if the PM made a mention of the two major festivals of North India in his address to bring some cheer to this distressed lot? Hopefully, the sense of nightmare that crores of migrant labour experienced in the lockdown would be eased substantially -- though the crisis of unemployment looming large for them would still confront them. Importantly, the Modi regime remains firm on building the economy indigenously by emphasising the idea of 'be vocal for local' and encouraging entrepreneurship and start-ups. Internal stability in India will be determined by the economic recovery.

Coming back to the issue of China's aggressiveness on the border, it is clear that three aspects of the situation deserved to be taken note of in framing a long-term strategy of dealing with that country. First is the unmistakable fact that the intensification of cross-border terrorism in Kashmir by Pakistan and the military build-up on LAC started by China in the period following the abrogation of Article 370 by India, showed a new level of meeting of minds between these two allies against India -- that was part of their bigger geo-political plan of acquiring a firm hold in the crucial Pak-Afghan-Kashmir tri junction. This territory anchored the superpower rivalry in the Cold War era for control of this region -- a lesson China would remember as it positions itself as the other superpower in the present, conscious of the advantage it has of having Pakistan on its side. India has to weaken this alliance by carrying the anti-terror combat into the POK and damaging the CPEC where it would hurt China the most. China can create some more mischief on LAC in support of Pakistan but this is nothing that India's army would not be able to handle.

Secondly, this is the moment for India to build the opinion of the entire democratic world against the dictatorial Chinese regime that was out to disturb world peace in chasing its blatant plans of dominating the world militarily and economically -- as a new superpower. India must make it a point to highlight the role of Sino-Pak axis in fomenting terrorism of the Islamic radicals and using it as an instrument of political advancement through proxy wars and cross-border operations. For securing India's interests in a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan, we should further strengthen bilateral relations with Russia, Israel and Iran in working for a place in the 'round table' convened to discuss that country's future -- at a time when the US is being expedient about accommodating the Taliban in power there. Fortunately, we have in the NSA and the EAM a very competent, experienced and knowledgable set of people who can achieve the international outreach that India presently needs to counter and override the challenge posed by the China-Pakistan combine.

Finally, it is in the realm of economic relations that India has to find ways and means of scuttling the economic power that China had tried to wield against its opponents, including India. In fact, the tough response of President Donald Trump on the US-China trade imbalance and the more recent US-led campaign against China's alleged culpability in hiding information relating to corona pandemic from the world -- India being on the side of the US in these matters -- substantially accounted for the precipitate hostility of China towards India. India's rightful offer to the businesses seeking to shift away from China, to relocate here added to the Chinese desperation which was reflected in the aggression on LAC. Tension on the borders was intended to project India as a land of conflict and distract global investors from this country. As important as the marshalling of defence preparedness against China, therefore, are the moves of India to battle with the latter on the economic turf. India has set the ball rolling by banning some 59 Apps of Chinese origin and linking it with the call for development of indigenous products and services to make India self reliant in all fields, including defence production.

Prime Minister Modi has clearly embarked on a comprehensive strategy of military consolidation, economic recovery and deeper collaboration with friendly powers to deal with the emerging challenges -- particularly the threat posed by China in the immediate and long range. India's relations with China of Xi Jinping can become irreversibly antipathetic unless China strikes a peace chord by retracing its steps in Galwan valley. People must rally behind the effort of Modi regime to safeguard national security and integrity -- at a time when the corona pandemic has compounded the problems of the common Indian at home. Prime Minister Modi in his address on June 30 acknowledged the silent contribution of the farmer and the tax payer to the well-being of the nation. It is a matter of satisfaction for the nation that the Prime Minister has shown a rare capability of handling multiple crises with calm and confidence.

(The writer is a former Director Intelligence Bureau)
Los Angeles, July 5 : American rapper Kanye West has announced his bid for the US presidential election slated to take place in November and has received backing from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, West wrote: "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States... #2020VISION." Replying to the tweet, Musk said: "You have my full support." His wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian had little to say immediately after the news broke, but showed her support by tweeting an American Flag emoji in response.

It was not immediately clear which party the 21-time Grammy winner would pick in his apparent challenge to President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

The rapper has sparked speculation over the years that he would potentially enter the presidential race one day, most recently in November 2019, when he said he planned to run in 2024, said a Daily Mail report on Sunday.

While there is no official deadline to enter the presidential race, candidates must meet certain filing requirements under Ballot Access Laws that vary by state.

The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states, including California.

In October 2018, West infamously revealed his support for Trump following a Twitter rant.

Soon after, he paid a visit to Trump himself at the White House, wearing the President's trademark "Make America Great Again" hat and delivered a speech in which he discussed alternate universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he said was actually sleep deprivation, the Daily Mail added.

Speaking to a crowd of reporters in the Oval Office, he added the hat was like a Superman cape and said that Trump made him a billionaire.

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian has also met the President on more than one occasion lobbying for criminal justice reform.

With just Trump and Biden in the race as of now, opinion polls have shown the former Vice President with an almost double-digit lead over the incumbent President as the November 3 election looms.

A poll published on June 26 indicated that Trump's approval ratings were at their worst level (40 per cent) following protests against police brutality in the US and amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

A record 58 per cent of voters disapprove of the job Trump's doing at the White House, according to a new survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion together with the National Public Radio and PBS NewsHour.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kanpur, July 5 : The Kanpur police on Sunday morning after a brief encounter arrested a member of Vikas Dubey gang, who was one of the killers who butchered eight Uttar Pradesh policemen.

According to SSP Kanpur Dinesh Kumar, Daya Shankar Agnihotri, 42, was intercepted by the police around 4.40 a.m. in Kalyanpur area.

"He tried to escape and the police team shot at his leg. He has been arrested," the SSP said. A country made firearm and cartridges have been recovered from his possession.

Agnihotri is one of the accused in the killing of eight policemen on Friday in Bikru village.

The police said that Agnihotri will be interrogated by various agencies probing the Friday incident and could provide vital clues in the case.
Mumbai, July 5 : Veteran Bengali actor Sabyasachi Chakrabarty has had Bollywood exposure in "Dil Se..", "Parineeta" and "Khakee", besides a brush with international cinema in Mira Nairs "The Namesake". The actor who has been popular as Feluda among Bengali film buffs, shares he missed out on working with superstars Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan while in Bollywood.

"Most of the time I had to say 'no' to an opportunity because the role came to me at the last minute -- when the casting director calls me and asks for dates within 15 days. At times they say that they have outdoor shooting abroad that I have to be a part of. Since I always have schedules for at least two months in hand, I couldn't say no to all those I had already committed because of one offer that comes at the very last moment," the 63-year-old actor told IANS.

"Having said that I did miss out on working with some of the stars and that I feel bad about. Aamir Khan thought of a character for me in 'Lagaan'. Shah Rukh Khan thought about one role for me in 'Ashoka'. There were many such offers I couldn't take," shared the actor who recently appeared in the Zee5 web series 'Lalbazaar'.

However, Sabyasachi shared his experience of rejection, too.

"There were instances when I was selected, went to Mumbai, spoke to the producer of the film. Then, from the newspapers I got to know that the film has started its first schedule of shooting and they did not even inform me I am not in the film! But ye sab to hota hi rehta hai hum sabke saath (these things keep happening to us). I see no reason of feeling disappointed. I do not get into depression by such incidents. You move on and as long as you are alive, keep your hopes alive!" smiled the actor.
Kathmandu, July 5 : Locust swarms that entered Nepal from India last week have damaged over 1,100 hectares of crops in the Himalayan 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, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Though the damage is considerably low, the locusts have dominantly damaged crops of five districts in Nepal," Ram Krishna Subedi, coordinator at the Locust Information Center at PQPMC, said on Saturday.

"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 damaged 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.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Geneva, July 5 : The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a record hike in the number of global coronavirus cases, with the total rising by 212,326 in 24 hours in the highest single-day increase since COVID-19 broke out.

The biggest increase was reported in the Americas region with 129,772 new cases, Xinhua news agency quoted the WHO as saying on Saturday.

It further said that nearly half of the new cases were recorded in the US and Brazil, with 53,213 and 48,105 new infections, respectively.

The Southeast Asia region recorded the second largest surge with 27,947 new cases and 534 deaths over the past 24 hours, the WHO added.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, the overall number of global COVID-19 cases stood at 11,199,747 on Sunday, while the deaths have soared to 528,953.

The US accounted for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities with 2,838,678 and 129,672, respectively, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

Brazil came in the second place with 1,539,081 infections and 63,174 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, July 5 : A woman and her son had to spend three days at a bus station outside a village in Telangana's Kamareddy district as people denied them entry fearing they may be infected by Coronavirus.

The incident occurred in Jangampalli village of Bikkanur 'mandal' in Kamareddy district.

The woman and her son had returned from Hyderabad where her COVID-19 positive daughter delivered a baby at Gandhi Hospital. When they arrived in the village on June 29, the villagers insisted that they come after undergoing COVID-19 tests.

Though the mother and son duo pleaded with the villagers to allow them and offered to live in home quarantine for two weeks, the villagers were unrelenting.

With no option left the duo went to the bus station, which was almost deserted as authorities are operating few bus services due to restricted movement of people.

They went to Kamareddy hospital on June 30 to give their sample for COVID-19 test but the authorities asked them to come the next day. On the third day, officials of the health department and police intervened and convinced the villagers to allow the mother and son to stay in a government-run school building.

Officials said the test results of the duo were expected in a day or two.

The woman said her pregnant daughter from another village had come to see her in March but was stranded due to lockdown. She developed labour pains on June 26 and was shifted to government hospital in Kamareddy. Since he had COVID-19 symptoms, the hospital authorities referred her to Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad.

The woman along with her son took her daughter to Hyderabad. As she tested positive for COVID-19, she was admitted to Gandhi Hospital, the nodal centre for treatment of COVID patients. She delivered a child, who too tested positive.
Islamabad, July 5 : The Pakistan government has decided to open four border points with neighbouring Iran from Sunday for trade.

The four border entry points in Balochistan would remain opened throughout the week, The Express Tribune reported.

Sources said the Interior Ministry had notified to the Frontier Corps (South) Turbat inspector general and the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad said that Gubd, Mand, Katagur and Chagai border crossings would be opened from Sunday onwards.

The letter added a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday had decided that "border with Iran at Gubd, Mand, Katagur and Chagai will remain opened seven days a week, from July 5, 2020, only for trade (imports and exports) and unlimited number of trucks will be allowed".

All COVID-19-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) and protocols would be implemented, according to the interior ministry notification.

Pakistan had shut the border on February 24, suspending trade activities and barred citizens from travelling to Iran which as the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Middle East at that time.

Bilateral trade activities resumed later but thrice a week only.

Last month, the authorities said that Taftan - the main border crossing between the two countries will remain open seven days a week for trade only.
Kathmandu, July 5 : The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has postponed its Standing Committee meeting till Monday in an attempt to reconcile differences among party co-chairs, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The rival faction of the NCP has demanded Oli's resignation, while some other leaders have asked him to quit both posts of Prime Minister and party co-chair, reports The Himalayan Times.

Oli has, however, refused to quit.

According to Standing Committee member Haribol Gajurel, the stalemate continues with both Oli and Dahal sticking to their guns.

Dahal told Oli on Saturday that despite the agreement between them on leading the government by turns, he had given the latter the full five-year term, but the Prime Minister failed to run the country well and there was growing frustration in the party, according to Gajurel.

Apart from holding one-on-one negotiations, Oli and Dahal are also talking through their confidants to find a middle path.

NCP leaders have to consider the possibility that any attempt by the Dahal-Nepal faction to unseat the Prime Minister could lead to a vertical split of the party along with consequences not only at the central level but also the provincial and local levels.

"A vertical split amid the coronavirus pandemic could invite political instability, which could reverse all the hard earned political changes," Gajurel was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times.

Another Standing Committee member told The Himalayan Times that the Oli's decision to bring ordinance to allow party dissidents to split their parties with the support of either 40 per cent members of the Central Committee or the Parliamentary Party, and his decision to abruptly prorogue the budget session of the Parliament had riled rival faction leaders.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 5 : A 82-year-old man, who arrived from Saudi Arabia last month and later admitted to the state run Medical College hospital at Manjeri in Malappuram, died on Saturday late night, the authorities reported on Sunday.

However, the deceased's Covid-19 test report, which was received on Sunday morning, showed him positive for the infection.

The latest death has taken the corona death toll in Kerala to 25.

Health authorities reveal that the man was a blood cancer patient and he was admitted to the hospital on July 1 following high fever.

Following his death, the health officials had informed the family and now his last rites would be conducted according to the Covid-19 protocols.
The monument, which was one of three in the city, stood near the citys Little Italy neighborhood, according to the Sun. Its one of many Columbus statues that have either been removed by cities or forcibly toppled by anti-racism protesters in recent weeks.
New Delhi, July 5 : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday announced a partnership with Facebook to provide training on digital safety, online well being and training on augmented reality (AR) to students and teachers.

The training modules are for the secondary school students. The curriculum is now available on the CBSE website.

The curriculum on digital safety and online well-being cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram's guide for building healthy digital habits, Facebook said in a statement.

The module has been designed to guide students to become responsible digital users, identify and report threats and harassment as well as report misinformation.

At least 10,000 students will be covered in the training to be imparted by the Centre for Social Research (CSR).

"I congratulate CBSE and Facebook on its partnership to introduce certified programs in augmented reality for teachers and digital safety and online-wellbeing for students," said Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Also, as part of the collaboration, Facebook will support CBSE in its first-ever initiative to introduce AR as a curriculum.

In the first phase, 10,000 teachers will be trained while 30,000 students will undergo the same in the second phase.

The three-week training, to be conducted in batches, will cover fundamentals of AR and ways to utilise Facebook's software, Spark AR Studio in order to create augmented reality experiences.

The objective is to give the learners an opportunity and platform to conceptualise, create and brand their own AR experiences.

The hands-on learning experience of AR will help in preparing the students for a career in the digital economy.

According to the US tech giant, the teachers who successfully complete the training in the first phase will train 30,000 students in the second phase.

"Through our 'Facebook for Education' programme in India, we wish to support the educational agencies in the country in enabling lessons on fostering safe online experiences," said Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia.

"We are excited to partner with CBSE, and hope that this collaboration grows to support more teachers and students in the country," Das added.
Bengaluru, July 5 : Karnataka went into a lockdown again on Sunday to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has been surging over a month across the state since unlock 1.0 began on June 1.

"The state is under total lockdown throughout the day -- all activities are shut and vehicular movement barred except for essential supplies and services," a Home Department official told IANS here.

The complete lockdown has been reimposed on Sundays from July 5 to August 2 across the state to confine citizens at home and restrict their activities or movements.

The state observed a similar total lockdown on the third Sunday (May 24) and fourth Sunday (May 31) during lockdown 4.0 to prevent people from violating social distancing norms in public places.

"With daily night curfew from 8pm, the Sunday lockdowns will continue till 5am on Mondays till August 2 to ensure people stay home safe and not risk infection by going out for any reason," said the official.

Additional police was deployed in cities and towns across the state to ensure the lockdown is strictly observed.

"A ban order under Section 144 of the CrPC has also been imposed to prevent movement of people and vehicles," a police official told IANS here.

The police also sealed the inter-state borders to prevent public movement from neighbouring states, as bus services and transportation of goods remain suspended till Monday morning.

"Only ambulances and vehicles on essential duty are allowed to ply during the curfew period. Shops selling medicines, groceries, vegetables, fruits, and poultry and meat products have been allowed to open, ensuring customers maintain physical distancing and stand in queues," said the official.

State-run buses, taxis and autos have also not been allowed to operate.

All main roads, flyovers and enter/exit points on the city outskirts have been barricaded to prevent vehicular traffic.

In an appeal to the state's residents, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa urged them to abide by the lockdown on all Sundays till August 2 to contain the virus spread.

"We have reached a crucial stage in the war against Covid-19. Follow guidelines in the interest and welfare of all to fight the pandemic. Stay at home to be safe," said Yediyurappa.

The state government, however, allowed weddings prefixed on Sundays amid the lockdown with a slew of riders to ensure health and social distancing.

With a whopping 1,839 new Covid cases on Saturday, the southern state's positive cases shot up to 21,549, with 11,966 active cases and 9,244 cured and discharged patients, including 439 on Saturday. The death toll increased to 335 across the state, with 42 casualties reported since Friday.

Bengaluru accounted for 1,172 new cases, taking its tally of positive cases to 8,345 and active cases to 7,250. As many as 965 corona patients have been cured and discharged till date, including 195 during the day, while 129 others have died due to the virus since March 9.

According to the Health Department data, the southern state has registered 15,242 corona cases, including 4,555 in Bengaluru, during June after unlock 1.0 began on June 1 compared with 3,221 cases till May 31.

"The positive cases shot up to 21,549 till Saturday in four days from 15,242 on June 30 across the state and in Bengaluru to 8,345 from 4,555 on June 30," said the bulletin.
Bhubaneswar, July 5 : At least four Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Sunday morning.

A joint team of District Voluntary Force (DVF) and Speical Operation Group (SOG) was conducting a combing operation in the area when the Maoists opened fire on them. In the retaliatory action by the security personnel, four ultras were killed.

"There was an exchange of fire between Maoists and SOG, DVF at Tumudibandha, Kandhamal. Security forces were fired upon and they retaliated in self defence. There are four casualties on Maoists side. Some of them are injured. Combing operations are on in the area. SP is at the spot," tweeted Odisha Police.

Besides, huge cache of arms and ammunition has also been seized from the spot.

Chief secretary Asit Tripathy congratulated the officers and jawans for the successful operation.

"Congrats to Officers & Jawans of Odisha Police on successful ops in Kandhamal. Their brave action is much appreciated. Death of four Maoists confirmed. This strengthens our resolve to free our state from extremism and spur all round development in the state," tweeted the Chief Secretary.
Dubai, July 5 : After 110 days, the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara in Dubai has re-opened following the lifting of the suspension of places of worship in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mosques nationwide and Dubai's sole Hindu temple had already re-opened last week after being closed since mid-March, Gulf News reported.

The gurdwara reopened on Saturday following clearance by Dubai's Community Development Authority, said Chairman Surender Singh Kandhari.

With all precautionary measures in place, it opened from 9 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. as per the official directions, Kandhari said, adding that these timings will be followed from Saturday to Thursday for two weeks, after which officials will decide further on the matter.

Until then, the gurdwara will remain closed on Fridays.

The short timings allow only for a walk-through 'darshan' (viewing).

Children below 12 years and people above 60 will not be allowed to enter until further notice.

Upon its reopening, around 250 people visited the gurdwara on Saturday morning, Gulf News quoted Kandhari as saying.

As part of the precautions, visitors have to wear masks, gloves, use sanitisers, go through sanitising tunnels, have their temperature checked and maintain social distancing.
Bangkok, July 5 : The US' Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville will not be required to quarantine under the anti-coronavirus pandemic measures in Thailand during his two-day visit next week, said a senior government official.

Gen. McConville is scheduled to visit Thailand on July 9 and will meet Thai army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong under a "special arrangement" ,which will spare him the 14-day state quarantine, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday citing National Security Council (NSC) Secretary General Somsak Rungsita as saying.

Gen. McConville will arrive in Thailand from Singapore on July 9 and will leave the next day, Somsak said.

According to the NSC chief, guests of government may visit the country by a given schedule without undergoing the 14-day state quarantine.

However, Gen. McConville and his entourage, consisting of less than 10 staffers, will not stray out of the itinerary during his two-day visit, he said.
New Delhi, July 5 : Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc across the board, with many parts of the country still under varying degrees of lockdown and control. Onslaught of Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has acutely affected labour market in India.

During the ongoing pandemic, many paint companies came forward to lend a helping hand to painters and contractors through financial assistance. As painting activities came to a halt, livelihood of painter community was adversely affected.

Most of them are daily wagers and integral to business continuity of the paint business.

Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. did an initial fund disbursement to its painter community falling under the Nerolac Premium Painter Pragati (NPP Pragati) Programme. Over 30,000 painters benefited from Nerolac's initiative. Anuj Jain, Executive Director of the company in a statement has reiterated the support and commitment of the painter community through the years which is facing severe financial stress during COVID-19.

While every sector has been impacted, automobile sector has been one of the hardest hit.

Nippon Paint India (Automotive Refinish business), which is part of Japan's NIPSEA Group, has also done its fair bit. The company, under its CSR program SAHYOG, and donated internally raised funds to over 2,000 workers and painters in the automotive refinish business.

The funds have been generated through N Square Trust that is run and funded by employees of Nippon Paint India - Automotive Refinish business for the welfare of painters and colour matchers associated with the business.

Sharad Malhotra, President, Nippon Paint India - Automotive Refinishes & Wood Coatings said: "The Covid-19 epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to many members of India's economically weaker sections of the society. It is not just our duty but a privilege to be able to help our fellow countrymen. Automotive refinish business, along with the rest of the automobile industry, is going through an unprecedented challenging time and it is our duty to look out for our community members and ensure a safe future for them." Berger Paints is transferring money directly into the bank account of the contractors who have been associated with the company. They plan to cover over 20,000 contractors across the country.

These efforts by the companies are show of solidarity to members of the industry that continue to face hardship amid economic slowdown during the pandemic outbreak.
London, July 5 : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed confidence that the two-year ban on the club from UEFA competitions will be overturned. City have appealed to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) against UEFA's ban for an alleged breach of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules between 2012 and 2016 and a decision is expected to be announced on July 13.

"We are ready. I have a lot of confidence and trust with the people that we will be allowed to play the Champions League, because we want to be on the field during these years," Guardiola told reporters ahead of CIty's Sunday match against Southampton as per Sky Sports.

"On July 13 we will know the resolution, hopefully, for the club - all the workers, players and everyone here, staff - to try to continue growing up as a club in the next years." The ban, if upheld, would mean that while City can go through with their remaining Champions League matches this year, they won't be able to participate in the lucrative continental tournament in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

City are in good form at the moment with their latest result seeing them thrash champions Liverpool 4-0. Liverpool, who were playing for the first time after confirming their first top-flight title in 30 years, were given a guard of honour by the City players before the start of Thursday night's game played at the Etihad Stadium.

City, however, showed no respite in their performance and were absolutely ruthless as they come out on top against the recently-crowned league champions.
Bhopal, July 5 : Even as the second expansion of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet in Madhya Pradesh has been finally done after hiccups over shortlisting of prospective ministers, pulls and pressures are still going on regarding the allocation of portfolios to the new inductees.

On July 2, 28 new ministers were inducted in the council of ministers, including 12 from BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia's camp. Of the 22 Congress MLAs who resigned from the Congress to join the BJP, 14 are now in the expanded ministry.

The sources said that the issue of portfolio was being discussed both by the central BJP leadership and the state unit. The five ministers who were earlier sworn in during the first expansion have been looking after more than one departments.

The sources revealed that Chouhan could visit Delhi again to take up the issue of portfolio allocation with the central leadership.

The total strength of Scindia's camp in the ministry is now 14, as two former MLAs were already in the council of ministers.

Among those inducted on Thursday, 20 are of cabinet rank and eight are ministers of state. So, while the new inductees are making efforts to bag coveted departments, those in charge of more than one portfolio are trying to retain their favourite ones.

Those included in the ministry from the BJP are Gopal Bhargava, Vijay Shah, Jagdish Devda, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Bhupendra Singh, Brajendra Pratap Singh and Vishwas Sarang.

From the Scindia camp, Bisahulal Singh, Aidal Singh Kansana, Imarti Devi, Prabhuram Choudhary, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajwardhan Singh Dattigaon have been taken as cabinet ministers. While Brajendra Singh Yadav, Girraj Dandotia, Suresh Dhakad and OPS Bhadoria from Scindia camp were inducted as ministers of state.

The sources said that the Scindia camp was interested in bagging departments which were in direct contact with the masses, including rural development, panchayats, women and child welfare, home, irrigation, transport, public relations, and food supplies.

From BJP Prem Singh Patel, Om Prakash Saklecha, Usha Thakur, Arvind Bhadoria and Mohan Yadav were also inducted as cabinet ministers. Bharat Singh Kushwaha, Inder Singh Parmar, Ramkhelavan Patel and Ram Kishore Kavre took oath as ministers of state.

Those inducted from Scindia camp had resigned as legislators in March which led to the toppling of 15-month-old Kamal Nath Government. All of them will contest by-polls likely to be held in the state soon. Twenty-four Assembly seats are vacant at present.

The initial "mini" expansion of the Chouhan cabinet took place on April 21 with the induction of five ministers, including two former Congress MLAs close to Scindia -- Tulsi Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput.

Meanwhile, taking a potshot at the state government for non-allocation of portfolios so far, Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesman Ajay Singh Yadav said that the "remote-controlled government in the state was week, with the remote of 14 ministers with Scindia and of others in the hands of leaders of different factions".

Yadav claimed that there was bickering over allocation of portfolios and that since the government was proving to be a burden on the state, it will collapse soon.

Political analyst Shiv Anurag Pateria pointed out that allocation of departments was part of the long-term politics and Scindia wanted coveted portfolios for his followers in the ministry so as to increase their political weight.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan had taken oath as the chief minister for a record fourth term on March 23 this year, after Kamal Nath was forced to resign following rebellion by 22 MLAs of the Congress.

The total strength of Chouhan's cabinet is now 34, including the chief minister. It has only one vacancy now as the total strength of the ministry as per the constitutional norms should not exceed 35.
Tokyo, July 5 : Fifteen people have died, while nine others were reported missing in Japan's southern island of Kyushu as devastating rains have caused flooding and landslides, its was reported on Sunday.

Fourteen victims were found in a flooded nursing home in Kumamoto, while the other was pulled from a landslide, said the BBC report.

The deaths have yet to be formally certified.

Kumamoto's governor, Ikuo Kabashima, told reporters the victims at the nursing home had been found "in cardio-respiratory arrest" - a term used in Japan before a doctor officially certifies death.

Authorities have ordered more than 200,000 to evacuate and 10,000 soldiers are being sent to help rescuers.

Heavy rain is predicted to continue overnight into Sunday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged people to be on "maximum alert".

The prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima have been worst hit.

Footage shows a bridge over the Kuma river washed away, with other pictures of submerged cars and houses.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said such rainfall had never been seen before in the region.
Barcelona, July 5 : The government in Spain's Catalonia region has re-imposed coronavirus controls on an area of 210,000 people after a sharp rise in infections, the media reported on Sunday.

On Saturday, President Quim Torra said no-one would be allowed to enter or leave Segria, an agricultural area west of Barcelona which includes the city of Lleida, reports the BBC.

The local lockdown began on Saturday afternoon with provisions made to allow non-residents to leave and residents were advised not to travel between towns within Segria.

"We are taking a step back to protect ourselves and control the outbreak," he said.

The lockdown will be enforced using police checkpoints Within the area, gatherings will be limited to 10 people, and special measures are being taken to keep people in care homes safe.

A field hospital was set up outside LLeida's Arnau de Vilanova hospital on Friday with capacity to treat up to 105 patients if required.

The Spanish region of Aragon, which borders Lleida, also re-imposed restrictions on several areas last month after an outbreak among fruit pickers in its Huesca province.

According to the Spanish Health Ministry on Friday, Catalonia is the second-worst affected region of Spain by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 5,673 people losing their lives to COVID-19 out of a total of 62,057 infections, of which 834 were diagnosed in the last seven days.

As of Sunday morning, Spain has registered a total of 250,545 COVID-19 cases, with 28,385 deaths.
Health officials warned Floridians that while the amoeba is extremely rare, they should take precautions against the disease because it is so deadly. Those precautions include avoiding warm freshwater areas when water levels are low and avoiding water near power plants that may be polluted.
Seattle, July 5 : A woman was killed after a car sped into a group of protesters on a closed highway in the US city of Seattle, according to officials.

The car "drove through the closure and struck multiple pedestrians", the BBC quoted a Washington State Patrol tweet as saying on Saturday.

Summer Taylor, 24, died hours later, while a second woman was seriously hurt.

The suspect, 27-year-old Dawit Kelete of Seattle, has been charged with two counts of vehicular assault.

But the police have not said whether it was a targeted attack.

There has been prolonged unrest in Seattle since the unarmed African-American George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Protests have been widespread across the US under the Black Lives Matter movement, said the BBC report.

Saturday's incidenttook place at a southbound section of Interstate-5 that had been shut ahead of a women's march.

Part of the protest had been live-streamed on social media under the headline "Black Femme March takes I-5".
London, July 5 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will join a nationwide round of clapping on Sunday to pay tribute to National Health Service (NHS) staff on the 72nd anniversary of the health service.

The public are being encouraged to give a round of applause at 5 p.m. for all those who helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC reported.

On Saturday, UK landmarks were lit up blue in celebration and remembrance.

Downing Street, the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower, the Shard and the Wembley Arch were all illuminated and a minute's silence was held to remember those who have died during the pandemic.

People were also asked to place lights their windows in a show of remembrance on Saturday night, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, lighting a candle in Canterbury Cathedral.

Later on Sunday, a World War Two Spitfire plane with the words "Thank U NHS" painted on its underside will tip its wings above hospitals and the homes of fundraisers and volunteers, recognising the way people have supported the NHS and local communities during the pandemic.

The NHS was launched on this day in 1948, with the core principle that it is free at the point of delivery and is based on clinical need.

In a video message to mark the occasion, Prince Charles paid tribute to staff working through "the most testing time in the service's history", the BBC reported.

"Despite all that has been endured, there is deep cause for gratitude, and a true reason for pride," he said.

The Prince of Wales also said the pandemic had brought out the best in people, adding: "This renewal of our community spirit has been a silver lining during this dark time."
Thiruvananthapuram, July 5 : Senior BJP leader and member of Parliament from Sirsa in Haryana, Sunita Duggal, said on Sunday that women-centric development will guide the Atmanirbhar Bharat and added that the MSME sector will race ahead through schemes announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Duggal was speaking at the webinar 'Atmanirbhar Bharat, and People' s participation', jointly organised by Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Kerala, and the Centre for Policy and Development Studies.

"Through women-centric and agriculture-based programmes, the Indian economy will grow. People should be more self-reliant and lead the country to become self-reliant. Solar energy offers huge potential, one example of which is Abu Dhabi in the UAE," said Duggal.

Former Union Minister P.C. Thomas opined that only through people's participation will the Prime Minister's dream for Atmanirbhar Bharat become a reality.

"Indian entrepreneurs are capable of bringing out excellent apps to replace Chinese ones banned by the government of India. The MSME sector will gain heavily owing to the Modi government's policy of providing collateral security to the loans taken by the entrepreneurs. All expect that there will be a major surge in the agriculture sector owing to the government policies," said the former minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Swadeshi Jagaran Manch national convener Ramamritham Sundaram said that the PM's call for 'Vocal for Local' was the idea relentlessly campaigned by the SJM and pointed out that they had conducted a year-long campaign across the country against import and use of Chinese products as well as Chinese incursions in the economic sector.
Bengaluru, July 5 : In light of the rise in number of COVID-19 cases, the Karnataka government has arranged for nearly 5,000 beds in state-run and private hospitals across this tech city to treat coronavirus infected patients, state Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said on Sunday.

"Around 4,958 beds have been reserved for treating the infected patients at 41 facilities, including state-run and private hospitals and Covid care centres across the city," said Sudhakar in a statement here.

With the city registering maximum positive cases in the southern state over the weeks for various reasons, the state government has made private hospitals spare 50 per cent of their beds for Covid patients.

"Responding to our call, 72 private hospitals across the city have earmarked 3,331 beds for Covid cases. After admitting 733 patients till Saturday, 2,598 beds are ready for admitting more cases," asserted Sudhakar.

In a related development, the City Civic Corporation has converted the sprawling Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in the city's northwest suburb into a Covid care centre, with 10,100 beds for treating the infected.

"The Covid care centre with 10,100 beds is well ventilated and has sufficient bathrooms, toilets, nursing stations, kitchens and other required facilities for treating the patients," said Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar here.

Kumar also visited the BIEC earlier in the day along with ruling BJP legislator S.R. Vishwanath for a spot assessment of the facilities for Covid patients.

"Those with breathing difficulty should call 108 for an ambulance and 1912 for information on availability of beds in their nearest hospital in the city for admission immediately," said Kumar.

Meanwhile, the state health department has set up four committees for contact detection, testing and community organisation of Covid care centres to contain the pandemic across the state, especially in the state capital.

"We are also setting up 14 task forces in each of the 30 districts across the state for surveillance and public safety health measures to contain the virus," said Sudhakar.

The Minister also appealed to the people to strictly observe the Sunday lockdowns by staying at home and maintain social distancing and wear mask when going out on the week days.

"Restraint and cooperation of the citizens is crucial in this fight against Covid. Follow the lockdown discipline by staying at home safe," added Sudhakar.

The state government has arranged more ambulances for rushing patients with Covid symptoms to the nearest designated hospital in cities and towns across the state.

A swab sample will be taken and a patient will be admitted to a Covid or non-Covid section of a hospital on the test result.

With a whopping 1,839 new Covid cases on Saturday, the southern state's positive cases shot up to 21,549, with 11,966 active after 9,244 were cured and discharged, including 439 on Saturday, while death toll increased to 335 across the state, with 42 since Friday.

Bengaluru accounted for 1,172 new cases, taking its tally of positive cases to 8,345 and active to 7,250 after 965 were discharged till date, including 195 during the day, while 129 died due to the virus since March 9.

According to the state health department data, the state has registered 15,242 Covid cases, including 4,555 in Bengaluru during June after unlock 1.0 began on June 1 from 3,221 cases, including 358 till May 31 till lockdown 4.0.

"The positive cases shot up to 21,549 till Saturday in four days from 15,242 on June 30 across the state and in Bengaluru to 8,345 from 4,555 on June 30," said the bulletin.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Lucknow, July 5 : The political connections of Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the killing of eight police personnel in Kanpur on Friday, were so strong that his name did not figure in the list of top ten criminals of the district even though he has 71 criminal cases registered against his name.

His name also does not figure in the STF list of over 30 top criminals of the state that was released earlier this year. Kanpur SSP Dinesh Kumar said that he had been informed that the police team was going to arrest an accused with circle officer Bilhaur heading the operation.

He admitted that he was not aware of Vikas Dubey's criminal antecedents at the time of the operation which went horribly wrong and led to the death of eight policemen.

Dinesh Kumar, who took over as SSP Kanpur barely a few days ago, has now ordered that all lists of criminals be updated without delay.

Vikas Dubey, till Friday, was just another name in the underworld of Uttar Pradesh. His 'stature' remained largely unknown to the people of the state even though he had heinous crime registered against his name. He was a quiet operator and, therefore, did not figure in the list of known mafias of the state.

Dubey, in his early fifties, hit the headlines first in 2001 when he killed BJP leader Santosh Shukla inside the Shivli police station in Kanpur. Shukla was minister of state in the UP government when he was killed. However, Dubey was later acquitted by a session court for want of evidence against him. As per the reports, even policemen had refused to testify against him in the court.

Dubey is also accused of planning his cousin brother Anurag's murder while being inside Mati jail in 2018. He was one of the four accused named by Anurag's wife. After this, he chose the path of crime that would, one day, take him closer to politics.

Dubey, a resident of Bikru village in Kanpur, was apparently emboldened by his acquittal and he started off by getting together a group of youth and set up his own gang. As the cases of robbery, kidnapping, and murders mounted against him, Vikas made sure that his clout also grew in proportion.

The need of local politicians to seek his help in elections brought him closer to the people in power. The local MPs and MLAs ensured that Vikas was kept in good humour because his influence would help them win elections.

His political mentors ensured that he had an easy access to other politicians. He even managed to win the nagar panchayat elections in 2015. As his mentors changed loyalties and parties, so did Vikas. Dubey was frequently seen in the Vidhan Bhawan complex when the assembly would be in session. He was seen in the company of politicians, across the political spectrum.

From BSP, he went to SP and was even inching closer to the BJP in recent months. A photograph of a poster in which Vikas is seen campaigning for his wife, Richa Dubey, on the Samajwadi Party banner, has been going viral on the social media. His photograph with Uttar Pradesh Law Minister Brijesh Pathak, are also announcing his proximity to the politician.

According to reliable sources, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed intelligence agencies to submit a list of all politicians, police personnel, officers and others who were patronizing Vikas Dubey.

The diktat comes after photographs of the gangster with various political leaders started going viral on the social media.

In the past years, Dubey gradually strengthened his hold in the Bilhaur, Shivrajpur, Chaubepur, Rania areas of Kanpur. According to a source, Vikas Dubey was determined to make it big in the underworld and politics too. "He wanted to become a MLA and then an MP. He would often say that he would reach Parliament soon. He enjoyed considerable clout with local politicians and it was because of this that the police did not 'interfere' in his activities," said one who belongs to Bikru village.

He said that Vikas had amassed a lot of property in the region and reportedly owned property in Lucknow and Noida too. He also had a fascination for latest weapons.

His relations in the family, however, were said to be strained. His own mother has almost disowned him after Friday's incident and said that he deserved to die. His younger brother has also disowned him.

A team of officials visited the Krishna Nagar residence of Vikas Dubey. His brother's family had left the house which was locked. A LDA official said, "We went to the house because the plan of the same is not approved by the LDA. We will be sending a notice to the owners and will then demolished the unauthorised construction." The state government, on Saturday, had razed the house of the gangster in Bikru village where eight police personnel had been shot dead on Friday.
New Delhi, July 5 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully committed to help the Delhi residents amid the challenging times due to coronavirus crisis.

The Home Minister's remarks came while visiting 1,000-bed facilities named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hospital set up by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here to treat COVID-19 patients.

"PM Narendra Modi ji is fully committed to helping the people of Delhi in these challenging times and this Covid hospital, yet again, highlights the resolve," Shah tweeted after visiting the hospital set up in record 12 days.

"I thank the DRDO, Tatas and our armed forces medical personnel who have risen to the occasion and helped tackle the emergency." Shah visited the hospital along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and reviewed the preparedness.

The temporary air-conditioned facility has 250 intensive care unit beds.

It is set up near the Domestic Terminal-1 on Ulan Bator Road adjacent to Controller General of Defence Accounts headquarters.

Till Sunday, Delhi had recorded 97,200 coronavirus cases.
(The author presents his thesis on why it is time for a new security doctrine based on the vision of Veer Savarkar-Subhash Chandra Bose and an honest admission that Gandhiji did great things for India but his ideology of complete non-violence and Hindu-Muslim unity was, according to the author, at the cost of Hindus and resulted in much damage to the nation and is bedeviling it even today. This is the first of two articles on the subject) There comes a moment in the destiny of a nation when it should accept the ultimate truth, howsoever bitter it might be, and end its ongoing suffering to secure its own future. In other words, no nation can move forward without squarely facing up to its past mistakes. Those nations who fail to do so get thrown into the dustbin of history.

With the repeated backstabs by China, Pakistan's continuing terror attacks in J&K and an internal security situation where the actions of a combo of Pan-Islamists and Communists are destabilizing the nation, is it time for India to do an analysis of its past blunders and shift gears in terms of its national security vision? Perhaps yes. India has been aware of the nature of the deceptive Dragon since 1962. After Prime Minister Modi came to power, India did take measures to contain China and turned India from an underdog to an equal partner before China. And yet it allowed itself to be lulled into complacence in Galwan valley. Modi did a great job of befriending anti-China powers like Japan and Vietnam, wooing back pro-China powers like Myanmar, opposing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and, lastly, taking an anti-China stand on Covid-related issues.

None can deny that his grand plan to build military and civil infrastructure on the over 3,400-km-long Indo-China border was one of the provocations for the Chinese incursions. But, on the other hand, India revealed a weak spleen after Modi's arrival when it prevented the Dalai Lama from being vocal against China in an attempt to appease the Chinese and, in the end, got deceived as shown by the latest episode. Even when China was opposing the designation of Maulana Masood Azhar as a terrorist by the UN, we chose not to play up Tibet as well as Chinese atrocities against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang .

Series of national security blunders Let's start with a throwback into history. Jahawarlal Nehru's blunders on the national security front, which cost us heavily in the 1962 Indo-China war, were rooted in the 'peacenik' thinking of Gandhiji. Nehru's Panchsheel doctrine, for which India paid a heavy price against China, was a mix of Gandhiji's non-violence and his tilt towards Left ideology. The great visionary of India's national security, Veer Savarkar, had warned in 1954 when Nehru came up with the Panchsheel doctrine, that such kow-towing to China after its aggression in Tibet would whet the Chinese appetite for swallowing land and he won't be surprised if China did that with India itself. He was proved correct eight years later in 1962.

There are more examples of Gandhism's dark shadow over India's national security. Around 1978, an upright leader like Prime Minister Morarji Desai, under the influence of Gandhian ideology, committed the monumental blunder of revealing to the then Pakistan dictator Gen Zia-ul Haq that India had a spy network in Pakistan and that he (Desai) knew about the progress of the Pakistan atom bomb project at Kahuta.

Next, Zia weeded out all of India's moles, set up by a resourceful Indira Gandhi during her tenure as Prime Minister as part of her successful plan to create a great spy network in Pakistan. Zia killed some of them while others managed to flee. Desai also rejected Israel's request for a refueling facility to its fighter jets in India for destroying the Kahuta facility. Interestingly, till Modi's arrival as PM, Indira Gandhi came closest to providing India with a robust national security vision that the country needed but she too demonstrated serious flaws because of the Gandhian streak.

After breaking Pakistan in two in the 1971 war, she failed to settle the POK issue even when India was holding 93,000 Pak jawans as prisoners. On the contrary, in the Shimla agreement with ZA Bhutto, she gave back Pak territories that India had won in the Sindh region in that war. Before that, in the Tashkent Agreement under Lal Bahadur Shastri, India had returned to Pak areas that it had won in the 1965 war.

On the internal security front, India allowed as many as 10,000 foreign Wahabi missionaries of the Tablighi Jamaat to come to India since 2014 to preach an exclusive brand of Islam that turns local Muslims against the idea of nationhood. The Indian security establishment has been aware for years that the Tablighi Jamaat is the biggest Wahabi movement in the world spread over 150 countries and forges the vision of Ummah (World Islamic brotherhood) which militates against the idea of nationalism.

But it is proof of the lack of national security vision of a nationalist government that 10,000 foreign-based Wahabi missionaries were allowed to preach in India in the past six years. The Shaheen Bagh movement was a creation of pan-Islamists or Wahabis who wanted to fix Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for having dealt repeated blows to their plan of Islamising India by winning the Assam and Uttar Pradesh elections and freeing J&K from the clutches of Article 370, besides facilitating a judicial solution of the 500-year-old Ram temple problem. Removal of Article 370 was proof of Modi government's great commitment to issues affecting national security which was just unthinkable in the recent past. It carved the names of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in golden letters in Indian history.

And yet the government, by its actions, allowed the situation to spiral out of hand on the Shaheen Bagh issue in the hope of winning the Delhi polls, thus dwarfing a national security issue before a small state election. A clinical national security vision warranted that the government at the centre woo the non-Wahabis to isolate the Wahabis on the Shaheen Bagh issue. Instead, driven by election fever, the BJP targeted the entire Muslim community, thus uniting the hardliners and the moderates.

Against Pakistan, India -- which is four times the size of Pakistan -- might have taken revenge for Pulwama but it is not able to contain that terror nation even today despite Herculean efforts. Pak-sponsored terror attacks continue in J&K. Yes, on the national security front, India is in a far better position than it was in the past several decades. But, the fact remains that like the previous governments, the Modi government too has failed to impose sufficient cost on Pakistan or China for their transgressions against India like Israel does for hostile Muslim nations. Clearly, there is something wrong with India's security vision and there is an urgent need to fix it, both internally and externally.

(Uday Mahurkar is a senior journalist. The views expressed are those of the author) (To be concluded)
Hyderabad, July 5 : A Royal Bengal tiger at Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) here has died of heart failure, officials said on Sunday.

The 11-year-old male tiger named Kadamba died on Saturday night.

As per the post-mortem report, the cause of death of the animal was shock due to congestive heart failure.

NZP Director N. Kshitija said Kadamba did not show any apparent signs of illness, but was off feed frequently, for the last few days, for which it was under observation of the Zoo veterinarians.

Kadamba was brought to the Zoo from Pilukula Biological Park, Mangaluru in 2014 via animal exchange programme.

Post mortem was conducted by the veterinary expert team headed by Professor Laxman, Head, Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Science.

All the required blood and tissue samples were collected and sent to College of Veterinary Science, Veterinary Biological Research Institute, Shantinagar, and Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), a unit under the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), for further detailed examination.

With the passing away of Kadamba, the Nehru Zoological Park now has 11 Royal Bengal tigers (yellow) - eight adults and three cubs. Three of them -- Roja (21 years), Soni (20 years) and Aparna (19 years) have already surpassed the average lifespan.

The Zoo also has nine Royal Bengal tigers (white) adults.

The Royal Bengal tiger's death came close on the heels of the zoo losing an eight-year-old white tiger due to neoplastic tumour. Kiran succumbed on June 25.

Neoplastic tumour has already claimed the lives of Kiran's father and grandfather, both white tigers, at the same zoo during the last few years.

NZP authorities have approached LaCONES to conduct a study on causes of neoplastic tumour in three generations of white tiger.
New Delhi, July 5 : Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar Chaudhary on Sunday undertook a "Cycle Yatra" from Connaught Place to the residences of all 10 MPs of Delhi, to hand over letters against fuel price hike.

Delhi has 7 lok Sabha MPs, all from the BJP and 3 Rajya Sabha MPs all from the Aam Aadmi Party.

The letter requested the MPs to intervene with their respective governments, to reduce the excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel, to give relief to the citizens of Delhi.

But only Manoj Tiwari of the BJP and Sanjay Singh of the AAP personally took the memorandum from the Delhi Congress Chief.

Anil Kumar said that his "Cycle Yatra" was to highlight the insensitivity of both the BJP and the AAP governments with regard to the increase in the fuel prices, disregarding the plight of the people.

Lashing out at the MPs, Delhi Congress Chief said, "It was unfortunate that barring BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and AAP MP Sanjay Singh, none of the other Members of Parliament came out of their houses to receive the letters." He said, Congress was doing this on behalf of the people of Delhi, and it was indeed very sad that these MPs who got elected by the votes of the citizens of Delhi, did not deem it fit to personally receive the letter.

The Congress has been regularly demanding to reduce the taxes on petrol and diesel but without getting any response. The party hoped that its latest campaign will be an eye-opener for the BJP and the AAP, who would rise above narrow political considerations to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to serve the common interest of the people of Delhi.

The Congress also mounted an aggressive social media campaign -- "Munafakhori_Band_Karo" as the continued hikes in the oil prices for 23 days in June have made the life of the people miserable. The Congress leaders and workers strictly followed the social distancing norms even during their cycle yatra to the residences of the MPs, said the Congress statement.

The Congress said that for the first time in the history of the country, the people of Delhi are being made to pay more for diesel than petrol with the prices going over Rs 80 per litre.

The oil prices include around Rs 32 charged by the central government as excise duty and Rs 18 as VAT by the Delhi Government.
Chennai, July 5 : The Communist Party of India's (CPI) Tamil Nadu unit on Sunday demanded the state police scrap the Friends of Police (FoP) scheme permanently and not for just two months.

In a statement issued here, CPI's state Secretary R. Mutharasan said as per reports, police in Sathankulam police station in Tuticorin district had used the FoP personnel in assaulting P. Jeyaraj and his son J. Bennicks, resulting in their custodial death.

Even at the time of introduction of the FoP, a warning was issued that the scheme would be misused, he said.

Referring to reports of FoP being temporarily banned for two months by the state police, Mutharasan demanded that it be banned permanently.

Tamil Nadu Police has decided to ban FoP from patrolling or any police duty for two months and FoP members may be used for spreading awareness about Covid-19 among people.
RTHK: Tehran in talks with Beijing over pact

Iran has been negotiating a 25-year accord with China and the terms will be announced once a deal is struck, the foreign minister told a stormy session of parliament on Sunday.

"With confidence and conviction, we are negotiating a 25-year strategic accord with China," Iran's top trading partner, Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

During the session, Zarif was heckled by lawmakers, largely over his key role in negotiating a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018 as a prelude to reimposing biting sanctions.

It was his first address to parliament since a new house started work in late May in the wake of elections that were dominated by conservatives and ultra-conservatives.

Zarif insisted there was "nothing secret" about the prospective China deal.

The nation would be informed "when an accord has been concluded", he said, adding that the intention had already been made public in January 2016 when President Xi Jinping visited Tehran.

China is also a key market for Iranian crude exports, which have been severely curtailed by the US sanctions.

The 2015 nuclear deal had given the Islamic republic relief from international sanctions in return for limits on its nuclear programme, but Iranian conservatives staunchly opposed that multilateral agreement, arguing the US could never be trusted.

But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has come out publicly in support of a strategic bilateral partnership with China.

The planned China deal has been a hot topic on Iranian social media since populist ex-president Mahmud Ahmadinejad last month condemned negotiations underway with a foreign country. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-07-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The moderate Islamist party Ennahda will review its stance on Tunisia's coalition government over an alleged conflict of interests involving Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh, the party said on Sunday.

Ennahda gave no details of what action it would consider taking, but sources close to the party said the withdrawal of its seven ministers from the government was among the possible options.

Fakhfakh has rejected accusations of corruption but is under pressure from the opposition to resign after an independent member of parliament published documents last month indicating that companies the prime minister owns shares in had won deals worth 44 million dinars ($15 million) from the state.

Fakhfakh has told parliament he is ready to resign if any violation is proved, but said he had sold his shares in the companies.

"The suspicion of a conflict of interest by the prime minister ... has harmed the image of the governing coalition, and requires a reevaluation of the (party's) position about the government," Ennahda said in a statement.

Ennahda's comments will increase pressure on the fragile government formed in February following an election last September that produced a fractured parliament.

A judge has opened an investigation into the allegations against Fakhfakh, and the anti-corruption minister has assigned a public watchdog to look into the issue and report back within three weeks.

The state anti-corruption commission has said Fakhfakh did not inform it that companies where he has shares had commercial deals with the state. Its head, Chawki Tbib, told parliament the firms' contracts with the state should be cancelled.

Tunisia is trying to put state finances on a sounder footing after years of deficit spending and mounting public debt - issues complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Theres a lot of shell casings inside, Lewis said, according to WYFF. Everything is turned over, there are a few chairs in there, food on the floor, some bottles busted. You can tell somebody left in a hurry. There are some pretty large amounts of blood.
New Delhi, July 5 : India has blocked the Russian portal which was used by banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) for online voter registration for 'Referendum 2020' to demand Khalistan, which seeks a separate homeland for the Sikhs.

Agencies say that the government's move and heavy security arrangements in Punjab turned the much publicised anti-India campaign 'Referendum 2020' a futile exercise. However, the SFJ claimed to have distributed 10,000 voter registration forms throughout the state in a day.

Soon after inputs received that the SFJ launched the 'Referendum 2020' voter registration through the Russian website www.punjabfree.ru, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with the help of concerned departments blocked the site.

While launching the voter registration, the SFJ had appealed to the people in Punjab to register their votes for participation in the non-governmental Punjab Independence campaign. The group appealed to Punjab residents 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 Referendum.

The SFJ chose July 4 to launch the campaign in memory of Sikhs killed during the 1955 attack at Darbar Sahib.

The secessionist group failed to get support for its anti-India effort through the voter registration for Referendum as police vehicles in large numbers and policemen in plain clothes were deployed in Golden Plaza and other areas to foil any attempt disturbing the country's peace and violating law and order, an official said.

In a statement, the secessionist group said its July 4 voter registration received an overwhelming response from people of Punjab forcing the Indian government to block access to the Russian portal in a desperate attempt to stop the registration of votes.

Designated US-based terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had made the voter registration announcement through a video, putting Punjab Police as well as central security agencies in a tizzy.

The SFJ's lead campaigner Pannun was on July 1, 2020 declared a terrorist by the Central government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for trying to revive militancy in Punjab through anti-national activities and involvement in the Khalistan movement.

The Centre had also declared eight others as terrorists too. These are UK-based chief of terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Paramjit Singh and Canada-based chief of Khalistan Tiger Force Hardeep Singh Nijjar are among the nine designated terrorists.

Others designated as terrorists are Germany-based key members of terrorist organisation Khalistan Zindabad Force, Bhupinder Singh Bhinda and Gurmeet Singh Bagga, and Pakistan-based BKI terrorist group chief Wadhawa Singh Babbar, International Sikh Youth Federation chief Lakhbir Singh, Khalistan Zindabad Force chief Ranjeet Singh and Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh.

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. It 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.

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)
Amaravati, July 5 : Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday, reported highest ever one day tally of 998 positive cases. The latest update takes the cumulative tally of Covid-19 cases to 18,697, which include cases detected among returnees from other states and foreign countries.

During the 24 hours ending 9 a.m. on Sunday, the state also witnessed its highest single day death toll of 14 deaths.

A comparatively low number of tests were conducted during this period. Health officials said that compared to the 24,962 tests conducted on Saturday, only 20,567 tests were conducted in the preceding 24 hours. Incidentally, the state crossed the one million mark in testing with 10,17,140 tests conducted till Sunday.

Health officials said that 391 persons were cured and discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 10,043 affected persons are currently being treated in hospitals. The cumulative tally of cured persons now stands at 8,422.

The death toll too rose substantially with 14 deaths reported during the past 24 hours from different parts of the state. The highest number of 5 deaths were reported from Kurnool, followed by 3 deaths in Anantapur, and 2 each from Chittoor and Kadapa districts. Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts also reported 1 death each in the last 24 hours. The death toll in Andhra Pradesh on account of covid now stands at 232.

Guntur reported the highest day tally, with 157 cases detected in the district. This was followed by East Godavari with 118, Kurnool with 97 cases, and Srikakulam with 96 cases. Visakhapatnam with 88 cases and Anantapur with 87 cases are the other districts that reported high numbers on Sunday.

Returnees from Telangana figured prominently among positive cases detected in returnees from other states. Of the 36 new cases that were reported in this category, the high of 26 positive cases belonged to Telangana returnees. On a lesser note, 5 of the Covid positive samples belonged to returnees from Karnataka, and 4 cases from Tamil Nadu. Apart from this, 1 case from Maharashtra was also reported.

Till date, 2,179 persons have tested positive for Covid among the persons who returned from other states.

The active cases tally in Andhra Pradesh is 755, while 1,404 persons have been cured till date.

Of the returnees from other countries, the lone new case was reported from a person with travel history to Kuwait. The cumulative tally of covid patients in this category stands at 416, while 190 persons have been discharged after getting cured. As of Sunday, 226 persons in this category are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Leh, July 5 : Around 40 Indian soldiers who were seriously injured in the violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last month, had been moved for specialized treatment to Chandigarh and New Delhi ten days before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ladakh on Friday.

While 20 Indian soldiers including a Colonel level commander were killed and over 70 Indian soldiers were injured in the violent clash with Chinese troops on June 15. Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Prime Minister Modi during his day-long trip to Ladakh on Friday, visited the injured Indian Army soldiers hospitalised in Leh and gave a short pep talk to them.

The visit however triggered a controversy because in the video released by the TV news media, none of the soldiers appeared injured. The soldiers were seen without any bruises or bandages, sitting on spick and span beds, arranged in rows, in a large conference room rather a hospital ward, triggering speculations among his critics and the opposition that the whole visit was just a stage-managed political gimmick.

However, top sources in Army told IANS that the injured soldiers whom the Prime Minister met were the ones with less critical injuries. They did not include those who were seriously wounded. "Approximately 40 soldiers who had been serious injuries were moved to Chandigarh and New Delhi for specialized treatment, just 10 days ago," a top official source said.

The critical patients had received "upper body" injuries, especially those involving head, which needed special treatment that was not available in Ladakh, sources said. The ones with less critical injuries have been treated and are recovering here in Leh, sources said.

"Besides, the Prime Minister met them almost 20 days after they were wounded. Most of them are in a very good recovery mode," an official said. Another source pointed out that the bruises and injuries below neck and above ankles were invisible because all the injured patients were wearing full length and fully covered garments.

Military sources said that though the injured soldiers who have been shifted out, were critical, most of them will be able to recover and resume their duties soon. "Only in some cases, the recovery may be longer," sources said.

The Chinese troops had used iron rods studded with nails to attack Indian soldiers, indicating that the assault was premeditated. The violent clash on June 15, was the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in which over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.

The June 15 stand-off was preceded by the Chinese aggression, beginning early May in other locations along the LAC in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, as the global sentiment against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime turned negative following the coronavirus pandemic which originated in Wuhan city of Hubei province in China.

However, both the countries remain engaged in talks at various established military mechanisms and through diplomatic channels as well. India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, India's Special Representative is to meet his Chinese counterpart to resolve the crisis along the LAC in Ladakh.
Patna, July 5 : Over two weeks after Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's reported suicide, the demand for a CBI probe to investigate his death is now gaining momentum in his hometown Patna.

Sushant's cousin Neeraj Kumar Singh alias Bablu, a former MLA from Chatapur in Bihar, told IANS that the matter should be investigated by the CBI. He added that Sushant's father K.K. Singh also wants a CBI probe in the case.

Sushant Singh Rajput had reportedly committed suicide onJune 14 at his flat in Bandra, Mumbai. Since then, there have been demands from several quarters that the CBI investigate the matter.

On Friday, a delegation led by Lallan Kumar, a former member of the advisory committee of the Censor Board, met Bihar Governor Fagu Chauhan and requested that the CBI investigate the case.

The memorandum submitted to the Governor by the delegation also urged the state government to name the film city being built in Rajgir after Sushant.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Bhopal, July 5 : Meaty portfolios remain the bone of contention in Madhya Pradesh three days after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expanded his ministry. With the issue remaining unresolved till Sunday evening, Chouhan said he might announce the portfolios on return to Bhopal on Monday.

Chouhan has been shuttling between Bhopal and Delhi for some time - first for the names to be included in the ministry and then, for the portfolios to be shared with the new arrivals from the Congress. He left here again for Delhi on Sunday morning and was still unable to finalise the list.

On July 2, 28 new ministers were inducted in the council of ministers, including 12 from Jyotiraditya Scindia's camp. Of the 22 Congress MLAs who resigned from the Congress to join the BJP, 14 are now in the expanded ministry.

Among those inducted on Thursday, 20 are of cabinet rank and eight are ministers of state. So, while the new inductees are making efforts to bag coveted departments, those in charge of more than one portfolio are trying to retain their favourite ones.

A three-way contest has panned out for key portfolios.

This is playing out between the Congress horde that accounts for 41 per cent of the ministry, the original senior leaders from the BJP who are wondering why they should make sacrifices for the turncoats and the three or four Chouhan supporters, who might end up paying the heaviest price for the adventure of toppling the Congress government.

Chouhan knows full well the BJP's Central leadership is not generously disposed towards him. He is also scheduled to meet Jyotiraditya Scindia in Delhi. Interestingly the RSS has had to intervene in the tussle between the central leaders and Chouhan. The key mediator from RSS is B.L. Santosh.

The Scindia camp had been insisting on getting the departments it held in the Kamal Nath ministry. It is another matter that he kept nagging Kamal Nath all through the 15 months for better departments.

Scindia feels departments that gives his ministers a direct access to the masses would help in winning the by-elections. He wants Rural Development, Panchayats, Women and Child Welfare, Home, Irrigation, Transport, Public Relations, and Food Supplies. out of these, Irrigation is already with his camp follower Tusli Silawat.

The leverage through the Public Relations Department has been the forte of Narottam Mishra in the previous BJP regime. Mishra enjoys greater proximity to the BJP top leadership and would not like to part with the Home and Health portfolios that he has now.

The other key department is Finance. The previous Finance Minister for almost a decade Jayant Malaiyya has lost the elections.

The BJP leaders by now realise they grossly erred in expecting Jyotiraditya Scindia to adapt to their political culture. On the contrary, it is the BJP that seems to have been infected by the Congress bug. Most noticeable change is seen in Scindia's articulation. He resorted to analogies and shrillness and like Shivraj Singh, called himself a tiger ("suno Kamal Nathji. Suno Digvijaya Singhji, tiger abhi zinda hai," he had said in a virtual rally to mark the BJP government's 100 days. The Gwalior scion also compared the senior Congress leaders with birds of prey.

Taking a dig at the delay in finalising the portfolios, the Congress, that had a long history of being controlled by the high command, has said the BJP's Central leadership seems to be keen to run the Madhya Pradesh government.

"Formation of the ministry and allocation of portfolios should normally be the Chief Minister's prerogative. That no longer seems to be the case. The BJP seems to have given up that culture. It took 100 days to finalise the ministry and now the portfolios have remained undecided for nearly four days," party's media coordinator, Narendra Saluja said.
New Delhi, July 5 : Taking a break from upping the ante on the India-China standoff, the Congress, here on Sunday, raised questions over availability and purchase of ventilators through the PM-CARES fund.

"On March 31, the government had placed orders to procure 40,000 ventilators from two domestic manufacturers. Skanray Technologies was given the order for 30,000 ventilators and AgVa Healthcare, 10,000 ventilators.

"Thereafter, the PM-CARES fund allocated Rs 2,000 crore for supply of 50,000 ventilators to the government-run Covid hospitals. Did the 50,000 ventilators ordered through the PM-CARES fund include the earlier order for 40,000 ventilators? Or they are separate," said Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh.

According to the PMO release, only 1,340 ventilators had been delivered till June 23, he said.

Citing the PMO release, he said ventilators were ordered at Rs 400,000 a piece. But at the same time, AgVa Healthcare quoted Rs 150,000 per ventilator.

"When the ventilator is available at Rs 1,50,000 a piece, then why the PM-CARES fund had allocated Rs 4,00,000 per ventilator? Where is this extra money going," the Congress leader demanded to know.

He also asked if the open tendering and competitive bidding process was followed in the placing of orders.

The Congress spokesman said when several government hospitals and panels of experts and doctors had said that ventilators supplied by AgVa Healthcare were sub-standard and of no use, why the government was compromising on health of lakhs of patients by ordering low quality equipment.
New Delhi, July 5 : In a bid to ramp up the medical infrastructure in the fight against Covid-19, the Delhi government on Sunday announced a nearly three-fold increase in the number of ICU beds in LNJP, Rajiv Gandhi and GTB hospitals in the national capital.

The number of ICU beds has increased from 60 to 180 in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, from 45 to 120 in Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, and from 31 to 66 in GTB Hospital by July 5.

This comes as a breather as the Covid tally in tally continues to rise.

Delhi has reported around 97,000 cases so far. However, 68,256 patients have recovered. The recovery rate in Delhi has crossed 70 per cent on July 4, and the number of hospitalised patients has gone down from 6,200 to 5,300.

The Delhi government claimed that the number of vacant Covid beds is around 9,900, which is nearly 65 per cent of total bed capacity in Covid hospitals.

A few days back, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced with adequate bed capacity in Covid hospitals, major efforts are under way to now increase the ICU beds.

"With an increase in the ICU beds, the fatality rate in Delhi is expected to further reduce due to enhanced capacity to take care of critical patients. Over the last few weeks, the daily number of fatalities due to Covid-19 has gone down substantially from over 120 a day to 55 on July 4," the Delhi government said in a statement on Sunday.

Delhi's handling of the pandemic came under sharp criticism from the Supreme Court which branded it as "horrendous", following which the Centre stepped in to bolster its fight against Covid-19.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Thiruvananthapuram, July 5 : Kerala on Sunday witnessed one dead person's Covid-19 test results coming positive and 225 fresh cases. With this the Covid-19 toll reached 25 in the state.

State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said there were 2,228 positive patients and 3,174 people had been cured of the disease. "The number of cases includes 117 who came from abroad and 57 from within the country. 38 were local infectees, 11 defence and BSF personnel and two crew members of a ship," said Shailaja.

At present, 1,80,939 people are in home isolation and corona care centres. There are 153 hot spots in the state.

Meanwhile, Devasom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the state capital district seemed to be sitting on an active volcano. "There has been an increase, but no community spread. All have to strictly follow the Health Department directives," said Surendran.

Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K. Sreekumar said things were getting serious and very soon there would be new strict guidelines without which things would go out of hand.

Given the fresh turn of events, all forms of protests and strikes without permission have been banned in the state capital. If permitted, there should be not more than 10 participants.

The state government is likely to take a call on Monday on the next step, especially in districts like Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, where there has been a spike.
Hyderabad, July 5 : A woman doctor serving at a government-run hospital in Hyderabad alleged that a private hospital charged her Rs 1.15 lakh for one-day treatment of Covid.

Dr Sultana, who is assistant civil surgeon at Fever Hospital, also claimed in her selfie video that the hospital authorities detained her for not paying the bill.

The doctor, who had tested positive for Covid along with her brother and daughter, kept crying throughout the 1.5 minute video which went viral on Sunday.

She said she was admitted to Thumbay Hospital due to shortness of breath. "For one day they are charging Rs 1.15 lakh. I could not pay so much. My brother paid Rs.1.5 lakh. We paid Rs 1.9 lakh cumulatively," said the doctor.

She alleged that the hospital authorities were not discharging her and not behaving properly.

"They gave me insulin but denied me the food after that. They are also making false allegations against us," Dr Sultana said.

"How can we be so cruel to a doctor and a COVID warrior herself and detain her for non-payment of bill," asked Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leader Amjedullah Khan in a tweet directed at Health Minister E. Rajender.

Police said they had not received any complaint. The police found that the doctor left the hospital early on Sunday.

The incident occurred amid complaints by many Covid patients that private hospitals were charging them heavily and not following the tariff fixed by the state government.

According to Khan, a private hospital refused to handover the body of a patient who died of Covid to his relatives due to non-payment of Rs 5.22 lakh. The family had already paid Rs 5.30 lakh.

Meanwhile, Fever Hospital Superintendent K. Shankar said Sultana tested positive two days ago during screening of the staff at the hospital. He said the doctor approached the private hospital without informing them. He said they could have made better arrangements for her treatment.

Health Department officials said they had taken note of the doctor's complaint and were making necessary arrangements for the treatment.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Los Angeles, July 5 : Musician Ryan Adams has apologised to the women, including his former wife Mandy Moore, who accused him of emotional abuse and sexual misconduct over a year ago.

"There are no words to express how bad I feel about the ways I've mistreated people throughout my life and career," Adams wrote, reports usmagazine.com.

"All I can say is that I'm sorry. It's that simple. This period of isolation and reflection made me realise that I needed to make significant changes in my life." He said that some people will think this is "the same empty bulls*** apology that I've always used when I was called out, but he insisted that "this time it is different".

"No amount of growth will ever take away the suffering I had caused," he continued.

"I will never be off the hook and I am fully accountable for my harmful behaviour, and will be for my actions moving forward." Adams added that he has worked hard to remain sober and has channelled his emotions into making new music.

"Some of these songs are angry, many are sad but most of them are about the lessons I've learned over the last few years," he wrote.

"Those ones are an expression of my deepest remorse. I hope that the people I've hurt will heal. And I hope that they will find a way to forgive me." Moore and six other women had accused Adams of emotional abuse and sexual misconduct in February 2019.

Moore had claimed that her ex-husband was psychologically abusive and manipulated her career by never recording her songs and booking her studio time just to replace her with other female artistes.

"His controlling behaviour essentially did block my ability to make new connections in the industry during a very pivotal and potentially lucrative time - my entire mid-to-late 20s," she wrote.

Moore and Adams were married from 2009 to 2016.

Other women alleged that Adams would turn offers to help their careers into sexual advances.
The North has also aired grievances with the U.S., and analysts say the rogue state may be timing its bombastic moves with the upcoming presidential election and the recent period of domestic unrest in America.
Guwahati, July 5 : With a massive rise of Covid-19 cases, Assam's main city of Guwahati has entered a "real pandemic phase" with community transmission being witnessed, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday.

"In just eleven days, the coronavirus positive cases in the Kamrup (Metro) district jumped to 2,741 from a mere 63. State's main commercial city Guwahati, which falls in the district, formally entered into the real pandemic stage," Sarma told the media.

The Assam government enforced a "complete lockdown" in the Kamrup (Metro) district for 14 days since June 28 midnight to check the spread of the disease.

According to the minister, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Assam climbed to 11,001 with active cases at 4,241, 6,743 people having recovered, three cases having migrated to other states and 14 people, including a 16-year-old girl having died.

Sarma said that of 100 samples tested in Guwahati, 30 were found to be positive.

"On Saturday alone, Guwahati reported a total of 777 Covid-19 cases, the biggest single-day spike in the city so far." Saying that it was time for all to be extra vigilant as the community transmission of the virus was witnessed, the minister has indicated that the 14-day lockdown in the Kamrup (Metro) district is likely to be extended for one more week and the situation would be reviewed on Wednesday.

He said that so far over 4.55 lakh samples were tested in Assam and the state is in among the leading positions in testing ratio in the country, as shown by NITI Aayog statistics.

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said in a tweet on Saturday said that among the major states in the country, Delhi topped in per million tests with 32,863, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 18,597 tests, Tamil Nadu with 16,663 and Assam with 13,471.

Claiming that Assam's recovery rate is 61.29 per cent, the Health Minister said that the state's doubling rate is 13 days.

"Plasma bank has started in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). A doctor, who was recently recovered from the dreaded disease, first donated the plasma. The experimental Covid-19 drug Remdesivir has been administered on four patients and they are well," he added.

Announcing some relaxations in the lockdown in the Kamrup (Metro) district, Sarma said that standalone grocery shop would remain open for certain times but strict health and hygiene care must be maintained.

Criticising the politically motivated campaign and spread of misinformation by a section of media and social media against COVID-19 treatment, he said that these unscientific campaigns would affect the morale of the frontline workers and create panic among the people.

Sarma, who on Saturday donned a PPE kit and visited the ICU ward at the GMCH to inquire about the health of critical Covid patients, requested media persons to visit the hospital and medical colleges to see the treatment themselves before giving "any misleading information".

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, July 5 : The Delhi High Court has sought response from the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) on a petition against the suspension of SCBA Secretary Ashok Arora.

A single judge bench of Justice Mukta Gupta, while slating the matter for further hearing on August 6, issued summons in the suit and notice on the application filed by Arora seeking to stay the resolution passed by the SCBA's Executive Committee.

While senior advocate Rajiv Nayar and Arvind Nigam represented the SCBA, advocate Rajdipa Behura appeared for the BCI.

In May, the SCBA's Executive Committee suspended Arora from its Secretary's post with immediate effect in a meeting held online.

The decision was taken a day after Arora had called an emergent general meeting (EGM) of the lawyers' body on May 11 to deliberate on the removal of senior advocate Dushyant Dave from the post of SCBA President.

The EGM was cancelled by the EC and a three-member panel set up to examine the allegations levelled against Arora, said a senior official of the SCBA. The decision of the EC to suspend Arora was taken by the majority, and Dave abstained from voting.

The friction emerged among the top office-bearers in the SCBA over the statement made by Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Mishra on February 22, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi at International Judicial Conference-2020.

On February 25, Dave had issued a "resolution", allegedly signed by several members of the SCBA expressing anguish over Justice Mishra's statements. Arora had claimed that no resolution was passed, as he did not sign the statement released to the media.

"The SCBA believes that the independence of the judiciary is the basic structure under the Constitution of India and that such independence be preserved in letter and spirit," the resolution had said.
New Delhi, July 5 : National carrier Air India will operate 36 flights between India and the US under the Vande Bharat mission from July 11 to July 19.

In a tweet on Sunday, the airline said: "Tickets may be booked through Air India website only effective 2000 hours (IST) on 6th July 2020, equivalent to New York (EDT 1030 hrs of 6th July 2020), Chicago (CDT 0930 hrs of 6th July 2020) & San Francisco (PDT 0730 hrs of 6th July 2020).

In June the US Department of Transportation (DoT) had said that it would restrict charter flights from India, accusing New Delhi of engaging in "discriminatory and restrictive practices".

Following the announcement, the Civil Aviation Ministry said that it has received requests from several countries, including the US, France and Germany for allowing their air carriers to participate in the transportation of passengers along the line being conducted by Air India under the Vande Bharat Mission and that the ministry is examining the requests.

Air India and domestic private carriers are allowed to operate flights under the programme which has pre-fixed ticket charges.

The fourth phase of Vande Bharat Mission began on July 3 to bring back Indian stranded abroad amid the pandemic.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, July 5 : The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned India of major locusts attacks in the coming days, following which the government has intensified its efforts to tackle the menace. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said on Sunday that a new dimension has been added by using helicopters in the locust control operations.

According to information, helicopters were used to spray chemicals in the 65 RD Banda area of Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, for the first time on Saturday to control the insect swarms.

The FAO, in its July 3 report, had stated that breeding of locusts in the India-Pakistan border areas has already begun. This will create large number of locusts in July and will emerge as a manjor threat by mid-August.

According to the FAO, some of the many swarms of locusts that originated in the spring season at the Indo-Pak border have reached eastern and northern states of India before monsoon and some groups have even reached Nepal now.

According to the forecasts by FAO, with the onset of monsoon, this group of locusts will return to Rajasthan and join other groups of locusts coming from Iran and Pakistan. They are likely to be reunited with a group of locusts coming from the Horn of Africa around mid-July.

The Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement that from April 11 to July 3, the work to control the locust attack was completed in 1,35,207 hectares by Local Circle Offices (LCOs) in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Apart from this, locust control operations were carried out on July 3-4 by the LCOs at 25 locations in six districts of Rajasthan -- Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, and Dausa, and two locations in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, there has been no significant damage to crops in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana, but in some districts of Rajasthan, some damage to crops has been reported.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Comparing car insurance quotes will help drivers identify the best deals on the market. Always compare prices every six months, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com has released a new blog post that explains how to compare car insurance quotes online in a simple and efficient manner!

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Online car insurance quotes present the average price for a driver having certain characteristics: age, gender, car make and model, driving experience, and coverage options. Clients can get quotes from a single website, http://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com, and compare prices side by side.

However, there are certain rules to follow when it comes down to comparing online quotes:



Always use the same info when getting quotes. This rule is made to ensure compatibility. Comparing quotes for different policies, different coverage levels, and different extra services is useless. The price difference is justified by the different parameters.

Being honest is recommended when filling in the form. Sure, by lying or not providing the correct info, the client will get better prices online. But when the real negotiations start, the client will be closely analyzed by the insurance representatives. And the final price will be totally different from the ones obtained online.

Have important documents nearby when getting quotes. This will ensure that the data provided is correct. When checking prices online, make sure to have documents about cars make and model, driving license, and a driving reports.

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VINCENNES, Ind. and WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue Universitys Davidson School of Chemical Engineering and the Purdue Research Foundation are partnering with The Pantheon Business and Innovation Theatre, investing Purdue talent and resources in a new entrepreneurial and commercialization initiative in the heart of Knox County in southwest Indiana.

The innovative agreement will place graduate alumni from chemical engineering with undergraduate interns in the Pantheon to commercialize Purdue technology with established corporations or newly formed startups.

The Pantheon is thrilled that Purdue is investing its expertise, resources, and confidence into our business and entrepreneurial community, said Nichole Like, executive director of the Pantheon. This partnership connects Knox County with a network of talented professionals in the commercialization space. 

This new commercialization initiative in Knox County is the latest development by the Purdue Research Foundation to support entrepreneurship in the southern and southwestern parts of Indiana. Professionals from Purdue Foundry, WestGate, help Purdue and regional innovators create startups. The Purdue Foundry, WestGate, manages the WestGate Academy at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park.

The leadership in Vincennes has been extraordinary and is making Knox County an attractive place to grow a business, said Jason Salstrom, director of Purdue@WestGate. This is an incredible opportunity for our alumni to work with and mentor undergraduate interns to help in moving Purdue technology to the marketplace.

In 2020, the IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents.

The Davidson School of Chemical Engineering is looking forward to this unique collaboration with the Pantheon, said Sangtae Kim, the Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Head of Chemical Engineering. We are happy to honor the entrepreneurial spirit of our alumni, most notably the late Robert T. Henson with the Robert T. Henson Scholar program that places our students in summer internships and co-op experiences at the Pantheon. This is at the forefront of the exciting intersection of ag-tech innovation with the land-grant university mission.

The partnership between Pantheon, Purdue and the Purdue Research Foundation has already received support from local and state leaders.

The partnership between the Pantheon and Purdue plugs Vincennes into an innovation and entrepreneurial network that is opening up economic opportunities for our rural city, said Brian Grove, a Vincennes city councilman.

Bob Lechner, a Knox County councilman, said, The Pantheon and Purdue collaboration is a confident step toward Knox County developing a more diverse and vibrant 21st century economy.

About Purdue Research Foundation

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park, Purdue Technology Centers and University Development Office. In 2020, the IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The foundation received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org

Sources: Jason Salstrom, jdsalstrom@prf.org

Sangtae Kim, kim55@purdue.edu
While some celebrated Independence Day with fireworks at home, other Greater Lafayette residents protested racial injustice at the Tippecanoe 
Foothills Forum is an independent, community-supported nonprofit tackling the need for in-depth research and reporting on Rappahannock County issues.

The group has an agreement with Rappahannock Media, owner of the Rappahannock News, to present this series and other award-winning reporting projects. More at foothills-forum.org.
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12 musicians, five bands inducted into Berks Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Witnesses at the protest reported seeing counter-protesters, believed to be associated with the Proud Boys, a hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, flash the sign throughout the protest. Other far-right groups were counter-protesting as well.
@benhasty on Twitter

I am a photojournalist for the Reading Eagle, creating photos and videos to tell the stories of Berks County. I write the Focus newsletter, where I talk about the backstory of my photos. You can signup here: https://www.readingeagle.com/email_signup/
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I explore how our lives are shaped by our relationship to the land, water and air. Have a question you want me to answer? Email me.
American health officials are beginning to warn of a second wave of COVID-19, and its expected to come at a time when many of the consumer protections that the state and federal governments have implemented  like unemployment and bill relief  are nearing expiration. This news has understandably left many U.S. families wondering how they will manage to afford their day-to-day household expenses in the weeks and months ahead.

Among the biggest worries for low-income families is paying for their utility bills. Energy costs already consume more than 25-percent of the countrys poorest families after-tax incomes. The financial pressure typically caused by monthly energy bills will only worsen as many households continue to use more water and electricity than usual in this new stay-at-home economy.



Thankfully, additional relief is on the way. As some states continue to pass more temporary energy relief measures, Chairman Neil Chatterjee and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are working through this pandemic on a more permanent fix for American families.

One of FERCs top current priorities is reforming an outdated law from 1978 called the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). Rep. Mike Walberg (R-Michigan) and other Members of Congress have long recognized that PURPA reform will go a long ways toward bringing down utility bills. They released a bill last year to provide the law with a sweeping 21st-century update, and now FERC is preparing to adopt critical components of their reform plan in short order.

PURPA requires all utility companies to buy energy from renewable generators under long-term purchase agreements, which sometimes last as long as 20 years. Were these restrictive purchase agreements effective at the time? Research suggests that in the aftermath of the national oil crisis of the 1970s, this federal policy may have helped in kindling energy competition that kept costs low and ensured a steady domestic oil supply. Nevertheless, Congressman Walberg is right in that energy markets have changed significantly over the last 40 years, and many challenges of that era no longer exist.

Nearly 20-percent of electricity generation in the U.S. now comes from renewable sources, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration even forecasts that renewables will become the most common source of electricity in the U.S. by 2050. But despite these new industry dynamics and the rapid speed of renewable innovation in the 21st century, PURPA's mandates still exist in full force as if we are still in the 1970s.

Rather than preventing energy shortages, PURPA's long-term renewable energy contract obligations are now making utilities overpay for energy and forcing them to purchase power they don't need. A study from Concentric Energy Advisors found that its outdated mandates raised the cost of energy by at least $2.7 billion from 2013 to 2019. Large portions of these overpayments have been passed into consumers' utility bills, meaning added household costs on you and me.

While the pandemic's stay at home orders may have spiked Americans' energy usage at home, it's PURPA's outdated mandates that raise the cost of energy by as much as $216 million per year. FERC Chairman Chatterjee's PURPA reform efforts will allow ratepayers to finally receive fair-priced power no matter how much utility usage they require. The agencys hard work will ensure that this primary input for nearly every good and service remains at cost during this pandemic and the years that follow it, and it will help incite economic growth at this time of great need when we can all use it most.
A Tribute to Our Forefathers & to Our Freedom

Keystone, South Dakota 8:50 P.M. MDT THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. And Governor Noem, Secretary Bernhardt -- very much appreciate it -- membe
WASHINGTON -- How is a Joe Biden press conference different from a Donald Trump press conference? Actually, the opposing candidates' pressers have much in common, judging by Biden's session with political reporters Tuesday, his first press conference in 89 days.

Most of the questions were about Trump.

Many of the questions were about Russia and a recent New York Times report, challenged as unverified by the White House, that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban for killing U.S. troops.

Somehow, the most damning reports about Biden never came up.

The public learned nothing from Biden's responses on the Trump/Russia/Taliban story. The press didn't even learn what Biden would do about what Trump might have done, had he been briefed. (Yes, two reporters couched their questions to Biden about Trump and Russia by saying "if" the stories were true.)

The exercise didn't exactly make my profession seem fair or remotely interested in any story that does not confirm the pack's biases.

Last month saw the release of a handwritten note by fired FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok on a Jan. 5, 2017 meeting between President Barack Obama, Biden, then-FBI Director James Comey and others about an FBI probe into possible collusion between Moscow the 2016 Trump campaign.

According to the note, Biden suggested that Justice Department officials might investigate Mike Flynn, Trump's designated national security adviser, for allegedly violating the Logan Act -- a little-known 1799 law that bans unauthorized Americans from talking to foreign adversaries and never has been used successfully to prosecute anyone -- during Flynn's talks with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn supporters see the note as proof that Obama and Biden actively pushed for the probe.

And Biden seems evasive when he talks about the matter.

In May, the former vice president told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he knew "nothing about these moves to investigate Michael Flynn." When Stephanopoulos reminded Biden that he had sat in on the Jan. 5 meeting on Flynn, Biden responded that he thought Stephanopoulos, "asked me whether or not I had anything to do with him being prosecuted," which doesn't quite make sense. Biden then said, "I was aware that they asked about an investigation."

So did any of the reporters in Tuesday's press briefing ask Biden if he recommended that federal investigators look into whether Flynn violated the Logan Act? No, they were too busy asking questions on the same topic without getting a good answer.

I reached out to Flynn attorney Sidney Powell to get her take on Biden meeting the press and the big papers' failure to cover her court victories as reason to believe the Russia probe was flawed from the start.

"The media outlets are not covering the truth in the Flynn case or anything else because it will expose many powerful Democrats including Obama in the greatest and criminal abuse of power in the history of our Republic," Powell responded in an email. "There are trillions of dollars at stake in the global Corruption they have created and enjoy.

"President Trump putting America and the American worker first jeopardizes and reduces their power and wealth. People must try to watch Biden and think for themselves. That the Left is even willing to put him forth as the candidate is terrifying. He's a shell."

I don't see the news media's soft treatment of Biden as part of a corrupt conspiracy, but I understand why Powell does.

The large media outlets only know how to look at the Flynn story one way. Flynn was the first casualty of the FBI's Russia probe, and he pleaded guilty twice before he pleaded not guilty. So they can ignore special counsel Robert Mueller's failure to uncover coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. And they are noseblind when Flynn's defense attorney forces the release of exculpatory evidence, which the feds had not disclosed.

Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary to President George W. Bush, tweeted: "What wasn't asked: 1) Anything about Biden's role in authorizing surveillance against the Trump campaign 2) Do blue lives matter? 3) Should CHOP in Seattle never have been allowed? 4) will you prosecute those who destroy statues? 5?) Should NYPD be cut $1 billion?"

These are questions that could inform voters -- and they are left on the cutting room floor in favor of "if true" journalism.

Asking smart questions is not easy. Not every question will hit the mark. And it's not wrong to ask a softball question that elicits clarity on an issue. But asking the same questions to provoke nonanswers to an "if true" story -- we can do better than that.

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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, Gettysburg Borough Police Chief Robert Glenny Jr. wrote.
After almost a year of study, public meetings, and deliberations, the State Departments Commission on Unalienable Rights is readying a report for public release. Worries abound on Capitol Hill, in the universities, and among NGOs. The most extravagant of the concerns is that by complying with Secretary Pompeos mandate -- to ground Americas commitment to the promotion of human rights not only in the United States international obligations but also in the nations founding principles -- the commissions report will play into the hands of autocratic powers. The commissions work, the critics charge, will embolden the likes of Iran, Russia, and China to redouble their appeal to their own traditions to further crush human rights.

Never mind the silly supposition that U.S. reflections on the nations founding principles will inspire the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, and the Peoples Republic of China to show even greater disdain for human rights or to devise cleverer arguments for defying their obligations under international law.

Beyond naive assumptions about the ways of autocracy, the politicians, professors, and activists demonstrate confusion about the logic of Americas 1776 Declaration of Independence and about the assumptions undergirding the United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Failing to distinguish between autocratic regimes and the people over whom they rule, these experts also exhibit a regrettable moral condescension toward other nations and traditions, a condescension quite at odds with the spirit -- both optimistic and realistic -- that informs both the American founding and the UDHRs drafting and approval.

Start with the common conviction, voiced by many advocates of human rights as well as by numerous proponents of the prerogatives of free and sovereign nation-states, that human rights and national sovereignty are inherently at odds: Whereas human rights make universal claims, national sovereignty is rooted in a preference for ones own and devotion to the beliefs and practices of a specific people.

So, by the logic of both camps, one must choose. You can espouse universal principles. Or you can champion particular traditions. But you cannot coherently do both. This is a false choice, though, because a variety of beliefs and practices can support a common set of universal principles.

Yes, its true that a preference for ones own national traditions can be used as an excuse for majorities to oppress minorities  as it can for large nation-states to bully small nation-states. For these reasons, many human rights advocates condemn nationalism itself as inevitably unjust. Meanwhile, because the idea of universal human rights establishes a common standard for judging all nations and can be used to justify outside interference in a sovereign nation-states internal affairs, nationalisms proponents portray human rights as a Trojan Horse that empowers globe-trotting diplomats, international bureaucrats, transnational judges  and sometimes coalitions of foreign troops -- to impose one-size-fits-all rules on diverse nations.

But just as hard cases make bad law, focusing on the excesses to which principles can be taken distorts policy.

Instead of viewing human rights and national traditions as mutually exclusive, the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights assume the fundamental importance of both. The drafters and signers of each of these seminal documents believed that universal principles counsel respect for national traditions, and that in their diverse ways national traditions were capable of nourishing respect for universal human rights.

Accordingly, the American Declaration and the Universal Declaration both affirm the freedom and equality of all human beings. They share the belief that nation-states with their many and varied traditions are the principal political unit for securing the rights inhering in all persons. And they are inspired by the confidence that nations embodying diverse cultures and religions can, relying on their own traditions, grasp and embrace a limited number of universal principles applicable to people everywhere.

The U.S. Declaration of Independence did not insist that the principles that Americans hold as self-evident and which justified their break with Britain were in 1776 self-evident to all nations. Americas founders were grateful to the specific traditions -- Biblical faith, classical political thought, and the modern tradition of freedom -- that combined to form their distinctive national spirit. This inheritance trained their sight on universal principles notwithstanding the numerous ways, beginning with slavery, that Americans violated them.

At the same time, the Founders regarded as applicable to all nations the fundamental moral and political principles that the Declaration sets forth: that human beings are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness; that the purpose of government is to secure these rights; that governments legitimate powers derive from the consent of the governed; and that when government systematically and resolutely violates the peoples rights, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.

In October 1787, a month after the Philadelphia convention sent the new charter of government to the states for ratification, Alexander Hamilton published the first installment of The Federalist. He argued that the fate of the Constitution, which sought to secure the unalienable rights the Declaration proclaimed, was pertinent to other peoples as a test of the proposition that human beings were capable of founding a nation-state grounded in universal principles. It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force, Hamilton wrote. If there be any truth in the remark, the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.

Like the Declaration of Independence, the UDHR was unprecedented. Never before had representatives from nations around the world drafted and formally agreed to a document that identified a core set of rights to serve as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.

Yet far from presupposing that passage in the United Nations would herald the advent of a transnational governing framework, the UDHR is based on the assumption that distinct peoples and nations would shoulder the primary responsibility for honoring its universal principles. The drafters envisaged nations representing the worlds civilizations turning to moral, political, philosophical, and religious sources from within their particular traditions to affirm the UDHRs core principles.

To assess the prospects for such convergence, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) commissioned in 1947 a symposium comprising thinkers from around the world to address the relation between universal rights and national traditions. The essays published in 1948, under the title Human Rights: Comments and Interpretations, wrestled with the ultimate foundations of human rights and the diversity of cultures and nations, including essays directly discussing the Chinese, Islamic, and Hindu traditions.

In the documents introduction, distinguished French Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain stressed that while it was reasonable to hope that the nations of the world could recognize in common a set of basic human rights, it was unreasonable to expect agreement about the ultimate foundations of such rights. On the one hand, people were apprehending today more clearly than heretofore, though still very imperfectly, a certain number of practical truths about their life together, on which they can reach agreement. On the other hand, these practical truths, in the thought of the different groups, derive, according to types of mind, philosophic and religious traditions, areas of civilization and historical experience, from widely different, and even absolutely opposed, theoretical concepts.

The proper response, argued Maritain, was not to suppress that diversity, but to invite the nations of the world to discover within their traditions their own ways of arguing for the UDHRs basic rights, starting with the cornerstone conviction set forth in Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

The contribution to the UNESCO symposium from West-China University professor Chung-Shu Lo is especially instructive. In Human Rights in the Chinese Tradition, he emphasized that the problem of human rights was seldom discussed by Chinese thinkers of the past, or at least in the same way as it was in the West. To underscore the challenge of understanding across cultures, Lo observed that the accepted translation into Chinese of rights involves two words Chuan Li, which literally means power and interest.

At the same time, Lo called attention to the continuities in human rights thinking between China and the West. The translation challenge of course does not mean that the Chinese never claimed human rights or enjoyed the basic rights of man, he wrote. In fact, the idea of human rights developed very early in China, and the right of the people to revolt against oppressive rulers was very clearly established.

To the extent that the Commission on Unalienable Rights honors Secretary Pompeos mandate, we will give not only fellow citizens but friends of freedom elsewhere a contemporary example of drawing on ones own traditions to affirm the rights all human beings share.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee to Floyds neck, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, is still in police custody, but could be released if he posts his on $1.25 million bail.
Source:

Edited By:

July 05, 2020 10:57 IST

Members of an NGO, 'Neighbourhood Woof', were allegedly assaulted by some residents of Rani Bagh while they were catching stray dogs in the area, police said on Saturday.

Four NGO members, including a woman, had come to the area to catch stray dogs on Friday night when a heated argument broke out between them and the locals, leading to a scuffle, they said.

Three locals sustained minor injuries after being hit by the car of the NGO members while they were trying to leave the area, police said.



The four NGO members and the three residents of Rani Bagh were taken to separate hospitals for medical examination, they said.



A case was registered under sections 323(punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) , 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation)and 427 of the IPC against some residents of the area on the basis of a complaint lodged by the woman, police said, adding that investigation was underway.



DCW chief Swati Maliwal tweeted, "Its so shameful that a girl who has been working for the voiceless creatures of god was assaulted so brutally! DCW team was in constant touch with her and an FIR has finally been registered. We will ensure strongest action."
Source:

Edited By:

Last updated on: July 06, 2020 08:15 IST

When Kaushalendra Pratap Singh joined the police team to arrest Vikas Dubey in Kanpur's Bikru village, neither him nor any of his colleagues had anticipated that they would face an 'encounter-like' situation and walked into the trap laid by the notorious gangster at his mansion.

IMAGE: Police personnel during a search operation near the residence of main accused in the Kanpur encounter case, Vikas Dubey, in Kanpur, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Speaking to reporters, the station officer of Bithoor police station in Kanpur district who was injured in the savage attack in which eight policemen were killed, recalled the events of the intervening night of Thursday-Friday that unfolded like a gangster film.

"Dubey's men were fully prepared. Each of them had weapons. They were using semi-automatic weapons. In single shot weapons there is a time gap between two shots," he said, adding that there were at least 15-20 people firing at the police team.

"On the other hand, all of us did not have 'aslaahaa' (arms and ammunition)," Singh told media persons from the private hospital in Kanpur where he is currently recuperating.

The SO said Dubey's gang had been briefed about the imminent police raid and made preparations, even arranging the lighting in such a manner that the policemen had to 'face darkness'.

"They had made arrangements in such a way that the focus of the light was on us, and not on them. We could not see them," Singh said.

SEE: Survivor cop recalls the incident

The SO went on to say that his police station had received a phone call and was asked to accompany a raid team from the Chaubeypur police station.

"In the matters of neighbouring police stations, we help each other. We left at around 12.30 am and joined SO Chaubeypur.

"The police team which had gone there comprised Circle Officer Bilhaur, SO Shivrajpur and police force from Bithoor and Chaubeypur police stations.

"We parked our vehicles almost 200-250 metres from Dubey's house."

He said when they reached outside Dubey's house, a JCB was placed as an obstruction in such a way that only one person could move to the other side.

"As soon as we crossed the JCB parked near his house, a spray of bullets was unleashed on us. Three persons first got bullet injuries and the rest of us got scattered. Everyone tried to hide wherever they could manage to," he said.

"We had gone there not anticipating that an encounter-like situation would emerge," he added.

Singh said there were two constables along with him and one of them, Ajay Sengar, got a bullet injury in his stomach.

"To save him, we took shelter behind a trolley there and gave cover fire," Singh said and added that he fired 4-5 rounds from his pistol.

He said it was difficult for him to ascertain how the bullet hit him as 'indiscriminate firing' was going on.

He also said he came to know later when he saw visuals of the attack on social media that the firing was going on from three sides and that at the place where Circle Officer, Bilhaur, was hiding, firing was done from right above him.

To a specific question on Vinay Tiwari, station officer of Chaubeypur police station who was suspended on Saturday, allegedly deliberately lagging behind the police team, Singh said, "It is wrong to say so, as we were moving in a single line."

The eight policemen killed in the line of duty, mostly in their 20s and 30s, included Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra, 54.

The others are Mahesh Kumar Yadav, 42, Sub-Inspector Anoop Kumar Singh, 32, Sub-Inspector Nebu Lal, 48, and Constables Jitendra Pal, 26, Sultan Singh, 34, Bablu Kumar, 23, and Rahul Kumar, 24.

Their bodies were taken back to their homes where senior police officers attended their last rites.

Seven others, including a civilian, were injured in the attack that took place in the in the early hours of Friday.

The injured civilian is a helper of SO Chaubeypur, Singh said.

Allegations had earlier surfaced against Vinay Tiwari, Station Officer of Chaubeypur police station in whose jurisdiction the incident took place, following which he was suspended on Saturday.

It was alleged that Tiwari had alerted Dubey that a police team was on the way to his house to arrest him, following which the gangster and his men attacked the police personnel resulting in the slaying of eight of them.
Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly answers questions from reporters following a meeting with legislative leaders about budget issues on June 26, 2020. A weekly Kansas newspaper whose publisher is a county Republican Party chairman posted a cartoon on its Facebook page likening the Democratic governors order requiring people to wear masks in public to the roundup and murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. (John Hanna/AP Photo)
Beckley, WV (25801)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
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
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.
Biden now holds a gaping lead of nearly 10% in polls over Trump. But if the race tightens as some analysts predict, even the loss of a relatively small number of young voters to West could make a difference in critical swing states like Arizona and Wisconsin.
After two Malinois dogs became members of it's canine squad 15 days back, West Bengal forest department on Sunday inducted a German Shepherd for anti- poaching operations, an official said.

The recruit, Sweetie, became the third member in the dog squad deployed to track poaching and related crimes in Buxa Tiger Reserve in North Bengal.

Chief Wildlife Warden Ravikant Sinha said the two other dog squad members of Buxa Tiger Reserve were Sylvie, also a German Shepherd, and Karim, a Malinois.

Sweetie also became the 10th member of the West Bengal forest departments dog squad.

Earlier on June 20, two dogs of Malinois breed - Orlando and Shyana - were deployed at Gorumara in North Bengal and Sunderbans in South Bengal respectively.

The deployment of the dogs came following reports of poaching and trafficking of body parts of wild animals. The canines have also been trained to find out hidden firearms by poachers.
Trade between India and Bangladesh through the Petrapole-Benapole border in West Bengal resumed on Sunday after the state government opened the border for Bangladeshi lorries three months following its closure due to COVID-19, officials here said. Officials said the cross-border truck movements began at 2 on Sunday afternoon.

India had allowed export of goods from Petrapole, the largest land border port with Bangladesh, on June 7. But the West Bengal government was 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. As a result, consignments were halted at land borders "Finally, the West Bengal authority opened the border for Bangladeshi lorries this afternoon as we sent an emergency letter to New Delhi on Friday seeking the central government's intervention," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said.

Momen said Bangladesh continued to allow Indian trucks inside its territory through the Petrapole- Benapole land port, "but the West Bengal authority refused to reciprocate" for the past three months in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The minister said the denial of West Bengal eventually prompted his office to seek New Delhi's intervention on the issue.

Officials at Benapole Port said the West Bengal government debarred entry of Bangladeshi trucks since March 23, while the cross-border trading witnessed a virtual standoff on Wednesday when Bangladesh side also declined Indian trucks entry through the land border as a mark of protest.

Benapole-Petrapole land port accounts for 70 per cent of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) on Friday also sought intervention of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to resolve the stand-off. The exporters raised serious concerns over halting of consignments at the West Bengal-Bangladesh land border saying if the stalemate continues, it would impact the bilateral trade.

Meanwhile, the trade between Bangladesh and India remained unhindered through Akhaura point bordering Tripura. 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.

Image credits: wikipedia
Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor, Mamidala Jagadeesh Kumar on Sunday urged the varsity faculty and students to participate in huge numbers in the digital India Atmanirbhar Bharat App innovation challenge. The said challange has been launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in partnership with Niti Aayog's Atal innovation mission.

Professor Kumar's pitch comes after the Central government led by Prime Minister Narender Modi banned 59 Chinese apps in a bid to aid and build a concrete ecosystem for Indian apps and fulfil the vision of a digitally independent India.

READ | Survey: Over 40% JNU Students Couldnt Attend Online Classes During Lockdown

Through the letter Professor Kumar called faculty and students to pitch in innovative ideas through the recently launched Atal incubation center in the University which aims to promote start ups that have the potential to impact the core sector of economy.

"Time has come for us as a country to be innovative and take up challenge of making India self reliant in the digital world. You may know that India contributes to 75% of global digital talent pool. Take advantage of the impetus provided by the government through its research supportive schemes JNU is now focussing translated reasrch and technology transfer. Let us use our expertise in the University and the new opportunities provided to you by the university in the form of AIC-JNUFI to rise to the occasion in making India self reliant. I would like to specifically bring your notice of Atam Nirbhar Bharat innovative challenge thrown to all of us. The challenge is to develop Indian categories such as social networking, E-learning and games etc,'' the letter read.

READ | JNU VC Lauds Govt's 59 Chinese Apps-ban; Calls For Swadeshi Investments In Indian Startups

"This is a great opportunity for the faculty members and students at JNU to showcase their talent in developing Indian apps and contribute to the national apps" it added.

Niti Aayog earlier this year in March had approved a financial support of Rupees 9.99 crores for a five year period to back the JNUFI as Atal Incubation Center (AIC-JNUFI) under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

The AIC-JNUFI offers tech support and guidance via its academic experts and mentors.

READ | 59 Chinese Apps-ban 'a Digital Strike': IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Eyes Opportunity
The Indian Coast Guard on Sunday coordinated a "daunting rescue" of six Sri Lankan fishermen who were stranded and adrift at sea off Chennai for four days due to rough weather.



ICG's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Chennai successfully coordinated the rescue operation this morning "amidst rough seas and a merchant vessel, MV YM Summit undertook the daunting rescue task."



A Coast Guard release here said the ship was on its way to Visakhapatnam when it sighted a capsized fishing boat with six survivors atop, approximately 170 nautical miles east of Chennai.



The ship transmitted the information to MRCC, Mumbai which in turn alerted MRCC here.



MRCC Chennai coordinated with the vessel for safe rescue of the survivors. The six were identified as natives of Tricomalee in Sri Lanka.



"They were reportedly stranded and adrift at sea, braving the vagaries of rough weather for four days. MRCC, Chennai further, coordinated with the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission, Chennai and MRCC Colombo to verify the credentials and arranging for their safe return to home," it said.



The successful rescue operation reiterates ICG's "resolve towards providing Search and Rescue cover in the vast indomitable sea areas and also highlights the synergy and coordination between the Merchant Marine and the Indian Coast Guard," the release added.
Senior National Conference (NC) leader Devender Singh Rana on Saturday expressed concerns over the intermittent and unprovoked shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, and sought speedy completion of underground bunkers for border residents.

The NC provincial president also called for drawing up of emergency plans of mobile healthcare and evacuation facilities to ensure their transportation to safe areas whenever needed.

"During these grim times of COVID-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 Poonch district held through video-conferencing.

He expressed solidarity with the border residents, saying their welfare and well-being is the responsibility of the entire nation.

The NC leader stressed on the immediate need of completing bunkers and shelters 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, lamenting over non-fulfilment of commitments made in this regard in recent years.

Rana lauded the valour and fortitude with which the border dwellers were facing the situation, saying they deserved attention and compassion to meet the challenges, which are enormous, keeping in view the damages caused by shelling and the loss of life in recent years.

He also sought a "course correction" in the strategy for border residents, and hoped that the administration would realise the gravity of the situation and come forward with a pragmatic roadmap for their safety. PTI TAS IJT
In a massive revelation in the Delhi riots probe, sources report on Sunday, that riot-accused Khalid Saifi had allegedly met controversial Islamic preacher - Zakir Naik in Malaysia, as found by Delhi Police's Special Cell investigation. Sources report that Saifi had allegedly met with Naik to raise funds for allegedly creating riots. Moreover, sources reveal that the Delhi police probe has found that an NRI from Singapore had allegedly transferred funds to Saifi's NGO - United Against Hate.

Delhi riots: Third chargesheet filed, 12 arrested for burning of 20-yr old Dilbar Negi

Delhi riots: Zakir Naik link emerges

Sources reveal that the meeting details between Naik and Saifi were found from his passport and travel details. On June 9, Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested Khalid Saifi of 'United Against Hate' in connection with the Delhi riots. As per the police chargesheet, Saifi was also allegedly involved in arranging a meeting between suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and activist Umar Khalid on January 8 at Shaheen Bagh.

In the meeting, Hussain was reportedly asked to prepare for something big at the time of US President Donald Trump's visit to India. The chargesheet accused Saifi of giving him some money for the preparations, naming him as one of the persons responsible for organizing the riots in Delhi's Khureji area. Former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan too has been arrested in connection to allegedly inciting riots.

Delhi Riots: Fourth Chargesheet Filed, 7 named for murdering 27-year old Rahul Solanki

Delhi police probe

Reports state that Delhi police have filed at least 111 charge sheets thus far in connection with the riots, naming 650 people. In the first chargesheet, police named accused Shahrukh Pathan who had allegedly fired on head constable Deepak Dahiya and others on 24 February. Pathan was the first person to be arrested in connection to the riot case.

The second chargesheet named suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with the IB official Ankit Sharma's murder case, naming him as the main person who had allegedly been instigating the rioting mob, in the Chand Bagh area. Delhi police have also charge-sheeted several for burning of 20-year-old Dilbar Negi, murder of Hamza, murder of 27-year old Rahul Solanki and many other such cases. Reports state that Delhi police has told the Delhi High Court that the FIRs registered in connection with the north-east Delhi riot are sensitive and hence have not been uploaded on their official website.

Delhi Riots: Crime Branch files 3 chargesheets, alleges 'deep-rooted conspiracy'

The Delhi violence

Clashes began between pro-CAA and anti-CAA groups as both camps resorted to stone-pelting on February 23 after Shaheen Bagh-like protests started in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh. The situation deteriorated even as Delhi Police was present at the spot as houses, shops, and buses were burnt. While the Home Minister reviewed the situation on February 24 and 25 - while President Donald Trump visited India, the violence increased killing 53 and injuring over 400. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar are among the areas mainly affected by the riots. Two SITs constituted by the Crime Branch are probing into all FIRs.

Delhi Police to chargesheet seven more persons in connection with North East Delhi riots
Amid the rising COVID cases in the national capital, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday assured the citizens of Delhi that the Centre was working along with the Delhi government to tackle the situation at this time of crisis. Reddy stated that Home Minster Amit Shah was constantly holding meetings with the Delhi government officials and had taken the responsibility of improving the situation.

"Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had earlier made a statement that COVID-19 positive cases will reach around 5 lakh in Delhi by July 31 and there will be need of 80,000 beds. After his statement, the people were in tension," he said. "Home Minister Amit Shah has taken the responsibility of improving COVID-19 situation in Delhi. Meetings have been done with the Delhi government, MCD and Health Minister regarding this," he added.

Read: Delhi: Huge 10,000-bed COVID Facility To Be Inaugurated, Equals Size Of 20 Football Fields

Read: Amit Shah, Arvind Kejriwal Inspect Delhi's Massive 10,000 Bed COVID Care Centre

"Delhi is a Union Territory, the Central government also has the responsibility to deal with the COVID-19 situation here. Till now 1,80,000 rapid antigen tests have been done. Active cases in Delhi is decreasing. The central government is with the people of Delhi in this time of crisis," he added.

'All infrastructure is in place'

Earlier in the day, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal visited the 10,000-bed Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID facility in Chattarpur where he took cognizance of the functioning of the centre. Dubbed as the world's largest COVID facility, the centre at Radha Soami Beas began operations on June 26. "All the infrastructure is in place. The Delhi government and the Central government have been working together. The shortage of beds will be taken care of. The overwhelming situation of hospitals will be countered. The sanitization will be taken care of by the Delhi government as well," assured Baijal.

As per the latest figures released by the Delhi Health Department, there are a total of 97,200 COVID-19 cases in the union territory including 68,256 recoveries and 25,940 active cases.

Read: Delhi LG Visits Radha Soami Chhattarpur; Assesses Construction Of 10,000 Bed Facility

Read: LG Baijal Visits Sardar Patel COVID Facility, Says Shortage Of Beds Will Be Taken Care Of

(With Agency Inputs)
Amid the mounting COVID-19 cases in Hyderabad, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday asserted that the Centrehas been extending all necessary support to Telangana to check the virus spread and blamed the TRS government for leaving the capital city in the lurch.

Addressing BJP cadre in a virtual rally here, Reddy said despite support and several suggestions from the Centre to control spread of the virus, the K Chandrasekhar Rao government failed to tackle the situation in the city.

"We never know when Hyderabad city will explode (in terms of number of COVID-19 cases)....the central teams visited the city and tried to give suggestions to the state machinery. But the state government tried to ignore them. On top of that they (TRS government) tried to blame the Central government," he said.

"I am questioning the state government why there are more deaths in Hyderabadin terms of percentage. Seventy-one per centof the people tested coronavirus positive when they were examined in a private lab.We can understand how grim the situation is. The people of Hyderabad wereleft in the lurch," the Minister of state for home said.

Speaking about the support extended by the Centre to Telangana to tackle the present situation, the minister said through the Ministry of Health Rs 215 crore was given under COVID-19 assistance."As many as 6.20 lakh N-95 masks and 2.5 lakh PPE kits which are used by doctors and paramedical staff, have been sent to Telangana. The centre approved 35labs for conducting coronavirus tests. "Whatever they (Telangana government) asked, the centre did favours to Telangana. The situation is not improving as the Telangana government is taking unilateral decisions,instructions from the MIM party (Majlis)," Reddy alleged.

Under Garib Kalyan Yojana, Rs 666 crore was given to Telangana benefitting about 34 lakh farmers besides Rs 521 crore was deposited in bank accounts ofone crore women who hold Jan Dhan accounts, he said. He also accused some countries of conspiring against India as the country is progressing in all fronts under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Minister said 130 crore people of India were united in condemning China's "conspiracies and devious actions."
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday visited DRDO-built Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment along with Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with other Union Ministers. The Chief Minister said that the hospital will help patients a lot and called it "an important" hospital, adding that the number of ICU beds are limited and the beds in the hospital will be very critical.

'...wants to teach China a lesson'

"For now, there is no scarcity of hospital beds, we have over 15,000 beds out of which 5300 are occupied. There is a paucity of ICU beds. If there is any spike in COVID cases, these ICU beds are very critical for us," the Chief Minister said. Later, Kejriwal took to Twitter and thanked the Centre on behalf of the people of Delhi.

DRDO  1000                   250  ICU            Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 5, 2020

Speaking about the India-China border dispute, he said, "What China did at the border is not right. Our whole country is with the Centre on this issue and wants to teach China a lesson."

Last month, Arvind Kejriwal while addressing the state said that India is fighting two wars against China. He said one of them is being fought at the border and the other one against the virus which has been spread by the country. Kejriwal said that as India's 20 brave soldiers did not back down while fighting the Chinese, similarity, the country will also not retreat and will both the wars.

READ | Imran Khan fields motormouth Pakistan min amid internal Army coup talk; adds to confusion

'Our country is fighting two wars against China'

Kejriwal said, "We are fighting two wars against China- one against the virus which has been sent by China and the other one at the border. Our doctors and nurses are fighting the war against the virus and our soldiers are fighting at the border. We Indians stand with the doctors and the soldiers and we have to fight these wars together. There should be no politics in this. India needs to be united. Our soldiers did not back out and even we won't until we win both the wars."

READ | ICMR bolsters 'mid-August' Covid vaccine effort; adds 12 institutes for Covaxin trial

Meanwhile, Delhi's COVID-19 tally has reached 94,695. Out of the total cases, 26,148 are active, 65,624 have been cured and 2,923 have died so far after contracting the infection, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

READ | Owaisi tells CM Yogi to bring cop-killing Kanpur gangster Dubey in alive; no 'Thok Denge'

READ | 'Friends of India' demand China frees detained Canadians; protest at Vancouver embassy

(With agency inputs)
The data suggests that voters are not latching on to Trumps negative campaign to make Biden more unpopular. Thats a cornerstone of Trumps effort to win reelection in November because his own unfavorable ratings have been remarkably high throughout his presidency.
'Friends of India' organization on Saturday held a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver demanding the release of detained Canadians in China. The two citizens have been arrested because of a diplomatic row between the two countries over the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou by the Trudeau government.

'A strong message to the Chinese govt'

China is bullying everyone worldwide, said Maninder Singh Gill who is with the organization. So we want to send a strong message to the Chinese government, thats why we decided to protest in front of the Chinese (consulate)," Gill was quoted by saying by 'Global News'

'Friends of India' holds protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver today demanding the release of detained Canadians in China. pic.twitter.com/43P7OzqJbR  ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2020

Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on December 1, 2018, at Vancouver International Airport during a layover stop en route to Mexico from Hong Kong at the request of the US government. Meng is wanted by US authorities for her alleged role in violating sanctions against Iran.

READ | Hongkongers use secret language to voice dissent after China imposed new security law

The detention of Meng was followed by the arrest of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor by Beijing, in a move that was regarded by some as a retaliatory measure. Canada calls the detention arbitrary, while Chinese authorities insist that the two men posed a threat to national security.

READ | China stooge calls US backward & barbaric; predicts its decline on 244th Independence Day

Kovrig and Spavor have been charged with espionage and have been detained for more than 550 days. Espionage is a capital offence in China. Both countries have defended the independence of their judicial system and denied claims the cases are connected or politically motivated. Earlier, Tibetans in Canada had protested similarly, following the LAC clash with China and the country's continued belligerence.

READ | 'Kung flu'? Trump has 19 different names for Covid-19; slams China's secrecy and deception

READ | 'IAF is ready': Air Force flies choppers, fighter aircrafts near India-China border

(with ANI inputs)
Anti-racism groups gathered for a "de-colonial tour" of Paris on Sunday to call attention to monuments and streets honouring historical figures tied to the slave trade or colonial-era abuses.

It was organized by people representing low-income neighbourhoods in French suburbs, home to large communities who trace their origins to former colonies.

Black activist and migrants' rights groups also joined the tour.

The march was supposed to take place on the streets around Paris' Museum of Immigration but was no longer authorized by French police shortly before the start.

Instead, the group walked around a square outside the museum and symbolically renamed a street after each round.

The demonstration was held on the 58th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France after a long and brutal war.

In a call on social networks, organizers of the Sunday's march accused the French government of "ignoring the memory of the people it reduced to slavery or colonized by mass slaughter."

They want France to rename streets and monuments for people who fought against slave trading and colonial crimes.

Algeria was considered the jewel in France's colonial empire and is marking its independence day Sunday with a special funeral ceremony for 24 resistance fighters decapitated by French forces the 19th century.

The fighters skulls were brought back to France as trophies and held in a Paris museum for decades until their return to Algiers on Friday.

(Representative Image)
Amid the unprecedented outbreak of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, Pope Francis has called for immediate, global ceasefire as proposed by the United Nation. As the global coronavirus infections surpassed 11.2 million and 531,400 deaths as per Johns Hopkins University tally, the cleric has said that ceasefire is essential in a bid to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. After praising the UN resolution, Francis hoped that it is implemented quickly for the betterment of the society that is rocked by the global health crisis and called it first step towards a peaceful future.

The United Nations has called for an immediate, global ceasefire in order to face the Covid-19 pandemic and provide humanitarian aid. I hope this Resolution will be implemented quickly for the good of those who suffer and become a first step toward a future of peace.  Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 5, 2020

This came after the cleric Pope Francis praised the United Nations Security Council for world peace amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to enhance the response to the crisis. During his remarks on July 5 to the public at St Peters Square, he lauded UNSCs "request for a global and immediate cease-fire, which would permit the peace and security indispensable for supplying so urgently needed humanitarian assistance". Moreover, the pontiff had called for swift implementation of the same for the good of millions suffering across the globe.

The UNSC resolution has called on all parties to declare a ceasefire in 90 days in a bid to ensure safe and sustained communication and delivery of required humanitarian assistance, including medical evacuations.

Read - Pope Francis Cautions People Against Falling Back Into 'illusion Of Individualism'

Read - Pope Francis Urges People To Shift From Fossil Fuels To Renewable Energy

'Illusion of individualism'

Just few days ago, Pope Francis had extended his gratitude to the health workers in Italys Lombardy region on June 21 and praised them for not abandoning the patients during the troubled months. He also warned the world against making individualism the main principle of the society which the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be illusionary. According to Francis, the coronavirus outbreak has made people realise that focussing on oneself is just a mirage and we need others, but cautioned to be careful so that we dont fall back into the illusion.

Pope Francis said, More than ever before, the pretension to focus everything on ourselves, to make individualism the guiding principle of society, has proved illusory.

Let us be careful, the Pope warned, because, as soon as the emergency has passed, it is easy to fall back into this illusion. It is easy to quickly forget that we need others, someone to take care of us, to give us courage, he added.

Read - Pope Francis Urges People To Be More Responsible For Looking After Earth

Read - Pope Francis Praises Grassroots Environment Movements

Image: AP
Iran has recently filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against the United States over the effects of sanctions on the Middle Eastern country's fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, Leila Joneidi, Iran''s presidential aide for legal affairs said that imposing sanctions at a time when the world was suffering under the COVID-19 pandemic was inhuman and against human rights. Reportedly, Leila Joneidi made the remarks during a visit to the Pasteur Institute in the capital Tehran.

According to reports, in 2015, Iran struck a deal with six world powers, including the United States, wherein it would reduce its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of global sanctions. But the US administration under President Donald Trump has backed out of the treaty and reimposed severe sanctions aimed at crippling Irans economy and Iran has therefore reduced its compliance.

Read: Iran Will Not Disclose Cause Of Mysterious Nuclear Site Fire

Read: Messages Claiming Iran Nuclear Site Fire Deepen Mystery

Fire breaks out at Nuclear facility, Iran vows retaliation

Iran has vowed to retaliate against any country that carries out cyber-attacks on its nuclear sites. According to reports, the statement was made by the head of Irans civilian defence after a fire at its Natanz nuclear plant which is assumed to have been caused by a cyber sabotage. Speaking to state TV on Thursday, he reportedly said that if it is proven that Iran has been targeted by a cyber-attack, "we will respond.

Read: EU Says Iran Has Triggered Nuclear Deal Dispute Mechanism

Read: Iran Vows To Retaliate Against Any Foreign Power That Attacks Its Nuclear Sites

As per reports, the Natanz plant, which is used for uranium enrichment, is one of the several sites monitored by UNs International Atomic Energy Agency. Officials, on June 3, tried to downplay the severity of the fire and claimed they had identified the cause but "due to security considerations," they chose not to disclose the reason for the fire to the public. They further added that the cause of the fire would be revealed at an appropriate time.

(Input/Image Credit ANI) (Image credit: AP)
Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday slammed the "corrupt" opposition in the country and said that it cannot do any harm to the Imran Khan-led government. He said that there exists 'no minus-one formula' but warned that there would be 'minus three in case of any minus one'.

Addressing his first press conference after recovering from Coronavirus, the minister rejected the conspiracy theories about the fall of the PTI government and said, We are neither the last choice nor will there be any minus one. If someone thought that there will be minus one, they should know that then it would be minus three instead of minus one.

'Don't wash your dirty linen in public'

Since Imran Khan is working hard to take the country out of the crisis, I would ask the PTI ministers not to wash their dirty linen in public. I can only request you (the ministers) since I believe that you are doing the job of the opposition which is doing nothing at the moment, he was quoted as saying by Dawn.

"If there is a minus 1, then there will be minus 3." Yet every day one minister has to reiterate that Imran Khan is not going anywhere.  pic.twitter.com/fxrzFMiqHl  Naila Inayat   (@nailainayat) July 4, 2020

'The others will not spare them'

Though not defined constitutionally, 'Minus one' formula in Pakistan politics means that if the establishment or army and aavaam are unhappy with the leader, they would remove him from the top position and the next one in line will take the charge.

READ | Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls for an 'emergency security meeting' as PM Modi visits Leh

READ | Rohit Sharma's IPL salary nearly double 'entire' 18-man Pakistan team's yearly earnings

Earlier this week, Imran Khan dismissed increasingly loud opposition chatter about a minus one formula and vowed to go after mafias and cartels and announced that his government was now embarking upon a plan of massive institutional reforms. They (the opposition) dont know that even if minus one happens, the others will not spare them, Imran said without any reference.

Pakistan's already declining economy has been hit by the Coronavirus and the Imran Khan government has been under pressure to deliver. Pakistan reported 3,387 new coronavirus cases and 68 deaths during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the country to 225,283 and the death toll to 4,619, according to official figures on Saturday.

READ | Sachin Tendulkar shocked us in Pakistan with triple tons in school cricket: Waqar Younis

READ | Covid-19 kills 52 Pakistan army soldiers stationed in POK, 827 cases active

(With agency inputs)
Chief of election commission of Egypt said at a press briefing that the nation would hold its senate elections in August in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Held over two days, voting will be conducted more than a year after the restoration of Parliaments lower chamber, which was dissolved in 2014. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi would extend his tenure until 2030 as a part of constitutional amendments when the senate was reconstituted 5 years ago.

In a televised address, the chairman of the National Election Authority, said July 4, that the Senate elections will be held on August 11 and the 12. Further, the runoff elections that would require the expatriates to vote will take place in September, between 8 and 9. Last year, a 300-member secondary chamber with two-thirds elected by the public and the remainder appointed by the president was constituted. However, despite the pandemic, with adherence to the health safety measures, the voting will be conducted this year.

While speaking to a live-streamed press conference, Lasheen Ibrahim said, "Holding elections during the pandemic that has swept the world necessitates that we take several precautionary measures to protect ourselves and society. He added, strict preventive measures will be enacted during the voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, no political campaigns would be allowed ahead of polls to avoid gathering of a crowd. Ibrahim said that the outlets will be disinfected ahead of the arrival of voters for casting their ballots.

Read: Israel 'at Height Of Offensive' Against Coronavirus

Read: Record Single-day Spike Of 24,850 Coronavirus Cases, 613 Fatalities In India: Health Ministry

72,711 cases and 3,201 deaths

As per media reports, Egypt has rolled out instructions for the officials to enforce the health guidelines, with all voters and polling staff required to wear masks and follow social distancing. Ibrahim said at the conference that the polling results would be announced on August 19 in the official state gazette. As of July 5, Egypt recorded over 1,485 new cases of coronavirus bringing the total number of infections to 72,711, as many as 3,201 deaths have been registered.

Read: Jair Bolsonaro's Supporters Laud Him Despite Brazil Nearing 16 Lakh Coronavirus Cases

Read: China Says Beijing's Coronavirus Outbreak Wanes

(With Inputs and Image from AP)
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, Egypt's 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, Sudan's 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% 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.
Mexico City returned to a strict lockdown on Saturday a week after starting easing measures that many businesses overlooked.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico City Mayor, said Friday that restrictions were going to last a weekend, and that new and stricter measures will be announced soon to avoid crowds.

With businesses closed crowds still strolled and gathered in downtown Mexico City.

Many didn't mind the fact that most businesses are closed and all tourist attractions remain shut during this phase.

Meanwhile dozens of Mexico City's inspectors could be seen monitoring business mainly on the pedestrian streets in which aperture was rolled back this weekend.

Dozens of Mexico City's inspectors could be seen monitoring business mainly on the pedestrian streets, which remained closed.

Mexico's capital has some 50,000 cases and more than 6,848 deaths.

According to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tally, Mexico recorded Saturday more than 245,000 COVID-19 cases, now surpassing Italy's number of infections. Mexico has recorded 29,843 deaths.

Earlier this week, Health Undersecretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell warned that the actual deaths could be many more than the confirmed number.
With a record spike on July 4, Mexico overtook France with the worlds fifth-highest death toll, recording a total of 30,000 Covid-19 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic started. An additional 523 coronavirus deaths were registered by Mexican health officials later, surging the nations fatalities to 30,366. Over 6,914 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours. Mexicos total confirmed cases of novel coronavirus were put at 252,165, the worlds eighth highest caseload, according to a global tally.

While the officials allowed a partial reopening of downtown past this week, at least 200 street vendors protested and blocked several major avenues in downtown Mexico City appealing to the government to be allowed to resume business, as per local reports. Mexico barred the informal commerce in March over safety regulations. Downtown, usually crowded with the vendors was also prohibited to carry out business as usual to stem the assembly of people that could lead to the potential spread of the coronavirus. In a press conference, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that the decision would be reconsidered once Mexico managed to bring the COVID-19 cases down. However, the vendors brandished the signs and chanted slogans claiming they could no longer bear the lockdown.

We planned it together, we tried it and it got out of controlMexico City mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum .

Read: Rural Markets Faring Better Than Urban Centres Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: Maruti Suzuki

Read: China Says Beijing's Coronavirus Outbreak Wanes

Curfew at northern border state of Nuevo Leon

Mexicos planned re-opening, due to the sudden surge in the cases, has been stalled and a curfew was announced at the northern border state of Nuevo Leon, home to the city of Monterrey, from 10 pm to 5 am on weekends, according to media reports. As Mexico shared the border with the US, several border states announced that they would establish temperature checks for visitors coming from the US, while the border to Arizona is being considered to be sealed with the sharp rise in an outbreak in the US state. Due to a lack of sanitary measures, the Mexico City government announced last week that it will re-close some of the streets and businesses allowed to open during the week.

Read: US Records Over 43,000 New Coronavirus Cases On July 4 As Trump Hails 'tremendous Testing'

Read: Jair Bolsonaro's Supporters Laud Him Despite Brazil Nearing 16 Lakh Coronavirus Cases
As Bali prepares to reopen the island to tourist, over 1,000 people attended a mass prayers at Besakih Hindu temple in a bid to express their gratitude towards the handling of coronavirus and to seek blessings for the start of a new normal. The Indonesian resort island has been shut for over three months due to the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak. However, as Balis provincial secretary Dewa Made Indra announced that the island will gradually reopen this month for domestic travellers, people attended prayer in the town of Karangasem.

According to an international media outlet, Bali currently has nearly 1,849 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the deadly virus has claimed only 20 deaths so far. Even though the island as comparatively less number of cases, Indra reportedly said that people with reopening people have to maintain a strict health protocol. As per reports, the Southeast Asian island will most likely reopen to foreign arrivals in September.

READ: Japan Floods Leave Up To 34 Dead, Many At Nursing Homes

READ: Nepal's Ruling Party In Grave Crisis: PM Oli To Cabinet Ministers

COVID-19 hammers Bali's economy

The reopening of the island comes as the coronavirus lockdown hammered the local economy. While Tourism is Balis main source of income, the travel restrictions around the world led to the economy plunging drastically. In a bid to revive the hard-hit economy of the island, Balis hospitality executive Yoga Iswara reportedly said that tourism-related businesses are also preparing to reopen, however, with health protocols. Iswara also added that the government aims to improve the island for the time when it opens for international tourists.

Last month, the Balinese capital, Denpasar, reopened the markets and local businesses as the region lifted the lockdown. The island also reopened two of its beaches Canggu and Padang Padang in the Canggu and Padang Padang areas. Meanwhile, Indonesia currently has over 63,759 positive cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 3,171 lives in the country.

(Image: Instagram/Discovabali)

READ: Rocket Fired Toward US Embassy In Iraq Injures Child

READ: Japan Floods Kill Many In Nursing Homes
We want a clear and faithful defense of American history and we want unity, he said. When you level these false charges, you not only slander me, you not only slander the American people, but you slander generations of heroes who gave their lives for America.
The much anticipated talks between Prime Minister KP Oli and Nepal Communist Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal have concluded. The outcome of the talks are yet to be publicized, however, it is said that the two will meet again on Monday morning before the scheduled meeting of the Standing Committee.

A meeting between NCP Chairman Oli and Dahal Prachanda was held at the Prime Ministers official residence in Baluwatar this morning, amid speculations that the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is heading towards a split.

READ: Nepal's ruling communist party's Standing Committee to meet on Saturday to decide Oli's fate

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.

READ: Nepal's ruling communist party meet to decide PM Oli's future deferred

Nepal PM Oli Pushing For Ordinance To Stay In Office

Amid growing demand for Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's resignation, senior leaders Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar, including Communist Party of Nepal Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', reached Rashtrapati Bhawan Shital Niwas to meet Nepal President Vidyadevi Bhandari.

Local media reports state that this meeting is being considered significant as it comes amid speculations that Prime Minister KP Oli is bringing an ordinance that would be easy for political parties to split by garnering 40% support from the partys central committee or the parliamentary party. It has been widely speculated that the Communist Party is currently heading closer to a split with both the factions led by Prime Minister KP Oli and Chairman Dahal Prachanda showing no signs of flexibility.

READ: Nepal PM KP Oli hospitalised after complaining of chest pains; discharged after check-up

READ: Nepal PM Oli pushing for ordinance to stay in office, opposed party-mates meet President
Several dozen protesters gathered in front of the municipality building in Novi Pazar to protest against the poor healthcare system of the city.

Recently, Novi Pazar has recorded a growing number of coronavirus cases and a growing number of deaths.

Protesters blew whistles and held banners reading ''We are not second class citizens."

On Saturday, Turkey sent medical aid to health facilities overwhelmed by the surge of new cases.

Serbia has gone from a very tight lockdown to almost total relaxation.

On Sunday, officials announced the highest number of daily deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the Balkan country.

Authorities said 11 people have died and there were 309 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours.

This compares to the highest previous daily figure of nine deaths on April 14.

So far, there have been 25,504 confirmed cases and 298 deaths in Serbia.

(Representative Image)
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.

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
The President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa expressed gratitude to India for its aid to the nation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic and hailed the relations between the two nations as a 'close expression of friendship' between the two countries.

In an effort to help Zimbabwe boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, India sent important medicines to help the African nation. Taking to Twitter, the President of Zimbabwe thanked India for the donations and said that it 'touched their hearts'. Sharing a picture of Zimbabwe receiving the consignment, Mnangagwa called the gesture as an expression of close friendship between the two nations.

READ | Noose Found At Johns Hopkins University Construction Site

'Thank you to our dear friends in India'

Thank you to our dear friends in India for the delivery of these important COVID-19 related medicines. Your donations touch our hearts & are a true expression of the close friendship between our two nations @narendramodi @PMOIndia @MEAIndia @IndiainZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/yYfU24s774  President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) July 4, 2020

READ | Hong Kong Libraries Witness Mysterious Purging Of Democracy Books Amid Ongoing Protests

COVID-19 tally in Zimbabwe

The African nation has reported 698 cases of coronavirus thus far with the cases seeing a steep rise from the end of May. 181 patients have recovered so far while eight deaths have been reported as of July 5. earlier this week, Zimbabwe allowed some relaxations in the country -- allowing national parks and restaurants to reopen as the country's hospitality sector is struggling from restrictions to combat the new coronavirus.

The governments decision, announced by the Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, came amid an outcry from the national parks and private safari lodges that the continued lockdown was endangering both businesses and conservation efforts. Restaurants will be allowed to serve meals to sit-in customers, but only with limited numbers, Mutsvangwa said. With international travel restrictions, there have been virtually no tourists from North America, Europe or Asian countries that provide most of Zimbabwes tourists. The national parks are concentrating on domestic tourism in the meantime, said Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

READ | Kim Jong-un Lauds North Korea's COVID-19 Response, Appreciates 'spirit For The People'

India's fight against COVID

India's total COVID cases, as on July 4, rose to 648,315 of which 235,433 are active cases while 394,227 people have recovered. 18,655 people have died so far. The lockdown has been extended until July 31 throughout the country, with the Centre and the state governments offering some relaxations to help the country to inch back towards normalcy.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), on Saturday, issued a press release assuring that they are committed to treating public safety as the topmost priority. Explaining that Bharat Biotech International Ltd's (BBIL) vaccine appears to be promising, ICMR is expediting clinical trials (phases 1 and 2), as allowed by Drugs Controller General of India. Moreover, ICMR said that the process followed by the apex medical body is in 'accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track vaccine development'. India currently has 6,48,315 COVID-19 cases, of which 2,35,433 are active, 3,94,227 have recovered while 18,655 have succumbed to the pandemic.

READ | Protest In Brazil Against Bolsonaro Virus Response
The United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly set to ban the use of Huawei Technologies Co. equipment in Britains 5G network as soon as this year. According to a report prepared by the countrys spy agency GCHQs National Cyber Security Centre, the new US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control.

The new security fears over Chinese technology has led the UK officials drawing up proposals to stop installing new Huawei equipment in the 5G network. The authorities have also speed up the removal of technology that is already in place. As per reports, the US sections have had a severe impact on the Chinese firm that significantly changes GCHQs calculations.

READ: Arunachal MLA Ninong Ering Writes To PM Modi; Seeks Ban On Chinese 'spy Instrument' Huawei

While the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is still expected to provide the UK PM with formal advice, he reportedly, earlier this week, told the Parliament that Huawei wont be a part of the UKs 5G telecoms networks in the long term. He further said that the country is welcoming approach from alternative vendors including South Koreas Samsung Electronics Co. and Japans NEC Corp.

On the other hand, a Huawei spokesman reportedly said that the company is the most scrutinised vendor in the world. However, the spokesperson further added that the firm believes that its unrivalled transparency in the UK means that they can continue to be trusted to play a part in Britains gigabit upgrade. He also added that it is important to focus on facts and not to speculate at this time.

READ: China: US 'oppressing Chinese Companies' In New Huawei Move

US designates Huawei as national security threat

The phasing out of Huawei in the UK comes after the United States designated Huawei as national security threat. The Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai stated that the money from the FCC's Universal Service Fund worth Rs.8.3 billion dollars cannot be used to buy, improve or support any equipment or services provided by the Chinese technology company. Pai also added that Huawei has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China's military apparatus.

According to tot he FCC chairman, Huawei being subject to Chinese law obligates it to cooperate with the nation's intelligence services. He observed that the message was clear that the US government would not permit the Chinese Communist Party to exploit vulnerabilities in the US communications network and exploit the critical communications infrastructure.

(Image: PTI)

READ: US Designates Huawei & ZTE As National Security Threat, Cites Link To China's Ruling Party

READ: Canada's Trudeau Rules Out Releasing Huawei Tech Executive
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A fire last week at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran caused significant damage, an Iranian nuclear official said on July 5 in a new assessment of the incident, adding that it could slow down the development and production of advanced centrifuges in the medium term.

Irans Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behruz Kamalvandi was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying various devices had been damaged or completely destroyed in the July 3 fire.

Kamalvandi added that Iran will replace the building damaged in the fire with a bigger one that has more advanced equipment."

Kamalvandi initially said the fire at the Natanz facility in central Iran caused no damage to current activities of this complex. He said it affected an above-ground building described as an industrial shed.

Natanz is the Islamic republic's main uranium-enrichment center located some 250 kilometers south of Tehran and includes facilities built under some 7.6 meters of concrete to offer protection from air strikes.

The site is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran's top security body said on July 3 the cause of the incident had been determined, but it declined to release details, citing security reasons.

There has been speculation of a possible act of sabotage as Iranian officials struggled to explain what happened.

Iranian officials have not cited a specific country in connection with the incident, but two official notes published in IRNA and other Iranian media warned that any signs of crossing a red line by the United States and Israel must be considered in the "strategy for dealing with the new situation."

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was asked on July 5 whether Israel played any role in the Natanz fire.

"Not every incident that transpires in Iran necessarily has something to do with us," Gantz said on Army Radio on July 5. He said Israel's long-standing policy is not to allow Iran access to its nuclear capabilities. That's the decent thing to do, and it should end there."

Israel has said for years that it is "confident" that Iran's nuclear program is being pursued militarily with the goal of acquiring an atomic bomb. Iran has consistently denied the allegation.

The fire at the Natanz site comes amid other fires and accidents at its petrochemical complexes, regional power plants, and infrastructure.

Two fresh incidents occurred on July 4 -- one at an Iranian power station in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and the other at a petrochemical plant near the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini.

The incidents occurred less than a week after 19 people were killed in an explosion at a medical clinic in the north of the capital, Tehran, which an official said was caused by a gas leak.

It also follows an explosion on June 25 at a gas-storage facility near the Parchin military base east of Tehran.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and Radio Farda
PRISTINA -- Authorities in Kosovo have announced restrictions on movement in the capital, Pristina, and three other cities after a dramatic increase in both new cases of coronavirus infections and deaths in the country.



Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said July 5 that the country is dealing with a new situation and therefore will restrict movement from 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) to 5 a.m. in Pristina as well as Ferizaj, Vushtrri, and Prizren. The restrictions will take effect on July 6, he said on Facebook.

The government also said restaurants and bars throughout Kosovo will have to observe new measures requiring early closures and limiting service to terraces and other open-air spaces.

The number of workers at all institutions will be limited to only those essential to run the operations, and health institutions also will be required to postpone all elective medical services.



The new measures are expected to take effect if approved by the government in a vote taking place electronically late on July 5.



"We are doing our best to manage the situation," Hoti said, adding that he wont hesitate to declare a state of emergency if health professionals suggest it.



Speaking at a news conference, Hoti also said citizens will be continuously informed about the situation and from the Infectious Diseases Clinic to dispel any doubts about the existence of the coronavirus.



"Based on estimates, 30 percent of Kosovo citizens do not believe that COVID-19 is real, he said.

Health Minister Armend Zemaj warned against hysterical reactions in a comment he posted on Facebook.



"We currently have the potential to face the virus. We must behave according to the recommendations of competent medical professionals," Zemaj said. "Those who are trying to exploit this situation by creating fog, to cause sabotage in our work, are wrong and only deliberately endanger the health of citizens."

The new measures come after Kosovo health institutions reported 17 deaths over the past 48 hours. Kosovo also recorded more than 300 new COVID-19 infections over the weekend. The new figures bring the total number of COVID-19 cases in Kosovo to 3,508, with 75 confirmed deaths.

Health officials have said the number of patients requiring acute treatment for COVID-19 has increased significantly in recent weeks.

Hoti told journalists that there is a plan to make beds available for COVID-19 patients and purchase more testing devices so the capacity can be increased to 500 tests per day, up from the current 200-350 tests daily.

The president of the Health Workers' Union, Blerim Syla, said Kosovo is also dealing with a shortage of health-care workers and said those on the job are overworked.
I think that, at some point, thats going to sort of disappear, I hope, said President Trump last week, while COVID-19 case numbers soared, in Arizona, Texas, California and Florida. Friday, the nation notched its highest number of new cases, topping 50,000. Hospitalizations grew exponentially in states that ignored lessons New York learned months ago, at an unthinkably high human cost.
More than 30 independent Russian journalists have issued statements in support of Svetlana Prokopyeva, a journalist in the city of Pskov who is facing up to seven years in prison on charges of justifying terrorism.



The statements were posted on July 4 by the online journal Kholod.



It is unacceptable to prosecute journalists for doing their jobs, wrote Irina Malkova, editor in chief of the online publication The Bell. It is unacceptable to plant drugs on them, to break their arms, or to put them in prison for their words or opinions.



Prokopyeva, who is a freelance contributor to RFE/RLs Russian Service, has been charged in connection with a commentary she published in November 2018 in which she discussed a bombing at the offices of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in the northern city of Arkhangelsk.



She noted that the suspected bomber, a teenager who died in the explosion, had posted statements on social media accusing the FSB of falsifying criminal cases. She argued that political activism under President Vladimir Putin had been severely restricted, leading some people to despair.



On July 3, prosecutors in the case asked the court to sentence her to six years in prison.



Journalist Ivan Golunov of the website Meduza -- who was himself targeted by a police attempt to plant narcotics on him in June 2019 that fell apart after a massive public outcry -- wrote that the FSB wants people to forget about the Arkhangelsk explosion.



Why should we not think about it and try to understand why it happened, Golunov wrote. Attempting to understand the reasons that pushed a 17-year-old boy to build a bomb and go to the local FSB building is a socially important part of a journalists work.



Only a sick mind could see Svetlanas words as a justification of terrorism, wrote Viktor Muchnik, the editor in chief of the Tomsk-based TV-2 Internet television station. Svetlana Prokopyeva is a professional, honest journalist and a brave person who must be acquitted. It is a matter of honor for the journalism community to make sure this happens.



In a statement on July 3, acting RFE/RL President Daisy Sindelar described Prokopyeva as a highly recognized journalist who was doing the exact opposite of what prosecutors allege.



Svetlanas commentary was an effort to explain a tragedy, Sindelar said. The portrayal of her words as justifying terrorism is a deliberate and politically motivated distortion aimed at silencing her critical voice.



The case against Prokopyeva has also been criticized by international organizations such as the European Union, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders.
North Macedonia has unveiled a payment card to soften the blow of the coronavirus crisis and entice people to spend millions of free euros on local products, just before voters go to the polls in a national election.



The country's finance minister announced this week that more than 100,000 of the cards are already in circulation loaded with 11 million euros' ($12.4 million) worth of credits to "Buy At Home."



Under the plan, citizens in households earning less than 15,000 denars ($273) a month, about the monthly minimum wage, are eligible to receive the payment cards loaded with 9,000 denars in credit.



The funds may only be spent on locally made products and local services within 30 days.



Another program uses credits on the cards and vouchers to promote around the same amount of spending by many of those same households on domestic tourism like hotel stays or recreational activities.



"You will find the products [available to buy] designated on shelves, gondolas, or 'I Buy At Home' stickers," Finance Minister Nina Angelovska, who has shepherded the campaign, said on Facebook.



Faced with a resurgent epidemic that has hampered reopening efforts, the program is part of a third package of government actions to offset the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.



But it is also a response to a consumer preference for imported goods in this landlocked Balkan state of some 2 million that was apparent even before the virus struck.

The government's Public Revenue Office reported recently that citizen applications for VAT refunds suggested Macedonians spent nearly twice as much on imports as on domestically made goods in the past year.



That love of foreign goods has frustrated policymakers keen to spur domestic growth beyond the country's 4 percent growth in 2019, before economic forecasts crumbled under the strain of the coronavirus that has infected more than 11 million people and killed 531,000 as of July 5.



The free credit for Macedonians is also a boon to homegrown businesses trying to cope with the crisis.



"For us, this is a great measure," Slavco Jordanov, the owner of a condiment and jam maker that employs some 80 people in Negotino, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service.



"I'd also suggest a public campaign to raise people's awareness to buy domestic products, to explain what a 'home' product means," he said. "For example, we make ketchup exclusively from tomatoes produced here, in our country, not imported from abroad, and the citizens who decide to buy our product should know that."



'Quite Bold'



Government forecasters had predicted 3.8 percent growth for the country in 2020. In April, that was revised to a 4 percent contraction of the economy because of the coronavirus.



In a late-June assessment of the Macedonian government's anti-pandemic measures, economists from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that "Given the small size of the North Macedonian economy, the scope of policy action has been quite bold and covers many key groups who have been severely affected by the containment measures."



The government has earmarked about 550 million euros ($616 million) for economic assistance to combat the epidemic, representing 5.5 percent of GDP, according to OECD figures.



Its third package of measures, announced in mid-May, was aimed specifically at spurring consumer spending and helping domestic businesses and included the plan for the "buy locally" payment cards. It has since restricted the window for using those credits to August 15.

Jaroslaw Mrowiec, an OECD policy analyst in the South-East Europe division, said it appeared "the government of North Macedonia seems to have drawn on existing support measures across the region and brought them together into something innovative."



He said he was unaware of any other governments that combine financial and consumption support with payment cards, limit the deadline for such spending, and focus only on domestic goods and services.



"There are instances [in other countries] where there is a check or a credit card, but nothing that is [so] limited in its scope, especially on this whole domestic products thing," Mrowiec said. "We didn't see any country, either in the region or elsewhere, that helped and aimed so much at the national product. So yes, in one sense it is innovative."



Skopje has been "very proactive" in terms of its coronavirus containment and economic measures, he added.



"What is certain is that North Macedonia is putting a lot of effort into those domestic products," Mrowiec said.



Other state payments include tens of millions of euros toward social protections for households who lost income in the informal economy, as well as tuition fees and IT training for an estimated 100,000 students.



The payment-card scheme is overseen by Angelovska, a 31-year-old entrepreneur who made her name founding a local e-commerce venture that mostly apes the global e-marketplace Groupon.



She was recruited to then-Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's Social Democratic-led cabinet as an independent in August 2019, taking over the finance portfolio from Zaev himself, in what many regarded as a welcome injection of youth and managerial acumen.



Critics have pointed out that the e-marketplace company she founded, Grouper, is among the leading retailers that could most benefit from the payment card, which is also equipped for online purchases.



Election Context



The "buy at home" spending spree comes on the cusp of national elections on July 15 to replace a caretaker government in place since January.



Zaev stepped down at the end of last year and called the snap vote to gauge pro-EU support after a controversial name change to placate neighboring Greece and a subsequent snub from Brussels on the path to EU membership in October.



The European Union has since opened membership talks with Skopje, but North Macedonia's battering from the coronavirus despite strict lockdown orders makes the elections unpredictable.



After signaling a three-step plan in mid-May to reopen the economy, a resurgence of infections sparked new restrictions in June.



Amid that rise in COVID-19 cases in mid-June, Zaev's Social Democrats agreed with Hristijan Mickoski, the leader of the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, to hold the elections in mid-July despite the ongoing threat to public health.

Officials have subsequently sent mixed signals as political jockeying and campaigning intensifies, with no side wanting to appear to be a brake on public health or economic recovery.



The official infection figure and death toll among Macedonians -- 6,787 and 157 per million inhabitants -- are both far higher than the global coronavirus averages.



That is based on just nearly 65,000 tests in a population of 2 million, suggesting the rates could be higher.



The recent spike in cases has forced organizers to stretch the voting for the national parliament over three days.



Voting will begin with health-care workers collecting ballots from isolated or quarantined patients on July 13 and ending with a full day of voting at polling stations on July 15.
A Russian asylum seeker who was shot dead outside the Austrian capital, Vienna, on July 4 was a former Chechen separatist and a critic of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, sources in the Chechen diaspora told RFE/RL.



The sources said the victim was Mamikhan Umarov, who was known as Anzor of Vienna.



Officials in Austria have said only that the victim was a 43-year-old asylum seeker from the Russian Federation and that he was shot dead in a parking lot outside a shopping center in the Vienna suburb of Gerasdorf.

Austrian police said on July 6 that the victim had declined police protection, but did not say when or specify why it was offered.

Austrian media reported that the killing is being considered as a possible political assassination.

Roland Scherscher, the head of the regional intelligence and anti-terrorism authority involved in the case, told the Austria Press Agency that the motive remains unclear, and that a political motive or perhaps an argument are both possible.

According to initial reports, the asylum seeker was shot in the head and died before ambulances arrived.

A suspect, who was also identified by Austrian authorities only as a Russian citizen, was captured several hours later about 200 kilometers west of the capital in Linz following a large-scale police manhunt.

Law enforcement authorities later on July 5 arrested another man they initially thought was a witness. After questioning the man, police arrested him as a suspect. No further details of his identity were disclosed, according to Austrian broadcaster ORF.



Police are investigating the incident and trying to determine a motive. An autopsy is being conducted on the victim, whose application for asylum had been recognized by Austria in 2007.



A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Vienna told the state news agency TASS that it had not been contacted in connection with the events.

In interviews and social-media posts, Umarov has said he was a former mercenary, who served in the security service under the separatist government that controlled Chechnya in the late 1990s between two devastating wars against federal forces. He frequently accused the Russian security forces of carrying out the assassinations of former Chechen separatists in European countries.

Rights groups have accused Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya since 2007, of numerous human rights abuses, including kidnappings, tortures, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and the targeted killings of political and person rivals both in Russia and abroad.



In February, Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov was attacked in Sweden. He was able to overpower his alleged attacker and hand him over to the authorities.



In March 2019, the head of the Chechen parliament, Magomed Daudov, declared a blood feud against Abdurakhmanov.



On January 30, Chechen blogger Imran Aliyev, also a critic of Kadyrov, was found dead in the French city of Lille. He had been stabbed 135 times. Prosecutors say they have identified a Russian-born man who returned to Chechnya immediately following the killing as the prime suspect in the case.

In August 2019, Georgian native Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former Chechen separatist fighter, was shot dead in Berlin. Prosecutors in Germany have filed murder charges against a Russian national in that case and accused the Russian government of ordering the killing.

With reporting by TASS, AP, APA, and Kurier
COLUMBUS -- A website dedicated to giving Ohioans a transparent look at the states finances was reintroduced this week.

The revamp involved an effort to merge two similar websites together: OhioCheckbook.com, managed by the state treasurers office, and a separate interactive budget more closely associated with the governor.

The new OhioCheckbook.gov offers a slate of financial records  from state employees salaries to a breakdown of budget spending.

In a news release, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted called the change a better, more transparent service for Ohoians and the media, while also doing it at a lower cost. Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague said, When government works together, it serves its people better.

Another key component involves the willing participation of smaller public entities all around the state. Over the past handful of years, a growing number of towns, counties and school districts have voluntarily signed up to have their own finances posted on the Ohio Checkbook.

However, not all of the data from the old website was transferred over to the new one. Back in 2016, The Associated Press reported then-Treasurer Josh Mandel championed the addition of five public universities to the Ohio Checkbook: Bowling Green, Central State, Miami, Wright State and Ohio.

Clicking on the new websites Colleges and Universities tab, only Miami University shows up.

Brittany Halpin, a spokesperson for the treasurers office, explained that some of the data provided to the former website was in an outdated format and wasnt carried over.

In this example, the other four universities signed up in 2016 to participate, sent over Fiscal Year 2015 data, then apparently never submitted financial records in the years since.

Halpin said in an email the treasurers office will be working to assist government entities of all types to join the site and/or update the information they provide.

How the Ohio Checkbook works

So, what information is available on the Ohio Checkbook?

On a broader scale, the checkbook offers a 30,000 foot view of the entire state budget with a basic breakdown of how money is spent.

From there, users can get as granular as theyd like. Click on higher education and you can learn that Ohio is spending $2.77 billion this fiscal year, or 3.5% of the overall budget. From there, you can see how Ohio State University receives the largest instructional subsidy of any public university.

There is also a state employee salary search function, with a breakdown per agency, and a listing of companies which receive the most state funding contracts. (Several construction companies top the list.)

Local government participation remains optional. At this point, 45 of Ohios 88 counties have signed up:

You can give the Ohio Checkbook a look to see if theres anything interesting of note.

(The above article was first published in the Ohio Capital Journal and is republished here with permission.)
COLUMBUS  In support of the DeWine-Husted Administrations principles of collaboration, innovation, and economic growth, DriveOhio, an initiative of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), has finalized a study to expand electric vehicles (EV) access throughout Ohio.

The Electric Vehicle Charing Study is available at drive.ohio.gov.

In the study, a new state-wide strategy is outlined, identifying key steps that are necessary for expanding Ohios EV impact. The strategy identified various sites needed to build EV-friendly corridors throughout the state. A key recommendation from the strategy is to have EV charging stations available and installed at least every 50 miles at strategic locations along interstate, state and US route corridors.

The strategy also recognizes recent investments that automobile manufacturers are making in EV technology. Last weeks unveiling of the Lordstown Motors Endurance electric pickup-truck is an example here in Ohio.

There is a paradigm shift underway in the transportation industry. Legacy companies are pivoting to new ways of doing business and startups are entering the market, said Jack Marchbanks, Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation. By working towards EV-friendly corridors, Ohio will continue leading the way in the changing landscape of transportation.

The strategy also calls for collaboration among various state agencies to implement this comprehensive proposal: ODOT, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the Development Services Agency (DSA), the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC).

We are looking forward to the opportunities that will come as a result of the work of our state agency partners, this was a team effort said Mary Mertz, Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. We hope the installation of charging stations at state parks and lodges will allow electric vehicle drivers to travel further and explore more of Ohios natural wonders.

The US Department of Energy and multiple independent market reports conclude that the automotive industry is committed to EVs. Over the past 18 months numerous manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler and Nissan have committed to each bringing 10 or more EV models to market in the 2020s. These manufacturers have also announced billions in investment in US and foreign EV manufacturing facilities. As new EV models come to market and current automated and connected vehicle (AV/CV) technology matures, DriveOhio sees EVs as an enabler of autonomous vehicles moving forward.

In coordination with DriveOhios study, tomorrow, the Ohio EPA will open the application process for $3.5 million in grant funds to install publicly accessible Level 2 chargers in counties that Ohio EPA has identified as eligible to receive funds from the grant program. A map of eligible counties can be found at epa.ohio.gov.

The data-driven approach DriveOhio took, makes their study a great tool for us. As we receive applications, we can use it as a road map to prioritize locations and ensure new chargers are installed strategically to fill the gaps, said Laurie Stevenson, Ohio EPA Director.

The Level 2 announcement is the first of two from Ohio EPA. Another $5 million in grant funding will be released for Direct Current Fast (DC Fast) chargers in early 2021. The study identified major arteries where these DC Fast chargers will help fill gaps and thereby ease what experts call range anxiety for EV travelers. More information about the program can be found at epa.ohio.gov/EVCharging.

ODOT, ODNR, ODPS, and OTIC are taking inventory of state-owned assets where Level 2 chargers could be placed as they work together to support the recommendations in the study. Additionally, on August 6, 2020 the PUCO will host a virtual stakeholder meeting to present the results of the DriveOhio study, discuss the Ohio EPAs RFP, and outline the utility infrastructure needed to support Ohios mission to make Ohio EV ready. Meeting details can be found at puco.ohio.gov.

The PUCO is pleased to bring together DriveOhio, Ohio EPA, utilities, and other stakeholders to host a virtual meeting to learn about and discuss the Electric Vehicle Charging Study. We look forward to a productive discussion that will identify possible next steps for strategic planning of EV charging stations across Ohio, said Sam Randazzo, Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

This initiative is a great example of state government working together and combining resources to get the very best result for Ohioans, said Marchbanks.
After that, the program would rely entirely on annual payroll tax revenue. At first, retirees would get 79 cents for every dollar theyd earned in benefits, dropping to 73 cents per dollar by the end of the century. No one, of course, expects that to happen.

Politically, its untenable, said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Even if Congress fixes Social Securitys funding, benefits are still shrinking. In fact, they have been for some time because of the rising retirement age.

With Americans living longer, Congress in 1983 gradually raised the full retirement age for people born between 1938 and 1960.

Because of the way Social Securitys actuarial formula is calculated, the replacement rate  the benefits amount relative to preretirement earnings  fell as the retirement age rose, with the steepest cuts hitting those born in 1960 or later. That rate should have remained the same at 40%; instead its about 38%.

Social Securitys benefits table bears this out.
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.
But with the minor victories  the ongoing removal of Confederate monuments among them  comes the reminder that a pandemic rages on, evidenced by the surplus of masks covering faces Saturday. And its one Black and Hispanic people currently endure the brunt of while they march against an unjust system.

Here we are today, still fighting and thats prevalent to what Fourth of July means. Were still different, said Swann, whos lived in Richmond the past 24 years. Fighting for Africans to be free, not so much from chains but mentally and spiritually.

Yet for the first time since he can remember, Swann, 48, feels an unaccustomed sense of hope that the U.S. could right itself and push forward  that change is coming.

He walked toward the shaded tent thats offered reprieve from the simmering heat this past month and where hes built a community who registers people to vote. As of Saturday, theyve reached more than 300 people, the bulk of whom Swann said would be first-time voters.
Virginia schools entered Phase Three on July 1.

With about two months to go until the traditional start of school, Richmond-area education leaders and families are scrambling to decide what reopening should look like as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

There are many options for how to return to school buildings, shuttered by Gov. Ralph Northam in March to curb transmission of the virus.

In all cases, school officials and families are trying to balance competing priorities: protecting students and staff from COVID-19 and ensuring the welfare of students who need to be in school, both to learn and to thrive.

Each school system planning for in-person teaching has to submit a plan to the state detailing how it will minimize the spread of the virus. All Richmond-area school systems are weighing options that include allowing students the choice of continuing virtual learning if families arent comfortable sending them back.

Richmond Public Schools has convened a reopening committee that helped draft four scenarios for in-person learning. Schedule two, in which students would come to school for two days and then have a virtual day on Friday, seems to be the most favored among parents and teachers, according to survey results presented at a June 29 Richmond School Board work session.
If they get all of the permits, great, he said. If they cant, it shouldnt happen.

The Virginia Chamber, a prominent voice for business, voiced dismay at the demise of a project it had supported because of the construction jobs it would create and the gas supplies it would offer to companies seeking to build or expand operations in Virginia.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline was an invaluable gas infrastructure investment that would spur economic development, Virginia Chamber President and CEO Barry DuVal said Sunday.

Unfortunately, todays announcement detrimentally impacts the commonwealths access to affordable, reliable energy, DuVal said. It also demonstrates the significant regulatory burdens businesses must deal with in order to operate.

The decision to end the project also didnt sit well with Virginia House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah. He is a strong critic of legislation adopted by the new Democratic majorities in the General Assembly this year to move Virginia away from fossil fuels and instead expand use of solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.
Ireland is to ease quarantine restrictions on people travelling from abroad on July 20, with people from a "green list" of countries with low COVID-19 rates to be exempt from isolating themselves for 14 days, transport minister Eamon Ryan said.

Former prime minister Leo Varadkar in June said that the restrictions would be eased from July 9.

"A so-called green list... will be published on July 20," Ryan said in an interview with Newstalk radio station. "The green list will be operating after that."

Short link:


In this context, we must consider Douglasss own words at the statues dedication in 1876. In a stirring speech, he reminded his predominantly white audience of federal officials: You are the children of Abraham Lincoln. We are at best his stepchildren. Then Douglass went on in a magnificent peroration to acknowledge that although Lincoln had tarried long in the mountain, he was nevertheless the bearer of black freedom, by decree, through war and the fortitude of blacks themselves. Indeed, if it was not for Lincolns perseverance in bringing down the Confederacy, black Americans might have remained in chains yet longer.
ROANOKE  A Virginia man has been sentenced to three years in prison for spiking his ex-girlfriends pitcher of tea with methamphetamine.

The Roanoke Times reports that Elvis Jarrett Mullins, 41, of Troutville, was sentenced on Friday.

Authorities said he broke into his exs Roanoke house. The woman returned home, consumed the tea and felt drugged, prosecutors said.

Hospital tests later showed a positive result for amphetamines. The woman was otherwise not injured.

Mullins has already served about 15 months. He pleaded no contest in November to breaking and entering and to adulterating food or drink.

Mullins also has taken part in a drug rehabilitation program and apologized.

Judge David Carson said Mullins actions could have been disastrous if the couples young son also drank the tea.

You cant tell me you were certain it wasnt going to be both of them drinking it, Carson told him. Can you imagine where youd be if either or both of them had been hurt?
Agency warns Virginians about COVID-19 scammers

ROANOKE  The Virginia Department of Health is warning residents that scammers might call them posing as COVID-19 contact tracers in order to take their money.

The department says its contact tracers will not ask for money or for a Social Security number, bank account details, credit card numbers or payment of any form. Their services are covered by tax dollars, not individual fees, the department said.

The VDH says legitimate contact tracers let people know when they have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 and then educate them on what to do next and advise them about testing, quarantines and monitoring for symptoms. When they call, your phone will identify the caller as VDH COVID Team, a news release said.

Also, contact tracers will offer to enroll Virginians in a voluntary contact monitoring platform called Sara Alert so that they can update their local health departments as to their health status. The Sara Alert system is secure and always contacts users from the same phone number or email: (844) 957-2721 or notifications@saraalert.org.

Regulators seek $86K fine against Mountain Valley
BONANNO, John F., 69, of Ashland, Va., passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2020, surrounded by his family following a brief battle with lung cancer. John was born in Erie, Pa., the son of Frank and Clara La Furia Bonanno. He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Gail A. Bonanno; two daughters, Stephanie Medlin (Dale) and Andrea Fleming (Sean); five grandchildren, Alexis, Nicholas, Brianna, Matthew and Temperance; and a brother, Frank Bonanno (Becky). John was a graduate of Cathedral Preparatory School, Erie, Pa. and Penn State University, State College, Pa. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi social fraternity while at Penn State, where he made many life-long friendships. His fraternity brothers trusted his leadership and elected him as an officer. John and three of his Sig brothers recently enjoyed a laid-back reunion near Dallas, Texas, where they hoisted a few adult beverages, renewed memories and strengthened their bond of friendship. John had lived in Ashland since 1999 and had previously lived in Glen Allen, Va., after moving from Pennsylvania in 1975. He retired from the Virginia Department of Corrections, Henrico Probation and Parole in 2004. John continued to work part-time for the department until 2018 when he fully retired. Although he truly enjoyed his profession, he was known to frequently tell his daughters, "There's no such thing as a good day at work, Bud." His lowkey approach to life and wonderful sense of humor will be greatly missed. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, July 16, at 4 p.m. at the Hanover Arts & Activity Center in Ashland, Va. Donations may be made in John's memory to the American Cancer Society, athomecareandhospice.com or a charity of your choice. Arrangements are under the care of Affinity Funeral Service, affinityfuneralservice.com.
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
But abandon these inspections is precisely what the USDA has done. Under a new deregulatory rule that went into effect late last year, the agency delegated responsibility for these front-line inspections to the slaughterhouses themselves. If ever there were a fox guarding a henhouse, this is it. Slaughterhouses have every incentive not to reduce the number of animals they can profitably put into the food supply. Add to this the fact that the USDA simultaneously lifted longstanding limits on how fast pigs could be moved through slaughterhouses. Indeed, the USDAs own Office of Inspector General found that high-speed slaughterhouses have reduced safety assurances.
Visitors to downtown Carlsbad someday might be able to hop aboard a trolley to get to Legoland, a nearby shopping mall, or maybe the state beach campground.

City officials say a trolley system could be a boon to tourists and locals who flood the citys coastal neighborhoods during the spring and summer, helping them avoid the downtown parking crunch and get to popular shops and restaurants, as well as the nearby beach. It wouldnt be cable car system like San Francisco or a light-rail like San Diegos colorful trolley, but something smaller and suitable for Carlsbads low-key vibe.

This is a rubber-tire type trolley, said Mayor Matt Hall. This isnt where we are putting tracks down.

Still, that doesnt mean the city is ready to start shopping for trams. Last week, the Carlsbad City Council agreed only to spend up to $130,300 to study the trolley idea, hiring consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates to complete the work. The company, has offices in San Diego and across the United States.

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Trolley services could address several needs within downtown Carlsbad and along the citys coast by reducing the need for parking, giving visitors a better experience, and helping to meet the need for mobility hubs, according to a staff report. Mobility hubs allow people to move from one form of transportation to another.

If we can encourage people to park once, but have options to go to multiple amenities, that can allow them to spend a whole day ... parking once, said Elaine Lukey, the citys public works director. They could walk, or they could bike, or they could use the trolley.

The only other trolley system in the county is a light-rail system operated by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. It opened in 1981 and now covers about 60 miles with 53 stations on four lines in San Diego and portions of El Cajon and National City.

North County Transit District operates a light-rail commuter system along the coast between San Diego and Oceanside, and inland between Oceanside and Escondido. Carlsbads proposed trolley system probably would link to that system as part of what the city has said would be a multi-modal transportation system.

Trolleys would be a great way to help tourists get around the crowded village, said Marco Briseno, a wine-tasting associate for Witch Creek Winery at Carlsbad Boulevard and Grand Avenue.

Its a great idea, Briseno said. It would be a big improvement. In any coastal city you go to it can be frustrating to move around in a car. Public transit tends to alleviate that problem.

Still, some thought the council was too quick to approve the study.

Its probably a waste of money, said Gary Nessim, a real estate agent active in the downtown Carlsbad Village Association, a nonprofit community improvement group. He said the trolley idea has surfaced before, but nothing ever came of it.

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The feasibility study is intended to explain existing and needed infrastructure, equipment options, supply and demand, timing, budget, scope, and funding for a trolley program, officials said.

There are several alternatives as to how that might work, Hall said. It doesnt necessarily mean that the city of Carlsbad is going to get into the transportation business.

Council members voted 4-1 for the study, with Cori Schumacher opposed.

It seems a bit premature, she said, because the city is in the midst of a year-long study of downtown parking and the creation of a new Village-Barrio Master Plan.

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Councilman Mark Packard, the citys representative to North County Transit District, said the agency has endorsed the plan, and that hes pleased the city is working on it.

The study is expected to outline an implementation plan, an analysis of alternatives, a look at existing conditions and needs, and ways to encourage public participation.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

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Twitter: @phildiehl
Over the past seven years, chef Wade Hageman has become well-known for his two farm-to-table Encinitas restaurants: Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria and Craftsman New American Tavern.

Now, he and his wife, Kristi, have added four more Encinitas dining and drinking destinations to their list  and theyre all under the same roof. Last week, Hageman Restaurant Group put the finishing touches on Open House Food + Drink, a four-in-one restaurant/bar concept on South Coast Highway.

Open House has two kitchens, two indoor dining rooms, two bars and a central outdoor covered patio thats dog- and kid-friendly.

Asian Kitchen, one of four dining and drinking concepts at Open House Food + Drink in Encinitas. (Courtesy photo)

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The first and largest concept is Asian Kitchen, which serves a variety of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean and Hawaiian dishes. The second is The Crafty Egg, which serves brunch, breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

Saltwater is a pop-up bar concept that Hageman hosts on Friday and Saturday nights, where he makes raw seafood dishes to complement more than 100 brands of tequila. And Driftwood Tavern is a beachy cocktail bar that serves salads, burgers and flatbreads.

The Hagemans have gradually opened each of these new concepts one by one since May, with the final piece, Driftwood, debuting this past weekend.

Driftwood Tavern, one of four food/drink concepts under one roof at Open House Food + Drink in Encinitas. (Courtesy photo)

Hageman said he got the idea to create a multi-concept restaurant/bar after exploring the vacant 7,000-square-foot space, which was originally built to house a colony of artist galleries around a central patio. Instead, it became the home of El Callejon Taqueria, which closed last January after 22 years.

With two kitchens and multiple stand-alone rooms, Hageman said he thought the venue could host a variety of restaurants and bars with its combined staff of 35. Asian Kitchen and Driftwood, which are situated side by side, have the same late afternoon/evening hours but separate kitchens. Crafty Egg uses Driftwoods dining room and kitchen in the morning and early afternoon hours. And Saltwater is set up in its own enclosed restaurant/bar space.

To reach all four spots, diners and drinkers walk through the same front door and Hageman said theyre usually blown away by what they see inside. Its similar to the popular food hall concept at Liberty Station, but in this case its all run by the same owners.

BTG Bennes, an eggs Benedict dish at The Crafty Egg, a breakfast/lunch restaurant thats one of four concepts at Open House Food + Drink in Encinitas. (Courtesy photo)

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We want to offer something for all tastes, he said. Not everyone wants Asian food every night of the week and not everyone wants a burger. Theres a lot of freedom here. People can bar hop and grab an appetizer on one side, and then have a different experience 10 steps away. People are making a whole evening out of it.

Since 2006, when Hageman was the chef for the now-defunct Blanca restaurant in Solana Beach, hes been known for making everything from scratch, including his own cheese, house-cured bacon, custom-ground burger meat and salted caramel butterscotch pudding (which is so popular its served at all Hageman restaurants).

His sous chef and close friend at Blanca was Marlaw Seraspi, a native of the Philippines. When Blanca closed in 2011, Seraspi and his Hawaiian-born wife moved to Sacramento. But Hageman lured him back in 2013 to run the kitchen when he opened Craftsman Tavern. Hageman promised Seraspi that if hed stick around, the next restaurant they opened would spotlight Asian fare in his honor.

The menu at Asian Kitchen crosses many cultures. There are Japanese raw fish and ramen dishes, Chinese wok dishes, Korean ribs, Hawaiian poke and Filipino adobo chicken wings.

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Its a true collaboration, Hageman said. If Marlaw feels passionate about something it goes on the menu and if Im passionate about something, it goes on the menu, too. We do everything together.

So far, the shaking beef bowl and pork-fried rice dishes are the top-sellers at Asian Kitchen. Crafty Egg has a playful menu with Capn Crunch French toast, gourmet burgers, loaded Bloody Marys and $5 mimosas. Saltwater has different raw dishes each night, including crudo, ceviche, carpaccio and sashimi. And Hageman said newly opened Driftwood will be known for its original cocktails and its house burgers and flatbreads.

Open House Food + Drink

The Crafty Egg (breakfast, brunch and lunch): 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily

Asian Kitchen (poke, wok dishes, ramen, plated entrees): 4-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 4-10:30 p.m. Fridays/Saturdays; 4-9 p.m. Sundays

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Driftwood Tavern: (beachy cocktail bar, burgers and flatbreads): 4-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 4-10:30 p.m. Fridays/Saturdays; 4-9 p.m. Sundays

Saltwater (pop-up tequila and raw bar): 5-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Where: 345 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas

Phone: (760) 452-2555

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Online: openhousefooddrink.com

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pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
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?
We would all rather be doing something different. Were here because we have to be, said Milka Derisma, an organizer with Blue Survivors, a recently formed nonprofit that aims to provide resources to people affected by police violence. Were here because we cant count on our chiefs, on our politicians to make change, so we have to stand out here and hold them accountable in the rain. But guess what? Its working.
As of July 1, the Thai death toll from COVID-19 is 58 (yes 58). Their population is almost three times the population of Florida. We are arguing about personal rights infringement at a time when maybe we should be asking, How can I help my neighbor, my community? What small thing can I do to make a difference?' Maybe thats what strength looks like. Maybe thats what greatness is.
Practically every day for the past 30 years, Eric Tee has rolled his wheelchair up to a tree in front of the bookstore at Opera Plaza in San Francisco. He reaches into a plastic bag hanging from the chair handle and picks out a book. Mysteries are a favorite. Or history.

Then, for the next eight hours, Tee, or E-Tee as hes known to his friends, sits there and reads. He looks up now and then to call out a cheery good afternoon or good morning. Occasionally, someone stops to chat about the weather, politics  or, of course, books.

But mostly, he passes the hours turning pages. The other day was filled with Scott Turows The Last Trial. As he reads, E-Tee rocks slightly, chortling or grimacing at the narratives. When hes done, he rolls his chair back to wherever he came from.

Which to most people is a mystery.

E-Tee is 82 years old with a thick gray beard, and hes been at that wide-leafed tristania tree in front of the bookstore so long that all but the few who know him best think hes homeless. After all, he does carry his things in a plastic bag. His clothes are neat but often badly worn, the contours of his face reflect years of hard wear. And hes sitting outside on the sidewalk all day, though he never asks for help or donations.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

But E-Tee doesnt share much of his past, or where he lives, or what he does other than read. So all most folks know is that hes the guy who reads in front of whatever bookstore has been in that spot for 30 years, which since 2006 has been Books Inc.

People bring him lunch and books and conversation. In return, he brightens their day with a smile and gives an unusual sense of constancy in a world where touchstones are too often fleeting.

He is always friendly, dignified, and the entire neighborhood looks out for him, said Books Inc. salesman David Marshall, whos given E-Tee surplus books for a decade. He goes through two or three books a week, and shoot, if someone wants to read that much, I will always support it.

At that rate and accounting for days away now and then, E-Tee has read at least 3,000 books beneath his tree on Van Ness Avenue.

Eric is just a cool guy, said Marshall, one of several Opera Plaza workers and residents who have taken a shine to E-Tee. And him being out there so long, like that, is really touching.

Mike Housh, a historian at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission across the street, stops to banter with E-Tee on his way to work every day and calls him part of San Francisco, its history, its character, and we love him.

Way back when, they had Emperor Norton, Housh said. Today, weve got Eric.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

The other morning, he jibed E-Tee about how he forgot to bring his pet wild turkey, Which of course, he doesnt have. Ill bring it with my guard rabbit tomorrow, E-Tee said. Yessir, you do that, and Ill bring it lunch, Housh said.

Then it was back to Turow. Which was quickly followed by The Kalahari Typing School for Men, a novel set in Botswana.

As a Black man from Africa, I am particularly interested in stories of Black history or life, E-Tee said. But Im also partial to Clive Cussler and Dean Koontz. He winked. Well, the truth is, I believe I like to read just about anything.

From Africa. Its one of the few shreds of biography E-Tee readily shares.

He says he emigrated with his mother from Algeria at 7, grew up in Southern California and came to San Francisco as a construction worker in 1989. Somewhere along the way, he says, he lost whatever birth certificate and other identification he might have had, so he always had to work under the table.

Around 1990, he started selling the Street Sheet homeless newspaper and reckoned sitting in front of the Opera Plaza bookstore was a good place for that. He never stopped. Hes still selling the Street Sheet, at $2 a pop  though he never pushes it. People have to ask him for it.

Also somewhere along the way, there was a wife, E-Tee says, but they didnt live together much and shes been dead for many years. Theres also a daughter named Anne Dee or Held  hes not quite sure which  who lives in Central California and visits him once a year, he says. But he says he has no way of getting a hold of her, so she just comes and finds him at the tree.

He was indeed homeless off and on for a couple of decades when he couldnt find work  and then when he got too old to swing a hammer. But for the past several years, E-Tee has been living in a city-funded residential hotel for formerly homeless people. And he doesnt need the wheelchair for mobility  he can walk slowly with a cane. But rolling a chair is a lot easier than carrying one, so thats what he does. Hes on his 12th chair now  this one is a push-able walker with a seat  because the others were stolen.

Look, I never get bored here, E-Tee said. I have my books. If people want to buy the Street Sheet, thats great, I can use the money. And sometimes people just give me money or food, though I never ask for it.

But really, Im just here because this is a beautiful place to sit, and the people are so nice, he said. And heres my take on life: My mama said, Boy, I got one thing to say, if I ever catch you downbeat, Im coming out of the grave to knock you upside the head. So I take that to heart. You have to be upbeat to help people up out of whats bothering them. And it helps me too.

Lynn Davis lives in the Opera Plaza apartments, and years ago took it upon herself to try to figure out E-Tees story so she could help him. In 2013 while walking home, he was beaten in the head, police records show, which put him in a hospital for several weeks. Davis made an extra effort then to find his family.

Without ID to steer her, she relied on E-Tees fuzzy memory. The daughters name didnt show up anywhere she looked. He said his mothers maiden name began with a T, which is why he is called E-Tee, but that was also a dry hole. And in hospital records and other filings, E-Tees name turned up as John Eric Held, Prad, Pradd and Pratt. E-Tee simply calls himself Eric E-Tee.

Eventually, with E-Tee housed, she dropped it. Hes a beloved institution in the neighborhood, she said, seems to be doing OK, and thats good enough for her.

Eric has phenomenal resilience, Davis said. Its like hes got his tree there, and its his home. And he is part of our community.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Mark Harmon, a paralegal who works nearby, often brings E-Tee lunch. One day last week it was a Whopper from Burger King. E-Tee complained that it had onions.

Ill keep that in mind for next time, Harmon said with mock seriousness.

Erics always good for a laugh, such an upbeat guy, Harmon said. I try to give him clothes, pillows, a bag to carry his stuff in, but he wont take it. He turned to E-Tee and patted him on the shoulder.

Youre an amazing guy, Harmon said. How did you get to be 82? I thought you were 65.

E-Tee stared back with a slight grin. I dont do drugs, I dont do women, he said. I pretty much just read. Thats how I got to be 82 years old.

Not everyone has always been thrilled to have him around, though. E-Tee sometimes leaves a food wrapper or a coffee cup at the tree when he leaves. And his presence, though benign, has rankled some who didnt like the idea of a guy sitting on the sidewalk all day.

Deidra OMerde has run the Rosebowl Florist and Wine Shop at Opera Plaza since well before E-Tee showed up, and said, It used to really piss me off that he was there. But gradually even she came around.

When he was gone, the people who hung out there instead were worse, OMerde said. Hes nice enough.

Jennifer Friedenbach, whos known E-Tee for at least 15 years, said she also tried to dredge up files to help E-Tee. No luck.

I dont think any of us actually knows who he truly is, said Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness. Theres not a record of who he is that matches. ... But in the end it doesnt matter. He can be whoever he wants to be, like any of us. The system needed to embrace him and stabilize him, and it did  and I have to say the success of that probably has to do with his enormous personal charm. Hes just a really nice guy.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron
In the face of heavy visitor traffic over the Fourth of July weekend, entrances to three East Bay parks were blocked off after parking areas filled, and a fire on adjacent land closed another park.

The three parks that filled and were closed off were Lake Chabot and Point Pinole regional parks, and Sunol Regional Wilderness, according to Park Superintendent Bob Doyle. Mission Peak Regional Preserve near Fremont, another that received high use, was evacuated after a 100-acre brush fire flared on adjacent private land along Calaveras Road.

At the same time, Doyle and other park managers across the Bay Area said that 80% to 90% of visitors took care to social distance and wore masks when that was not possible, in respect to laws in place to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Other park managers reported similar encounters.

Parks are the only game in town and we were really busy, Doyle said. People did well, better than ever, masks and distancing, even on Alameda Beach, our biggest beach on San Francisco Bay.

To provide oversight over the holiday weekend, it was all hands on deck, park managers said. At East Bay Parks, Doyle said nearly 200 park rangers, park police and fire officials were monitoring the districts 73 parks.

In Marin County, at Point Reyes National Seashore, three roads to popular trailheads were shut down to reduce the chance for clustering, said Christine Beekman, acting chief of interpretation at the park.

The park closed the outer reaches of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Point Reyes Lighthouse and Chimney Rock Headlands, as well as the road to Mount Vision. North of Bolinas, the park closed Mesa Road to the Palomarin Trailhead, a potential logjam site as the staging area and launch point to the Coast Trail and trips to Bass Lake and Alamere Falls.

On the Peninsula, San Mateo County Parks Director Nicholas Calderon called the weekend a success, with large numbers of visitors following social distancing and face mask protocols .

We had no incidents, Calderon said. The behavior we observed was very respectful toward visitors, staff and the environment.

Calderon said he ventured to Pillar Point Bluff, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Quarry Park, San Pedro Valley County Park, Coyote Point Recreation Area and Junipero Serra County Park and saw similar behavior, something affirmed by rangers across the districts 23 parks.

What were seeing out there, 90%, if not more, have the face covering with them, and wear it when they cant stay socially distanced, Calderon said.

He called the number of visitors comparable to any popular summer weekend.

While Highway 1 on the coast typically clogs up in Pacifica at Rockaway Beach and at Pillar Point Harbor in Princeton, the traffic was mitigated over the Fourth of July when California Department of Parks shut down parking lots and prohibited parking at nearby roads at nine state beaches from Pacifica on south 30 miles past Pescadero.

The most dramatic event Saturday at parks in the Bay Area was the evacuation of visitors at Mission Peak.

We had a pretty good fire near Mission Peak, Doyle said. It was on private property but we had to evacuate the park anyway. We had to do the whole loudspeaker thing, get a helicopter up there, scare everybody off the mountain.

As with mask and social distancing at parks through the region, visitors complied, he said.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoors writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom.
For three months, California bent the curve.

Look at this miracle, said public health and infectious disease pundits. Admire this success, led by the Bay Area, in beating back the coronavirus that had overrun New York City and devastated dozens of other cities around the world.

California basked. Then the virus rallied.

After months of gentle upticks and encouraging plateaus, the state reported record-high daily cases on June 22, then broke that record the next day, and again a few days later. The numbers of patients hospitalized and in intensive care have shot up over the past two weeks. California is reporting as many new cases a day as Florida and Texas and Arizona  states that never quite committed to sheltering in place the first time around.

On Tuesday, the day after California reported more than 8,000 new cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed to take the setback personally.

We bent the curve in California once. We will bend the curve again, he said at a news briefing in Pittsburg. Mark my word: We will crush this pandemic. We will annihilate it.

The next day, the governor announced he was shutting down bars, indoor restaurants, movie theaters, and museums in 19 counties. The closures would last at least three weeks, to give counties time to re-establish control over their outbreaks. More counties could be added to that list in the coming days, he said.

Of course, California is not alone in this predicament. The entire United States is facing a critical moment in this pandemic. Already the world leader in case counts  with 2.8 million confirmed infections, or a quarter of the global total  the nation is reporting record-high new cases now, including 55,000 on Friday. Cases are trending up in most states, in some places alarmingly fast.

The Bay Area and California have been widely lauded for an early, aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent success of sheltering in place. The case counts climbed, but at a manageable pace. Hospitals were never overwhelmed. Morgues didnt fill up. California has many more cases and deaths than most other states, but its also the most populous state, and the rates per capita werent as alarming.

But just a few weeks after letting people out of their homes and back to something approaching normal life, the California outbreak is swelling all over again. In addition to the climbing case counts, the state has more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now than ever before.

California, and the Bay Area in particular, may still be the nations success story, said infectious-disease experts. This may be the best that the United States can hope for: constant vigilance and the political will to slow down and take stock when the virus begins to rear up.

When it comes to fighting a pandemic, we suck, said Robert Wachter, chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine, regarding the U.S. response to COVID-19. Our response was never going to be perfect. But I dont think we needed to be this bad.

Of Californias situation, Wachter added: We should be disappointed, and I am. And we should be somewhat self-critical.

On the other hand, we made it through three and a half months with remarkably good performance, he said. What happened now is human, which is we let our guard down. We believed, Look how great weve done, the virus never struck us, we got lucky, we dodged the bullet, its time to go out and live our lives. And thats where things went off the rails.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Limits to success

Whats happening across the state, Wachter and others say, is as much about a failed response as it is the wily nature of this new virus and the challenge of containing it in a country defined by free will and individualism. South Korea managed to drive its coronavirus cases down to near-zero. Italy, one of the first countries to be crushed by the pandemic, mostly has stomped out the virus.

The United States is not either of those places. Its a huge, heterogeneous nation that is more politically and culturally divided now than at almost any other time, public health and infectious disease experts say.

And California, though it took a progressive stand against the virus, is still at the mercy of its federal leaders and its neighbors.

Even Santa Clara County, where the health officer acted faster and more aggressively than anywhere else in the country, where the government and residents supposedly did everything right, is stumbling to stay on top of its cases.

The county recorded more cases last week than at any other time in the pandemic  in fact, more cases in that one week than the entire month of April.

Its hospital numbers are picking up, too. Its now on a state watch list for counties where the virus is threatening to run rampant. On Thursday, Health Officer Sara Cody said she was issuing a new health order that would reopen some businesses but leave certain high-risk venues  including indoor restaurants and bars  closed indefinitely.

Santa Clara County was really on the front end of acting as quickly and decisively as possible. Which is partly what makes it so discouraging that, even in Santa Clara County, were seeing cases going up, said Erin Mordecai, a Stanford biologist. What could we be doing better, if they cant do it?

Mordecai pointed to many of the same limiting factors as Wachter and other infectious-disease experts: Americans value their privacy and dont like being told what to do, for starters.

But the response across the state also was hindered by deeply embedded structural challenges  racism and socioeconomic imbalances that put communities of color and low-wage workers at particular risk. It was always going to be nearly impossible to slow the spread of the virus to almost unreadable levels with pervasive systemic disparities unaddressed, Mordecai said.

Even though the outbreak was seriously dampened by sheltering in place, it never disappeared entirely. In the Bay Area, newly reported daily cases dropped below 100 only once since the stay-home orders took effect in mid-March. But public health officials believed theyd done the best they could, and they used those three months to shore up hospital and public health resources for what they anticipated would be a long-haul battle with COVID-19.

People in the Bay Area have done so much already. They did such extraordinary work sheltering in place, said Susan Philip, director of disease prevention and control at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. But people have been really pushed, potentially just to the limits of what they feel they can do, or are willing to do. Its been mentally exhausting.

Whats happening now

Why cases are springing up across the state isnt actually much of a mystery. Public health authorities warned that theyd see increases from reopening the economy, as people returned to work and began to interact with others more often.

And the state has dramatically expanded its testing, which is surely capturing many cases that would have been overlooked a month or two ago, especially among younger people with mild or no symptoms.

Some cases also may have come from the civil rights protests that exploded at the end of May, after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota. No coronavirus clusters have yet been directly attributed to the protests in California, but public health officials have identified a few cases tied to them.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

More significantly, starting around mid May  first with Mothers Day, then Memorial Day  people began socializing more. They slipped out of their housebound isolation and started seeing friends and family. They crowded beaches in Southern California. They celebrated high school graduations.

In many places, they refused to wear masks.

The mistake that we made, even here in the Bay Area, was that we didnt anticipate human behavior. We assumed that people would be more responsible than theyve been, said John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley.

Hes hopeful, though  for the Bay Area and California. Tens of millions of people were responsible enough in March, April and May to fend off disaster. He believes they can do it again.

This is success

Sheltering in place is the best defense against the coronavirus, but it cant be maintained indefinitely. And once states began reopening, Americans werent going to sit well with the type of aggressive public health oversight other countries have employed to keep cases from rising again, authorities say.

So the answer is to proceed with caution, and to keep close watch on the earliest signs that the outbreak is surging. Thats not just climbing case counts, but more nuanced indicators, like the percentage of coronavirus tests that are coming up positive. If that number is ticking up, the virus is spreading more widely.

Deaths are stable in California, which is good news, of course, but it may just be a matter of time before they climb again too, public health officials warn. Other red flags are flapping. Positive test rates are climbing statewide  up from just over 4% two weeks ago to 7%. State hospital numbers are up about 60% from two weeks ago; Bay Area hospitalizations have more than doubled.

Now is the time to take action and slow down, authorities say.

San Franciscos positive test rate is only about 3% at the moment, but it was 1% three weeks ago. Cases are shooting up, and hospitalizations that had been dropping steadily for two months are surging again  the city has as many COVID-19 patients in hospitals now as in early May.

When the first warning signs went off two weeks ago, San Francisco delayed the reopening of bars, hair salons, zoos and a few other sectors. Health official Philip hopes the city acted quickly enough that it can wrestle control again.

The reason that some of our indicators went red is because we deliberately designed them to be very sensitive. We didnt want to be behind the eight ball and knowing once our hospitals were almost at capacity that there is very little we can do about it, Philip said.

The state as a whole has been a little more reckless, infectious disease experts said. The Bay Area counties are seeing nothing like the surges in parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles, where total cases passed 100,000 last week.

This is the dance, said Wachter  push and pull with the virus, trying to strike the balance between restrictive health policies that save lives and letting people go back to work and see one another again. The next two weeks will be critical, he said. The Bay Area and the rest of the state can wrestle control again, or it could spiral into chaos like New York City did early on.

To beat this thing, its not just about what the rules are set by the state and county, he said. Its the 100 decisions made by 40 million people every day. We went through a big test in March and we passed. Were going to go through a big one now and well see.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Fire officials across the Bay Area remained on high alert Sunday after battling hundreds of fires on the Fourth of July  almost all ignited by illegal fireworks  that threatened multiple homes and buildings and injured a father and his child.

Firefighters were spread so thin overnight, fielding dozens of calls in a single hour, that many dispatched only one fire engine to the scene of each blaze during the height of the rush. It was the culmination of nearly a month of illegal fireworks activity across the Bay Area, officials said.

The wild holiday weekend, amplified against a backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and widespread civil unrest, included a 6-acre blaze in San Franciscos Bayview district, where the fire was contained before it reached a series of motor homes. In the East Bay, a major fire burned in Oak Hills Park in Pittsburg, threatening homes nearby.

Firefighters in Contra Costa County responded to roughly 100 fires overnight, with the volume of calls peaking between 9 and 11 p.m., officials said.

For whatever reason, this year was among the worst that Ive experienced with illegal fireworks, said Capt. George Lang, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. It was bad not just yesterday. Its been bad for the previous month.

The district extinguished nearly 70 fires between 7 p.m. Saturday and midnight Sunday, including 10 structure fires and 27 vegetation fires. At least 16 were sparked by fireworks, which are illegal in Contra Costa, the district said. Two homes were damaged in Antioch, but no homes were destroyed.

Meanwhile, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District responded to 29 fires late Saturday, all of which were fireworks-related, said fire marshal and public information officer Steve Aubert.

A father and his 4-year-old daughter were burned by firework debris, he said.

Firefighters issued citations and warnings and confiscated some fireworks but were significantly outnumbered, Aubert said. The district has only three stations responsible for protecting a 250-square-mile region.

Their evening started off with a 2-acre grass fire on Holland Tract in Brentwood.

That was the kickoff of our night yesterday. After that, it was just one after another after another, Aubert said.

Planning and expert real-time action allowed the San Francisco Fire Department to contain 110 fires  all but two from illegal fireworks  between 3 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday with limited injuries and property damage, according to officials.

Large fires were quashed at McLaren Park, Dolores Park and Little Hollywood Park, and the scene could have been even worse if not for the prep and cooperation of the citys fire, police and sheriffs departments.

In addition to law enforcement and firefighters, 911 dispatch, 311 and San Francisco Public Works joined a 114-person team that started planning more than a month ago. Police officers began handing out firework safety material and miniature first-aid kits to large groups as early as 8 a.m. Saturday, and the fully staffed Fire Department was supplemented by 25 additional firefighters from outside the region who roved the city as the SFFD responded to emergency calls.

These individuals volunteered to come into work on the Fourth of July, away from their families, said Lt. Jonathan Baxter, public information officer at the San Francisco Fire Department. As you can see from our numbers, they worked aggressively and professionally to make sure that San Franciscans were safe.

Baxter said there were isolated incidents where people shot bottle rockets at firefighters and threw M-80 explosives at fire vehicles, but there were also heartfelt moments on a night when the sky was lit up brighter and longer than years with the city-sanctioned fireworks show along the Embarcadero.

During his Saturday shift, Baxter was approached by a war veteran who had been trying to ease his cats anxiety during the earsplitting booms. The man came out of his house to offer Baxter a granola bar and Gatorade.

That was just one person out of hundreds of thousands in San Francisco, and were hoping we were able to have that impact on multiple individuals, Baxter said. Being outside with the boots on the ground, we have a job to do, and that is to ensure the safety of the public.

Most of the time we do that without a cognitive notion of the hazards around us. Afterward, you start to think: Wow, that M-80 was really close over my head. That bottle rocket hit my car and bounced off. What if my window was rolled down?

Tatiana Sanchez and Rusty Simmons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com, rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tatianaysanchez, @rusty_sfchron
Marin County officials will suspend indoor dining for at least three weeks amid an influx in new coronavirus infections, reversing course one week after giving restaurants the green light to serve customers inside.

The decision, effective at midnight Monday, comes days after the state added Marin County to its watch list, which closely tracks counties struggling to clamp down on a surge in cases and hospitalizations. The countys decision was based on a lack of improvement in case counts, officials said in a release Sunday.

Marin had 2,861 total coronavirus cases and 21 deaths as of Sunday afternoon. That includes cases at San Quentin State Prison, which is in the county and accounts for at least half of Marins infections. The latest state figures show 1,388 inmate infections and 165 staff infections.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed counties on the watch list to reimpose parts of their stay-at-home orders.

Restaurants in Marin County may continue outdoor seating and take-out service, officials said.

At the Gravity Tavern in Mill Valley, customers were enjoying beer and pub food inside and at outside tables after the restaurant fully reopened on Thursday, said manager Sierra Truppelli.

Its frustrating, but these are crazy times, she said.

Thankfully, given the warm weather, most people want to sit outside anyway, she said, adding she only hopes the county doesnt backtrack even more to takeout only again.

We are blessed that this awful situation is happening in beautiful weather, Truppelli said. Thats what were trying to do is look for the silver lining.

Teams with the state health department will patrol restaurants and other businesses that are not complying with COVID-19 measures.

Wearing facial coverings in public, washing hands often, adhering to social bubble guidelines, and practicing social distancing are among practices that will help curtail the coronavirus outbreak and lead to more openings in economic sectors, Marin officials said.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Jill Tucker contributed to this report.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez.
Morgan Hill restaurant owners and city officials said they were left scrambling and confused after officers from the states Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control told businesses along the citys main commercial strip Friday that they could no longer offer outdoor dining.

The officers orders contradicted what they understood to be the county and state health rules, which have generally allowed for outdoor food service, so long as certain procedures, including social distancing, are followed to help curtail the coronavirus.

Morgan Hill Mayor Rich Constantine learned of the crackdown from the city manager around 9 p.m. Friday. As a local government, were as much in the dark as our restaurant owners, which is not the situation we want to be in, he said.

Alcoholic Beverage Control spokesman John Carr said the department had begun statewide Fourth of July enforcement of alcohol laws but provided few details. Agents across the state met with owners of licensed premises to ensure they were complying with alcoholic beverage laws and public health orders, he wrote in an email. ABC stresses education over enforcement in most instances, and the vast majority of owners voluntarily complied after meeting with ABC agents.

This stands in contrast to reports from Morgan Hill officials and the restaurant owners themselves. The city estimates somewhere around 15 businesses were told to shut down or that both they and their customers could face fines beginning Saturday.

Chris Provini was managing Ladera Grill on Friday night when, he said, two armed and uniformed agents walked in wearing armored vests.

It was not a discussion, he said. They did say, We hate to be the bearer of bad news, before telling him the restaurant could no longer keep its patio open for dining.

Like most of the restaurants in downtown Morgan Hill, Ladera Grill has been offering outdoor dining since early June. Though outdoor tables normally account for just 20% of seating, the grill has managed to make about 60% of its usual revenue. Its been a game changer for a restaurant that has lost nearly $500,000 since the pandemic began, according to owner Dan McCranie. All of that was wonderful. Now I get these two state ABC guys informing us that were in violating of the rules and regulations, he said. In fact, we do not violate any rules and regulations. I dont know what it is, but its at least untrue.

Calls to two other restaurants along Monterey Road confirmed they had been served the same notice.

The biggest issue, McCranie and Constantine say, is the lack of clear communication from the state. Constantine says neither the city nor county were alerted ahead of time. He also says enforcement was uneven, as agents only visited restaurants in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. (Officials in Gilroy and Santa Clara County were not immediately available for comment.)

Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governors Office of Emergency Services, declined to go into detail about any specific enforcement action, but rebutted the idea that its unusual for the state to act unilaterally. Instead, he reiterated Gov. Gavin Newsoms comment earlier last week about increasing enforcement across the state.

Certainly more education outreach will continue as we go forward, Ferguson said. The goal is not to shut folks down.

That doesnt seem to be the message from the ABC, said McCranie, who has decided to keep his patio open despite the Friday night visit. As far as he understands, the restaurant isnt violating any health orders. On Saturday, his staff informed diners about the possibility of fines, but they seemed undeterred, he said.

These restaurants are holding on by the skin of their teeth, Constantine said. To try and do this now, it really is a shame, and it gives license to people who protest against mask wearing, who protest against social distancing. It gives them license to say, See they dont even know what theyre doing.

Beyond the ABC enforcement action, the state in recent days has denied Santa Clara Countys bid to further reopen. County officials confirmed they were in discussion with the state about how to move forward. Santa Clara is also one of more than a dozen counties the state is closely monitoring as coronavirus cases rise.

The broader coronavirus picture in California remains grim. State health officials reported Saturday that 5,595 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized as of Friday, the states 15th consecutive day with a new record high. The Bay Area recorded its 600th death from COVID-19, and one more San Quentin Death Row inmate has died: Dewayne Michael Carey, 59, who died in a hospital Saturday from what authorities say appeared to be COVID-related complications. Two other Death Row inmates died Friday.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @RyanKost
Months into the coronavirus pandemic, not only is the disease still spreading but so is the cultural warfare in response to the virus. Few things have ignited more hard feelings than the use of face masks.

But the science is clear: Wearing masks helps reduce the spread of the virus. If enough people wear masks consistently  experts and studies peg the magic number to be at least 80% of the population  it will significantly slow transmission.

Its difficult to determine exactly how much widespread mask usage would impact the spread of the virus. This is, in part, because states and counties vary greatly in other policies that also affect transmission, such as social distancing and economic reopening strategies. And its not possible to do random, controlled trials of mask usage during the pandemic because it would be unethical to ask one group of people to wear masks and another not to.

But substantial scientific evidence and modeling of mask usage have led to overwhelming consensus in the medical community that wearing masks is the best low-cost, low-tech, accessible action every member of the public can take to help contain the spread of the deadly virus.

Given a choice between the three most widely recommended infection prevention tools  wearing a mask, washing ones hands and social distancing  wearing a mask is the most important, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease physician at UCSF.

I couldnt be more enthusiastic, Chin-Hong said. The bulk of evidence suggests the most important thing you can do is wear a mask. Forget about cleaning your phone every 10 seconds.

Masks offer some protection to the person wearing it if, say, an N-95 mask fits properly. But in terms of controlling the pandemic at the population level, the more important function of masks is to protect people around the wearer by blocking virus-bearing droplets from getting into the air and infecting them. This is especially critical because asymptomatic, or presymptomatic, people account for nearly half of all coronavirus infections. Those people could be unknowingly spreading the virus to others. Surgical masks and cloth masks both work to block droplets from being emitted.

Its far more effective to prevent at the source, said De Kai, a researcher at UC Berkeleys International Computer Science Institute and professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which has modeled the use of masks and reductions in virus transmission. Otherwise you spray it all over, its aerosolized and hangs in the air so other people who are wearing masks might still get it through their eyes. Cut it off at the source. This is why it has been so effective in East Asia when you have entire populations wearing masks.

Regions accustomed to wearing masks like Hong Kong and Taiwan  which have each reported just seven deaths during this pandemic  are managing the virus far better than countries that dont. About 98% of Hong Kong residents say they wear masks when leaving their home during the pandemic, according to a May study in the medical journal the Lancet.

Dozens of studies suggest that the widespread use of masks helps contain viral spread, including:

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

 An April New England Journal of Medicine study shows that mouth coverings prevent nearly all droplets from being emitted when the person wearing one is speaking.

 A June study by Virginia Commonwealth University shows that countries with cultural norms, or government policies, supporting mask-wearing had much lower coronavirus mortality rates than countries that do not. The study looked at 198 countries and found that countries that use masks widely saw per-capita mortality increase by an average of only 8% each week, compared with 54% in countries that do not.

 A June study in the health care journal Health Affairs shows that mask mandates in 15 states and the District of Columbia helped avert as many as 230,000 to 450,000 new cases between April and May.

 An April study by Yale shows that countries where people commonly wear masks when sick  including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan  had an average daily growth rate of confirmed cases of 10%, compared with 18% in countries without such mask norms. The growth rate of deaths in countries with mask norms was 11%, compared with 21% in countries without mask norms.

 A simulation by researchers at UC Berkeley and Hong Kongs University of Science and Technology found that in one scenario in the United Kingdom, if 80% to 90% of people wore masks, it would lead to significantly fewer deaths than if just 50% of people wore masks  60,000 deaths, compared with 240,000 deaths.

Wearing a mask is something that is within each persons control, whereas you cant always control how much distance there is between yourself and others, said Chin-Hong of UCSF. He noted that, in Hong Kong and Taiwan, crowds of people at crosswalks and streets arent always social distancing but they are almost always wearing masks.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Masks trump everything else because you can control that, Chin-Hong said. You cant control that distance, many times.

Experts also point to two recent case reports that appear to demonstrate that if sick people wear masks  even in enclosed indoor spaces, for extended periods of time  they will not spread the virus to others.

In one case, a man traveling from China to Canada in January had a dry cough during the 15-hour flight and later tested positive for the coronavirus. None of the 25 passengers who were sitting closest to the man, and no flight attendants, tested positive.

In another case, in May, two hairstylists at a Great Clips in Springfield, Mo., were diagnosed with the coronavirus after theyd come into close contact with a combined 140 customers over the course of nine days. Both hairstylists wore masks the entire time, as did customers, and no infections were reported among the customers  though only about a third got tested.

If you need any more proof than that, youre a Luddite, said UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford.

Bay Area residents appear split. On a recent Friday afternoon in downtown Walnut Creek, Jennifer Stowell, a 30-year-old marketer, did not wear a mask, saying COVID-19 is just a drop in the bucket compared to the extensive levels of toxicity all around us thats man-made. ... Just on my one walk now Ive breathed in tons of toxics.

The best way to handle this? Theres a thing called natural law  inspiring people to have a choice over your health, she said. If youre older, stay away from sick people, but also bolster yourself so youre healthy enough to build resistance.

But at a sushi restaurant nearby, co-workers Chadwick Manning and Argun Vasan were eating lunch at a curbside table and put on their masks every time anyone stopped by to talk.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Were not done with this virus at all, said Vasan, 35. This is clearly the event of our lives, and we have to do whats safe. Wear a mask.

Widespread mask usage would work nearly as well as a vaccine if everyone or almost everyone did it, several medical and infectious disease experts said.

Still, California did not issue a mask mandate until mid-June. Gov Gavin Newsom was asked several times Thursday how the state plans to enforce the mask mandate, and he said there would be some enforcement but hopes Californians comply on their own.

Look, were not going to everybodys backyard and enforcing. You know that, Newsom said. Consider others. That could be your mother, it could be your grandmother, it could be someone you deeply love.

Part of the problem is that many leading public health agencies, including the World Health Organization, the U.S. Surgeon Generals Office and the CDC initially discouraged the public from wearing masks at the start of the epidemic, in part because there were shortages of masks for health care workers. The CDC didnt recommend masks for the public until April, and the WHO didnt recommend masks until June. That bungled the early messaging around whether people should wear masks or not.

We just have to be as good as Madison Avenue, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a Stanford epidemiologist. Public health just doesnt have those amount of dollars. If we can get people to buy into masks the way we get them to buy into, name your product, wed do fine. ... If we could just get everyone to wear a mask for a few weeks, wed get this thing down really low.

Chronicle staff writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
San Jose police / Courtesy San Jose Police Department

A South Bay special education teacher who allegedly coughed on an infant in a San Jose yogurt shop no longer works for the school district, the superintendent said Saturday.

The Oak Grove School Districts highest priority is the safety of our students and the well-being of all of the children in the community we serve, Superintendent Jose Manzo wrote in a statement. We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any childs safety.
The Oakland As plan for a waterfront ballpark is hitting choppy waters, with the politically potent Sierra Club raising serious concerns about the projects environmental and community impacts.

The Sierra Club is concerned about significant environmental and environmental justice impacts presented by the Oakland As proposed move from the Coliseum to a new stadium at Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland, Northern Alameda County Group Chairman Igor Tregub wrote in a June 29 letter to Mayor Libby Schaaf and Oakland City Council members.

Issues raised include insufficient transit access to Howard Terminal, the threat of sea level rise, site contamination by toxic waste, and the possible impacts a 34,000-seat ballpark and accompanying development could have on jobs at other port operations.

By comparison, the Sierra Club said the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum site, where the team now plays, is already approved for use as a stadium, is transit accessible and would lift up surrounding East Oakland neighborhoods rather than displacing maritime businesses and workers.

The Sierra Club letter does not take an official position on the Howard Terminal project, but it does say that a new ballpark at the Coliseum site would be the best deal for the taxpayers and the environment.

The environmental organization also took aim at the teams drive to streamline the approval process.

In pushing their proposal to build at Howard Terminal, the As have sought shortcuts and exemptions from environmental laws, threatening public health, the San Francisco Bay ecosystem and the integrity of our system of public oversight, the letter said.

The Sierra Club and its 15,000 Alameda County chapter members have long been seen as a key endorsement in local elections, especially on development and environmental issues, and City Council incumbents and others running for office often seek the clubs endorsement.

Tregub said the letter followed months of study and meetings with Oakland community groups. The group also toured the Howard Terminal site with the As.

Tregub said the letter was prompted by the City Councils recent decision to enter into negotiations to sell the citys half interest in the Coliseum to the As as part of the Howard Terminal deal. Alameda County has already agreed to sell its portion of the 155-acre Coliseum site to the team, which plans to develop the property.

Both sales are contingent on the As building a new ballpark in Oakland.

As President Dave Kavals initial reaction to the Sierra Club was shock  he told Chronicle sportswriter Susan Slusser that were really surprised to see it.

Kaval said the letter contained inaccuracies and called on the club to rescind it, but Tregub said the club has no intention of rescinding the letter or any of its statements.

No one has convinced us that there is anything in the letter that is factually inaccurate, he said.

In a subsequent interview, Kaval said it is frustrating to see opposition from environmental groups when the project has so many positive environmental qualities. We spent a lot of time agreeing to higher standards than are required, including all LEED-Gold certified and full greenhouse-gas neutrality.

This project is going to help West Oakland, Kaval continued. If the project doesnt go through, you are just going to have an empty former terminal.

Tregubs take: I can certainly appreciate his being frustrated by our position. Everyone is entitled to their own positions.

Kavals response was just as blunt.

People may be entitled to their own positions but not their own facts, he said. We continue to call for Sierra to rescind the factually inaccurate and misleading letter.

Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

A firm split: California lawmakers recent vote to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to bring back affirmative action in higher education has once again ignited opposition within the states Chinese American community.

My office received 17,000 emails opposed to the measure, Assemblyman Phil Ting said.

Assemblyman David Chiu said his office received 11,000 emails.

At issue is a ballot measure that, if passed by voters, would reverse Proposition 209 from 1996 and allow race to be considered a factor for admission into state universities and in awarding of state contracts and hiring.

Chiu said the opposition appeared to be organized by conservative groups and very much focused on college admissions rather than the benefits affirmative action could have on jobs and minorities winning state contracts.

Ting agreed.

Many of the opponents are newer immigrants from China and Taiwan, where the university you get into is determined by taking a test. Its almost like training for the Olympics, Ting said.

Both Ting, whose district includes Chinese American populations in San Francisco and San Mateo County, and Chiu, whose district covers much of San Francisco, said the overwhelming majority of the emails were from Silicon Valley and Southern California.

Still, Ting said that within his district calls and emails were running heavy on the no side: 92 opposed and 22 in favor of the measure.

Chiu said he got 331 emails from his district opposing the measure; 100 were in favor.

Chinese American opposition was the key reason a similar amendment failed in the state Assembly in 2014.

Even this year, there appeared to be only tepid support for bringing the issue back to the forefront.

The conversation six weeks ago was that it looked very unlikely to pass, Ting said.

Then came George Floyds killing in Minneapolis and the national protests that followed, bringing Black Lives Matter to the forefront.

There is still a lot of concern in the Chinese American community about how the issue impacts education, but that said  there is still racism in this country and this is one of the few proposals trying to address racism, Ting said.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier
Masses of tourists and overpriced crab sandwiches usually keep locals away from Fishermans Wharf and the Pier 39 attractions.

Now, the throngs have vanished  and hopes that residents will rediscover the waterfront during the quiet are fading.

At Pier 39, the crowd-control signs at the sea lion observation deck seem meant for another era. The childrens carousel sits wrapped in plastic. Many fish restaurants have padlocks on their doors and closing signs on windows, while others  which reopened last month with outdoor tables  have few takers.

Im very, very concerned about the future of the wharf, said Drew Bernier, the assistant general manager of Scomas, a 55-year old seafood restaurant on Pier 47 with an avid following. Its horrible. Its dead. It looks like the restaurants just quickly abandoned ship. It doesnt look like anything was even nicely put away or organized.

Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39 are the most popular destinations for the tens of millions of tourists who flood San Francisco each year, surpassing even Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and Union Square, according to data from the San Francisco Travel Association. Hotel rooms at this time of year are usually nearly full.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

But now the June occupancy rate hovers at a meager 29%, according to data from SF Travel spokeswoman Laurie Armstrong Gossy  and thats not even including ordinary tourists, because San Francisco hotels can currently host only essential workers or travelers, homeless people, and people in quarantine.

Of the wharfs 363 businesses, about 200 have reopened, according to Randall Scott, the executive director of the Fishermans Wharf Community Benefit District. Roughly 140 shops and 20 hotels still have not reopened or permanently closed, Scott said. Some shops have decided to remain closed for the year and hope tourists return next summer  though no one knows what the commercial area along the wharf will look like then.

About 80% of rents on the port side of Fishermans Wharf went uncollected in April, according to a recent staff report to the Port Commission. (The city owns San Franciscos piers.) Making matters worse, a huge fire on Pier 45 in late May destroyed a facility that housed crab traps and other fishing equipment  a major blow to the industry that gave Fishermans Wharf its name.

Tourist spots are trying to struggle on. At Carmel Pizza Co., business has dropped 90%, according to owner A. J. Sanchez. Keeping the place alive is eating up all my savings, he said, adding that the downturn could eventually put me in insolvency. He wonders what the future will bring. Its not getting better, he said, staring at the empty tables.

As if a pandemic werent enough, construction and fences along Jefferson Street may be keeping people away, said Jay Sewell, manager of California Smiles, which sells T-shirts and other knickknacks for tourists.

The foot traffic is probably 5 to 10% of what it should be, Sewell said.

There are a few bright spots. While tourists from Europe, China and the East Coast are nowhere to be found, Californians have been making day trips. Monica Munoz drove up with her children from Los Angeles and reveled in the emptiness of the pier. Its different, but in a way it doesnt feel bad, she said, watching her children run about, masks pulled down around their necks, yelping with glee and unhampered by crowds.

Ronnie Darden, who busks as a robot covered in silver paint just outside Pier 39, makes nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, but he can earn over $100 on the weekend  not as little as he originally feared. Usually this time of year, its packed, he said. But if they werent open (at all), Id be making nothing.

Certain locally beloved spots like Scomas and the Buena Vista Cafe, renowned for its Irish coffee, have remained alive, thanks to support from San Franciscans. The Buena Vista has started offering to-go Irish coffee that includes a small bottle of whiskey to draw in locals, who now account for the vast majority of customers.

At Scomas, Well be lucky if we do 20% of the business we were doing last year, Bernier said. Unlike most Fishermans Wharf restaurants, Scomas  which now offers outdoor dining  remained open for to-go orders during the pandemic.

Maybe it didnt make a whole lot of sense business-wise, but we wanted to show the community that were not just going to stop and go away, Bernier said.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Managers at both establishments said they had been able to ensure medical benefits for all employees, and while they had furloughed some workers, none had been laid off.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

San Franciscos plan for reopening has been thrown into doubt by the recent spike in cases across the region and statewide. Indoor attractions like the Aquarium of the Bay were set to reopen last month, but San Francisco postponed that part of its plan. According to a timeline city officials set out this spring, movie theaters  Pier 39 has a 20-seat venue  and indoor dining could also return this summer, and most Fishermans Wharf hotels would again be allowed to host visitors beginning in mid- or late August. If the business owners can hang on until then, Scott hopes that reopened hotels will draw visitors from Northern California, Oregon and other nearby states to revive the wharf.

But it wont be easy. One fixture of Fishermans Wharf, the cruise boats of the Red and White fleet, remains moored at the edge of Pier 39. The July Fourth weekend is usually one of the companys busiest, but the boats will remain empty this time.

We feel really frustrated by the reopening process, said Tyler Foster, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the family-owned company. The company, which also lost offices and storage facilities in the Pier 45 fire last month, is classified as a nonessential transportation business and must wait until a later phase of reopening.

Fewer than 10 people are currently employed at the company, compared with more than 100 this time of year normally, Foster said.

This pandemic is almost perfectly designed to destroy tourism, Foster said, adding: You cant come up with something thats worse, really.

Anna Kramer is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.kramer@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anna_c_kramer
A 6-year-old boy was fatally shot in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood Saturday evening, police said.

A second male victim, whose age was not released, was also shot and suffers non-life-threatening injuries. There have been no arrests and there is no description of the suspect or suspects.

At about 10:44 p.m., San Francisco police were dispatched to a call of a shooting on the 1200 block of Ingalls Street. Officers found the 6-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was immediately transported to a hospital. He died of his injuries there shortly afterward.

The second victim was hospitalized, but no further information on his injuries was available.

Police secured the scene and searched for evidence. Authorities declined to state the number of suspects.

The neighborhood was quiet Sunday. The few neighbors who were outside said they hadnt seen anything the night before. A handful of residents at nearby apartment complexes said they didnt have any information about the shootings.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Rusty Simmons contributed to this report.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Gwyneth Paltrow shouts Go to my website or use the hashtag #LetsGetTheCalOuttaHere! in the Netflix series The Politician. Running for governor on a platform of leading Californias secession from the United States, Paltrows character wins 98% of the vote.

This may be fiction, but California independence is gaining cultural currency and real-world urgency. Our real governor, Gavin Newsom, frequently describes California as a nation-state, to make the point that the Golden State must act like an independent country to protect itself during the biggest pandemic in a century.

While conventional wisdom remains that California would never leave the union, who can put faith in conventional wisdom anymore?

Polling suggests one-third of Californians support their states peaceful withdrawal from the nation. And there are relentless fights between the state and the White House over Californias attempts to protect its immigrants, women, health care, water, housing, environment and elections.

Those battles are partisan, but electing a Democratic president is unlikely to bring state and nation together. The cause of the rift between Californians and Americans goes well beyond the political to the structural, the cultural and the constitutional.

California is a modern democracy with a powerful initiative process that allows its highly diverse population to amend its constitution directly. The U.S., in contrast, is a majority-white country that clings to a 1789 constitution that permitted slavery, is nearly impossible to amend and prohibits election of the president by popular vote.

The power of the U.S. presidency is largely unaccountable; one person in the Oval Office can start nuclear war without anyone elses permission. Other branches are also sheltered from democratic interventions. Too much power lies with a U.S. Senate that gives Californias 40 million people the same number of senators as Vermonts 625,000. Difficult controversies are decided by a Supreme Court of highly politicized, life-tenured judges.

None of this makes Californias departure from the union likely. But it guarantees state-federal conflict, and more frequent attempts by California to escape the union.

This raises the question: How can California independence bids best be managed in the years ahead?

The essential answer is: peacefully. To ensure peace, Calexit must be something that majorities in California and the United States both want.

To reach such a double consensus, California must create a process that reconsiders the future of the entire United States. If California ever decides to leave the United States and form a new country, it must try to transform the United States into a new country first.

Right now is an auspicious time for reconsideration. With protesters toppling statues of the founders and institutions pledging to end systemic racism, the place to start is by replacing Americas original system  the Constitution.

This suggestion will enrage Americans who deify their Constitution. Americans assume, wrongly, that the end of the Constitution would mean the end of freedom and democracy.

But its not true: Ending one republic does not mean the end of a nation. It means starting a new republic. The French are on their fifth republic.

California, the nations most creative and populous state, is the perfect place to start rewriting the U.S. Constitution. California should convene scholars and representatives from as many states as possible to draft a new American Constitution.

Such a body would examine constitutions all over the world and create the most advanced 21st century governing system possible.

A new constitution offers the opportunity to re-found the United States under present-day ideals of human rights and justice. Instead of a constitution that started in slavery and persists in discrimination, we could have a constitution that barred discrimination of any kind. Women could be made explicitly equal.

A new constitution could provide for truly national elections, national referenda for major decisions (like going to war), and proportional representation to end our polarizing, winner-take-all political culture. The new constitution could commit America to environmental protection of the planet.

Once that document is drafted  and translated into major languages  California voters would decide whether to approve it.

If approved, the proposed constitution would be sent to the 49 other states, asking them to adopt it. This idea is grounded in our current national constitution, Article V, which permits the calling of a convention by 34 states to change the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist #85, wrote that Article V was included because the founders couldnt be sure their preferred system would always be the best one.

The other states could accept our constitutional proposal. Or they could amend it, in consultation with California.

In either event, California would have helped give the United States a 21st century governing document that, presumably, would be more democratic, and more supportive of equal rights and environmental protection  in other words, more like California. Free of the old constitution, the United States could stop endlessly measuring policies against centuries-old legal precedents, and would have more time to plan for the future.

In that scenario, the Golden State would stay in a more perfect union. But its also possible that other states would reject the document, and even the entire exercise.

That would leave California with the choice of whether to stay and suffer within the U.S., or to ask permission to leave, and then negotiate a peaceful exit from the nation. The nation of California would face some of the same challenges the state of California has struggled to manage  water, education, infrastructure, and taxation.

But it also would give the world an alternative American nation with governing rules that arent compromised by the sins of the 18th century. Perhaps we could finally conquer our rampant gun violence.

Or perhaps California could limit its military and adopt a policy of neutrality, thus demonstrating that Americans can organize a nation without pursuing constant warfare.

The good news: If the state sought independence, it wouldnt have to draft a new constitution. It could simply use the constitution it drafted for the U.S. as the governing document of the new California nation.

In this scenario, California could walk away in good conscience, having done everything it could to save America from itself.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott decided to conduct an experiment of his own while considering whether to halt the release of suspects booking photos. At home he would hit the record button each time a crime story came on the local TV news. Replaying a months worth of examples validated what academic researchers and members of the community had been insisting: The pervasiveness of black and brown faces in guilty-looking poses feeds into racial stereotypes.

It was sobering and staggering, Scott said in an interview Friday.

But the police chief did not blame the media for the unconscious bias it created, because we supply that information.

His department wont be doing so anymore.

Scott announced Wednesday that booking photos will be released only in limited circumstances, such as warning the public when a potentially dangerous suspect remains at large. Beyond that, mug shots will be released only after conviction, at the departments discretion.

I must admit to a mixed reaction to the new policy. Scotts concerns are well founded: The treatment of booking photos has been a subject of discussion in newsrooms long before George Floyds horrific killing by Minneapolis police spurred a national reckoning about the causes and pervasiveness of racial discrimination. Some news organizations, including the Gannett chain, had stopped publishing mug-shot galleries of local people arrested. Publications and outlets that critique industry practices  Columbia Journalism Review, Editor & Publisher, National Public Radio  had done extensive stories on the move away from booking photos.

Ramsey County Sheriffs Office

The Chronicle is judicious about publishing mug shots, using them less and less; weighing the news value of each against what are, by their nature, low-value photographs. They appear rarely on SFChronicle.com and even less frequently in the print edition. In nearly all cases, a map showing the location of a crime is far more relevant to readers who may have been witnesses or are looking for trends.

Scott noted that the overuse of mug shots is more of an issue with television news, with its dependence on visuals, than with print media.

Yet I have great pause about delegating these editorial judgments to police departments that might have an incentive to downplay or even conceal a crime. Examples could include the arrest of an elected official who has control over the departments budget or a suspect who alleges that an officer who used excessive force during an arrest. In the latter case, a booking shot could challenge the official denial.

Scott argued that under state law the news media will have other avenues to obtain such evidence when a suspect experienced great bodily injury in an encounter with police.

His concern is not just about racial bias. Its also about fairness. A publicly available mug shot could haunt the job prospects or future relationships of a young adult who made a stupid mistake. The internet is filled with booking photos of celebrities who should have the same rights as everyone else  as in, a presumption of innocence  Scott said. In any of those cases, the charges may be dropped or the person acquitted, but the humiliating photo endures.

California actually had to pass a law in 2015 to stop what had been a cottage industry exploiting the public availability of mug shots. Some sleazy enterprises had taken to posting arrest mug shots online and then charging the subject sometimes thousands of dollars to delete it. Some of the firms were savvy enough to ensure the mug shot came up first when the subjects name was Googled.

It was really extortion, said state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who wrote SB1027 after hearing about the schemes. It just seemed so unfair to me that people had to pay a price to have their pictures taken out of the system.

Hill said in an interview Thursday that he wants to take the profit incentive away.

The law, signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, makes it illegal to solicit or accept payment to remove, correct or modify mug shots, while giving victims the authority to sue for damages. SB1027 does not otherwise restrict public access to those photos, or publication by the news media.

San Franciscos police chief acknowledged that my thinking has evolved on this from the days when he was a homicide inspector and would release mug shots after convictions. He saw it as a public benefit: showing the community that killings were being solved and potentially leading to tips about unsolved cases.

Sometimes we dont think about the consequences of what we do, Scott said.

This national reckoning on race is all about reassessing the consequences of what we do.

There was a time when many news organizations reflexively repeated police descriptions of suspects on the run, even if it was as spare and unhelpful to crime fighting  but unfair to a large swath of the community  as Black male in his 30s. The Chronicle standard, spelled out in its stylebook, is to include race only when it is accompanied by sufficient detail to help a reader potentially identify an individual.

Now the focus turns to mug shots.

The concept and the intent of the new SFPD booking photo policy is sound  and something that responsible newsrooms already have been addressing  though I have no doubt that conflicts will arise, as they inevitably do even when it is clear that public access is guaranteed.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron
With the current composition of the U.S. Supreme Court, an array of your rights are just one vote away from validation or elimination. That reality was brought home in the past week with a succession of key rulings.

Do you want young people brought to the United States as young children  and have gone on to attend school and work in the only country many of them have known  to stay here as productive members of society? They maintained that insurance in a single vote, a 5-4 ruling.

Do you believe that the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision precludes undue restrictions on a womans right to an abortion? That right was upheld by a single vote, a 5-4 ruling.

Do you want your government to support private schools that may not only adhere to a different religion than yours, but may impose beliefs that are anathema to your values, such as comparing homosexuality to bestiality and incest? Those religious schools were guaranteed that right by a single vote, a 5-4 ruling.

Do you think workers should not be fired on the basis of sexual orientation? Those LGBT rights were preserved by a 6-3 ruling.

The stakes for the high court in the 2020 election could not be clearer. Chief Justice John Roberts, a 2005 appointee of President George W. Bush, cast the deciding vote in three of the above cases. Roberts is a conservative, but has also proved to be a guardian of the notion that the judiciary should be insulated from the politics of the moment. As President Trump has selected two devout conservatives for the Supreme Court  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh  Roberts has gained influence that goes even beyond his authority to assign majority opinions in a way that determines whether rulings are narrow or sweeping.

The Roberts factor has rarely been more profound than in his decision to tip the balance against a Louisiana law that required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The facts in that case were similar to those in a 2016 ruling in a Texas case the court struck down but in which Roberts was a dissenting voice.

In his written opinion, Roberts indicated that he continued to believe the Texas case was wrongly decided but that the court should respect its precedent. In other words, the court should not reverse itself just because it happens to have two new justices.

This is consistent with Roberts recent pattern of being a force for consensus and continuity on the divided court. He has sided with the majority in each of the 11 rulings decided by a 5-4 or 5-3 vote this term.

In recent years, Roberts alternately has been a hero and antagonist for the right and left. In 2012, he joined his more liberal colleagues to uphold the Affordable Care Act, but also has voted to pare back the reach of the Voting Rights Act and was among the five justices who delivered the 2010 Citizens United ruling that lifted the limits on corporate and union donations in political campaigns.

The thin line on those rulings highlights how the course of Americans rights on myriad issues will be determined in November  or perhaps earlier if a vacancy were to occur. Two of the more reliably liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, are 87 and 81 respectively. The appointment of a rigidly conservative successor of either by Trump and the likely confirmation by a Republican-controlled Senate would effectively end Roberts role as a swing vote. The court would be solidly right. Nearly five decades of abortion rights would be in serious jeopardy, especially with a number of state laws pushing the boundaries of Roe vs. Wade with an array of restrictions on womens access to the procedure.

Trump has not tried to conceal his intent to bend the ideological bent of the court to the right, with a specific goal of overturning Roe vs. Wade. Establishment of a more conservative judiciary was a central campaign promise of his in 2016, a signature accomplishment of his first three years and continues to be a source of his support from evangelicals.

A Joe Biden presidency would be much less likely to reshape the high court. The oldest of the conservative justices, Clarence Thomas, is just 72. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are in their 50s.

The past week has left no doubt that the Supreme Court must be a front-and-center issue in the 2020 presidential election.

Editors note: This editorial has been corrected from an earlier version to show the ruling on the LGBT rights case was 6 to 3, not 5 to 4.

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.
As a member of the LGBTQ community, I wanted to thank The Chronicle for the 50 Years of Pride (Culture Desk, June 28) cover story in the Culture Desk section. Even though our 2020 Pride celebration is virtual, the photos and commentary remind readers that LGBTQ people are still vital and visible.

Our community has endured tragedies like the assassination of former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, the AIDS crisis, and the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. But weve also experienced the joys of longer life spans for HIV-positive people due to science-based discoveries, achieving nationwide marriage equality, and the very recent Supreme Court decision preventing workers from being fired because of their sexual orientation.

There is still a struggle ahead, particularly for the safety and rights of transgender members in our community, but Im trying to maintain a hopeful attitude about the future especially if a new and more LGBTQ-friendly president is elected in November.

Terrence Williams, Berkeley

Tear down monuments

Concerning Decades of inaction led statues to topple (Heather Knight, Bay Area, June 28): I have heard more than one person talk about letting the democratic process play out regarding removing offensive and obsolete statues. Was the democratic process followed when they went up? Was there an eager and open dialogue for all members of the community to have an equal say?

Im sure the African Americans in the South were overjoyed to say Yes! to statues of Robert E. Lee and other traitors, rapists and murderers. Tear them down and forget about the feelings of people who continue to idolize those who should be thrown on the ash heap of history.

Joel Tebbs, Oakland

Remove statues legally

I am a lifelong Democrat, liberal in every sense of the word, and those factors alone give me the right to speak my mind regarding the ripping down of statues. In my mind, the statues never should have been put up in the first place.

Everyone, even decades ago, knew the history of Sir Francis Drake, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Junipero Serra, et al. The passage of time hasnt changed their dubious history. They always were who they were. There is a legal process in this country that has to be utilized for these removals. I should think in this current climate that it would not take long to get the necessary permits to take the statues down. Do these people really think they are winning the hearts and minds of most Americans by such actions?

Legally and peacefully marching in hordes to right a wrong pretty much ended the Vietnam debacle. Yet, no one tore down statues of Dwight D. Eisenhower or John F. Kennedy in the process. No one has torched the Former President Richard Nixon library. There is a word that aptly describes a horde of people taking such actions into their own hands. Its called anarchy, and theres no place for it in this country.

Brent Lincoln, Greenbrae

Rethink restrictions

Those who want to reopen the economy quickly point to the severe economic suffering the shutdown caused: businesses dying, lost jobs and savings, hunger and homelessness threatening, our childrens future jeopardized. They raise the specter of a Great Depression, which would itself have public health consequences. Those who want to go slow point to the health hazards of a virus much more infectious and lethal than seasonal flu: hot spots and explosive surges, overwhelmed hospitals, exhausted frontline heroes with post-traumatic stress disorder, many more sick and dying. They raise the specter of an uncontrollable plague, which would itself collapse the economy. All are valid points. But a depression? A plague? Or both.

Already, America is in a deep recession with multiple outbreaks. We rushed to restore an old normal while ignoring phased restrictions designed for a safe reopening. We sail dangerous waters in the dark. We should backtrack to phase two, rethink restrictions, and evaluate economic and health results for each phase before moving on.

John Hostettler, Sunnyvale

A leader like Trump

Concerning Populist leads, but runoff vote likely (World, June 29): When I read about a conservative incumbent running for a second term who is backed by a nationalist party called Law and Justice, has denounced the LGBT-rights movement as a dangerous ideology, and been criticized by the European Union for anti-Democratic values, I was sadly thinking how much Polish President Andrzej Duda, the subject of this news story, resembles U.S. President Trump.
As restaurants in the Bay Area shut down their dining rooms in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic strain they faced surfaced many of the fissures in the industry that had previously existed without much comment. Among them is their reliance on undocumented workers: the people who grill arepas and hot dogs for commuters and churchgoers, who scrub kitchen tiles, who pick grapes and bus tables.

The restaurant business depends heavily on undocumented labor, and those workers  who are ineligible for unemployment benefits and federal stimulus checks and have difficulty getting health insurance and loans  have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.

While some will get relief as restaurants across the Bay Area reopen, many workers will still face significant economic hardships in the months to come as they catch up on rent and other bills that piled up when their paychecks stopped. Though some grants are available on a local and state level, there isnt enough funding for all of the Bay Areas estimated 580,500 undocumented immigrants. Community advocates fear this will push them further into poverty in a region known for its immense wealth and exorbitant housing costs.

The U.S has seen massive unemployment numbers in recent months  an estimated 21 million Americans were unemployed in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate dipped slightly to 13.3% last month from 14.7% in April, which was the highest rate since the Great Depression.

But the true scope of the countrys economic downfall is unknown because undocumented immigrants are left out of these statistics. Roughly 1 in 3 undocumented workers in the state is employed in an industry highly affected by the shutdown, according to the California Budget and Policy Center. Largely unable to work from home and disqualified from federal money, these immigrants have little to cushion them from the nationwide financial impact of the pandemic. Thus, they have to work by any means necessary.

We need income for my family, says Ignacio Garcia Galicia, originally from Mexico, through a translator. So I had to make a choice: It didnt matter if there was a sickness outside in the air.

Before the pandemic, Galicia worked front of house at two Bay Area restaurants. He was laid off by one and given the option to work a few hours here and there at the other. Like everyone else, Galicia has been watching the news, trying to figure out how to get his three children set up with online schooling and dealing with the other stresses of sheltering in place. One needs to be thinking even more, what are we going to do?

Reyna Noemi Aguilar, a single mother from Puebla, Mexico, who cooks at an unnamed restaurant, says that even before the pandemic, sick days were more of a theory than reality for people like her. Before COVID, she was working six days a week, eight to 11 hours a day, and she would also pick up additional shifts whenever they were available. Calling off work would mean losing wages, she says, and there was no way she could afford the loss. I would go to work sick. I needed to work sick. Only in extreme cases, when she couldnt physically move, would she call in.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

At the onset of the pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders that followed, she and her coworkers were told by their boss that the restaurant would be closing temporarily; in the meantime, staff would not be able to use sick leave or accrued vacation hours during the shutdown. Because of the pandemic, we didnt have rights to anything, she says through a translator.

So when the restaurant reopened for business, Aguilar jumped at the chance to work again. Im not thinking about my health. I needed to decide work or health: I chose work.

Galicia, who lives with his family in San Francisco, says, We dont have the privilege of getting sick and not going to work. The expenses of our family dont wait.

Aguilar was calling in from her car, the only space where she could get a moments relief from the stress at home, where she says her landlady was hounding her for three months back rent, with interest. In this moment I feel stuck, I cant do anything. The pandemic has forced her out of her home, she says  where could she go now?

Though some workers have gotten their jobs back since shelter-in-place orders changed to allow more Bay Area restaurants to reopen, many are working minimal hours and cannot cover basic expenses with their wages, says Maria Moreno, a community organizer with the Oakland office for the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, a national nonprofit that organizes and trains restaurant workers and advocates for better wages and working conditions in the industry.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

The vast majority are still unemployed and worried about how theyll cover rent, she says.

There havent been enough measures in place to address the fact that people havent had jobs for three months and havent had any aid at all, she says. Theyre worried that theyre going to be evicted on July 1.

There have been local and state efforts to get aid to undocumented and unemployed workers, though those dont cover most peoples bills. On May 27, San Francisco officials enacted a program called Right to Recover that would provide two weeks of San Franciscos minimum wage, or $1,285, to workers who contract COVID-19 but cant afford to miss a paycheck while in self-isolation. The program does not consider immigration or citizenship status in its eligibility requirements.

And the UndocuFund, a disaster relief fund established in 2017 in response to fire-related losses in Sonoma County, began to see sprouts elsewhere, from Washington state to Massachusetts, in response to the pandemic. San Franciscos UndocuFund, modeled after the Sonoma County organization, is a coalition of immigrant worker and community organizations brought together to provide direct assistance to undocumented workers and families.

One of those founding organizations is Jobs for Justice, a workers rights coalition. Its campaign director, Tracey Brieger, says that the founding organizations of San Franciscos UndocuFund continually met with city officials to gauge how to direct aid during the pandemic.

Unsurprisingly, the consistent gap was undocumented folks, she says. With $1.2 million in donations to distribute, the fund launched quietly on April 1 and has since received 9,372 applications for grants of $1,000 per person. The fund would need more than $8 million in additional donations to fulfill them all.

The coalition has been scrambling ever since to meet that need.

Undocumented folks make up 10% of the California workforce and pay into the system. They deserve this funding, Brieger says.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

The coalition has been thinking about ways to make this kind of funding a permanent resource that could help reduce the economic precarity of undocumented immigrants. It has already sent out more than 700 grants, but there are still more than 8,000 applicants in the queue whose applications must be read and who need to have their identities verified by phone. Its a process that takes time and a huge amount of humanpower, says Brieger. Theres a significant gap between the number of people who applied and what we can supply.

In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $125 million fund for undocumented immigrants, with the state covering $75 million and philanthropic partners supplying the rest. The fund would be disbursed as a one-time cash benefit of $500 per adult, with a cap of $1,000 per household.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

California is the most diverse state in the nation. Our diversity makes us stronger and more resilient. Every Californian, including our undocumented neighbors and friends, should know that California is here to support them during this crisis. We are all in this together, said Newsom during a news conference.

The state has received more than 123,000 applications for the relief money as of June 23, according to Scott Murray, spokesman for the Department of Social Services. Officials have approved more than 77,000 applications, and more than 61,000 prepaid $500 cards have been distributed to immigrants, Murray says.

Yet the fund covers only 250,000 of the states more than 2 million undocumented immigrants, with an estimated $15 million slated for 30,000 in the Bay Area, state officials said in April. And when the California initiative launched locally through Catholic Charities in May, applicants reported that the website they attempted to apply through crashed for several days, and that volunteer-run phone lines were clogged, seemingly indefinitely.

From what I heard, people feel so disrespected, says Brieger. And this has been the case far before COVID. Theyre working really, really hard, yet still being excluded from everything and treated very poorly overall. Now in this moment, where its another insult of being left out from relief funds federally, what were hearing is, every time the websites crash, that felt disrespectful too. Every piece makes it harder and harder for them to access the relief they deserve as humans.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Blanca Cifuentes was among the many immigrants who could not reach volunteers by phone. A kitchen worker at Mourad restaurant, Cifuentes lost her job in March when San Francisco issued its shelter-in-place order.

Cifuentes landlord temporarily suspended her $925 monthly rent payments, but she still had to borrow money to make ends meet.

Its really hard, Cifuentes says. Its strange to have no work, no money to cover food, rent or bills. Nothing.

Veronica Salazar of El Huarache Loco applied for every grant and loan that she qualified for  which isnt many, due to her immigration status  but has been rejected by every one. A La Cocina graduate, Salazar has kept in touch with the organization, which has continued to check in with its vendors and connect them with grant and loan opportunities. So she keeps applying, but doesnt have much faith in any of her applications panning out. Instead, she and her family have kept working, selling enchiladas and huaraches for takeout out of their restaurant in Larkspur and at the Alemany Farmers Market in San Francisco.

I feel like many times I want to throw all this away, Salazar says. But Im OK. I feel fine. Shes kept the restaurant open and even started a GoFundMe for the sake of her staff, many of whom are Mexican or Guatemalan immigrants.

Her daughter, Dayana Salazar, says the choice her family made wasnt easy, but it was clear that they couldnt stop giving their employees the chance to work and provide for their families. We try to do everything we can to help them, she says. Veronica says the business makes just enough money to cover the rent, utilities and some payroll.

What is pushing us to just keep going is working with people that have families that are like our families, says Dayana. The workers that theyve managed to hang onto work in the restaurant on rotating schedules. For them, the work has been a balm from all the worries theyve carried throughout the pandemic.

We appreciate each others presence: It makes you feel like theres no coronavirus going on when were inside the restaurant, says Dayana. To a lot of people, working on your feet for four to five hours is hard, but for us its a break.

Soleil Ho and Tatiana Sanchez are Chronicle staff writers. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com and Tatiana.Sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @hooleil and @TatianaYSanchez.
Three Bay Area counties are now on the California Department of Public Health's COVID-19 watchlist.

On Friday, Marin County joined Solano and Santa Clara counties on the list.

According to the CDPH, Marin County is seeing elevated virus transmission and more hospitalizations. Some of this is due to the massive outbreak at San Quentin, where 1 in 3 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, the state noted an increase in community transmission among essential workers and "outbreaks in congregate settings and Latinx neighborhoods."

As a result of being added to the watchlist, the county announced Sunday afternoon that it is halting all indoor dining for a minimum of three weeks. The order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 5. Outdoor dining is still permitted.

Solano County ties part of its surge to "many dozens" of vineyard workers getting sick over the last two weeks; the state says those individuals work in Sonoma and Napa counties but reside in communities in Solano County. An "ongoing surge in cases related to family gatherings and other social gatherings on the weekends" is exacerbating the county's rise in hospitalizations.

Santa Clara County is experiencing an increase in hospitalizations for coronavirus, but the state believes much of this can be attributed to patients from other counties seeking care there. Patients transferred from long-term care facilities are also landing in county hospitals. Once the epicenter of the Bay Area outbreak, Santa Clara County's hospitals are some of the state's most experienced at treating COVID-19 patients.

"Although the percentage change in hospitalizations shows an increase, the increase in the absolute number of patients hospitalized is low relative to the size of the population in Santa Clara County and is low relative to the number of hospital beds available in the county," the California Department of Public Health said.

Many rural counties, like Stanislaus, are seeing an increase due to family gathering-related clusters and "decreased attention to personal protection measures such as face coverings and social distancing."

Counties on the state's watch list are working with the CDPH to identify the causes for any worrisome trends and next steps to mitigate the virus spread.

Contra Costa County, which was on the watchlist last week, has since been removed as its outbreak became less severe.

Coronavirus in the greater Bay Area: Links you need

COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

Alameda County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Contra Costa County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Lake County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Marin County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Monterey County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Napa County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

San Benito County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

San Francisco County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

San Mateo County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Santa Clara County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Santa Cruz County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Solano County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Sonoma County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions about coronavirus

Forget a return to normal: How experts see COVID-19 unfolding this summer

Newsom: 72% of California population now on watch list

WHEN WILL THE BAY AREA REOPEN?

4 Bay Area counties pause reopening. Here's where all 9 stand.

Will Bay Area schools reopen in-class this fall?

Spike in coronavirus comes with economic reopening in California
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to unveil a new cabinet on Monday, two sources close to him said on Sunday, after Macron changed his prime minister earlier this week to give new impetus to his presidency.

Macron and his new prime minister, Jean Castex, would meet at the Elysee presidential palace to discuss the shape of the new government later on Sunday, the sources said.

"At this stage, an architecture with about 20 ministers is envisaged. Junior ministers will be named in a second stage," one of the sources told Reuters.

Short link:


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.
WASHINGTON - As Joe Biden pushes ahead with his search for a running mate, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., has quietly emerged as a serious contender, according to three people with knowledge of the selection process, one of several developing dynamics as the search enters its final weeks.

Duckworth is a Purple Heart recipient and veteran of the Iraq War, the only finalist with military combat experience - and as a woman of Thai and Chinese descent, one of several candidates of color under consideration. While she has a lower profile than some rivals, she is being taken seriously by Biden's team, according to the people with knowledge of the search, one of whom said she has lately received strong consideration.

Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who has been in direct contact with the Biden campaign about its search, said in a recent interview that there was a "lot of attention" lately on Duckworth, whom he called "a highly decorated woman."

Reid suggested Duckworth's qualifications are getting more attention. "You had all the other names there, and it was as if she didn't exist," Reid said. "And suddenly people began to look at her - this highly decorated woman, member of Congress, senator."

Two others with knowledge of the search said Duckworth has been attracting notable interest from the campaign, including one who said Duckworth had left a strong impression on at least part of the Biden team. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

The Biden campaign declined to comment. A Duckworth spokesman also declined to comment

Duckworth's emergence comes as some Biden allies say former senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., a close friend of Biden's, is taking a primary role in the search process. It is also unfolding as Republicans prepare to launch fierce attacks on whoever is chosen as running mate, believing that person might present an easier target than Biden himself.

As the vetting continues, the people with knowledge of the search say that it remains fluid and that it's far from clear whom Biden will select, with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., still seen by many Biden allies as a favorite and other prospects very much in the mix. Some Biden allies said privately that while Duckworth is an appealing candidate, they don't think she will ultimately be chosen.

Beyond Duckworth's relative inexperience on the national stage, her selection would frustrate those who are pushing Biden to choose an African American, saying the issues raised by protesters in recent weeks highlight the need for someone who understands the black experience in America.

In an interview Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, Duckworth said black female voters "are a key to the victory for Democrats."

But she added that the Biden campaign has its "own process that they are going through, and I'm sure Vice President Biden will pick the right person to be next to him as he digs this country out of the mess that Donald Trump has put us in."

Duckworth recently moved to block promotions for 1,123 senior members of the military as a way to extract assurances from Defense Secretary Mark Esper that he would not retaliate against an Army officer, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, for his role in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Biden, who has said his running mate will be a woman, is considering a diverse list of candidates. Those who have received close consideration include Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., former United Nations ambassador Susan Rice and Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, according to people with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., has also been vetted by the campaign.

While some of the candidates have adopted the traditional posture of not promoting themselves publicly for the job, others, like Rice, have been more open about touting their credentials. With Biden's commitment to choose a woman and the public debate about whether she should be African American, this has been an unusually open search process.

"Joe Biden needs to make the decision as to who he thinks will be his best running mate, and I will do my utmost, drawing on my experience of years in government, years of making the bureaucracy work," Rice said Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press.

She added: "I've worked on multiple campaigns, presidential campaigns. I've been on the campaign trail as a surrogate and I'm going to do everything I can to help get Joe Biden elected and to help him succeed as president, whether I'm his running mate or I'm a door knocker."

Biden initially said he planned to name his running mate by Aug. 1, but recently suggested that deadline could slip. As the prospects have been scrutinized, Dodd has cemented his position as a central figure in the process, according to the people briefed on the situation.

Dodd, 76, is one of four co-chairs of the selection committee, but "it's obvious that Dodd is the chair of the group," said Reid, who has spoken directly to Dodd.

Some groups have raised concerns about Biden's decision to name Dodd to the selection committee. In the 1980s, Dodd allegedly behaved inappropriately with a waitress at a restaurant in Washington, according to a GQ article that described an alleged encounter involving former senator Edward Kennedy physically forcing himself on a waitress.

Dodd did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.

Republicans are watching the Biden team's actions, with Trump allies preparing to unleash a barrage of attacks on whoever emerges as the running mate, according to people familiar with the plans.

Biden himself has proved largely impervious to Trump's attacks so far, and Trump aides hope the vice presidential nominee - a woman who could be more liberal and less familiar than Biden - will prove more vulnerable to criticism.

The attacks could be bolstered by Biden's age, 77, and the possibility that he would only serve one term, making his running mate something of a president-in-waiting.

"Republicans are more likely than ever to hammer the Democratic vice presidential nominee," said Dan Eberhart, an oil industry executive and Trump donor. "Biden is boxed in by the progressives in the party - he has to pick a woman and someone who is relatively far to the left of himself. That's going to provide natural openings for the campaign to draw contrasts."

America Rising, a conservative organization, has been filing Freedom of Information Act requests to get background on the prospects, according to a person familiar with the group's activities.

Those close to Biden's process say his campaign is anticipating the GOP attacks and factoring them into the search, and they argue that Republican attacks could backfire.

One person with knowledge of the system recently said that more in-depth interviews by Biden and his staff are expected to be arranged and conducted at some point.

Some Democrats do not expect Biden to name his pick until shortly before the Democratic National Convention, which is slated to begin on Aug. 17. That would be a more traditional time to name a selection, and it would avoid giving Trump a target in the intervening weeks.

"My only admonition is: Don't rush into this," Reid said. "Because things change significantly."
Berlucchi is a community relations manager for the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. He was appointed to the Rose Hall seat after Shannon Kane resigned in April 2019 so she could move out of the district. He won his special election in November and is now running for his first four-year term.
In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump sketched the picture of "American carnage" - a nation ransacked by marauders from abroad who breached U.S. borders in pursuit of jobs and crime, lured its companies offshore and bogged down its military in faraway conflicts.

Nearly 3 1/2 years later, in the president's telling, the carnage is still underway but this time the enemy is closer to home - other Americans whose racial identity and cultural beliefs are toppling the nation's heritage and founding ideals.

Trump's dark and divisive 42-minute speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota late Friday served as a clarion for his campaign reelection message at a time when the nation - already reeling with deep anxiety over the devastating public health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic - is also facing a cultural reckoning over the residue of its racially segregated past.

As he has so often during his tenure, the president made clear that he will do little to try to heal or unify the country ahead of the November presidential election but rather aims to drive a deeper wedge into America's fractures.

For Trump, that has meant defining a new foil. If his 2016 campaign to put "America First" was focused on building a wall to keep out immigrants and shedding alliances with nations he believed were exploiting the United States, the president is now aiming his rhetorical blasts at groups of liberal Americans who, he believes, constitute a direct threat to the standing of his conservative base.

At Mount Rushmore, under the granite gaze of four U.S. presidents, Trump railed against "angry mobs" pursuing "far-left fascism" and a "left-wing cultural revolution" that has manifested in the assault on statues and monuments celebrating Confederate leaders and other U.S. historical figures, including some former presidents, amid the mass racial justice protests of recent weeks.

"Their goal is not a better America; their goal is the end of America," the president declared.

In making the case that a radical and violent ideology underpins much of the social justice movement that propelled the nationwide demonstrations, Trump has dropped virtually all pretense that he supports millions of peaceful protesters who have called for broad reforms to address what they see as systemic racism and a culture of brutality in police departments.

Trump made no mention Friday of the victims of police violence, including more than half a dozen black families he met with in the Oval Office last month before he signed an executive order to create national training certification guidelines for law enforcement agencies and establish a database to track police brutality cases.

Instead, he warned of a "growing danger" to the values of the nation's founders - a "merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children."

He boasted of federal authorities apprehending hundreds of looters and vandals, even though the number is lower. He warned of "violent mayhem" in streets of cities run by "liberal Democrats." He celebrated the arrest of a "ringleader" in the unsuccessful attempt from demonstrators to topple a statue of President Andrew Jackson, Trump's favorite past president, in Lafayette Square across from the White House. And he asserted that schoolchildren were being taught to "hate their own country."

"This was a deeply divisive speech aimed at what Trump sees as real Americans versus anarchists," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said. "That's not just bigotry to the outside world, but now he's really attacking millions of Americans as worthless, as socialists, as anarchists."

Trump's 2016 campaign was built around the core policy goals of restricting immigration - in the name of providing more jobs to Americans and reducing crime - and renegotiating global trade deals in the service of protecting American workers. In his inaugural address in January 2017, the president faulted Washington's political elite for enriching themselves at the expense of the public at large, ignoring blight and suffering caused by their policies that favored rampant globalization.

"This American carnage stops right here and stops right now," Trump said.

Trump exploited the nation's culture wars after taking office, lambasting African American athletes for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and failing to clearly denounce a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., that resulted in the death of a counterprotester.

But heading into 2020, the president who had promised to "make America great again" was preparing to run for reelection on a message of economic renewal, touting record stock markets and historically low unemployment rates. He was pointing to the construction of 200 miles of new barrier walls along the U.S.-Mexico border and renegotiated trade deals with Canada, Mexico and China as evidence that he had made good on his 2016 promises.

The Trump campaign began rolling out a new motto: "Keep America Great."

His mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic upended those plans. Nearly 130,000 Americans have died of the virus and tens of millions have lost their jobs, and despite a six-week shutdown in wide swaths of the country, infection rates this past week spiked to a record high of more than 50,000 new cases per day.

Trump's public approval ratings have tumbled over his response to the pandemic and the racial justice protests. Polls show former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, opening a sizable lead over Trump nationally and holding an advantage in key swing states.

In an effort to halt his slide, Trump has sought to shift blame for scenes of violence and destruction at the protests onto leaders in Democrat-led cities and states, accusing them of losing control of their streets and failing to act with toughness.

At Mount Rushmore, Trump appeared to make an oblique reference to Biden after touting the legacies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, the presidents carved into the cliffs above him.

"No movement that seeks to dismantle these treasured American legacies can possibly have a love of America at its heart," Trump said. "No person who remains quiet at the destruction of this resplendent heritage can possibly lead us to a better future."

In a video message Saturday, Biden offered a more hopeful contrast to Trump by casting the racial justice protests of recent weeks as part of the nation's long-standing struggle "between two parts of our character - the idea that all men and women, all people, are created equal, and the racism that has torn us apart."

"American history is no fairy tale," added Biden, who cited George Floyd, the black man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May sparked the national outcry.

Peter Wehner, who served as a speechwriter for president George W. Bush, said Trump faces an obvious difficulty as he seeks to fan public fears over renewed American carnage given that he has been responsible for the stewardship of the country for more than three years.

"It's an insight into him: He doesn't view his job in terms of governing. He just views it as a platform to vent and be angry," Wehner said. "He's not just appealing to the base, but he's appealing to the base of the base. The aperture of the campaign is constricting, not expanding - he's energizing a smaller and smaller group of angrier and angrier Americans. And to try to energize that base, he has to say more and more extreme things."
We believe this decision will allow the College to deliver a quality educational experience while maintaining the health and safety of staff and students, Interim President Gregory DeCinque wrote in an email to the TNCC community. While we cannot guarantee anyones safety, we are striving to make our campuses in Hampton and Williamsburg, and all instructional and service locations, as safe as possible given the challenges of COVID-19.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration had "made a lot of progress" on controlling the novel coronavirus pandemic, even as the seven-day average of cases in the United States set a record for the 26th straight day.

Officials and health experts watched nervously to see whether July 4 gatherings would increase the spread while the virus continued to spiral out of control in much of the country, particularly in the South. Several states experienced record numbers of confirmed infections and hospitalizations.

Here are some significant developments:

Florida logged another daily high number of new cases. Hospitalizations in Arizona set a record. Intensive care unit capacity at the world's largest medical center, in Houston, was exceeded at one point in the day.

Several California municipalities dismissed requests from higher governments to forgo fireworks shows or close beach parking lots to promote social distancing, local news outlets in the state reported.

In tweets earlier in the day, Trump correctly said the number of virus deaths and the rate of those deaths are declining. He also said that "If we didn't test so much and so successfully, we would have very few cases" - a false statement that misleads because the rate of positive cases continues to rise in states showing a marked increase in infections.

Trump asserted in his speech at the White House that the country had "put out the flame" of the virus. He added that progress was being made on development of a vaccine, which experts say is unlikely to be widely available until late this year or early next year at the earliest.

Public health experts warned that the virus showed little sign of slowing, partly because of people going to bars and restaurants. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said young adults make up a significant share of new infections but added that the virus will spread to others.

"It's worse, will continue to get worse, and will take months to improve substantially," he said on Twitter. "We are going in the wrong direction, fast."

The holiday weekend could be pivotal in the country's efforts to contain the waves of infection that have swept across the country in recent weeks, testing whether sufficient numbers of Americans are prepared to abruptly alter their behavior to prevent the pandemic from spiraling further out of control. Infections spiked in several states after Memorial Day in May.

Nationwide, the rolling seven-day average for new cases was 48,361 on Saturday, up 11,740 from a week ago, according to tracking by The Washington Post. Eighteen states also reported new average highs.

Florida set another daily record for new infections, reporting 11,458 confirmed cases. The state has reported multiple daily records since late June, and the rate of positive test results has climbed into the double digits. Only New York has tallied more cases in a single day, with 11,571 on April 15.

Adding to Florida's grim figures, six of the 10 U.S. counties that have seen the sharpest increases in coronavirus cases over the past week were in the Sunshine State, according to The Post's tracking. They included the population hub of Miami-Dade County as well as several less-populated counties inland and along the Gulf Coast.

In Arizona, another hotbed for new infections, a record 3,113 patients were hospitalized with covid-19, up 100 from Friday. Ninety percent of the state's intensive care unit beds and 85 percent of inpatient beds were in use, according to health officials.

Hospitals throughout hard-hit Texas were also filling quickly, with ICU use at Houston's Texas Medical Center, the world's largest hospital complex, at one point topping 100 percent. The state's 7,890 hospitalizations set a record, while local judges in Hidalgo and Starr counties issued emergency alerts saying beds were full and urging the public to stay home.

Montana, South Carolina, Mississippi and California also reported new highs for hospitalizations.

Some California cities defied requests to clamp down on public gatherings that could spread the virus. Lancaster ignored a ban on fireworks from Los Angeles County health officials and signed a last-minute contract for a show Saturday evening, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. In the San Diego area, several municipalities kept their beach parking lots open, despite the state urging them to close, according to KPBS.

The country's average daily death toll continued to wane - from 566 this time last week to 487 on Saturday - but experts warned that fatalities could trend upward again as more people fell ill.

On Friday, new infections nationwide reached another single-day high of 57,497, and at least 20 states set record highs for the average of new cases over seven days.

Faced with the soaring numbers, governors and mayors around the country canceled or scaled back Independence Day celebrations and pleaded with people to wear masks, maintain their distance and celebrate only with same-household groups.

"As a veteran, I can tell you patriotism is not about putting your own health or others' health at risk," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, said. "We can honor and celebrate our country in many ways, and I cannot think of anything more patriotic than doing so in a way that protects our family, friends and neighbors."

Beaches were closed in Los Angeles, South Florida and in other states, but Myrtle Beach, S.C., remained open to the public, even as cases in the city and state continued to rise sharply. The tourist hot spot passed a last-minute mask ordinance as thousands of vacationers arrived for the holiday.

"We are doing all that we can," Mayor Brenda Bethune told CNN. "I believe that people spread this virus - that's been proven - not places."

Even the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest looked different this year. The annual Coney Island event, which usually draws thousands of spectators, took place Saturday at a private location without fans. Workers had to wear masks and gloves.
MARTINEZ (BCN)

Rachel Deikman on Saturday took her two young children to a real-life civics lesson, helping paint the words "Black Lives Matter" on the street in front of a Contra Costa County courthouse in downtown Martinez.

When asked why they were there on a beautiful sunny morning, 61/2-year-old Dahlia Deikman said emphatically, "Because we think Black lives matter!"

Added her mom, "It's important for us to come together as a community."

Not everyone in Martinez Saturday was on board with the Black Lives Matter movement, however  a point made clear by a man wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat and a "Four More Years" T-shirt, along with a woman who tried to cover up the letters in the word "Black" using black paint and a roller. On a video, the woman said, "This is not happening in my town" as she applied the black paint. The two were chased away after a few minutes, and the mural restored a short time later.

A witness gave police a photograph of the suspect's vehicle which was described as a Nissan pickup truck with the word "NICOLE" on the right side of the tailgate in silver lettering. The truck has a camper shell and the license plate is 52701B1.

"What happened yesterday to deface that mural was hostility in an ugly form," City Councilwoman Noralea Gipner said Sunday morning on social media. "Permission was given to put that there but permission was not given to deface it."

Police said it appeared the couple came to the location "with the specific purpose of vandalizing over the mural," noting that "The community spent a considerable amount of time painting this mural only to have the suspects destroy it by dumping and rolling paint over part of the message."

MORE: The 'Black Lives Matter' mural spanning three blocks in Oakland almost didn't happen

"The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner," Police Chief Manjit Sappal said in an announcement. "The City of Martinez values tolerance and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful. Please help us identify those that are responsible for this crime, so they can be held accountable for their actions."

More than 100 people  all wearing masks and almost all showing concern for social distancing  had helped paint the words over a five-hour period Saturday. This "public art project" was organized by the local group Martizians for Black Lives, which asked the City of Martinez's Recreation Department for permission to do the mural. It is patterned after similar paintings in many cities across the United States, including Oakland and San Jose.

Justin Gomez of Martinez, a lead facilitator for Martizians for Black Lives, said the project came together quickly. It was spurred not only by the similar murals in other cities, but by the discovery by two people June 28 of anti-Black Lives Matter fliers about a half-block apart on a residential sidewalk near downtown Martinez. Those fliers ignited a community-wide discussion of how people are treated.

"People have now seen racism in their community; now we have to confront it," Gomez said as dozens of people used rollers to apply yellow paint to the street in front of the Justice Wakefield Taylor Courthouse a few feet away.

Rachel Deikman, a Martinez resident, agreed. "Black lives are marginalized, and there needs to be a difference made," she said. "And now's the time."

It was no accident the big yellow letters "Black Lives Matters" were applied in front of a courthouse, Gomez said. He said the legal system is a "gateway to mass incarceration" that has disproportionately made Black people and other people of color victims, and has helped perpetuate institutional racism.

"The 'system' is made up of millions of little systems," Gomez said. "We have to look locally first."

ALSO: Black Lives Matter mural spans 3 blocks in San Francisco

He said he has been heartened by the swift denunciation of the racist fliers by local elected and civic leaders. One of those leaders was City Councilman Mark Ross.

"Our town will not be deterred, and such hateful acts will only coalesce us as the kind and forward leaning community we are," Ross wrote on social media the day after the fliers were reported.

Getting the street mural approved so quickly, Gomez said, is further proof the city is committed to addressing the issue.

As of early Sunday afternoon, the one block of Court Street was still blocked off, the mural intact, now surrounded by dozens of chalk images.

But Gomez said that, at the end of the day, the message on the pavement is simply words, which probably won't last all that long.

"What we're really advertising for, what we really need, is a shift in racist policy," he said. "Some people will never listen. But if we're not doing things like this, we'll never have the conversation."

Jordan Felix, a Martinez native now living in Austin, Texas, was back in town this weekend visiting friends. He said he was happy to be in front of the courthouse Saturday painting, and happy with Martinez's response to the local and national issue.

"You don't want to feel that your city doesn't have your back," Felix said. "You don't want people to feel they're being left behind."

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.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazard warning for San Francisco and Monterey beaches from Saturday through Sunday due to strong rip currents and sneaker waves expected over the weekend.

The beach warning is in effect for the coastline from Sonoma County southward through Monterey County. South-facing beaches including those in Santa Cruz and Stinson Beach will be affected, the weather service said.
The letter was two pages, single-spaced.

In December 1989, it came to state senators, the mayor of Los Angeles and several California newspapers. State officials have probably noticed an increase as well as an unusual distribution of Medfly infestation in Los Angeles County since March, 1989, it read.

This was no coincidence, the letter went on. It was the deliberate act of a group of ecoterrorists who pledged to keep releasing the destructive fruit flies until the state declared it would stop using an aerial spray pesticide called malathion. Every time the copters go up to spray, well go into virgin territory or old Medfly problem areas and release a minimum of several thousand blue-eyed Medflies, the letter said. We are organized, patient and determined.

We are absolutely treating this as a threat, LAPD Lt. Helen Kidder, head of the criminal conspiracy unit, told newspapers. Its extortion.

It was signed by a group no one had ever heard of before. They called themselves The Breeders.

---

Those who grew up in California in the 1980s no doubt remember the steady barrage of medfly fears that plagued agriculture. It was a feature on the nightly news, a tiny, relentless terror for farmers across the state.

The Mediterranean fruit fly first surfaced in California in the mid-1970s. It is a highly invasive species, likely brought to the state inadvertently by shipped fruit or people who took out-of-state trips. Thanks to its life cycle, the medfly can wipe out huge crops with ease. Eggs are deposited below the skin of fruit and, as the larvae hatch and grow, they consume the fruit for fuel. They're one of the most destructive pests in the world.

By 1981, a crisis was unfolding in Californias agriculture sector. Millions of dollars in damage were being done to all kinds of crops, forcing Gov. Jerry Brown to begin nighttime spraying raids. Malathion was deployed from helicopters in the affected regions, ultimately quelling the outbreak.

Steven D Starr/Corbis via Getty Images

It was not without controversy, however. Enough people were worried that the pesticide was harmful to people and animals that Director of the California Conservation Corps B.T. Collins drank a small glass of malathion in front of news cameras to prove its safety (Whatever you think of the publicity stunt, it did not, for the record, kill or maim him).

Small outbreaks cropped up in California from time to time, but the worst seemed to be in the rearview  until 1989.

This infestation has a few odd qualities. For one, there didnt seem to be enough larvae commensurate to the number of adult flies being spotted. There were also far more fertile female flies than males, an unusual ratio, according to experts. And finally, there was one more apparent red flag: Farmers kept finding medflies right outside spray zones.

It has been peculiar that we go in and we dont find any larvae, U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist Roy Cunningham told the L.A. Times. We just find a few flies right outside spray-zone boundaries.

For the conspiratorially minded, it was enough proof that The Breeders were real, vengefully seeding medfly colonies to extort the state into ending its pesticide program. And it couldnt quite be ruled out by authorities, who were struggling to find answers. The pattern is as illogical as it is frustrating, the Times reported on Dec. 30, 1989.

In February, eagle-eyed readers of the Times noticed a strange series of personal ads.

Breeders. If youre for real send one of your little friends, it read. We want to talk. Call John at USDA.

It had a P.O. box listed and a phone number with instructions to only call between 9 and 10 a.m. The USDA admitted it was indeed placed by the agency, hoping to make contact with the elusive letter writers.

The outbreak didnt subside by the start of the new year, and theories proliferated too. Most officials seemed to believe there was a human element  but not a malicious one. They thought fruit brought along by travelers or immigrants were responsible, as tiny medflies burrowed deep in their peaches and figs emerged to wreak havoc on farmland.

In March 1990, a Medfly Science Advisory Panel was convened. The panel ascribed to the belief that visitors were toting infected fruit into the state. But one member, 42-year-old UC Davis associate professor of entomology James Carey had an alternate theory: The old outbreaks in Southern California, Santa Clara County and the San Joaquin Valley, so heralded for being eradicated, were not.

Alex Garcia/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

Carey believed the medfly never disappeared. Small numbers remained in each of the previous outbreak spots, only becoming noticeable again in 1989. He used Mountain View as one of his case studies, plotting old infestations on a map compared to the new ones. They aligned almost perfectly. Medflies must have been there all along, Carey argued, because it would have been almost impossible to kill every last fly. Is it just a coincidence in Mountain View? I just cant buy it. Exactly at the same time and exactly the same place, he told the Times.

Carey says the changes are nil that travelers or immigrants have continually infested the same places, a March 18 story recounted.

No one else on the panel agreed. That month the state decided to curtail its aerial pesticide program, input from The Breeders very much aside. Malathion spray just wasnt working. Instead, they introduced sterile flies into the population, hoping to disrupt the critters breeding cycle. That, in conjunction with thorough searches of cargo coming into SFO and LAX, seemed to do the trick. By November, the outbreak finally ended.

It was the last major medfly outbreak in California, although small sightings have cropped up over the years. In 2007, some were found in Dixon and in 2008, a few more in El Cajon. But some spraying in conjunction with the use of sterile flies did the trick.

As for The Breeders, he, she or they has never been identified. The FBI was involved for a while, as was the USDA and the Los Angeles Police Department, but nothing came of the investigation. In the end, scientists took care of the medflies and The Breeders disappeared too  if they ever really existed.

They did, however, have a lasting impact on California law. In response to their letter, California State Senator Ruben Ayala introduced a bill making the importation of medflies into the state a felony crime. It passed, and is still part of the states Food and Agriculture Code today.

Katie Dowd is the SFGATE managing editor. Email her: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd
A wave of nostalgia for unfettered, unregulated and carefree travel hit me as I watched a few clips from the new PBS travel series "FLY BROTHER with Ernest White II," which made its debut in May on KQED here in the Bay Area.

I watched as the ebullient White, 42, walked through the teeming streets of his favorite city in the world, Sao Paulo, with his friend Flavia, a chatty local guide, and thought how much I'd like to be doing that now as the pandemic rages around us, closing off the world to the peripatetic class.

I miss being able to just get up and go. To plan trips, and have several dangling out in the future, drawing me along like a carrot dangling from a fishing pole in front of a horse. But since a trip overseas is out of the question for now, I'm happy to settle in, watch and remember with shows like "Fly Brother." (Check out the 30-second trailer for the series here.)

These days, while most Americans are stuck inside our borders due to disease and quarantines, it was easy to catch up with Ernest, who lives in the Bay Area, and learn more about the ironic timing of launching a travel show right now, American racism, what it's like to travel while Black... and gay, and how he was able to create a job and a life doing what he loves...traveling around the world making friends.

Come on along and follow our conversation through the photos and captions below.
Then it seemed  were an optimistic bunch, us Americans  that it would get better, that we just had to be brave enough (to heck with that dumb mask), reopen for business and belly up to the bar.
The announcement made earlier this week came amid accusations from some quarters that the virus might have originated in a laboratory in China.

New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The World Health Organization is finally sending a team to China next week to prepare to investigate the source of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic.

"WHO has been saying that knowing the source of the virus is very, very important. 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.

"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.

--IANS

gb/rs/
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 4 (ANI): Commissioner of Customs, Jodhpur, informed that 31.9918 kg of gold valued at Rs 15.67 crore was recovered from 14 Indian nationals who arrived at Jaipur International Airport by two charter flights from UAE and Saudi Arabia.



They were intercepted by the customs team at the airport.

Out of the 14 passengers, three arrived from Ras-Ul-Khema (UAE) with 12 gold bars weighing 9.339 kg valued at Rs 4,57,61,100. Eleven passengers arrived from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and 22.6528 kg of gold bars valued at Rs 11,09,98,720 was recovered from them.

The passengers are being interrogated. (ANI)


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. (ANI)
People there will only be able to leave the house for four reasons: work or education, exercise, medical care or care-giving, and shopping for supplies.

The city is putting "stage three" restrictions on 12 suburbs, reports the BBC.

Melbourne, July 5 (IANS) Authorities in the Australian city of Melbourne on Sunday confined people living in nine housing estate tower blocks due to a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

But the nine tower blocks in Flemington and North Melbourne face a "hard lockdown".

The 3,000 or so residents of the blocks are being told not to leave their homes for any reason for at least five days.

At least 23 cases of infection were found on two estates in recent days.

According to Victoria's Minister for Housing, Richard Wynn, some of the state's most vulnerable people live in the nine towers, and mental health and drug and alcohol support will be offered.

The towers, he said, were characterised by having common lifts and common walkways, and they presented an "acute challenge going forward".

Andrews said that it should take at least five days to test everyone in the towers.

"We are extremely concerned that there are many hundreds of people in these towers who have already been exposed to the cases that we've found and possibly to cases that exist and that we haven't found," Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"This is not just a matter of 23 to 30 odd people this is a matter of many hundreds who have already been exposed and who may already be incubating."

Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said a "new phase of the pandemic" was underway in Australia.

"For the first time in Australia it's an actual complete lockdown," he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

While the infection numbers remain below Australia's peak in March, what concerns the authorities is that local transmission is now the key source of infections.

Previously, most cases came from travellers returning from overseas.

Australia has so far reported a total of 8,362 COVID-19 cases, with 104 deaths.

--IANS

ksk/
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
Islamabad, July 5 (IANS) The Pakistan government has decided to open four border points with neighbouring Iran from Sunday for trade.

The four border entry points in Balochistan would remain opened throughout the week, The Express Tribune reported.

Sources said the Interior Ministry had notified to the Frontier Corps (South) Turbat inspector general and the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad said that Gubd, Mand, Katagur and Chagai border crossings would be opened from Sunday onwards.
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.

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.

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)

--IANS

rak/tsb
While addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi secretariat of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday, he said the cabinet would decide the fate of pilots though a valid point of case-to-case hearing, reports Dawn news.

Islamabad, July 5 (IANS) Show-cause notices were issued to 30 more Pakistani pilots with 'dubious licences' after completion of an inquiry as the government sped up scrutiny process of suspected pilots, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said.

He said an inquiry board was constituted that started scrutiny of pilots' licences and a discrepancy was found.

"Inquiry board found 850 pilots with suspected credentials and out of the total suspicious 262 licences were found 'dubious'," the Minister said, adding that the inquiry report was presented to Prime Minister Imran Khan after which 28 pilots were served with show-cause notices, chargesheeted and then they were given a chance for personal hearing.

After personal hearing, they were suspended as nine of them confessed to having dubious licences.

About the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines authorisation by the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) to operate to the EU member states for a period of six months from July 1, 2020, the Minister told the media the PIA had the right to appeal against the decision.

"We have been verifying credentials of Pakistani pilots serving with other airlines in Malaysia, Emirates and other airlines, though MCAA has not provided the list of Pakistani pilots so far.

"The solid base verification of pilots will be done and only those who will be certified would be allowed to fly planes," Dawn news quoted Khan as saying.

On June 24, Emirates had temporarily suspended passenger services from Pakistan till July 3 after about 30 Pakistanis who arrived in Hong Kong on board an Emirates flight tested COVID-19 positive.

Of the 30 male and female passengers, some showed coronavirus symptoms, while others were asymptomatic.

But on Friday, Emirates airline announced that it has resumed passenger services to Pakistan's four main cities of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Sialkot after a temporary suspension, but with a condition that passengers will be required to carry a negative COVID-19 report from a specified laboratory.

--IANS

ksk/
As Australia's A$60 billion-a-year tourism industry reels from the global pandemic, the governments from both countries have discussed plans for a "travel bubble" that would allow travel across the Tasman without mandatory quarantine, The Sydney Morning Herald newsppaer said in a report on Saturday.

Canberra, July 5 (IANS) International travel between Australia and New Zealand could restart as early as September if the coronavirus flare-up in Victoria state was brought under control, a Minister said.

Simon Birmingham, Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, said that despite the flare-up of COVID-19 cases in Victoria, it was viable for quarantine-free travel between the two countries to reopen in September.

"That's a realistic time frame, however, it clearly is subject to uncertainties like the situation in Victoria and ultimately it requires the agreement of the New Zealand government as well," he said in an interview.

While travel industry groups have pushed September as a possible start date, Birmingham's comments mark the first time the Australian government has backed that as a viable timeline.

Last week, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden put the ball in Australia's court, saying it was up to the country to decide whether it would only open to New Zealand as a whole country or consider just opening some states that had COVID-19 under control, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

New Zealand lifted all restrictions on travel and activities on June 8 after reporting no active cases of COVID-19 in the country.

It was the most popular destination for Australian travellers prior to COVID-19, with 1.5 million trips across the Tasman in 2019, which accounted for 40 per cent of all visitors to the country.

New Zealand was the second largest source of visitors to Australia in 2019 after China, with 1.4 million travellers accounting for 15 per cent of the arrivals into the country.

--IANS

ksk/
When asked about election posters that were used by his campaign during last year's election, suggesting that a vote for Zelensky was effectively a vote for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Poroshenko told the BBC on Saturday that he had been proved right.

Kiev, July 5 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been accused by his predecessor, Petro Poroshenkoy, of pursuing him in the courts out of a desire for "revenge".

"I was one of the happiest (people) in the world if I was wrong," he said during the interview.

"But unfortunately this is true. The fifth column of the Russian federation are now playing a very important role in Ukraine."

Poroshenko told the BBC that his election defeat had led to pro-Russian figures returning to key posts in government.

For the past six years Kiev has been fighting a mostly low-level conflict against separatist forces backed by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

Poroshenko said that his successor was not "Putin's man", but that he was "inexperienced" and that there were now figures with Russian sympathies in his team.

The former leader currently faces more than 20 different investigations on what he says are politically-motivated charges.

The barrage of legal cases being filed against Poroshenko has brought statements of concern from Ukraine's Western allies.

When Zelensky's Prime Minister Denys Smyhal, was queried whether he was comfortable with the former President being targeted, he told the BBC: "I agree with you that it looks not so good.

"But I'm sure that everyone who did something bad, or violated the law, should be responsible for it."

--IANS

ksk/
Amid uncertainty about the future track of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and mixed signals from the mayor and governor about the outlook for city schools reopening in the fall, parents across the five boroughs have weighed in with their concerns about the upcoming school year.

Approximately 37% of Staten Island families responded to the city Department of Educations (DOE) Fall 2020 Return to School Survey  23,033 of the 62,015 surveys sent out were submitted  the highest response rate for families in any borough.

Students in grades six to 12 were also surveyed directly. About 21% of Staten Island kids responded, a similar response rates to other parts of the city.

Overall, families identified hand-washing, availability of hand sanitizer and school cleaning protocols among the most important precautions to them.

At the bottom of the list of precautions were those aimed at keeping students apart  reducing class sizes by 50%, having students only interact with those in their classes and having buses run at half capacity.

And while just a little more than half of families said they would be somewhat or very comfortable returning to school, more than half of families also expressed some level of discomfort with the idea of a mask requirement for students.

When asked to rank their preferred scheduling options, 53% of families chose sending your child to in-person school on certain days, like Mon, Wed, and Fri or Tues and Thurs. Another 26% chose having your child learn at home full-time every day and 19% selected sending your child to in-person school one week and then learning at home the next week.

On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at a press conference that the city was full steam ahead for September, actively developing a plan for the safe reopening of schools.

Each school will have a number that is the maximum number of kids who can be in that school with social distancing -- using every conceivable space in that school, de Blasio said. Were going to convert everything that can be converted to a classroom into a classroom to accommodate social distancing.

Just hours later, Gov. Andrew Cuomos office issued a statement challenging de Blasios authority to reopen schools.

The state law governing schools and business closings or openings has been in effect since the pandemic first started, and all such decisions are made by state government and not local government. Of course the state consults with local stakeholders, and when it comes to opening schools in New York City we will consult with parents, teachers, health officials and local elected officials - but the governor has said any determination is premature at this point, and we will need to see how the virus develops, said Dani Lever, communications director for the governors office.

This is not the first time the two have clashed over school closure during the pandemic, most notably in April, when de Blasio got out in front of Cuomos announcement to cancel school for the reminder of the academic year.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Carolyn Unterman, an elementary school teacher at PS 26 in Travis, was one of 19 recipients of this years prestigious Big Apple Awards.

The awards, announced during a virtual Zoom meeting by New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, celebrate the exemplary performance of public school teachers throughout the city that inspire students, model great teaching and enrich school communities.

None of this year's work would have been possible without the dedication & resilience of our educators. @DOEChancellor concluded his day surprising the 19 winners of the 2020 Big Apple Awards, a citywide recognition program celebrating @NYCschools teachers:https://t.co/kHdh2Lo9Od  NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) June 26, 2020

According to the Department of Education (DOE), Untermans passion for teaching began with the belief that education can provide the opportunity to overcome all obstacles. She is open and vulnerable as an educator, and uses her own life experiences to motivate her students, said the DOE.

When she was a junior at Port Richmond High School, she volunteered at an elementary school to tutor children. There, she found her passion to help children find books that inspired them to read -- using that skill to this day.

She serves as a Model Teacher and Instructional Leader, offering support to colleagues and parents and families. One way she has done this is by hosting interactive parent workshops about a variety of topics. During the transition to remote learning, she provided technological support to families and created tutorial videos for colleagues to support them in developing effective practices.

She has also continued to lead weekly cross-grade team meetings and mentor teachers at PS 26 and across Staten Islands District 31.

One of her students parents said: Everything that Ms. Unterman does is coupled with love.

Next school year, the 19 award winners will serve as Big Apple Fellows and will meet monthly with one another to share ideas and strategies.

They will also be invited to serve on the Chancellors Teacher Advisory Group, which meets monthly and contributes to Department of Education policy.

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People working from home during the pandemic are more vulnerable to bullying and harassment, with legal researchers warning the high cost of litigation is also stifling complaints.

Associate Professor Dominique Allen and Adriana Orifici from the Monash University Business School said working from home has made it more difficult for workplaces to detect sexual harassment. There were fewer opportunities for incidental observation of inappropriate behaviour and early intervention by supervisors or bystanders during online communication.

Workers based away from the office were often isolated from supportive networks, an expert said. Credit:iStock

This meant sexual harassment might go undetected for longer or escalate before it was reported by the victim.

Ms Orifici said working from a remote location also prevented informal communication between employees and managers.
In early March, as the coronavirus inexorably spread to Australia and countries such as Italy and Spain were running out of beds in their intensive care units, television writer and producer Meg OConnell and her friends in Brisbane started to self-isolate. For consolation and mutual support they put together an online video meeting space, which they imagined as a BYO bar.

Pallavi Sharda plays an unfulfilled 30-something living in lockdown with her boyfriend in Retrograde. Credit:ABC

More than a dozen people passed through on the Friday night the digital space opened, and it became a nightly  and sometimes daily, with coffee  habit for participants. On the Sunday evening OConnells friend and fellow creative Mark OToole checked in, and by the next morning the pair were swapping story notes on a show inspired by the meeting place. They even had a one-sentence pitch: A 30something Cheers for the internet.

No one yells Norm!, but for the most part the series that emerged from the duos drinks and rapid development stays true to the outline. With six episodes both about and produced during the social isolation era, Retrograde is an ABC comic-drama about Maddie (Pallavi Sharda), an unfulfilled 32-year-old in lockdown with her boyfriend, Rob (Max Brown). Her uncertainties are exacerbated when Maddie discovers her ex, Dylan (Nick Boshier), has suddenly returned to their social circle via the shows sole setting of an online hangout.

For many people this time has thrown up questions over whether theyre happy with their life choices, OConnell says. You got to ask yourself questions you havent had the time or space to previously consider, let alone answer.
Environmental groups have called on Bunnings to extend to NSW its recent halt to sourcing native timber from Victoria's state forests, fearing supply will simply shift to the state's fire-hit forests.

The hardware giant last week announced it was ending its supply contract with VicForests following a Federal Court decision in June that found the state logging agency had breached the law by failing to protect endangered Leadbeater's possums when it logged 66 sites in Victoria's Central Highlands.

Protesters disrupting logging operations in Victoria's Central Highlands. Bunnings decided last week to cease taking timber from the state's native forests.

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW, which represents 150 environmental groups, has written to Bunnings, saying they fear NSW's state forests could end up filling any supply shortfall.

"We are worried that your decision to move away from VicForests could simply lead to significantly more harm done in NSW, where more than five million hectares burned in the 2019-2020 bushfires," the NCC's letter said. It noted a recent parliamentary inquiry also found koalas were on track to be extinct in NSW "well before 2050".
Michelle Portlock is one of the human faces behind warnings Australia faces a mental health and suicide crisis fuelled by the triple-whammy of the pandemic, lockdown isolation and recession.

Ms Portlock, 49, is battling a relapse of the depression that "nearly destroyed" her when she was medically discharged from the police force in 2011. As a widow with four children and no job, she was forced to sell her house.

Michelle Portlock, 49, is battling a flare-up of depression during the pandemic crisis. Credit:Steven Siewert

She twice went to hospital because of suicidal thoughts and saw the distress that caused her children.

"I've been medication free and working and now COVID has come along and that rug has been swept from under my feet," she said.
As well as working with staff she admires, and interacting with people of different ages, Wendy enjoys facilitating the socialisation of cats and kittens. You cant just sit at home and read; you have to get out and about and feel useful, she says. Her legacy has been a long working life, and will be philanthropic: she plans to leave a significant portion of her estate to the Cat Protection Society.

I was blessed to grow up in a stable community of caring people, a wonderful neighbourhood, with good friends, and strong positive influences through family, school and church, she says. That backdrop served me well when, from changes in my own familys circumstances, I learnt that life is never really predictable. The key lesson she learnt was that the fluctuations of life can make any of us, at any stage, more vulnerable. But that amidst all of that, there is kindness, caring, concern and support from those around us.

The best of both worlds

Didier Quintard and Jill Hearly-Quintard, Sydney

Didier and Jills secret to a happy marriage is joy, happiness and to be best of friends. Credit: Supplied.

Sometimes I wonder if she will ever stop, says Didier Quintard, in his French accent. Hes talking about his Australian wife Jill, with whom he lives on Sydneys northern beaches. Jill, 65, has been running her fitness business, Body and Balance Fitness and Wellness, since the mid-1980s. She is proud to be a boomer, and extremely proud of receiving recent fitness awards, despite two total hip replacements in the past 10 years. Is she always full of beans? Well, thats why I cant sit down, she quips. I even stand at my computer. And retirement? My retirement will be when Im dead.

Didier, 60, left a well-paying corporate job a few years ago and works as a handyman. It hasnt always been plain sailing. An investment home bought in Western Australia during the mining boom is worth less than they paid for it; another in Queensland has not increased in value. They own a home in France outright, and have a small mortgage on their Sydney home, which they offset by renting the flat beneath, and sometimes their own home, on Airbnb. Both want to work the gig economy for as long as possible, but also to travel, and enjoy the best of both worlds without formalising their retirement. They aim eventually to spend six months alternately in Australia and France. Jill has a son from a previous marriage, and they have a daughter together. Their will is drawn up in a 50-50 split between the children.

Didier and Jill recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, and love is their legacy. The secret is joy and to have fun and be the best of friends, Jill says. I couldnt stand the idea of having someone who sits around and says: Oh, Im retired now.

A super-charged retirement

Caryn Hamilton, Sydney

Caryn's secret to being a happy retiree. Credit: Supplied.

After a working life spent caring for others as a psychiatric nurse, Caryn Hamilton, 65, figures she has earned her keep as a deliriously happy retiree. A healthy redundancy payout after almost 40 years of nursing, along with superannuation, the proceeds from the sale of a property bought with a former partner, and a tidy profit on the sale of her own house, have allowed her to upsize to a dream home in Sydneys Hills district.

Caryn says her parents approach to work and money has affirmed her thinking about leaving a legacy. I think theyve instilled in me independence, a do-it-yourself attitude, work hard, pay off your house as quickly as you can and never buy anything unless youve got the money in the bank, she says.

Ive got a credit card, but I pay it off every month. Ive never been in debt, apart from having a mortgage. I have always eaten out but not lavishly.

Ive never been married, so therefore Ive never been divorced. Its getting divorced thats the problem, because divorce takes your money.

Caryn maximised her super contributions throughout her working life and now lives comfortably on the proceeds, paid to her as a fortnightly wage. So how does she pass the time? I belong to four car clubs and do a lot of travelling with them, she says. I say to everybody you must have hobbies in your life  something outside of your job.

As well as her passions for cars, film festivals, live theatre and parlour games such as Scrabble and mahjong, Caryn is a Francophile, and travels to France every year with friends. Does she ever miss work? Oh God, no, she says, emphatically.

And her financial legacy? If theres anything left after I enjoy the hell out of it, it will go to family, she says.
Loading Examining the Harwin affair, it is difficult not to conclude that the minister was the victim of a style of mob justice in which NSW has come to specialise. When the story broke in April, Premier Berejiklian came under instant pressure from a rabid media pack camped out the front of Harwins house. The medias attention (which almost certainly derived from a political tip off) was ostensibly focused on the effect the ministers conduct could have on community welfare, as well as the message it sent. Berejiklian initially defended her minister but within 24 hours had changed her tone. Rather than back Harwin in the face of increasingly ugly attacks, the Premier appeared to hand management of the situation to the NSW Police. That would prove to be a mistake. On the Thursday before the Easter long weekend, Berejiklian conducted a press conference. As usual NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller stood dutifully in the background. Berejiklian stated that technically Harwin had not breached the law, but she acknowledged a perception issue. It seemed to matter little that the "technical" question of whether a person has breached a law is the only relevant legal question. A "perception" problem, on the other hand, is a political issue. It has nothing to do with the criminal law, nor for that matter, the police.

When he took to the microphone, Fuller said: I will, through my minister, ask for an explanation. If it doesnt stack up, Ill give him a ticket happily. Soon thereafter two police officers were filmed approaching Harwins city apartment block. The media just happened to be there. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller is standing by the decisions he made regarding Don Harwin. Credit:Rhett Wyman The Commissioner promised that, after the long weekend, he would provide an explanation as to the result of those inquiries. That explanation was given in the form of an infringement notice issued to Harwin and which had apparently been personally reviewed by the Commissioner himself. But last week the DPP elected not to pursue the matter, citing a review of the evidence. Fuller has since come out and says he backs his decision to issue the notice, which he said was based on a review of the circumstances at the time. What does this mean?

The highest-ranking police officer in the state and the Office of the DPP formed diametrically opposed conclusions on the same evidence, which, we assume, never changed. Given the amount of legal advice at the disposal of the Commissioner, this is a serious breakdown of proper process. If the decision to charge was a consequence of bad legal advice, the public has a right to know. If it was something more nefarious than that, the public should also be immediately informed. Either way, Fuller owes the public the explanation he originally promised but never fulfilled. It also looks like he owes Harwin an apology. Instead, he has doubled down on his decision to issue the notice. If Fuller wants to set himself against the states peak prosecuting authority then so be it, but media soundbites wont cut it. Rather, he must explain the precise basis on which he "stands by" his doomed decision to issue a criminal infringement notice to a sitting minister. Berejiklian also has some explaining to do. She accepted Harwins resignation after the police decided to charge him on the purported basis that it was necessary for her to back the police.

Loading What are the implications of this statement? And why wouldnt Harwin enjoy the presumption of innocence? He never deviated from the proposition that he had not breached the Public Health Order and he had apparently acted on parliamentary advice. It would appear the states prosecutors agree with him. The notion that a Premiers governing principle, in those circumstance, should be to "back the police", is risible. She had all the machinery of the state available to her when determining if the charge had been properly laid. If there was no legal advice available to her capable of reaching the same conclusion as the Director of Public Prosecutions, then the machinery is malfunctioning badly.
A stop was made at Adelaide to-night. The plane will reach Perth, tomorrow. The burial will take place at the Karra-katta cemetery, Perth, on Sunday afternoon.

Canberra's Homage To Dead Prime Minister CANBERRA, Friday.-After the national capital had paid final homage to-day to John Curtin, the late Prime Minister, a Douglas transport plane of the R.A.A.F., escorted by fighters, left with his. body on the first stage of the journey to Perth.

From 11 o'clock this morning, when the coffin was carried into the King's Hall, Parliament House, for the lying in-state, until 4 o'clock this afternoon when the funeral plane circled low over Parliament House, before heading into the setting sun, all ordinary life in the capital was at a standstill.

There were unprecedented crowds in Parliament House for the memorial service, at which Mrs, Curtin and her son, Sgrt. John Curtin, R.A.A.F., were the principal family mourners, and which was attended by their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Duke had made a long journey from operational areas to arrive here this morning.

Pallbearers, including Robert Menzies and Billy Hughes, convey the coffin into King's Hall. July 6, 1945 Credit:Harry Martin

Members of the Cabinet and of both Houses of Parliament were on the steps to watch the coffin being carried in to the King's Hall.

All were deeply moved, and the Treasurer, Mr. Chifley, who was Acting Prime Minister for all but a few days of Mr. Curtin's illness, wept openly.
Young people have become more frequent news consumers but experts warn media literacy education has not kept up with changing habits, with most students now getting their news from other people.

Research shows 88 per cent of young Australians are consuming news, propelled by the Australian bushfire season and coronavirus pandemic.

But just one in five had received lessons at school in the past year that helped them work out whether news stories could be trusted and about one-third agreed they could distinguish fake news from real news.

Western Sydney University and QUT researchers surveyed 1069 Australians, aged 8 to 16, between February 28 and March 16 this year: after Australia's bushfire season and in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, when misinformation and conspiracy theories were spreading on social media.
A major supplier to Australias mining industry has been accused of ignoring the repeated sexual harassment and discrimination of an apprentice, including being told her workplace was "no place for a woman".

The allegations levelled against haulage supplier Komatsu in a lawsuit before the Federal Court comes at a time when the industry grapples with gender diversity in the wake of stark revelations about sexual harassment in Australia's most male-dominated workforce.

This case shows the mining industry remains a boys' club where sexual harassment is endemic, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers senior associate Mia Pantechis said.

That means women will shun the industry generally and companies like Komatsu in particular.

Jade Trautner moved to Darwin from Ireland for a career in the mining industry, becoming an apprentice plant mechanic, commonly known as a diesel fitter, for Komatsu in 2016.
Troy Stewart, a joiner from the shire, was the co-owner of Eco Water. Mr Johns said he was introduced to Casella by Mr Stewart, who has "worked with Marcello for quite a few years". Kent Johns as mayor (left) with Troy Stewart. Corporate records show that Eco Water was just one of three business ventures in which Mr Johns was involved with Mr Stewart. Another was Agricann, a proposed billion-dollar venture to manufacture and market cannabis for medicinal use. Mr Johns was adamant that Casella was to have no involvement in the marijuana business because of his drug convictions. Asked if he had any reputational concerns about being in a business bankrolled by a convicted criminal, Mr Johns said Casella "always told me he had no involvement whatsoever" in the drug crop and that he'd only pleaded guilty to lesser charges because of legal advice. Mr Johns is also involved in a "sewer rehabilitation" business with a Chinese property development company, which developed 23 luxury townhouses in the Sutherland area.

In 2018, when nominating for preselection for Hughes, Mr Johns listed his occupation as managing director of JHC Infrastructure. What he didn't declare was that his fellow directors were Minhgai "Hansen" Zhang and his daughter, Winkie. Their property development company, Hansen Investment Corp, is the majority shareholder in Mr Johns' company. In his most-recent pecuniary interest declaration to council, he ticked "no" when asked whether he was a "close associate of a property developer". Mr Johns agreed Hansen was a development company. When asked why he did not think that was something he should have disclosed, he replied: "If I made a mistake it would be somewhere between genuine and lazy." Selling Riverina to the world On January 10, 2018, Mr Johns was in a sweat as the temperature hit 32 degrees in Casella's home town of Griffith, in south-western NSW.

Casella was taking Mr Stewart, Mr Johns and the Sri Lankan foreign minister on a guided tour of the district with an eye to selling Riverina agriculture to the world. The tour took in the Casella family wine business from which Marcello had been kicked out as a director owing to his arrest in 2014 over yet another major cannabis crop. Due to the phenomenal overseas success of their brand Yellow Tail, the winemaking family, which consists of Casella and his brothers, John and Joe, has a net worth of $1.57 billion, according to The Australian Financial Review's 2019 Rich List. It is not suggested other family members were involved in Casella's other activities. Six months after the visit, Agritrade Global was established, with its website listing Mr Johns as general manager, Casella as its chairman and Mr Stewart, who was recorded as holding "several positions within the Casella group", assigned the title of "Director Global Sales". Although he was standing trial in the NSW District Court at the time, Casella was bringing skills in "corporate governance" and "managing risk" to the business.

Mr Johns, who was seeking preselection for the seat of Hughes at the time, said he was aware that Casella was facing trial "but that was his business", and besides, "he always told me that he was innocent". Agritrade Global's website has been "undergoing scheduled maintenance" since the Herald's investigation commenced. In February 2014, police raided a property between Cowra and Young where a huge cannabis crop was being grown by Casella's long-time friend, Luigi Fato. Fato was recorded on phone taps in late 2013 saying of the crop: "It's all happening. It has taken this long, but it is all happening. And Marcello is real keen about doing his thing." Fato told another associate that Casella, who visited the crop three times, had given him money to buy generators. "Marcello is ready to go, he's gave me the 40 grand like that  no worries, boom," Fato said.

As well as Casella, police arrested Andre Turner, an irrigation expert employed by Casella winery. Turner met Casella in a Queensland jail in the mid-1990s where he was serving time for being an accessory after the fact to murder and Casella was doing five years for his role in a $57 million cannabis crop in far north Queensland. Marcello Casella attending his NSW District Court trial in 2018. Credit:James Brickwood At the end of June 2018, 30 days into his District Court trial, Casella pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of concealing information and was sentenced to six months' jail. Mr Stewart attested to Casella's philanthropy at his sentencing hearing. In August 2019, a fortnight after Mr Johns drew up plans for the cannabis business, Casella's appeal resulted in his jail term becoming a non-custodial one. Fato was jailed for a minimum of 16 years. In an unfortunate coincidence, in 2013, Russian-born Anna Shedrina, a director of Casella's ammunition company, expressed shock when police raided her vineyard.

A champion clay target shooter mentored by Casella, Ms Shedrina told police she had "no idea" that one of the largest drug crops ever found in Victoria was on her investment property in the state's north-east. Clay shooting champion, Anna Shedrina. Credit:Steven Wright She told police that Casella Wines looked after the property, which she bought in 2010 for about $470,000. After Casella Wines ceased looking after her grapes the following year, she leased it to another man. She said she hadn't been to the property for two years. In sentencing James Stammers to a four-year non-parole term, the judge expressed disbelief that the illiterate 66-year-old had orchestrated the sophisticated operation alone and that the $50,000 he spent on fertiliser and water systems was from money saved from picking fruit in Griffith. Although she lives in Melbourne, Ms Shedrina still runs Casella's Bronze Wing Ammunition business in Yenda, near Griffith. There is no suggestion she was involved in the drug crop found on her property.

Troy Stewart (left) with Marcello Casella. In August 2019, while Casella was fighting to stay out of jail, Mr Johns, as CEO of Agricann, was busy drawing up business plans for the "vertically integrated cannabis supplier". The plan was to establish cultivation and manufacturing facilities in Dubbo and a distribution centre in the Sutherland Shire. The $100 million start-up costs would come via "private investments". In five years, Mr Johns' business plan suggested, the revenue of the business would be close to $1 billion. Mr Johns said he "made it clear to Marcello and to Troy" that Casella could not be involved in Agricann. Mr Johns quit all three companies in March and April 2020, leaving Mr Stewart as the sole director and shareholder. Mr Johns claimed Agricann and Agritrade never traded and Eco Water's technology was a failure.
The use of private security guards in Sydney's quarantine hotels is now under the microscope, with failures in monitoring guest movements being blamed for the surge of cases in Victoria.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said on Sunday that all states needed to ensure security guards in hotels were trained and understood the magnitude of their responsibility.

Passengers arriving at Sydney International Airport being transported to hotel quarantine in April. Credit:Rhett Wyman

"They need to find the appropriate people to train them properly to really reinforce the issues around infection control and so forth to make sure this is done safely and also effectively," he said.

"Hotel quarantine around Australia has been the most successful component of our control of this pandemic so far."
Three men have died after their boat crashed into rocks before capsizing near the lighthouse at La Perouse.

Emergency services were called to the scene around 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon, where the three men, believed to be middle-aged, were pulled from the water. They were unable to be revived.

The men, yet to be formally identified, are not believed to have been wearing lifejackets. An investigation into the tragedy is now under way.

NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Geoff Senior said his thoughts were with the families of the three men.
A north Queensland man asked a woman for a lift to his car before sexually assaulting her on a beach north of Cairns, police allege.

The 26-year-old Cairns woman had been taking photos on the side of the Captain Cook Highway about 9am on Saturday before the man allegedly struck up a conversation.

Police allege the 20-year-old man sexually assaulted the woman on the beach and attempted to rape her before she could flee. Credit:Google Street View

After the alleged request, she then drove him to his car and agreed to walk with him on Wangetti Beach, about 43 kilometres north of Cairns, a police statement said.

Police allege the 20-year-old from Kowanyama, on the Cape York Peninsula's west coast, then sexually assaulted the woman on the beach and attempted to rape her before she managed to flee.
When alleged conman Con Petropoulos was banned from selling kittens earlier this year after repeatedly exploiting sick and dying animals for cash, he did something an opportunist might do: he began selling more.

Mr Petropoulos faced court earlier this year accused of criminal breaches of animal welfare laws and has pleaded not guilty to fraud relating to creating false breeding and vaccination documents, but it has not stopped the notorious illegal trader. He has continued to sell pets from the boot of his car using allegedly fake documents and stolen microchip numbers and claiming COVID-19 as a reason he cannot bring people to his home.

Video footage take in recent weeks shows Mr Petropoulos, also known as Konstantinos Petropoulos, selling kittens for up to $1500 each at a public car park in Ballarat under the name Tomas  a pseudonym he chose to advertise four ragdoll kittens on the trading website, Gumtree.

On the video, he tells the prospective buyer that he bred the kittens himself and urges her to purchase one immediately because they were in such high demand.
Hulya Alan is one of the 3000 public housing tower residents in Melbournes inner north who found out on Saturday that she and the rest of her building would be locked down.

It feels very lonely, she said.

She said that sense of isolation has been slowly getting worse since the announcement of the lockdown on Saturday, mainly because of a lack of information on what would happen next.

Hulya Alan, who lives in one of the public housing towers, criticised the lack of information on the lockdown.

The first time an announcement was put out to residents over the building's public address system, in English and Arabic, was just before 1pm on Sunday, she said.
Anti-racism groups are leading a ``de-colonial tour'' of Paris on Sunday to call attention to monuments and streets honoring historical figures tied to the slave trade or colonial-era abuses.

The march, starting at the French capital's Museum of Immigration, is being held on the 58th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France after a long and brutal war.

It's organized by a group representing low-income neighborhoods in French suburbs that are home to large communities who trace their origins to former colonies. Black activists and migrants' rights groups are also joining.

While statues have fallen across the U.S. and in some other European countries amid the global anti-racism movement following George Floyd's death by police on May 25, the response to such monuments in France so far has been more muted.

Scattered statues have been covered with graffiti, but French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted that authorities will not remove any controversial monuments, as has happened in other countries.

In a call on social networks, the organizers of Sunday's march accused the government of ``ignoring the memory of the peoples it reduced to slavery or colonized by mass slaughter.'' They want France to rename streets and monuments for people who fought against slave trading and colonial crimes.

Algeria was considered the jewel in France's colonial empire, and is marking its independence day Sunday with a special funeral ceremony for 24 resistance fighters decapitated by French forces in the 19th century.

The fighters' skulls were brought back to France as trophies and held in a Paris museum for decades until their return to Algiers on Friday.

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"For those in custody awaiting trial, without taking up this option, speaks volumes about the faith an accused and their representatives have in the jury system." Other barristers, such as Damien Hannan, said the lukewarm response could be due to the odds of a guilty verdict. "It is harder for the prosecution to convince 12 people of guilt than one," he said. "While not infallible, a jury trial is considered superior and of less risk to an accused for that very reason alone." A prosecutor, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: "I reckon most accused people say, 'I don't want a judge deciding. I might be able to baffle a jury because they're told time and time again about reasonable doubt and they have to be pretty sure I did it, but that's not enough.' But judges are somewhat more astute and more jaded maybe, and probably more willing to say [guilty]." Tim Marsh, Victoria Legal Aid's chief counsel, favours jury trials but was surprised more accused people had not sought the alternative if in custody and awaiting their day in court.

"I would have thought given the perfect storm of bail reform and delay there could be people who might have a triable case who think they might take a chance with a judge alone," he said. Victoria Legal Aid chief counsel Tim Marsh is surprised more accused people have not sought judge-only trials. Credit:Contributed An accused person must consent to a judge-only trial and a judge must rule it is in the best interests of the law for the case to proceed without a jury. Judges will have to give written reasons for verdicts, which some lawyers say could dissuade some from hearing trials. The principle of community standards means it is also preferable for juries to hear certain trials, such as self-defence arguments or sexual assault cases where consent is the issue, because a community cross-section is well placed to rule on what is reasonable conduct and what is not. Victoria's legislation for judge-only trials has a sunset clause of October but for now brings it into line with the other mainland states.

Judge-only trials are notable interstate to ensure prejudice is not an issue. In Perth, a judge will soon pass verdict on Bradley Edwards, the man accused of being the Claremont serial killer. Loading Defence barrister Dermot Dann, QC, said a high-profile defendant or cases with details that would prompt strong emotional responses in jurors could be best heard by a judge alone. "Those sort of extreme cases you might say a judge alone might be more appropriate," he said. Jury trials, with jurors adopting strict social distancing, are scheduled to return in Victoria from July 20. However, the courts are closely monitoring the recent spike in coronavirus numbers.

Criminal Bar Association of Victoria chair Daniel Gurvich, QC, said judge-only applications could increase if jury trials did not resume soon. "That is quite likely, particularly in cases where the accused is in custody, or where theyre on bail but under onerous bail conditions," he said. Criminal Bar Association of Victoria chair Daniel Gurvich says judge-only trial applications may increase if jury trials do not resume soon. Credit:Paul Jeffers "Those people will generally want to have their cases heard and a delay of two or three years is unacceptable to them." Mr Dann said: "At the moment, we're in a bit of a no-man's land in a sense that we don't know that jury trials will come back. That's the hope, but nothing's certain, is it?"
The Broome community is reeling after a well-known tourism pilot and a 12-year-old girl were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday.

Troy Thomas, former owner-operator of Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, died after the Robinson R44 helicopter he was flying crashed on Antheous Way in an industrial area in the suburb of Bilingurr about 2.30pm.

The group of four had taken off in the chopper to go on a holiday when the aircraft ran into issues shortly after take-off, according to Nine News Perth.

Two survivors of the crash, Mr Thomas 12-year-old daughter and a 24-year-old woman, were flown to hospitals in Perth.
Police are desperately searching for an elderly woman last seen in Rockingham who may be injured and bleeding.

Rockingham Police received a report about 11am from a member of the public who saw the woman, possibly in her 70s, walking in the Point Peron area seemingly lost and possibly injured.

A police spokesman said officers attended the scene under emergency conditions, however the woman could not be found.

A search for the woman is continuing, which is being supported by Police Air Wing, he said.

The woman is described as being about 70 years old, short, with grey curly hair.
Morrison's actions in the past two weeks showed he felt victory was within reach. He flew to Eden to offer financial support for timber workers; he visited the construction of Snowy 2.0 and announced defence spending likely to appeal to the Defence staff in the electorate. Yet the results were mixed. Eden swung to Labor. In Cooma and the areas near the Snowy, however, the swing went the government's way. Labor had good reason for thinking it would do well in Cobargo, the town that seemed so fed up with Morrison when he visited after the bushfires. Yet it went backwards by 9.2 per cent. Fiona Kotvojs, a Rural Fire Service volunteer who lives nearby, increased her vote by 6.9 per cent. South Coast support The Labor candidate, former Bega mayor Kristy McBain, won on the back of solid support around her home base on the NSW South Coast. Even so, the victory across the electorate stopped short of a powerful endorsement for Labor in its criticism of Morrison's bushfire response or climate change policy.

Loading In Batlow, for instance, a town scorched by fires in the west of the electorate, the Liberals increased their primary vote by 9.3 per cent. They gained 4.4 per cent in Adelong and 3.1 per cent in Tumbarumba. The Greens, meanwhile, saw their primary vote fall from 8.8 to 5.6 per cent over less than a year. The byelection was the first test for Adam Bandt as the party's new leader but it suggests he and his team need to do far more to convince voters of their "green new deal" policy platform. The Nationals, for all their talk of winning the seat under state leader John Barilaro, lost ground when they had barely any to lose. The party's primary vote slipped to 6.5 per cent and they struggled to compete with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, which did well in the west. The outcome vindicates Anthony Albanese's decision two months ago to phone McBain, ask her to rejoin Labor (she had been unaligned as mayor) and urge her to run for the seat. Without that call, and perhaps with a lesser candidate, Labor might have lost.

It is natural to consider some hypotheticals. Could the Coalition have won if Morrison had not gone on holiday during the bushfires? It seems possible. Would Labor have done better if the pandemic had not upended Australian politics? This seems equally possible. For all the stillness on the surface, then, this result is the product of the big and unpredictable forces of a tumultuous year  bushfire, pandemic, recession. It is merely an early and uncertain guide to how voters will rate Morrison and his government. One clear warning to Morrison is that Labor used one of his policies against him. The government's JobKeeper allowance is so popular that Labor was able to play on the anxiety about when it would end and who would miss out. Crucial month
The federal and state governments will pour more than $500 million in additional funding into regional rail and road safety upgrades across Victoria to underpin hundreds of construction jobs and boost the struggling economy.

About $300 million of the new money will be put towards the Regional Rail Revival program, which is modernising the passenger rail network to all corners of the state with more track, more trains and increased services.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the additional $320 million in federal funding had taken the Commonwealths infrastructure investment in Victoria to more than $29.5 billion. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The federal government will also provide an additional $70.6 million in funding to complete duplication of the Princes Highway between Traralgon and Sale, east of Melbourne.

An additional $20 million will be put towards safety upgrades at 30 high-speed, high-risk rural intersections and $19.5 million towards urban and regional pedestrian safety upgrades around schools.
Opening a door to the Arab world as Liverpool Arab Arts Festival goes digital by Khyle Deen . Published Sun 05 Jul 2020 13:42

The UKs longest running Arab arts festival opens a door into Arab arts and culture as it goes digital for the first time in its history next week. Connecting artists and audiences from across the UK, this years festival will feature events from Ramallah, Beirut, London, Jerusalem, Morocco, Aleppo, Kuala Lumpur and more.



Established in 1998, the festival usually takes place each year in arts and cultural venues across Liverpool. When Covid-19 led to a lockdown in the UK, digital programming has enabled the festival team to expand its reach, welcoming artists from across the Arab world for a series of events including music, film, talks, literature and performance.



The festival includes:



The festival launches on Thursday 9 July with Moroccan musical collective Walead Ben Selim and Widad Broco/N3rdistan. Between rock, trip hop, electro, oriental-beat with world influences, this quartet mixes with ease digital power, ancestral Arabic poetry, the targeted singing intermingling here and there with the melodies of a Qanoon and African Keys. Without falling into the trap of ethnic-electro this fiery sonorisation serves as an engine to this group producing the most highly musical journey of the moment.



Artist in residence, spoken word poet and performer Lisa Luxx brings her unique voice to the festival. British-Syrian, she reflects on identity, sexuality, belonging and gender. An In Conversation event will discuss the artistic process and the creation of a new work Eating the Copper Apple which was due to be premiered at the festival, but will be launched later in 2020.



Renowned Arabist Tim Mackintosh-Smith joins the festival to discuss his acclaimed book Arabs: 3,000 Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires, delves into language and culture to narrate the evolution of modern Arab identity. The historian, who for many years lived in Yemen, will be joined in conversation with Irish novelist and collaborator, Denyse Woods.



Hailing from one of the most musically rich cities in the Levant, Hello Psychaleppo is the brain child of Aleppian electronic music producer and visual artist Samer Saem Eldahr who brings an intimate live performance to Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.



In partnership with the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award, described as the 'Arab worlds equivalent to the Nobel Prize', Ibtisam Barakat will deliver a special workshop encouraging participants to explore and develop their writing skills. Barakat won the 2020 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for illustrated childrens book Al-Fatah Al-Laylakeyyah (The Lilac Girl.)



Writing the Palestinian City, in partnership with Comma Press, brings together three writers, whose work includes both fact and fiction set in and about Gaza, Ramallah and East Jerusalem, to explore the issues, challenges and opportunities of writing about Palestine. Talal Abu Shawish (The Assassination of a Painting, Goodbye Dear Prophets, Middle Eastern Nightmares), Maya Abu Al-Hayat (No one Knows his Blood Type) and Mazen Maarouf (Jokes for the Gunmen, Our Grief Resembles Bread) join Ra Page from Comma Press for a discussion.



ARTIST / IDEAS / NOW is a new programme curated in collaboration with Creative Destruction. Led by some of the most exciting Arab artists across the globe, this series aims to address the most pressing and complex conversations of this moment. There will be three events during the festival; Art, Identity & Solidarity, I Am Here, Artists Working Under Isolation and Conflict, Colonialism and Climate Change.



In a celebration of Arab Cinema, LAAF, in partnership with BBC Arabic Festival, shares a programme of short films from Female Directors in Todays Arab World. Each short film by Dina Naser, Katia Jarjoura, Yassmina Karajah and Mariakenzi Lahlou, take us through the effects and consequences of war on individuals and their families; and the hope for freedom. Sheyma Buali, BBC Arabic Festival Director, who curated the film selection, will chair a special discussion with the selected filmmakers.



The award-winning feature documentary Jaddoland follows filmmaker Nadia Shihab, as she returns to her hometown in Lubbock, Texas, to visit her mother, an artist originally from Iraq. Touching and challenging, the film is an intimate portrait of a mother through a daughters eyes, which raises questions about what we call home.



Yemen in Conflict is a national partnership between LAAF, the University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool exploring how Yemeni literature and poetry can be safeguarded, and how it can further the understanding of the situation in Yemen. An online exhibition will premiere poemfilm commissions by artists Olivia Furber, Mariam Al-Dhubhani, Diyala Muir and Noor Palette, created in direct response to original poems by contemporary Yemeni poets Ahmed Alkhulaidi, Liverpool-based Amina Atiq, Hamdan Damaag and Abel Hakim Al Qadi. This will be accompanied by an essay by writer and poet Deryn Rees-Jones and a selection of material from a series of national workshops held with Yemeni communities in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool and Sheffield throughout 2019.



After wowing the crowds at the closing of last years Family Day, the festival welcomes back Daraa Tribes as the celebratory closing event on Saturday 18 July. A fusion of ancestral tribal music and Saharan Blues, Daraa Tribes comes from the oasis town of Tagounite in the Daraa River Valley of Morocco, with each member originating from a different tribe, bringing with them diverse music traditions to create an eclectic style only to be found in the oases of the North African Sahara.



Anne Thwaite is the Director of Liverpool Arab Arts Festival



Our artists, along with our festival team, have worked so hard together to deliver a programme that will, hopefully, inspire as well as entertain audiences. In 20 years, this is the first time we wont be gathering together for the festival, but we will be together virtually. This crisis is affecting many communities in different ways and it is the power of art and culture to help shine a light on experience, while helping us to be more empathetic of each other. Weve gained a lot in the past three months of being able to talk and share ideas in lockdown, so were looking forward to bringing that into peoples homes.



Anahid Kassabian is the Lead Programmer for Liverpool Arab Arts Festival



The mission of our festival is to bring people together, from a range of diverse cultures and backgrounds, and to increase the appreciation and celebration of Arab arts and culture. We care passionately about the artists and creatives we work with, and were excited to be able to bring those artists into peoples homes. It makes our vast world connect in a truly inspiring way and were excited to be a platform for that and for people to get a glimpse of creativity and culture across the globe.



For more details on festival events go to arabartsfestival.com. Audiences members can register for events taking place online. While all events will be free, we would welcome any donations from our audiences. All donations received during the festival period will go towards supporting artists in the next year.
Moscow: Kazakhstan on Sunday became the first nation to re-impose a country-wide lockdown after its easing of measures to counter coronavirus sparked a surge in infections.

The Central Asian republic, which borders Russia and China, appeared to have contained the disease after a two-month lockdown with just a few thousand confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Police wearing a face masks to protect against coronavirus, detain a protester during a protest in Almaty, Kazakhstan last month. Credit:AP

But the country, home to 18 million, embraced its rediscovered freedoms with gusto in mid-May. Family-oriented Kazakhs travelled to see relatives, and police would routinely break up wedding parties of up to 100 people as large gatherings were still banned. Now it is faced with a total of 44,000 confirmed cases. Its hospitals - unlike previously - are over-stretched.

Travel will be limited again, working hours of public transport cut down, non-essential businesses closed, and two cities in Kazakhstan's east will be closed for entry and exit.
London: Up to half of the populations in countries including the United States, Germany and the Czech Republic say they may decline to take any new coronavirus vaccine that is developed.

A vaccine is seen as possibly the only way for the world to return to normal after the pandemic. However, experts estimate that at least 70 per cent of people will have to receive a vaccine in order for it to stop coronavirus, a figure that appears to be some way off based on the latest polls.

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by scientists at Imperial College London.

Professor Heidi Larson, anthropologist and director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "It's going to be a challenge, particularly because in general, populations are more anxious about new vaccines and that's understandable."

In the US, a number of polls have shown only around 50 per cent are committed to getting a vaccine. Last week, Dr Anthony Fauci, its leading public health expert, told CNN he believed the US was "unlikely" to reach herd immunity as a result of this, inspired by the "general anti-science, anti-authority, anti-vaccine feeling".
London: Boris Johnson is poised to begin phasing out the use of Huawei technology in Britain's 5G network as soon as this year, in a major about-turn, according to the London Telegraph.

British intelligence agency GCHQ is understood to have revised its previous assurance that the risks posed by the Chinese technology giant can be safely managed.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Credit:AP

A report due to be presented to the Prime Minister this week is expected to conclude that new US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control.

The report, by GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre, has concluded that the sanctions, which will bar Huawei from using technology relying on American intellectual property, has had a "severe" impact on the firm that significantly changes their calculations.
London: Coronavirus may have lain dormant across the world and emerged when environmental conditions were right for it to thrive - rather than starting in China, an Oxford University expert believes.

Dr Tom Jefferson, senior associate tutor at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University, and visiting professor at Britain's Newcastle University, says there is growing evidence the virus was elsewhere before it emerged in Asia.

Last week, Spanish virologists announced they had found traces of COVID-19 in samples of waste water collected in March 2019, nine months before the disease was seen in China. Italian scientists have also found evidence of the virus in sewage samples in Milan and Turin, from mid-December, many weeks before the first case was detected, while experts have found traces in Brazil from November.

Dr Jefferson believes that many viruses lie dormant throughout the globe and emerge when conditions are favourable. It also means they can vanish as quickly as they arrive.
Dubai: A fire at Iran's underground Natanz nuclear facility has caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced centrifuges used to enrich uranium, an Iranian nuclear official has said.

Authorities had previously sought to downplay the fire, which erupted early on Thursday, calling it only an incident that affected an industrial shed".

A released photo and video of the site broadcast by Iranian state television showed a two-story brick building with scorch marks and its roof apparently destroyed.

A spokesman for Irans nuclear agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said on Sunday that work had begun on the centre in 2013 and it was inaugurated in 2018.
Washington: If Kanye West is serious about running for US president, the American rapper and fashion designer will face major obstacles to mount a serious campaign less than four months before the November 3 election.

West, who said in a July 4 Twitter post that he was running, would have to work fast to get his name on the ballot alongside incumbent President Trump, a Republican, and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Rapper Kanye West shakes hands with US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in 2018. Credit:Bloomberg

One of Trump's celebrity supporters, West would have two routes to doing so. He could try to secure the backing of a smaller political party, said James McCann, a political scientist at Purdue University in Indiana.

Without a party helping him get on the ballot, another option would be to try to appear as an independent candidate.
Washington: Prince Andrew's lawyers had discussions with a Washington lobbyist with ties to the Trump administration about the possibility of assisting the prince with the fallout from his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawyers from the London-based firm Blackfords consulted the lobbyist, Robert Stryk, who represents international figures with sensitive legal or diplomatic issues, in recent weeks about Andrew's situation, according to a person familiar with the circumstances.

Stryk has a history of taking on clients with unsavoury reputations. But he expressed discomfort about the possibility of assisting Andrew, and talks about the potential representation appear to have fizzled, according to the person familiar with the situation.

Stryk, who is well connected in Trump administration foreign policy circles, owns a company called Sonoran Policy Group, which casts itself as a "global private diplomacy" firm. He has developed a reputation in recent years for taking on clients other Washington lobbyists and consultants shy away from.
Washington: American rapper Kanye West, a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, announced on Saturday that he would run for president in 2020 in an apparent challenge to Trump and his presumptive Democratic rival, former Vice-President Joe Biden.

"We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States," West wrote in a Twitter post, adding an American flag emoji and the hashtag "#2020VISION".

Rapper Kanye West shakes hands with US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in 2018. Credit:Bloomberg

It was not immediately clear if West was serious about vying for the presidency four months before the November 3 election or if he had filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots.

The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.
Wellington: With promises of extra financing for small businesses and more jobs as a severe economic downturn looms, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday launched her party's campaign ahead of September general election.

Ardern revealed that cabinet had decided on a framework for making a decision about when New Zealand's borders would open to Australia and other countries.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern greets a supporter after making a speech at Labour Party Congress 2020 in Wellington. Credit:Getty Images

Ardern's rise to become New Zealand's most popular prime minister in a century, buoyed by her response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has left the country largely unscathed, has boosted her prospects in the September 19 election.

Ardern's Labour Party, governing in a coalition with the Greens and the nationalist New Zealand First party, will face the National Party in what is expected to be a pandemic-dominated campaign.
By SA Commercial Prop News

The roof of the half-built Tongaat Shopping Mall located in Tongaat north of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, collapsed around 4.30pm on Tuesday killing at least 1 person and trapping 50 under rubbles. Image gallery



The roof of the half-built Tongaat Shopping Mall located in Tongaat north of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, collapsed around 4.30pm on Tuesday killing at least 1 person and trapping 50 under rubbles.

The Tongaat shopping centre has left 50 construction workers trapped in the site and at least 26 taken to hospital with "massive traumatic injuries," according to South African emergency services.

Netcare911 spokesman Chris Botha said the identity of the person who died could not be confimed because they were crushed beneath the concrete.



"The scene is extremely horrific ... concrete big blocks have fallen on to people," he said from the scene.



The injured were taken to Victoria Hospital in Tongaat and to Umhlanga Hospital, and one critically injured patient was flown to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.

Building Plans Were Not Passed

Meanwhile the owner of the building that collapsed in Tongaat has confirmed that plans for the shopping mall had not been passed.

Controversial Businessman Jay Singh confirmed on Tuesday night that the mall was being built by his company, Gralio.



According to Singh, it was not uncommon in the building industry for developments to begin before plans had been passed by the municipality.

He said: Often you start building without plans being passed. But even if the plans had been passed this incident would still have happened because this was an engineering problem. It had nothing to do with the plans.

Work on the shopping mall in Tongaat began in 2010. However, before contractors moved on to the site, more than a hundred residents had to vacate SJ Mansions flats to make way for the project.



Singh said he had done everything that he needed to do in respect of the mall development.



This is a big tragedy. But everything was aboveboard. Im flying the engineers out this evening (Tuesday) from Johannesburg to find out what went wrong. They inspected everything and passed it.



According to Singh, construction of the mall started about six months ago and it was expected to open in April next year. Spar had been confirmed as the anchor tenant in the 16 000 square metre multi-storey development.



Tongaat community leader Brian Jayanathan waged a battle against the construction of the mall.



Jayanathan, an eThekwini councillor for ward 61, said in an interview that there was a court order in place to stop the development, but that this had been ignored.



They were racing to get this finished for Christmas, he said.



He said the project started in 2010 but was fraught with delays because the property developers did not abide by eThekwini building regulations.



Durbans deputy mayor, Nomvusa Shabalala, who was at the scene on Tuesday night, told journalists that the municipality had ordered that construction work be stopped on the site a month ago.



Processes were not followed. There should have been no construction.
~IMF, Central Bank, High Council, and Social Economic Council all solicited.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Finance, Ardwell Irion has sought 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 of 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.
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.
Staff reports

South Bend Tribune

The Berrien Community Foundation is seeking donations to help match a $75,000 challenge grant from an anonymous donor to help 10 arts organizations.

The leadership and boards of these organizations have contributed a total of $29,160 to the goal, leaving $45,840 for the public to give in a campaign from July 8 to Aug. 15.

The participating organizations are The Acorn; ARS Gallery, Arts and Culture Center; The Citadel Dance and Music Center; Childrens Music Workshop; The GhostLight Theatre; Krasl Art Center; Performing Arts Workshops; Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra; Twin City Players and Water Street Glassworks.

Donations can be made to Berrien Community Foundation at 2900 S. State St., Suite 2E, St. Joseph, MI 49085, or at www.berriencommunity.org/artschallenge. Also at that site, donors may participate in an online auction of items donated by the arts organizations from July 15 to July 31.
Jeff Parrott

South Bend Tribune

St. Joseph County health officials are considering a push to fine businesses that violate the coronavirus mask order, an idea that has bipartisan support among county elected officials.

Since issuing the order May 4, the health department has found nearly 70 violations by businesses not requiring employees to wear masks. Inspectors are currently advising non-complying businesses on required procedures under the order, which include providing hand sanitizer for customers, but have no power to issue fines. The order has been extended to Sept. 7.

Dr. Mark Fox, the countys deputy health officer, said his departments initial focus was on educating the public about the importance of wearing masks, and it next wants to publicly highlight for the media businesses that are doing it well.

Now health department leaders are working on a stick to add to that carrot: a fine-enabling ordinance that the county council and commissioners would need to approve.

I think theres some interest, certainly at the level of the people charged with inspections and enforcement in the Department of Health, and among elected officials, to support that, Fox said. As long as we have a public order for masks, theyd like to find ways to ensure that it can be effective.

Fox said the health departments goal is to have the fine structure to the county Board of Health for its next meeting July 15. If passed, it would proceed to the county council, which would eventually holds its own vote and, if approved, move it the three-member commissioner board by mid-August. Officials could schedule emergency meetings to speed things up.

Although final approval could be a few weeks away, County Auditor Mike Hamann says it would be worthwhile, although he acknowledged the initial confusion from national health officials about the effectiveness of masks and the political divide that has emerged.

To be honest, this coronavirus is going to be with us for several months, Hamann said. And how do we work this all out with businesses regarding the contradictory things the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) said initially, and addressing this whole cultural divide? Maybe it would need that much time for vetting anyway.

In recent months, national, state and local health officials have agreed that masks can help people who are infected from spreading the virus, especially if they are not showing symptoms, and have repeatedly urged that they be worn. In St. Joseph County, health and elected leaders have credited the mask order with keeping the local infection rate lower than in other counties.

Democratic county council member Diana Hess said she would most likely support fines, although she expects to hear heated public debate.

Im a firm believer that masks and social distancing are our only protections right now, Hess said. I think weve done a good job here in the county of keeping cases down, but that doesnt mean if were not careful, they wont spike.

Hess said a friend recently texted her to relay that she had canceled her appointment for an oil change after walking into the business and seeing no one wearing masks.

Its unfortunate that its become a politicized issue, Hess said. I think its unfortunate that we even have to talk about it.

Democratic council member Joe Canarecci indicated he would lean toward supporting fines, while noting he would first want to see details.

In government, we employ and appoint professionals to do their job and I do tend to listen to their guidance, Canarecci said. I dont know the right temperature at which to store dairy products, but the health department does, and if a restaurant doesnt follow that guideline, they can be cited for it. ... If the health department presents compelling science and data  Id have to listen to their advice and guidance and see how we can keep the public safe.

Republican council member Mark Telloyan agreed.

As long as the science shows that wearing a mask reduces the transmission of the COVID virus, Im not necessarily opposed to it, Telloyan said. Id have to hear it, though, from the experts.

Republican County Commissioner Andy Kostielney said fining businesses for employees not wearing masks is reasonable but he would be reluctant to support fines on businesses because customers arent wearing them.

I know weve had issues at different departments in the County-City Building when employees werent wearing masks the way they should, and our position was you dont have a choice, its something you need to do, Kostielney said. Customer-wise thats a little more challenging ... We dont want to put anyone in the situation where theyve got to forcibly tell someone they need to wear a mask or face covering because that puts people who arent normally in a position to do things like that kind of in an awkward spot.

Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber, the areas business advocacy group, said he also would support fines.

Most businesses generally are trying to comply the best they can, and my guess is there are some that are just blatantly disregarding it, Rea said. I havent heard any heartburn from anybody about any kind of enforcement mechanism, as long as theres good judgment that goes along with it. Im sensitive with retailers not wanting to have that confrontation.

Democratic County Commissioner Dave Thomas said he too would support fines.

The stronger, the better, he said. Ive noticed, what little shopping Im doing, 90% of the people are wearing masks but a few people are not and it scares (others). This is a very serious issue.

The current mask order cant be enforced by police because its administrative law. But county police enforce county ordinances, such as those prohibiting leaf burning. Kostielney said he would want to hear from Sheriff Bill Redman on how enforcing a mask ordinance would affect the department.

Redman said if that discussion occurs, he would stress that this would be an additional request for officers.

Typically an officer has to witness a violation of the leaf burning ordinance, he said. If we get called to a restaurant and they said this person doesnt have a mask on, and we get there and they have a mask on, it just seems like it would be a tough ask for our officers.
Ed Semmler

South Bend Tribune

For the past eight years, a local nonprofit called enFocus has brought young technical talent to northern Indiana with the aim of tackling a wide variety of civic projects.

Fellows from enFocus have worked on about 150 projects involving local governments, schools and nonprofit organizations. Their fingerprints are on many initiatives: a ride-sharing program aimed at helping people with transportation issues get to work, pavement temperature sensors that give real-time information on where to place salt and brine during the winter, and a new community paramedic program to reduce the number of persistent emergency calls.

As a result of early enFocus projects, South Bend created a Department of Innovation and Technology to continue working on new ways to solve problems. And enFocus has continued to expand its reach.

In 2018, it began offering its expertise to Elkhart County, and it recently announced it would expand into the private sector with the creation of a new team of fellows focused on industries throughout the region.

Were moving into the industrial cluster because its a driver of the regional economy, said Andrew Wiand, executive director of the organization.

With the help of a grant from the Lilly Endowment foundation, enFocus is partnering with iNDustry Labs at Notre Dame to unlock the benefits and resources from a top-flight university, Wiand said.

Manufacturing jobs are an important part of the Indiana economy, accounting for more than 17% of the workforce. And its even more concentrated in the north central region  St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties  providing 26.7% of the areas jobs.

Thats why enFocus and iNDustry Labs are concentrating their efforts on that sector of the economy, said John DeSalle, the first executive engineer-in-residence at iNDustry Labs. And he pointed out that manufacturing is even more concentrated in Elkhart County  providing about 40% of the jobs.

Initially, the effort will focus on transportation-related businesses since they account for the largest share of manufacturing jobs  providing gears, tires, brake components, panels and a host of other parts, as well as finished products such as RVs.

DeSalle, who previously served as president of Hoosier Racing Tire, will conduct outreach for iNDustry Labs at Notre Dame, while Michael Shoemaker, who previously served as a process engineer with the Ford Motor Co., will lead the enFocus fellows as program director of Industry Innovation.

Both enFocus and iNDustry Labs already have been reaching out to area manufacturers on ways they can help solve problems.

Ultimately, our goal is to help build regional resilience with our manufacturers and regional industry to ensure they become or remain global competitors in a technologically advanced economy, DeSalle said. Our manufacturing-based region is highly susceptible to automation, and were trying to move it forward.

For Notre Dame, the effort is among numerous initiatives over the past decade to take a more active role in boosting the vitality of the region.

While heading up Hoosier Tire, DeSalle didnt know the scope of the equipment and the resources that were available at the university. Our engineers were very good, but there were certain tests or equipment that we didnt have, he said.

As a result, those tests were typically sent out of the area.

And thats why he believes enFocus and iNDustry labs will have to do quite a bit of outreach to local businesses, listening to their needs and then making recommendations on services that are available. The College of Engineering, for example, is building an Innovation Hub where businesses can conduct tests and interact with Notre Dame students and faculty.

We recognize the difficulty local business leaders often have in finding technical talent that can help identify and implement digital advancements that result in competitive advantages, Shoemaker said.

Its ultimately about creating a culture of innovation throughout the region, Wiand said. Nearly 70% of the fellows that enFocus has attracted to the region have remained here, and some are launching new businesses because of the ideas that were developed while working here.
Jack Colwell

South Bend Tribune

Mike Schmuhl, campaign manager for Pete Buttigiegs presidential bid, answers questions here about that surprising race from nowhere to top-tier candidacy.

Q. Mike, when you and Pete began planning the campaign in that tiny office downtown, with only a couple of helpers, little funding and no standing in the polls, what chance did you think he had for the nomination?

A. Youre right. Back then we didnt have much. At the same time, we didnt have that much to lose. The nominating process is such a long slog. I would say at the beginning we were thinking more in terms of week-to-week and month-to-month to build our effort. We felt as though Petes profile matched the moment, and that Democrats would take a good look at a candidate with different experiences and a futuristic vision of a more united America. And, many people did.

Q. The organization really grew. How big?

A. In South Bend, we had about 165 team members on two floors of the KeyBank building downtown. Across the country, we topped out at 575 full-time team members right before the Iowa caucuses.

Q. Was it a mistake to keep the headquarters in South Bend rather than moving to a bigger media center?

A. Not at all. The campaign felt right at home in South Bend, and the Bend became a primary characteristic of our campaign ethos. The Jefferson Boulevard Bridge inspired our logo, for example, and team members lived throughout the community in apartments, homes or supporter housing. It became a badge of honor that we punched above our weight against some big-city competitors. Plus, reporters followed Pete every day on the trail and they sent crews to South Bend for interviews. We never felt the need to be in a bigger city.

Q. If Petes win in Iowa had been big news on election night, not obscured by those long counting delays, could he have won the nomination?

A. Its one of the biggest unknowns of the primary. We were banking on a catapult effect that night to boost our fortunes for subsequent contests. Its hard to say. There were still a lot of candidates in the mix, and Michael Bloomberg was capturing a lot of the media attention around that time because of his incredible amount of spending. Strangely, right now were seeing election nights change across the country as we deal with the coronavirus. At the end of campaigning, were at the mercy of disjointed (at worst) and delayed (at best) tabulations and results.

Q. You saw the top Democratic candidates in action. Who were the most impressive?

A. Twenty-nine people ran for president on the Democratic side this cycle, and I was lucky enough to get the chance to see most of them up close. Before the Detroit debate, we even shared a backstage floor with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Marianne Williamson, who was burning some incense in her space to get in the right mental zone before the debate. Most of them seemed to me incredibly impressive  even more so in person. Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden were always kind and gracious to us.

Q. Who would you like to see Biden pick for vice president?

A. I think Sen. Kamala Harris is the favorite at the moment, and she would be a formidable addition to the ticket. Florida Congresswoman Val Demings is also a really intriguing possibility. Remember in 2000 when Tim Russert declared: Florida, Florida, Florida?

Q. If Biden wins, do you think Pete will be in the Cabinet or some other top post?

A. Biden has said publicly that he wants Pete on the team in his administration  and I take him at his word. The former vice president also said he envisions himself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders. After the coronavirus crisis, all the economic shocks and the necessary calls for racial justice, well all need to move past Trumpism, to rebuild our society and bring people together. We really need to repair our standing in the world and return to some of our shared American ideals.... and I hope that means way fewer tweets!

Q. Do you think Pete will someday be president?

A. He has many more presidential cycles to try. Theres so much in politics thats out of your control. Pete certainly exhibited that he has many necessary presidential traits, and he has the discipline to handle the rough and tumble nature of a national campaign.

Q. OK, Mike, how about your future?

A. Right now, Im working with a great group of people at Heartland Ventures. Heartland connects businesses in the Midwest, mainly in Indiana and Ohio, with new technology being developed on the coasts. It helps businesses and workers with access to the most amazing, and really cool, technologies to improve their operations.

Q. Where will you live?

A. For the foreseeable future, Ill spend most of my time in South Bend. Its a great place to live, work and have fun. I just miss the South Bend Cubs!

Q. Will you ever again be involved full-time in a major campaign?

A. The beauty of political campaigns is their similarity to sports. You have the full, competitive season and then you have an off-season when you can recharge, reflect and learn some new things. Right now, you might say, Im in the off-season, but you learn early on that you never say never.
Brian Howey

South Bend Tribune

NASHVILLE, Ind.  Forty-one years ago, as the U.S. reeled from oil shocks and long lines of cars just to get gas, the conservative tabloid New York Post editorialized: Independence Day, 1979, the American paradox is bleakly apparent. As a nation, we appear to have become steadily more dependent on forces seemingly beyond our control, losing confidence in our ability to master events, uncertain of our direction.

Out on the left coast, the Los Angeles Times observed: The United States is now a victim of a loss of nerve and will, wracked by indecision and groping for a glimpse of inspirational and innovative leadership.

That was the precursor to what became known as President Jimmy Carters malaise speech. After disappearing for over a week, Carter told the nation in a televised address that July, The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.

Thats where we are as a nation now. The invisible enemy is COVID-19, with cases up 82% from two weeks ago. The European Union, which has been reporting about 5,000 cases a day (compared to more than 50,000 in the U.S. on Wednesday) banned Americans from traveling there earlier this week. Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted 100,000 new cases a day in the coming weeks as the nation is going in the wrong direction.

A Pew Research Poll revealed that as the United States simultaneously struggles with a pandemic, an economic recession and protests about police violence and racial justice, the share of the public saying they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country has plummeted from 31% in April, during the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak, to just 12%. Anger and fear are widespread.

Folks, this is due to an abject failure of leadership.

An overwhelming majority of Hoosiers and Americans spent three months staying home, keeping up with Grandma on the phone and shuttering businesses in a crippling way. And what do we have to show for it?

Goldman Sachs said that widespread use of masks would save the American economy an estimated $1 trillion. If a face mask mandate meaningfully lowers coronavirus infections, it could be valuable not only from a public health perspective but also from an economic perspective because it could substitute for renewed lockdowns that would otherwise hit GDP, the researchers wrote.

There has to be a clear coherent sustained communication, and that has absolutely not happened, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University, told the New York Times.

Its appalling that this pandemic has become political, over something as simple as the wearing of face masks, which President Trump equated to a signal of disapproval of him.

Vice President Mike Pence, who appeared at an indoor rally in Arizona last week with few in attendance wearing masks or social distancing, said in another hotspot state in Texas, Wear a mask wherever its indicated or wherever youre not able to practice the kind of social distancing that would prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

But it took Pence months to say that. And the coronavirus task force he heads has pretty much disappeared during this resurgence.

A spike in cases in Evansville this past week had health officials searching for answers. The Courier & Press reported on a Vanderburgh County Health Department probe of the outbreak: 64%  37 of the new 58 infected individuals  were between the ages of 18 and 35; 16 of the 58 infected persons had traveled outside Indiana, with several visiting identified hotspots in Florida. A large majority of these new cases reported to the health department that they were not wearing a fabric facial covering/mask when in public and they were not practicing social distancing, it stated.

Carter knew he was in trouble when he gave his malaise speech, which was initially well received before giving way to widespread skepticism and ultimately proved to be a harbinger to his landslide reelection defeat in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, who became the strongest president of the television age of American politics.

And Trump? He seems oblivious. On Wednesday, he actually said of the pandemic, I think at some point I think its going to disappear, I hope.

The critical question facing American voters today as the COVID death toll mounts is whether and how Joe Biden can frame what is missing at this moment: cogent leadership and the ability to unite a frightened public.
Staff reports

South Bend Tribune

The sharply critical parting words from a longtime employee of St. Joseph Countys planning department merely confirm what many have long felt about the way officials have managed plans for an industrial park near New Carlisle.

In the words of Larry Magliozzi, who retired as director of the countys Area Planning Department at the end of March, the plans for the Indiana Enterprise Center have been irresponsible and plagued with mismanagement and insensitivity towards the public.

Magliozzi said that and a lot more in an eight-page letter he recently sent to a handful of county leaders.

In it, he detailed his concerns about the controversial project and criticized some officials. He also complained that county planners were sidelined while economic development staff worked with consultants to draft a plan for the project.

Magliozzi points out that he had spent more than 40 years in public land use planning, with positions in various cities in Illinois and Indiana.

In all those years I never experienced such a lack of respect and professionalism towards the public, Magliozzi wrote, adding that the project has been a public relations disaster.

Its hard to deny that officials have made several missteps that helped feed a sense of mistrust.

Among them: In September 2018 county officials sent a letter to 85 property owners near the site asking for permission for firms to access their property for appraisal and survey work.

But what wasnt known at the time was that the properties of everyone who received a letter were identified as targets on a county map titled Land Acquisition Targeted Parcels. Residents were unaware of the map until The Tribune published it online.

County officials downplayed the map, describing it only as an internal working document and said many of the properties identified as targets wouldnt be sought for acquisition by the county or private parties.

It wasnt the first time that residents felt that officials werent being transparent about their plans, and that public input wasnt truly being sought. Many of those residents routinely attend public meetings to voice their concerns about a lack of information.

The IEC has been touted as potentially one of the largest mega-parks in the U.S. Located just east of New Carlisle, in Olive Township, it would feature a 7,200-acre development area and thousands more acres of potential secondary development.

The county has spent millions of dollars in tax increment financing to hire consultants and for environmental studies. Several million dollars have also been spent on infrastructure work and to acquire properties in the area

Opponents fear heavy traffic, environmental pollution and the loss of farmland.

Andy Kostielney, the president of the countys Board of Commissioners who is criticized in the letter, disputed Magliozzis claims and noted that I dont know why he came up with the conclusions he did.

In an interview, Magliozzi said that if county planners had been allowed to lead the project instead of being marginalized, compromises could have been reached that most residents would have accepted.

You negotiate, Magliozzi said about the land use planning process. You sit down, you get input, feedback. Its a messy process, but ... everyone has input.

Instead, with haphazard and spotty communication  and now accusations of a disdain for concerns of the people impacted  officials have opened themselves up to legitimate questions about their tactics and message. And that adds up to a troubling mess.
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.
Madrid (Spain), June 30, 2020 (SPS) - The representation of the Frente POLISARIO in Spain, Mr. Abdulah El Arabe reminded the Spanish government of the legal and historical responsibilities of Spain in decolonizing Western Sahara, affirming in this context that the best collaboration in maintaining Peace in the Sahel region and North Africa and ending the hot spots is to complete the decolonization of Western Sahara.

The Sahrawi diplomat emphasized, in its communique on the participation of the President of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez in the Sahel Summit in Mauritania that a free and independent Saharawi State would guarantee peace and economic cooperation and significantly reduce the migratory flows to Europe.

The statement clarified that completing the sovereignty of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic over its national territory will be the just solution that ends the long suffering of the Sahrawi people and establishes justice in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly.

Saharwi Official concluded its statement in stating that Spain continues to be the administering power of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, included in the list of the 17 non-autonomous territories pending decolonization. SPS

125/090/TRA
Bir-Lahlou, 05 July 2020 (SPS) - President of Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, has congratulated President of Burundi, H.E Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, on the occasion of the Independence Day.



On behalf of the Sahrawi people and Government, it gives me great please to send to your Excellency my congratulations on the celebration of your Independence Day, together with my best wishes for happiness and progress of the people of the Republic of Burundi, said the President of the Republic.



I am confident that under your leadership Burundi will usher in a new era of peace, prosperity and development. It is also my conviction that the friendly relationship between the Sahrawi Republic and the Republic of Burundi will reach new heights during your presidency, he added. (SPS)



062/SPS
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.
As Prince George turns 7, his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a decision to make about his education.

Typically, members of the Royal Family are sent off to boarding school at the age of 8 - Prince Georges father Prince William and his uncle Prince Harry were both sent away at 8 to Ludgrove School in Berkshire.

Prince George and his sister Princess Charlotte currently attend Thomas's School in Battersea (where George is reportedly referred to as 'PG'). The 6,429-a-term Christian school includes subjects such as Modern Foreign Languages, Computing and Outdoor Learning and, according to its website, emphasises the importance of kindness to pupils.

Prince George with his father and siblings / PA

The Cambridges are now said to be debating the next step for their son. Robin Fletcher, the CEO of Boarding Schools' Association and BSA Group, thinks boarding school could be a "fantastic opportunity" for George: "Boarding school is a fantastic opportunity for the right child. Should the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge choose a boarding school for Prince George, he will join over 79,000 pupils at UK boarding schools who enjoy endless academic and extra-curricular opportunities and make friends for life."

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and their parents heading to Thomas's Battersea / PA

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"Whether in a city or a country boarding school, Prince George will be treated as an equal and will be free to develop his skills and interests, safe in the knowledge that he is surrounded by a supportive and caring boarding community," Fletcher continued.

Before he attended Thomas's, William and Kate chose to send George to a 33-a-day Montessori nursery in Norfolk. William was the first senior royal to attend a nursery of this kind - named after an Italian model which prioritises education through play. Before she married Charles, William's mother Diana briefly worked as a teaching assistant at a Montessori nursery; the decision to send George to a Montessori nursery could suggest the Cambridges favour a more informal approach to their son's education.

The Royals at Trooping the Colour in 2017 (Getty Images ) / Getty Images

Whatever their plans for George's secondary schooling, an educational consultant told Insider they think it is highly unlikely William and Kate will send George off to boarding school any time soon: The vogue now is massively against young children boarding. Sending them away from the familial bubble, whatever the resources and culture of the school, the emotional structure that a family provides is more important at that age - its such a tender age."

Though Harry and William both attended Eton College (which is currently priced at 14,167 per term), the consultant added that another option the Cambridges could consider for secondary school is a state boarding school: Wymondham School in Norfolk [an hour away from the Cambridges' country home Anmer Hall] is one of the best state boarding schools in the country. State boarding schools are typically incredibly well regarded and there is only a handful of them around the country. How incredible for the future king to go to a school where they meet people of all backgrounds and races.

The family at Prince Louis' christening at St James's Palace / Getty Images

In recent years, other members of the Royal Family have decided against sending their children to boarding school, including William's uncle Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Both of their children, Lady Louis Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, were not sent away for schooling and are believed to attend St Mary's School Ascot and St George's School in Windsor respectively.

Mike Tindall, who is married to the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips, previously said sending his daughter Mia, 6, away for school "goes against my instincts."

Getty Images

Speaking with the Daily Mail, Tindall said: "I'm certainly not keen on sending Mia away to a boarding school at the other end of the country. I know many people who say boarding was the making of them because they forge great independence from their parents, but I don't really want her to be distanced from us. Personally, I'd rather she attend a school thats nearby, where well always be on hand if she needs us."

Prince William and Prince Harry both attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire, where they both boarded from the age of 8. At the school, which is currently priced at 9,420 per term, they shared dormitories with other children before moving to Eton College at the age of 13.

AFP via Getty Images

Their father Prince Charles was also sent away to boarding school at a young age. After starting his education at Hill House School in London, the Prince of Wales moved to Cheam School, where his father, Prince Phillip, also attended from the age of 8.

Prince Charles was said to have been incredibly lonely and unhappy at boarding school. The Queen reportedly wrote that he was beginning to dread the return to school" while royal biographer Dermot Morrah claimed he viewed Cheam as a misery.

He later moved to the 8,650 per term Gordonstoun school in Scotland, where he became the first royal to sit O-Levels and later the first to earn a university degree at Trinity College, Cambridge.
D ramatic new details have emerged of the FBI raid that led to the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The British socialite was detained on Thursday after officers burst into her 800,000 house in Bramford, New Hampshire, following a year-long cat-and-mouse hunt.

She has since been charged with assisting Epsteins abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom victims known to be underage.

To ensure Maxwell did not flee, FBI spy planes flew over the 156-acre property for four hours before the 8.20am raid, the Mail on Sunday reported.

A locked gate blocked the driveway to the property where Ghislaine Maxwell was residing / REUTERS

Officers then used bolt cutters to break the lock on a gate at her residence before armed agents smashed down her front door.

An FBI agent told The Mail on Sunday: We drove at speed up the half-mile driveway in a convoy of 15 vehicles.

Epstein with Maxwell in 2005 / Getty Images

"And lets just say, we didnt knock politely on the door. It was smashed down.

"Maxwell was up and dressed, in the living room, wearing sweat pants and a top. Strangely she didnt seem to have much reaction. It was like it wasnt registering with her.

"She was turned around quickly and cuffed. She was in custody in a matter of seconds."

A source with insider knowledge about FBI operation told the paper that agents have been "on her tail" since Epstein killed himself in August last year. The disgraced financier took his own life in a New York prison where he was being held on child prostitution and trafficking charges.

They said: "This has taken millions of dollars and hundreds of man-hours."

They added: "The FBI has been tracking her for a year. They had her, then they lost her.

"She was in Colorado and Wyoming then they lost her until she showed up in New Hampshire. Its been a high-stakes game of cat and mouse"

The source revealed that the FBI had to build a case that could be heard in front of a grand jury which took time.

"She slipped through the net once but as soon as the grand jury came back with an indictment ten days ago, it was on."
P olice moved on more than 200 people gathering for an illegal rave in woodland last night.

A helicopter was scrambled from the National Police Air Service as officers broke up revellers at Eston, on Teesside, around midnight.

Brits enjoyed their first night out in nearly four months as lockdown restrictions were eased in England, allowing pubs and restaurants to reopen, dubbed Super Saturday.

But Cleveland Constabulary said the unlicensed music event placed a burden on the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Superintendent Emily Harrison said: This incident is unacceptable and we wont tolerate illegal raves happening in Cleveland.

Raves like these pose potential safety concerns for those attending, they are illegal and attending such an event places an unnecessary burden on our NHS colleagues who have been working hard to try to keep us all safe during the ongoing pandemic.

Sgt Paul Higgins said revellers had been arriving in taxis for the planned rave, despite police issuing warnings on social media for people not to attend.

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

"It's the first night of the pubs opening so we weren't expecting to get an illegal music party, he said.

"We found a number of people here. There hadn't been anything set up yet with any music or equipment but they've been dispersed."

As lockdown was eased again on Saturday, John Apter, the chair of the Police Federation for England and Wales, tweeted after his late shift in Southampton city centre hitting out at naked men, fights and angry drunks, as pockets of trouble flared.

What was crystal clear is that drunk people cant/wont socially distance, he said.

In central London, streets in Soho were crammed with crowds of people well into the early hours of Sunday, defying social distancing rules and the ban on mass gatherings.

Elsewhere in the country, there were reports of trouble in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire that saw some pubs close early.
A n investigation has been launched after a woman was stabbed to death at a hotel in south-east London and a man "fell from a height".

Police were called to a Holiday Inn in Greenwich at 10.02am on Sunday to reports of a stabbing.

Officers and London Ambulance Service arrived at the scene in Bugbsys Way and found a woman with serious injuries. She was declared dead at the scene and police are tracing her next of kin.

While attending the incident a man believed to be known to the woman fell from a height. Police confirmed to The Evening Standard that the man from a height inside the building.

He was taken to hospital, where he remains under the guard of officers and is said to be in a life-threatening condition.

A Met Police spokesman said: "At this early stage, officers believe no one else is involved in the incident.

"A crime scene is in place and officers remain on scene. Detectives from Specialist Crime have launched an investigation and enquiries into the circumstances continue.
T wo brothers whose grandmother was left unaided for hours after a fall, have developed AI technology to help local authorities reach hundreds of shielding, isolated or digitally excluded residents.

Monty and Hector Alexander are working with Hammersmith and Fulham council to pilot their automated voice call system that phones households every fortnight to ask whether they need help during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the ages of 24 and 26, the brothers said they decided to harness their tech expertise to find solutions to social issues rather than joining a big corporate machine or tech giant.

The brothers, who live in White City, founded the start-up Yokeru while Monty was still studying mechanical engineering at Imperial College London last year in an attempt to improve communication between vulnerable people and caregivers.

Much of their motivations were personal after their grandmother was left stranded outside her residential home for eight hours after falling over, even with the home's 24/7 care.

But Monty and Hector also saw a huge gap where artificial intelligence could be used to free up resources for financially strained public bodies.

Monty and Hector Alexander have been working with Hammersmith and Fulham council to pilot their automated voice call system / Yokeru

When Covid-19 broke out in the UK, the brothers took their call system to Hammersmith and Fulham council, who started rolling it out across the borough from May 15.

Of the 9,000 residents contacted since then, the council has been able to respond to almost 1,000 households with unmet needs including struggles to get food or medication, loneliness, mental health and safeguarding concerns.

Using a human call operator, it would have taken the council 225 hours, or 32 working days, for every day of calls made by Yokeru to reach all the shielded households.

Monty and Hector Alexander have been working with Hammersmith and Fulham council to pilot their automated voice call system (Yokeru)

"Whats powerful is that we are enabling a more efficient distribution of resources as the council has much more time to prioritise," Monty told the Standard.

The AI technology, which costs around a fifth of a traditional call centre, asks a series of questions in synthesised robotic voices and the answers are rapidly fed back to the council, he added.

Now Yokeru is in talks with more London councils, public bodies and local authorities across the UK with the aim of introducing the technology into different settings.

But it all started when the brothers were left "really shocked" by their 91-year-old grandmothers experience, they explained.

Monty and Hector Alexander have been working with Hammersmith and Fulham council to pilot their automated voice call system (Yokeru)

The psychological and mental effects of going through such a traumatic time can cause a huge loss of confidence and she was definitely shaken up," Monty added.

So we began to think about how we could use technology to help her and make sure these things dont happen again.

With their limited resources, the pair said that they had to start with the real-world problem and reverse engineer a solution.

Before the pandemic, they were developing the call centre technology as well as Internet of Things devices, which can monitor peoples routine and movements then alert caregivers if something goes awry.

Monty and Hector Alexander have been working with Hammersmith and Fulham council to pilot their automated voice call system (Yokeru)

But as lockdown came in, Monty and Alexander's mother began shielding due to severe asthma and they realised that their technology could help improve the response of local councils to those in need.

Hector said: We spoke to the local authority about this and they saw a huge amount of value in the concept because they have found themselves in this position where they had thousands of people who had gone into isolation and therefore were hidden from health services.

And they realised they had to monitor those individuals somehow, and they had no way of doing it.

While more and more public services are digitalised, the technology reaches people through a traditional landline or mobile phone line and therefore does not exclude older people who may not have a smartphone or internet access.

When asked about elderly or vulnerable people responding to a robot call with confusion or dismissal, the brothers insisted that the hang-up rates are very low.

Monty said: The voices sound very real - its the same technology that is used on audiobooks - but people are also under no impression that it is human because we make it clear that it's an automated check-up on your wellbeing.

"And a lot of people also suffer in silence but by proactively outreaching and contacting them, we are trying to help those who perhaps wouldnt raise any problems."

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Hector added: The system is also by no means a replacement for humans. There is still an expectation that caregivers involved who make contact with people have a responsibility to look after the individual."

A Hammersmith and Fulham spokesman told the Standard that the system has made a huge difference.

Without the AI system it would have taken so much longer to contact everyone, taken staff away from other tasks, and left people in need waiting, he said.

Cash was tight before the Covid-19 crisis. Afterwards its going to be really tight.

The demands placed on local authorities by this pandemic are immense. Every extra person we can free up through innovation is a person who can be providing direct help to residents elsewhere.

Weve clearly seen, over the last few months, that this is an effective way of making first contact in an urgent situation when you need to make contact with thousands of people. But automation always needs to work together with the human touch, which people expect.

So whats next for the future of this technology?

The brothers said they plan to adapt it to solve similar problems around the UK and the world - as well as if a second wave forces further lockdowns.

Monty also stressed the speed at which the tech could be rolled out in new settings, saying: If someone approaches us on Monday, they can be calling by Friday. Its an incredibly fast set up time and you can have an understanding of your whole community in less than a week.

Dr Austen El-Osta, director of the Self-Care Academic Research Unit and manager at Imperial College Department of Primary Care and Public Health, described the potential gain from leveraging artificial intelligence and IT to help local authorities as "a real game-changer".
M att Hancock revealed he has quite significant concerns about employment practices at clothing factories in Leicester amid reports one paid its staff less than the minimum wage.

The Health Secretary said there had been coronavirus outbreaks at food and clothing producers in the city that the spread of Covid-19 was the number one problem.

He warned very significant fines can be handed out, or businesses shut down if employment laws and Government workplace safety guidance were found to have been breached.

It comes after the Government imposed the first local lockdown on the region, which will be in place until at least July 18.

The Sunday Times reported allegations that workers in Leicesters Jaswal Fashions factory, which makes clothes for Boohoo brand Nasty Gal, were being paid as little as 3.50 an hour and operating without social distancing measures in place.

Matt Hancock made the comments during a TV interview / Sky

Speaking on Skys Sophy Ridge Mr Hancock said: Well weve seen outbreaks in food factories and in clothing factories.

"There are some quite significant concerns about some of the employment practices in some of the clothing factories in Leicester.

They are important problems to deal with, but the number one problem that weve got to deal with is getting this virus under control.

Local lockdown in Leicester during Coronavirus pandemic 1 /31 Local lockdown in Leicester during Coronavirus pandemic Leicester has seen 866 cases in the past two weeks PA A city council worker carries rubbish from a coronavirus testing centre at Spinney Park which will be incinerated Getty Images Leicester could be the site of the UK's first local lockdown PA The Government says it is supporting officials in Leicester in their battle against Covid-19 PA Members of the military set up a walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA A worker for Leicester City Council disinfects public toilets PA A man cleans the windows of a launderette in Leicester PA A member of military personnel uses a tub to collect used a self-test kit from a member of the public at a COVID-19 drive-through mobile testing unit set up at Evington Leisure Centre in Leicester, AFP via Getty Images Members of the military operate a walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA People queue at walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA A man wearing a protective visor crosses the road on mobility scooter in Leicester PA Members of the military operate a walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA People walk by an electronic billboard displaying a government message AFP via Getty Images Robin Dignall and Maria Demetriou-Clamp disinfect chairs at their hair salon Hair@1RD in Leicester as the city may be the first UK location to be subjected to a local lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases PA A woman wearing a PPE mask walks past social distance advisory singns in Leicester's North Evington neighbourhood Getty Images People walk by an electronic billboard displaying a government message AFP via Getty Images Soldiers from the Royal Logistics Corp operate a mobile coronavirus (Covid-19) testing site at Evington Leisure Centre Getty Images A youth cycles past a sign telling local residents to "Social Distance" and advising on how to help "Prevent the Spread" of coronavirus, in the North Evington district of Leicester AFP via Getty Images Gallowtree Gate in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. PA A man sits on a bench, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Leicester Reuters A worker disinfects a bin following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Leicester, Reuters A worker disinfects a McDonald's restaurant Reuters A police car on Gallowtree Gate in Leicester PA Shops open their shutters in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city PA AFP via Getty Images Reuters PA AFP via Getty Images Getty Images PA PA

The clothing factory claims, which have been called "appalling by Home Secretary, have prompted an investigation by the National Crime Agency.

Ms Patel said: I will not tolerate sick criminals forcing innocent people into slave labour and a life of exploitation.

Let this be a warning to those who are exploiting people in sweatshops like these for their own commercial gain.

This is just the start. What you are doing is illegal, it will not be tolerated and we are coming after you.

The city is the first region in the UK to get a local lockdown order / Getty Images

The NCA said in a statement: Within the last few days NCA officers, along with Leicestershire Police and other partner agencies, attended a number of business premises in Leicester area to assess concerns of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Nasty Gal told the Sunday Times that the company would investigate the claims but said the factory are not a direct supplier.

It said: Nasty Gal does not allow any of its suppliers to pay less than the minimum wage and has a zero-tolerance approach to incidences of modern slavery.

We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of noncompliance with our strict code of conduct is found.

We will take immediate steps to fully investigate the allegations raised and if the allegations are substantiated we will ensure that our suppliers immediately cease working with Jaswal Fashions.

On Friday, Leicestershire Police said they had carried out routine visits at nine workplaces in the city to ensure health and safety.

No closure orders were issued and no enforcement was used, the force said.
T he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have toasted the 72nd birthday of the NHS at a tea party to thank frontline workers.

The royal couple met heroes at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in King's Lynn, Norfolk, today, close to their country home.

The royals had earlier privately marked the Clap For Carers at 5pm, a palace spokesman said.

In their first joint engagement since post-lockdown they met staff and volunteers in a marquee set up with tables and party balloons - marking 40 years of the hospital.

William and Kate celebrate the NHS - in pictures 1 /10 William and Kate celebrate the NHS - in pictures The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn as part of the NHS birthday celebrations PA Kate meeting nurse Suzie Vaughan and daughters Hettie and Bella PA PA PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge apply hand sanitiser PA PA PA PA PA Suzie Vaughan with her daughters Hettie and Bella before the visit PA

The party was to celebrate birthdays for both the hospital and foundation of the NHS.

They were given three small knitted key rings made by hospital staff of doctors and nurses on face masks.

Wills said: "The children will love them."

Kate and William, both 38, spoke with hero medic Suzie Vaughan, 43, and her daughters Hettie, 7, and Bella, 9, who last month posted a viral video of reuniting with her children after two months working away from her family.

The Duchess of Cambridge met the daughters of hero medic Suzie Vaughan / PA

Speaking of her daughters, Suzie, an operating department practitioner, said: "They both always wanted to meet a real life princess."

Kate and Wills sanitised their hands before being led to meet Suzie and her daughters.

Wills said: "I love your dresses."

Kate, in a blue dress, said: "You girls look really pretty."

Suzie told the royals how she kept away from her daughters for nine weeks.

Kate said: "It is a real treat to meet you both.

"Did you miss your mum?"

The Duchess told Suzie 'you did a really great job' / PA

Turning to Suzie, Kate said: "You did a really good job.

"It's amazing how everybody pulled together."

Suzie told the Duchess her daughters had taken part in the weekly clap.

Wills said to Suzie and chief nurse Libby McManus, "Everyone appreciated what you do. The NHS is a fantastic organisation."

The also spoke to Sam Jude, 30, a nurse at the hospital, came down with coronavirus in May, and attended the bash with his wife Blessy George, 27.

William jokes with health workers and asked how they coped with anxiety during the crisis.

The health workers described "wobbly-moments".

Staff described 'wobbly-moments' / PA

William said: "This is a good way of describing it."

Staff at King's Lynn are continuing to provide crucial support in the national response to Covid-19.

The hospital held the party today ahead of its 40th birthday on July 22nd.

Dozens of frontline staff and their families had afternoon teas, sandwiches, crisps and cakes.

Households across the country returned to their doorsteps and balconies at 5pm to clap for the NHS and carers after the weekly event held during lockdown.

The NHS had called on Brits to show their appreciation before meeting together for a cup of tea.

Its website said: "Following the applause, we hope people will enjoy a drink or a cup of tea and reflect with family, friends and neighbours on the bonds that have sustained us in recent months and will continue to do so."

The hospital in King's Lynn, a short drive from the Cambridge's country home in Anmer, has provided care to 450 Covid-19 patients during the pandemic.

It has now recruited 46 patients to the Covid-19 Recovery Trial, with more than 500 enrolled in their other coronavirus research studies.
A Delhi Court on Saturday sought an action taken report from the city police on a complaint seeking FIR against Patanjali Ayurved Limited, Ramdev and others for allegedly cheating people by falsely claiming to have found a cure for Covid-19.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand heard an application filed by advocate Tushar Anand seeking a direction to register a case against Ramdev and others.

The Station House Officer (SHO) of Vasant Vihar police station in Delhi has been issued a notice and an action taken report has been sought by July 15, when the case will next be heard.

During the course of proceedings, advocate Lalit Valecha, appearing for Tushar Anand, told the court that the police failed to register the FIR on the complaint "just to please their political masters".

Valecha further submitted that the police cannot avoid their duty of registering an FIR if "cognizable offence is disclosed in the complaint".

The applicant sought lodging of the FIR under various sections, including 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous), 420 (cheating) and 504 (intentionally insults with intent to provoke break of public peace) of the IPC and relevant sections of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.

In the application, advocate Anand claimed that Ramdev and other persons "only had permission to make an immunity booster and they are falsely making a false claim in the media that they have found a cure for Covid-19".

"The accused have shown their malafide intentions which are likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life by misrepresenting and alluring innocent consumers to buy the medicine with a belief of getting cured from the deadly Covid-19," the application stated.
D onald Trump has vowed to safeguard Americas values from enemies, including the "radical left", "looters" and people with "no clue", during a Fourth of July speech.

The US President spoke at an event which featured fireworks and paratroopers jumping from a plane with an American flag to celebrate Independence Day.

While addressing the audience, made up of front-line medical workers and others central in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Trump spoke of those who "slander" him and disrespect the countrys past.

It comes as officials across the country pleaded with Americans to curb their enthusiasm for large Fourth of July crowds during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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.

Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch the Washington DC fireworks on July 4 / REUTERS

And we will defend, protect and preserve (the) American way of life, which began in 1492 when Columbus discovered America.

Despite warnings about coronavirus infections rising in the US, Mr Trump enticed the masses with a special evening of tributes and celebration in Washington DC.

However, the crowds wandering the National Mall for the nights air show and fireworks were strikingly thinner those the gathering for last years jammed celebration.

Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch as V-22 Osprey aircraft perform a flyover / AP

Many who showed up wore masks, unlike those seated close together for Mr Trumps South Lawn event, and distancing was easy to do for those scattered across the sprawling space.

The president did not hesitate to use the countrys birthday as an occasion to assail segments of the country that do not support him.

People gather on the South Lawn of the White House during a 'Salute to America' event with President Donald Trump / AP

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.

Our past is not a burden to be cast away, Mr Trump said.

Trump supporters meet during Independence Day celebrations in Washington / REUTERS

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 epicentre, 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 evenings televised fireworks spectacular over the Empire State Building.

Red and blue smoke is fired at the Ellipse of the White House during the 'Salute to America' / REUTERS

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.
The vehicle drove onto a closed road and struck two people among a crowd protesting against police brutality on Saturday morning.

Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle, died in the evening at Harbourview Medical Centre, spokeswoman Susan Gregg said.

Diaz Love, 32, of Portland, Oregon, remains in a serious condition in the intensive care unit.

Dawit Kelete of Seattle drove the car around vehicles that were blocking I-5 and sped into the crowd about 1:40am, according to a police report released by the Washington State Patrol.

The vehicle of Dawit Kelete, who is suspected of driving into a protest on Interstate 5 in Seattle / AP

Ms 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 tyres and the sound of impact are heard.

A graphic video posted on social media showed the white Jaguar racing towards 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 protesters, sending them flying into the air. The driver, who was alone, fled the scene after hitting the protesters, Trooper Chase Van Cleave said.

One of the other 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.

Seattle has been the site of prolonged unrest following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis / REUTERS

Troopers arrived, and the driver was put in custody, Washington State Patrol Captain 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 two counts of vehicular assault. Bail was denied.

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 lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Pep Guardiola made six changes from the side that beat Liverpool 4-0 in midweek, giving a rest to Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden.

The Saints had been in decent form of late and began in positive fashion, pressing high up the pitch, something City are not used to when facing opponents in the lower half of the table.

The warning signs were there when Che Adams - making his first league start since December - mishit his shot and it fell to Nathan Redmond, who fluffed his lines when the net was waiting to bustle.

City's reliance on playing out from the back is well-documented and Southampton looked to have done their homework on how to crack it, pressing Oleks Zinchenko into a mistake on the halfway line.

With Ederson some 30 yards off his line, Adams decided to hit it first time and he executed his shot perfectly, bouncing over Ederson to give the hosts a shock lead with a stunning strike. City reacted to going behind with Joao Cancelo lifting a fine ball over the top to Raheem Sterling but his dangerous cross was an inch too far for Gabriel Jesus.

With the half-hour mark approaching, City bombarded the Southampton goal with four chances but, incredibly, failed to find the net.

Sterling tested Alex McCarthy with a powerful effort, then Fernandinho's daisy cutter hit the post. Bernardo kept the attack alive and his cross found David Silva but McCarthy tipped away his header in superb fashion before Sterling curled wide.

Southampton could have easily gone two up before the interval but Danny Ings, on the stretch, fired over from Kyle Walker-Peters precise ball over the top.

After the break, City came out hungry to find the equaliser and quite frankly did everything but score, with McCarthy and Jack Stephens in inspired form. First Jesus saw his header beaten away by the goalkeeper and then Silva's tame effort saved by the feet of McCarthy.

The relentless bombardment from City came in wave after wave but Southampton kept their defensive shape solid and heads ice cold. Guardiola sent on Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden to try and find the equaliser.

But Ralph Hasenhuttl's men stood firm, clearing everything in their path and swarming the box every time Silva and Jesus combined as they held out for a well-earned victory over Guardiola's men, who have now lost three in a row away from home.

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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 
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The men who designed the Constitution had specific corrections they wanted to make to the British monarchical system they had grown up with. In addition, they recognized the recent religious and political history of Europe and acknowledged the diverse community the colonies had become.

So they built a structure of checks and balances that required broad consensus to work smoothly, starting with the idea We the People...

They designed the U.S. Constitution to encourage all factions to have a say, and to be heard. This concept was enshrined in the First Amendment. America does not need a Tahrir Square nor a Velvet Revolutionits peoples right to protest is already written into the Constitution. All public officials are sworn to protect the Constitution, by an oath the Founding Fathers put in the Constitution.

But how does the average person protect and defend the Constitution? The simple answer is, by voting.
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.
Im never giving up on this session, but at the same time, being realistic, Im going to continue to pursue this, McDonnell said. Its necessary, and it can help a lot of people in the future. Ive already committed to the people who have gone through this that I would continue to work on it.

Olsen said she was happy to see LB 964 introduced.

Im pleased to see that there are legislators who are looking at these issues and looking for ways to solve these problems for families who have fertility issues and who are grateful to gestational carriers for their willingness to help them have a baby for their family, Olsen said.

Kim said she is hopeful that LB 964 will pass, and said she would like to see more people express their support for the bill.

We felt so blessed, so if I can pass it along and help someone else, another family in Nebraska, that will help eliminate this whole step-parent adoption thing, she said. They just would have automatically put my name on there.

OFFERING TO HELP

For her part, Qrishana was happy to have been able to help a friend in need.
The vast majority of CEOs are white. That doesnt seem fair, does it?

Explain that, for a long time, white people could live wherever they wanted, but people of black or brown skin color could only live in certain neighborhoods. Even today, they may not feel comfortable everywhere. Thats not fair, is it?

Mart has explained to her 4-year-old that while she feels safe around police, and feels fairly treated by them, many people with black or brown skin feel unsafe and unfairly treated.

You can use these discussions to help your child build awareness of the real world. You can use it to hone your childs ability to empathize with different people. And you can teach your child about injustice in a way that allows them to feel anger or sadness while also giving them the tools to deal with these emotions.

None of this happens unless white parents are willing to grapple with these issues themselves, challenging old stereotypes they may have learned as children, says Kerry Ann-Escayg, a University of Nebraska at Omaha education professor and researcher.

But if it does happen, it can be powerful. Parents can help shape a better future.
Closing a section of Queen Street to vehicle traffic about two weeks ago has been a success, says the downtown board of management, while the business association representing Centre Street hopes a similar measure will help operators there moving forward.

We just wanted something that was different, something that was going to cater towards both the local community and the actual business owners to have their patios expanded to help them out, said Matt Guarasci, marketing consultant with the downtown business improvement association.

Obviously with Stage 2, since dining is not available inside, we wanted to make sure that they had that proper space to have as much business as possible during this time.

As Niagara was preparing to enter the second stage of the provinces COVID-19 reopening plan, the city supported the downtown BIAs proposal for a Queen Street promenade, allowing restaurants to expand their patios.

It meant a section of Queen Street, from Buckley to Crysler avenues, has been closed to vehicle traffic. Side streets have remained open.

Guarasci said there has been excitement on the street since Niagara entered Stage 2 June 19, adding people were just ready to get back to work.

He said Taps Brewhouse, for example, was able to expand their outside patio further into their parking lot and can comfortably accommodate more than 60 customers.

Everything is socially distanced appropriate  very logistically mapped out.

Meanwhile, during last weeks city council meeting, local politicians approved a request by the Victoria Centre BIA to close Centre Street, between Victoria and Ellen avenues, to vehicle traffic to allow businesses to install patios.

That section of Centre Street is now closed, with barricades in place, new lighting installed, and signs put up to help visitors navigate the area.

BIA chair Eric Marcon said this first weekend could go a long way to proving whether the decision was the right one.

Today (Friday) is the day that theyre supposed to be getting finalized, he said.

Were still waiting for a few items  banners, I think the flowerpots are there, but were still waiting to finalize everything. Well assess it after a few weeks and see how well its going.

Marcon said there have been concerns raised by some businesses, including parking lots and hotels, about how the street closure could negatively impact them, but hopefully theres enough people that will gather in the area that it will be a win-win for everybody.

The last thing the BIA wants to do is alienate certain businesses, where some benefit and some dont, he said.

Were trying to come up with a way where we can all benefit. Were very hopeful that the restaurants are busy and the parking lots and motels in that area are busy. During these difficult times, we want everybody to be busy.

Mayor Jim Diodati said the idea of closing a section of Centre Street to vehicle traffic has been discussed for so long.

It was a big debate and weve been all over the place with this issue, he said.

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Diodati said the hope is for the street closure to give businesses in the area a lifeline during the health pandemic, although many remain nervous.

They had to get extra insurance, they needed to bring in furniture. This has cost them a lot of money to do this and it doesnt come without risk, he said.

But this is what people want right now, they want patios because No. 1, patios are way less risk and No. 2, nothing says summer like eating or having a drink out on a patio. Thats part of the experience of summer and were giving it all to everybody.
A Welland drug bust Thursday saw the arrest of a man wanted for kidnapping and forcible confinement in Durham Region in early May.

Michael Anthony Nanton-Madden, 26, of Scarborough, faces numerous charges for both drugs and the alleged kidnapping incident in Pickering, which involved three victims from St. Catharines.

Nanton-Madden was the subject of a search in the area of First, Second and Third streets, between King Street and Plymouth Road, in Welland on May 8.

Heavily-armed Niagara Regional Police emergency task unit members and a canine unit searched yards while other officers checked vehicles leaving or entering the area for the suspect, who was believed to be armed.

Before Thursdays arrest, police in both Niagara and Durham had been looking for Nanton-Madden.

In a release, Niagara police said Meaghan Roy, 33, of St. Catharines, was arrested alongside Nanton-Madden during the drug bust.

A Niagara Regional Police officer checks the back of an SUV on Second Street in Welland on May 8. A suspect sought that day was arrested last Thursday in Welland.







The bust came after an investigation by Welland street crime unit officers into the sale of fentanyl from a residence in the Leaside Drive and Woodlawn Road area of the Rose City.

Detectives along with a canine unit arrested the pair on Thursday and executed search warrants under the Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act on Friday.

Seized was 57.7 grams of fentanyl, $4,400 in cash, 500 Xanax tablets and evidence to support trafficking, police said.

Niagara police said property was also seized in relation to outstanding charges with Durham police.

Nanton-Madden and Roy were both charged with possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, possession of Xanax for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds obtained by crime under $5,000.

Nanton-Manton faces numerous charges in relation to the alleged kidnapping incident including break and enter, pointing a firearm, forcible confinement, kidnapping, possession of a dangerous weapon, robbery with a weapon, theft of a motor vehicle, uttering threats and flight from police
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.

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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.
Libya will export two oil cargoes totalling 1.2 million barrels in July  a third less than in June  as forces opposed to the Tripoli-based government continue to block shipments from most of the OPEC members ports.

The Bouri and Farwah terminals will each ship one cargo of 600,000 barrels, according to an initial loading program seen by Bloomberg. That compares with 1.8 million barrels shipped for all of June.

Although Libya holds Africas largest crude reserves, its production has plummeted to about 110,000 barrels a day, from 1.2 million last year. Thats largely because supporters of Khalifa Haftar, an eastern commander fighting against the United Nations-backed government, have halted flows from many fields and ports.

The National Oil Corp., the state energy firm, said on Wednesday that force majeure remained in place for all shipments. Force majeure is a legal status protecting a party from liability if it cant fulfil a contract for reasons beyond its control.

However, the NOC has instructed oil companies to prepare for a resumption of operations in light of the ongoing negotiations between it, the U.S. and regional powers to lift the blockade. A tanker is approaching the eastern Es Sider port to load crude, according to the NOC.

The supply shutdown has cost Libya more than $6 billion (U.S.) in lost revenue this year. NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla told Bloomberg last month the country will need a lot of time and hundreds of millions of dollars to revive its energy industry, even if the fighting stops soon.

Any increase in Libyan supply could make it harder for the OPEC+ coalition to limit global output. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia are seeking to rebalance crude markets and prop up prices after they crashed with the spread of the coronavirus. Brent crude is down 35 per cent this year.

Libya is exempt from the output cuts because of its strife. Central authority in the country collapsed after a 2011 uprising that toppled and led to the death of longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.

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CHARLOTTETOWNPrince Edward Island reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the weekend tally to five after the province went more than two months without a positive test.

In a news conference Sunday, the provinces chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said the cases  both men in their 20s  were in close contact with a local man who had travelled to Nova Scotia and is also believed to have spread the virus to a worker at a seniors residence.

This cluster of cases is a clear reminder that COVID-19 is still very much present in our province and we must remain vigilant, Morrison said.

At this point there is no evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in our province and the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within the province remains low, she said.

The woman who tested positive for the virus worked at Whisperwood Villa, a seniors residence in Charlottetown, and listed nine close contacts  all of whom have tested negative for COVID-19, Morrison said.

Morrison said 140 staff members and 129 residents at Whisperwood Villa were also tested for COVID-19 on Saturday and their results all came back negative.

Four or five staff members and two residents still need to be tested, she said, and all the residents and staff members will be tested again later this week.

People who visited the residence last Tuesday also will be contacted for testing, Morrison added.

The fifth case on the Island is not believed to be related to the cluster of four cases. A man in his 50s who had travelled out-of-province was reported to have the virus on Saturday.

Before this weekend, the provinces last COVID-19 positive test came in late April.

Morrison said public health officials in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia have been in close communication to trace the COVID-19 cluster.

The P.E.I. man travelled to Nova Scotia for personal reasons on June 26 and returned to the Island on June 29, Morrison said.

He is believed to have come into contact with someone there who had travelled to the U.S., who has since tested positive for the virus and is now under quarantine in Nova Scotia, health officials in that province said.

Nova Scotias chief public health officer, Dr. Robert Strang, said in the email that the individual does not live in Nova Scotia, but was passing through the province on the way to P.E.I.

As this individual is still within the 14-day isolation period required by the federal Quarantine Act, they are now being quarantined under federal authority in Nova Scotia. We will be able to provide further information as contact tracing work continues, Strang said.

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Morrison noted that the new COVID-19 cases are not related to seasonal residents of P.E.I. or to the Atlantic bubble.

As of Friday, residents of P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have been allowed to travel freely between the provinces without needing to self-isolate upon arrival.

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Hamilton and more (Some catch-up)

The film version of Hamilton, the mega-hit Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton, begins streaming on the Disney Plus channel on July 3. The film was supposed to open in theaters, but COVID-19 intervened. A Disney Plus subscription costs $6.99 a month, so Hamilton would be a bargain if you just subscribe for one month. Disney, of course, is hoping youll watch Hamilton and like the whole channel and stay a subscriber.

Three stage productions of Hamilton were filmed and the best parts were combined to make the film. The original Broadway cast re-created their roles. DAVEED DIGGS, 38, reprises the Hamilton roles that won him a best supporting actor Tony Award (the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson). THOMAS KAIL, 42, who directed the stage version, also directed the film.

Of course, Lin-Manuel Miranda stars in the title role and he wrote the musical. Many articles have noted that Miranda, a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, really loves almost everything Jewish. Check out, or re-visit, the Lin Miranda wedding video on Youtube. Called the best wedding video ever, it features an amazing (spoiler!) version of To Life from Fiddler on the Roof. I am enraptured and just plain happy every time I see it.

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The 10-episode first season of The Babysitters Club begins streaming on Netflix on July 3. It is a re-boot of a 1990 HBO series of the same name. Both are based on a best-selling childrens novel series about the lives of a club composed of young teen girls who all babysit.

Kristy Thomas (Sophie Grace) is the lead babysitter character in this series. Her parents, Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer and Watson Brewer, are only adults to be leading characters. They are played by, respectively, ALICIA SILVERSTONE, 43, and MARC FEUERSTEIN, 49. Silverstone is still most famous for the teen comedy Clueless (1995) and Feuersteins most successful TV series was the comedy Royal Pains, which ran on the USA Network from 2009 to 2016.

The new Babysitter series was co-created by Omaha native RACHEL SHUKERT, 40, who wrote three of the episodes.

The original Amazon film 7500 began streaming on June 18. Reviews are mostly very good. It stars JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, 39, as the American co-pilot of a plane staffed by an international crew. Shortly after take-off, Muslim terrorists attempt to storm the cockpit and hijack the plane. I wont disclose the rest of the story, except to say that the tension is at a fever pitch for the remainder of the film. This is Gordon-Levitts first film role release in four years. Hes explained that he was busy with the birth of his two children.

Athlete A is a Netflix documentary (premiered June 24) about the sexual abuse of top female gymnasts by Dr. Larry Nassar, a Michigan State faculty member. His victims included Olympic gold medal winner ALY RAISMAN, 26. The film was made by BONNI COHEN, 55, and JON SHENK, 51 (they co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed it). Theyve long been a team. In 2017, they co-helmed An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. Cohens other credits include producing The Rape of Europa, a 2006 documentary about the Nazi looting of European art treasures, including those owned by Jews.

On July 1, Netflix begins streaming Anne Frank: Parallel Stories. Narrated by Helen Mirren, this documentary got a very limited theater release last January. Franks story is intertwined with the story of five other (real) girls who did survive the Holocaust. A set was created that carefully re-constructed the Amsterdam apartment in which Anne hid, to give, in the filmmakers words, the sense of claustrophobia and oppression Anne experienced. Mirren reads excerpts from Annes diary in the re-created apartment. Had ANNE FRANK lived, she would have been 90 this year.

Mirren won the best actress Oscar for playing Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006). She gave a truly tour-de-force performance in Woman in Gold. While the film didnt have a great screenplay, Mirrens portrayal of MARIA ALTMANN (1916-2011) lifted the quality of the movie immensely and it was a surprise box-office hit. Altmann, as the film details, spent seven years waging a finally successful legal battle to wrest away from the Austrian government five very valuable paintings (including two portraits of her aunt) that the Nazis stole from her uncle.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully committed to help the Delhi residents amid the challenging times due to coronavirus crisis.

The Home Minister's remarks came while visiting 1,000-bed facilities named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hospital set up by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here to treat COVID-19 patients.

"PM Narendra Modi ji is fully committed to helping the people of Delhi in these challenging times and this Covid hospital, yet again, highlights the resolve," Shah tweeted after visiting the hospital set up in record 12 days.

"I thank the DRDO, Tatas and our armed forces medical personnel who have risen to the occasion and helped tackle the emergency."

Shah visited the hospital along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and reviewed the preparedness.

The temporary air-conditioned facility has 250 intensive care unit beds.

It is set up near the Domestic Terminal-1 on Ulan Bator Road adjacent to Controller General of Defence Accounts headquarters.

Till Sunday, Delhi had recorded 97,200 coronavirus cases.
JTA )  A Jewish camp in Pennsylvania is delaying its opening date after a counselor tested positive for coronavirus upon arriving at camp, in a scenario that could foreshadow the rocky path ahead for child care settings amid the deepening pandemic.

Camp Seneca Lake, one of the few Jewish overnight camps to open this year in the Northeast, was due to welcome campers on July 5 and 6, this coming Sunday and Monday. But that has been pushed back two days following the counselors positive test at staff orientation, according to an email the camp sent to families on Friday.

Now, the camp, which is Modern Orthodox and serves campers largely from New York and New Jersey, is testing all the staff the teenaged counselor was in contact with, and has quarantined them as well.

This staff member had zero signs of being sick but out of extreme caution we have quarantined any other staff members that came into contact with him and we will retest them again in a few days, the email read. As all of our correspondence with our families has stated from the beginning, we set up this process to be prepared for a situation like this and all protocols are being followed accordingly.

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The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reached out to the camp for comment via phone and email on Friday afternoon.

The positive test could serve as a cautionary tale for the Jewish overnight camps that are opening this year  and for the many child care settings, including schools, whose operators are trying to devise ways to operate safely. Camps that are opening this year have said that multiple rounds of testing, plus safety protocols at camp, put the camps in a good position to weather the pandemic safely.

An email that Seneca Lake sent to parents in late May detailing some of the camps safety procedures said staff and campers would be tested before arrival and then several times at camp.

This strict screening, combined with other safety protocols which include limiting the number of campers at camp, is a large part of our strategy to make camp as safe as it can be, the May email said.

An email sent Friday said that the camp had received pre-arrival test results from 97% of campers, all of which were negative.

Many other Jewish camps have canceled their 2020 summers, either because their states are not allowing overnight camps to open, or because they feel they cannot run camp safely given the risks of the pandemic.

The counselor who tested positive has been sent home, and on Monday, the camp will receive the test results of the staff members whom he was in contact with.

With the virus spreading rapidly in many parts of the country, the camp will quarantine campers from outside the New York-New Jersey area until they receive results from tests taken upon their arrival, according to the camps second email to parents on Friday. The email did not provide details as to what that will look like.

While it is unfortunate that one staff member tested positive for coronavirus, we trust the procedures that weve established, and we are prepared for this situation, Seneca Lake told parents.
The report that Mott Oxford, a former state lawmaker, was referring to is one Ive written about nearly every year, issued by the state auditor as required by law. Each of the past several years, under both Democratic and Republican auditors, the report has said the same thing. State revenue is more than $4 billion  and growing  below the caps set by voters in the Hancock Amendment, passed in 1980. The Hancock Amendment was one of the first statewide anti-tax constitutional amendments passed in the country. It limits overall state revenue to an amount that wont create a higher per-capita tax rate than 1981.

Any tax increase that would raise revenue above that level requires a statewide vote of the people.

If state lawmakers raise more money than that, even by accident, like when revenue rises after a recession, then they owe taxpayers a refund. The last refund was issued in 1999. Since that time, the Republicans who control the Legislature have cut taxes even more, particularly for businesses and the wealthy. The result is that Missouri is leaving $4.5 billion on the table  money that could be spent on schools and roads and public health and public safety  while still having an effective tax rate no higher than it was in 1981.
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.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri officials are tapping into federal emergency stimulus funds in the latest bid to boost internet access across the state.

After years of making modest investments to boost broadband offerings in underserved areas, the state has earmarked $50 million from its CARES Act funding, saying it will help schools offer more online learning and allow for greater use of telemedicine.

Providing Missourians essential services during this time is one of our top priorities, Gov. Mike Parson said. Ensuring citizens have appropriate access to telehealth and education and that they are able to telework is critical. These are not optional services, and we want to do our best to increase connectivity across the state.

Currently, an estimated 300,000 Missouri households, 195,000 K-12 students, and 54,000 businesses and farms lack access to high-speed internet.

A 2017 report by the Census Bureau showed Missouri is in the lower half of the nation when it comes to residents having access to broadband.

According to the report, 73.7% have internet service in Missouri. The national mark is 76.7%.
Lyndall Fraker, director of the states medical marijuana program, said he met with Moynihan at a cannabis event in June 2019 in St. Louis.

Lou was kind of a friendly, kind of a boisterous guy that you know, (he was a) never-met-a-stranger type person, Fraker said. Thats why I remember him because he was always friendly and would seek me out if there was events. And hes not the only one, as you can imagine. Many did.

Fraker said he never met with Moynihan privately in a one-on-one setting.

Kyle Kisner, who said he worked at four or five of Moynihans certification events in late 2019, said Moynihan tries to build people up  but hes really just trying to get you to put more confidence in him. Its all part of his strategy to, like, manipulate.

Court records show Moynihan, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in May 2013 to felony attempted burglary and misdemeanor theft, and he was sentenced to two years of probation.

Karen Pojmann, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, said Moynihan served three stints in state custody between 2012 and 2015, before being released on parole in 2015. He has since been released from supervision, she said.

Doctors arent tracked
Parts of the country marked a very different Independence Day this year, with many celebrations going virtual or canceled amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The changes followed pleas from health officials who warned holiday crowds and packed gatherings like the ones the US witnessed over Memorial Day weekend would likely lead to further spikes in coronavirus cases  amid an already raging crisis across the country.

Already, nearly half of US states halted their reopening plans as new coronavirus cases surged to record-breaking numbers in past weeks. Both city and state leaders attributed part of that rise to gatherings of young groups.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now projecting the country will see nearly 148,000 coronavirus deaths by the end of the month. So far, at least 129,676 Americans have died and more than 2.8 million have been infected, according to Johns Hopkins University.

And while many cities took measured approaches to celebrate the Fourth of July, images emerging from the holiday weekend show not everyone is taking the warnings seriously.
Regarding  Missouri absentee voting lawsuit heading back to lower court  (June 23): Everyone in Missouri can vote by mail in 2020 due to the pandemic even if they dont meet absentee criteria. However everyone doesnt have equal ability to request a ballot or, more importantly, access to someone who can notarize the envelope containing the ballot.

To vote by mail, registered voters can go to their county board of elections office to request a mail-in ballot or print a form available online and mail it in to be received before 5 p.m. on July 22. However, not everyone has online access or can take off time from work. Calling a public library might help if its open. Not everyone has easy and efficient transportation to a library or the elections office. Not everyone can risk coronavirus exposure or juggle their single-parent or caregiver responsibilities and/or multiple jobs. Once a hard-won ballot is in hand, not everyone has a bank or other easy access to a notary to sign the envelope containing the secret ballot.
What about bathrooms? Are you OK using theirs? Are they going to let you?

One couple will allow it, she figures, since they offered her a place to stay, which she turned down. She won't even ask the other couple because the man just had heart surgery.

Part of our desire to travel this summer - or any summer - is rooted in the instinct to change our surroundings. Move around. See and feel new things. But often we want to go because we want to see people we love, whose absence feels like an amputated limb.

A friend who's planning a long drive with her family to see her parents puts it this way: "It makes me feel a little desperate, like if I don't go see my parents right now, it may not happen until January or later, and I already haven't seen them since Christmas."

She refers to "the dark thought at the darkest recesses of your mind, especially if you are thinking about loved ones who are older." And that dark thought is: "If I don't go now, will I regret it forever?"

She doesn't know yet where she'll stay. With her parents? In a hotel? All she knows for sure is that she needs to go.
Auckland, New Zealand -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/05/2020 -- North Shore House Wash has announced that it is now offering clients a programmed house cleaning and maintenance plan. The plan is designed to help homeowners save loads of money on cleaning services and is available in all major cities across New Zealand.



Home cleaning is not an event. It is something that needs to be done regularly. North Shore House Wash notes that sadly, a lot of people in most New Zealand cities live the busy life.



As a result, they rarely get the time needed to clean up their homes as often as they should. This is where the services of companies like House Wash Auckland have been quite helpful. In the last few years, the firm has stepped up, delivering exceptional cleaning solutions to so many homes.



However, the company feels that there is a need to align its services with the budgets of most clients. Instead of charging an onetime fee for cleaning, its new programmed plan looks to charge a flat rate for guaranteed cleaning all year. This will achieve two things. First, it ensures that homeowners get regular cleaning solutions that cut across their needs on a regular basis.



Secondly, it will go a long way in saving clients' money. North Shore House Wash feels that its expertise in Building washing Auckland will be better utilized under these programmed plans. In that case, the company is urging interested clients to view its website and see how they can benefit from the new plan.



North Shore House Wash has also made it clear that the programmed service is available in all major cities in New Zealand. The roof treatment Auckland company understands that this expansion will require a lot of effort on its part. But so far it has put in place measures to fully address this, including the hiring of new staff and the purchase of new cleaning equipment.



For so many years now, North Shore House Wash has pride itself as the go-to cleaning service in New Zealand. The company has achieved immense success, targeting clients with reliable top of the line roof cleaning Auckland services. It is clear that the new programmed cleaning plan is designed to consolidate this success. So far things are looking good.



After all, the demand for professional roof washing Auckland service is on the rise in New Zealand, especially in major big cities. North Shore House Wash feels that it has a role to play in meeting this need and as such, the company is vowing to make all the investments needed to hit its full capacity.



About North Shore House Wash

North Shore House Wash is a top-rated cleaning service that targets clients in major cities across New Zealand. The company has outstanding experience in this space and its track record of quality service sets it apart from many cleaning services in the country.



Visit northshorehousewash.co.nz to know more about the company and its services.



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Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse police are investigating a shooting Sunday afternoon at Frazer Park on the citys West Side.

Someone called 911 at 12:54 p.m. to say a 17-year-old boy had been shot in the leg, dispatchers said.

Syracuse police, firefighters and American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance responded to the area of 801 Park Ave. When they arrived, officers found the teen with a gunshot wound to the leg, according to 911. Dispatchers said they received reports the boy had been shot at Frazer Park.

The teen was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said.

According to police dispatches, officers believe someone in a small maroon car shot the teen; the car then drove away, from Park Avenue, onto South Geddes Street, toward Erie Boulevard West.

Officers found multiple spent casings at the scene, Malinowski said.

This was the second shooting police were called to on Sunday.

About 12 hours earlier, at 1:04 a.m., police were called to the 300 block of W. Calthrop Ave. for a double shooting. A 39-year-old man was shot in the torso and arm, and a 45-year-old man was shot in the leg, Malinowski said.

Both men were taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse with non-life-threatening injuries.

Syracuse police ask anyone with information about the shootings to call them at 315-442-5222.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook
Update: Syracuse familys home catches fire after someone put discarded fireworks in trash

Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse firefighters raced around the city, battling dozens of fires  including two dangerous house fires  as fireworks lit up the skies on the Fourth of July.

One firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion while battling a house fire on the citys North Side, while three other firefighters were nearly hurt when a ceiling fell on them as they tried to put out a fire on the citys South Side, Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds said.

City firefighters responded to 146 calls for help from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday. They were so busy that several off-duty firefighters were called in to help manage the multiple and frequently simultaneous alarms, the chief said.

A deputy chief went to the Onondaga County 911 Center to listen to every Syracuse Fire Department call so he could re-direct firefighters, if needed, to more efficiently respond to all the calls, including shootings, alarms, accidents and fires.

At one point, we were down to our last fire truck, Monds said.

The chief said there were 16 fire trucks, 65 firefighters and four chiefs responding to different calls throughout the city overnight.

The fireworks had a huge impact on our response last night, Monds said.

While he stopped short of saying whether fireworks were to blame for some or many of the calls overnight, Monds said the increased volume of calls was related to the fireworks going on. He also said more information will be released after the investigations are complete.

About 50 of the 146 calls the Syracuse Fire Department responded to were fire-related, Monds said. They included grass fires, dumpster fires and house fires.

The two most serious fires happened within an hour of each other, on opposite sides of the city, he said.

The first was at 11:11 p.m. Saturday when someone called 911 to report smoke and flames coming from a house in the 300 block of Turtle St.

Ladder 4, stationed at 400 Shuart Ave., was the first to arrive due to the high volume of calls in the city Saturday night, Monds said. When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke and fire on both the first and second floors, as well as in attic area of a 2-story, wood-frame house at 317 Turtle St., the chief said.

It took 52 firefighters about 50 minutes to extinguish a bulk of the fire, Monds said.

One firefighter suffered from overexertion and heat exhaustion but was eventually able to return to work.

The American Red Cross is helping six people displaced from the Turtle Street house fire. Syracuse firefighters said the four adults and two children home at the time of the fire were not hurt.

As firefighters finished extinguishing hot spots, or small fires that continued to pop up at the Turtle Street home, they were sent to another fire at 229 Lincoln Ave. at 12:11 a.m. Sunday.

Several of the same fire units at the Turtle Street fire were redirected to fight this fire, Monds said.

Engine 3, stationed at 808 Bellevue Ave., was the first to arrive at the Lincoln Avenue house fire. When they arrived, firefighters said they saw free burning flames showing from the first and second floors, with smoke and fire burning through the attic roof.

Eventually, 42 firefighters arrived. They made an aggressive interior attack on the house fire and had most of the fire out in about 30 minutes, Monds said.

While three firefighters worked inside to put out hot spots, the chief said, a second-floor ceiling collapsed on them. They were able to get out and no one was injured, the chief said.

The family that lived in the home also made it out safely shortly after the fire started, Monds said. The Red Cross is helping the family, he said.

Syracuse fire investigators remained on scene of the fire for several hours; the cause remains under investigation.

I was very proud of all the work everyone did, Monds said of his departments work overnight.

... Every time our firefighters have their backs against the wall, he said, they find a way to go above and beyond to protect each other, our citizens, our visitors and the property in our city.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook
Syracuse, N.Y.  Onondaga County lawmakers will vote Tuesday on a plan to give up their control over legislative district boundaries and hand the power to someone else:

You.

If you want the job, you might win the responsibility to help draw the district borders  an innovation that would take much of the politics out of a traditionally political task.

Under the proposal from Legislator Chris Ryan, D-Geddes, legislative districts would be shaped by a panel of 17 county voters, most of whom would be chosen at random after a vetting process.

Its not clear whether the legislature will approve. Lawmakers anticipate an extensive debate Tuesday, the legislatures first in-person meeting since the coronavirus pandemic shut down public gatherings.

But its all or nothing Tuesday for Ryans proposal.

A new redistricting process would have to be ratified by voters in the November election. Legislative approval at the next session  in August  would be too late to get the measure on the ballot, Legislature Chairman David Knapp said.

The current legislative maps will be re-evaluated based on the 2020 Census. New maps would take effect in 2023 and would affect the legislature for at least a decade.

Supporters of Ryans proposal are planning a rally at noon before the 1 p.m. session. To accommodate a crowd, legislative leaders will have members of the public who want to address lawmakers during the meeting line up down the hall, because the gallery will be limited to 18 spectators to maintain social distancing.

The current district maps, adopted in 2012, have drawn scorn because of their contorted, serpentine shapes. Critics say the odd-shaped districts dice up local communities and create confusion about who represents them, discouraging citizen involvement and voter turnout.

The process that we have now is not good for government,' Ryan said. The current districts amount to gerrymandering, he said, and gerrymandering is not good for government.'

Democrats, who have not won a majority in the legislature for more than 40 years, complain the most. Democrats currently hold an enrollment edge in 11 of the 17 districts, but many say the districts help to maintain GOP control by breaking up neighborhoods that should be in the same district.

But some Republicans also find fault with the maps. Republican Ways and Means Chairman Tim Burtis noted during a June committee meeting that his Cicero-based district extends a slender finger south to include a few streets in Minoa, a 23-minute car ride away from his home in Brewerton.

Personally, I believe that we need to do some redistricting,' he said. Burtis did not indicate whether he will support Ryans plan, however.

How it would work

Syracuse voters in November overwhelmingly approved a plan from the city council to create an independent redistricting commission to redraw council districts. The citys plan did not include details on how the commission would be established.

Ryans plan for the county, by contrast, outlines a detailed process intended to prevent partisan influence. Here are the basics:

The county comptroller in 2021 would solicit applications from county residents who want to serve on the Onondaga County Reapportionment Commission. Applicants must have voted in at least three of the last five general elections to qualify.

Aspiring legislators should not apply. Anyone who serves on the commission would be ineligible to hold a county public office for five years. Commissioners also could not work as paid county consultants or win a non-competitive contract from the county for three years after their service.

The comptroller will weed out applicants with conflicts of interest. That includes anyone who ran for office during the preceding five years, worked as a party consultant or lobbyist, or contributed more than $1,000 to a candidate. Former county employees also will be excluded for three years after they leave the county.

Assuming there are more than 100 people who want to be on the commission, which pays nothing, a three-person applicant review panel will pick the 100 most qualified candidates. The county executive, clerk and comptroller each appoint one person to the panel.

Then each of the 17 county legislators can remove one applicant from the pool of candidates, if they choose. That would leave at least 83 candidates.

By Nov. 1, 2021, the applicant review panel shall randomly draw at a public meeting'' 10 names from the remaining pool of applicants. Those 10 people will be on the redistricting commission and will choose the other seven members from the remaining candidates. Each of the seven additional members must win approval from at least seven of the 10 original commissioners.

The 17 members of the commission will have full authority to draw new district maps. After drawing up a preliminary plan, the commission is required to hold at least five public hearings. Following approval of a proposed final plan, three more hearings will be held.

By Nov. 1, 2022, the commission must approve a final plan and submit it to the county legislature, which must adopt it.

The Onondaga County Legislature may not change the plan,' according to the legislation. The plan shall have the force and effect of law.

Legislators pledged to support change

Ryan said his proposal is modeled after redistricting plans adopted in several other communities, including Austin, Texas. He said he anticipates all six Democrats on the legislature will vote for it but said he has not heard much feedback from Republicans.

The Ways and Means Committee discussed the proposal in June but did not vote on it. Several Republicans said they want to improve the redistricting process but they were still weighing the details of Ryans proposal.

Knapp, the Republican legislature chairman, expressed concerns about the potential cost. Although the commissioners would be unpaid, they would be authorized to hire temporary staff and outside legal counsel if necessary.

Its not a cheap proposition,' Knapp said.

Ryan disagreed. He said its possible the citizen commission could complete its work aided only by county planners and county lawyers, without hiring any extra staff. He said the focus on cost sounded like a pretext to oppose the measure.

I anticipate hardly any costs,' he said.

Under the county charter, redistricting today is controlled by politicians. The charter calls for a six-person redistricting commission, including one member appointed by the county executive and one each by the majority and minority parties in the legislature. The legislature chairman and the countys two elections commissioners, one from each major party, also participate.

Ryan started pushing for change last year. Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson led a similar effort in the city. A local group called Fair Maps CNY, which formed to back their efforts, is rallying supporters to demonstrate Tuesday before the legislature session, said Perrine Wasser, an organizer of the group.

Last year, during the run-up to county legislative elections, Fair Maps CNY elicited promises from candidates to support an independent redistricting process. All six Democrats and nine of the 11 Republicans on the legislature signed the pledge saying they would support non-partisan and independent redistricting.'

How that pledge will affect Tuesdays vote remains to be seen. During the June committee meeting, Burtis said he is considering Ryans plan but does not feel constrained to vote for it just because he signed the pledge.

I am a man of my word, but I didnt say I would just sign off on anything, he said. That (pledge) was a very open statement.

Ryan, the legislation sponsor, said he will argue that the legislature should act now.

We have an opportunity to do something great here,' Ryan said. We have the opportunity to do something bold. We have the opportunity to take a very, very flawed, very bad political process and make it into something that is much, much better.'

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that Democrats had never won a majority in the county legislature. They have not won a majority for more than 40 years.
Peggs Fire Department in Cherokee County is one of two Volunteer Fire Departments of the Year as honored by Cherokee Nation. From left are: Peggs firefighter Justin Bailey, Peggs Fire Chief Dale Fine, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner.
Seminole, FL (33772)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon. High 86F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

A few isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
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Re: Cabin light bulb keeps blowing out - fuse is okay Quote: Mr.Boss Originally Posted by Add the missing details like Car make, model, year, any modifications in the electrical system (recently or in past)



I can't seem to find any way to edit previous posts here on TBHP.





So, I checked the voltages yesterday. And, now I have so many more questions.



1. First checked the battery, with engine off, idle and revving. Ranged between 12-14.4VDC. 12 with engine off, dipping to around 10 when cranking the ignition and maxing out at ~ 14.4 with engine revving. So, all good there.



2. Now checked the readings in the cabin lamp socket. Ranged between 12-14.4VDC with off, idle and revving. I must have taken these readings around 4-5 times with pauses of 5-10 mins in between, inside the garage and again, after I had gotten the car out in the yard.



Curiously, the reading once did spike to around 18~20VDC for a half a minute or so. I tried replicating the error again, but in vain. I am not sure whether the strange reading was due to my fault - I was fiddling with current readings as well, while testing a cheap 1A COB LED hooked to the cabin lamp socket. Do note that I have one of those ,ubiquitous, cheap Chinese, yellow DMM, DT830D.



I made another observation, that the DMM when set to AC voltage, does give out readings!!.So, the power to the lamps in my car is just regulated, not rectified? Just the way it is in my 2005 Pulsar 180. Showed around 30VAC. A perfect scaling factor of 60%. Time to get a good true RMS DMM or a good analog meter.



Is my analysis correct? Power to the lamps in my car is just regulated, not rectified?



Another question, may be deserves a It's a 2010 Hyundai i20 Sportz Petrol.I can't seem to find any way to edit previous posts here on TBHP.So, I checked the voltages yesterday. And, now I have so many more questions.1. First checked the battery, with engine off, idle and revving. Ranged between 12-14.4VDC. 12 with engine off, dipping to around 10 when cranking the ignition and maxing out at ~ 14.4 with engine revving. So, all good there.2. Now checked the readings in the cabin lamp socket. Ranged between 12-14.4VDC with off, idle and revving. I must have taken these readings around 4-5 times with pauses of 5-10 mins in between, inside the garage and again, after I had gotten the car out in the yard.Curiously, the reading once did spike to around 18~20VDC for a half a minute or so. I tried replicating the error again, but in vain. I am not sure whether the strange reading was due to my fault - I was fiddling with current readings as well, while testing a cheap 1A COB LED hooked to the cabin lamp socket. Do note that I have one of those ,ubiquitous, cheap Chinese, yellow DMM, DT830D.I made another observation, that the DMM when set to AC voltage, does give out readings!!.So, the power to the lamps in my car is just regulated, not rectified? Just the way it is in my 2005 Pulsar 180. Showed around 30VAC. A perfect scaling factor of 60%. Time to get a good true RMS DMM or a good analog meter.Is my analysis correct? Power to the lamps in my car is just regulated, not rectified?Another question, may be deserves a
Spain's northwestern Galicia region on Sunday ordered the lockdown of 70,000 people amid fears of a fresh coronavirus outbreak, following a larger one in the northeast.

All residents of the town of La Marina, 140 kilometres (90 miles) east of La Coruna, will be unable to leave the vicinity and gatherings of more than ten people will be banned to limit the possibility of contagion.

The move came only a day after regional officials put 200,000 people back in confinement following a "sharp rise" in infections near the northeastern town of Lerida some 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Catalan regional capital Barcelona.

Spaniards endured one of the world's toughest lockdowns for three months from March as the country suffered one of Europe's worst coronavirus death tolls -- at least 28,385 -- and more than 250,000 cases.

"At the moment... we have 106 positive cases, which presupposes a rise on the previous day of 21 cases," Galician regional health official Jesus Vazquez told a news conference in provincial capital Lugo.

"It is considered necessary to raise levels of restrictions to attempt to improve the outlook ... and isolate ourselves from the possibility of exponential growth which is what tends to occur in the case of community transmission which, here, has not yet appeared."

As a precaution the zone will be cordoned off for at least five days as authorities monitor the situation.

At the national level, Spanish authorities see the pandemic as having been essentially brought under control but are monitoring some 50 instances where new cases appear to be latent.

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The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has already spread to 222 countries with 179.530.532 infected. The disease is caused by a new virus that had not been detected in humans until a few months ago.

In Mauritius the total number of positive cases is 1.701.

Mauritius ranks 192 in countries with reported Covid-19 cases, the viral pneumonia that affects the planet. The list of the top ten is as follows: EE.UU. 34.418.619, India 29.973.457, Brazil 17.969.806, France 5.757.798, Turkey 5.375.593, Russia 5.334.204, UK 4.640.507, Argentina 4.277.395, Italy 4.253.460 and Colombia 3.968.405.

In the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported and the number of fatalities remains at 18.

In contrast, it has been reported that 1.265 people have recovered in the country.

The president Prithvirajsing Roopun is closely monitoring the situation while the authorities continue to coordinate the actions of health personnel across the country.

Recommendations to minimize the transmission of the infection can be found at the World Health Organization (WHO)

Total infected New cases Total deaths Deaths in the last report Total recovered Total critical cases Mauritius 1.701 0 18 0 1.265 0 World 179.530.532 274.002 3.888.060 5.660 162.435.240 82.659
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Adorned in red, white and blue and waving American flags, a crowd of about 200 people attended a "Save America Rally" across the street from the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

They celebrated their patriotism, criticized government mandates to wear masks, and blasted those trying to take down statues and rename streets.

The rally was organized by Woody Jenkins, chairman of the executive committee for the Republican Party in East Baton Rouge Parish, and political commentator Jeff Crouere as a way to celebrate America on the Fourth of July.

People are afraid to come out, but we didnt want to lose the tradition, Jenkins said.

The rally was one of the few public Fourth of July celebrations in Baton Rouge. Most, including the annual fireworks display on the Mississippi River, were canceled due to the recent uptick of coronavirus cases throughout the area.

Jenkins pointed out that crowds had gathered in past weeks to protest police brutality and support the Black Lives Matter movement, and said he believed patriots should also gather to celebrate Independence Day.

Several prominent figures spoke at the event, including Rev. Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church  who drew international attention for continuing to hold church services in defiance of a stay-at-home order  former East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Councilman Darrell Glasper and state Rep. Valarie Hodges. They touched on issues like abortion, freedom, racial tensions, government control, the removal of Confederate monuments, mask-wearing, the liberal media and more.

Almost nobody in the crowd wore masks, and many applauded when speakers said politicians and the media are overhyping of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

America is falling between our fingers like a handful of sand at the beach, former state Sen. Elbert Guillory told the crowd through a prerecorded message.

Jenkins said Guillory was sick and couldnt make the celebration in person; he did not say whether Guillory has the coronavirus.

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Referencing the removal of Confederate monuments and the renaming of many buildings and streets across the country in recent weeks, Guillory said "We will not permit the culture killers to destroy Americas history, because our children must learn the good and the bad to not repeat the errors of history

Hodges also referenced monuments and renaming buildings in her address to the crowd, calling for fewer liberal professors who hate America in universities  including LSU  and a stronger emphasis on American history and civics in schools.

Crouere, speaking from the bed of a pickup truck lined with American flags and balloons in the shape of the letters U, S and A, said he had received harassment for organizing the event.

Attendees stood close together in groups huddled under the shade of a tree to avoid the heat, and hugged and shook hands when they saw friends among the crowd.

Some had signs bearing phrases like Sorry, did my civil rights get in the way of your virus? and We will never stop going to church.

Spell, the last speaker of the event, was flanked by about a dozen supporters as he spoke, many of which were holding signs in support of him.

+24 Man of God or attention-grabbing hustler: Who is Louisiana pastor Tony Spell? Before the Rev. Tony Spell gained massive notoriety for his refusal to stop holding church services amid the coronavirus shutdown, the unyield

He said he hasnt stopped church during the pandemic, despite multiple arrests for doing so. He said hes shaken hands and held baptisms.

Where are all the coffins in my church? Not one death, he said to a round of applause, before going on to say its never been about a virus, its about destroying America.

Spell said America is not a racist, bigoted or homophobic nation and everyone has the same freedoms as anyone else  but he takes issue when others freedoms encroach upon his own.

What we have represented here today are God-fearing, red-blooded Christians who say enough is enough, he said. You have taken prayer out of our schools, youve taken the Bible off the public bookshelves, youve taken from us our right to assemble, youve taken from us our right to go to church and were saying today that enough is enough.
Wearing masks is a key strategy in Louisianas effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus when long-closed schools reopen in a few weeks for the 2020-21 school year, but the strong recommendation is prompting many questions with few easy answers.

What do I do if Johnny doesn't keep his mask on? asked Angela Reams-Brown, president of the East Baton Rouge Parish Federation of Teachers.

First look: Here's how Louisiana public schools can safely open amid coronavirus, officials say Public school students in the third grade and older along with adults should wear face masks "to the maximum extent possible" when schools reo

The state issued school reopening guidelines on June 25. One recommendation is that all public schoolchildren in grades three to 12, as well as all adults, wear face coverings to the maximum extent possible.

Anita Augustus, president of the Association of Educators chapter in the parish, wonders how that will work with third-graders.

Who is going to wear a mask at that age for eight hours, and what control do we have over that? Augustus asked.

Are they going to be sanitized? Augustus continued. Our parents dont even wash their (childrens) uniforms, and now youre saying theyre going to bring a clean mask every day?

Private schools are wrestling with similar issues.

The number one question that my parents are asking has to do with face coverings, said Don Mayes, superintendent of Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge.

Like the rest of the nation, Parkview has had an ongoing debate over the efficacy and the politics of mask-wearing, with some parents supporting masks and some opposing them  and theres a middle group that doesnt care, Mayes said.

Mayes said he will likely make mask-wearing the topic of his next weekly parent message. He said hes not sure yet where he will draw the line. Some children, for instance, have medical conditions that preclude them from wearing masks.

You cant make it mandatory for everybody, he said, but I also understand being socially responsible.

Public schools in Jefferson and Orleans parishes have already announced they are going beyond state guidance and requiring mask-wearing for all staff and students. Orleans is making exceptions for those with medical conditions, behavioral issues, disabilities and other health or safety issues, and children in grades prekindergarten to two can use face shields rather than masks.

In the Baton Rouge area, schools are generally taking longer to say what they are going to do.

Parental feedback helped Ascension schools implement these rules for reopening after coronavirus Public school leaders in Ascension Parish say feedback from parents is helping them as they develop a re-opening plan for the fall, but that i

Ascension Parish schools plan to issue detailed reopening plans by July 17. They are building off the states recently issued guidance, including that face coverings are being strongly encouraged.

Superintendent David Alexander said hes not ready yet to say what that will look like in practice.

Its premature to really respond to a lot of what-ifs, Alexander said.

East Baton Rouge Parish, whose first day of school is Aug. 6, may keep its doors closed through Sept. 9 and offer strictly digital education. Or it may opt for a hybrid approach where kids come in for two days a week and learn virtually the other three days.

Superintendent Warren Drake laid out these options in a letter Friday to district employees. Which way the school system goes depends on whether COVID-19 cases continue to grow in the coming weeks, he said.

I know many of you are anxious for a comprehensive and inclusive plan for August, but in my opinion, it is too early to commit to a definite scenario today, Drake said.

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Meanwhile, a reopening task force has been meeting to continue to iron out the details of either approach. And the school system has launched a parent survey asking for their thoughts.

Associate Superintendent Ben Necaise said the school system is preparing to purchase an initial supply of cloth face masks, enough for all students and staff to have whenever they return to their school buildings. But Necaise said hes not sure whether the school system will go beyond the state and require their use.

I think thats all sort of waiting for definitive direction, Necaise said.

On Friday at noon, East Baton Rouge Parish began requiring compulsory mask-wearing at all commercial and nonprofit entities  Baker, Central and Zachary are exempted. The order is in effect until Aug. 3, but Mayor Sharon Weston Broome has said she may extend it if COVID-19 cases locally remain too high.

Broomes mask order does not as yet apply to schools. But Reams-Brown, the teacher union leader, said if its extended, she thinks Baton Rouge schools will ultimately be compelled to require masks as well.

I find it hard for them not to mandate it if the mayor is mandating it, Reams-Brown said.

Cade Brumley: Face masks in Louisiana schools a 'strong recommendation,' but not mandatory State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said Thursday night the state Department of Education can only "strongly recommend" that public

The state also may go further than it has so far.

At a June 25 hearing of the Senate Education Committee, Cade Brumley, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Education and Courtney Phillips, secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health, said the agencies lack the authority at present to mandate schools approach to face coverings, but that could change.

Phillips said there may be an executive order in the future from Gov. John Bel Edwards that requires schools to do more, but until then the state guidance is meant to give school districts best practices with which to start their planning for the new school year.

In the absence of a mask-wearing mandate for schools, those schools will have to rely on their powers of persuasion to get students to wear them.

Look Im a former principal. I know its hard to keep a students shirttail tucked in, much less a mask or face covering , Brumley said. I think that systems will almost have to treat this like part of the uniform if they decide to go with these guidelines.

Phillips suggested a different approach. She urged educators to try to make children their allies by talking to them about the importance of mask-wearing not just for them for those they love. She says she does as much with her own eight-year-old son.

Instead of saying what you must do, say, heres what we want you to do, heres how to be a part of it, heres how you help us to reduce it, Phillips said. And I think we will have much more success in that manner.

Augustus, president of the East Baton Rouge Association of Educators, said its hard for educators to put themselves at risk given the current uncertainty. Augustus, a pre-k teacher at Melrose Elementary, worries about children bringing the virus to school.

Young children will cough in your face at any moment, because thats what young children do, she said.

And their parents can be inconsiderate.

We have had children who came to school sick, she said. The parents knew they were throwing up and they sent them anyway, and (the parents) wont answer the phone.

She said teachers in her organization want to come back to work, but only if its safe. If they arent assured that school is safe, some, especially those at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19, are likely to stay home or retire early, Augustus said.

Were hearing that personnel will not show up, Augustus said. Theyre saying, My health is too important. They cant do it.
AMSAT responds to allegations of unauthorized legal expenses

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) has been made aware of public comments alleging financial mismanagement in the form of unauthorized legal expenditures. AMSAT takes these allegations very seriously and in full disclosure, has investigated these claims for many months.

AMSATs corporate records give a full accounting of all expenditures and are provided to its Directors upon request, in compliance with our governing documents and law of the District of Columbia (D.C.) Our office remains closed due to COVID-19, where those documents reside.

Furthermore, AMSAT complies with IRS rules for 501(c)(3) disclosure of public financial documents, such as the Form 990 available on the AMSAT website. Financial review and accounting services from a third-party firm of Certified Public Accountants are utilized by the corporation to ensure governance to best practice and law.

The Corporation vehemently denies false statements alleging unauthorized expenditures.

On behalf of AMSAT,

Clayton Coleman, W5PFG

President
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NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson, right, and other members of the New Orleans Police Department demonstrate the non-lethal weapons it used to clear protestors from the Crescent City Connection Bridge last week at a training facility in New Orleans East, La. Tuesday, June 9, 2020.
The Reserve Banks latest economic assessment shapes as the highlight of an otherwise quiet week for local markets, where hopes of an economic recovery will again tussle with the march of the coronavirus.

SPI futures were down by 35 points, or 0.6 per cent, on Sunday, suggesting a four-day winning streak for the S&P/ASX200 will come under pressure at Mondays open.

US Futures are currently down 0.5 per cent after Wall Streets last session. Credit:Michael Nagle

Tech stocks surged as the local bourse added 2.6 per cent last week, capped with a 0.4 per cent gain on Friday in a low-volume day as US markets shut for the Independence Day long weekend.

US Futures are currently down 0.5 per cent after Wall Streets last session was hamstrung by new daily records for COVID-19 cases across a number of states.
About time. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann chose the weekend to confirm Canberras worst- kept secret. The West Australian senator will leave politics at the end of the year. Apparently, after 13 years in office hes done all he wanted to do.

I can honestly say I have left nothing on the field, he said, adding he has another six months or so of hard work to be done in this job.

Of course, the news hardly came as a surprise - particularly to readers of this column. After all, it was only six weeks ago CBD revealed senior foreign affairs department officials were operating on the understanding that the Belgian-born Cormann was considering a tilt at the top job inside the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The timing certainly made sense, given the OECDs Mexican-born secretary general Angel Gurria is due to wrap up his third, five-year term at the organisation at the end of 2021. Cormanns shot at the top trade job had also been boosted by receiving Prime Minister Scott Morrison's endorsement for the plan. DFAT officials were also of the opinion that the PMs seal would pave the way for the US to endorse the Senators run.
There was a hush while the guard was changed for the last time at 2 oclock. As the winters sunshine fitfully shone through the skylights Rev. Hector Harrison, minister of the Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew, who was a close friend of Mr Curtin, opened the service with the words of the Beatitude. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. For less than half an hour this small assemblage tangibly but inadequately expressed something of the thoughts and emotions of millions of Australians, and perhaps millions beyond our shores, in the loss of a leader who lived to see his native land triumph over the greatest crisis in history. He lived to see complete victory over its enemies assured beyond all possible doubt, and that indeed was his reward on earth. Sergeant John Curtin, only son of the late Prime Minister, salutes as the casket containing the body of his father is lowered into the grave at Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth. PEOPLES UNITY OF GRIEF Mr. Harrison, in his address, said that in the solemn hush that descended upon the people of Australia a sense of keen personal loss and poignant grief mingled with a feeling of deep gratitude to God for the life and labour of John Curtin, who was called to leadership in the hour of Australias dire peril.

We are reminded today, Mr Harrison said, that the true casualty lists of this long and dreadful war include the names of one who came from the Royal house of the British Commonwealth, another from our American Allies, and now one from the Prime Ministers Lodge of the Commonwealth of Australia. So we are bound together in a common task, bound together also in a common grief, a fellowship of suffering for the cause of our common humanity. From the time of his birth in the rural town of Creswick, Victoria, in 1885, John Curtin knew what it was to live a hard life. For he had to make his way in a world which offered him few advantages. He came from the people, and always remained right to the end one of the people. Inspiration to Youth A record of the way in which he overcame the obstacles in the way of acquiring knowledge might well inspire the youth of our land. Mr Harrison continued. His eager, inquiring and creative mind, constrained by a restless spirit, allied with a heart aflame with love for his fellow men, responded to the call of Labor, which came to him through the magnetic personality of Frank Anstey. Then came his marriage with one who shared to the full his ideals and aspirations to serve the people, and that home gifted him with a daughter and son, his pride and joy, was the centre of all his happiness, his refuge from the storm and distress of public life. We commend his loved ones to the God of all comfort and consolation, and to the nation for which he died.

His colleagues in the Labor party have already testified to those qualities which won respect and confidence, and were in the best tradition of British politics. Those who opposed his politics were nevertheless his personal friends, for they never doubted at any time the sincerity of this truly great Australian. Those who served him personally came under his spell because of his unwearying consideration of their welfare. Utter Devotion His colleagues will never forget as long as they live his agony of soul as he had to adopt policies forced upon him by grim reality, policies which he had opposed with conviction throughout the whole of his life. They can tell of his sleepless nights when convoys of Australian troops were passing through battle zones, and of his continual anxiety for those who were prisoners of war. History will record for all time how, when the hosts from the north came down like a mighty flood, confident in strength and exultant in victory, he did not shrink from the hazards of the conflict, but threw himself into his work with an utter devotion which at length laid him low and at last called for the supreme sacrifice. We pay him the homage of a grateful people, as one whose name will live forevermore in the land he loved and among the free peoples of the world.
In late January, the normally bustling main street of Eastwood was almost deserted weeks before the official COVID-19 lockdown had even begun.

One of the first three cases of coronavirus in NSW had been reported nearby, in Epping, on January 25 and false social media reports that warned people to stay away were quickly followed by the cancellation of the Eastwood Lunar New Year Festival.

Alvin Fung of Marsfield with his wife Sammi Lee in the main street of Eastwood on Sunday. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Now, shop owners have reported that things are returning to normal - but the shopping mall is still not as busy as it had been last year.

Alvin Fung, 38, an architect from Marsfield who does his weekly grocery shopping in Eastwood, said he noticed crowds returning in recent weeks.
An 18-year-old man has been found dead after an apparent attempt to scale a fence behind a popular Brisbane nightclub and backpackers hostel overnight.

Police were only called to the scene in laneway off Gipps Street in Fortitude Valley about midday on Sunday when his body was found.

Police say the man's body was found in a laneway behind Birdees nightclub and Bunk hostel, shown bottom right. Credit:Google Maps

Initial investigations suggested the man had been trying to climb a fence behind Birdees nightclub and the Bunk hostel when he fell, a police spokesman said. The venues have been approached for comment.

In a statement later on Sunday afternoon, police said the Bribie Island man had suffered a "severe head injury" and investigations into the incident were ongoing.
ARISS Multi-point Telebridge Contact with school in Belgium

UPDATE

An ARISS educational school contact is planned for Chris Cassidy KF5KDR with students at Don Bosco Haacht Technisch en Beroepsonderwijs, Haacht, Belgium.

The students will be talking with the ISS from their homes over the Internet. The link to the ISS will be operated by the amateur radio ground station AB1OC, located in New Hampshire, USA.

The contact is scheduled on Friday July 10, 2020 at approximately 10:50 UTC, which is 12:50 CEST.

Downlink signals will NOT be audible over Europe

The event will be broadcast on YouTube :

https://youtu.be/zj6gkCtKAwg

73,

Gaston Bertels ON4WF
Friends of a Sunshine Coast father killed by a shark off Fraser Island on Saturday afternoon have paid tribute to the 36-year-old, as the region reels from one of the first fatal shark attacks in years.

Matthew Tratt was spearfishing in waters off Indian Head, on the island's north-east, when he was grabbed by the leg.

He was given first aid by an off-duty doctor and nurse after making it to the rocky shore at the base of the large headland, while paramedics and a rescue helicopter rushed to the scene just after 2pm.

Fraser Coast deputy mayor Darren Everard, also president of the nearby Hervey Bay Surf Life Saving Club, said it was one of the only attacks he could remember in his 30 years in the region.
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.
The agreed narrative in the lead-up to the Eden-Monaro byelection was that Scott Morrison was, in the eyes of most Australians, a redeemed figure. Having repeatedly mishandled the summer bushfire crisis, he had dusted himself off and overseen a national response to the COVID-19 outbreak that was one of the most effective in the world.

His personal popularity was stratospheric. Good on you, Scott, on a job well done. But Saturday revealed a snag: his popularity is not translating into greater support for his party  certainly not in a decisive way. This should serve as a gentle warning to state and territory leaders enjoying a similar halo effect, with the exception of Daniel Andrews, now entering his own special pandemic hell.

Yes, voters appreciate and perhaps even admire the work their political leaders are doing to keep them safe, but they are likely to continue to see it as but one metric upon which they will judge their governments.

Surely this is one takeout from the experience in Eden-Monaro. If ever the 100-year history of a federal government never taking a seat from an opposition at a byelection had a chance of being overturned with some force, this was the moment.
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.
The state's first ageing and disability commission has been inundated with more than 2200 reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of disabled or older adults in just 12 months.

The Berejiklian government last year passed legislation to give the commission broad powers to compel information from individuals and organisations and execute search warrants.

The state's ageing and disabilty commission has received more than 2000 reports related to the abuse, neglect and exploitation of older people and adults with a disability. Credit:iStock

Of the 10,000 calls to its hotline in 12 months, the commission has handled more than 3800 matters, with almost two-thirds related to the abuse, neglect and exploitation of older people and adults with a disability.

The most commonly reported allegations for older people were psychological and financial abuse, while for people with disability it was allegations of psychological abuse and neglect.
Collingwood and Hawthorn are the first clubs to leave Victoria and fly out to their interstate hubs, with all sides to leave the state on Sunday and Monday.

The Pies left for NSW on Sunday morning without star player Jordan De Goey, who has to return two negative coronavirus tests before he can re-join the Magpies' footy program. The Hawks joined them on the same flight ahead of their clash with GWS on Sunday night.

Darcy Cameron farewells his dog before the Pies leave for their hub. Credit:Instagram

De Goey has to be tested because he attended a police station on Saturday when he was charged with indecent assault, relating to an alleged incident in 2015.

Carlton and St Kilda will fly out of Melbourne at 3pm on Sunday, while Geelong will leave for NSW at 8.30pm on Sunday night. Melbourne will leave for Sydney after their game this afternoon.
Algiers, 5 July 2020 (SPS) - Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) to Algiers Abdelkader Taleb Omar accused the United Nations of inaction and indulgence in the face of the violations, by the Moroccan occupier, of the agreements signed between the two sides (Polisario and Morocco), calling for further mobilization to take up the challenges facing the Sahrawi people in their struggle for self-determination.



The Sahrawi ambassador, also a member of the Secretariat General of the Polisario Front launched this call in a meeting that he chaired with the staff of the Sahrawi embassy in Algeria, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the death of El Mahfoud Ali Biba.



In this respect, he affirmed that the evocation of the qualities of the latter and all the Sahrawi martyrs is meant to be an opportunity to renew the oath to our martyrs and take up the challenges facing us in our decisive struggle against the Moroccan occupation, despite the national gains achieved in terms of building the Sahrawi State and its institutions, in addition to the international recognition of the fairness of our cause and of the Sahrawi peoples right.



While broaching the UN peace process in Western Sahara, Taleb Oamr denounced firmly the inaction, the indulgence and silence of this international organization in the face of the Moroccan violations of the agreements signed between the two sides to the conflict (Morocco and the Polisario Front), without neglecting the fact that MINURSO, as a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, doesnt carry out any role in the basic issues (political, legal and human rights), given the status of the territory which is a decolonization issue.



The Sahrawi diplomat also broached the position of Spain which hinders, he pointed out, the decolonization process in Western Sahara by shirking its historical responsibility towards the Sahrawi people. (SPS)



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Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
CASPER, Wyo. (AP)  A criminal investigation into a retired Roman Catholic bishop accused of childhood sexual abuse by more than a dozen men remains open, police in Wyoming said.

A victim advocate from the Natrona County district attorney's office had told an alleged victim that retired Bishop Joseph Hart would not be charged, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Asked why he wasn't pursuing charges, District Attorney Dan Itzen told Cheyenne police Friday that he is still pursuing charges and the case has not been officially closed, police spokesman David Inman said.

Police and Itzen realized the prosecutor misread or misunderstood details in a probable cause affidavit, Inman said.

Itzen's office in Casper had received the case after the district attorney in Cheyenne recused herself. Part of the misunderstanding arose from a difference in how police in Cheyenne and Casper handle paperwork, Inman said.

"Basically it was, 'Oh I didn't know this and this is what you meant by this and this.' That's what's causing the case to come back to life," Inman said. "They're going to convene with their guys, they're going to call the chief, and we're going to meet again."

Communication between police and prosecutors had been difficult, Inman said.

Itzen referred comment Monday to Assistant District Attorney Michael Schafer, who did not immediately return a phone message.

Hart, 88, was was a priest in Kansas City, Missouri, for 21 years before moving to Wyoming, where he served as auxiliary and then full bishop from 1976 until his retirement in 2001.

The first known allegations against Hart dated to the early 1960s and were made in the late 1980s. At least six men have come forward in the past two years to say Hart abused them in Wyoming.

The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has settled in court with at least 10 victims.

The dioceses in Cheyenne and Kansas City have said the men who've come forward against Hart are credible and church officials have substantiated the allegations against Hart.

Hart has consistently denied all accusations of misconduct. Hart's attorney, Tom Jubin, did not immediately return a phone message Monday seeking comment.
Towanda, PA (18848)

Today

Cloudy with occasional light rain...mainly in the morning. Cooler. High 64F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Bir Lahlou, 05 July 2020 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, has sent a congratulatory message to his Algerian counterpart, H.E Mr. Abdelmajid Taboune, on the occasion of the celebration of the 58th anniversary of Independence and Youth Day, which coincide with the 5th of July.



"Algeria's independence is a distinct occasion, not only in your brotherly country, but throughout the world, given its historical, political and legal dimensions and implications throughout the international arena, as a crucial turning point in the decline of the colonial tide in Africa, Asia and Latin America," said the President of the Republic in his message.



The message stressed that Algeria today, under the wise leadership of Mr. Abdelmajid Tabune, will proceed with the will of its people with determination and firmness to achieve further gains and achievements, in all fields and sectors, in the context of a distinct national experience, preserving sovereignty and dignity and paving the way for comprehensive development, with which Algeria assumes its rightful place, regionally, continentally and globally.



On this occasion, the President of the Republic reiterated his firm will to strengthen the relations of brotherhood, friendship and alliance between the two brotherly countries, and to work together to contribute effectively to peace and stability and achieve progress and prosperity in the region, in the context of good neighbourliness and mutual respect among its peoples and countries. (SPS)



062/SPS/T
Tim Lomperis is a Maryville resident, former military intelligence officer, author and political science professor emeritus at Saint Louis University. He worked in the Vietnamese Resettlement Program from 1975-76. His email address is tjlomperis@gmail.com.
The Arts Council of Brazos Valleys newest exhibit is a community art show highlighting Heroes of COVID.

Featuring artwork from Houston native Kristie Nelson and Bryan-College Station native Amanda Dominguez, the community art show will be on display in the lobby of The Arts Council building at 4180 Texas 6 South in College Station.

The pieces recognize front-line workers in the health care industry and beyond, she said.

Nelson said she began her COVID collection because she wanted to do something to show her support for her family and friends who were on the front lines.

My work is an examination of what COVID-19 patients see during their most frightening moments, Nelson said in a press release. It is an examination of the care and comfort that can transfer from one persons eyes to another.

The release notes Dominguez found her love of helping people in rural areas when she moved to Hondo with her husband and afterward enrolled in nursing school at the University of Texas-Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Balancing life as a nurse and a mom, Dominguez said, shes been encouraged by her family to continue working on her art.
Dan Decker, president and CEO of the Texas Travel Industry Association presents the groups Silver Spur Award to State Rep. John Cyrier, left, and State Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst of Brenham.

Texas Sen.Kolkhorst of Brenham received the Texas Travel Industry Associations Silver Spur Award at the associations 30th annual Unity Dinner in March for her work in passing Senate Bill 26 and Senate Joint Resolution 24. The Silver Spur is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated leadership and exemplary service to the Texas travel and tourism industry.

Senate Bill 26 and Senate Joint Resolution 24 became Proposition 5 in last years constitutional amendment election and passed overwhelmingly statewide with 88 percent of the vote.

For many years, Texas state parks were funded primarily through a one-penny-per-pack tax on cigarettes. In 1993, the 73rd Legislature replaced the cigarette tax funding with a portion of revenues derived from the sales tax on sporting goods. The sporting goods sales tax was designed to create a steady stream of funding for state parks, but the amount of the tax has fluctuated over the years. Under Proposition 5, the entire amount of the already existing state sales tax on sporting goods will be permanently dedicated to state parks and historic sites.

Kolkhorst is the only person in Texas to be a two-time recipient of the Silver Spur Award.
Sherri is a wonderful and reliable partner, Sullivan said Thursday. She is there early every single press conference, and she is delightful to work with. Her commitment to the cause has been inspiring and she is a valuable part of the team.

Sara Mendez, health promotion manager for the health district, described Roberts work as essential to the health districts mission. Mendez said Roberts went above and beyond when city and county officials enacted the shelter-in-place order on March 24. Roberts recorded and shared an ASL video about the order.

She has a good grasp of helping people who are needing her services in ways that we would have never thought about before, Mendez said. We are very fortunate and blessed that she reached out to us and that she has been alongside us to get the messages out.

Before each news conference, Mendez said, the health district gives Roberts the talking points that Sullivan plans to go over, but that otherwise she is interpreting in the moment what Sullivan and other speakers say.
Texas A&M Universitys diversity, equity and inclusion efforts will now be overseen by senior professor Frank Ashley, who said multiple positions he has held in his three decades at the school have prepared him well for this new task.
More than 100 men, women and children lined the sidewalk and median at Texas Avenue and George Bush Drive in College Station on Saturday to call for justice for Pfc. Vanessa Guillen.

Guillen, a soldier at Fort Hood in Killeen, was reported missing April 22. Her remains were found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County. The Army said Wednesday that the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance had killed himself.

At a news conference Thursday, the Army identified the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance as Aaron David Robinson. Army investigators declined to comment further on the details of Guillens case, saying they did not want to compromise the ongoing investigation.

The criminal complaint released later Thursday said the civilian arrested in the Guillen case is Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen. Aguilar faces one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Guillens family says they believe she was sexually harassed by Robinson and is calling for a congressional investigation, Natalie Khawam, the Guillen familys lawyer, said.

What touched me was her story, said Bryan resident Isabell Ayala, who, with several friends, helped plan the College Station protest using social media.
To encourage social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas A&M University System hosted drive-in fireworks at the RELLIS Campus on Saturday night.

While hundreds of cars parked at the campus, hundreds more were stationed along the shoulders and medians of nearby roads to catch the display, which was synced to patriotic music broadcast by WTAW. The fireworks show was simulcast on KBTX-TV.

According to a statement from System Chancellor John Sharp, Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson asked whether the RELLIS Campus could be the spot for a socially distanced fireworks show after the annual event at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum was canceled.

Bring your family. All we ask is stay with your vehicle and stay safe. Who knows? Drive-In Fireworks may become the new tradition, Sharp said in the statement posted to the RELLIS Campus website.

Those who arrived to watch the fireworks show seemed happy to be able to get out of the house for the holiday.
Bir-Lahlou, 05 July 2020 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, has sent a message of felicitation to President of Rwanda, H.E Mr. Paul Kagame, on the celebration of the 58th anniversary of Independence and the 26th anniversary of Liberation.



On behalf of the Sahrawi people and Government, I have the pleasure to congratulate you as you celebrate 58 years of independence on July 1 and the 26th anniversary of Liberation Day on July 4, as well as my best wishes for further progress for your country and wellbeing of all its citizens, said the President of the Republic.



We follow with pride the great leap forward in the economic, social and peaceful development of Rwanda under your wise leadership.



Let me also express my appreciation and praise for your consistent efforts undertaken for freedom, development and peace in the entire African continent.



On congratulating your Excellency on this occasion, I am convinced that the traditional friendship between Rwanda and the Sahrawi Republic will be strengthened further, added the President of the Republic in his message to the Rwandan President. (SPS)



062/SPS
In response to a question about whether it is normal for a potential buyer to start certain steps with ERCOT such as the interconnection process before a purchase is confirmed, Sopko said that the developer satisfied the requirement for proof of on-site control as outlined in the ERCOT planning guide.

This basically means that the developer has provided required documentation related to the property that the plant is located on, Sopko said. This particular request is unique in that most interconnection requests we receive are for projects that have not yet been built or for upgrades to existing plants.

The timeline for each project varies depending on their specific circumstances, Sopko said via email. The interconnection process typically takes one to two years for new projects, she said, due to the planning studies needed to connect them to the grid. ERCOT received the interconnection request for Gibbons Creek on March 29. Sopko said that since Gibbons is a recently retired plant, many of the technical studies did not need to be updated. Additionally, she said Gibbons obtained valid air permits and submitted proof of adequate water supplies for generation.

So while the timeline may appear to be condensed, Sopko explained, we are following the same process as we do for all new projects in ERCOT.
"This is why I urge Governor Abbott to convene a special session to allow the legislature to pass legislation and hold hearings regarding the COVID-19 response," Perry said. "It should not be the sole responsibility of one person to manage all of the issues related to a disaster that has no end in sight."

In the upper chamber, state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, has also called for a special session, as have several House Republicans.

Abbott has not explicitly ruled out a special session before the Legislature meets again in January. In a TV interview Friday, though, he made clear it was not his preference at this point.

"The important thing is that we have the capability of responding very swiftly, and now is just not the time [to call the Legislature back]," Abbott told KTRK in Houston. "I will say that all possibilities will always remain on the table, but right now we're just making sure that we do all the right things to ensure that we're putting public health and safety first and that we reduce the spread of the coronavirus."
If Memorial Day unofficially signals the start of summer in Texas, the Fourth of July confirms that it's here for the long haul. For many Texans, both holidays are about getting outside  hitting the beaches, going to parks, barbecuing, swimming  and on Independence Day, taking in a fireworks show and maybe setting a few off themselves.
In Federalist No. 43 he said, The indispensable necessity of complete authority at the seat of government, carries its own evidence with it. It is a power exercised by every legislature of the Union, I might say of the world, by virtue of its general supremacy. Without it, not only the public authority might be insulted and its proceedings interrupted with impunity; but a dependence of the members of the general government on the State comprehending the seat of the government, for protection in the exercise of their duty, might bring on the national councils an imputation of awe or influence, equally dishonorable to the government and dissatisfactory to the other members of the Confederacy.
Into this mix came July 4, the day Americans traditionally celebrate the freedoms we enjoy. But this year, all of us have been made aware that not everyone enjoys those freedoms in the same way, if at all.

The brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police focused our attention on the difficulties of being Black in America. There have been many Black deaths caused by rogue police over the years -- and, sadly, since -- but few captured the attention of white Americans and others as the images of a white police officer with his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, even as bystanders urged the officer to get off Floyd and three other officers stood by and watched. Who could not be outraged? The diffence these days is that almost everybody has a smartphone with a good built-in camera and the video of such atrocities are showing up with great regularity.

For the first time, white Americans began to understand what it is like to be stopped and frisked simply for being black. White Americans began to understand that we must do more than simply state we aren't racist. White Americans began to understand the hoops Blacks have to jump through just to secure the most basic of rights, that discrimination continues to hold Black Americans back, perhaps further from the American dream than before.
16 Dead, 63 Injured Over Fourth of July Weekend in Chicago: Police

At least 79 people were shot, including 16 fatally, over the Independence Day weekend in Chicago, according to authorities.

Authorities confirmed the death toll to NBC5 on Sunday afternoon. A 7-year-old girl was among those who were gunned down on Saturday night.

Nine of the weekends victims were minors, and two children died, officials told Fox32. That includes 14-year-old boy who was among four people who were killed in the South Side neighborhood Englewood on Saturday evening.

The victims were at a large gathering on the street at around 11:35 p.m. on South Carpenter Street. Four males then approached the group and began shooting, police said, adding that the 14-year-old boy was shot in the back before he was taken to Comer Childrens Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The three other males, who were not identified, were pronounced dead at the scene and at the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.

In the same incident, an 11-year-old boy suffered a bullet graze wound, and a 15-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen. They were taken to the Comer hospital, and both are currently in fair condition, authorities said.

Officials said a 7-year-old girl was shot in the head while standing on the sidewalk at her grandmothers house during a Fourth of July celebration at 7 p.m. in Austin on the West Side, according to The Associated Press.

Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun.  Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 5, 2020

Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun, Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote on Twitter on Saturday. As a city, we must wrap our arms around our youth so they understand theres a future for them that isnt wrapped up in gun violence.

In the incident, according to police, suspects emerged from a vehicle and started shooting. No suspects have been apprehended.

Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller told NBC5 that the violence against children needs to end.

You gotta be tired of this, he said. Chicagos heart is broken again. Austins heart is broken again  Im tired of this.

Meanwhile, in a later incident at around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday in the South Side, a 21-year-old man was shot to death while standing on the sidewalk, police said. An hour before that, a woman was shot and five men were injured when a person opened fire at a crowd setting off fireworks in the West Sides Lawndale neighborhood.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack (L) and Senator Mathias Cormann (R) as they wait for the arrival of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to address the House of Representatives at Parliament House on Feb. 10, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Australias Finance Minister to Leave Politics in December

'He's been someone who has been an honest broker.'

One of Prime Minister Scott Morrisons most senior ministers, Mathias Cormann, is retiring from politics at the end of the year.

Cormann said in a statement that he had advised Morrison that the end of 2020 would be an appropriate time for an orderly transition of his portfolio.

Senator Cormann has been finance minister since 2013 and has worked under three Liberal prime ministers.

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, he said in a statement on Sunday.

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.

Senator Cormann, 49, entered federal politics in 2007 and became the governments upper house leader in 2017.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Senator Cormann has been a tower of strength for the government.

As Austs longest serving Finance Minister, hes strengthen our economy, preparing for the challenges we now face, Frydenberg tweeted.

Thank you @JoshFrydenberg. Much more work to be done over the next 6 months to responsibly transition out of this coronavirus induced crisis and to finalise and set in train our five-year plan to maximise the strength of our economic and jobs recovery. Looking forward to it!  https://t.co/zLKh5xosJ3  Mathias Cormann (@MathiasCormann) July 4, 2020

Senior Labor front bencher Tony Burke wished Senator Cormann well.

Hes been a very significant figure in Australian politics, hes been true to his values, Burke told Sky News Sunday Agenda program.

In negotiations, to my knowledge, hes been someone who has been an honest broker.

Senator Cormann thanked Morrison and his predecessors Tony Abbott and Malcolm 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.

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.

Making this decision has been made easier by the knowledge that the government of our country is in very good hands, he said.

Our Prime Minister leads a team that is stronger, more focused and more united than ever.

Senator Cormann said he would spend the next six months working with the prime minister and Frydenberg on finalising the July economic statement, the budget in October and the half-yearly budget update in December.

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.

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.

Senator Cormann 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.

By Colin Brinsden
Chinese service industry workers wait in line for nucleic acid swab tests for COVID-19 at a testing site in Beijing on July 1, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Chinese State-Run Firm Mandates Some Employees Take Part in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: Leaked Document

At least four drug manufacturers in China are developing vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus.

On the packaging of the vaccine manufactured by Sinovac, it states clearly that the vaccine has not been approved by Chinas National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the state agency that regulates the manufacturing of drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and so on.

But a Chinese state-run company has mandated that some of its employees take part in Sinovac vaccine trials, according to an internal document that The Epoch Times obtained.

Taking these [unapproved] vaccines is risky. The vaccine might not work. The worst-case scenario is that it may infect people with the Wuhan pneumonia [CCP virus], said Chan King-ming, director of the Environmental Science Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and member of U.S. Society of Toxicology.

Chan told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that it typically takes about one year to develop and test a vaccine. After lab and animal tests, a vaccine needs to be tested in three phases during clinical trials. After evaluating the vaccines safety and effectiveness and confirming theres no safety concerns, the state administration can approve a vaccine.

I want to ask: The vaccine isnt approved. Who will take responsibility for the vaccines safety? Chan said.

In the United States, drug companies have begun clinical trials with testing on human volunteers.

Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, which is a joint venture between a private Hong Kong company and the state-run Sinobioway, developed and manufactured CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine candidate.

An internal document dated June 15 issued by TravelSky Technology, a state-run company that develops technology for air travel information, showed that the company requested seven groups of its employees to take the Sinovac-manufactured CoronaVac.

TravelSky counts airlines, airports, air travel agencies, and air cargo services as its clients. As of December 2019, TravelSky had 7,476 employees, according to the companys 2019 annual report.

TravelSky said in the document leaked to The Epoch Times by a trusted source: The vaccine has very good safety and effectiveness, and is ready to be applied to people in the case of an emergency.

Though the document states that employees can voluntarily take the vaccine, it is customary of Chinese company culture to use such language to describe mandatory policies. For example, Beijing authorities have said restaurant staff can choose whether to take a nucleic acid test for COVID-19. But if staff cannot show their test results to authorities, they are not allowed to work.

The seven groups are: employees in key and core positions; employees who work in airport terminals; employees who need to take an overseas business trip in the near future or take domestic business trips frequently; managers and staff who attend meetings frequently; employees who are assigned to virus-prevention tasks; and other employees who would like to test the vaccine.

Zhang Hua (pseudonym), a health official from a provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the Chinese-language Epoch Times by phone that at present, participating in a clinical trial should be voluntary.

TravelSky asking its employees to take CoronaVac is essentially forcing them to take part in a clinical trial, Zhang said. Its not right that TravelSky didnt tell its employees the truth.

Zhang added that the state regulator, NMPA, would typically seek out volunteers for a trial on the broader public after a company succeeds with its clinical trials.

TravelSky has not responded to a request for comment.

Other drug manufacturers in China who are working on a COVID-19 vaccine include CanSino Biologics, which has finished the first two phases of clinical trials on its Ad5-nCoV vaccine, according to local media Caixin. Chinas Central Military Commission has approved for military soldiers to take part in trials for the vaccine.

State-run Wuhan Institute of Biological Products also developed its vaccine and said that in its Phase II clinical trial, all participants developed antibodies to the virus, according to state-run media Xinhua.

Also, the state-run Institute of Microbiology Chinese Academy of Sciences teamed up with private company Anhui Zhifei Longkema Biopharmaceutical to develop their vaccine. On June 24, the two firms announced that their vaccine was approved to perform Phase I of their clinical trial.

All four vaccines have not yet completed their final clinical trials.
Columbus Statue Toppled, Thrown Into Harbor by Baltimore Rioters

BALTIMOREBaltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the citys Inner Harbor on Saturday night.

Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument near the Little Italy neighborhood, news outlets reported.

Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures, and others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the statue was owned by the city and dedicated in 1984 by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan.

President Ronald Reagan addresses a ceremony in Baltimore on Oct. 9, 1984, to unveil a statue of Christopher Columbus. (Lana Harris/AP Photo)

A spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young told The Sun the toppling of the statue is a part of a national and global reexamination over monuments that may represent different things to different people.

We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative, Lester Davis said.

Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.
Protestors take part in a demonstration at Washington Square Park in New York, N.Y., on June 1, 2020. (Craig Ruttle/AP Photo)

Cornell Student Government Criticized for Donating Student Fees to BLM Groups

The student government at Cornell University was met with criticism after it donated $10,000 in mandatory student fees to a non-Cornell coalition of Black Lives Matter activist groups.

In a June 25 letter to the editor published by student newspaper The Cornell Sun, second-year student Avery Bower complained that Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC), a student board that allocates funds to student groups for events and programs, sent $10,000 to the Cornell Students for Black Lives fundraising initiative.

The initiative, which is not a registered student group at Cornell, describes itself as an organization collecting and distributing donations for various social justice activist groups not affiliated with the university, including Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, Communities United for Police Reform, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Southside Community Center, and Tompkins County Showing Up for Racial Justice.

These organizations speak for a variety of radical objectives well beyond the scope of racial justice, and the SAFC has made the dubious decision to endorse their actions with students funds, Bower argued in the letter. Whether one agrees with these positions or not is irrelevantthey are controversial political issues that the SAFC has no place supporting with student funds.

The student activity fees we pay are meant to fund just that: Cornell student activities, Bower wrote, noting that it is simply inappropriate for the SAFC to donate to any non-Cornell political group using student funds at all, be it Black Lives Matter or National Rifle Association.

The controversy continued as more Cornell students joined Bower to question the donation. In a second letter published by The Sun on July 1, the students argued that such a donation explicitly violated the SAFCs own charter and funding guidelines.

Nothing in SAFCs charter, bylaws or guidelines for funding authorizes the transfer of funds to non-registered groups, the students wrote. The funding guidelines explicitly prohibit organizations that receive funding through SAFC from using those funds to donate to charities or advocacy organizations.

Nonetheless, some Cornell students supported the donation. The Student Assemblys Vice President of Finance Moriah Adeghe, who isnt responsible for the decision, wrote on Facebook that the idea that SAFC shouldnt have broken its own rules in support of the BLM cause is inherently anti-black.

Black lives matter to you, but with a caveat, Adeghe commented in response to Bowers letter. That caveat being that in your mind rules cant/shouldnt be broken even if that is what is necessary to help black people. That very notion is anti-black.
Alberto Abin walks out of the UniVista Insurance company office after shopping for a health plan under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 2015. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Experts Weigh In on Obamacare as White House Asks Supreme Court for Termination

While the Trump administration recently asked the Supreme Court to terminate Obamacare, the House of Representatives responded by passing a bill allowing for an expansion of the health care program.

As the political arena heats up as the November elections approach and Republicans and Democrats battle over health care policy, experts are weighing in on both sides of the debate, highlighting the underlying need for reform.

It has been a boon to certain health insurance companies, Doug Badger, visiting fellow in domestic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times in an email. Six companies that have collected billions from the federal government in premium subsidies now control half the individual health insurance market.

Ironically, House Democrats have passed a bill that will increase government handouts to the health insurance industry.

Mark Farrah Associates has compiled data on six insurance companies: Centene, GuideWell, Kaiser Foundation, HCSC, Blue Shield of California, and Anthem. Badger points out that the data, which is based on insurance company filings with their state regulators, shows that these companies in the aggregate, increased their market share from 30 percent to 50 percent even as individual coverage dropped to 12.4 million in December 2019 from 16.7 million in December 2015.

Badger says Obamacare, passed in 2010 as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has benefited those receiving subsidized coverage and those with preexisting conditions, but there are many caveats.

Unfortunately, it has done so in a way that has priced health insurance out of the reach of millions of Americans and has forced many people with preexisting conditions into plans where they dont have access to the best medical care, said Badger.

Isabel Diaz Tinoco (L) and Jose Luis Tinoco speak with Otto Hernandez, an insurance agent from Sunshine Life and Health Advisors, as they shop for insurance under the Affordable Care Act at a store setup in the Mall of Americas in Miami, on Nov. 1, 2017. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank founded by former Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta and funded by billionaire financier George Soros, opposes the repeal of Obamacare. It argues that terminating the program would deprive 23 million people of coverage.

Repeal would eliminate essential consumer protections, including those for people with preexisting conditions; requirements for insurers to spend premium dollars on patient care; and mandates that insurers cover prescription drugs, mental health care, and other essential health benefits, CAP said in a commentary on June 24.

The bill on June 29 was passed in a mostly party-line vote of 234 to 179 and aims to increase the subsidies for the ACA and add more federal funding for health care expansion. While the Republicans said they werent consulted on the partisan bill, Democrats said striking down the bill during the pandemic would be harmful.

How can it be that at this very moment when the value of the ACA is so plainly obvious to tens of millions of Americans, that the administration is in court trying to strike it down? Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) said.

Earlier on June 29, the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement (pdf) that the bill intends to exploit the CCP virus pandemic.

This bill attempts to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to resuscitate tired, partisan proposals that would send hundreds of billions of dollars to insurance companies in order to paper over serious flaws in Obamacare.

President Donald Trump greets children of victims of Obamacare after delivering a statement on health care at the White House on July 24, 2017. (Yuri Gripas/AFP via Getty Images)

Americans Deserve More

Experts have said Obamacare is not a perfect lawsome say it should be repealed, others say it should be fixed. However, they all agreed on one pointthe need for reform in the health care system.

Congress repealed Obamacares tax penalty on the uninsured, and the administration has expanded health care choices for families and small businesses. The Trump administration also has granted waivers from federal mandates that have enabled states to make health insurance more affordable, said Badger. But Americans deserve more.

According to Badger, who believes that the law should be repealed, medical costs under Obamacare are still very high, and patients are still subjected to surprise medical bills.

Many seniors struggle with the high cost of prescription medicines, small businesses face rising health insurance premiums, and too many Americans find themselves enrolled in health coverage that limits their choice of doctors, he said.

Alan Sager, director of Health Reform Program at the Boston University School of Public Health, told The Epoch Times that while Obamacare isnt a perfect law, its a valuable step forward and the best law that could be passed in 2010.

Sager said the laws main aim was to finance health insurance coverage for 20 to 25 million peopleabout 50 percent of the 46 million who were uninsured when it was passed.

This was done mainly through Medicaid coverage improvementsby raising the income ceiling for Medicaid for adults up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Also, the subsidized individual mandate coverage through the marketplaces has been important for people with incomes higher than Medicaid. And also, the provision covering children under parents private health insurance up to age 26 protected 23 million people, he said.

Sager said the main drawback of the ACA was the lack of cost controls and that this has been a persistent problem.

We are not yet politically committed to containing health care costseven though we have, by far, the most expensive health care among rich democracies while failing to cover all people or deliver the highest-quality care, Sager said.

Reforming Federal Policy

Badger believes that Congress should reform federal policy to reduce costs, increase health care choices, and create a system that he said is more centered on patients and doctors and not on government and insurance companies.

Badgers hope rests on the Health Care Choices Proposal that he believes can reset the course of failed health care reform by delivering lower prices and more health care choices. The Health Care Choices Proposal is a health care reform plan unveiled in June 2018 by the Health Policy Consensus Group, which offers principles and recommendations to lawmakers that guide their decisions on Medicare and prescription drugs.

Endorsed by more than 100 conservative leaders, the proposal also would protect people with preexisting conditions, reduce insurance premiums by up to one-third, and put patients and doctors in control of their health care, said Badger.

The Health Care Choices Proposal was released when Congress began to discuss improving and modernizing the Medicare program, and it advises changes to bring competition and consumer choice into the program, according to the Galen Institute that facilitates the work of the Health Policy Consensus group.

Sager said that talks about repealing and replacing Obamacare have been going on for yearsthere have been no attempts at a replacement, but there have been attempts at repealing.

In this tug of war, there have been over 70 attempts to repeal or modify Obamacare, according to a 3-year-old Newsweek report, and Sager said the bill passed by the Democrats in the house on June 29 isnt going anywhere in 2020 in the Senate.

However, he said he believes that the American people are incrementalists, and they like steady, gradual progress. The ACA could be greatly improved by boosting federal subsidies, for insurance, simplifying administration, and reducing out-of-pocket costs, said Sager.

Pamphlets advertising for the Affordable Care Act are seen at Sunshine Life and Health Advisors store setup in the Mall of Americas in Miami, on Nov. 1, 2017. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Unlike Badger, Sager doesnt believe in the Health Care Choices Proposal, describing it as a dream, not a reality.

The Health Care Choices Proposal is a fantasy because it imagines that effective free-market competition can actually be made to work in health care, said Sager.

Sager believes that competition doesnt help in improving efficiency, lower prices, or provide more choices in health care.

What competition has actually done in recent decades is to spur mergers by hospitalsmergers that aim to boost their power when negotiating with insurance companies. And doctors are following suit. Government antitrust activities have usually been neutralized by political pressures from powerful hospitals, Sager says.

He said the authorities should instead extend insurance coverage to all Americans.

This can be done without increasing spending by one cent. The $4 trillion we are already spending on health  is enough to finance medical security for all Americans. That means effective, quick, and kind delivery of needed care, without plaguing sick people with co-pays or unaffordable bills when sick, he said.

Meanwhile, while filing an appeal for Obamacares termination to the Supreme Court, Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas, along with 17 attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Florida, and other states, said that Obamacare has failed and that states should be left to decide what kind of health care system they want.

Obamacare has failed, and the sooner it is invalidated, the sooner each state can decide what type of health care system will best provide for those with preexisting conditions, which is the way the Founders intended, Paxton said in a statement.
Extra $600 a Week in Unemployment Insurance Not Needed: Labor Secretary

Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said he doesnt believe the extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits are needed, coming just weeks before the benefits are slated to end.

It was a really important thing to do as we were shutting our economy down. Americans across the country were basically being told, and we needed to take measures, but they were basically being told, you cant go to work right now.  I dont think we need that $600 benefit going forward, Scalia said on Fox News Sunday.

The benefits are slated to end on July 31, but in some states, they will end about a week later.

During the so-called Great Recession 10, 12 years ago when we had a downturn, the added federal unemployment benefit was $25 a week, Scalia said. What we did in the CARES Act was $600 a week. He is referring to a bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in March, which authorized the enhanced unemployment benefits, stimulus checks of up to $1,200, and loans for small businesses.

Trump said last week that his administration is working with Congress to come up with another stimulus package, while also saying that he supports sending more stimulus payments to people. The Senate is currently on its July 4 recess and wont debate the bill until after July 20, when the senators are set to return.

Were working on a phase four. Were working with Congress, Trump said in a press briefing on July 2. Work has started. Steve Mnuchin can give you a little briefing. Talking about payroll tax cuts, were talking about more money being infused. And it comes back to us.

President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wis., on June 25, 2020. (Evan Vucci/File/AP Photo)

On Saturday, meanwhile, Trump signed an extension of the CARES Acts paycheck protection program (PPP), giving small businesses more time to apply for loans.

Trump told Fox Business last week that he also supports stimulus payments that are larger than what Democrats had proposed.

I support actually larger numbers than the Democrats, but its got to be done properly, Trump said in an interview with Fox Business. I want the money getting to people to be larger so they can spend it. I want the money to get there quickly and in a non-complicated fashion, he added.

House Democrats had passed a $3 trillion stimulus package known as the HEROES Act that would send out $1,200 payments to eligible Americans and children. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) endorsed the measure and on Thursday called on GOP senators to quickly provide additional federal fiscal relief, while calling on them to finally work with Democrats.

Republican senators, however, have said that the HEROES Act contains too many unnecessary provisions.
The pitcher Tyson Brummett of Venezuela's Navegantes del Magallanes pitches against Dominican Republic's Tigres de Licey during their 2014 Caribbean baseball series game, in Porlamar city, Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela, on Feb. 4, 2014. (Leo Ramirez/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Dies in Plane Crash

Former Philadephia Phillies pitcher Tyson Colby Brummett died in a plane crash on the morning of Friday, July 3, according to a press release issued by the Utah County Sheriffs Office.

The crash killed 35-year-old Brummett and three other people, according to the news release. The other three individuals who were also in the aircraft during the crash were Brummetts friend, 35-year-old Alex Blackhurst Ruegner from Riverton, and Ruegners aunt and uncle, 60-year-old Elaine W. Blackhurst and 62-year-old Douglas Robinson Blackhurst, from Riverton, according to the press release.

In the press release, it was stated that the four of them had flown out from the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan before the plane crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon.

The crash was witnessed by a man who was hiking with his two sons. The witnesses said they saw the plane turning and spiraling downward before hitting the ground. According to the man, the aircraft had spiraled out of control and flew out of sight before the sound of the impact was heard.

The witnesses called the authorities before 8 a.m. in the morning, and while waiting for the authorities to arrive, the witnesses went over to where the aircraft crashed to the ground and verified that the occupants of the aircraft died on impact.

Authorities at the Utah County Sheriffs Office were dispatched the scene of the crash just before 8 a.m., according to the press release.

UCSO Search and Rescue responded, as did Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter and Lone Peak Fire and Ambulance, the press release states. The DPS helicopter crew shuttled Detectives, SAR, and medical personnel to the scene.

Once they had arrived at the scene of the crash, they verified that the victims were deceased. Authorities believed that the victims died on impact when the aircraft landed.

The DPS crew assisted the Medical Examiner with recovering the bodies of the victims. Those bodies were transported to the Medical Examiners Office in Taylorsville. NTSB and FAA investigators will respond to the crash scene in an effort to determine the cause of the crash, the press release indicated.

It is not yet known what the cause of the crash was, according to the press release.

From NTD News
German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a press conference on June 22, 2020, in Berlin. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/AFP via Getty Images)

Germany to Revamp Financial Oversight After Wirecard Scandal

BERLINGermanys finance minister says he wants to revamp the oversight system for the countrys financial industry in the wake of the accounting scandal at payment systems provider Wirecard.

The Munich-based Wirecard filed for bankruptcy recently after auditors couldnt find accounts in the Philippines that were supposed to contain 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion). The companys former CEO was arrested and released on bail, while its former chief operating officer is on the run.

The Wirecard logo shown at the headquarters of the payment service provider in Aschheim, Germany, on June 24, 2020. (Sven Hoppe/Picture-Alliance/DPA via AP)

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in an interview published on Sunday that he wants to empower the countrys financial supervisory authority, BaFin, to conduct unannounced checks at any moment.

He also proposed ensuring that BaFin has oversight of large payment processing companieseven if they dont fall neatly into the category of a financial institutionand discuss whether auditors need to rotate more frequently.

German authorities have been criticized for failing to step in sooner despite reports of irregularities dating back at least five years.

Fabio De Masi, a lawmaker with the opposition Left party, largely welcomed the proposals but called for a lower threshold of liability for auditors failings.
A sign is seen stuck to a window reading 'Treat us as humans not caged animals end this lockdown effective immediately' at the Flemington Public housing flats in Melbourne, Australia on July 05, 2020. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Australian Citys Housing Towers Look Like Crime Scene After Hard COVID-19 Lockdown Orders

Victorian Council of Social Service CEO Emma King has urged the state in southeast Australia to proportionately handle its immediate hard lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne.

There were frightening scenes last night as swarms of police descended upon the Flemington and North Melbourne housing estates, under orders from Victorias Labor Premier Daniel Andrews to enforce a mandatory lockdown of the housing towers, King said.

The drastic move to stop the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as coronavirus, was activated in response to data showing that 30 virus cases have been linked to the nine Melbourne housing blocks.

Speaking on the Today Show on July 5, King, who is a resident in the same suburb, said she would have preferred to see nurses, social workers, and members of the community on the front line but instead there were a lot of police.

I do think however that dealing with this with lights and sirens [was a bit much]. You know last night looked at like a crime scene, she said.

King raised no objection to the public health order or the need to contain the CCP virus.

I think we have to prioritize saving lives, thats really straightforward. This is a public health emergency first and foremost, but we have to be sensitive to the needs of every community and every person.

But she added, Its important that we protect people, but in the same way, in doing so, I think we shouldnt treat them like criminals.

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. King said in a statement on public housing lockdowns on July 4.

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 quite confronting, King said. Being cut off from outside support services and family networks will also be damaging for many people.

Andrews said on July 4 that the restrictions have been brought in to safeguard the health of the residents and prevent a further outbreak of the CCP virus.

This is not about punishment, this is about protection. We cannot have a cohort of people, many of whom in poor health to start with, we cant have this virus spread. We have to do everything we can to contain the virus.

Staying in your unit is absolutely essential, Andrews told a press conference.

Residents have been told to stay in their units for between five days and a fortnight. Around 500 police are on guard, with officers on each floor of the towers as well as monitoring the perimeter of the buildings.

Tenants in the towers have been granted a two-week reprieve from rental payments, and those who are unable to go to work because of the lockdown will get a A$1,500 hardship payment.

Andrews said public health workers, nurses, and other officials would be directly supporting the thousands of quarantined residents each day, who will be provided with food, essentials, drug and alcohol support, mental health support, family violence support, and physical health care.

The community connector program, which is a partnership between the government and the Red Cross, will be a single point of contact for each and every one of those 3,000 residents, Andrews said.

Victorias chief health officer Brett Sutton said that he expected more cases to be found.

I dont think weve turned the corner yet. I think we can see other big days ahead of us, he said.

We are extremely concerned that there are many hundreds of people in these towers who have already been exposed to the cases that weve found and possibly to cases that exist and that we havent found, Annaliese van Diemen, the states deputy chief health officer, added.

This is not just a matter of 23 to 30 odd people. This is a matter of many hundreds who have already been exposed and who may already be incubating.

Consequences Might Be Horrific

The state governments handling of the Melbourne hotel quarantine program has come under strong scrutiny recently with opposition ministers calling for their counterparts to step down.

Several outbreaks of the CCP virus have been linked to Melbourne hotels with security guards and close contacts infected.

There have been allegations of federal assistance being ignored, with private security guards favored.

An inquiry into the states failed hotel quarantine program was begun on July 2.

King is urging the government to act proportionately in managing its hard lockdown of the Melbourne housing estates.

We need to make sure these lockdowns are done right, done proportionately, and done with sensitivity. If we get this wrong, the consequences will be horrific. King said.

She has suggested that greater emphasis be spent on ensuring that all tenants are informed about whats going, understand why its happening, and are given the support they need.

That includes appropriate support for people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mental health challenges, [and more], she said.
You cant connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future, former Apple CEO, the late Steve Jobs said in his 2005 Stanford University commencement address.

In his speech, Jobs explained how after he dropped out of college, he stayed on campus and took a calligraphy class. Jobs attributed that class as the reason Apple Macs typography was so beautiful, and one of the reasons the Mac was an incredible success.

Jobs took the calligraphy class because he enjoyed it; he didnt understand how important it would be to his future success.

Inspired by Jobss insightful reflections, I joined the dots throughout my life, but in a very different way: to recount how art had affected my wellbeing. Many of us, at one time or another, have probably looked at our health and wellbeing in terms of the food and drink we consume, but we may not have considered how the art we consume affects our quality of life.

Allegory of the Five Senses, circa 1630, by Pietro Paolini. Oil on canvas; 49.2 inches by 68.1 inches. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. (Public Domain)

Girl Meets Masterpiece

Art has always been a part of my life, and Ive been fortunate to have visited many of the worlds best galleries and museums such as the Louvre in Paris; the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam; the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and more. And having lived most of my life a short commute from Londons world-class art institutions, great art is practically on my doorstep.

My first memory of meeting a masterpiece is etched in my mind. It was on a school trip to a London gallery when I was around 11 years old. I saw a red chalk drawing gently rendered by the hand of Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, or the likeyoull forgive my 11-year-old self for not remembering this important detail.

I was in awe of the rather dainty depiction, yet I couldnt quite explain why. I dont remember even understanding the subject matter. But the drawing fascinated me to such an extent that as my school party walked off into the distance, I just stayed and stared at this mysterious masterpiece.

Italian paintings, 17th century, in The National Gallery, London. (Alex Segre/Shutterstock)

Around 10 years after that first encounter, I spent many a lunchtime sitting in the Old Masters gallery at the London Tate Gallery (now the Tate Britain), which was just a stones throw from where I worked. As I sat among those masterpieces, I always gained some kind of respite and solace, no matter what was happening in my life.

Those experiences Id had with traditional paintings seemed to have an ability to uplift me. I thought back to other art that had left a deep impression on me to understand more.

Monet and More

One thing Ill never forget was seeing Monets Water Lilies on a school exchange trip to Paris in 1991. At the time, I was in complete awe of anything Monet made.

Monet specifically painted his series of water lilies to span the length and breadth of two oval galleries in the Orangerie Museum, covering more than 100 linear yards.

I walked around one of the oval galleries, with my eyes fixated on Monets pastel blue-pink-green water lilies that seemed to dance with light. As my feet closely followed the curve of the gallery, I became more and more hypnotized by the soft play of colors, so much so that I failed to realize a small ledge on the floor where the floor met the wall. In an instant, I lost my footing and slipped. I instinctively stretched my arm out to steady myself and nearly high-fived Monets canvas. Needless to say, I was mortified. I was awakened from the deafening awkward silence (that seems to accompany any accident) by a gallery attendant screaming at me in French. It wasnt my proudest art encounter, but it taught me a lot.

Monets Water Lilies mesmerized me to such an extent that I literally lost my footing. I now realize that thats what a lot of modern art does: It disorientates us rather than guides us.

Remembering my awkward, close encounter with Monets art surprised me. Only two other pieces of modern art made a lasting impression on me. The first was My Bed, created in 1998 by British artist Tracey Emin.

Emins installation consisted of her unmade bed while she was in the midst of having a mental breakdown. The bed was littered with cigarette packets, vodka bottles, dirty tissues, and the like. Admittedly, it was thought-provoking: It made me question whether Id made my bed that morning. It didnt make me strive to be a better person beyond making me think of cleaning my house. It just brought up disgust and some compassion for Emin.

Emins art felt too much like what I was seeing in the news: A statement of someones life without any positivity.

The second was an art installation at the Tate Modern that prompted me to never return there again. The offending installation was a collection of colorful totemesque poles with suffragette and feminist protest war cries. I left the Tate Modern in quiet protest.

I realized that art by Monet, Emin, and the like wasnt for me. I longed for art with a redeeming quality. Quite simply, I sought solace in art.

Ancient Wisdom

Now that I understood more about how different types of art had impacted me, there was another dot to connect.

For around 10 years, I worked as an Ayurvedic practitioner. Ayurveda, pronounced eye-U-vay-da (Sanskrit for the knowledge of life) is an ancient natural medicine system, similar to Chinese medicine, that began in India some 5,000 years ago.

Ayurveda looks at disease differently from Western medicine and defines disease (dis-ease) as anything that causes discomfort, whether it has a mental or physical origin. Using the principles of Ayurveda, we can be aware of how the little things in our day can affect our health. For instance, one foundation of Ayurveda is the principle of similar increases similar. Most of us practice this instinctively: When we are hot, we may automatically reach for an ice cream or ice cold glass of water to cool ourselves down. We wouldnt grab something hot, as that would increase our temperature. Thats the principle of similar increases similar in practice.

So Ayurveda states that to alleviate any dis-ease we should go for the opposite quality from what were experiencing.

Ayurveda also believes that everything we consume, whether its our food or through our sensory experiences, is nourishment. It makes sense, then, that one of Ayurvedas tenets for good health and happiness is the proper use of our five sensesperhaps something we dont necessarily think about. Yet, everything we consume with our senses affects us.

The Five Senses, circa 16751700, by Giovanni Battista Manerius. Oil on canvas; 57 inches by 89.4 inches. (Public Domain)

Ayurveda has the concept of asatmyendriyartha samyoga, Sanskrit for the unwholesome contact of the senses with their objects. The objects of the sense of sight are the eyes, for example. Unwholesome actions come under three categories that can cause dis-ease: excessive, inactive, or improper use of the senses.

Most of the time, were probably in a state of excessive use of our senses, if our daily commute involves being bombarded with billboard signs and surfing social media, for example.

Within this context, I could begin to understand how viewing art affected my health. Of the three unwholesome actions, the improper use of our senses, which Ayurveda calls mithya yoga (Sanskrit for improper union) was particularly relevant. This improper union is an action we carry out even though we know it is not good for us. One improper use of sight would be to see any distorted vision or repulsive, frightening, or aggressive objects.

With this knowledge, I can see how I created some dis-ease in myself by looking either at art that was unpleasant or art that however beautiful wasnt quite true to real life. It then made sense that the art I saw as a girl moved me so much because, even if I didnt know what it meant, it connected me with my humanity. I recognized it on a soul level, and that experience nourished me.

English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds got it right when in 1784 he said: A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts. Worth thinking about is the intent of the picture, the thoughts the artist tries to convey, in addition to whether the art is imbued with goodness integral to our health.

We cannot unsee what weve seen. But, for the most part, we can choose what we consume. The question is: Do we want to consume art that contributes to our dis-ease or to our inner harmony?
This photo released Thursday, July 2, 2020, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows a building after it was damaged by a fire at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, some 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. Iran on Sunday confirmed that a damaged building at the underground Natanz nuclear site was a new centrifuge assembly center, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)

Iran Confirms Damaged Nuclear Site Was Centrifuge Facility

TEHRAN, IranIran on Sunday confirmed that a damaged building at the underground Natanz nuclear site was a new centrifuge assembly center, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iranian officials had previously sought to downplay the fire, which erupted early on Thursday, calling it only an incident that affected an industrial shed. However, a released photo and video of the site broadcast by Iranian state television showed a two-story brick building with scorch marks and its roof apparently destroyed.

A spokesman for Irans nuclear agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said Sunday that work had begun on the center in 2013 and it was inaugurated in 2018.

More advanced centrifuge machines were intended to be built there, he said, adding that the damage would possibly cause a delay in development and production of advanced centrifuge machines in the medium term.

He said that the fire had damaged precision and measuring instruments, and that the center had not been operating at full capacity due to restrictions imposed by Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Iran began experimenting with advanced centrifuge models in the wake of the United States unilaterally withdrawing from the deal two years ago.

An online video and messages purportedly claiming responsibility for the fire were released Friday. The multiple, different claims by a self-described group called the Cheetahs of the Homeland, as well as the fact that Iran experts have never heard of the group before, raised questions about whether Natanz again had faced sabotage by a foreign nation, as it had during the Stuxnet computer virus outbreak believed to have been engineered by the United States and Israel.

The Natanz fire also came less than a week after an explosion in an area east of Tehran that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites.

Two U.S.-based analysts who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday, relying on released pictures and satellite images, identified the affected building as Natanzs new Iran Centrifuge Assembly Center. A satellite image on Friday by Planet Labs Inc., annotated by experts at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies, shows what appears to be damage done to half of the building.

Destroying a centrifuge assembly facility could greatly impact Irans ability to more-quickly enrich greater amounts of uranium.
Miami-Dade Mayor Says Protests Had a Lot to Do With COVID-19 Surge in Florida

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Sunday cited the recent protests as one of the reasons his county continues to report new highs for COVID-19 cases.

During an interview on CBS Face the Nation, Gimenez said that the county residents let their guard down in late May and early June, a period marked by the effort to reopen Floridas economy, as well as the civil unrest following George Floyds death in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Some of the protests that we had here, I think, contributed to it, so we saw a rapid rise in young people being positive for COVID-19 around mid-June, he said. I think that had a lot to do with probably socializing, young people going to parties, maybe graduation parties at home.

Thousands of protesters have marched in cities and towns across the Miami-Dade County throughout June. On June 6, some 1,000 protesters gathered and marched through the main campus of Florida International University, Miami. Many of the protestors were students there.

When asked whether is was the reopening of businesses rather than the protests that caused an uptick in COVID-19 cases, the Republican mayor said they are both factors leading to the current situation.

I think its all the above. I think obviously the protests had a lot to do with it, Gimenez said. We had, you know, thousands of young people together outside, a lot of them not wearing masks. And we know when you do that, and you are talking, and you are chanting, etc., that really spreads the virus.

So absolutely, the protests had something to do with it, Gimenez continued. But also our people, our residents, did notI think they let their guard down and started to socialize. And again, that also has to do with it. So its all the above. Im not saying its just that, but it was a contributing factor.

Gimenezs comments comes as Florida on Saturday reported 11,458 new COVID-19 cases, setting new record for single-day cases. In Miami-Dade, the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled in the past month. An interactive map by Floridas Health Department suggests that at the beginning of June, the county had around 18,000 confirmed cases. By Independence day weekend, the countys number of cases had grown to about 46,000.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week hes not planning to shut down the states economy again.

Were not shutting down. Were going to go forward were going to continue to protect the most vulnerable, were going to urge, continue to advise, particularly our elderly population, to maintain social distancing and avoid crowds, DeSantis said.
Night Shift Worker Rescues a Dog He Hit With His Car, Only to Find Out Its Actually a Coyote

As Eli Boroditsky was driving to work at a cheese plant in New Bothwell, Manitoba, what looked like a dog ran out into the middle of the road. Unable to brake in time, Boroditsky struck the animal.

I was hesitant to leave it lying there becausethinking that it was a dog and there might be wild animals aroundit might get hurt, he told the CBC. Boroditsky put the animal on the backseat of his car and took it to work with him.

I thought it was a German shepherd or a husky, he told CBC.

After arriving at work, a co-worker pointed out that he had rescued a coyotenot a dog at all.

The coyote weighed 13 kilograms (approx. 29 pounds) and was more than a little stunned by the accident and remained docilewhich reinforced the notion that it was a stray dog. It is amazing how docile it was. I was petting it, he explained.

Once the shock of learning it was a coyote had worn off, Boroditsky called wildlife centers, but all of them were closed for the night. After sleeping off her injuries, the coyote was picked up the next morning by a government official from Manitoba Wildlife and taken to the Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre (WHRC) in Ile des Chenes.

Boroditsky was extremely impressed with how calm the coyote had remained, noting that the only time she really acted up is when the wildlife officer put the loop around her to get her out of the car.

(Courtesy of Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre)

Despite the force of the collision, which shattered part of Boroditskys front right bumper, the coyote made it out of the accident relatively unharmed. The Rehabilitation Center assessed the coyote and found that she was in very good health and only had a couple of cuts on her face and hind legs from the accident.

Within a week, with a safe, warm place to sleep and plenty of food and veterinary attention, the coyote was able to be released back into the wild.

A video taken from the sanctuary shows the coyote being placed outside in an open box and taking off at full speed across the snow-covered fields, showing just how well she had recovered.

Executive director of WHRC Zoe Nakata lauded Boroditskys humane decision to stop, though cautioned against picking up wild animals in distress. If an animal is large and is a predatorif their behavior and natural behaviors are aggressivethen we always always ask people to be cautious and to call people to help, she told the CBC.

In a situation such as the one Boroditsky faced, its best to exercise caution. Nakata suggests calling a local wildlife refuge or sanctuary for advice. When it comes to smaller animals, Nakata sometimes asks people to simply wrap a towel around it, place it in a box, and drive it to the center.

Thankfully, all ended well for the coyote in this case, if not for Boroditskys fenderthat can be replaced.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
New York City police are searching for a man who shot two people, killing a man and injuring a woman, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 2, 2020. (NYPD)

NYC Gunman Shoots and Kills Man, Injures Woman in Daylight Attack: Police

New York City police are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a man and wounded a woman in broad daylight in Brooklyns Brownsville neighborhood.

The incident took place near 41 New Lots Avenue on July 2, said the NYPD.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison posted a video of the incident on Friday, which shows a man walking up to another man on the sidewalk before pulling out a gun from his waistband and firing multiple shots at the other man in close range.

The suspect, who appears to be black, then put his gun away and walks in the opposite direction, according to the footage.

When police officers arrived on the scene, they discovered a male with gunshot wounds to the head. A female was found with several gunshot wounds, according to Harrison.

The male later died at the hospital, Harrison said.

The father of the slain victim identified him as 20-year-old Deondraye Moore.

Im still trying to wrap my head around it, Derrick Moore said of his son, according to the New York Daily News. Im shocked.

Officials told the paper that the woman is in stable condition in the hospital.

A video of the incident can be seen below (Warning: disturbing):

Earlier this morning, police officers from the 73rd Precinct responded to a 911 call of a male and female shot in front of 41 New Lots Avenue. When they arrived, they discovered a male with a gunshot wound to the head and a female with multiple gunshot wounds. pic.twitter.com/uXNwmhatsO  Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) July 3, 2020

Amid an investigation, Harrison asked anyone with information about the shooting to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or send a message via Twitter to @NYPDTips.

Last week, the City Council endorsed Mayor Bill de Blasios plan to cut $1 billion from the NYPD after Black Lives Matter activists called to defund the police.

According to NYPD statistics, murders in New York City rose about 21 percent over the previous year, and shootings are up about 46 percent.

You have a criminal justice system that is imploding, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told reporters about the crime wave plaguing the city. Imploding. Thats the kindest way to put it.

Meanwhile, it appears that seemingly random attacks are on the rise as well. Late last week, 35-year-old Anthony Gonzalez was arrested after slashing the face of a 2-year-old boy who was in a stroller, the child was hospitalized and got several stitches.

The child was on the street with his nanny when the incident unfolded.

Thanks to the hard work & dedication of NYPD detectives whore relentless in their investigations, the suspect wanted for this horrific crime against a defenseless child has been charged with felony assault, Shea wrote on Twitter.
Portland, Oregon, Police Declare Protest a Riot, Make Multiple Arrests

Portland, Oregon, police officers declared late on July 4 that a protest near the Justice Center had become a riot, and used crowd-control munitions, including a type of tear gas, in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

Meanwhile, the citys top police official railed against nightly criminal activity that destroys the value and fabric of our community.

Nightly demonstrations have continued for weeks in Oregons largest city, and the situation became so violent overnight on July 4 that the citys police department stopped handling non-emergency calls because so many officers were dealing with the rioting. An officer was injured when commercial-grade fireworks exploded near her during the demonstrations.

More than a dozen people were arrested, the bureau said in a press release. One man who was arrested had a loaded firearm and a knife on him. Possession of the firearm violated city code, police officials said.

Several hundred demonstrators gathered and fired dozens of fireworks, including commercial-grade mortars, at the Justice Center, which houses a police precinct, and the nearby federal courthouse, police officials said. The group also lit several fires.

Officers declared a riot just after 11 p.m. and used crowd-control munitions, including CS gasa type of tear gasin an attempt to disperse the crowd.

During the attempt, one group of officers had mortars thrown at them, and, as they retreated, people chased them and threw more projectiles, such as bricks and lit fireworks.

This is some of the video taken by an Officer who was embedded with a Rapid Response Team tonight. The Officer sustained injury from a mortar that exploded near her feet while she was recording. pic.twitter.com/S4JvlXioZc  Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) July 5, 2020

Video footage from the area showed demonstrators repeatedly clashing with police.

In updates issued to the public every hour, a police spokeswoman urged people to clear the area, warned against locals from traveling to anywhere downtown, and said people who didnt follow orders would be arrested.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who was sworn in on June 11, said in a video message, released around 4 a.m. local time, that the actions of people in the crowd put lives at risk.

We want community members to feel free to express themselves peacefully, he said. Some of what I witnessed tonight by a small group of individuals was not peaceful. It was aggressive and dangerous.

Our community deserves better than nightly criminal activity that destroys value and the fabric of our community.
A police car drives through an intersection in this file photo taken in Wilmington, North Carolina. (Andrew Caballero/AFP/Getty Images)

Officer Shot in Police Cruiser With Mortar Firework in Texas: Department

A police officer in Amarillo, Texas, was shot by a mortar firework while responding to a call about a group of people shooting off fireworks on the Fourth of July.

A mortar shell was shot through his open driver side window, the police department wrote in a news release on Sunday.

The firework exploded and caused injuries to the officer, and it damaged the vehicle, said the department.

Other officers responded but could not locate the suspect due to the large number of fireworks being shot at them by the crowd, the department wrote.

The unnamed and injured officer was taken to a nearby hospital. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities said in the release that officers saw multiple people at the park filming this incident with their cell phones.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact the department at 378-4258 or 378-9468, and anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 374-4400.

Meanwhile, over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, two officers in New York City were injured after a bullet was fired into their vehicle.

The officers were sitting in a car in the Bronx when a shot was fired, according to local reports. No arrests have been made.

Two cops inside takes a bullet to the windshield outside the 40 Pct. stationhouse. Another perp points a gun at cops in Queens. Another throws a lit firework into an NYPD vehicle in Brooklyn. This is the environment that @NYCMayor & @NYCCouncil have created. Unacceptable, wrote an NYPD officer union about the incident.

And in Ohio, a man shot and killed an officer early on Saturday in the parking lot of a Home Depot, the Toledo Police Department said.
Ohio Police Officer Shot, Killed in Home Depot Parking Lot

A police officer in Toledo, Ohio, was shot and killed in a Home Depot parking lot after responding to a 911 call, officials said.

The Toledo Police Department confirmed in a release that officer Anthony Dia was shot in the chest while responding to a call about an intoxicated man in a Home Depot parking lot on July 4. When Dia approached the male, according to witnesses, the male turned around and shot Dia in the chest.

Dia was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, officials said.

Witnesses told the department that they saw the suspect flee into a wooded area. While officers investigated the area, they heard a gunshot in the wooded area.

At approximately 3:15 a.m., officers located a 57-year-old male, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Through witnesses, it was confirmed that the deceased male was the one who had shot Dia, according to the news release.

Toledo Police Chief George Kral said that its a sad day for the Toledo Police Department, and most importantly its a sad day for the family, friends, loved ones, and fellow officers of Ofc. Anthony Dia, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in protecting his city tonight, while the department noted that he joined the police force in 2018.

Kral said that Dia went to the Home Depot to [check] to make sure that this man was OK, according to the Toledo Blade.

I will never forget the sight of Officer Dia being wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz told local news outlets. His body wrapped in an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo police officers, saluting and weeping.

The death of Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia weighs heavy on the hearts of officers and all those who knew the passion with which Officer Dia loved his family and served his community. We will continue to provide updates to officers & the community as information is processed. pic.twitter.com/DSwyYVdqSe  Toledo Police (@ToledoPolice) July 4, 2020

Officials identified the male suspect as Edward Henry, 57, the Blade reported. Witnesses said Henry was drinking and had been arguing with some people who were gathered nearby.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also offered his condolences to Dias family on Saturday.

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, he said in a statement.
Emergency workers tend to an injured person on the ground after a driver struck two protesters on I-5 in Seattle, Wash., on July 4, 2020. (James Anderson via AP)

Police Seeking Motive After Driver Hits Protesters, Killing One on Seattle Freeway

The Seattle Police Department said it is trying to determine the motive of a driver who struck two Black Lives Matter protesters who were part of a crowd of protesters blocking Interstate 5.

Summer Taylor, 24, was killed when the driver, Dawit Kelete, drove around vehicles that blocked I-5 and hit the crowd at around 1:40 a.m., a police report said. Video footage showed people yelling, Car! Car! before the car struck Taylor and Diaz Love, 32.

Officials said in a news conference that they are trying to figure out where Kelete got onto the interstate and are seeking a possible motive. Authorities said they suspected that he drove the wrong way onto the ramp and went through a barrier to close down that section of the freeway.

The Washington State Patrol announced that following the womans death, police will not be allowing protesters to enter I-5 to ensure the safety of all citizens including protesters and motorists. It added that pedestrians walking on the freeway will be arrested.

Here are two pictures of the suspect vehicle that struck two protesters on I-5 this morning. Investigation into motive and point of entry in to I-5 are still under investigation. pic.twitter.com/gU1QH6TFTu  Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 4, 2020

Trooper Chase Van Cleave told The Associated Press that Kelete, who was alone, kept driving south after hitting the two women, adding that a protester got in a car and chased his vehicle for about a mile. Van Cleave said the demonstrator was able to get him to stop by pulling his car in front of his.

Kelete was booked into the King County Jail and was held without bail. He is being investigated for two counts of vehicular assault, Van Cleave said.

Early this morning two women were hit by a car and very seriously injured while peacefully protesting. Many others were almost hit and witnessed this horrific event. Our city stands beside their friends, families and loved ones in praying for these women and all who were there, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan wrote on Twitter.

Washington State Troopers investigate the scene where two people in a group of protesters were struck by a car on I-5 in Seattle. (Jason Redmond/Reuters)

State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said in a statement that its not wise for pedestrians to be on the interstate.

The WSP is exercising the safest means possible to avoid injuries or worse to motorists, protesters, WSDOT personnel and our troopers by closing the roadway as needed and separating protesters and vehicular traffic. But  the freeways are an inherently dangerous place for any pedestrian, and that is especially so for those assembling illegally on them. The WSP continues to support the rights of peaceful protesters, but the interstate is not a safe place to do that, he said.

Seattle has been embroiled in unrest since the death of George Floyd in police custody in late May, with protesters, anarchists, and self-described Marxists setting up an autonomous zone in the Capitol Hill area. Police and city workers last week dismantled the area.
A general view shows the U.S. embassy across the Tigris river in Iraq's capital Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 3, 2020. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

Rocket Fired Toward US Embassy in Baghdad Injures Child: Iraqi Officials

A rocket fired toward the U.S. Embassy in Iraq landed near a house, injuring a child, said Iraqi officials on Sunday morning.

A Katyusha rocket was launched from the Ali Al-Saleh area of Baghdad towards the Green Zone, Iraqi security officials wrote in a statement, referring to the area that houses the embassy. Katyusha rockets, which are often used by Iran-backed militia groups operating in Iraq, have been frequently fired at the U.S. Embassy area so far this year.

The rocket landed near a house and resulted in the injury of a child and damage to the house, security officials wrote.

Authorities said Iraqi security forces were able to stop an attack in the Umm al-Azam area and were able to seize a Katyusha missile and launching platform. The rocket was being aimed at the Taji camp area, located north of Baghdad, which is a training base used by U.S.-led coalition forces.

                                  . pic.twitter.com/rMntLkDy2i     (@SecMedCell) July 5, 2020

Two Americans and one British soldier were killed in a rocket attack at Camp Taiji in March.

In recent days, the United States criticized Iraqs federal government for being unable to reign in Iran-backed militia groups it believes are orchestrating the attacks. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has pledged to protect American installations from attacks, U.S. officials said, according to The Associated Press.

Iraqi security forces last week raided the headquarters of the powerful Iran-backed terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah and detained 14 men suspected of being responsible for rocket attacks targeting the Green Zone. Thirteen detainees were later released and one remains in custody.

The U.S. Embassy began testing the new air defense system late Saturday, the Iraqi officials said. It drew condemnation from Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hassan al-Kaabi, who called on the government to take action against the illegal move which would provoke the Iraqi people, according to a government statement.

Iran-backed militias have ramped up their rocket attacks this year following the U.S.-approved drone strike of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was accused of killing hundreds of American troops over the years. Iran then fired a barrage of about two-dozen rockets, hitting two military bases housing American soldiers in Iraq.

Days before the Soleimani airstrike, Iran-backed extremist groups were seen attempting to enter the U.S. Embassy, setting one structure on fire.
A man has died after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing off Queenslands Fraser Island.

The attack happened about 2 p.m. on July 4 while the Sunshine Coast man, 36, was diving off Indian Head on the eastern side of the island.

He suffered a bite to his leg and died from the injury about two-and-a-half hours later, police say.

A doctor and nurse provided first aid to him on shore before paramedics arrived.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the local community was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

This a tremendously sad day for our community, Seymour wrote on Facebook.

Our deepest condolences go to this young mans family and friends.

The loss of a young life with his future before him is a tragedy beyond words and we share their sadness and grief.

It is Australias fourth fatal shark attack this year.

Last month, Gold Coast surfer Rob Pedretti, 60, died after he was mauled by the three-metre white shark at Salt Beach at South Kingscliff in northern NSW.

Related Coverage Great White Shark Kills Queensland Surfer

A shark also killed 23-year-old Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba in April off North West Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Experienced diver Gary Johnson, 57, was killed by a shark near Cull Island in Esperance on Western Australias south coast in January.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.
A Siberian tiger stands in its enclosure at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin, China, on Jan. 6, 2014. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Siberian Tiger Kills Swiss Zookeeper in Enclosure: Zoo

A Siberian tiger killed a zookeeper in Switzerland in an enclosure while visitors looked on, said authorities.

Onlookers called for help when the tiger attacked the worker at around 1 p.m., the Zurich zoo said in a statement. Staff then lured out the tiger, named Irina, from the enclosure before first responders attended.

Despite their resuscitation measures, the zookeeper, 55, died at the scene, according to the zoo.

Exactly how the tragic incident happened and why the animal keeper was in the facility at the same time as the tiger is now being investigated by the public prosecutor, the Zurich City Police, the Zurich Forensic Institute, and the Institute of Forensic Medicine, officials said.

Zurich police spokeswoman Judith Hoedl said that all help came too late. The woman died at the scene, according to Fox News.

The big cat was born in 2015 in a zoo in Denmark before being transferred to Zurich.

Hoedl said an investigation is underway to determine why the worker was in the tiger enclosure at the same time as the animal.

The Zurich zoo said it would remain closed on Sunday, according to the BBC. Counseling would be made available for people who witnessed the fatal attack.

The zoo has only been open since June 6 after COVID-19-related restrictions were lifted, according to Swissinfo.

Its not the first animal attack reported at the facility. In December of last year, a male Philippine crocodile grabbed a zookeepers arm during a cleaning.

The keeper was injured and had surgery, and the crocodile was killed.

Siberian tigers can get to be about 11 feet in length, and adult males can weigh up to 700 pounds.
People hold candles in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, also known as Free Square, to mark the 31st anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 4, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan Expels Two Chinese Reporters for Violating Local Regulations

TAIPEI, TaiwanTwo mainland Chinese reporters left Taiwan on July 3 after being expelled by local authorities for violating local regulations governing Chinese journalists working on the island.

Ai Kezhu and Lu Qiang, who are reporters for Chinas state-run Southeast Television, a broadcaster based in Chinas Fujian Province, acted as hosts of political talk shows produced in Taiwan without disclosing such job descriptions when they applied for media credentials, according to Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which is the islands top government agency in dealing with cross-strait affairs.

Taiwans Ministry of Culture (MOC), which is tasked with issuing and revoking press credentials to Chinese reporters, said Ai and Lu should have reported to the ministry any change to their duties in Taiwan. MOC said the two reporters media credentials also expired on June 30 and July 2.

They first arrived in Taiwan in December 2019, according to local media.

The MAC didnt say whether the content of the two reporters talk shows also figured into the expulsion from Taiwan.

While their talk show programs cant be seen on Taiwans cable networks, Southeast Television has uploaded the political talk shows to its YouTube channel. In one recent episode of the talk show hosted by Ai, a Taiwanese pundit criticized the newly established Taiwanese government agency, the Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchange Office, as having only symbolic value.

The Taiwanese pundit also said that if the Taiwanese government was very proactive in supporting the people of Hong Kong, the people in Taiwan would find it unacceptable.

The Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchange Office went into operation on July 1, to help Hongkongers fleeing political persecution to study, work, or invest in Taiwan.

Since mass pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong last year, thousands of protesters have been arrested. Many fled to neighboring Taiwan, where there is immense public support for the movement. The Taiwan Association for Human Rights said that more than 200 Hong Kong protesters have fled to Taiwan since June last year, according to local daily The Liberty Times.

In late May, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announced that her administration would set up a new office to assist such protesters who have fled to the island.

Soon after, Beijing imposed a national security law for the territory, leading to fears that critics of the Chinese regime would be prosecuted and sentenced.

In response to the expulsion, Taiwans Premier Su Tseng-chang said at a July 4 press conference that while our press freedom is globally recognized, the government must safeguard the countrys interests and the safety of its citizens. So reporters from any country must obey local regulations.

Since 2000, Taiwan has allowed mainland Chinese reporters to be stationed on the island. According to local media, after Ai and Lu left, there are currently 22 mainland Chinese reporters stationed in Taiwan from 10 Chinese state-run media, including Xinhua and Peoples Daily.

On July 4, U.S.-based political commentator Xia Xiaoqiang wrote on his personal blog that he found it shocking that the aforementioned pundits tone wasnt much different from views that are expressed on Chinese state-run media.

This [episode] shows that Southeast Televisions mission in Taiwan is to promote so-called voices of Taiwan that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) approves of and wants its citizens to hear, Xia wrote.

Wang Ting-yu, a lawmaker with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, told the Taiwan edition of The Epoch Times that the government needs to do more than expelling mainland Chinese reporters who violate regulations.

Wang said Chinese media organizations dont believe in press freedom; they obey the leadership of the CCP.

Wang said he will demand that Taiwans National Security Bureau and Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau look into whether the two expelled reporters have violated local laws such as the National Security Act, which penalizes the establishing of organizations or gathering of sensitive information to benefit China, or the treason article under the criminal law.

Wang added that the investigations should extend to other Chinese reporters still in Taiwan.
The United States aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, anchored off the coast at Tien Sa Port in Danang, Vietnam on March 5, 2018. (Getty Images/Getty Images)

Assessing the Competition Between the US, China

News Analysis

As the United States moves to understand China as an adversary, rather than as a competitor, the competition between the two powers is receiving renewed scrutiny.

On June 24, the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission heard testimony from a variety of experts on the Chinese view of strategic competition with the United States. Their recommendations included enforcing a principle of reciprocity with Chinese media outlets, enhancing the technological capabilities of the U.S. Navy, and challenging China in international institutions to deflect and diminish Chinese influence in defining human rights and universal values.

Cold War Mentality, Reciprocity

Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has profoundly tortured views on the United States, journalist and author John Pomfret said.

Those views, in part, account for Xis determination that has put China on a full-scale strategic competition with the United States, he said.

That competition, across a vast array of fields, is evidence, he said, of Chinas Cold War mentality and behavior, which the Chinese government entered into years before a large percentage of Americans began to worry about the strategic challenge presented by China.

Ironically, its China that regularly accuses the Western world of Cold War thinking, particularly Americans, he said.

He advises the U.S. government to seek far more reciprocity in its relations with China than before. And where the CCP isnt willing to reciprocate in the relationship, the United States should simply let those aspects founder.

One key area in which the United States must require China to reciprocate the access that the United States gives to China is media, Pomfret said.

If China is unwilling to allow American reporters to work in China, the U.S. government must contemplate asking all Chinese reporters in America to leave. If China continues to block the websites of American media companies in China, the United States should consider closing the operations of Chinese-funded media outlets in the United States, he said.

Universal Values

The United Nations is an emerging battleground for influence. By Chinas attempts to steer it away from its founding principles, China is trying to use the United Nations as a vehicle for advancing its narrow foreign policy aims, Kristine Lee of the Center for a New American Security said.

The CCP is using the United Nations to make the world safe for the CCP, she added.

In the U.N. and among its various agencies, China is trying to tighten its vise on countries, NGOs, and even individual political activists that challenge China, while promoting its own GONGOs (government-organized nongovernment organizations) that are in line with its interests, Lee said.

One of the Chinese regimes key strategies is to undermine the concept of universal human rights in order to justify its disregard for individual or minority claims. This allows China to justify its repression of minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang, according to Lee.

The concept of universal values, known as pushi jiazhi in Chinese, began to be openly debated in the Chinese media and within Chinese academia shortly after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, which killed more than 80,000 people, according to The Economist in a July 2010 article.

Shortly after the earthquake, to which then-Premier Wen Jiabao arrived on-site within hours of the disaster, a move of personal involvement rare for a senior CCP politician, a newspaper in Guangdong praised the governments response, saying that it had honored its commitments to its own people and to the whole world with respect to universal values, The Economist reported the Chinese article as saying.

Wen himself came close to referencing the existence of universal values in an essay published in China on March 3, 2007, during his 10-year tenure as premier. The China Daily English translation quotes Wen as saying that science, democracy, legal system, freedom, and human rights are not something peculiar to capitalism. Rather, they are common values pursued by mankind in the long historical process and they are the fruit of human civilization created by mankind.

So widespread did the permission and popularity of the discussion over universal values become in China that the then-chairman of Merchants Bank, Qin Xiao, in his commencement speech to graduates of Tsinghua Universitys business school in Beijing said, Universal values tell us that government serves the people, and assets belong to the public.

He went on to exhort the graduates to resist worldly things and to pursue universal values of freedom and democracy, reports say.

Ten years on, however, Beijing is using its growing profile in the U.N. Human Rights Council to aggressively silence criticism of its human rights record and to dilute concepts of universal human rights, Lee said.

Foreign Relations

Although Chinas relations with Europe are a challenge to internal cohesion with the European Union, they are also a challenge to the EUs relationship with the United States, commissioners heard.

Janka Oertel of the European Council on Foreign Relations also believes that access to Europes market and political cooperation with the economic bloc are crucial for realizing Chinas expanding global ambitions.

Europe is the key battleground for China in its fight to achieve economic and technological supremacy over the United States, she said.

However, China has recently been facing an EU that, like the United States, has become tougher with China on its trade policies, and more demanding of reciprocity in its relations, Oertel suggests.

Back on its doorstep in Southeast Asia, China faces another set of challenges in its strategic competition with the United States.

Chinas key core interests and motivations are twofold, Satu Limaye of the EastWest Center said.

First, China seeks territorial integrity, and that means coming out on top in its wide-ranging disputesmany of them initiated by Chinawith its neighbors. The second and well-known core interest is national reunification with Taiwan.

Many of the territorial disputes can be found in the waters that surround China, which include the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea.

But China has a significant land border dispute, as well, as recent events on the IndiaChina border have shown.

Chinas strategic motivations and military strengths are currently primarily directed towards East Asia or the western Pacific, Limaye said.

Despite Chinas aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific overall, however, those countries are more than capable of coolly calculating global and local geopolitical balances and navigating between and among them.  They are experienced in the comings, goings, and rivalries of great powers. Indo-Pacific countries have far more agency, maneuvering room, and tools than usually realized, he said.

Limaye believes that Chinas neighbors, either on their own or through a coalition, can frustrate China achieving territorial integrity and reunification.

Hes also confident of Americas alliances in the region, and Chinas posture in the region reinforces those partnerships, he said.

Headlines do not capture fully the strengths of deeply institutionalized alliance mechanisms, habits, and networks of cooperation resulting from decades of hundreds of annual exchanges and engagements between allied militaries and their American counterparts (and among each other), he said.

In Latin America, Chinas trade has grown from $12 billion in 2000 to $278 billion in 2017, R. Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College said. Chinese companies have invested over $122 billion in the region between 2000 and 2018.

Military Challenges

But more importantly for Americas backyard, Chinese security engagement in the region  includes helping the PRC to operate effectively in the Western Hemisphere, if China decides to do so, in the context of a future conflict with the U.S.

Just about every South American country sends some of their military to military school in Beijing, Ellis said.

China has companies and people increasingly in Latin America, so they want to protect them.

But Michele Flournoy, former under secretary of defense for policy, cautioned when asked if U.S. Naval power is sufficient to counter China, or even as important as it used to be.

Trends going forward are worrying, she said.

Today, the U.S. Navy is unmatched and unrivaled. But China now has offensive capability in the first island chain, and some in the second [of the South China Sea]. If the U.S. Navy remains unchanged our advantage would erode.

She advised that the United States should invest in technology that make our ships more survivable and that enhance Naval capability to project power.

Naval power will be extremely important in the future, she said.

Analyst Alison Kaufman, senior Asia policy researcher at the think tank CNA, offered another perspective on the military component of the U.S.China strategic competition.

We need to make sure that China doesnt underestimate us. I think that the risk of miscalculation is high, Kaufman said.

A rather persistent mismatch is what China and the U.S. see as escalatory.  But this should be an area where we can talk.

Decoupling

American businesses are beginning for the first time to realize that they are working against their own self-interest, said Barry Naughton of the University of CaliforniaSan Diego.

Were seeing a sway in public opinion away from and against China, he said.

Limaye said that when it comes to decoupling, also known as managed de-integration, its crucial to realize that much of Asia is in the supply chain, so their interest and equity is enormous in how we decouple.

Among others, the automotive, electronics, and computer chip sectors are all affected throughout Asia, he said. But there is an opportunity to create investment flows into those countries, away from China.

Japan and South Korea have key roles to play, he said, but by my own reckoning, decoupling is going to be extremely difficult, especially on middle players in the supply chain because they a) dont make the rules and b) their relative shares are quite small and therefore, they cannot manage outcomes and will be at the mercy of big players, he said.
Matt Green, mining/crushing supervisor at MP Materials, displays crushed ore before it is sent to the mill at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, Calif., on Jan. 30, 2020. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)

US Vulnerable to China Rare-Earth Monopoly, Researchers Find

As China wages trade war, the United States 'getting lapped' in a race for rare earths

The Chinese communist regime is readyand willingto use the countrys near-monopoly in rare-earth elements (REEs) as a trump card in any trade war with the United States, according to China policy analysts.

A report out this week from independent strategic consultants Horizon Advisory indicates that China is moving to take advantage of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus crisis to wrest control of strategic markets. Furthermore, Beijings fusion of its military and civil spherescombined with its near-monopoly in rare earthscould make this market the United States Achilles heel.

Beijing aims to make the United States directly and indirectly dependent on China for critical minerals and REEs, according to China scholar and Horizon Advisory co-founder Emily de La Bruyere.

REEs are difficult-to-recover metals with unique properties that make them essential ingredients in the production of state-of-the-art batteries, electromagnets, weapons systems, night-vision scopes, and other high-tech products. According to the Interior Department, the United States is heavily reliant on imports of these critical mineral commoditiesand, in particular, on imports from China.

The PRC [Peoples Republic of China] has been focused on rare earths for as long as it has existed, de La Bruyere told The Epoch Times in a statement. Chinese sources explicitly treat rare earths as tools of powerand coercionin todays globalized industrial system. This orientation rests on Chinas military-civil fusion strategy: Beijing weaponizes integration into open, cooperative global systems for offensive ends. The United States, its allies, and its partners need jointly to recognize as much and respond, to scale.

Chinas Rare-Earth Leverage

The Chinese regime views the CCP virus crisis as an opportunity; a chance to expand its position in U.S. markets, supply chains, and critical infrastructure, according to an earlier report from the Horizon team on CCP efforts to subvert U.S. recovery investment. In times of economic crisis, the report states, the communist regime targets markets and assets it considers vulnerable.

The goals are to foster dependence, to siphon U.S. research and development, and to co-opt markets.

Jars containing rare earth minerals produced by Australias Lynas Corp. from its Mount Weld operations northeast of Perth, Australia, on Aug. 23, 2019. (Melanie Burton/Reuters)

The analysts new report cites Chinese researchers Gao Fengping, et al., in 2019 as saying, Amid the heated trade conflict between China and the United States, China will not rule out using rare earth exports as leverage to deal with the situation.

According to the report, Yang Danhui of Chinas Academy of Social Sciences said in 2018 that Chinas rare-earth strategy is one of capturing international supply chains for rare mineral resources, and gradually mastering the leading power of rare earth trade rules and international pricing.

Under a World Trade Organization ruling from 2014, Chinas communist regime was obliged to abolish its quotas on rare-earth exports. However, the Horizon Advisory report explains that while China adhered to the ruling, it circumvented it by replacing the quotas with strict state control of the countrys rare-earths mining and processing industry, allowing the regime uninterrupted control over production and trade.

Part of that control system involved tightly policed annual production ceilings, the report states. From 2015, China moved to re-organize its entire rare-earths industry to align with Communist Party guidelines on Deepening the Reform of State-owned Enterprises, which involved increasing the regimes control of Chinas strategic resources.

Old Playbook, New Targets

According to Horizon Advisorys June report, China seeks to replicate strategies it honed during the 2008 economic crisis, when it worked to extend its presence in U.S. supply chains, manufacturing, and infrastructure systems. Notable casualties of these measures included U.S. solar-panel producers and lithium-ion battery makers. Companies that have since fallen into the hands of Chinese firms include GE Appliances, which was acquired by Chinese multinational Haier in 2016.

The report states: Before 2008, an American worker could buy a GE refrigerator manufactured by an American firm whose profits were reinvested in the American economy. Today, just about any appliance on the market bankrolls a Chinese conglomerate, whether the products label indicates as much or not.

According to the report, Since 2018, Beijing has been preparing a second wave of its industrial strategy.

US Rare-Earth Dependence

At a recent hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the effects of the CCP virus on mineral supply chains, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) quoted U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data showing that in 2019, the United States imported 50 percent of national requirements for 46 different minerals, and 100 percent of 17 of themincluding several REEs.

Beyond the numbers, that means we are placing our fate on others ability and willingness to sell to us, Murkowski said. And we are forcing American manufacturers to develop complex global supply chains that sometimes prompt them to realize it would be cheaper and easier to locate somewhere else.

Global rare earth production. (U.S. Geological Survey/Reuters)

At the same hearing, USGS mineral specialist Dr. Nedal T. Nassar said the CCP virus pandemic highlighted the risks to supply chain systems around the world. He also spoke of previous Chinese threats to cut off exports of REEs.

Chinas threats to cut-off rare earth supplies in 2010 epitomized these risks for importing countries who had limited alternatives due to Chinas near-monopoly of the rare earth supply chain, he said.

In the race for supply chain investment, the United States is getting lapped, Joe Bryan, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, said in his testimony.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas J. Duesterberg, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told the hearing that the United States leadership in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and the internet of things is being challenged by adversarial competition.

Chinas growing control over many basic materials, and its history of using that control as leverage for its own economic and political goals makes this a cause of concern for the continued strength of the U.S. manufacturing economy, he said.

China Moves on Africa

Beijing isnt satisfied with developing and controlling its rare-earths industry at home; the regime also seeks to expand its rare-earths influence and presence globally, according to Horizon Advisory.

For China, the worlds largest producer of rare earths, the discovery of major rare earths mines outside China will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the future development of the rare-earths industry, states a Horizon report that cites a 2016 research document on Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. Simply relying on Chinas domestic rare earth mining is unrealistic. It is critical for Chinese companies to Go Out and seek rare earth resources.

In her May 8 testimony before the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission on Chinas Strategic Aims in Africa, de La Bruyere said that the Chinese regime seeks to both gain access to and to mold foreign markets and resources while, at the same time, protecting its own. Such measures are granting the CCP a position of enduring advantage and leverage over other market participants.

On the African continent, she said, this means that Beijing works not just to grab, but rather to control resource reserves, markets, industrial supply chains, and standards. Beijing translates control over Africas markets, resources, and standards to influence over the worlds.

De La Bruyere said that China regularly overplays its hand in relations with Africa and disregards international norms as it expands its commercial interests, including in terms of human rights and corruption. She urged the commission that the United States must define both its policy goals and standing in relation to China, and to plan to compete with the CCP.

The COVID-19 crisis should accelerate the invigoration of the U.S. strategic approach to China, she said.
The acting chief medical officer has thrown his support behind the Victorian authorities for the actions they have taken trying to curb the spread of the coronavirus, saying they are doing a fantastic job.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews defended the July 4 decision to hard lockdown nine housing towers as another 74 cases were reported in the state on July 5, following on from the 108 infections recorded the day before  the second-highest on record.

New South Wales reported 14 on July 4, and all were returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, as were the six reported in Western Australia. No other state or territory reported any cases.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said medical officers from across the country held a teleconference on Saturday night, reiterating their support for their Victorian colleagues.

They are doing a fantastic job but this is a huge effort, Professor Kelly told reporters in Canberra.

Right around the country we are offering and providing substantial support to our Victorian colleagues.

Andrews warned the outbreak was unlikely to be contained soon, making it necessary to introduce strenuous measures.

We are going to see some big days, big numbers in the days ahead, he told reporters on July 5.

The premier said the controversial hard lockdown was about safety for the residents of the towers  where there have been at least 30 cases  as well as the wider state.

This is about protection for you and your loved ones and then, by extension, its about protecting the entire state and we dont make those decisions lightly.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said his heart went out to those people in the public housing lockdown.

They would be feeling scared, he told reporters in Canberra.

I feel sorry theyve been put in this position but Daniel Andrews, I believe, is doing everything that he can to keep them safe.

The resurgence in Victoria has worried other states, leading to bans on Victorians from hotspots entering some states, with the Northern Territory planning to do the same from July 17.

The Australian Medical Association has called for a temporary halt to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across the country.

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, AMA president Tony Bartone said in a statement on July 5.

Before rushing back to the pub, the footy crowds, or the big weddings and parties, Australia should pause and play it safe.

Queensland is the latest state to send health workers to Victoria to help.

The inner-Melbourne public housing blocks are being locked down for at least five days for testing of the 3,000 residents who will be monitored by 500 police, while stay-at-home orders now cover 12 postcodes.

Victorian deputy chief medical officer Annaliese Van Diemen said there was an outbreak of up to 30 cases across the towers, blaming it on close-quarters living and many shared spaces.

Health workers are conducting door-to-door tests.

All international flights are being diverted from Victoria while the troubled hotel quarantine program is put on hold for a fortnight.

At midnight, international arrivals in Sydney were capped at 450 a day in a bid to ensure the hotel quarantining system was not stretched to breaking point.

Returning travellers are likely to avoid Queensland, where the state government is now charging for accommodation.

Kelly said the number of cases across Australia stands at 8,449, while associated deaths remain at 104 people, significantly lower than most other countries.

Authorities are urging people to remain vigilant and practise social distancing and increased hygiene measures and to download the COVIDSafe app.

By Colin Brinsden
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump host the 2020 "Salute to America" event in honor of Independence Day on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

We Want Unity: Trump Says in Salute to America Speech

President Donald Trump declared on July 4 that the America hes working for wants unity and that no matter our race, color, religion, or creed, we are one America, and we put America first.

The president was speaking from the White House South Lawn following a performance from a military band, flyovers by B-52 bombers and F-35 fighter jets, and parachute jumps.

Trump started by thanking the scientists and researchers around the country and even around the world for their courageous efforts in battling the virus, and welcomed those who were attending the event.

These are great and brilliant people. And brave people, he said.

U.S. Army parachuters carrying a U.S. National flag descend on the Ellipse during the 2020 Salute to America event in honor of Independence Day on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

As the land of the free continued with celebrating its 244th birthday, the president again emphasized his vision for unity, echoing his earlier speech at Mount Rushmore on the eve of the Fourth of July weekend celebrations during which he talked to the great spirit of the Declaration of Independence, which he said enshrines that all men are created equal. He also said his administration was bringing Americans together in the face of a left-wing cultural revolution designed to overthrow the American revolution.

On July 4, Trump revisited similar themes in his Salute to America speech.

Our movement is based on lifting all citizens to reach their fullest God-given potential, he said.

Never forget, we are one family and one nation. This rich heritage belongs to every citizen, young and old, first generation American. We want to go from first generation to 10th generation. It matters not. We are American. We are from the USA. This great heritage belongs to citizens of every background and of every walk of life.

Trump again referenced the counter-culture narrative from people he says foment hate, discord, and distrust and want to demolish America.

In every age, there have always been those who seek to lie about the past in order to gain power in the present, he said, after referring to the radical left, Marxists, anarchists, agitators, looters, and people who have absolutely no clue what they are doing earlier in his speech.

Those that are lying about our history, those who want us to be ashamed of who we are are not interested in justice or in healing. Their goal is demolition.

Trump said that under his administration, Our goal is not to destroy the greatest structure on earth, what we have built, the United States of America. He added that his administration wants to work together with the people to defend America and build a future where every family is safe, where every child is surrounded by love, where every community has equal opportunity, and every citizen enjoys great and everlasting dignity.

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump host the 2020 Salute to America event in honor of Independence Day on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Addressing the riots and wave of statue destruction sweeping the nation, the president said, Our past is not a burden to be cast away.

He went on to say: Let me also say a word to those in the media who falsely and consistently label their opponents as racists, who condemn patriotic citizens who offer a clear and truthful defense of American unity.

We want a clear and faithful defense of American history, and we want unity. When you level these false charges, you not only slander me, you not only slander the American people, but you slander generations of heroes who gave their lives for America. You slander people much braver and more principled than you.

Youre slandering the young men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and those who perished fighting for freedom in the Civil War. You slander them. You are dishonoring their great legacy and their memory by insisting that they fought for racism and they fought for oppression.

They didnt fight for those things. They fought for the exact opposite. We will not let the legacy of these heroes be tarnished by you. 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.

We want to bring the country together, and a free and open media will make this task a very easy one. Our country will be united after all.

Two hundred and forty-four years ago in Philadelphia, the 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to boldly proclaim this eternal truth that we are all made equal by God.

Thanks to the courage of those patriots on July 4, 1776, the American Republic stands today as the greatest, most exceptional, and most virtuous nation in the history of the world. Our workers, our factories have revolutionized industries and lifted millions into prosperity. Our artists, architects, and engineers have inspired the globe with transcendent works of beauty.

American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists, toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles, and chased down the terrorists to the very ends of the earth.

The Patriots who built our country were not villains, they were heroes whose courageous deeds improved the earth beyond measure. The beauty and the glory of our constitutional system is that it gives us the tools to fight injustice, to heal division, and to continue the work of our founding fathers by expanding and growing the blessings of America.

If you believe in justice, if you believe in freedom, if you believe in peace, then you must cherish the principles of our founding and the text of our constitution. Its our founding and our constitution. It is a firm foundation upon which all progress is achieved. Thats why our country is so strong, even despite terrible things that happen over the generations.

Following Trumps comments about his vision for a united America, numerous legacy media reports focused on what they called divisive messaging and the presidents attacks on far-left political ideology, without mentioning Trumps focus on the story of American progress.

A massive fireworks display was held at night, lighting up the National Mall in honor of the nations birthday.
State police said they expect to file charges after two people were injured with a knife and another man was reportedly struck in the head with a shovel Independence Day night during a fight at southeastern Connecticut home.

State police said they went to a home on Rogers Lake Trail in Old Lyme around 8:15 p.m. Saturday after receiving multiple 911 calls about a physical altercation between multiple people in front of a residence.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is warning rabbit owners in Nebraska to be aware of a serious and highly contagious viral disease of rabbits that has recently been identified in multiple states.

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus has been diagnosed as the cause of death in wild and domestic rabbits in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Colorado, as well as domestic rabbits in Nevada and Utah and wild rabbits in California. To date, the virus has not been found in Nebraska.

It is important that rabbit owners know about this disease so they can more closely monitor the health of their rabbits, particularly ones that may be comingling with other animals, said NDA State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes.

Symptoms of RHDV include fever, anorexia, wasting, diarrhea and respiratory illness. RHDV can also cause sudden death in rabbits. The virus is spread directly between rabbits and can survive for weeks in contaminated environments.

Currently, there are no approved vaccines licensed in the United States for RHDV, although a foreign-produced vaccine is being made available in states where the virus has already been identified. RHDV does not infect humans, livestock or non-rabbit household pets.
Normally, supporters are able to look at the baskets at Conestoga Mall.

This year, in-person inspection is not possible. But bidders can look at pictures of each basket on the YAP Auction website.

On Monday night, Project Hunger board members delivered the baskets to Evangelical Free Church, where they will remain until the auction is over.

Items in the baskets were donated by local businesses, organizations and individuals.

Bidding will conclude at noon July 18. Participants will be sent emails telling them what they won and how much they owe.

That afternoon, the winners can pick up their baskets and pay for them at E-Free Church.

All proceeds will go to Project Hunger. Every penny of it, Winder said.

Project Hunger provides meals for families at Thanksgiving and buys large quantities of milk and eggs throughout the year.

Many canned goods are delivered to the Salvation Army. We buy hundreds and hundreds of cases of canned food every month, Winder said.
There are still limitations, but generally, we are just loosening the restrictions little by little so that we get used to having a little bit more opportunity to get out and about and still be safe, Anderson said.

According to the Phase 3 DHM, wedding and funerals are allowed, with dances at the former being allowed in a limited capacity. Anderson said the reason dances are now allowed at weddings is because they have a fairly controlled population.

You understand that youve got so many people in a room and that you are not going to have like a street dance where all kinds of individuals come and you make it overcrowded, she said. The wedding dances are designed to help celebrate the event but also keep people safe.

An event with more than 500 people, but fewer than 3,000 people, can be held but requires approval from CDHD first. Organizations can submit their plans for approval at the CDHD website, cdhd.ne.gov.

Anderson said when an organization submits a form to have an event of 500 or more, CDHD wants to see that they are adhering to the DHM. Once the form is completed, the health department reviews the plan for approval.

She said the health department has had a number of event forms submitted since moving to Phase 2 on June 22.
Greece announced on Sunday the closure of its frontier for Serbian nationals until July 15 because of a coronavirus spike.

Serbia declared a state of emergency on Friday in the capital Belgrade because of the highest rise of coronavirus cases since April.

Greece had made its decision after analysing the epidemiological data, said government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni.

Greece, which has suffered fewer than 200 virus deaths, has launched a promotional campaign to revive tourism, which accounts for a quarter of its gross domestic product.

Travellers are given scannable bar codes after they fill out a questionnaire with personal details such as their country of origin and the countries they have travelled through in the last 15 days.

Roughly 6,000 tests are now being carried out daily on travellers entering the country.

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People gathered in Chapman Park for the evenings brilliant display.

We usually do a barbecue, and its kind of a big deal. We start about supper time. But were not going to do that this year. Were just having the fireworks show, said Scott Gamblin, event organizer. Its a way to be a community, but not too close.

The event allowed for social distancing with some close family groups, Gamblin said.

The park is big enough in Chapman to where we can meet and still be distanced, but also enjoy a little fireworks show, he said.

Fireworks are usually provided through community donation.

Last years donations we had about $100, and then me and another buddy usually pitch in and buy the rest of the show, Gamblin said. This year, it wont be too big because my buddys not going to be in town. But well have a few fireworks.

The community event is one that began as a family effort, Gamblin said.

His brother-in-law, Jeremy Vlcek, and Vlceks wife, Kristina Vlcek, head the Chapman Community Improvement Association, which hosts the annual event.
Johnson is encouraged by the protests that have swept across the globe, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That horrendous nine-minute video has done more to radicalize the masses than a million lectures or pamphlets ever could.

People are calling into question, in the millions and tens of millions, white supremacy and how rooted it is in the fabric of this society, said Johnson. How do we get beyond it? How can we live in a world without this horrific oppression of Black people?

Johnson was an Army brat who grew up in Germany and across the South.

In 1969, when he was 12 years old, he sold the Stars and Stripes newspaper to soldiers on a U.S. Army base in Babenhausen, Germany. That, he says, was the start of his political awakening.

We used to talk a lot about the (Vietnam) war and their sentiments, he said. There was a lot of I dont want anything to do with it. They were counting down the days they had left in the military. Some Black soldiers had Afro picks with the Black fist, he remembered. Lieutenants would cut off the fist part and hand it back to them.
The Nebraska State Fair Board took a wise approach when it voted last week to modify the fair this year, focusing on 4-H and FFA youth activities, due to coronavirus concerns.

But it also gave the fairs new executive director, Bill Ogg, and his staff the flexibility they need to deal with such a fluid situation. If a month from now, Phase 3 of the directed health measure has gone well and the state is ready to enter Phase 4, they can organize additional activities.

With the fair scheduled two months from now, the states health directives could change.

But the priority had to be the health and safety of fairgoers and that is what theyre focusing on as they finalize plans for this years fair.

As much as we would like a traditional Nebraska State Fair, that is not available to us, Ogg told the board at its meeting Tuesday.

By scheduling 4-H activities the first weekend of the fair and FFA activities during Labor Day weekend, the fair maintains the State Fair experience for our states young people. Ogg noted that they are so integral to the history of the fair and to fairs in general.

But it also greatly cuts the expense to run the fair during a year when income from fairgoers also will be greatly reduced.
I am not a Will Ferrell fan. I usually find his movies too goofy and dumb, but once in a while he hits his mark  and I think he did in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which can be viewed on Netflix.

Having Academy Award-nominee Rachel McAdams play his love interest and the very gorgeous Dan Stevens, from Beauty and the Beast, as his foil for her heart, doesnt hurt.

As a boy, when Lars Erikssong (Ferrell) saw ABBA perform on television, he had a dream. He was going to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest. His friend, and maybe sister, Sigrit Eriksdottir (McAdams), bought into Lars dream. Lars and Sigrit are accidently given the opportunity to represent their country, Iceland, at the worlds biggest song competition, the Eurovision Song Contest. Lars finally has a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.

The big problem I had is with the casting. Ferrell and McAdams are supposed to be about the same age and its real obvious that Ferrell is significantly older than McAdams. Pierce Brosnan plays Ferrells father, which is strange since in real life he is not old enough to be Ferrells dad. In other words, Ferrell is too old for the part or desperately needs a face lift if he wants to play younger men.

Ferrell did write the script with Saturday Night Live writing alum, Andrew Steel, and it is a funny script with funny pratfalls and gags that you would expect in a Ferrell script.

Also, Eurovision Song Contest: The story of Fire Saga is jam packed with wonderful songs that are performed by a cast of famous performers who you will love listening to. This alone makes this movie worth viewing, and dont forget to buy the soundtrack for hours of enjoyment.

David Dobkin directs this film and keeps his actors on track.

Filmed in Iceland and Scotland, the cinematography is wonderful. As Lars and Sigrit travel from their small town to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, and then to Edinburgh, the shots of the two cities wish you could book a trip with a travel agent.

I enjoyed Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Especially at this time, when culture, health and economic news, just, sucks. It is nice to see a silly, nonsensical rom-com that makes you laugh out loud.

I give Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, rated PG-13, four stars.

Movie critic Mary Cox lives in Wood River and studied film at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has worked in L.A. with various directors and industry professionals. Contact Mary at mary.cox@edwpub.net.
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Linkedin Luthfi T. Dzulfikar (The Jakarta Post) The Conversation  Sun, July 5, 2020 15:17 351 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663ed863 3 Opinion unemployment,pandemic,young-adults-in-Indonesia,Indonesia,economic-crisis Free

COVID-19 continues to slow down Indonesias economy, and this may have severe impacts on recent graduates entering the job market for the first time.

With the countrys economic growth shrinking to 2.97% during the first quarter of 2020, many companies started cutting recruitment of new employees as early as March.

The National Planning and Development Agency recently announced the countrys unemployment rate could hit its highest in more than a decade, rising to 9.2% - or nearly 13 million people - by the end of 2020.

Before the pandemic, 2019 estimates from the International Labour Organisation placed Indonesias 15-24 year old unemployment rate (17.04%) as the second highest in South East Asia, behind only Brunei Darussalam (30.04%). Indonesias rate has stagnated at high levels for the past two decades, having never gone below 15% since the 1998 economic crisis.

The Conversation spoke to doctoral candidate in economics at Waseda University Japan, Tifani Siregar, who said even before the pandemic, employment trends for Indonesias youth were already concerning, and will worsen.

She says the pandemic will worsen the labour market for Indonesias young candidates in three ways: higher barriers of entry into the job market, long lasting lower income levels, and worsening labour conditions.

Higher barriers of entry into the job market

Low levels of education in the countrys workforce, inadequate vocational training programs and an increasing skills deficit due to digital advancements are often seen as contributing factors to high unemployment figures before the pandemic.

SMERU Institute researcher Muhammad Adi Rahman told The Conversation the pandemic will make penetrating the job market more difficult for them in the years to come.

The competition will be much more fierce as they will have to fight it off not only with other young candidates, but also with job seekers who were laid off because of the crisis, he said.

Tifani, on the other hand, says Indonesias relatively rigid labour market also makes companies hiring practices during the recession even more rigorous.

In Indonesia, there are a lot of regulations designed to protect workers, from higher firing costs to relatively higher minimum wages compared to the national average, she explains.

Things will get worse even after the pandemic recedes, Tifani adds, as firms become more careful in recruiting new employees.

A 2016 study by the Institute of Labour Economics (ILO) in Germany, for instance, found young candidates entering a rigid labour market during a recession were more likely to get trapped in unemployment.

Long lasting lower income levels

Tifani warned that even for young people who manage to get a job amid the pandemic, they will suffer long-lasting financial losses compared to those getting a job in normal economic conditions.

A 2012 joint study by researchers from the University of Toronto and Columbia University found graduating and job seeking during a recession results in lower income levels that persist for at least ten years before catching up with their peers.

During normal times those employed in high level jobs are provided with training and programs, but during a recession, companies are unable to invest as much in human capital, Tifani explains.

Worsening labour conditions

Hizkia Polimpung, a researcher at Bhayangkara University in Jakarta, says aside from lower income, the recession might also negatively impact working conditions.

The impact will be worse for young job seekers as they will have a reduced wage reservation - the lowest salary at which a worker would be willing to accept a particular type of job - compared to experienced workers.

The end result is not only the possibility of unemployment, but also abusive employment conditions, he said.

The poor employment conditions might, among others, force desperate young graduates to accept jobs they are overqualified for with low pay and minimum growth opportunities. Others might even be forced to accept informal jobs, typically characterised by their vulnerable contract terms and substandard working conditions.

Around 50% of Indonesias young workforce already work in informal jobs, with the number projected to increase due to the pandemic.

At the global level, for instance, ILO recorded an increase of young people in informal sectors from 83% to 91.4% in lower-middle income countries.

What can be done?

SMERUs Adi said stimulating the economy through subsidies and financial incentives - especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - is important to weather the labour market shocks due to the pandemic.

The government has set aside US$ 4.85 trillion stimulus for businesses, including tax cuts, to dampen the damages caused by the pandemic.

During the 1998 crisis, SMEs were an important economic buffer, while now all types of businesses are severely hit, he said.

By protecting the businesses, the government will help SMEs continue hiring and lessen shocks in the labour market.

The government has also disbursed money to help struggling students amid the pandemic.

The Alliance of Indonesian Student Executive Bodies claims in their survey 83.4% of university students have parents whose income was affected by the pandemic, with 76.9% unsure whether they can pay their tuition fee next semester.

That results in at least 50% of private university students struggling to continue paying for their education.

By preventing students from dropping out of school, the government may avoid the rate of youth unemployment from rising further, Tifani said.

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Luthfi T. Dzulfikar, Associate Editor, The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Researchers diving into dark submerged caves on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula have found evidence of an ambitious mining operation starting 12,000 years ago and lasting two millennia for red ochre, an earth mineral pigment prized by prehistoric peoples.

More than 100 dives totaling more than 600 hours in Quintana Roo state turned up numerous mining artifacts, the scientists said on Friday. These included ochre extraction pits, digging tools like hammerstones and small piledrivers made of stalagmites, markers that helped the miners navigate the extensive cave network and hearths used to provide light. The caves were not underwater at the time of the mining.

The mining was undertaken as human populations first spread through the region. The caves subsequently were abandoned for millennia before becoming submerged roughly 8,000 years ago amid rising sea levels after the last Ice Age.

Researchers previously had found human skeletons in the caves but had not identified why people were there.

Read also: Want to try caving? Heres what you need to know

"Across the world, archaeological evidence has shown that humans have been using ochre for hundreds of thousands of years. Even Neanderthals used ochre," said University of Missouri archaeological scientist Brandi MacDonald, lead author of the research published in the journal Science Advances.

Ochre is believed to have offered uses including painting objects and bodies, mortuary practices and perhaps hide tanning.

The dive team explored about 4.3 miles (7 km) of subterranean passages in three separate cave systems, with mining spanning more than a half-mile (900 meters).

"It is pretty electrifying to be the first people to enter into an area that has not seen humans for thousands of years and to see what they left behind," said study co-author Sam Meacham, founder of El Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuifero de Quintana Roo A.C. (CINDAQ) and co-discoverer of the mines.

"All the artifacts are in pristine condition, so we can see percussion marks where they were breaking the stone floor, we find tools laying beside the pits and the marker stone cairns (rock piles) and fire pits that they used for navigating and illuminating the cave," added study co-author Eduard Reinhardt of McMaster University in Canada.
Paris fashion week goes online for the first time in its history Monday, with fashion rocked not just by the coronavirus but by a growing revolt from within the industry.

The virus has brought designers' long-suppressed frustrations with the system and its unforgiving pace bubbling to the surface.

Many are questioning not just the infernal rhythm and environmental impact of five and six collections a year, but whether fashion weeks or even fashion shows still make sense in a digital world.

"I can no longer cope with an industry built on abuse and consumerism, thriving on environmental destruction and perpetuating racial and gender-based injustice," declared the rising Brazilian creator Francisco Terra Wednesday, the brains behind the Neith Nyer brand.

Terra -- one of a wave of young designers to have broken onto the Paris catwalk in recent years -- said that from now on he would only show once a year, "maybe twice".

He is far from alone. Spanish wunderkind Alejandro Palomo told AFP that he is not sure if costly Paris shows really work for him while Colombian Esteban Cortazar said he has turned his back on them for now.

"I love the shows," Palomo said, "but I am not going to put the pressure on my body of having to do one" every few months.

Nor is the rebellion confined to smaller independent labels.

Shows 'outmoded'

The tectonic plates began to shift in April when Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello said he was pulling out of Paris fashion week this year.

From now on the label would "take control of its pace and reshape its schedule," he said.

Gucci's Alessandro Michele delivered another bombshell in May, slashing his shows from five to two a year, and questioning the whole idea of seasons, on which the fashion calendar is built.

"Clothes should have a longer life," he said, and should be "seasonless".

Mugler designer Casey Cadwallader said Thursday he would follow the same path.

The cracks really began to show after several hundred industry players led by Belgian master Dries Van Noten signed an open letter in May arguing for a major overhaul of the industry.

Brands like Chloe, Thom Browne, Y/Project, Lemaire and Alexandre Mattiussi as well as some top-end department stores have since joined the call for "fundamental change that will simplify businesses, making them more environmentally and socially sustainable."

They want the fashion calendar redrawn so winter clothes hit the shops in winter and summer ones in summer -- rather than months before as they do now.

For others, the fashion show itself is as "outmoded" as the calendar.

A broad-based coalition called "Rewiring Fashion", uniting the likes of hot US labels 1017 ALYX 9SM, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Phipps with several Paris stalwarts has laid out another top-to-bottom reimaging of the system.

"We find ourselves facing a fashion system that is less and less conducive to genuine creativity and ultimately serves the interests of nobody: not designers, not retailers, not customers -- and not even our planet," they said.

'Time to slow down'

They too insist the "fashion calendar is out of sync with the customer, unsustainable for industry professionals and damaging for sales.

"It's time to slow down," their manifesto declared.

In a digital world staging fashion shows six months before the clothes hit the shops makes no sense, and was an open invitation to fast-fashion rip off merchants, it added.

Like Van Noten, they also want an end to discounting and Black Friday-type sales which they blame for much of the industry's wasteful overproduction.

However, some top luxury brands are not yet ready for revolution.

Dior CEO Pietro Beccari defended both the calendar and shows, telling AFP that "a live performance is like nothing else. We believe there will always be a place for a live show."

But Palomo believes the video presentations forced upon Paris fashion week by the pandemic may be a blessing in disguise, opening the door to freeing up the way designers present their creations.

While Paris fashion week prides itself on giving young guns a place in the schedule alongside iconic houses like Dior, Chanel and Hermes, Palomo and Cortazar say it was also "killing them economically".

"Everyone is trying to keep up their image, to make out that everything is fine, and behind the scenes we are spending money that we do not have," Cortazar said.
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 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 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 kilograms - have sold for more than $3 million 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.

Read also: Women fight for a place at the table as sushi chefs in Japan

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.

"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.
Two top executives from one of the world's largest gaming companies have left the firm during an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and abuse.

Last month, French company Ubisoft -- whose products include Assassin's Creed -- launched an investigation after allegations of sexual assault and harassment were shared online.

CEO Yves Guillemot wrote in a message to the company's 18,000 employees late Friday that Maxime Beland, vice-president of editorial in Toronto, had resigned.

"We continue to investigate the allegations made against him," Guillemot added, without specifying the allegations.

Tommy Francois, vice-president of editorial and creative services based in Paris, was placed on disciplinary leave "pending the outcome of an investigation," Guillemot said in the message seen by AFP.

Another unnamed employee in the Toronto studio has been dismissed for "engaging in behaviors that do not align with what is expected of Ubisoft employees," he said.

"Other investigations are ongoing and will be conducted rigorously."

"We cannot tolerate workplace misconduct and will continue taking disciplinary actions against anyone who engages in harassment, discrimination and other behaviors that infringe on our Code of Fair Conduct."

Ubisoft is the latest player in the gaming industry to be the target of harassment accusations.

In June, current and former employees used social media recently to denounce predatory behavior by powerful managers.
A cornerstone of containing the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread testing to identify cases and prevent new outbreaks emerging. This strategy is known as test, trace and isolate.

The standard test so far has been the swab test, in which a swab goes up your nose and to the back of your throat.

But an alternative method of specimen collection, using saliva, is being evaluated in Victoria and other parts of the world. It may have some benefits, even though its not as accurate.

Saliva testing can reduce risks for health workers

The gold standard for detecting SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19) is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This tests for the genetic material of the virus, and is performed most commonly on a swab taken from the nose and throat, or from sputum (mucus from the lungs) in unwell patients.

In Australia, more than 2.5 million of these tests have been carried out since the start of the pandemic, contributing significantly to the control of the virus.

Although a nasal and throat swab is the preferred specimen for detecting the virus, PCR testing on saliva has recently been suggested as an alternative method. Several studies demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, including one conducted at the Doherty Institute (where the lead author of this article works). It used the existing PCR test, but examined saliva instead of nasal samples.

The use of saliva has several advantages:

it is easier and less uncomfortable to take saliva than a swab

it may reduce the risk to health-care workers if they do not need to collect the sample

it reduces the consumption of personal protective equipment (PPE) and swabs. This is particularly important in settings where these might be in short supply.

But its not as sensitive

However, a recent meta-analysis (not yet peer-reviewed) has shown detection from saliva is less sensitive than a nasal swab, with a lower concentration of virus in saliva compared to swabs. Its important to remember, though, this data is preliminary and must be treated with caution.

Nonetheless, this means saliva testing is likely to miss some cases of COVID-19. This was also shown in our recent study, which compared saliva and nasal swabs in more than 600 adults presenting to a COVID-19 screening clinic.

Of 39 people who tested positive via nasal swab, 87% were positive on saliva. The amount of virus was less in saliva than in the nasal swab. This most likely explains why testing saliva missed the virus in the other 13% of cases.

The laboratory test itself is the same as the PCR tests conducted on nasal swabs, just using saliva as an alternative specimen type. However, Australian laboratories operate under strict quality frameworks. To use saliva as a diagnostic specimen, each laboratory must verify saliva specimens are acceptably accurate when compared to swabs. This is done by testing a bank of known positive and negative saliva specimens and comparing the results with swabs taken from the same patients.

When could saliva testing be used?

In theory, there are several settings where saliva testing could play a role in the diagnosis of COVID-19. These may include:

places with limited staff to collect swabs or where high numbers of tests are required

settings where swabs and PPE may be in critically short supply

some children and other people for whom a nasal swab is difficult.

The use of saliva testing at a population level has not been done anywhere in the world. However, a pilot study is under way in the United Kingdom to test 14,000 health workers. The US Food and Drug Administration recently issued an emergency approval for a diagnostic test that involves home-collected saliva samples.

In Australia, the Victorian government is also piloting the collection of saliva in limited circumstances, alongside traditional swabbing approaches. This is to evaluate whether saliva collection is a useful approach to further expanding the considerable swab-based community testing occurring in response to the current outbreaks in Melbourne.

A saliva test may be better than no test at all

Undoubtedly, saliva testing is less sensitive than a nasal swab for COVID-19 detection. But in the midst of a public health crisis, there is a strong argument that, in some instances, a test with moderately reduced sensitivity is better than no test at all.

The use of laboratory testing in these huge volumes as a public health strategy has not been tried for previous infectious diseases outbreaks. This has required a scaling up of laboratory capacity far beyond its usual purpose of diagnosing infection for clinical care. In the current absence of a vaccine, widespread testing for COVID-19 is likely to occur for the foreseeable future, with periods of intense testing required to respond to local outbreaks that will inevitably arise.

In addition to swab-free specimens like saliva, testing innovations include self-collected swabs (which has also been tested in Australia), and the use of batch testing of specimens. These approaches could complement established testing methods and may provide additional back-up for population-level screening to ensure testing is readily available to all who need it.

This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.

Deborah Williamson, Professor of Microbiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; Allen Cheng, Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University, and Sharon Lewin, Director, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consultant Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Donning masks and observing social-distancing practices, movie and theater fans on Saturday bid a final farewell to Thailand's La Scala theater in Bangkok, which is set to close its doors in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 50-year-old theater, built in the late modernism architectural style with an Art-Deco interior, has been struggling for the last decade to stay profitable amid competition from new media and increases in its land lease costs.

The pandemic and restrictions on movement to curb its spread dealt the final blow to the theater in the heart of the capital. The Thai economy as a whole is forecast to shrink this year more than any other in Southeast Asia.

"I'm so sad I have no words. It is heartbreaking," said Nanta Tansasha, whose family runs the theater, which was built by her father.

"When we look toward the future, I don't know if it (business) will pick up... so I decided to stop the business now," she said.

The theater had a glamorous opening on New Year's Eve in 1970, and the first movie it showed was "The Undefeated" starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson.

Read also: New and beautified Khao San Road in Bangkok to reopen in August

In its heyday, it rolled out the red carpet for celebrities including the likes of Jean Claude Van Damme for the Bangkok Film Festival in 2003.

The final showings this weekend include Italian movies and Thai documentaries, with 3,000 tickets sold to fans who want to pay one last visit.

La Scala, the last theater building of its kind in Bangkok, where most cinemas and theaters are housed in larger malls, is already dwarfed by the tall buildings around it. Nanta expects a high-rise to replace her theater.
Earl Cameron, who broke down racial barriers by becoming one of British film's first black stars in the 1950s, has died at the age of 102, his family said Saturday.

The Bermuda-born Cameron appeared in the 1951 hit "Pool of London", notable for being Britain's first major film to feature an interracial relationship.

He had a minor role in the 1965 James Bond film "Thunderball" and appeared in Sidney Poitier's 1973 movie "A Warm December".

Read also: Father of MMA star Nurmagomedov dies as result of coronavirus

We're sad to report the death of Earl Cameron, who starred in 'The Tenth Planet' and was one of the first black actors to forge a successful career in British film and television: https://t.co/vfcnYvItQB #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/JXxRlKw1R6  Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) July 4, 2020

While Cameron remained relatively unknown outside Britain, his death prompted a string of tributes from actors and politicians.

The Guardian newspaper called him "Britain's first black film star".

David Burt, the premier of Bermuda, said the entire Caribbean island nation was "celebrating his long and remarkable life".

Cameron, who arrived in Britain in 1939 and started out as a stage actor in London's West End, said in 2017 that he never saw himself as a pioneer.

"It was only later, looking back, that it occurred to me what I was," he recalled.

Cameron's children said in a statement quoted by The Guardian that "as an actor, he refused to take roles that demeaned or stereotyped the character of people of color".

He also featured regularly on British television in the 1960s, including with a role in the popular "Dr Who" series.
The restrictions that have come with the COVID-19 pandemic are nothing new for travel writer and blogger Agustinus Wibowo.

In an Instagram live session with nonprofit literary foundation Pulau Imaji, he revealed that back in 2003, he experienced firsthand the lockdown imposed by the Chinese government in Beijing due to the outbreak of SARS.

I was in university at the time, and all the students were gathered as the lecturers informed us that those who lived outside the campus would not be allowed back in, while those staying inside the campus grounds were not allowed to go outside, he said, adding that information was much more limited back then, leaving everyone paranoid.

As Agustinus lived outside the university campus, he effectively stopped his studies for two months, as he simply couldnt get in while classes were still being taught.

However, those who stayed inside were also stressed, as human nature very much opposes being confined. At the one-month mark, many students became depressed or easily angered; some even scaled the campus wall just to stand outside the grounds, he said.

When Beijing lifted its lockdown after two months, the first thing Agustinus did was grab his backpack and set out for an adventure.

Taking a 72-hour train ride from Beijing to the border town of Kashgar in Xinjiang, he crossed the Karakoram mountain range into Afghanistan.

Just two years later in 2005, he started what he called a grand overland journey, in which he set out to reach South Africa from Beijing by land with a budget of just US$2,000. His travels took him to the Himalayas, South Asia, Afghanistan, Iran and several ex-Soviet Central Asian nations.

After being stranded for three years in Afghanistan, Agustinus wrote his first book Selimut Debu (A Blanket of Dust) in 2010, chronicling his journeys in the country.

Since then, he has actively written on his blog agustinuswibowo.com, with his latest book from 2015 Titik Nol (Ground Zero) receiving a reprint earlier this year.

Settling down: With international travel restricted, Agustinus Wibowo' next book will instead be a reflection on identity issues. (Courtesy of Agustinus Wibowo/-)

Nearly two decades later, Agustinus said the current pandemic reminded him of that experience.

At that time, I felt theres something characteristic of Chinese culture, namely the concept of walls. Walls are important there, just look at the Great Wall. In China, that culture of walls has been ingrained in everyday life, like how their homes, offices and important institutions are surrounded by walls, he said.

The wall separates the inside and outside; theres even a saying that the two are very different, and the distinction is very strong. Their behaviors around someone from the outside versus someone from the inside will be markedly different.

This concept of inside-outside, or nei-wai, is somewhat similar to the general understanding of private-public or internal-external.

As for the lockdowns, Agustinus said the wall was meant to protect those inside from the outside, which they denote as dangerous. But at the same time, he added, the wall also allowed rulers to control their subjects by way of clustering different entities into smaller, more manageable ones.

With his experience as a travel writer, Agustinus finds that every culture is influenced not just by tradition, but also religion, political system and history.

So when China handles the situation through a lockdown, its not just because they have the cultural concept of walls, but we also have to look at their political system [], he said. This is not something we imagine we can copy, as our systems are different.

Another key factor to the approach, which is shared by other Asian countries like Japan, Singapore and South Korea, is a background of Confucianism, which he said placed trust in the government as an authority.

This trust, he continued, was what was lacking from European countries and the United States.

This lockdown system will be especially hard in liberal democracies, which place an emphasis on freedom and individual happiness. And as it turns out, no one is happy being confined. Many will also not care unless it strikes close to home.

Throughout the pandemic, some have defied the restrictions, organizing so-called coronavirus parties, while others have turned to illegal raves to let off their lockdown ennui.

As for a shift in culture and attitude, he also highlighted how changes major world events had influenced our everyday lives today, like how World War I necessitated passports as a valid travel document for security reasons, or how the Sept. 11 attacks led to the bulking up of airport security measures.

I think COVID-19s biggest effect will be social distancing, which will change the way we work, he said.

Now, its a total revolution in the way we work and conduct activities. Its something that was unthinkable beforehand, like digitalization. Normally wed be talking in the National Library, but now were here digitally.

International travel has definitely changed in turn, with Agustinus saying that he was unsure the sector would return to normal in the near future.

Cheap and easy flights will probably take some time to return, not to mention mandatory quarantines that will likely be imposed before COVID-19 has totally disappeared due to fears of foreign diseases, he said.

Hospitality will also take a backseat due to fears over being infected.

Agustinus reflected on his experiences in Iran and Uzbekistan, where people he met would invite him to stay at their homes. Such a tradition would become a thing of the past in post-COVID times.

The pandemic will erode that trust as weve basically been forced to live in our own worlds. Returning to normal will take some time; it took approximately one year after SARS for life to return to normality, and thats because there were no new cases at all, whereas some have said that the same can only apply when a vaccine is available.

With travel around the world effectively grinding to a halt, Agustinus is focusing on his new book titled Kita dan Mereka (Us and Them).

He said the new book would deal with identity and labels, which he observed to be a common issue given occurrences of sectarian violence or other conflicts resulting from identity.

Im trying to find out the origins of our identity, like what a nation is and how borders are created as well as its people. Religion will also be discussed, like how religion came to be part of politics and the politicization of religion itself. (ste)
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 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 after they failed to reduce mortality.

The setback came as the WHO also reported more than 200,000 new cases globally of the disease for the first time in a single day. The United States accounted for 53,213 of the total 212,326 new cases recorded on Friday, the WHO said.

"These interim trial results show that hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalized 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 U.N. agency said the decision, taken on the recommendation of the trial's international steering committee, does not affect other studies where those drugs are used for non-hospitalized patients or as a prophylaxis.

Read also: WHO says first alerted to virus by its office, not China

Another branch of the WHO-led trial is looking at the potential effect of Gilead's antiviral drug remdesivir on COVID-19. The European Commission on Friday gave remdesivir conditional approval for use after being shown to shorten hospital recovery times.

The solidarity trial started out with five branches looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: standard care; remdesivir; hydroxychloroquine; lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday that nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries had been recruited so far into its clinical trials and that interim results were expected within two weeks.

Some 18 experimental COVID-19 vaccines are being tested on humans among nearly 150 treatments under development.

Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert, said on Friday that it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready. While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by year's end, the question was how soon it could then be mass-produced, he said.
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Linkedin (Reuters) Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Sun, July 5, 2020 16:42 351 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663f180d 2 World Saudi-Arabia,United-Arab-Emirates,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

Saudi Arabia's coronavirus infections have passed 200,000 and neighboring United Arab Emirates 50,000, with the number of new cases climbing after the Arab world's two largest economies fully lifted curfews last month.

Restrictions had been in place in both countries since mid-March and their gradual lifting has allowed commercial businesses and public venues to reopen.

Other Gulf countries have also moved to ease restrictions, although Kuwait has maintained a partial curfew and Qatar, Bahrain and Oman did not impose one at all.

Saudi Arabia, which has the highest count among the six Gulf states, reported more than 4,100 cases on Friday and on Saturday to take its total to 205,929, with 1,858 deaths. The daily tally first rose above 4,000 in mid-June, but had dipped.

The United Arab Emirates, where daily infection rates recently dropped to between 300 and 400 from a peak of some 900 in late May, registered more than 600 cases on Friday and over 700 on Saturday, taking its toll to 50,857, with 321 deaths.

Dubai, the region's business and tourism hub is due to reopen to foreign visitors on July 7, although this has not been implemented at a federal level in the UAE, which does not provide a breakdown of cases for each of its seven emirates.

Qatar, which has the second highest regional infection rate, has seen its daily case numbers fall from a peak of more than 2,000 in late May to around 500 on Saturday, bringing it near to 100,000 cases in total.

In Oman, the health minister warned on Thursday that there had been a disturbing surge in infections in the last six weeks and urged people to comply with health measures.

Iran, the epicenter for the disease in the Middle East with a total infection count of 237,878 and 11,408 deaths as of Saturday, has imposed new curbs to halt the spread of the virus.
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Linkedin Joseph Schmid and Mariette Le Roux (Agence France-Presse) Paris  Sun, July 5, 2020 19:06 351 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663fc165 2 World France,COVID-19,election,Emanuelle-Macron,Jean-Castex Free

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday tapped a senior but low-profile bureaucrat as prime minister to replace Edouard Philippe, the first move in a widely expected cabinet reshuffle after dismal local election showings for the ruling party.

The new premier, Jean Castex, was drawn from the right-wing opposition to Macron's centrist party, and was totally unknown to most in France until now.

But Castex, a former top aide to ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been in charge of the country's progressive emergence from the coronavirus lockdown, a policy greeted as a relative success by experts.

"Let's be clear: I'm not here to seek the limelight. I'm here to get results," Castex said in what was effectively his introduction to the general public during a prime-time interview on TF1.

He said he would present his political road map next week, and a wider cabinet overhaul is expected in the coming days.

Macron has promised a "new course" for France to deal with the crisis, which has plunged France into its worst recession since World War II and left millions of people facing unemployment.

The former investment banker, who swept to power in 2017 on pledges to radically reform France, already has a wary eye on his 2022 re-election bid after months of protests and strikes that preceded the coronavirus outbreak.

Speculation that Philippe was on the way out mounted this week after Macron's centrists were routed in municipal elections last Sunday, which saw the Greens take control of several major cities.

Philippe, a popular right-wing politician who never joined Macron's Republic on the Move party, nonetheless easily won his bid to be mayor of Le Havre.

His approval ratings have surged over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, while those of Macron, who has pursued ambitious economic reforms since coming to office in 2017, have fallen.

While many analysts thought Macron would tack left or look farther afield for his new prime minister, Castex is a pure product of the French administrative elite, having attended the same ENA managerial university as Macron and Philippe.

"We might have expected a political shift, but this is a technocrat," Christian Jacob, head of the Republicans, told AFP, indicating that Castex would be cast out of the party.

His nomination comes after Philippe has pushed through a series of Macron's controversial overhauls that sparked massive strikes as well as the fierce "yellow vest" anti-government revolt.

Sources close to Philippe told AFP on Friday that he would help Macron "consolidate" his majority in parliament, after an embarrassing series of defections in recent weeks by lawmakers unhappy with the president's policies.

Press reports had suggested that Macron might keep Philippe after all, not least after he praised his work as "remarkable" in an interview with regional newspapers published Thursday.

Nonetheless, "we have to chart a new course" with "a new team," Macron said.

Other top ministers could also be on the way out, but analysts noted that Macron has a thin bench of potential replacements, not least because his young party has failed to produce any standouts from its parliamentary ranks.

Under particular pressure is interior minister Christophe Castaner, who has been assailed by critics over the failure to contain the rioting and looting that marred the "yellow vest" protests of 2018-2019.

More recently, Castaner has drawn the ire of police who say he has failed to support them against renewed claims of violence and racism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Since the start of Macron's presidency, a total of 17 ministers have quit the government, most recently Agnes Buzyn, who stepped down as health minister in a doomed bid to wrest the Paris mayor job from Socialist Anne Hidalgo.
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Linkedin (Reuters) London  Sun, July 5, 2020 16:47 351 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663f19cd 2 World England,United-Kingdom,pubs,bars,coronavirus,COVID-19,travel-restriction Free

People in England appear to have broadly behaved themselves as pubs reopened this weekend, Britain's health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday after the latest step towards a return to normality from the coronavirus lockdown.

Thousands of people flocked to pubs, restaurants and bars around England on Saturday as large parts of the hospitality sector reopened for the first time since March.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to "enjoy summer safely" as he bids to tread a narrow path of restoring consumer spending to help battered businesses recover, while avoiding a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

Health minister Matt Hancock said he was satisified with how the latest step to ease the lockdown had gone and played down individual cases where social distancing guidelines were not respected.

"From what I've seen, although there's some pictures to the contrary, very very largely people have acted responsibly," he told Sky News.

"Overall, I'm pleased with what happened yesterday. It was really good to see people out and about, and largely socially distancing."

Britain has been the European country worst hit by the coronavirus and has an official death toll of 44,198.

The rule changes apply only to England as the devolved nations in the United Kingdom have been setting their own timetables for easing restrictions, with Wales and Scotland easing restrictions more slowly.

Police Federation National Chair John Apter questioned whether the idea of staying socially distanced was compatible with excessive alcohol consumption.

"What was crystal clear is that drunk people can't/won't socially distance," he said in a tweet after finishing a shift in Southampton, south England.

"It was a busy night but the shift managed to cope."
The Agriculture Ministry plans to release a eucalyptus-based antivirus necklace that minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo claims can help prevent COVID-19 transmission.

The antivirus necklace was invented by the ministrys Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangtan) and will be mass-produced next month, he said. It is one of four products developed by the ministrys researchers intended to treat or prevent COVID-19.

It was [developed] by Balitbangtan. From 700 species of eucalyptus, our lab test results showed that one kind could kill the coronavirus. We are certain, he said on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com.

The former South Sulawesi governor boasted that the product could kill 42 percent of the coronavirus if worn for 15 minutes.

We have tried it. If we [use it] for 30 minutes, it can kill 80 percent [of the coronavirus]. We have also produced a roll-on [product]. If we ever get cut by a knife, the wounds can be healed by applying the product, Syahrul claimed.

He also claimed that the product gave him the confidence to visit crowded places. He said he had used it several times during work visits to inspect agriculture production.

Separately, Balitbangtan head Fadjry Djufry said prototypes of eucalyptus-based inventions had been used by COVID-19 patients. He claimed the results showed high rates of recovery following treatment with the products.

We tested 20 employees from the Agriculture Ministry who had tested positive for COVID-19. Their testimonies after inhaling and being treated [with the product] were positive. It helped improve their breathing, Fadjry said as reported by tribunnews.com.

Despite the claims made by the minister, experts are deeply skeptical, saying there is no scientific evidence that such products can fend off the virus.

We know that the world has not yet found a cure for the disease. I think it would be wise for us not to spread further claims to a panicked society, Herawati Sudoyo, the deputy director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

She said the research on eucalyptus was still at the basic level of molecular modeling and had not been peer reviewed. Even if eucalyptus was found to be effective at killing viruses, the scientific research should have focused on an active natural component, she added.

For example, scientists developed the artemisinin component isolated from [the sweet wormwood] plant for curing malaria. But scientists do not just take all of the plant, she said.

She noted it usually took a long time to develop a drug or vaccine as a cure for a disease, especially when those treatments were developed from herbs.

Berry Juliandi, a lecturer at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) Department of Biology, echoed Herawatis sentiments, saying that although the Eucalyptol 1.8-cineole component derived from eucalyptus leaves was scientifically known for its antimicrobial properties, there was no proper clinical research showing that such components were effective at killing SARS-CoV-2 inside the respiratory system.

He said the ministrys claims were dangerous as they could distort public awareness about the virus.

The public could be easily believe that they have been saved from the virus with the non-scientifically proven antivirus necklace, Berry, who is also secretary-general of the Indonesian Young Academy of Sciences (ALMI) told the Post.

Both experts warned the public to remain skeptical and question the validity of any claim, including those made by scientists, and to also verify facts from multiple sources. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Baghdad  Sun, July 5, 2020 20:17 351 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663fe551 2 World Iraq,US,baghdad Free

A pair of rocket attacks targeted American diplomatic and military installations overnight, Iraq's security forces said Sunday, a little over a week since unprecedented arrests prevented a similar attack.

Since October, US diplomats and troops across Iraq have been targeted by around three dozen missile attacks which Washington has blamed on pro-Iranian armed factions.

In the first move of its kind, elite Iraqi troops in late June arrested more than a dozen Tehran-backed fighters who were allegedly planning a new attack on Baghdad's Green Zone, home to the US and other foreign embassies.

Iraqi government officials said the raid would serve as a "message" to deter future attacks, but early on Sunday, militants made another attempt.

One rocket fired at the Green Zone landed near a home, wounding a child, according to the Iraqi military.

"At the same time, our forces were able to thwart another attack and seize a Katyusha rocket and launcher that were targeting the Taji base north of Baghdad," where US-led coalition troops are based, it added.

The attempts came just hours after the US embassy tested a new rocket defence system known as a C-RAM, according to a senior Iraqi security source.

The C-RAM, set up earlier this year at the embassy, scans for incoming projectiles and explodes them in the air by targeting them with several thousand bullets per minute.

There was no immediate comment from the embassy on whether the system was used against the rocket overnight.
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Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 6 2020

The restrictions that have come with the COVID-19 pandemic are nothing new for travel writer and blogger Agustinus Wibowo.

In an Instagram live session with nonprofit literary foundation Pulau Imaji, he revealed that back in 2003, he experienced firsthand the lockdown imposed by the Chinese government in Beijing due to the outbreak of SARS.

I was in university at the time, and all the students were gathered as the lecturers informed us that those who lived outside the campus would not be allowed back in, while those staying inside the campus grounds were not allowed to go outside, he said, adding that information was much more limited back then, leaving everyone paranoid.

As Agustinus lived outside the university campus, he effectively stopped his studies for two months, as he simply couldnt get in while classes were still being taugh...
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Linkedin Vincent Lingga (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 6 2020

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowos ambition to turn his province into a new base for labor-intensive manufacturing is now one step closer to being fulfilled.

The government has decided to develop a 4,000 hectare integrated industrial estate in Batang, which lies on the provinces northern coast, with the assistance of more than six state companies.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo and several ministers visited Batang on Tuesday as parts of the city will be further developed to accommodate plants relocating from China.

Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia said the board had succeeded in convincing seven foreign investors to relocate their factories from China to Indonesia. Three are to be built in Batang. Seventeen other investors in China are reportedly finalizing plans to relocate their facilities to In...
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Mon, July 6 2020

The Jakarta Post

Jakarta

The police have named a former Starbucks Indonesia employee a suspect in a sexual harassment case after he posted a video on social media 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 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 into the CCTV footage, apparently to get a clearer look at the...
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Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 6 2020

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 Co...
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Linkedin Simone Galimberti (The Jakarta Post) Kathmandu  Mon, July 6 2020

Meeting peoples aspirations while balancing the needs of the planet should not only be the overarching theme of the next Human Development Report, the flagship publication of the United Nations Development Program, to be released later this year.

It should also be the main goal of a country like Indonesia, which is not out of the woods in the fight against COVID-19 and hasnt yet felt the long-term economic consequences of the pandemic.

As recently reported by this daily, the country is at risk of losing all the progress made in the last few years in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Agustaviano Sofjan, a senior official at the Foreign Ministry, said that the pandemic was a step back in terms of achieving by 2030 the 17 economic, social and environmental goals stipulated in the SDGs.

With the global econom...
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Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 6 2020

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 t...
The Cuban capital stirred to life on Friday after more than three months of lockdown but there were no signs of tourists on Havana's quiet streets while residents fretted over shortages of food and other basic goods.

The city of 2.2 million people on the Caribbean coast is the last of Cuba's provinces to enter phase one of a three phase process to a new normal. All but one other province began phase two on Friday.

Havana's residents were able once again to use public transportation and private taxis, go to the beach and other outdoor recreation centers, and enjoy the city's famed Malecon seafront drive.

Cuba closed its airports in March and, while some hotels are open at resorts on isolated islets, there is no indication when Havana and other cities might allow foreign visitors to return.

"It is like breathing little by little the clean air we have missed," said veterinarian Norma Hernandez, who rents a room to tourists to make ends meet. "From the economic point of view the pandemic has been terrible for me, but I hope everything will return to normal."

For months, the once bustling capital seemed haunted with little traffic and no night life. Gloomy residents trudged in search of supplies, often waiting for hours to purchase them.

Now they can dine out and have drinks, although social distancing and wearing masks remain mandatory. Optional medical and other services resumed.

Food service worker Yajaira Pulido said she was thrilled to be jogging along the Malecon.

"I am very happy because now you can go to the beach, and take the kids out, with caution," she said.

Only a handful of COVID-19 cases have been reported this month, all but a few contacts of previously confirmed cases in Havana. Most of the island, home to 11.2 million inhabitants, has been free of the disease for more than a month.

Each phase of the reopening allows capacity at venues to increase from an initial 50 percent. Interprovincial transport begins during phase two, while schools open in September.

"There is no contradiction between public health and opening the economy. You can't accomplish the second without the first," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said recently.

Read also: The Rolling Stones to show Havana concert film in drive-ins

Economic crisis

Moraima Cabrera Delgado, owner of the Bom Apetite Restaurant, which caters to tourists and locals, said she was preparing to open. Safety measures included a quick test for staff and an electronic menu.

"Now we will have problems with supplies. Almost all of us with businesses agree. We will adapt what we have to offer with what there is and hope things improve," she said.

That may take time. Communist authorities have warned the Caribbean faces a near 10% drop in economic activity and years of crisis. More so Cuba, they say, due to U.S. sanctions.

Cuba was failing to pay restructured debts and suppliers before the pandemic slashed tourism and other foreign exchange earners, due to harsher U.S. sanctions and the economic woes of socialist ally Venezuela.

Cuba's inefficient Soviet-style economy imports two-thirds of its food, half its fuel, and raw materials for just about everything else. Shortages ranging from food and fuel to personal hygiene products, medicine and agriculture inputs appeared a year ago and have become chronic.

"It is going to get worse. It is already really difficult with food," said one senior manager of Havana's state-run restaurants, requesting anonymity.
Barcelona's Sagrada Familia reopened on Saturday, giving frontline workers the chance to have the usually tourist-packed landmark to themselves in recognition of their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

People took photos and listened to audio guides after Archbishop of Barcelona Juan Jose Omella led representatives of healthcare workers into the church.

The basilica, designed by architect Antoni Gaudi, closed almost four months ago. But for the next two weekends it will be open to essential workers, including those in healthcare, the police and NGOs, who will be able to explore without the usual crowds.

The goal is to recognize and pay tribute to Barcelona residents, "especially those who have been on the front lines fighting and working to prevent Covid-19", according to a statement on the basilicas website.

"It's the first time I've been and for me it represents a gift, a gift for the effort and the hours we've put in during the past few months, so I'm grateful," said Virginia Martinez, a hospital doctor from the nearby city of Terrassa. "It's recognition of our work and what's better than visiting a monument like this?"

A second phase of reopening will see the lofty and famously unfinished church welcome Barcelona's residents for free, while a third phase will allow domestic and international tourists to visit.

Read also: Spain to allow Britons to visit from Sunday without quarantine

Started in 1882, the Sagrada Familia is the sixth most visited tourist attraction in the world, according to TripAdvisor.

The reopening came as Catalonia on Saturday enforced a new lockdown on more than 200,000 people after several new outbreaks of coronavirus were detected.

Residents in Segria, which includes the city of Lleida, around 150 km away from Barcelona, are not permitted to leave the area, but will not be confined to their homes as was the case during Spain's strict lockdown at the start of the outbreak.

Spain has registered 205,545 coronavirus cases and 28,385 deaths, according to health ministry data, making it one of the worst affected countries in Europe.
Berlin's public transport company BVG said on Saturday that completing the renaming of a city center 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.

Read also: Australian mountains ditch King Leopold name

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 meters from the Brandenburg Gate at the very center 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 station's entrance, temporarily naming it "George Floyd Street".

"I think it's 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."
South Koreas leading duty-free operators are considering an exit from Incheon International Airport as the number of international passengers plunged 97.8 percent on-year in the second quarter.

According to Korea Civil Aviation Association Sunday, South Koreas nine airlines witnessed international flight passengers plummet to 328,345 from 15.2 million people, a 97.8 percent decline on-year, in the second quarter.

Korean Air saw a drop of 96.2 percent to 190,458 from 5 million people while Asiana Airlines suffered a 96.5 percent dip to 12,574 from 3.4 million people in the same period.

Due to the drastic fall, South Koreas two leading duty-free operators -- Hotel Lotte and Hotel Shilla -- are considering pulling out of Incheon airport unless rents are renegotiated, according to industry sources.

Read also: S. Korea's wealthy, passed over by pandemic pain, splurge on Porsches and BMWs

Lotte and Shilla, whose operation licenses for two of the eight airside sections DF3 and DF4 in the airports Terminal 1 expire next month, are reluctant to renew their licenses due to hefty rents that cost 20 billion won ($16.7 million) and 24 billion won a month, respectively. DF3 and DF4 sell liquor and tobacco.

If the two duty-free operators retreat, Incheon International Airport Corporation risks having both sections empty starting September. IIAC is struggling to find new operators after Lotte and Shilla in April gave up their preferred bidder positions for operation licenses for DF4 and DF3, respectively.

Though IIAC asked Lotte and Shilla to extend their businesses until it finds new operators, the request was met with an immediate resistance as it offered fixed monthly rents.

In response, IIAC later suggested flexible rents that are tied to monthly sales, but Lotte and Shilla are asking for improved terms as they are taking losses just to keep employees on the payroll.

We have requested that IIAC come up with more progressive terms for the contract that will allow duty-free operators to minimize their losses, a duty-free industry source said.
Jordan began putting electronic bracelets Saturday on travelers who have recently arrived in the kingdom to ensure that they observe home-quarantine against the spread of coronavirus, an official said.

People arriving in Jordan must isolate for 14 days at hotels designated by the authorities on the shores of the Dead Sea, west of the capital Amman.

After that period, they must self-isolate for an additional 14 days at home, according to Nizar Obeidat, spokesman for Jordan's virus task force.

He told state-run Al-Mamlaka television that "the use of the electronic bracelet began on Saturday for those self-isolating at home" in order to ensure quarantine rules are respected.

Jordan imposed tough measures, including curfews and the deployment of drones, to curb the spread of COVID-19, before easing policies in early June.

The kingdom has so far registered 1,147 coronavirus infections, including only 10 deaths.

But health authorities have almost daily been reporting new cases among Jordanians and foreigners entering the country.

They have also maintained measures such as social distancing and the compulsory use of face masks in most public places, with those breaking the rules fined.

Several countries around the world have turned to electronic tracking devices including bracelets and smart watches connected to special apps to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In March, Hong Kong began ordering all arrivals from overseas to wear electronic bracelets to monitor observance of quarantine.

South Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore have also employed a range of tech solutions to tackle coronavirus.
Portugal on Saturday denounced as "absurd" Britain's decision to exclude it from the list of countries to which Britons can travel without having to observe quarantine restrictions on their return.

The row comes as both countries record a coronavirus infections rate of 4,000 cases per million inhabitants, according to an AFP tally compiled from national data -- although Britain registers a significantly higher death rate.

"The question of quarantine is absurd," said Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva in an interview with state television station RTP.

"It's always horrible to compare the figures of an illness, and deaths," he said.

"But it's absurd that the United Kingdom is imposing a quarantine on passengers returning from a country that, with regard to all the indicators for the pandemic, has better results than the United Kingdom itself."

British visitors are the biggest part of Portugal's tourism market, with 2.1 million visitors in 2019 generating 3.3 billion euros.

Portugal's death rate for the coronavirus is at 156 per million inhabitants, while Britain's is at 650 -- with some observers there arguing the real death rate is higher.

But on Friday, when Britain announced a list of more than 70 countries or territories that would be exempt from quarantine measures from July 10, Portugal was one of the few EU countries not on the list.

Santos Silva acknowledged there was concern about a spike in infections in districts just north of Lisbon where lockdown measures have been reimposed.

But this should not affect holidaymakers traveling to the southern Algarve region, he argued.

Portugal was initially praised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but on Wednesday, lockdown restrictions were reimposed on 19 neighbourhoods across the northern periphery of Lisbon. The restrictions concern some 700,000 people and will remain in place for at least two weeks.

With an average of 321 per day, the number of new cases being recorded in Portugal grew by a third in June compared to the previous month.
Attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore (USS) and the Singapore Zoo buzzed with guests once again on Saturday, with a slew of safety measures in place to keep visitors safe.

Both attractions as well as 11 others were given the green light earlier this week to reopen from July 1. They had been closed for nearly three months, since the start of Singapore's circuit breaker on April 7.

Other attractions and domestic tour operators can submit reopening proposals to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for assessment, and may resume operations after receiving approval from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

As of Friday, the STB had received six applications from tour operators, and around 40 applications from attractions. It said several more attractions have received approval and will announce their reopening dates in the coming weeks.

A steady stream of visitors was seen entering USS on Saturday when The Straits Times visited Sentosa in the afternoon, while S.E.A. Aquarium had a slower but regular flow of guests.

Visitors took easily to the safety requirements. Masks were worn and queues were orderly, with everyone maintaining safe distances.

Interior designer Jomin Lin, 29, was at the aquarium with her husband and their one-year-old son.

She said: "It was a good trip and I'm happy we brought our kid out. He got very excited when he saw the jellyfish and he started waving his hands around. He's been home for very long and he gets grumpy sometimes."

Asked if she was concerned about safety, she said she was not worried, as the aquarium wasn't too crowded and she had also taken precautions for her son by bringing along a face shield for him.

Secondary school student Enya Oh, 15, said she and a friend decided to visit USS since they have annual passes to the theme park.

"When the circuit breaker started, it was very difficult to accept having to live in isolation. But coming out again today made me feel a lot better about the new normal."

While excited to be able to visit the theme park, she was also cautious.

"On our entry ticket, there is a list of safety precautions for us to follow such as taking your temperature and maintaining social distancing," she said.

She had also brought along her own hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes, and an extra mask. Though queues for the rides were long due to each ride having a limited rider capacity, Ms Oh said she enjoyed the park's upbeat atmosphere.

"It felt like a short break from the outside world," she said.

Read also: Indonesia asks Singapore to reopen borders as Bintan 'ready to receive tourists'

As with the reopening of retail stores and lifestyle-related services, safety and hygiene remain a top priority.

Attractions have deployed staff to ensure that people continue to keep a safe distance from one another, and restricted visitor numbers to no more than 25 per cent of their operating capacity at any one time. Some, like the Singapore Zoo, have also applied an antimicrobial-coating on high touch surfaces.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) said it is taking a "careful and controlled approach" to reopening its attractions.

For example, at USS, visitors have to sit in alternate rows for all rides, with family members or those from the same group occupying the same row. All rides are wiped down after each use and all 3D glasses are disinfected after every use.

At the RWS casino, dealers have to disinfect their hands before entering and exiting the pits, and after handling items from patrons. Gaming chips collected from customers are cleaned and sanitized, and playing cards are disposed of after two hours of use.

RWS declined to provide visitorship numbers for its attractions.

A Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) spokesman said its parks are also implementing regular cleaning routines. The Jurong Bird Park, River Safari and Singapore Zoo will reopen to the public next Monday. Members have been able to visit from Friday. The Night Safari will reopen at a later date.

"We have applied a microbial coating to enhance safety across our high touch points. This will be supported by hourly cleaning protocols," the spokesman said.

Some activities, such as the animal presentations at the Singapore Zoo, have also been temporarily suspended to prevent crowding.

Although WRS declined to share daily visitorship numbers, operating at 25 per cent of capacity allows its three open parks to have between 1,000 and 2,250 guests in total at any one time.

But not everyone is willing to enter these attractions as yet.

Mr Wilson Nah, 45, who works in supply chain management, intended to visit USS with his 10-year-old son on Saturday. He decided not to go in after seeing the long queues.

"Observing the queue outside USS, it is very crowded. I am concerned that it might not be possible to have 1m distancing," he said.
Vice President Mike Pence makes remarks as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott looks on during a news conference after Pence met with Abbott and members of his healthcare team regarding COVID-19 at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center West Campus in Dallas, Sunday, June 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
FILE - In this June 26, 2020, file photo Healthcare professional Kenzie Anderson grabs a test tube for a sample at United Memorial Medical Center COVID-19 testing site in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
That release could not be found.
The Imo State government yesterday made public of its findings in the payroll system regarding pension fraud which involved eight persons said to be receiving N330 million annually as a pension.

Gov. Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this in Owerri, after meeting with the leadership of the state chapters of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, led by Josiah Ugochukwu, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu and Trade Union Congress, TUC, at the Government House in Owerri.

The names mentioned were as follows; Ajokubi H. A, (N65, 685, 491. 00) Njoku Damian (N 5,042,439.58) , Obasi Canice (N 3, 460, 366.64), Anyanwu F. N (No, 150, 336. 00), Emenalo Theresa (N 3,058, 592.00), John Sunday (N 2,320624. 00) Ajaegbo E. O (N2, 298,910.34) and Ekedere Eunice (N 32,490, 016. 00).

The governor said it also discovered that over one thousand pensioners who retired in 1976 were still receiving a pension, just as he pointed out that pensioners in the verified database have all been paid up to date except those who are still having issues.

According to Uzodinma, The highlight of the fraud was that eight persons, who the governor named, were earning N330m annually as a pension, one of them late.

While a retired judge, was earning N300,000 monthly above what was due to him as pension and a late SSG to the government was still earning pension, many years after his death.

So many irregularities had marred the pension system forcing us to investigate further into the payroll of retired workers where it was discovered that over 1,000 pensioners who retired in 1976 were still receiving a pension, wondering how many people aged 104 were still alive.

Overinflated pensions were paid to numerous pensioners which on the investigation was not consistent with their last payslips or basic salaries as stipulated by the Pensions act.

He added that The decision to automate the payment process was in line with the new World Bank order for all states so the delay was due to the fact that there was no handover from the former administration to us.

The good news was that as at yesterday all pensioners in the verified database had been paid up to date and said those who had issues with their data would have to resolve them before they can receive payment.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi state Council has called on the Inspector General of police to effect the immediate release of her Chairman, Comrade Tony Nwizi by the Nigeria police.

In a statement issued and signed by the Vice Chairman of Ebonyi Council, Mr Benjamin Nworie condemned in its entirety the way and manner the NUJ chairman was whisked away which amounts to violation of his fundamental human right.

The statement further said that the Council received a distress Call from the wife of chairman of the Council, Mrs Joy Tony Nwizi, that armed squad stormed their residence in Abakaliki at about 6:30 am on Saturday and whisked her Husband, Comrade Tony Nwizi away.

"The Council therefore notes with dismay that the gestapo arrest of the chairman in such brazen violation of his fundamental human rights is highly condemnable.

"It's more worrisome and embarrassing as the sting operation was skechy to the Ebonyi State Police Command, whose disposition to the incident when some members of the Union visited the command gave no hope on the true identity and purpose of the arrest.

"The unfortunate arrest of Comrade Tony Nwizi is highly condemnable worsened by the fact that his arrest was shrouded by uncertainties as officers on duty at the Area command actually confirmed that the armed squad refused to identify themselves or present warrant of arrest.

According to skechy information given by the Squad, the arrest was said to be a directive from the Inspector General of Police over an undisclosed petition against the Ebonyi NUJ chairman.

Ebonyi State Council of NUJ condemn the gestapo arrest of our chairman, comrade Tony Nwizi and therefore call for his immediate release.
Hanna Tetteh is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union. As head of the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU), Ms. Tetteh spoke with Africa Renewals Kingsley Ighobor on, among other issues, the current state of the UN-AU partnership and how women and young people can help resolve conflict. These are excerpts from the interview:

How is the partnership between the United Nations and Africa Union going?

There are currently three partnerships between the UN and the AU: There's the Partnership on Africa's Integration and Development Agenda (PAIDA), one on Peace and Security, and another on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Unions Agenda 2063. A fourth partnership framework, on human rights, has been negotiated but not yet signed. The partnership thats largely implemented by the UNOAU is the one on peace and security, and it plays to the strength of the AU because it has been more successful so far as a political organization than as an economic integration organization. We do common analyses and take common positions, and we have achieved progress.

What are some of the challenges or opportunities in the UN-AU partnership?

With every partnership, you're not going to agree on every issue. But we have had more consensus than disagreements. We worked closely together, and with IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa], to help resolve the second round of conflict in South Sudan. That resulted in the establishment of a new transitional government this year.

Last year, we worked together on the Central African Republic to negotiate a new peace agreement. We look forward to elections in that country later this year, assuming COVID-19 will allow. We support AMISOM [African Union Mission in Somalia]. The AU force is providing military support for the transition process. UNSOM [the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia] and AMISOM help with political engagement and logistics. We have been challenged by the Libya process where the AU would like to be more proactive in resolving the conflict. Even then, we have made significant progress there following a peace summit in Berlin in January 2020.

How is COVID-19 impacting peace and security in Africa?

Countries in conflict already have infrastructure and resource challenges: inadequate healthcare facilities and low number of medical personnel, and so on. And then COVID-19 arrived on our doorsteps. In addition, most African countries, in conflict or not, have large informal economies wherein if people don't work in a day, they cant feed themselves. So, lockdowns have put a strain on peoples lives, especially those in the informal sector. In countries with elections coming up, the pandemic is challenging because the virus is passed through human contact, which happens at campaign events. We have about 15 or so more elections to go this year, and appropriate healthcare protocols will be needed to protect people.

Could post-COVID-19 recovery be an opportunity for Africa to build back better?

Yes, but it will depend on the policy choices member states make, as well as the resources available to them. A few countries are middle income countrieshigher middle-income or lower middle-income. Those countries have the resilience and the resources to undertake prevention, response and recovery measures. But the LDCs [Least Developed Countries], whose economies are much more fragile, will need a lot of preparedness to develop appropriate policy responses that don't require a huge outlay of resources. The international development community can help such countries build back better.

Is there a role for pan-African institutions such as the AU in building back better?

As I mentioned, the AU has been more of a political organization than an economic organization. But its development agency [African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)] and other pan-African institutions such as the African Development Bank and, on the UN side, the Economic Commission for Africa, can help countries develop policy responses.

How is the Silencing the Guns 2020 campaign going?

Silencing the Guns 2020 is the theme of the AU for this year, which is why it's getting a lot of attention. But the Silencing the Guns campaign started in 2013, on the 50th anniversary of the AU [formerly, the Organisation of African Unity]. The idea was to accelerate efforts at ending conflicts through mediation. In some cases, as with South Sudan, progress has been made. In some cases, as with the Sahel, we haven't made the desired progress. We also see that conflict is spreading to other countries outside of MaliNiger and Burkina Faso being the most vulnerable lately. I don't think we can silence all the guns this year because of all the challenges, but it is a valid aspiration.

What more work can be done to silence the guns in Africa?

There needs to be an acceleration of mediation efforts. It is not easy to mediate in the way in which we are having this conversation [via video link]. When you want to bring political actors and communities together, you organize face-to-face discussions that enable people to come to agreements, and then you support them to implement such agreements. COVID-19 is challenging that kind of support and intervention.

Do you envision an Africa without war?

There is potential because the last two or three decades have witnessed considerable political progress and economic growth, and several conflicts have ended. But we need to look beyond simply ending conflicts to addressing the root causes of conflicts. And the root causes of conflict lie in bad governance which creates inequalities and does not promote growth and development. Its important that we realise that peace is not a state that once achieved, can be taken for granted. Even countries that are relatively stable need conditions that help consolidate and enhance peace and stabilitygood governance, inclusiveness, strong institutions, the rule of law, etc.

Is Africa moving in the right direction, considering there are more democracies today than, say, 20 years ago?

The fact that we have more democracies today than previously is a good sign. But regular elections in and of themselves do not mean democracy. Democracy is about respect for human rights, good governance, responsive institutions that people can interact with, including a

framework for the protection of stability through law and order, so people can go about their daily lives and achieve their dreams and their aspirations.

How is COVID-19 affecting refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons in Africa?

In some instances, the pandemic has worsened the situation. As cases increased in some countries, the response has been to deport irregular migrants. And in the refugee camps, especially in areas in conflict or coming out of conflict, it's been difficult to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The IOM [International Organisation for Migration] has urged countries to respect the rights of refugees and to provide necessary facilities that safeguard them from the disease. The IOM also called for a halt to the deportation of irregular migrants at this time of COVID-19.

From a peace and security perspective, what are the challenges that may impede successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)?

The challenge for AfCFTA is not so much peace and security; it's concluding negotiations for the rules of origin. It is also ensuring the agreement is implemented in a way that benefits economies. Because, remember, the AfCFTA is a very ambitious experiment to encourage trade among African nations. Some countries may lose customs revenues, and so those countries need to see the benefits of free trade.

What are your views on the role of women in peace and security in Africa?

Unfortunately, women are not included enough, and that needs to be addressed. Creating lasting peace and security in countries or communities in conflict involves negotiating a peace agreement and a process of reconciliationthat involves men and women. In situations where you are trying to rebuild communities, it requires the participation of the entirety of the community to make sure that the peace is consolidated. The UN has supported the AUs project of developing a cohort of female mediatorsFemWise Africafor deployment in countries to ensure more women and young people are brought into the processes of mediation and peacebuilding.

Do young people have a role to play in conflict prevention, possibly resolution?

Absolutely. You can't build peace without encouraging young people to be part of the peacebuilding process. They are the ones recruited as irregular fighters. You have to think about disarmament, demobilization and reintegration into communities. You make sure they don't have the incentive to be part of organizations that terrorize communities. You want them to be part of the productive economy.

What is your message to Africans in these trying times?

We are a very strong and resilient continent. We have been through difficult times before. We have more democracies now and we've also seen economic growth. We need to be engaged in rebuilding our countries and creating an inclusive platform for integration. We are a continent of multiple ethnicities, and our diversity should be our strength. In the same way we condemn acts of discrimination in other parts of the world, we should not discriminate amongst ourselves on the basis of ethnicity. Thats an important aspect to promote our growth and development and to strengthen peace.

For information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given President Muhammadu Buhari 14 days to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to urgently investigate allegations that over N300bn of public funds are missing, mismanaged, diverted or stolen, as documented in the 2017 audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF).

SERAP also urged him to ask Mr Malami and the anticorruption agencies to promptly investigate the extent and patterns of widespread and endemic corruption in the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) indicted in the audited report. We urge you to take meaningful and effective measures to clean up an apparently entrenched system of corruption in these MDAs.

In the letter dated 4 July, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: The 2017 audited report reveals grim allegations of mismanagement, diversion and stealing of public funds, as well as unaccounted-for spending. The report suggests a grave violation of the public trust, and that the indicted MDAs and the National Assembly lack effective and credible internal processes to prevent and combat corruption.

According to SERAP, Investigating and prosecuting the alleged grand corruption documented by the AGF would improve the chances of success of your governments oft-repeated commitment to fight corruption and end the impunity of perpetrators. It will improve the integrity of MDAs, serve the public interest, as well as improve Nigerians access to public services and goods.

SERAP said: Any failure to promptly investigate the allegations and prosecute suspected perpetrators would breach Nigerias anti-corruption legislation, including the Public Procurement Act, the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and the countrys obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.

The letter, read in part: It would also mean that Nigeria is failing to fulfil the obligations under the covenant to use its maximum of available resources to progressively realize and achieve basic economic and social rights, including access of Nigerians to public services and goods like quality education, healthcare, clean water and regular electricity supply, as well as the right to honest public services.

SERAP has carefully analysed the 2017 audited report by the AGF and our analysis reveals the following grim allegations ofmismanagement, diversion and stealing of public funds, as well asunaccounted-for spending.

The Federal Civil Service Commission spent 25,856,279.00 on behalf of Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop online recruitment in April 2014 without any supporting memo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and without due process. Although the project was suspended, the Commission went ahead and paid 25,856,279.00 for contract not executed. The AGF recommended the full recovery of the public funds.

The Commission granted cash advances totalling 8,590,000.00 to 25 officials between February and December, 2016 but failed to retire or account for the money. Also, 6,850,000.00 was paid for store items that were never supplied. Another 2,619,210.00 was spent without receipts. The AGF expressed concern that the money may have been misappropriated or stolen, and recommended the full recovery of public funds.

The former Chairman of the Commission whose tenure of office ended in May 2017 took away with him four vehicles (One Toyota Hilux, one 407 Classic Peugeot, One Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep and One Toyota Corolla) belonging to the Commission, despite the Monetization Policy of Government clearly stating that all vehicles of MDAs belong to the pool, and are not expected to be taken away as part of severance package at the expiration of an officers appointment.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to show any receipts for the payment of 4,385,230,763.25 between January and December 2016. The Ministry also had no insurance cover for all its motor-vehicles, despite the budgetary allocation of 11,805,802.00 for insurance premium. The Ministry spent 105,000,000.00 to buy computer consumables, photocopy machine consumables, papers and other store items, contrary to official circular, and without any receipts. The AGF recommended the return of the money to the public treasury.

The Ministry also spent 72,000,030.00 to improve power supply to the Ministry but the contract for this was not captured in the 2017 appropriation. Despite the purported spending, power supply to the Ministry has not improved. Also, 7,520,000.00 was spent by 20 officials to visit 8 out-stations of the Ministry without due process and without any receipts. 234,622,718.00 was also spent but remained unretired or unaccounted for. The AGF recommended the full recovery of public funds.

The Ministry also paid 83,719,500.00 to a company for the rehabilitation and re-integration of released Chibok girls in August, 2017 without any agreement between the Ministry and the contractor, and without any evidence of purchase of the back-to-school materials, and job completion certificate. The AGF recommended the full recovery of public funds.

The Ministry also transferred a take-off grant of 83,317,257.00 for Consulate-General of Nigeria, Guangzhou to the personal account of the Ambassador of Nigeria in Rome in 2013 to be remitted to Guangzhou. But the money was never remitted to Guangzhou and has remained outstanding till date. The AGF expressed concern that the money may have been diverted and misappropriated, and recommended that the Ambassador of Nigeria in Rome whose account was used be asked to account for the money.

The Ministry of Justice disbursed 10,460,950,841.00 judgment debt in 2017 without due process. The committee to manage the funds was dissolved after 2013 financial year was not reconstituted as at the time of the 2016 and 2017 appropriations but funds were nonetheless disbursed. Also, 32,353,693.00 was spent between March and September 2017 on international travels without approval or evidence of spending. The AGF recommended the full recovery of public funds.

At the National Assembly, the House of Representatives spent 95,212,250.00 without due process and without any receipts. The National Assembly Management Accounts also showed spending of N673,081,242.14 between April--October 2017 without any documents. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may have been misappropriated and recommended that the Clerk of the National Assembly should fully recover the money and return it to the treasury.

The Senate also spent 1,364,816,397.95 torenovate a store at the National Assembly but the AGF was denied access to thestore and records, thus expressing concerns that public funds may have been divertedfor unappropriated purposes. The AGF recommended that the Clerk of theNational Assembly account for the money.

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies misappropriated 67,296,478.00, as payments were made to unknown persons. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may have been diverted and recommended that the Director-General should fully recover the money and return it to the treasury.

The Public Complaint Commission spent 63,826,941.30 on contract to renovate State offices in Delta, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Borno, Ekiti and Niger States without due process, valuation certificates, and without receipts. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may have been diverted and recommended the full recovery of public funds.

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources spent 343,957,350.60 without due process, receipts, and without any evidence of work done or services rendered. Also, 14,993,950.00 granted as cash advances to staff was not accounted for. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may bemissing and recommended that the Permanent Secretary is made to account for it.

The Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, Makurdi misappropriated 42,277,285.50 of contract money for project management. Similarly, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria paid a contractor 33,425,000.00 in March 2017 for awareness training but there was no evidence that the contract was executed. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may have been diverted and recommended that the Executive Director should recover and return it to the treasury.

The Cross-River Basin Development Authority, Calabar, overpaid a contractor to the tune of 10,387,490.00 for construction of Link Road between Cross River and Ebonyi State without any justification. Also, 30,616,110.00 was spent for construction of erosion control works at Nguzu but remained unaccounted for. The AGF expressed concerns that the contractor may have received money for project not executed, and recommended that the Managing Director should recover the money and return it to the treasury.

The Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, Borno State failed to account for 2 Nos. Toyota Prado Jeeps which were purchased in 2013 and 2014 with registration No. 45KOIFG for one Jeep but the second Jeep was not registered, and no reason was given for this. The AGF expressed concerns that the Jeeps may have been diverted to private use, and asked the Executive Director to account for the vehicles.

The National Water Resources Institute, Mando Road, Kaduna paid 84,401,940.74 to a company on 4th May 2017, being 10% payment on the construction of a 2-story building for UNESCO without any existing contract, and without receipts. The AGF recommended the recovery of the money.

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Abuja paid 24,800,000.00 into a staff private account for production/prevention of the 2016 annual flood outlook (AFO) and without evidence of services performed. Another 31,439,300.00 was paid in September 2016 into the account of another staff for sensitization workshops. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may be missing and asked the Director-General to recover it.

The Hadejia  Jamaare River BasinDevelopment Authority, Kano State paid 204,893,978.09 to contractorswithout any receipts. The Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research, BeninCity, Edo State paid 210,921,849.66 and 30,010,963.65 without any receipts. Another15,630,050.00 cash advances to staff in 2017 was also not accounted for, as at2018. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may have been mismanaged and askedthe Accounting Officer to recover it.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration spent 393,254,000.00 to support security agencies without due process and without receipts. Another 362,481,173.52 was paid for the procurement of stores locally without due process. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may be missingand asked the Permanent Secretary to recover it.

The Ecological Funds Office misappropriated 1,257,791,992.86 meant for contract for Canalization and Desilting of OKOKO and Ogbagba Rivers in Osogbo Township, Osun state. There was no evidence that 30,000,000.00 meant for compensation to owners of marked-to-demolish structures and economic trees affected by the project, received any payment. The AGFexpressed concerns that the money may be missing and asked the PermanentSecretary to recover it.

The Office of The Head of The Civil Service of The Federation paid 301,984,103.00 for projects without accounting for it. 36,641,528.00 was also paid for seminars, conferences and workshops without any receipts. Also, 16,096,712.00 was spent on projects not executed. The AGF expressed concerns that the money may have been diverted and asked the Permanent Secretary to recover it.

The Federal University of PetroleumResources, Effurun spent 830,267,951.23 as Special Presidential NeedsAssessment Phases I and II to the Federal University of Petroleum Resources,Warri for the Construction of Building, Procurement of Laboratory Equipment andCapacity Building/Staff training but the funds were misapplied. 190,495.824.75was approved for a project to construct and furnish workshop and laboratory butthe contractor was paid 199,324,657.10 and without any evidence of request bythe contractor.

The University also spent 990,621,753.29 to construct and furnish a 3-storey, 4-floor structure Student Residential Building Complex but the contract for the spending was awarded without due process. Also, only a 2-storey, 3-floor building was constructed. Severalother infractions are documented in the report. The AGF expressed concerns thatthe money may have been diverted and asked the Vice-Chancellor to account for it.

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion spent 2,270,000.00 for a 2-day workshop but without any receipts. The AGF asked the Director-General to recover the money. The Nigerian Railway Corporation failed to remit 122,242,337.63 in taxes to the authorities. The National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) paid 20,569,398.20 for supply of Power System Simulator without evidence of supply. It gave 6,187,393.50 as cash advances to 17 officers which remained unaccounted for.

The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria paid 3,604,000.00 for the services of solicitors without the consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation. Another payment of 13,542,822.82 for the completion of machine tools workshop was made without contract agreement or receipts. In total, 126,533,197.08 was paid without contract agreement or receipts. The AGF expressed concerns that the funds may have been misappropriated and asked the Managing-Director to recover the money.

The National Health Insurance Scheme paid 4,931,475,094.63 as cash advances to staff without due process. 72,383,000.00 was also supposedly paid for verification exercise but the AGF found no evidence that the verification took place. Another 31,478,400.00 was purportedly paid for accreditation of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) but again the AGF found no evidence of this.

The National Information Technology Development Agency paid 28,525,000.00 to a Security company for the production of procurement manuals for the Agency. 300 copies of the manual were produced although only 5 copies were needed and utilized, with a copy of the manual costing 95,083.33. The agency also paid 15,842,970.00 printer tonners.

There are several other infractions documented in the report, a copy of which can be obtained from the Auditor-Generals office.

We request that you take the recommended action within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which SERAP will institute legal proceedings to compel your government to act in the public interest.

The letter was copied to Mr Abukabar Malami; Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, Chairman Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); and Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

Kolawole Oluwadare

SERAP Deputy Director

5/07/2020

Lagos, Nigeria

Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]

Twitter: @SERAPNigeria

Website: www.serap-nigeria.org

For more information or to request an interview, please contact Kolawole Oluwadare on: +2348160537202
Miffed by the temerity displayed by the suspended Management of the NIGERIA SOCIAL INSURANCE TRUST FUND(NSITF) in rejecting their suspension slammed on them to enable the authority conduct an unfettered investigations of alleged heist of public fund, the Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has expressed disappointment that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is slow to arrest, investigate these persons over this huge scam.

HURIWA recalled that recently, 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.

HURIWA citing media publication stated that other managers 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.

Besides, HURIWA stressed that 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.

HURIWA quoted media Statement from the Labour Ministry signed by the Deputy Director, Press and Publicity, Charles Akpan, 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 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.

HURIWA condemned the apparent stubbornness of the suspended Management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) in challenging the authority and powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for doubting the veracity of the claim by the supervising Minister of the agency that the President duly sanctioned their suspension for alleged financial misconduct.

"Why did the minister of Labour and Productivity not follow the right step to deal with this sort of alleged scandal by handing these persons over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for thorough forensic investigations and prosecutions since he is so sure that over N3 billion of public fund was blown away in suspicious circumstances?" "Why is the Minister of Labour treating this grave case of heist of public fund as if it is a mere family disagreements of All Progressives Congress?" This laissez faire approach by the Federal Minister of Labour in dealing with alleged financial thieves is the tonic that has allowed the accused managers to now start fighting back from the same offices that the supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity had clearly indicted them of corruption. If these persons have shame, the least they could have done is to accept their suspension and present themselves to the EFCC for comprehensive investigations and be freed to return back to offices if their claims of innocence are found to be credible".

Relatedly, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has called for the investigation, arrest and prosecution of the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Law School reportedly indicted in a huge financial scam by the office of the auditor General of the Federation.

The Rights group said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences commission (ICPC) should ensure that public fund allegedly stolen in the Nigerian Law School must be recovered and the thieves prosecuted and punished.

HURIWA recalled that the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation had reportedly uncovered financial infractions in the records of the Nigerian Law School.

The infractions ranged from outright misappropriation to spending without approval and diversion of pension.

This is contained in the 2015 Auditor-Generals report submitted to the Senate Committee on Public Account.

HURIWA recalled that Nine queries were issued by the Office of the Auditor-General of Federation to the management of Nigerian Law School in 2015, according to the report.

HURIWA stated that the Auditor-General queried the payment of N36 million as dressing allowance through the account of one of the staff for 52 others without approval and in violation of Nigerias Financial Act.

The Examination of payment records revealed that the Nigerian Law School several times paid N36 million to staff as dressing allowance in 2013 alone.

The Management could not substantiate these payments with any approval from Salaries and Wages Commission to enable the audit team to determine the genuineness of these payments to staff. No appropriation in this request, the report said.

HURIWA recalled that the report also indicted the law school for paying N32 million to an unnamed cleaner over a period of 12 months against Nigeria extant laws. The queries also said that N34.3 million was paid for the training of staff without approval from the federal government.

On the serious allegations that the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Muhammed Ladan plagiarized the intellectual property of Professor Ngozi Ezeilo, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has called for his immediate suspension until a comprehensive investigations on this damaging accusation are carried out.

The Rights group said it was not proper for the DG of such a pretigious legal faculty to be entangled in a show of shane which is criminal in nature such as plegiarism and he is allowed to defend himself from the financially formidable position of a Director General of a publicly funded agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On July 3, 2020, the first batch of eight commissioners, which included the Delta State Commissioner for Works, Chief James Augoye, will be marking five years on the saddle in the administration of the State, since they were sworn in by the State Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa.

Since first assuming office in 2015, Augoye has been able to interpret the smart initiatives of the State Governor who has been nicknamed Road Master in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in road construction spanning over 407 roads, and several line drainages spread across the State.

A careful appraisal of five-year developments in Delta paints a clear picture of why Governor Okowa is nick-named Road Master. But then, there is an unseen hand, who has tacitly interpreted and astutely implemented the smart initiatives of the State Governor.

Augoye, the unseen hand and brain behind the Road Master in Delta, is a thoroughly bred and well put together politician from Ugbokodo in Okpe Local Government Area of the State.

On becoming Commissioner, Augoye, whose education spans from his community primary school to the great University of Benin (UNIBEN), where he bagged his Master's degree in Public Administration, immediately revolutionized the Delta State Ministry of Works.

In his commitment to seeing that Governor Okowa succeeds in his road infrastructural strides across the State, the very unassuming gentleman will always do everything possible to ensure projects are delivered on time and to make sure Deltans get value for their money.

With how well Augoye has implemented the administrations initiative, five years later, we can simply look back and Augoye has done quite well in delivering the campaign promises of the administration and more.

Training for civil engineers

At the beginning of every construction year in Delta, in the past years of Augoye becoming Commissioner for Works, he has made training and retraining of civil engineers at all cadre in the Ministry a top priority. Augoye has organized a yearly training workshop for the civil engineers aimed at sharpening and updating the skills of field engineers with modern technology in road construction. The training program is now code-named in the Ministry as The James Augoye Training and Workshop for Civil Engineers. Indeed, this will become one of the standing legacies of Augoye in the Ministry.

Projects

Indeed, the administration has stayed true in making more communities accessible, with roads that are very vital to the socio-economic development of the people. Construction of roads in the State under the watch of Augoye is all-inclusive as no local government in the State had not witnessed footprints of road construction.

The people of Obomkpa, Issele-Uku, Onicha-Olona, Idumuje-Uno, Ukwu-Nzu, Issele-Mkpitime, among others in Aniocha North as well as Irri, Oleh, Ozoro, Iyede, Emede, Owhelogbo, Ellu, Ofagbe, Ikpide-Irri all in Isoko North and Isoko South and Ughelli, Amekpa, Afiesere, Ofuoma, Oteri, Abraka, Orerokpe, and several other communities in Delta central all have stories to tell of footprints in road construction into their various communities. The story is not different in riverine communities of Burutu Town, Ogulagha, Yokri, Obotobo, Sokebolo, Okerenkoko, Ogidigben, Koko, among others.

While also constructing feeder roads, the administration has continued construction works on the Ughelli Asaba dualization project. A trip to the project site along the Sector C which includes from Asaba to Oloh-Ossisa, reveals massive construction work currently ongoing as well as the Sector A from Ughelli to Isoko.

Under Augoyes watch, the Delta State Government has built over 400 roads, and counting

Legacy project: Asaba stormwater erosion control project

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the administration will no doubt be in the area of flood control in Asaba, the State capital. Embarrassed by hardship posed by flooding in the State capital, Governor Okowa awarded the multi-billion naira storm drainage contracts to check the perennial flooding of the State capital. Augoye took it upon himself to see that the aim of the Governor was achieved.

Today, the hardship posed by flooding in the State capital has now become a thing of the past as Asaba now has deep underground sewers that take all the floodwater from Nnebisi road, connecting the Direct Labour Agency (DLA) road to Jesus Saves road and Agric road, on one end, while also curbing the menace of floodwater on DBS road, cabinet office road, and environs, connected to the Marian Babangida road, and properly channelled to Oyabi river.

Those who are familiar with the capital city before now can testify of the level of flooding in the capital city. The whole of DLA, Okpanam road, DBS road, Ralph Uwechie road and several others including the Okotomi area of Okpanam have now been rescued from the annual flooding ritual. Indeed with the first phase of the stormwater drainages, Asaba residents now sleep with two eyes closed. All thanks to the effective supervision of Augoye.

Legacy project: Asaba Airport project

Another key achievement of the administration is the Asaba Airport. Deltans and indeed Nigerians would recall that in 2015, the Asaba International Airport was downgraded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over safety concern that was largely due to the faulty runway. With courage and determination on the part of the Governor, the Delta State Government awarded the contract to Setraco Nigeria Limited under the supervision of the Ministry of Works that has been under the purview of Augoye since the first term of Governor Okowa.

With the downgrade, only Dash 8-Q 400 aircraft or its equivalent were allowed to operate using the airport. Today, the story is different; all the safety issues have been addressed; the Asaba Airport runway is now completed and operational with better facilities. The runway is 3.4 kilometres long, theoretically capable of receiving a 747 aircraft, meaning that larger aircraft like the 737 can now safely use the airport. As of 2013, Asaba Airport serviced an average of 6,880 passengers per month on 260 flights. Commercial activities have since increased drastically with the restoration of the airport to a decent condition, all thanks to the Ministry of Works supervisory role under the watch of Augoye.

Legacy project: Marian Babangida road

The Marian Babangida road is one strategic road at the heart of the city of Asaba. The road, a dual carriageway linking Okpanam road to the Asaba/Benin express road, has defied the technical abilities of past administration due to the terrain, the location, and nature of the road. When this administration came on board, the technicalities of the addressed were tabled and addressed appropriately. Today, the road has since been completed and in use by Deltans.

Legacy project: Ugbomro road (Phase 1)

This is another award-winning road project achieved by Governor Okowa under the meticulous watch of the gentleman Commissioner Augoye. At the inception of the administration, the Governor was so desirous of tackling that road problem, which has in the past, always been an abandoned project. That determination made the Governor to award the road contract to Setraco. The project has since been completed and commissioned. The people of Ugbomro, and other communities, and indeed the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) will forever remain grateful for the road.

Roads and bridges in riverine communities

Governor Okowa is not nick-named Road Master for nothing. From the Okorenkoko road projects, the Ogidigben township road, Burutu township roads, the Ayakoromor bridge project and indeed the multi-billion naira Trans-Warri Ode-Itsekiri road project and bridges linking over eight communities across the Excavos-Focados river could best be described as signature and historic projects in the life of the people. Indeed this is what the Road Master Governor means to the riverine communities.

The unending commitment of Augoye, and his tenacity to effectively interpret government policies and implement, sets him apart, earning him the appellation as the unseen hand behind the Road Master in Delta, etching him as enviable and endearing in the hearts of Deltans.
The Lead Bishop of Worldwide Anglican Church (WAC) in West Africa, Bishop Seun Adeoye has lamented that Nigeria is awfully stinking as corrupt practices among public office holders appeared to be on the increase under the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Besides, the cleric regretted that efforts by some few courageous Nigerians to help in the fight against corruption in the country were not being encouraged as anti-grafts bodies activities showed to be slow and selective.

Bishop Adeoye in a statement issued on Sunday, in Okinni, Osun State and titled, Lets weep for Nigeria cited an example of a vital information sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a whistleblower on alleged $7.5million fraud involving some individuals working with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) while noting that nothing was done on the matter.

The clergyman who doubled as the spokesman of World Bishops Council (WBC) in Africa explained further that an organisation he was a member also issued a statement on the said alleged scam but we are told that nothing can happen to the big men in this corporation.

Our group, The Lightbearers issued a statement in support of the whistleblower, Alhaji Ibrahim Farouk, a man of known address, who gave details of how the alleged monumental insurance fraud on the 2020/2021 NNPC insurance renewals was perpetrated.

Farouk sent his petition directly to the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu and explained how the premium for the insurance of corporation for the 2020/2021 was inflated by over 20 percent of the original figure and how the brokers to the business during a meeting held early February this year in London raised objection and pointed out the discrepancy which amounted to about $7.5m (N2.7billion).

He further stated that the brokers insisted that the action was not right and it was done at the expense of NNPC but back in Nigeria, the insurers and the management of NNPC signed off the documents with the inflated premium.

As a Nigerian, I am very sad to see how terrible Nigeria situation is. We have millions of our children without education or food on their tables and millions of Nigerians battling extreme poverty on daily basis. Yet, few individuals covet our commonwealth and left majority of others struggling for survival.

The few corrupt individuals claimed they are powerful. But, I know they cannot defeat all of us. The essence of the Whistleblowers Law made by the government is to fight corruption. So, I urged the president not to bow and I called on EFCC to without delay treat Farouks petition and other petitions before it. I know we can win the war, Bishop Adeoye added.

While calling on other Nigerians to be bold by coming out to expose those they suspect to be holding Nigeria down, Bishop Adeoye urged President Buhari not to give up in his fight against corruption.
Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Mamina Bojang and I am the Deputy Matron at the Medical Research Council at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the Gambia. I was born in Foni Bondali district in the west coast region 49 years ago. My occupation is nursing, and my hobbies are reading and watching television.

How long have you been working as a healthcare worker?

I have been a healthcare professional for about 30 years now. I studied at City University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Southampton University in the UK, as well as the University of the Gambia.

What made you choose a career in healthcare?

Healthcare was my dream career since childhood. I have passion for the job. It has become part of me, and I have become part of it. I am in love with my work.

Do you have any fears or regrets about your job?

Well, COVID19 has injected some fears in me because of its high rate of morbidity and mortality in our communities. Im at the frontline helping our people and because of this I have no regrets of being a healthcare worker. I feel Im on the right track and I remain vibrant, focused and I continue to develop myself career-wise. I can feel the joy and the reward of it. I still feel I have not reached my maximum potential in looking after COVID-19 cases because the Gambia has only recorded few cases of fatalities.

How are you helping fight COVID-19 in your country?

Im always happy to help the people of my country whenever the need arises. For now, Im training nurses and other staff members on how to handle COVID19 cases. It was no surprise when I was automatically selected to join the COVID-19 training team by my line manager.

Training is the backbone of fighting any virulent disease like COVID-19. Our training comprises of topics such as how to recognise signs and symptoms of the disease, transmission routes, case definition, epidemiology, waste management and prevention of COVID-19, to name a few.

How has your work changed since COVID-19 broke out?

My role as a carer changed automatically from bedside nursing to COVID-19 team trainer.

What affects you most in this COVID-19 situation?

People fear COVID-19 and this has led to a low turn up to the health facilities. They are only coming when very sick which may lead to congestion and unnecessary mortalities.

What keeps you going and how are you coping?

My family and friends and my employer have been very supportive. May God bless them all! I say this from the bottom of my heart. I feel Im doing a good job and people appreciate what Im doing in impacting knowledge and skills which will go a long away in protecting lives. I am coping well. I can see some changes in peoples social behaviours, and I hope this will be sustained till the end of the pandemic. My unit has successful managed two confirmed cases of COVID-19 and discharged them back to the community.

What strategy in your view has worked well in this fight and which one has not?

Applying institutional guidelines and protocols has helped tremendously. I would say the idea of instituting a training team has worked well too. Mass sensitization of the communities, and health promotion broadcasts over the radio and television have contributed significantly. On the other hand, what has not worked well is that the public is not taking social distancing seriously.

What should be done to win the war against COVID-19?

The fight must continue. There should be more health promotion talks over the radio and television, we should be more careful about the transmission routes, and abide by the Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Together we can fight COVID-19. If need be, lockdowns should be extended for a reasonable period of time from a health point of view.

What is your final message to people in your country, and others in Africa, at this time of COVID19?

My final message to the people of the Gambia and to the rest of Africa would be, we must stick to the WHO guidelines, visit health facilities as soon as possible when sick and work together to fight the pandemic. People should know that COVID19 is real. Stay home and stay safe.

For information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus
On the July Fourth holiday, Michigan added 398 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3 new confirmed deaths, the state reported on their website.

Saturday saw the state's total number of confirmed cases rise to 65,533, and the number of confirmed deaths rose to 5,972.

Friday's total number of confirmed and probable cases by county, as well as the total number of probable cases and deaths, still remains a mystery due to the state not updating current numbers on the table their website from the previous day.

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But, on Saturday, when the numbers were refreshed, the total number of probable cases stood at 7,048 and the number of probable deaths totaled 246.

This means that Michigan has seen 45 new probable cases and no new probable deaths since Thursday, the last posted numbers for the state.

Probable cases include individuals who never tested positive for the virus, but who were presumed to be infected due to their symptoms and past exposure.

Similarly, a probable death is defined as those whose death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.

Combined together, the total number of confirmed and probable cases total 72,581, while the total number of confirmed and probable deaths total 6,218.

This means Michigan added 3,252 new total confirmed and probable cases and 65 new and probable deaths this past week.

This also means that, since last Saturday, the state added new confirmed and probable cases at a rate of 9.6 percent and new confirmed and probable deaths at a rate of 9.9 percent.

Michigan remains 11th in the nation in total coronavirus cases and deaths, after falling behind Georgia. Pennsylvania is now 9th in the nation and New York is still in first place.

California, Texas and Florida, states which have recently seen a spike in cases, took the number two, three and four spots, respectively.

Across Sun Belt, hopes for economy give way to renewed fears ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.>> At the beginning of March, Joey Conicella and Alex Marin were riding high. Their new Orlando restaurant, Hungry P

Many cities have canceled Fourth of July plans, from parades to fireworks displays due to the pandemic, including in Southeastern Michigan.

Nonetheless, some displays did continue, prompting local officials, such as the Oakland County Sheriff's office, to urge caution when gathering to shoot off fireworks this Independence Day.

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.

Tally of new cases and deaths

In the city of Detroit on Independence Day, there were, total, 11,678 confirmed cases and 532 probable cases of coronavirus, totaling 12,210 confirmed and probable cases.

Total, Detroit also saw 1,445 confirmed deaths and 84 probable deaths, amounting to 1,532 confirmed and probable deaths.

This means there are 8 total new confirmed cases and no new probable deaths since Thursday, when the numbers were last updated.

The number of probable cases has increased by 1 since Thursday. There are no new probable deaths in Detroit since Thursday also.

On Saturday, in the rest of Wayne County, there were 10,501 confirmed cases and 412 probable cases, for total of 10,913 confirmed and probable cases.

There were also 1,163 confirmed deaths and 36 probable deaths, for a total of 1,199 confirmed and probable deaths.

This means, since Thursday, there have been 18 new confirmed cases and 2 new probable ones, for a total of 20 new cases.

Since the same time, there have also been no new confirmed or probable deaths in the county.

On Saturday, Oakland County had 9,078 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,130 probable cases, totaling 12,208 confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus within the county.

There were also 1,049 confirmed deaths and 42 probable deaths, for a total of 1,091 confirmed and probable deaths in Oakland County.

This means, since Thursday, there are 8 new confirmed cases and 2 new probable cases, for a total of 10 new cases within the county.

There are no new confirmed or probable deaths in Oakland County since Thursday.

Macomb County posted 7,281 confirmed cases and 240 probable cases on Saturday, for a total of 7,521 confirmed and probable cases.

There were also 882 confirmed deaths and 37 probable deaths within the county, for a total of 919 confirmed and probable deaths.

Since Thursday, this means the number of confirmed cases has risen by 5 and there are no new probable cases.

There are no new confirmed or probable deaths in Macomb County since Thursday.

In Mid-Michigan, in Isabella County, there were 109 confirmed cases and 22 probable cases, for a total of 131 confirmed and probable cases.

There were also 8 confirmed deaths and no probable deaths.

Since Thursday, there has only been one new confirmed case and no new probable cases.

There have been no new confirmed or probable deaths since Thursday in the county.

Gratiot County had 83 confirmed coronavirus cases and 10 probable ones, for a total of 93 confirmed and probable cases. It also had 13 confirmed deaths and no probable deaths.

Since Thursday, there have been no new confirmed or probable cases or confirmed or probable deaths within the county.

Clare County had 30 confirmed cases and 1 probable case on Saturday, for a total of 31 confirmed and probable cases. It also had 3 confirmed deaths and no probable deaths.

Since Thursday, there has been 1 new confirmed case, but had no new probable cases or new confirmed or probable deaths.

In other areas, Kent County had 4,793 confirmed cases and 427 probable cases on Saturday, for a total of 5,220 confirmed and probable cases within the county

It also had 133 confirmed deaths and 3 probable deaths, for a total of 136 confirmed and probable deaths.

Since Thursday, 17 new confirmed cases have been added and no new probable cases. There have also been no new confirmed or probable deaths since Thursday within the county.

In Genessee County, on Saturday, there were 2,229 confirmed cases on 568 probable cases of coronavirus, for a total of 2,797 confirmed and probable cases.

There have also been 263 confirmed deaths and 25 probable deaths, for a total of 288 confirmed and probable deaths.

Since Thursday, there have been 4 new confirmed cases and no new probable cases, as well as no new confirmed or probable deaths within the county.

Finally, on Saturday, in Ingham County, where many became infected while frequenting a local bar, there were 1,040 confirmed cases and 45 probable cases, for a total of 1,095 confirmed and probable cases.

There were also 29 confirmed deaths and no probable deaths on Saturday.

Since Thursday, Ingham County saw no new confirmed or probable cases or confirmed or probable deaths.

Who was tested?

Health officials have also been tracking results of statewide testing.

The State of Michigan currently has the capacity to perform around 21,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests per day.

To date, 1,378,729 total diagnostic and serology tests have been conducted within the state of Michigan. 1,147,836 diagnostic tests have been conducted.

As of Friday, a total of 52,841 Michiganders have recovered from COVID-19 (30 days out from onset of illness), a total which is updated by the state every Saturday.

Disease in context

As of Saturday, according to data from The New York Times, the number of total worldwide cases was 11,211,200 and the number of deaths had jumped to 529,000 people, with the virus detected in nearly every country.

+15 Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 states FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.>> The number of confirmed coronavirus cases per day in the U.S. climbed to an all-time high of more than 50,000 on

According to the same data, in the United States, the total number of confirmed cases now stands over 2.8 million, with 2,857,567 cases and 129,665 deaths.

On Saturday, the United States was in the top spot for total number of coronavirus cases and deaths, with Brazil and Russia in the second and third spots.

+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

According to the Associated Press, with coronavirus infections on the rise and despite pleading from public health officials, President Donald Trump went ahead with plans to have annual Fourth of July festivities at the Mall of America, complete with fireworks and an air show.

Yet, thanks to officials asking Americans to curb their enthusiasm for large July Fourth crowds, not as many people gathered for the show as last year, and many of them wore masks.

+10 US coronavirus cases near an all-time high as governors backtrack NEW YORK (AP)  The number of new coronavirus cases per day in the U.S. stood near an all-time high Thursday at more than 34,000, hovering clo

+4 US unemployment falls to 11%, but new shutdowns are underway WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. unemployment fell to 11.1% in June as the economy added a solid 4.8 million jobs, the government reported Thursday. But

Public health departments challenged during pandemic, but Oakland County has weathered the storm The Oakland County Health Department has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the realigning of county staff and critical resources has

+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
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.

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"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>> It's been a frequent Trump administration talking point on the recent spike in COVID-19 infections: Don't worry, only a small sliver of U.S. counties is at greater risk.

In offering this reassurance, Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar have said that only 3% or 4% of counties in the country are seeing a surge in cases. Focus on the "encouraging signs," Pence told senators last week.

But they and other administration officials are skirting a key fact: More than 20% of Americans live in those relatively few counties.

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The White House has repeatedly cited the low county tally, and Pence reaffirmed the point in a televised interview Sunday. He argued that states, not the federal government, should take the lead with reopening guidelines because virus outbreaks are happening in about "4% of all the counties in this country."

Azar asserted Friday only 3% of counties represent "hot spots" that are "very concerning."

The emphasis on a percentage of counties makes for a misleading portrayal of the virus threat.

The White House provided The Associated Press with the full list of U.S. counties that reported increases in COVID-19 cases as of Friday. It showed 137 of the 3,142 counties in the U.S. that were under a higher alert  indeed, about 4% at the time.

But measured by population, those counties represent a vastly higher share  over 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 a virus "hot spot."

In recent weeks, the U.S. has entered a dangerous new phase of the coronavirus with big Sun Belt states showing thousands of new cases a day. Texas and Florida reversed course on parts of their reopening and clamped down on bars last week as the daily number of confirmed infections in the U.S. surged to all-time highs.

Speaking about the coronavirus threat Friday, White House coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx explained that counties large and small are being tracked by the White House task force, and that anyone living in a virus hot spot should take the necessary precautions, including social distancing and wearing a mask.

Citing increases particularly in the under-40 age group, Birx stressed that much more testing is needed because that's the age group most likely to be infected without showing symptoms and to be "spreading the virus unbeknownst to them."

The population figures, both county level and national, come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey five-year estimates for 2018, the latest available.

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Fact check: Trump hypes bid to stem monument vandalism WASHINGTON>> President Donald Trump's persistent see-no-evil posture on coronavirus testing  if you don't look for the virus, the cases

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WASHINGTON>> President Donald Trump's persistent see-no-evil posture on coronavirus testing  if you don't look for the virus, the cases go away  defies both science and street sense. Yet he took it a step further with a comment suggesting that testing be restrained so the pandemic doesn't look so bad.

His aides passed that off as a joke. Trump contradicted them, saying he wasn't kidding. Then he contradicted himself, saying he was.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Trump cited powers he actually doesn't have as he suggested he had imposed 10-year prison sentences for vandalism of monuments. The president did not  and cannot - unilaterally change such laws.

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So it went over the past week as America's reckoning with disease and racism navigated a fog of falsehoods and distortions from the president. A sampling:

___

MEMORIALS

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.

TRUMP: "I've also made clear that any rioters damaging federal property and defacing our monuments will face severe and lengthy criminal penalties. Ten years."  remarks Tuesday in Phoenix.

THE FACTS: He has no such authority. A president is not a judge.

Trump signed an executive order Friday 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. Trump does not actually impose sentences.

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TRUMP: "I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison per the Veteran's Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent. ... This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!"  tweets Tuesday.

THE FACTS: This action taken "immediately" and "retroactively" is merely words. It has no effect.

The Veterans' Memorial Preservation Act, passed by Congress in 2003, already authorizes fines or prison for up to 10 years for the destruction of veterans' memorials on public property.

The law covers "any structure, plaque, statue, or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the United States."

So all prosecutors got from Trump is a reminder of legal authority they already had.

___

TRUMP: "They even vandalized  that's right  the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial."  remarks at Phoenix rally Wednesday, prompting boos from the audience.

THE FACTS: No one damaged the memorial housing the statue of Lincoln in protests that unfolded near it. An online photo seeming to show the Lincoln statue and a memorial wall blanketed by graffiti was fake.

The reality: Someone spray painted "y'all not tired yet?" by the bottom of the steps to the memorial May 30 and the National Park Service cleaned it up.

"The only vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial was graffiti at the bottom of the steps at street level, far away from the statue," said national parks spokesman Mike Litterst.

He said vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial is unusual but not unheard of. "Probably most notable was in 2013 when someone splashed green paint on the statue," he said in an email. "And it was vandalized twice in 2017, once in February with black magic marker and again in August with red spray paint on one of the columns."

___

JUST KIDDING?

TRUMP: "You know testing is a double-edged sword. ... Here's the bad part. When you test to that extent, you are going to find more people, find more cases. So I said to my people, 'Slow the testing down please.'"  Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally June 20.

THE FACT: First, it's not true that he ordered testing slowed. The government's top public health officials testified one by one to Congress that Trump told them no such thing.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the comment was "made in jest" and other senior aides similarly brushed it off as not serious. Trump didn't play along. "I don't kid," he said Tuesday when asked about the remark.

Then he reversed himself, telling Fox News on Thursday "Sometimes I jokingly say, or sarcastically say, if we didn't do tests we would look great." But holding back on testing is "not the right thing to do."

Trump' broader point  "If you don't test, you don't have any cases," he also said  flips science on its head. No one disputes the fact that testing for the virus is key to controlling it. Testing is only one measure of the pandemic. It is also measured by hospitalization and death, which continue even if authorities were to close their eyes to spreading sickness.

COVID-19 has killed about 125,000 people in the U.S. Infections are far higher than are known because many who get the disease and pass it on are not tested.

__

VOTING FRAUD

TRUMP: "There is tremendous evidence of fraud whenever you have mail-in ballots."  remarks Tuesday at Phoenix rally.

THE FACTS: No, there isn't.

Voting fraud actually is rare and Trump's attempts to show otherwise have fallen flat. Nevertheless, he persists in the assertion, in what can be seen as a pretext to discredit results if he loses in November.

Trump appointed a commission after the 2016 election to get to the bottom of his theory that voting fraud is rampant. The panel disbanded without producing any findings.

Some election studies have reported a higher incidence of mail-in voting fraud compared with in-person voting, but the overall risk is all but imperceptible. The Brennan Center for Justice said in 2017 the risk of voting fraud is 0.00004% to 0.0009%.

When Trump made similar assertions last month, Twitter took the extraordinary step of attaching fact-checking notices.

Richard L. Hasen, an elections expert at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, recently wrote in an op-ed that "problems are extremely rare in the five states that rely primarily on vote-by-mail, including the heavily Republican state of Utah."

Trump himself voted by mail in the Florida Republican primary in March. A half-dozen senior advisers to the president have also voted by mail, according to election records obtained by The Associated Press.

___

VIRUS RISK

TRUMP: "The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down."  tweet Thursday.

THE FACTS: No, increased testing does not fully account for the rise in cases. People are also infecting each other more than before as social distancing rules recede and "community spread" picks up.

"One of the things is an increase in community spread, and that's something that I'm really quite concerned about," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, testified Tuesday.

As for Trump's point about mortality coming down, Fauci said that is not a relevant measure of what is happening in the moment with infections. "Deaths always lag considerably behind cases," he said. "It is conceivable you may see the deaths going up."

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified that "several communities are seeing increased cases driven by multiple factors, including increased testing, outbreaks, and evidence of community transmission."

___

TRUMP on the pandemic: "It's fading away, it's going to fade away."  Fox News interview June 17.

THE FACTS: It's not fading and not about to.

Coronavirus infections per day in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 40,000 at the end of the week, eclipsing the previous high of 36,400 on April 24 during one of the deadliest stretches in the crisis. Newly reported cases per day have risen on average about 60 percent over the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Earlier in the week, Fauci told Congress the U.S. is "still in the middle of the first wave" and the imperative is to "get this outbreak under control over the next couple of months." He said the New York City area, once an epicenter, has done notably well but "in other areas of the country we're now seeing a disturbing surge of infections."

The next few weeks "are going to be critical in our ability to address those surgings that we are seeing in Florida, in Texas, in Arizona and other states," Fauci said. "They're not the only ones that are having a difficulty."

Fauci added: "Certainly there will be coronavirus infections in the fall and winter because the virus is not going to disappear."

Said Redfield: "As we get to the fall, we're going to have influenza and COVID at the same time."

___

TESTING

TRUMP: "We have got the greatest testing program anywhere in the world."  remarks Tuesday.

TRUMP: "We've done too good a job."  interview on June 22.

THE FACTS: The U.S. is nowhere near the level of testing needed to stem the virus, according to his own health experts.

Redfield testified that health officials are still working to significantly increase testing capacity, calling such expansion a "critical underpinning of our response."

The U.S. currently is conducting about 500,000 to 600,000 tests a day. Many public health experts say the U.S. should be testing nearly twice as many people daily to control the spread of the virus. Looking to the fall, some experts have called for 4 million or more tests daily, while a group assembled by Harvard University estimated that 20 million a day would be needed to keep the virus in check.

Redfield said the U.S. was aiming to boost testing to 3 million daily by "pooling" multiple people's samples, a technique that is still under review by the FDA. He stressed the need for expanded surveillance because some people who get infected may not show symptoms.

"We still have a ways to go," Redfield said.

The U.S. stumbled early in the pandemic response as the CDC struggled to develop its own test for the coronavirus in January, later discovering problems in its kits sent to state and county public health labs in early February.

It took the CDC more than two weeks to come up with a fix to the test kits, leading to delays in diagnoses through February, a critical month when the virus took root in the U.S.

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It was the worst of times. It was the weirdest of times.

It was a season of sickness and shouting, of defiance and tension, of industrial-strength falsehood and spin. It was a moment of ugliness and deep injustice  and perhaps, too, a moment when the chance for justice felt nearer than ever before.

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On Independence Day, we Americans  if there is in fact a "we" in American life  celebrate the anniversary of a time when a lot of people, feeling really angry and scared, decided to do something about it that changed the world forever. This year, we mark that event at a time when a lot of people are feeling really angry and scared. Some of them are trying to do something about it, hoping it will change the world forever.

COVID-19 resurgent in 40 of 50 states. The death of George Floyd, the fight for racial justice, and the reactions against it. The fractious politics of masks. A national conversation  loud, enraged and anguished  about the place that a history blemished by ugliness should hold in the present. An uneven president embraced by millions and despised by millions. And superimposed over it all: a sure-to-be-chaotic election season that has only just begun.

Irritable, overstressed, buffeted by invisible forces and just plain worn out, the United States of America on its 244th birthday is a land of confusion.

"At this moment, we are a country profoundly at odds with our own history. We're seething," says historian Ted Widmer, author of "Lincoln on the Verge," which chronicles the 16th president's journey to his 1861 inauguration weeks before the Civil War began.

"There's this feeling that there are multiple versions of a country that is really supposed to be one country," Widmer says. "People are finding it hard to figure out which America is going to survive over the other one."

___

"Future historians will be asked which quarter of 2020 they specialize in."  tweet from author David Burr Gerard a few weeks ago.

___

"There is too much news," read the subject line last week in an email newsletter from the Columbia Journalism Review, which happens to cover the news business.

This is not the kind of remark you'd usually hear from that particular publication. But it's one of the few things most Americans could agree on these days  that the news, so far in 2020, is overwhelming. And this weekend is only the halfway point of a year many Americans would love to return for a refund.

This past week, the Pew Research Center found only 12% of Americans satisfied with the way things are going in their country  down from 31% in April, which was already a month into the coronavirus pandemic. The poll was conducted June 16-22 among 4,708 adults, three-quarters of them registered voters.

But how is that related to the dissonance, as Widmer says, among the differing versions of the American narrative?

This country has always contained multiple versions of itself. That's part of what's held it together  "e pluribus unum," or "out of many, one"  but also part of what's driving today's unraveling. One group's story of America  a story of triumph and exceptionalism and always prevailing  is very different from that of others, which include narratives of abuse, subjugation and systemic slavery.

That's not new. But many things make this particular Fourth of July different.

It comes after millions of Americans have been forced to marinate in their own juices for months, stuck at home, in some cases losing their jobs, being economically stressed, fearing a horrifying death, feeling both trapped and unable to access the "normal" life they remember.

"The ordinary flow of daily life  all of that has been disrupted. Every day looks more similar than it did before," says Jennifer Talarico, a psychology professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania who researches the role of emotion in how people remember events.

The weirdness, she suspects, also reflects the new ways we possess to share and amplify things at lightning speed: Could more sources of information  social media  be intensifying things? Could we be feeling more because we're stuck inside with our screens for company?

Wherever it's coming from, there's lots of it to think about. Eruptions that would have claimed days of oxygen a few years back are now just part of the background noise.

Like the notion that the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement would be riffed off, in Texas, by an anti-closure protest by tavern owners with signs saying that "bar lives matter." Like the made-for-TV image of a Missouri husband and wife (he in a tucked-in pink polo shirt) brandishing weapons at protesters in their gated community  and setting off a brief, meme-filled national debate.

Like Vanilla Ice, of all people, scheduling, then canceling, an Independence Day weekend concert in the middle of Austin, capital of Texas, which has some of the highest coronavirus numbers in the land.

Like the people who still insist that the entire virus saga  all 129,000-plus American deaths of it  is a conspiracy-driven hoax. And like the college students in Alabama who threw "COVID parties" to see who'd get the virus first.

Is it any wonder that this is the year Mike Judge has decided to bring back "Beavis and Butt-head"?

___

"If you think it's hard to breathe with a mask on! Try breathing while you're in a chokehold!"  tweet from comedian D.L. Hughley last weekend.

___

On a holiday that celebrates the dawn of the United States, recent weeks' protests hint at an important question: How do you grill burgers and set off flag-colored fireworks but not engage with the actual racial history of the nation and its birth?

There are those who say: Put it aside for the day and just celebrate what the country means  American ideals of equality. But an increasing number of voices are insisting that the discussion has been put aside for far too long.

To Fred L. Johnson III, a U.S. historian at Hope College in Michigan who studies slavery, race and the Civil War, the notion of marking Independence Day without digging into what it means  including the compromises the founders made to appease the pro-slavery South  is ludicrous.

"The very things they were complaining that the British were doing to them, they were doing the same thing  oppression  to Black people early on," he says.

"Being an American citizen is like having a relationship," Johnson says. "If all you can do is accept the good parts of the relationship and can't deal with the hard stuff, I question the sincerity of your relationship. We need to look at the warts, the dark spots and all."

No one would question whether American life on this Independence Day  after the dawn of coronavirus, after the ascent of a nationwide movement, at the cusp of a volatile election  is different from the previous one. Many are dead. Many more are confused. Many are deeply angry at each other and at the system. Many are terrified. Many have simply had enough.

On the national birthday, bang and whimper are fighting it out as never before. The country, collectively, is a driver without a map.

"When you can't make sense of what's going on in the world, life feels pretty meaningless," says Daryl Van Tongeren, co-author of "The Courage to Suffer: A New Clinical Framework for Life's Greatest Crises."

"This holiday extols our way of life," he says. "This is absolutely an emphasis of the exact American values which are under question, and are under question because they're not holding up to reality. The curtain's been pulled back. And people feel like a lot of this is not working anymore."

That might explain a meme circulating among weary Americans in the past few days. "Dear July," it says, "I don't want any trouble from you. Just come in, sit down, don't touch anything and keep your mouth shut."

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+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
LANSING>> Jenna Hulse was at work out of town as a nurse when she got a message from her brother that a dam three blocks from her house in the Michigan village of Sanford was failing.

Six feet (2 meters) of water entered the home, and though Hulse said she's lucky that the house she's lived in most of her life is still structurally sound, many other peoples' homes were destroyed, ripped from their foundations.

"Things aren't ever going to be normal again. There will be a new normal, I guess, but there's so much of the village that's getting torn down. Eventually, the look and feel of it will be different," Hulse said. "It's just unfair and disgusting, watching these houses get torn down that I've been looking at my whole life."

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Hulse is among the 859 Sanford residents whose lives were upended when privately owned dams with a history of neglect failed in May, resulting in more than $200 million damage in Midland County.

When the floodwaters roiled the Tittabawassee River, much of the attention focused on the larger downstream city of Midland, home to Dow Chemical Co. But many in Sanford are still scraping up muck and debris as they wait to find out whether any government aid may come their way.

In mid-June, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, which would open up federal resources and financial support for the area. Michigan has not yet received a response to Whitmer's request.

Legislation to allocate $6 million in state funds to the Midland area, mostly for housing, is sitting in a committee, with the Legislature adjourned for the summer.

Hulse said that when the floodwaters hit, countless volunteers in the village went to work helping her and families like hers by providing meals and supplies, and removing debris.

"The mud was unbelievable. It was slimy and it left this film on anything," Hulse said. "A lot of the stuff that you thought, 'Well maybe I'll clean this off and keep it,' you can't even, you can't."

Sanford, being so small, has already spent more than its yearly budget on debris cleanup alone.

Emily Ricards created a Facebook page to organize volunteer work. Although state or federal government aid would be a huge help, Ricards said Sanford could not wait. Midland County has a history of salt and gravel mining, and local excavating companies are helping to clean up the debris.

"If we would have waited we'd still be sitting and in three foot of muck," Ricards said.

Many damaged houses were not in the floodplain and did not have flood insurance, Ricards said. Together with the Midland Foundation, which funds programming and services for the county, the Sanford Strong Facebook page has raised $210,000 to take care of the immediate needs of residents, such as food and housing.

Floodwaters reached nearly to the ceilings of businesses in the downtown area, preventing them from reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic with the rest of the state, said Midland attorney Angela M. Cole, who lived in Sanford for more than 40 years. She created a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $20,000 to help local businesses.

"It's very personal to me. I raised my three sons in Sanford," Cole said. "When they went to college and came back, the first place they always wanted to go for dinner was Lanny's Restaurant, which is right in downtown Sanford. We celebrated birthday parties, their graduations, anything you can think of there."

The goal is to keep people in the village, Cole said. Supporting businesses will make it easier for residents to stay or visit, which would build the tax base.

"I think it's better just to help than to sit back and wait" for state or federal funding, Cole said. "We're gonna be very grateful for it, but can it really help the amount of devastation? Maybe not, so maybe if we do our part, that will help heal some more."

+4 To defund or not to defund: Locals share thoughts on recent calls for police reform Amid massive nationwide protests against police brutality and cries to defund the police following the death of George Floyd  a 46-year-old b

+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 County Health Department has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the realigning of county staff and critical resources has helped it whether the storm without mass layoffs or major budget cuts.

According to data compiled by The Associated Press, state and county public health systems have been starved for decades, with many lacking the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century. Marshaled against a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million in the U.S., killed more than 126,000 people and cost tens of millions of jobs and $3 trillion in federal rescue money, state and local government health workers on the ground are sometimes paid so little, they qualify for public aid.

Since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and spending for local health departments has fallen by 18%, according to a KHN and Associated Press analysis of government spending on public health. At least 38,000 state and local public health jobs have disappeared since the 2008 recession, leaving a skeletal workforce for what was once viewed as one of the world's top public health systems.

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April Lynch, Oakland County's director of human resources, said many Oakland County employees, especially those in public health, have had to wear many different hats, in addition to their normal job responsibilities, so that the county can respond efficiently to the pandemic. Some of these workers have been trained to perform daily temperature screening and contact tracing while others have answered phones,

"We've moved a lot of people over to drive-thru testing and things like that," said Lynch. "Our epidemiologists are spending all their time on COVID-related incidences. We've also moved people, who may have slow workflow in other departments, to help with contact tracing. It has a been a little bit of a reshuffle based on the needs we have. Everyone has been really great in picking up the pieces where we need help."

The county has implemented a hiring freeze, cut millions in discretionary spending, and placed employees on furloughs, but has not made cuts to its public health budget.

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Christie Clement, chief of public health special programs for Oakland County, said the county has been fortunate in that it has the staff and resources available to strongly respond to the pandemic. She added that the public health nurses have inherent qualities that make them ideal for this job, including working with people in the community, on an individual level, and assessing and disclosing uncomfortable information.

She said the realigning of staff to enhance the county's pandemic response has been great, adding "they have been doing it enthusiastically." She also emphasized the importance of collaborating with other public health agencies across the state.

"We definitely have close relationships with a lot of the neighboring counties," she said. "We do a lot of resource sharing in terms of how counties are setting up their pandemic response and how they are setting it up logistically. We are doing this at a very close and granular level. We also talk about how we're each responding to the state's executive orders."

Since the pandemic began, around 330 full- and part-time Oakland County employees have been put on temporary furloughs or reduced work schedules, but only due to lack of available work, not related to budget concerns. Nearly 70 of these employees have returned to normal work schedules.

The majority of the county's full-time eligible employees impacted by furloughs or reduced work schedules (230) were court employees or those that have court-related jobs (130), not public health employees that have been in high-demand since the pandemic began.

In the fiscal year 2017, the Oakland County government spent $362 million on non-hospital health costs, according to a KHN and Associated Press analysis of government spending on public health. That's about $272 per person. According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by the United Health Foundation, the State of Michigan spends around $60 per person annually on public health.

More than three-quarters of Americans live in states that spend less than $100 per person annually on public health. Spending ranges from $32 in Louisiana to $263 in Delaware, according to data provided to KHN and AP by the State Health Expenditure Dataset project. That money represents less than 1.5% of most states' total spending, with half of it passed down to local health departments.

According to Oakland County's Fiscal Year 2021 executive recommended budget, which totals $900 million as introduced by Oakland County Executive David Coulter on Wednesday, the health division's next year budget totals around $37 million with 382 full-time employees, which includes 124 employees that provide public health nursing services -- 81 providing community nursing services and 39 providing public health clinical and special programs.

The Health and Human Services recommended budget, which includes the health division, totals $82 million with 620 full-time employees. Of that total, $29.6 million are for salaries and $48 million for benefits. Of the department's $14.1 million in proposed revenue for the next fiscal year, $6.1 million would come from federal and state grants. Another $2.3 million in state revenue is expected to support child care services.

The federal government has promised to support local public health efforts but those promises were ephemeral. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an April interview that his biggest regret was that the U.S. failed for decades to effectively invest in public health. So when the coronavirus outbreak unfolded, hollowed-out state and local health departments were ill-equipped to deal with the disease.

Michigan health officials confirmed to the AP that no proposed budget or staffing cuts have been made to the health department's budget since Feb. 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. But state health officials did confirm that since Feb. 1, 305 of its 552 public health administration employees have been placed on temporary furloughs due to the pandemic.

On May 13, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that over 30,000 of the state's 47,800 employees would be taking two temporary layoff days per two-week pay period through July 25, resulting in $80 million in wage savings.

Kurt Weiss, spokesperson for the State budget office, told The Oakland Press that the temporary furloughs have saved around $27 million in general fund dollars to date. He added that the state can only implement 20 layoff days per employee per fiscal year before those layoffs would become permanent, none of which have been made.

In addition to temporary layoffs, the State has also implemented hiring and spending freezes. Estimates on how much those actions have saved are not known because the impact is still being calculated, Weiss said.

Beaumont researchers develop COVID-19 test that yields results in 30-45 minutes A team of Beaumont Health researchers has developed a new test to detect COVID-19 via urine, blood, saliva or mouth swab sample in 30-45 minutes.

Money has been diverted within the state's budget to support the health department. In addition to the CARES Act, health officials also confirmed the department received money to support its public health services. The state approved $150 million initially to respond to the coronavirus, including $50 million for "health care capacity," $10 million for monitoring, lab testing, contact tracing and infection control.

According to the AP, the Detroit health department had 700 employees in 2009 and but was effectively disbanded during the city's bankruptcy proceedings. It's been built back up, but today still has only 200 workers for 670,000 residents.

Earlier this week, Whitmer and GOP legislative leaders announced a budget agreement to close a $2.2 billion budget shortfall for the current fiscal year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It included $3.1 billion of Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) dollars to support residents, businesses, and schools.

The $2.2 billion plan includes $490 in savings achieved through state freezes in hiring and discretionary spending, and layoffs.

Weiss said details are still being negotiated adding, "There's still work to do to get to that $490 million."

Development of the state budget will be delayed until September as the state awaits further information on revenue planned for later this summer. The state is also waiting decisions on federal aid to address revenue shortfalls caused by the pandemic.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report

+6 Coronavirus in Michigan: State confirms 398 new cases, 3 deaths on July Fourth On the July Fourth holiday, Michigan added 398 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3 new confirmed deaths, the state reported on their website.

Dozen COVID-19 cases tied to Detroit-area strip club DETROIT (AP)  At least a dozen COVID-19 cases have been tied to a strip club near the Detroit airport, public health officials said Sunday as

Oakland County providing $8 million in relief to renters and homeowners impacted by COVID-19 pandemic Oakland County renters and homeowners significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic will soon have an opportunity to apply for financial 
CURVE LAKE  Nine Anishnabemowin and English language turtle crossing signs have been established throughout the Curve Lake First Nation community.

The signs were installed as part of a project funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, in partnership with the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority and the Curve Lake band council.

Elders from the first nation worked together to translate the signs into Michi Saagig; the local dialect of Anishnabemowin.

Graphics for the sign were provided by the Toronto Zoo Turtle Island Conservation Program.

Meredith Carter, manager of Otonabee Conservations watershed management program, said the Toronto Zoos program has also worked with other First Nation communities.

They had some signage, but it wasnt in the local dialect. The Curve Lake elders, they have a group that does translations, and so they worked to translate that and then the signs were produced, Carter said.

The project started when Lorenzo Whetung, a Curve Lake community member, approached the conservation authority a few years ago, concerned about the road mortality of turtles, Carter said.

He asked if there was anything that we could do to reduce that, so we started working together to figure out what the best thing would be and the project grew from there, so it was a really neat partnership, she said.

There are eight species of turtles in Ontario, six of which can be found locally, Carter said.

To figure out where the road mortality hot spots were in the reservation, Carter said they asked community members for their input, while also taking into account species data from provincial data bases.

Once they knew where the majority of the turtle vehicle collisions were happening, they started to think about how to mitigate it, she said.

Putting up signage is such a great way to raise awareness and also to get motorists not only to slow down, but to remind them about turtles, Carter said.

A total of 682 turtles have been brought to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre this year, 98 of them locally and at least two from Curve Lake, she said.

The turtle conservation folks said that its really important that if you do see a dead turtle, you can stop and pick them up as well and take them to the centre because they may have eggs in them. The eggs can be incubated and hatched at the centre and then released to the wetland where the mother was found, Carter said.

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When rescuing a turtle, individuals should double-check they are out of harms way of other vehicles and should wash their hands after touching a turtle as they can carry salmonella, she said.

Funded by the Government of Canada/Finance par le Gouvernement du Canada.
KEY FACTS 5:13 p.m.: Canadian troops en route to Latvia forced to turn around after COVID-19 scare.

3:12 p.m.: Two Americans have been charged for violating the Federal Quarantine Act.

1:33 p.m.: City of Torono issued 3 tickets Saturday related to parks.

12:07 p.m.: Two new cases in P.E.I. linked to local man who returned from Nova Scotia

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Sunday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

9:53 p.m.: Hamiton actor and Tony Award nominee Nick Cordero has lost his long battle with COVID and its after effects.

God has another angel in heaven now, his wife, Amanda Kloots, posted on Instagram on Sunday. My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth.

The 41-year-old Westdale Secondary School grad had been in the Intensive Care Ward of Cedars-Sinai Hospital for 13 weeks after acquiring the coronavirus at the end of March.

The ensuing 90-plus days were an excruciating roller coaster for him, his family and his growing legion of fans who were following every twist in the tragic story.

After a trip home to New York City to close an apartment, the Tony-nominated Broadway actor fell ill. Two tests for COVID came back negative but a third determined he had the virus. By this point, he was unconscious and on a ventilator.

9:23 p.m.: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press on Sunday that the league and the NHL Players Association have agreed on protocols to resume the season.

Daly said the sides are still negotiating an extension of the collective bargaining agreement. A CBA extension is still crucial to the process, and the leagues board of governors and players executive committee and full membership must approve that and the return-to-play protocols.

If everything is ratified, it will end a pandemic-forced shutdown for 31 teams across North America that began in mid-March. Games would resume in late July or early August with 24 teams taking part in an expanded playoffs, finishing with the Stanley Cup being awarded in October.

The agreement was first reported by TSN. Assuming approval from owners and players, teams are expected to open training camps July 13 before travelling to two hub cities for games. It is widely believed that Toronto and Edmonton will be named the hub cities.

Returning for the playoffs is seen as a stirring victory for the NHL, which like other top leagues faced the prospect of losing millions more without the television revenue tied to the post-season. There were deep concerns about cancelling the rest of the season and word of positive tests didnt help: 26 players since June 8, in addition to almost a dozen before that.

7:34 p.m.: As of 7 p.m. Sunday, Ontarios regional health units are reporting a total of 37,799 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,734 deaths, up 124 new cases and just a single death since Saturday evening, according to the Stars latest count.

The only fatality reported Sunday came in Toronto; the daily rate of deaths has fallen sharply since peaking in early May when the health units reported as many as 94 deaths in a single day.

The province has now seen six straight days with fewer than five reported deaths, a level that hasnt been seen since late March in the early days of Ontarios epidemic, when infections were low, but growing exponentially.

As has been the case in recent weeks, the vast majority of new cases reported Sunday came in a handful of health units.

Earlier Sunday, the province reported 139 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 39 in an intensive care unit, of whom 23 are on a ventilator  numbers that are all near the lowest levels in data that goes back to early April.

The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

7:11 p.m.: The global number of new coronavirus cases reported on Saturday was highest on record, according to the World Health Organization.

Cases rose by 212,326 in 24 hours, with the United States, Brazil and India showing the largest increases.

The previous record of 190,566 was set on June 28.

The WHO's announcement comes as several U.S. states have paused reopening plans as cases have surged. Texas has warned that the state could run out of available hospital beds.

5:13 p.m.: A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around and return home because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19.

The Polaris aircraft carrying about 70 military members and aircrew took off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton on July 2 after those on board had spent two weeks in quarantine at the Ontario base, Defence Department spokeswoman Jessical Lamirande said.

All military personnel deploying on overseas missions are required to undergo such quarantine measures as the Canadian Armed Forces has implemented strict measures to ensure troops do not carry COVID-19 to another country or spread the illness among their unit.

Yet despite those precautions, the plane was forced to turn around in midair after the military got word that someone at CFB Trenton who may have come in contact with the plane and passengers had tested positive for the illness.

The health and well-being of our members and that of our allies and partners in Latvia is a priority, Lamirande said in a statement. As such, the decision was made to return the aircraft en route  rather than land in Latvia.

Those on board will now have to undergo another 14 days in isolation at the base before resuming their mission, though Lamirande played down any potential impact the delay would have on Canadas mission in Latvia.

Canada has 540 troops in Latvia, where they form the core of a 1,500-strong multinational battlegroup established by the NATO military alliance three years ago. Similar battlegroups led by Britain, Germany and the U.S. have been established in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, respectively.

4:10 p.m.: Leaders in two of Texas biggest cities are calling on the governor to empower local governments to order residents to stay home as the states continued surge in confirmed cases of the coronavirus tests hospital capacity.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler, a Democrat, told CNNs State of the Union Sunday that he wants Republican Gov. Gregg Abbott to return control to local governments. He says hospitals are facing a crisis and that ICUs could be overrun in 10 days.

In the Houston area, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who is also a Democrat, says a stay-at-home order is needed.

Texas reported its highest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday with 8,258.

3:12 p.m.: Two Americans have been charged for violating the Federal Quarantine Act.

On June 24, a 66-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman from Minnesota entered Canada at the border connecting International Falls, Minn., and Fort Frances, Ont.

Canada Border Services Agency told the man and woman to drive directly to their destination and quarantine for 14 days, but Ontario Provincial Police say they were observed making stops in Fort Frances.

Police say they are charged with failure to comply with an order prohibiting the entry into Canada and face a fine of $1,000.

2:46 p.m.: For the first time ever, Lebanon on Sunday hosted its annual music festival in the ancient northeastern city of Baalbek without an audience, a move organizers dubbed an act of cultural resilience to the global coronavirus pandemic as well as the countrys unprecedented economic crisis.

Held amid soaring Roman columns, the Baalbek International Festival was founded in 1956. This year, its being broadcast on local and regional TV stations and live-streamed on social media in an effort to spread unity and hope.

We could not have an audience, since it is impossible to bring 2,000-3,000 people to Baalbek amid the coronavirus precautions, so we decided to bring Baalbek into peoples homes, Nayla de Freige, the festivals president, told the local LBC TV station.

The festivals website said this years program, entitled Sound of Resilience, was one of the first big cultural events and a premiere in the Middle East after the confinement due to COVID-19.

The dramatic setting  a massive Roman forum  was always part of the festivals magic. Sundays concert was held at the Bacchus Temple, which stands in front of six columns that remain from the Temple of Jupiter. The ruins date back to the second and third centuries.

Lebanon is currently being shaken by a severe economic and financial crisis, made worse in recent months by the coronavirus and lockdown restrictions. The financial crisis is rooted in decades of systematic corruption and mismanagement by Lebanons ruling elite, who critics say refuse to reform despite a nationwide uprising that erupted last October and a rapidly deteriorating economy.

1:55 p.m.: Quebec is reporting eight additional deaths due to COVID-19.

The province now has reported 5,574 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, but only one of those reported today is considered a new death.

Authorities say the other seven newly reported deaths occurred before June 27.

The province also reported 79 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 55,863.

On Saturday, the province had crept up over 100 daily cases for the first time since June 20. The number of hospitalizations and intensive-care cases decreased slightly for a total of 371 and 26 patients, respectively.

1:33 p.m.: As residents gather during hot weather, the City of Toronto is reminding everyone that alcohol consumption is not permitted in parks, beaches or public spaces. Fines are $300 as part of enforcement in beaches and parks.

The city says it received 69 complaints related to parks and issued three tickets on Saturday but these werent related to alcohol.

Since July 1, the city has provided education to nearly 1,900 individuals which includes education on alcohol laws and other orders.

While visiting a beach or park, residents must practise physical distancing and avoid crowding, a spokesperson said. Provincial orders restricting gatherings of more than 10 people who are not members of the same household remain in effect.

1:05 p.m.: The numbers in Florida get bigger and bigger.

It took three months, from early March to June 22, for Florida to cross 100,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. It took less than two weeks for the state to go from 100,000 to 200,000 cases  and the positive test rate keeps rising.

The 10,059 confirmed new novel coronavirus cases from Sundays Florida Department of Health update, the third highest single-day total, behind Saturday and Thursday, shot the states pandemic case number to 200,111.

While theres been an increase in testing over the last week, theres also been a massive leap in the positive test rate. The average daily positive test rate from July 21 through Jun 27 was 9.94 per cent. The average for the next seven days: 14.47 per cent.

Another 29 deaths were reported around the state Sunday, bringing that total to 3,832.

1:02 p.m.: U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has been better than expected so far, and it wont be necessary to extend an emergency unemployment program that ends this month.

We are doing well, we do need to be careful about the virus but I am just optimistic, Scalia said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. Its really important to again remember how much better than projected weve done so far.

Spending, retail spending, consumer spending generally, new home starts, all of these have been actually very encouraging economic indicators over the last about six weeks or so, Scalia said.

As lawmakers prepare to resume talks about another round of stimulus later this month, President Donald Trumps calls for tax relief including a potential payroll tax cut could be an important part of bringing more people back to work, said Scalia, a member of the White House coronavirus task force.

But the $600 weekly unemployment benefit established as part of the first round of stimulus shouldnt be part of the next package, Scalia said.

As we reopen the economy I dont know that we need a benefit like that, Scalia said. There will likely be a lot of discussions toward the end of the month between the White House and lawmakers about the next round of stimulus measures, he said.

12:07 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 linked to a positive case that was reported Saturday.

The provinces chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, says the two new cases had contact with a P.E.I. man in his 20s who had travelled to Nova Scotia. That man had interacted with someone who had been in the United States and was asymptomatic when he returned to the province on Monday.

Morrison says the two new cases are men in their 20s. She says the risk of community spread remains low.

P.E.I. reported three new cases of COVID-19 Saturday for the first time in more than two months.

11:03 a.m.:

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 11:01 a.m.:

There are 105,455 confirmed cases in Canada.

Quebec: 55,784 confirmed (including 5,566 deaths, 25,280 resolved)

Ontario: 35,794 confirmed (including 2,689 deaths, 31,266 resolved) (The Star does its own tally and will be updating this story later today. As of 5 p.m. Saturday, by the Stars count, cases were up a total of 117 since Friday evening.)

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Alberta: 8,259 confirmed (including 155 deaths, 7,532 resolved) British Columbia: 2,947 confirmed (including 177 deaths, 2,608 resolved)

Nova Scotia: 1,064 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 998 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 796 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 711 resolved)

Manitoba: 314 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 302 resolved), 11 presumptive

Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 258 resolved)

New Brunswick: 165 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 162 resolved)

Prince Edward Island: 30 confirmed (including 27 resolved)

Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)

Yukon: 11 confirmed (including 11 resolved)

Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)

Nunavut: No confirmed cases, 1 presumptive

Total: 105,455 (12 presumptive, 105,443 confirmed including 8,676 deaths, 69,173 resolved)

11:02 a.m.: Iran on Sunday instituted mandatory mask-wearing as fears mount over newly spiking reported deaths from the coronavirus, even as its public increasingly shrugs off the danger of the COVID-19 illness it causes.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicized an image of himself in a mask in recent days, urging both public officials and the Islamic Republics 80 million people to wear them to stop the viruss spread.

But public opinion polling and a walk through any of the streets of Tehran show the widespread apathy felt over a pandemic that saw Iran in February among the first countries struck after China.

On June 30, Iran saw its highest single-day reported death toll of the pandemic with 162 killed.

The new rules require those in Tehrans subway, riding buses or indoors to wear them. The government said those seeking public services also will be required to wear a mask.

Read the story here.

10:49 a.m.: New York City is preparing for Phase 3 of the reopening process Monday, but without indoor dining.

The city, which suffered terribly in the spring from the virus., will allow nail salons, tattoo and massage parlours to reopen at 50 per cent capacity, ABC reports.

New York state was seeing almost 800 deaths a day at the viruss peak but recent numbers have been in the single digits or low double digits.

9:52 a.m.: The U.K. government says selected sports stars are to be exempt from quarantine requirements when competing in England.

However, those involved will instead live and work in bubbled environments behind closed doors, U.K. culture secretary Oliver Dowden announced on Sunday.

The new measures will allow Formula One, international soccer, golf and snooker events to take place. Competitors involved in these events will be granted quarantine exemptions.

9:09 a.m.:The hard-hit Australian state of Victoria has recorded 74 new coronavirus cases after announcing a record 108 new infections on Saturday.

The Saturday increase resulted in state Premier Daniel Andrews announcing a lockdown of nine Melbourne inner-city public housing blocks containing 3,000 people, where 27 cases have been detected.

Police are guarding every entrance of the housing estates and residents are not allowed to leave their homes for any reason.

Andrews said the residents will have their rent waived for the next two weeks and will receive one-off hardship payments of between about $750 and $1,500 (Canadian). The government said it would arrange the delivery of food and medical supplies to all homes.

Australia had for months been largely successful in keeping the virus at bay.

7:45 a.m.: Israel ordered thousands of people into quarantine after a contentious phone surveillance program resumed while Palestinians in the West Bank returned to life under lockdown amid a surge in coronavirus cases in both areas.

A statement Sunday from Israels Health Ministry said many messages had been sent to Israelis following the renewed involvement of the Shin Bet domestic security agency. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 30,000 people were notified they must enter quarantine since Thursday.

After imposing strict measures early on during a first wave of infections, Israel and the Palestinian territories appeared to have contained their outbreaks, with each reporting only a few dozen new cases a day in May. But an easing of restrictions led to a steady uptick in cases over the past month.

We are in a state of emergency, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would need to further clamp down to rein in the virus.

Israel is now reporting around 1,000 new cases a day, higher than its peak during the previous wave and it is set to reimpose restrictions in response, limiting occupancy in bars, places of worship and event spaces to 50 people. It is requiring citizens wear masks and has urged more stringent social distancing.

6:11 a.m.: The national immunity task force has started testing thousands of blood samples for COVID-19 antibodies and should be able to produce a more detailed picture of how many Canadians have been infected with the novel coronavirus within a couple of weeks.

It will be much longer, however, before we know more about what kind of protection against future infection having the antibodies provides, said Dr. Timothy Evans, executive director of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.

Plus, said Evans, most of the people whose blood is being tested will not be informed of the results because of how the blood is being collected for testing.

There wont be an opportunity for individuals to find out their status, said Evans, who is also director of the McGill School of Population and Global Health.

At least 105,000 Canadians have tested positive for COVID-19 since the coronavirus was identified in January, while many others were sick but couldnt get tested because provinces were limiting who could access the procedure until just a few weeks ago.

Evans also said a significant number of people get the infection and show no symptoms and will have no clue they were ever sick. Evans said immunity testing in other countries has suggested the actual infection rate is 10 to 20 times more than the number of confirmed cases.

Read the story here.

Saturday 8:32 p.m.: Mexico topped 30,000 COVID-19 deaths Saturday, overtaking France as the country with the fifth-highest death toll since the coronavirus outbreak began.

Officials reported 523 more confirmed coronavirus deaths for the day, bringing the nations total to 30,366 for the pandemic. Mexicos total confirmed infections rose by almost 6,000 to 251,165, about on par with Spain, the eighth highest caseload.

Also Saturday, about 200 street vendors briefly blocked several major avenues in downtown Mexico City on Saturday to demand they be allowed to sell again amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday 6:47 p.m.: Officials across the U.S. pleaded with Americans to curb their enthusiasm for large Fourth of July crowds Saturday even as President Donald Trump enticed the masses with a special evening of tribute and fireworks staged with new U.S. coronavirus infections on the rise.

People wandered the National Mall in baking heat and took shade under the scattered trees while, not far away, music wafted from a party on the White House South Lawn. To come: the Salute for America celebration with Trumps speech from the White House grounds, a military air show and a more ambitious fireworks display than has been seen in years.

The crowds on the Mall were strikingly thinner than the one gathered for last years jammed celebration on the National Mall. Many who showed up wore masks.

At the White House, several hundred invited guests assembled on the sweeping South Lawn, gathering around tables decorated with flowers and small U.S. flags as a military rock band played. Most guests were unmasked.

Trumps guests 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.

Saturday 5:30 p.m.: As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Ontarios regional health units are reporting a total of 37,675 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,733 deaths, up a total of 117 new cases since Friday evening, according to the Stars latest count.

As has been the case in recent weeks, the vast majority of new cases were reported in a handful of health units. Only Windsor-Essex (35 new cases), Peel Region (25 cases), York Region (21 cases) and Toronto (20 cases) reported increases in the double digits. The 20 cases in Toronto were the fewest in any day since March 26.

Meanwhile, just two more fatal cases were reported  both in Toronto. The daily rate of deaths has also fallen sharply since peaking in early May when the health units reported as many as 94 deaths in a single day.

Earlier Saturday, the province reported 150 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 39 in an intensive care unit, of whom 26 are on a ventilator  numbers that are all near the lowest levels in data that goes back to early April.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths  2,687  may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.

The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.
MIAMIIt took three months, from early March to June 22, for Florida to cross 100,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.

It took less than two weeks for the state to go from 100,000 to 200,000 cases  and the positive test rate keeps rising.

The 10,059 confirmed new coronavirus cases from Sundays Florida Department of Health update, the third highest single day total, behind Saturday and Thursday, shot the states pandemic case number to 200,111.

While theres been an increase in testing over the last week, theres also been a massive leap in the positive test rate. The average daily positive test rate from July 21 through Jun 27 was 9.94 per cent. The average for the next seven days: 14.47 per cent.

Another 29 deaths were reported around the state Sunday, bringing that total to 3,832.

As Broward County reset its single-day high for the second day in row, South Florida accounted for 46.3 per cent of the new cases, but slightly less than a third of the new deaths.

Throughout the pandemic, the daily case report numbers on Sundays have tended to be lower than the five days previous because fewer people work in labs and enter data on the weekends. So, Sunday reflects Saturdays decrease in processing tests and reporting results.

Monday tends to be a reflection of a similar decrease on Sunday, but also a normal amount of data entry happening early Monday.

Hospitalizations

On Tuesday, the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed to the Miami Herald that the state would start reporting current hospitalization numbers for all counties some time this week.

The change comes following a surge of cases in recent weeks with public health experts and the non-profit COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer group that has become the most prolific coronavirus data collector in the country, pressuring the state to start reporting current hospitalizations. That metric, they say, is a clearer way of assessing the pandemics severity.

While the state hasnt started reporting current hospitalization numbers, Miami-Dade has been and that number has risen 20 consecutive days, going from under 600 to 1,466 in that time.

On Saturday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications hit a total of 1,466 patients, according to Miami-Dade Countys New Normal dashboard data. According to Saturdays data, 174 people were discharged and 156 people were admitted.

Friday saw, for the first time, Miami-Dades ICU availability moving into Red Flag territory in the countys daily coronavirus report. COVID-19 patients are taking up more than 70 per cent of available ICU beds.

Testing

Testing in Florida has seen steady growth since the COVID-19 crisis began.

Testing, like hospitalizations, helps officials determine the virus progress and plays a role in deciding whether it is safe to lift stay-at-home orders and loosen restrictions.

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The recommended number of daily tests needed varies among experts, but the dean of the University of South Floridas College of Medicine has told Gov. DeSantis that Florida needs to test about 33,000 people every day.

On Sunday, Floridas Department of Health reported another 53,768 more people have been tested.

To date, 2,202,095 people have been tested in Florida. Of the total tested, 200,111 (about 9.1 per cent) have tested positive.
Phuket hit-and-run driver surrenders to police

PHUKET: The driver who fled the scene after killing a Buddhist monk in Chalong on Saturday (July 4) has surrendered herself to police.

accidentsmurder

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 5 July 2020, 01:40PM

Ms Yanaphat claimed that she believed she hit a power poll, not a person. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Lt Jaruwit Khuncharoen of the Chalong Police revealed that the driver  Ms Yanaphat Sakulboonphanit, 35  presented herself at the police station at 4:10pm. Ms Yanaphat also brought her Phuket registered Honda Mobilio car with visible damage sustained in the collision. Ms Yanaphat admitted that she was the person involved in the accident, but said that at that moment she believed she hit a power pole, not a person, and thus did not stop straightaway. The woman said she presented herself to police right after learning she killed someone. Lt Jaruwit confirmed that Ms Yanaphat has been charged with reckless driving causing death or injury and fleeing the crime scene. We are still waiting for her alcohol test. If she tests positive, she will also be charged with drunk driving, Lt Jaruwit added.
Erin Bormett

Sioux Falls Argus Leader

As thousands packed into Mount Rushmore to attend the first fireworks display at the monument for the first time in 11 years, those who didnt get tickets descended on Keystone to show their support for President Trump.

The feelings of three groups of supporters who were visiting the Black Hills from out of state are shared in this story.

Cowboys for Trump

Among the sounds of cheering, honking horns and patriotic music blaring out of car windows as people waited to enter Mount Rushmore, horse hooves clopped down the highway.

Cowboys for Trump, a group of men and women on horseback, paraded through Keystone waving pro-Trump and American flags high above their heads. The group came from New Mexico for the Fourth of July celebration this weekend.

We really go around promoting the president, promoting life, promoting our economy, promoting border security, promoting our Second Amendment, said Scott Chandler from atop his saddle. He carried two pistols holstered by his right leg. We know (Trump) is going to back our Second Amendment.

Chandler said many of the group out that day were cattle ranchers, and they were invited to ride in Keystone by supporters of Country of Origin Labeling for beef products. If beef is raised out of the country, but packaged in the United States, it can carry a label calling it a product of the U.S.

Consumers should get to choose where their food comes from, and right now the government is making that choice for them, said Chandler.

Cowboys for Trump ride for many causes across the nation, and members are just as widespread. Chandler has brought his horse as far as the White House in support of President Trump.

So many lovely Americans

It would be hard to miss the woman in the star-spangled square dancing dress, complete with a pro-Trump flag affixed to her shoulders like a cape.

Susan Reneau, a square dancing leader for over 20 years in her hometown of Missoula, Montana, has given her Fourth of July dancing attire new meaning as a Trump supporter.

Reneau wore this same dress to the presidents inauguration almost four years ago, and has attended seven of his rallies over the years. She also wears a locket with a small White House figurine inside.

Its really sweet to see how many lovely Americans are here, she said, looking out at the crowds of people wearing red, white and blue. As a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, her connection to the history of this country felt even more significant to her.

She added that shes happy to be celebrating the Fourth of July in South Dakota because she supports Gov. Kristi Noem.

You have a really great governor here, I really like her, she said with a smile.

Before returning to be with her husband, Reneau gave a traditional square dance curtsey, with plenty of skirt twirling. Happy Fourth of July! she exclaimed.

Where we go one, we go all

Two friends from Detroit, Michigan stood on a porch looking out over downtown Keystone. Chris Messina and Jeff Kase, along with another friend, made a last-minute decision to drive the 1,250 miles from Michigan to Mount Rushmore for the presidential visit. The pair didnt know about the ticket lottery ahead of time, but that didnt lessen their excitement.

Neither of us had been to Rushmore, so it was a double whammy, said Messina. Michigan is pretty locked down, so we were like, road trip!

Kase said a new grandson of his was born on Monday, just days before he had plans to make the long drive west. That didnt stop him from wanting to be in Keystone to show solidarity with who he calls the silent majority of Trump supporters.

Where we go one, we go all, said Kase. We think its an important time to support our president, stand up and support our country.
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.

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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.
The governor issued the order because of resurgence in reported coronavirus cases that increased the states total to nearly 16,000 as of Friday, when Kansas finished its worst two-week spike since the pandemic began. The state has reported 277 COVID-19-related deaths. The 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.
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 ...

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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.
KITCHENER  Face down on an island, six feet apart, with synthetic grass rubbing against your outstretched hands and feet.

Pavement separates the mini-platforms, each supporting a yoga student in careful practice.

Theyre called yoga islands, and theyre popping up in different fashions around the world since the outbreak of COVID-19. Some studios are using physical platforms, some are using transparent domes, and others are creating safe, socially-distanced spaces on the grass for students to get lost in their mindfulness.

In Waterloo Region, Three Tides Wellness and Queen Street Yoga are offering different takes on the pandemic versions of practicing yoga outdoors.

At Queen Street Yoga, individual spaces are marked on the grass by a citronella candle  most of their outdoor classes are offered around dusk. Each space is separated by more than six feet, with classes costing either $15 or $25 for those interested in helping keep the studio afloat.

More than a third of the students are opting for the support pricing, said creative director Emma Dines.

Being outside and doing a practice where youre paying attention to your body and mind can be so presencing and really help the practice of paying attention to the moment, she said.

The sounds of birds, the feel of grass  weve had people saying we should offer these classes even when were allowed back inside.

Queen Street Yoga, in partnership with the City of Kitchener, has hosted massive outdoor classes in years past, bringing in over 100 people at a time in some instances.

Not this year.

For now, the larger outdoor park sessions are temporarily on hold for the summer until groups larger than 10 can safely practice social distancing.

At Three Tides Wellness, a full-scale inclusive wellness space in Waterloo, outdoor yoga on individual yoga platforms kicked off last week.

A recent Facebook post shows the synthetic grass islands being used by a small class, with sizes limited to six due to space.

Our beautiful indoor studio has to remain closed, at the moment, so we got a little creative, the post reads.

Classes are booked online, cost $15, and anyone attending is expected to bring their own mat, water bottle and towel.

Ontarios phased reopening of the economy  currently in Phase 2 in Waterloo Region  allows for people to gather in groups up to 10. A far cry from the regular numbers most yoga studios can fit into one of their studios, but better than nothing.

Virtual sessions have mostly dominated the industry since March, with studios among the many forced to close their doors amid the pandemic.

But participation isnt what it once was. And with three different studios that can hold a combined 60 students, the business model for Queen Street Yoga and others is going to need to adapt once the province provides a framework on how many students can be inside a studio at one time.

Kitcheners Amma Yoga has already closed its doors for good.

When COVID-19 pulled the rug out from under all of us, I was sure it was just an intermission, said Amma Yoga owner Thea Mistry in a website announcement of the closure. It didnt even occur to me that it was the end of this story.

The question of overhead costs in the time of COVID-19 is something all businesses are facing, yoga studios included.

Based on their own assessment, Dines said she thinks they can get as many as 12 socially distanced students in their biggest studio, which can regularly hold up to 30 people.

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Thats a drop of more than 50 per cent in revenue compared to pre-pandemic classes, and few businesses are designed to withstand the long-term losses of that nature.

But even with the financial pressures, Dines said theyre not willing to jeopardize safety.

Were trying to be strategic and thoughtful about how we open and what feels safe for us as staff, she said. We dont want to rush into Stage 3, were going to be very careful and methodical about what we do.
As Canada emerges from COVID-19, our public policy to-do list is very long: long-term care; precarious workers; systemic racism in policing and other institutions; jobs; and poverty  to name just a few.

Justin Trudeau better step up  right? Get with the program, people.

Canada is a federation in which responsibilities are divided between different levels of government and responsibility for much of the list presented above lies with the provinces.

So why is the knee-jerk reaction of many Canadians, particularly Ontarians, to turn to Ottawa instead of Queens Park to solve every problem? There are a few obvious answers.

From childhood, we are taught that the prime minister is Canadas boss and trying to understand the nuances of federalism is about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Then there is the fact that federal politicians often enjoy mucking about in areas of provincial responsibility because they are often more high-profile and politically sexy, like Trudeaus bizarre recent promise to ensure 10 paid sick days for all workers in Canada. Although it sounds like a good proposal, other than in a few narrow instances, labour standards are a provincial responsibility.

So what, you may say. Other than undermining boring constitutional niceties, why is it a bad thing for Ottawa to browbeat the provinces into submission on important issues like sick leave, more hospitals or improved long-term care? What if Ottawa is prepared to put money on the table?

Let me offer three reasons why we should be wary of Ottawa getting involved in provincial business.

First, provincial governments understand their systems, their players and what is or isnt possible.

Second, provinces know where the need is the greatest  which doesnt always align with the loudest voice or the highest-profile proposals.

Third is the issue of accountability. The federal government might get involved in an area of provincial jurisdiction, but it is the folks in the provincial legislature who are answerable for it. Federal involvement can put them in an impossible situation. What if the federal government didnt invest enough to achieve the promised ends? What if the federal initiative demanded matching dollars that the province would have rather invested elsewhere?

Provincial governments are not always innocent victims. As a former provincial politician, I remember trying to blame Ottawa for provincial shortcomings in an effort to divert attention and extort needed federal dollars.

These games are not necessarily helpful. Although there is plenty of room for federal-provincial co-operation and revenue sharing, there appears to be enough work to go around for each level of government to concentrate on its own set of responsibilities.

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Of course, there is an elephant in the room. What if you dont like your provincial government? Like many, I was upset when the Ford government eliminated paid sick leave for many Ontario workers. Although part of me would love to see Ottawa force Ontarios hand, I also recognize that Doug Ford has a mandate from the people of Ontario and it is up to us to pressure Queens Park for change.

Discussions about federalism might seem out of place in a world that appears to have imploded. But think about it: as we make plans to dig ourselves out of this mess, isnt the logical first step to figure out who is in charge of what?
@rachelravina on Twitter

Rachel Ravina is a journalist covering news and lifestyle features in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Blue Bell and graduated from Penn State. She's also a news enthusiast who is passionate about covering topics people want to read.
WINNIPEGThe search for a missing nine-year-old boy who was last seen in the Red River in Winnipeg continued Saturday, although police say its now considered a recovery effort.

Const. Jay Murray told a news conference there is still some hope Darius Bezecki will be found alive, and that he may have gotten out of the river.

Police have released a photo of the boy, with his parents permission, and are asking people who live in the vicinity of the river to check their yards.

Murray says he understands that Bezecki lives near the river and was riding bikes with his siblings and a friend on Friday afternoon, and that about the same time police received a report that at least one of the children was in the water.

They say they believe he entered the water on the north bank west of the Louise Bridge.

Firefighters deployed a boat and also used a drone with a camera and thermal imaging technology to look for him, but werent able to find him on Friday evening.

Water levels are rising in southern Manitoba due to recent rain, and the province has issued a high water advisory for the Red River between Emerson and Winnipeg.

Read more about:
OTTAWAA military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around and return home because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19.

The Polaris aircraft carrying about 70 military members and aircrew took off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton on July 2 after those on board had spent two weeks in quarantine at the Ontario base, Defence Department spokeswoman Jessical Lamirande said.

All military personnel deploying on overseas missions are required to undergo such quarantine measures as the Canadian Armed Forces has implemented strict measures to ensure troops do not carry COVID-19 to another country or spread the respiratory illness among their unit.

Yet despite those precautions, the plane was forced to turn around in midair after the military received word that someone at CFB Trenton who may have come in contact with the plane and passengers had tested positive for the illness.

The health and well-being of our members and that of our allies and partners in Latvia is a priority, Lamirande said in a statement. As such, the decision was made to return the aircraft en route  rather than land in Latvia  to avoid the possible risk of spreading the disease.

Those on board will now have to undergo another 14 days in isolation at the base before resuming their mission, though Lamirande played down any potential impact the delay would have on Canadas mission in Latvia.

Canada has 540 troops in Latvia, where they form the core of a 1,500-strong multinational battlegroup established by the NATO military alliance three years ago. Similar battlegroups led by Britain, Germany and the U.S. have been established in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, respectively.

The battlegroups were created after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and began to support separatist forces in Ukraines eastern regions. That sparked concerns the Kremlin could launch similar efforts against the Baltics and other parts of eastern Europe.

The battlegroups are designed to defend against a Russian invasion, but their small size means they would almost certainly be overwhelmed in a real war. Instead, their main utility is to deter against Russian aggression, with the idea that an attack on one would draw in all of NATO.

The arrival of the 70 Canadian soldiers in Latvia was to mark the start of a rotation of troops, which the Armed Forces has decided will go ahead despite concerns about the pandemic.

Another group of soldiers is deploying to the Middle East as part of a similar rotation of Canadas mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Lamirande said that deployment was not affected by the COVID-19 scare.
Clarification (July 4): An earlier headline on this article should have made clear that it referred specifically to two Toronto hospitals which no longer have COVID-19 patients in their ICUs.

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario declines, some hospitals in Toronto are now reaching new milestones  zero coronavirus patients in their intensive care units.

Humber River Hospital marked the moment in a tweet on Friday, noting that it was the first time since March 14 that there were no coronavirus patients in the ICU.

Thank you go the 6th floor staff and physicians that have bonded together and provided exceptional care in this pandemic. Today is a day to celebrate at (Humber River Hospital), said the tweet, which included a photo of staff in the ICU.

Humber River serves a section of the city that has been hit hard by the pandemic  Torontos northwest corner, where a higher proportion of racialized, low-income people live in cramped housing. The Star has been reporting on high rates of coronavirus infections in this part of Toronto and neighbouring regions.

The northwest section of Toronto had the worst outbreak in the GTA and thats the area we service, said Dr. Jamie Spiegelman, an internal medicine and critical care specialist at Humber River Hospital, in an interview Saturday.

North York General Hospital also marked a milestone on Friday, with zero coronavirus patients in its ICU.

Its obviously very positive, CEO Dr. Joshua Tepper said Saturday, adding that hospitals must be conscious of how easily the virus can spread again if proper masking and physical distancing arent maintained, as the rising number of cases in the U.S. has shown.

North York General had to delay serious surgeries and cardiac treatments when the ICU was full of COVID-19 patients; now, those treatments can resume, Tepper said.

St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto had four COVID-19 patients in its ICU as of Friday.

The 20 new coronavirus cases reported in Torontos on Saturday were the lowest daily total since March 26, according to the Stars latest count.

While holding our breath for fear of the anticipated second wave of the virus, the medical team at Humber River is prepared for a return of COVID-19, Spiegelman said.

This time around we know how to treat patients; we know the risks, what precautions we need to take, he said, noting that no ICU nurses or doctors at Humber River had contracted COVID-19.

We know the virus is very contagious, so in terms of the (personal protective equipment), we know exactly what we need and dont need in terms of protecting our staff.

Spiegelman listed the PPE worn by staff, including impervious gowns, gloves  we double-glove every time we go to see these patients  N95 masks, face shields, and a bonnet (hair net).

Thats all we need. A lot of places in the U.S. use higher acuity, mechanical N95 masks and we found that that wasnt really what we need, Spiegelman said. It hinders your treatment of patients, makes you hot, and youre sweating underneath the hazmat suits.

He added: We found we really didnt need to do that in our ICU, partially because the air circulation in our ICU is good. Everyone room is individualized, rather than shared rooms with many patients.

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The peak of COVID-19 patients in the 48-bed ICU at Humber River hit around late March with 20 cases, Spiegelman said (the remaining cases were not COVID-related), and about 20 people had to be transferred around that time to other ICUs in Toronto hospitals.

We were over-our-heads busy, the doctor recalled.

Throughout the crisis the medical team and staff celebrated every win  when a patient survived and left the ICU, Spiegelman said.

The first COVID-19 patient treated in Humbers ICU was there for around three months.

No one expected him to survive, but he just left the hospital and went to rehab this past week. So that was a big win. He was around 60 years old, Spiegelman said.

We didnt know what to expect initially. He was so sick, needed so much oxygen. There were times we were concerned he had brain damage from lack of oxygen because his oxygen saturation went down so low.

The fact that he recovered after a tracheostomy and all the feeding tubes  is a little bit of a miracle, I think. Weve never treated this disease, so we didnt know what we were treating.

There were also tragic cases of younger people who died from the virus, Spiegelman said.

We know the basic risk factors for getting critical illnesses from COVID  people with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity  But we dont understand who survived and who doesnt. We had patients who were stable for a month, cleared the virus, but ended up getting multi-organ failure and dying. There is some inflammatory response to this virus that we dont understand quite yet, he explained.

Nurses and doctors at the hospital have now returned to regularly scheduled shifts.
When the Museum of Vancouver closed in March, the acquisitions team was already thinking deep into the future, strategizing how theyd preserve this pandemic moment in time.

Museum people tend to see the world a little differently. Take last year, when the city of Vancouver approved a ban on plastic straws. The museums acquisitions team made sure to snag a couple for the permanent collection, so the citizens of the future can see what they looked like in person.

During the pandemic, they have had to be nimble to save items from the dumpster of history.

As the lockdown in British Columbia eased and businesses started to reopen, many of the murals that had been painted on the boarded-up storefronts were being tossed away, said museum spokesperson Lorenzo Schober. The museum worked with a local business improvement association to help curate an outdoor art show, and it plans to keep a few of the murals for its permanent collection.

It also acquired a pair of John Fluevog shoes made in honour of B.C.s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. They plan to collect COVID-19 signage when it is no longer needed.

Across the country, museums and arts professionals are collecting materials and planning for future acquisitions that reflect peoples experiences with COVID-19.

Months of lockdowns have made people across the country desperate to reconnect, and the possibility of using art to create conversations can be healing, said Ulrike Al-Khamis, director of collections and public programs at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

People have been turning to art to overcome isolation, to stay sane and healthy, said Al-Khamis, who also teaches in the department of art history at University of Toronto.

The museum management knew the importance of reacting in the moment so it reached out to the public for submissions of art depicting things that have provided a sense of comfort, stability and hope. The museum will add these submissions to their pre-existing Sanctuary exhibition and plans to work with a renowned Pakistani artist to create a special project with these items in the future.

Guelph Museums sent out a similar call for artwork and objects that would help tell the story of Guelph during COVID-19.

Usually, they collect items years after an event occurs, so this was a new approach, manager Tammy Adkin said in an email. More than 50 people have submitted artwork, items and suggestions, including locally created masks, face shields, hand sanitizer, photographs of through-the-window visits at long-term-care homes, photographs of signs supporting front-line workers, written reflections from students, and painted rocks planted in front of a local hospital with messages of love and support.

Ive been so touched by the very personal stories people have shared about how their lives have been impacted  separation from elderly parents, struggles with home-schooling, and inspiration to rally as a community, Adkin wrote. What is essential is that we recognize this pandemic is affecting different people in different ways, and we need to ensure that we are representing the entire story of the impacts.

Irina Mihalache, the director of the Master of Museum Studies program at the University of Torontos faculty of information, agrees that future exhibits on the pandemic should reflect the social inequalities revealed by the virus, because the pandemic and the protest movement surrounding anti-Black racism are intertwined, she said. From what she has seen, museums seem to be taking that direction.

Hopefully, 10 years from now, she said, an exhibit will show how things have changed based on those realizations. Thats my hope that I have for museums.

In the early days of lockdown, the Glenbow Museum in Calgary asked people to send letters and emails about their lives in this moment. They launched Dear Glenbow with a few prompts  What brings you joy right now? What is your daily life like? What are you worried about? Have you learned anything new? What should our descendants learn about this time in our lives?

A couple of people have written about Black Lives Matter. Its been a pretty intense period all around, said museum spokesperson Jenny Conway Fisher. Im really happy this is a potential outlet and a way for people to share how theyre feeling.

Everyone is experiencing the pandemic differently, she said, depending on factors like privilege and geography.

Its important to capture that variety of experience because it isnt one thing, she said. There are so many cascading impacts, economic and social and personal  but in order to get a sense of it, you need those individual stories.

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So far, theyve received about 250 letters, 460 emails and 20 social media posts. In a time when people have felt helpless and uncertain, the project has given focus  I'm going to tell my story, and it's going to mean something, she said.

A boy who developed a 3D-printed ear protector for masks sent one with a letter. Children wrote about how surprised they were to miss school; how happy they were to spend more time with family. Some people have written about difficulties at work, loved ones who died of COVID-19, and the pain of family separation.

They are collecting letters until the end of July. (Torontonians are welcome to write, she said: The thread is only made richer if we witness other peoples experiences across the country.) The collection will be used later as a resource, and eventually, as an exhibit, pending permission requests.

In April, the Museum of Vancouver launched a similar outreach campaign encouraging citizens to document lockdown life by tagging their social media posts with #isolatingtogethermov. Theyve had hundreds of digital submissions that live on their website.

Traditionally, museums have collected items many years after an event  and often receive donations from families when a loved one dies. One risk in asking for submissions in the moment is the potential performative element.

People might not necessarily be genuine or authentic in what they collect because they're thinking, Oh the museum is collecting from me I have to send them the best representation of my COVID behaviour, Mihalache said.

Curators at the ROM have already started collecting artisan-made and sustainably produced facemasks for the museums textile collection.

Swarupa Anila, the senior vice-president for exhibition and gallery development at the ROM, believes that one of the themes artists will explore are the intersections of racial and economic disparity through the lens of the pandemic.

I think artists have often shown us what has been and needs to be broken, to see solutions differently, she wrote in an email.

When it comes to physical artifacts, Mihalache can all but guarantee that the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Fashion Institute of Technology will have a mask exhibit. Masks are already being collected heavily as a focal point of this moment: a tool, a point of protest, a fashion statement.

As she reflects on the many items and narratives that will likely be collected, Mihalache said its important that specific voices are given space in exhibits, like grocery store workers. And when museums collect, they need to remember the needs of the community over their own.

You have to ask what is the need? Why am I bothering this community, she said. Is the collecting going to be a support to them, or is it going to be a form of exploiting them to make the museum look better?

Museums have to be accountable to people about what they are going to do with these stories, and they should approach any collecting in a spirit of solidarity, she said.

Youre collecting fragile objects or memories from people who might be experiencing trauma, from people who maybe have lost people during these times, and youre also collecting funny videos from people who are doing yoga with their cat or dog.
Fort Lauderdale police officers hung back, making no arrests and saying nothing as some protesters drank from open champagne or beer bottles, where Las Olas Boulevard meets the sands. Some went for a swim. Almost none of them wore masks. Many waved signs for President Trump, or wore his campaign hats.
Six people were transported to hospital following a house fire in Oshawa early Sunday morning, police say.

Durham police were contacted shortly before 7 a.m. about a fire at 638 Albert St., in the area of Bloor Street East and Albert Street. When the fire crews arrived, the house was engulfed in flames.

Seven people managed to flee when the fire started, police say.

Six people were taken to hospital by Durham regional paramedics and are being treated for injuries. One of the six is in a serious condition, police say.

They are being treated for various injuries  from smoke inhalations to burns and minor burns on arms and legs, Oshawa fire chief Derrick Clark told reporters.

The eighth occupant of the house was missing at first, but police say he has been located at another address.

Clark said the crews were concerned about the fire spreading to a gas station next door.

The proximity to the gas station was a concern, Clark said. The crews did an exceptional job protecting that exposure and keeping the fire isolated to the residence.

The fire was fully involved and under these conditions, its extremely difficult for our firefighters, and the work that they do is exceptional in these conditions, so my hats off to them, Clark added.

Clark said the fire was extensive and there will be a total loss to this building.

The house is being investigated as a rooming house.

The Ontario Fire Marshal has been notified and the fire crews are still investigating the cause and the circumstances surrounding the fire.

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Abhya Adlakha is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AbhyaAdlakha

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For the first time in Ontario, more than 20,000 people watched on YouTube while a judge read out his reasons for convicting an off-duty Toronto police officer of assaulting a Black teenager.

The livestream of the city council debate on whether the Toronto police budget should be cut was the most watched since the meetings began streaming on YouTube.

Deputations to city committee meetings can now be made by phone, as can deputations at a Toronto Police Services Board town hall.

The pandemic has forced the courts and municipal governments to adopt new ways of allowing public access and openness, and experts say the changes can have positive impacts in the future by breaking down barriers to participation, facilitating accountability and educating voters about the workings of public institutions. But, they stress, online participation is not a replacement for in-person access and comes with its own barriers including access to Wi-Fi, cellphones and computers that need to be overcome.

The recent record levels of public engagement have been driven by the groundswell of support for urgent changes to policing to address anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, as well as police responses to mental health crises.

This has also drawn attention to the barriers that prevent marginalized groups from being heard and consulted  from the need for child care to Black and Indigenous people feeling unsafe at courthouses, city hall or at Toronto police headquarters, to the time and expense of travelling to city hall from the most socially and economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, which are also those worst affected by COVID-19.

Its exciting to think about the ways in which we can allow for people to better participate in the process weve set up in order to make decisions, said Brittany Andrew-Amofah, a senior policy analyst at the Broadbent Institute.

Online participation and access are essential, and need to be seriously considered as a way to preserve our democratic systems that weve set in place and then strengthen them moving forward, she said.

An electorate that is fully knowledgeable about the decisions that are happening in our public realm  that is always a benefit to society, Andrew-Amofah said. It helps equip voters to know how to hold decision-makers accountable  And we know that systemic racism has been able to continue, to exist, because of how difficult and challenging it is to hold systems of power accountable.

The city council policing debate on June 29 saw a high of 1,935 viewers at one time during the livestream  many more than the 933 for the 2016 vehicle-for-hire policy debate, according a city spokesperson. There were 9,280 unique viewers of the entire session, compared with 2,068 unique viewers of the 2018 special council meeting on the provincial governments move to cut the size of council.

During the policing debate, Progress Toronto, a non-profit that pushes for socially progressive policies in municipal politics, hosted a watch party on Zoom attended by about 550 people, to discuss the issues and explain the often complicated process. It also provided the Twitter handles of councillors so that people could contact them directly during the debate,

That makes it easier for them to engage (with the councillors) right there, live on the spot, so that they knew that there was scrutiny  that there was public accountability, said Michal Hay, executive director of Progress Toronto. We were trying to bridge the fact that people had not filled the council chamber.

These moments of high civic engagement deepen peoples understanding of the fact that there is a municipal government that is accountable to them and can lead to continued participation in the future, she said.

Other municipal governments permit phone and video deputations, Hay said. One way that has been used by community advocacy groups is creating ghost deputations, whereby a statement is pre-recorded and played  though this means that questions cant be asked of the speaker.

Both Andrew-Amofah and Hay stress the importance of having in-person participation when public health measures allow. Online access is a supplement, not a replacement, Andrew-Amofah said.

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Meanwhile, advocates say more work needs to be done to facilitate online access for everyone, including measures like free public Wi-Fi and access to cellphones. In-person barriers could be solved by providing drop-in, on-site child care.

Continuing to have the opportunity and the place for protest is very important, Hay said. There is definitely a loss when the gallery at city hall is empty.

Superior Court Justice Joseph Di Lucas decision in the case of off-duty police officer Const. Michael Theriault and his brother Christian Theriault, who were accused of beating 19-year-old Dafonte Miller, was livestreamed because the pandemic limited public gatherings, but there was still a need to maintain open courts. But a similar decision was made in 2016 by an Edmonton judge when he gave his ruling in a high-profile murder case. He decided it would improve public confidence in the justice system to have his decision heard in full.

Similar views were expressed after the Theriault decision: though the verdict was disappointing to many, the process allowed for a clear and detailed explanation of the law and how it could be applied to what happened.

Most peoples views of the justice system and how the justice system operates are informed by what they see in fictionalized accounts on television shows and in movies, said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a University of Toronto criminologist who researches policing and race, after the verdict. You watch Law & Order and in an hour a crimes happened, theyve found the suspects, all the interrogations and then theres finding of guilt and perhaps a sentencing.

Well, we just sat there for five hours while the judge read his (verdict).

For police accountability to be effective, the community must understand and have confidence in the process, said Kate Puddister, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph who studies police oversight. Transparency is key. My hope is this verdict, and the way it was shared with the community through livestreaming, aids in that transparency and legitimacy.

The public livestream  which differs from the limited remote access available through the court teleconference lines and Zoom platforms  advances the principle of open courts, a crucial element of access to justice, she said.

I hope we see more of this openness going forward, especially when dealing with cases that are so important to the community and its confidence in the justice system, she said.

The attorney general of Ontario, Doug Downey, agreed.

The access to justice that technology is allowing us to deploy is phenomenal, he said of the livestreamed Theriault decision.

Downey said there will remain some areas of the justice system, such as child protection cases, that dont allow for public access. And having trials accessible by livestream remains controversial, but more options are on the table than ever before.

One of the biggest changes that has happened through this experience is the attitude towards technology, he said. Now we are seeing what is possible  and these are discussions well have with the judiciary and justice partners.
One way to quickly see if a coronavirus vaccine works would be to immunize healthy people and then deliberately expose them to the virus, some researchers are suggesting.

Proponents say this strategy, called a human challenge trial, could save time because rather than conducting tests the usual way  by waiting for vaccinated people to encounter the virus naturally  researchers could just infect them.

Challenge trials have been used to test vaccines for typhoid, cholera, malaria and other diseases. For malaria, volunteers have stuck their arms into chambers full of mosquitoes to be bitten and infected. But there were so-called rescue medicines to cure those who got sick. There is no cure for COVID-19.

For both ethical and practical reasons, the idea of challenge trials for a coronavirus vaccine has provoked fierce debate.

In a draft report published last month, the World Health Organization said that challenge trials could yield important information, but that they would be daunting to run because of the potential of the coronavirus to cause severe and fatal illness and its high transmissibility.

The report, by a 19-member advisory panel, provided detailed guidelines about the safest way to conduct challenge trials, recommending that they be limited to healthy people ages 18-25 because they have the least risk of severe illness or death from the virus. The virus would be dripped into their noses.

But the panel also said its members split nearly in half over several major issues. They were divided over whether trials should be carried out if no highly effective therapy had been identified to treat participants who got sick; over whether studies in healthy young adults could predict the efficacy of a vaccine in older people or other high-risk adults; and over whether challenge trials could really speed vaccine development.

In the United States, government researchers say that although their primary focus is on traditional clinical trials, they have already begun preparing for human challenge trials, in case they are needed to test either vaccines or treatments. The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases has begun investigations of the technical and ethical considerations of conducting human challenge studies, a spokeswoman, Jennifer Routh, said by email. The institute is also developing strains of the virus that could be used to infect participants.

Routh said that toward the end of 2020 the institute would use data from standard clinical trials to assess future human challenge studies, should they be needed and should they be deemed safe and ethical to employ.

Citing concerns about putting healthy people at risk, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the institute, said in an interview, If something like that takes place, it has to be done with absolute intense examination by a group of independent ethicists and independent people who have nothing to do with the trial.

But the National Institutes of Health, the umbrella organization for the institute, offered a more cautious assessment, saying the government is not planning to support human challenge studies for Covid-19, in an email from a spokeswoman, Renate Myles. There is an expectation of sufficient natural transmission for efficacy studies that will be launched as early as summer 2020. The development of a human challenge model would take longer than this timeline and human challenge studies have a number of serious ethical considerations.

Among the staunchest advocates of challenge trials is Dr. Arthur L. Caplan, a bioethicist at NYU Langone Medical Center.

I havent really heard convincing ethical counter objections, he said in an interview.

A challenge trial could take advantage of the lower death rate in people ages 18-29, Caplan and Dr. Stanley Plotkin, a vaccine expert and professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, suggested in an article published in April in the journal Vaccine.

Despite the danger, we believe it is ethical to ask now for volunteers who would be informed about the known and unknown risks, they wrote.

Other researchers have made similar arguments.

Such an approach is not without risks, but every week that vaccine rollout is delayed will be accompanied by many thousands of deaths globally, a team led by Dr. Nir Eyal, a bioethicist at Rutgers, wrote in March, in an article in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Eyals group suggested choosing an age range of 20-45, and even proposed using a control group that would receive a placebo shot rather than the vaccine but would still be exposed to the virus, so at least some would almost certainly fall ill.

I think thats a little bit cuckoo, Caplan said. Thats too risky.

There is no highly effective treatment for COVID, and no sure way to predict who will recover quickly and who will become severely ill.

Multiple measures would be put in place to ensure that, prior to consenting, potential participants fully comprehend the unusual risks involved in the study, Eyals group wrote.

Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, sharply questioned any form of a challenge trial for COVID, saying that participants cannot be fully informed about the risks, because too little is known about the virus.

There are too many uncertainties, he said.

Although it is not common, healthy young people have inexplicably become critically ill from the virus, and some have died.

All we need is one of those cases in the course of a vaccine trial where we intentionally infected somebody with this coronavirus, Kahn said. What would we say then? Was it worth it?

Several vaccine makers had lukewarm reactions to the idea. Dr. Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, said the company would consider challenge trials only if a treatment became available. He also said larger, traditional Phase 3 trials would provide more safety information.

Dr. Tal Zaks, chief medical officer of Moderna, which expects to begin Phase 3 vaccine trials this month, said in an interview that the question of a challenge trial will likely be moot as it relates to our development.

If such a model were available we would look at it, but Id hate to put people in harms way, Zaks said. We are right now leading this race and it might be relevant for other vaccines behind us.

Other vaccine makers are considering the idea. Dr. Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, which developed a coronavirus vaccine that is already in Phase 3 testing, said there was potential utility in challenge trials for vaccines and treatments. He said his institute, which has conducted such studies in the past for malaria, typhoid and other diseases, might perform one for COVID before the end of the year, to test vaccine efficacy. He said the studies were also a good way to compare vaccines.

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The trials would be acceptable even without a treatment, he said, because the participants would be young and fit, and exposed to only a low dose of the virus, so any illness that occurred would most likely be self-limiting.

But Hill added: Having a treatment would be helpful. By the time we get to doing this, there may be one.

Caplan argues that the first few vaccine candidates are likely to fail, and that it will be increasingly difficult to recruit the 20,000 or 30,000 people needed for each subsequent trial. Challenge trials in small numbers of participants could more quickly identify products that do not work, letting researchers scrap them and reserve larger studies for more promising candidates.

Another cause for concern is that challenge trials would enroll far fewer patients than traditional studies of vaccine efficacy, which generally include tens of thousands of people. Smaller studies may miss rare side effects that could become a serious problem once a vaccine is given to millions of people.

The number of people who will have received the vaccine at the time of licensure will be very small in comparison to the usual Phase 3 efficacy trials, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University and a member of a group that will review vaccine data as advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because many vaccine candidates involve new technologies, thats all the more reason you need a large safety base, Schaffner said.

Challenge trials might also be seen by the public as a means of cutting corners, and undermine confidence in coronavirus vaccines, he said, adding, I think its not a great idea.

Advocates say volunteers for a coronavirus challenge trial would be young and healthy, without chronic health problems that would put them at high risk of complications or death from the virus. They would also be people who have a substantial risk of catching the disease anyway  even without being deliberately exposed  because they live in hot spots with high transmission rates, or because of their jobs or living conditions, proponents say. Eyals group suggested an age range of 20-45.

During a trial, they would be quarantined and monitored closely, and if they became ill would receive the best known treatment  possibly the antiviral drug remdesivir, or convalescent plasma from people who had recovered from the illness. But so far, remdesivirs benefits have been described as modest, and studies of convalescent plasma are still underway. The steroid dexamethasone lowered the death rate in one study, but is recommended only for those who become severely ill.

The article by Eyals group struck a chord with Josh Morrison, 34. Eight years ago, he donated a kidney to a stranger, and now runs an advocacy group for kidney donors. The opportunity to save someone elses life meant a great deal to him, and he sees challenge trials as a chance to do it again.

If it could lead to a speedier creation of a vaccine for the disease Covid-19, we are willing  without reservation  to have doctors infect us with the novel coronavirus, he and Sophie Rose, 22, a graduate student in epidemiology, wrote in The Washington Post.

Morrison, who had a brief career as a corporate lawyer, has begun organizing others who are interested in volunteering into a group called 1DaySooner. So far, about 30,000 people from 140 countries have signed up online saying they might participate in a challenge trial. Donations of $700,000 have enabled him to hire three full-time staff members.

There are significant risks in childbirth and kidney donation, Morrison said in an interview. No one should take them lightly but they are things we allow people to consent to. I hope for an effective treatment by the time a trial would be conducted, but if not, I do think it would be reasonable to go forward with challenge trials.

His hope is that an established research centre will conduct the trials. Much of his efforts have gone toward finding a company to produce batches of the virus for use in the studies.

Our goal is not to manage the manufacturing process or trial process ourselves, he said. Our goal is to make the preconditions, so that if challenge trials would be useful, theyre available. 

So far, donors have offered a total of $1 million for virus production, if Morrison can find a vendor. He said he had a promising candidate, but declined to name the company.

Several vaccine makers have expressed interest in challenge trials, but the discussions have been confidential, so he could not reveal which companies, he said. But he believes the trials will happen.

I dont think of this as a pie-in-the-sky idea.
MEXICO CITY - A small plane suspected of carrying drugs landed on a highway Sunday in the southern Mexico state of Quintana Roo and burned.

Video posted by the top Quintana Roo state police official showed smoke billowing from the jet as it sat on a rural two-lane highway.

The Defence Department said the plane had arrived from South America and had been tracked since it entered Mexican airspace.

The Department said two air force planes were dispatched to trail the jet and troops were flown to the landing site.

Further down the highway, headed toward the neighbouring state of Yucatan, troops found a pickup truck loaded with 13 sacks of cocaine weighing a total of about 850 pounds (390 kilograms). No arrests were made.

It was unclear whether the plane made an emergency landing and burst into flames, or whether traffickers set if afire as they often do.

The website Aviation Safety Network identified the plane as a decades-old BAe-125 15-seat passenger jet.

The site where the plane landed is in the states southern interior, near Felipe Carrillo Puerto, relatively far from the states tourists resorts.
ROME - A humanitarian group said Sunday its rescue ship with 180 migrants stranded aboard for days has finally received instructions to sail to an Italian port, so its passengers can be disembarked.

In a tweet, SOS Mediterranee also described relief on the #Ocean Viking when the ships crew and passengers learned that the rescued migrants are to be disembarked Monday at Porto Empedocle, Sicily.

Earlier, the group said Italian medical staff came aboard to test for COVID-19.

The migrants had been rescued by the Ocean Viking in four separate operations from Libya-based human traffickers unseaworthy boats between June 25 and June 30.

After pleas to Malta and Italy for docking permission had failed to quickly yield success, many of the migrants aboard grew increasingly desperate, and six of them tried to kill themselves out of fear no country would take them in, SOS Mediterranee said Friday.

Two of the six had plunged into the Mediterranean and were saved by crew members, the charity said.

It wasnt immediately clear if the 180 migrants would be kept in precautionary quarantine at port or taken to centres on Sicily for asylum-seekers, for initial processing of their requests to stay in Europe.

Italy had employed an unused commercial passenger ferry to put in quarantine off Sicily migrants who were recently rescued at sea by another charity group.

Both Italy and Malta have insisted that fellow European Union countries take many of the rescued migrants, who often aim to reach jobs or relatives in northern Europe. Many of the migrants, smuggled via Libya on flimsy dinghies or rickety fishing boats, are fleeing poverty, not war or persecution and ultimately are found ineligible for asylum. Many come from sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite diplomatic efforts by EU authorities in Brussels to encourage countries to share the burden of caring for some of the asylum-seekers, only a handful of member nations have agreed on a voluntary basis to accept some of the rescued migrants who are disembarked in Malta or Greece.

Early in the pandemic, Italy declared its ports unsafe for docking by private rescue ships as it sought to contain its devastating coronavirus outbreak.
BERLIN - Police in Austria say they have detained a Russian man after one of his compatriots was shot dead near Vienna late Saturday in what Austrian media report is being considered a possible political assassination.

Austrian news agency APA reported that the 43-year-old victim was an ethnic Chechen who had lived in Austria for more than a decade. The Kurier daily reported the victim was a critic of Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian leader of Russias Chechnya region.

Lower Austria police said in a statement Sunday that a 47-year-old suspect didnt resist when he was detained by armed officers in Linz.

The circumstances of the crime are unclear, police said, but added that the investigation is being handled by regional anti-terrorism authorities.

A spokeswoman for Lower Austria police, Sonja Stamminger, said that a second person was detained in connection with the killing Sunday but declined to provide further details.

The Russian website Kavkazski Uzel, which covers issues throughout the Caucasus region, said the victim ran a YouTube channel containing critical commentary about Chechnya under Kadyrov.

The killing, which occurred in the Vienna suburb of Gerasdorf, follows several other attacks on Chechens abroad in recent years.

German prosecutors last month charged a Russian man in the brazen daylight killing in Berlin of an ethnic Chechen from Georgia. The victim had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and fled to Germany in 2016. Prosecutors said the suspect had been tasked with the killing by Russian authorities.

In February, Imran Aliyev, who also had a Youtube channel criticizing Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was found stabbed to death in a hotel in Lille, France. That same month, another Chechen dissident, Tumru Abdurakhmanov, was attacked in Sweden.
ST. LOUIS - A 4-year-old child is in critical condition after being shot in the head in St. Louis, police said.

St. Louis Police said the shooting happened around 10:45 p.m. Saturday in a neighbourhood about 4 miles (6.5 kilometres) northwest of downtown St. Louis.

The child was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police said it appears the child was hit by a stray bullet while outside.

Authorities have not released the childs gender or the circumstances of the shooting. No arrests have been made.
Geopolitics doesnt only play out on the global stage. As the recent Toronto City Council vote on defunding police demonstrated, geographic divisions can be especially stark in the municipal arena.

A motion to trim the police budget by 10 per cent was defeated by a council vote of 16-8. Strikingly, seven of eight councillors representing wards in the downtown city core supported the motion. Conversely, 14 of 15 councillors beyond the central city area voted against the motion, as did Mayor John Tory.

Why are Torontos downtown and inner suburbs so divided on the issue of police reform?

Differences in political context, culture and demographics continue to divide city council, more than 20 years after amalgamation was imposed on Toronto by the Mike Harris government. The vote on the police budget is just the latest example.

Calls to dramatically reimagine policing have swept the country and continent. Deadly encounters with police  of Blacks, Indigenous people, and persons suffering mental health distress  have sparked alternate proposals to better protect public safety.

Foremost have been calls to transfer funds from police budgets, to strengthen community supports and de-escalating intervention approaches. Why did counsellors from the city core respond so differently than counsellors at the east/west/north sides of Toronto?

To begin, we should note that councillors who voted against defunding, generally represent areas with higher Black population concentrations. The inner suburbs of Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke have the highest share of Black, visible minority, and immigrant population. They also have a distinct political setting and dynamic.

Elected councillors in the inner suburbs typically come from business or professional backgrounds. They regard homeowners as the key constituents they need to please. Racialized minorities, recent immigrants and tenants receive little outreach from civic officials. They are less likely to vote in municipal elections, and politicians know it.

Civic engagement is a challenge for many in the inner suburbs who need political change most. Precarious, low-paid employment leaves little time for community activism. Poor transit and the lack of public congregating spaces, make rallying together a challenge. A host of factors, then, systemically limit the political voice of marginalized populations.

You could call it the inner suburb bubble effect, where politicians typically do not reflect the citys diversity, and prioritize the wishes and apprehensions of local homeowners and businesses. These constituents generally regard police as their protectors.

Meanwhile, a different political dynamic plays out in the city core  the wards of what was the preamalgamation City of Toronto. Most councillors came to their positions from careers or activism in NGOs, social movements, and the public sector.

Their mindset is geared toward promoting societal transformation. And they serve residents who tend to be highly organized and vocal. Downtown councillors report receiving many constituent messages advocating police defunding. Demonstrations and protests happen on streets and neighbourhoods in their wards, further reinforcing their commitment as change-agents.

You could call it the downtown interactive effect, where central city councillors own values are reinforced by community voices calling for change.

And so, Torontos geopolitical divide persists. Several steps could bridge the gap. Geography is not destiny.

It would help to have a council that is more diverse, younger and better shares the experiences of Torontos population. Visible minorities comprise over half (51.5 per cent) of the citys population, but only 15 per cent of city councillors. Several civic groups are organizing to change the face of city council. The previous 2018 election proved a lost opportunity, when Premier Ford slashed the size of council in half, with the largest number of vacant positions in memory up for grabs.

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Additionally, more diverse community voices need to be heard across the city. Councillors will consider a wider range of policies, if they are promoted by their own constituents, in their own area. The place to start, is where most political change starts  on the street.

Its time for marches and demonstrations on Lawrence, Wilson, Sheppard, Finch and Steeles Aves. Politics should be more visible in those geographies.
Along with familiar seafood dishes such as tuna tartare ($15), scallops ($36, with wild mushroom risotto) and king crab cocktails ($24, with drawn butter and lemon), there are surprise comforts. Turkey and stuffing croquettes ($10, with cranberry mayo and crispy sage) taste like Thanksgiving dinner, Strine says. There is also Tarus poutine dish with burrata and foie gravy ($15); and popcorn shrimp ($16) takes itself literally with breaded shrimp plated with popcorn and covered in garlicky movie theatre butter.
Political change is like the wind.

Sometimes the wind blows, created by a distant drop or increase in pressure. Sometimes it doesnt blow at all and, as any sailor knows, when caught in the doldrums nothing moves.

An astute politician is keenly aware of the wind. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, they dont need a weatherman to know which way it blows. Political winds can build subways in inexplicable places, rebuild crumbling elevated expressways for inexplicable amounts of money, and can reform institutions that have resisted change for decades.

The winds of police reform are blowing hard right now and last week a contingent of Toronto city council, led by Mayor John Tory, chose to take down their main sail and avoid harnessing that wind. Instead of forcing Toronto Police Services to change, its asking them to reform themselves based on a report the police have already ignored.

A motion at this past weeks council meeting by Councillors Josh Matlow and Kristyn Wong-Tam that was explicit in the reforms needed but that also asked police to provide a 2021 budget with a 10-per-cent reduction was, through mayoral procedural power, pushed aside for the mayors own successful police reform motion, minus the budget cut. In a particularly Oh, Toronto head-shaking moment, council actually increased the police budget to allow $5 million for body camera implementation.

Take that, winds of change.

The rub here is the 400-page, 2014 report by retired Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci, one that came in the aftermath of the Sammy Yatim police shooting and other deaths of people suffering mental and emotional health events, laid out a roadmap of what has to be done, a phrase also used to describe the mayors motion.

In a damning analysis two weeks ago in Spacing magazine, journalist John Lorinc laid out how Toronto police leadership showed initial enthusiasm for the Iacobucci reforms but didnt ultimately follow or adopt them. What, then, is there to guarantee that police will give the mayors motion more attention than it did the Iacobucci report?

There isnt any. Calls for police reform have been coming for decades, and beyond talk, little to nothing was done while the police budget continued to grow exponentially. In these political doldrums, the many alternative ways to respond to a mental health crisis that dont involve lethal force remained largely elusive.

This is where the 10-per-cent cut comes in. Critics said it was arbitrary, but considering the limited amount of control council has over the police, and how shrouded in secrecy the police budget is, money is its power. There are two arbitrary things to note here.

The first is over the last decade, beginning with Rob Ford and continuing into Torys mayoralty, numerous city departments had their funding cut. Arbitrarily so, many might argue. Its the take a little off the top method of austerity budgeting, something that seems to apply across the board, just not to police.

The second, when asked by a councillor what a 10-per-cent cut would do, Chief Mark Saunders said it was the equivalent of losing 1,000 officers. An arbitrary number, certainly, and assumes no cost savings could be found elsewhere or that some work could be done by services other than police.

Police chiefs, this one and others, are politicians and know what strings to pull to sway public opinion. Remember, this is a chief who said they were enforcing traffic rules but actually werent, and one who blamed the gay community for failing to help them find serial killer Bruce McArthur.

A smart person asked me this week, can you get elected in Toronto on police reform? Its a good question, and the answer may or may not be the one people want. Recent polls show that while trust in police in Canada took a considerable drop of late, a majority of Canadians still indicate they trust the police to varying degrees. This still leaves considerable room, and appetite, for reform though.

Politics, leadership and doing the right thing dont always connect to immediate electoral projections, and whats happening in the streets sometimes takes a while to register more widely. Its clear which way the wind is blowing on police reform now, and to not hoist the main sail to catch that wind is a deliberate act.

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Ive written before that there are few politicians in Canada with as much political capital as John Tory. Coasting into a second term, currently without a strong (or weak, for that matter) challenger on the horizon, and with a collection of Team Tory councillors inclined to vote his way, hes got considerable freedom to govern.

Ensuring reform happens will be on him to make happen now. Despite the council vote, the winds of change arent going away, even if Toronto has done its best to stay in doldrums of its own making.
Children have already missed out on so much because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Theyve lost months of schooling in their classrooms  something few students could even have imagined missing before this crisis. But they did. And the joy of recess with friends. Theyve missed the fun and challenge of playing sports, whether it be on school teams or in recreational and competitive leagues. Theyve lost precious time and experiences with friends and family.

And some children have had the event they look forward to all year long outright cancelled. Their collective moan was practically audible when the provincial government announced that overnight summer camps would not be allowed to open in Ontario this year.

But, thankfully, COVID-19 has not taken away the possibility of day camp.

The Stars Fresh Air Fund has been sending children from low-income families to camp since 1901  and will do so again this year.

While this summer is different in many ways, thanks to the generosity of Star readers the Fresh Air Fund will still be there to send disadvantaged and special-needs children to the day camps that are able to operate this summer and other day and overnight camps next year.

The joy of fresh air is one of the few things the pandemic hasnt taken away

And for kids, camp  even the day variety  provides a generous helping of what theyve missed most: other kids to have fun with.

Camp provides opportunities to make new friends and gain confidence along the way. Indeed, camp experiences can be life-changing  broadening perspectives, boosting self-esteem and learning new skills.

The belief that all children, regardless of their familys income, should have the opportunity to have a memorable summer experience is a belief that the Stars legendary founding publisher, Joseph E. Atkinson, held. Its a view this paper, and its generous readers, have steadfastly remained committed to ever since.

Shocked by conditions in Torontos poorest neighbourhoods during a relentless heat wave in 1901, he urged readers to help send children with no hope of a break in the long, hot summer to camp.

The child of the well-to-do man gets a trip to the seaside, or some summer resort on our lakes, Atkinson wrote in an editorial that year. For the city waifs there is, under ordinary circumstances, no hope of a break in the long hot summer in paved streets and dusty lanes.

So much has changed since then and yet, sadly, too much has stayed the same.

The pandemic has affected us all, but it has not affected us all equally. Those with the least means have had the hardest time and that will be true in the recovery phase as well.

A little summer fun and time out of their homes is something all kids deserve, especially given the brutal year that 2020 has been so far. The Fresh Air Fund helps provide that opportunity for children who otherwise might not be able to go to camp.

This year, even more than most, those kids are relying on the generosity of Star readers to make their summer as joyous as it can be.

Theres still time to make a difference for the children. If you can afford to give, please do.

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On behalf of the kids, we thank you.

The Fresh Air Funds fundraising target is $650,000. Donations can be made online (thestar.com/freshairfund), by phone (416-869-4847) or by cheque to The Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund, One Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6.
Consumer spending rises as states reopen, but levels remain below pre-pandemic levels, according to an economic analysis released Monday by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Protesters pulled a Christopher Columbus statue off its pedestal in Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood and threw it into the nearby Inner Harbor on Saturday night, according to videos posted on social media.

Armed with ropes and a crowd numbering more than a hundred, protesters yanked down the Carrara marble statue, then rolled the broken chunks of stone down an embankment and into the water, footage shows. The pieces sent cascades of water skyward before sinking beneath the surface.

The group Baltimore Bloc, which had advocated for the statue to come down, tweeted footage of the crowd heaving a chunk of the statue into the harbor, adding: "Columbus just got deported."

The statue, erected 36 years ago in a ceremony that included President Ronald Reagan, stood more than 14 feet high on a six-sided marble base with an inscription that read, "CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERER OF AMERICA OCTOBER 12 1492."

For years, city leaders and activists had clashed with Italian American heritage groups in Baltimore over whether to leave the Columbus statue standing in the heart of a neighborhood built by immigrants. Critics wanted it removed because of what they see as Columbus's association with the genocide of Native Americans.

As social justice protests have spread across the country in recent weeks, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, activists have targeted statues of Columbus and Confederate figures as key monuments to dismantle.

Demonstrators say the statues celebrate the country's racist history. Last month, Columbus statutes in St. Paul, Minn.; Boston; Richmond, Va.; and elsewhere were toppled, beheaded or vandalized.

"Statues that celebrate European colonialism necessarily celebrate black slavery, indigenous genocide, human trafficking and rape," Spencer Compton, a white protester from Baltimore who filmed the toppling of Columbus, said Sunday. "These statues traumatize citizens whose ancestors were enslaved in some form or another."

Compton, 32, said a crowd gathered about 7 p.m. in the Mount Vernon neighborhood and marched the roughly 1 1/2 miles to the Columbus statue, which sat in a waterfront park at the edge of Little Italy. (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., grew up in the neighborhood, and her father was the city's first Italian American mayor.)

By 9 p.m., the statue was down, Compton said. Police did not intervene. Lester Davis, a spokesman for Democratic Baltimore Mayor Jack Young, said the city police's resources are dedicated to protecting lives, not statues.

"In a city that is still struggling with gun violence, and you have whole communities that have been traumatized, statues, and thinking about monuments, is not top of mind," Davis said. "Preserving life is."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, criticized demonstrators Sunday morning for taking matters into their own hands, and said in a statement that "city leaders need to regain control of their own streets and immediately start making them safer."

"While we welcome peaceful protests and constructive dialogue on whether and how to put certain monuments in context or move them to museums through a legal process, lawlessness, vandalism, and destruction of public property is completely unacceptable," Hogan wrote on Facebook. "That is the antithesis of democracy and should be condemned by everyone, regardless of their politics."

Davis said city officials have "heard that kind of rhetoric from the governor before. And we, quite frankly, don't have time for it."

Baltimore, a majority-black city, has hosted weeks of peaceful protests since Floyd's killing. The city has also been mired in an unprecented wave of homicides over the past five years.

Activists warned Young in June that protesters might destroy the city's Columbus monuments if they were not promptly removed. City Council member Ryan Dorsey, a Democrat, introduced legislation that month to rename a different monument to Columbus the "Police Violence Victims Monument."

The Associated Italian American Charities of Maryland had hired two security guards to watch over the Columbus statue that was toppled Saturday night, board member and former state senator John Pica said. They asked the city to help pay to move the statue, he said, but on Friday, the city declined to do so. His account could not immediately be confirmed with city officials.

"I think this was the city's way of moving the statute and relocating it," Pica said. "And right now it's relocated into the harbor."

Pica said he and about 10 others unsuccessfully attempted to retrieve the pieces of the statue Sunday morning. The ropes attached by protesters were still looped around the pieces, their loose ends floating on the surface.

Pica said a group of Italian Americans raised money for the statue and flew in marble from their home country to make it. He said he disagrees with demonstrators linking Columbus and his 15th-century explorations to segregationists or with leaders of the Confederacy who fought to maintain white supremacy.

Better targets, Pica suggested, would be the Founding Fathers who owned slaves, including Maryland's Charles Carroll, who signed the Declaration of Independence and owned more than 1,100 slaves during his lifetime.

"I don't think we can equate Columbus with [Justice Robert] Taney, or Robert E. Lee, or Jefferson Davis," Pica said, referencing the Supreme Court justice who wrote that black people should be denied citizenship, as well as two Confederate leaders.

"That said, we understand today, and we wanted time to move it," Pica continued, referring to the statue. "We're talking about replacing it with another statue. Maybe, Amerigo Vespucci? Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants?"

In 2017, Baltimore officials removed four Confederate monuments in a overnight operation. City Council President Brandon Scott, the Democratic nominee to be the next mayor of the overwhelmingly Democratic city, advocated for the Columbus statue to be taken down at the same time.

"I suggested that the last administration remove this statue when they removed the Confederate monuments," Scott said in a statement Sunday. "I support Baltimore's Italian-American community and Baltimore's indigenous community. I cannot, however, support Columbus."
HIGHLAND  Roland Harris, of Highland, has been collecting and sharing the history of eastern Madison County all his life.

In recognition of his work, he was presented the Best of Illinois History Lifetime Achievement Award by the Illinois State Historical Society on July 2 at the Highland Home Museum.

It also was Harris 95th birthday.

The award is given annually to a select few for contributions toward promoting, preserving and protecting Illinois history within their community.

In brief, Harris accomplishments include 70 years of collecting memorabilia of eastern Madison County communities, especially Highland. He opened the Highland Home Museum in 2016 at the home where he and his wife now live. It contains more than 7,000 artifacts.

For 40 years, Harris wrote a weekly local history column for the Highland News Leader  more than 2,000 columns in all. He also helped organize the Highland Historical Society, worked to restore several local cemeteries and is a guide at the Latzer Homestead, sometimes appearing as Louis Latzer himself.

The Madison County Historical Society nominated Harris for the award earlier this spring. He was originally invited to receive it at the annual ISHS Best of Illinois History Awards Gala in Springfield, but the ceremony was postponed becasue of the pandemic

On Thursday, the award was presented to Harris by Cindy Reinhardt, a member of the board of both the Illinois State Historical Society and the Madison County Historical Society.

Early in their marriage, Harris began collecting artifacts and stories about Highland and the small surrounding communities of Alhambra, Grantfork, Jamestown, Marine, New Douglas, Pierron, Sebstapol and St. Jacob, according to the Madison County Historical Society (MCHS).

In 1956, on the advice of Jules Spindler, he began writing a weekly newspaper column about the history of the area. People began bringing things to him and relating stories of their families. He added display cases at his funeral home to hold a few of the items which his wife, Lorna, then called his Highland junk (which she now calls his Highland memorabilia.)

In 1971, Roland Harris gathered some likeminded friends and they organized the Highland Historical Society, according to the MCHS. Their first project was restoring an old Swiss barn near Highland. The group raised the funds needed and had almost completed the new roof when a tornado destroyed the barn. Undaunted, the group remains an active organization today.

In 1977, he discontinued his newspaper column when he began restoring old cemeteries. He organized groups to help save nine area cemeteries. The writing bug returned in 1999 when Alhambra celebrated its sesquicentennial and he and his mother did much of the research and writing for Alhambras commemorative book. In 2000, he revived his A Thought to Remember column and continues to write it.

Meanwhile, the Highland Historical Society took on additional projects. Pet Milk donated the Louis Latzer home to the organization in 1977 and annually the group hosts Latzer Homestead Harvest Days in September when visitors can enjoy tours, demonstrations, great food and numerous exhibits.

In December 2014, Roland and Lorna Harris moved to the Highland Home retirement center with an agreement allowing him to lease unused rooms in the old part of the building for a museum to house his artifacts. The Highland Historical Museum opened in April 2016.

The museum currently is closed because of the pandemic.
You see what happened to my family yesterday? Its a tragedy, Balbina Ivarra, the boys grandmother, told WSVN-Ch. 7. I ask people, please stop shooting in the air, because you dont know where the bullets are going to go. You hurt innocent people like my grandchild.
OTTERVILLE  Regardless your political party, you could see real mudslinging this weekend at the Independence Mudfest in Jersey County, where they were definitely not running a clean campaign.

The brown was being thrown around Friday through Sunday at Hillbillie Offroad, where candidates slipped and sloshed their way through deep mud pits or along the sites ATV trails. But whether they leaned to the left or to the right with their motorized running mates, there was really only one side to this dirty debate near Otterville.

Go fast, get covered in mud, and have fun, said four-seat ATV driver Logan Thomas of Greenfield. Its just fun flinging through the mud. And its not like politics because youve got nothing to hide and dont need to worry about what the public thinks of you.

Adam Emge from St. Paul, Missouri brought the Thunder Buzzard, a pickup truck he had in high school and transformed into a tractor-tire-shod, big-block-engined mudding monster.

My campaign slogan would be Thunder Buzzard 2020, and mud pits and jumps at every home. How does that sound? Emge said.

Emge said being covered in mud cools you off on hot days like those this past weekend. The key to successful mudding, he said, is speed.

When youre in mud, you want to go fast, Emge said. Wheel speed is king, and there is never too much wheel speed.

Emge said he doesnt have his own mud pit at home but he does have an obstacle course for testing and tuning. Thats just part of the money hes sunk into his favorite pastime.

Its not cheap, Emge said. But with sheer dedication and relentless work, anybody can make it happen.

Joe Fischer started mudding in 1976 and had a circle of young mudders sitting around his camper searching for the veterans advice on how to build trucks, how to fix them, and where to go get parts.

We are all low budget, said Fischer, a resident of Alexis, Illinois. I dont care how nice your truck is, youre still going to low budget something and youre going to try to fix it yourself. Wed rather build it than buy it.

Fischer said he prefers creating mud runners from Chevrolet pickups because parts are easier to find. Drive shafts are the most common item to break when youre mudding.

The best way to get through the course, he said, is snorkel it and stay out of anything that is over headlight deep.

Fischer doesnt like politics at all, but loves vehicular mudslinging.

Its great for the kids, keeps everybody out of trouble, and you have a good time, he said. Everybody gets along and helps each other; its just one big happy family. We absolutely love to sling that mud.

The Independence Mudfest also featured music, food, beverages and special contests that were a big hit with the hundreds of participants. These included the bounty holes, difficult 200-foot-long mud pits where the winner was the driver who got the farthest through the muck, and tug pads, a tug-of-war between two rope-connected vehicles.

The dirtier the better, said event promoter Mark Atherton of Wentzville, Missouri. If you have a clean machine youre just a highway warrior.

Atherton said todays politicians could learn a lot from the mudslinging that took place near Otterville.

It doesnt matter what color you are  male or female, child or elderly  everybody works together, Atherton said. If somebody gets stuck or hurt everybody comes together as one. It doesnt matter who you are.

Thats what the world needs to see right now, and it is exactly what the mud park communities are doing, Atherton said.
COLLINSVILLE  The Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation on Saturday announced they had arrested District 11 ISP Trooper Nolan Morgan, 40, of Greenville, on possession and manufacture of a controlled substance charges.

On July 2, ISP investigators initiated an investigation into Morgan after receiving internal information that he was allegedly involved in the possession and manufacturing of drugs at his residence. ISP investigators conducted multiple witness interviews and conducted a search of Morgans place of residence, where they gathered evidence, including approximately 259 grams of psilocybin mushrooms packaged for delivery, to support an arrest.
Chicken Pot Pie remains the apex of comfort food, but Caitlin Heaney Wests version may be different than youre used to seeing.

Chicken Pot Pie was a staple in Wests home while growing up outside of Reading. Her mom, Sharon, made it a lot, and this dish itself has been popular in that area for ages. While it didnt appeal to her much as a kid, West began to appreciate it as she grew up.

My family has deep German roots in Berks County, going back to at least the 1700s, and as I learned more about my family history, I felt more connected to the recipe, said West, who lives in Scranton with her husband, Brendan, and their two children, Graeme, 5, and Felicity, 3.

Wests Chicken Pot Pie recipe isnt the Marie Callenders version youre used to seeing in the frozen food aisle, however. West makes hers the Pennsylvania Dutch way, which is a deconstructed, brothier version, made with celery, chicken, potatoes and pot pie egg noodles. Its believed that the name evolved from bott boi, which is Pennsylvania Dutch for thickened soup. The Pennsylvania Dutch version has German origins while the crusted version comes from English roots.

When I was a kid and I would see those little frozen chicken pot pies in the freezer at the grocery store, I was always wondering why they were actual pies, West said. I didnt realize until I grew up and moved away from home that thats what most people think of as Chicken Pot Pie.

West is a copy editor and staff writer for The Sunday Times as well as content editor of AccessNEPA.com, where she also co-hosts the Historically Hip podcast. Shes also a fabulous cook and baker, and her recipe for Chicken Pot Pie earned St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, Scranton, a $50 grocery gift card through Local Flavor Gives Backs Times-Shamrock employees edition.

When making the dish, West uses split chicken breasts with ribs, but cooks can substitute it for boneless chicken breasts and boil them or fry them in a pan first. West noted that using the bone-in breasts is easier than it may seem, and theyre usually cheaper than their boneless counterparts. The meat should tear right off the bones after about 30 minutes in boiling water.

Cooks should start the chicken first, and while thats boiling, start peeling the potatoes and chopping up the other ingredients.

Its the most efficient way to get everything done, West said, adding she uses the Pennsylvania Dutch brand of egg noodles, which even can be found in many Northeast Pennsylvania grocery stores.

She urged cooks not to be afraid to add seasoning, as her mother recommends adding a lot of salt when everything is mixed together in the big pot.

The dish has been in the family for generations, as both of Wests maternal great-grandmothers made this recipe. One even made her own dough, which amazes West.

Im not that talented, she quipped.

West is still a skilled cook, however, and makes all different kinds of dishes, including homemade Macaroni and Cheese, complete with a breadcrumb topping her kids love. Shes also fond of making two summer staples that were her Nana, Jean Reinholds, recipes: barbecues and iced tea.

West considers herself more of a baker, though, making adventurous cakes for her children as well as her coworkers, who are all too willing to try her experiments.

As a kid, she watched her parents (including dad, Larry) cook, but she didnt get into it herself until landing her first job out of college.

I copied down all of my favorite recipes from my moms cookbook before I moved out, and that is still a lot of what I make for my family these days, she said.

Some of these recipes have strong Pennsylvania Dutch influences. A lot of people may picture Amish and Mennonites when they think of Pennsylvania Dutch, but, about 100 years ago, the language was still widely spoken in the region West grew up in. She noted her great-grandparents would speak it in front of her mom when she was a kid when they didnt want her to know what they were saying. West also knows a few words herself that shell use in everyday conversation, much to her husbands amusement. A lot of these words relate to food, and using them is a special way for West to feel close to her family heritage and ensure it continues.

Its important to me to keep those traditions alive, so I am trying to make sure I pass those down to my kids, she said.
Canada should focus on boosting economic growth after getting pummeled by the COVID-19 crisis, analysts say, even as concerns about the sustainability of its debt are growing, with Fitch downgrading the nation's rating just over a week ago.

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau will deliver a "fiscal snapshot" on Wednesday that will outline the current balance sheet and may give an idea of the money the government is setting aside for the future.

As the economy recovers, some fiscal support measures, which are expected to boost the budget deficit sharply, could be wound down and replaced by incentives meant to get people back to work and measures to boost economic growth, economists said.

"The only solution to these large deficits is growth, so we need a transition to a pro-growth agenda," said Craig Wright, chief economist at Royal Bank of Canada.

The IMF expects Canada's economy to contract by 8.4% this year. Ottawa is already rolling out more than C$150 billion in direct economic aid, including payments to workers impacted by COVID-19.

Further stimulus measures could include a green growth strategy, as well as spending on infrastructure, including smart infrastructure, economists said. Smart infrastructure makes use of digital technology.

"We have to make sure that government spending is calibrated to the economy of the future rather than the economy of the past," Wright said.

Canada lost one of its coveted triple-A ratings in June when Fitch downgraded it for the first time, citing the billions of dollars in emergency aid Ottawa has spent to help bridge the downturn caused by COVID-19 shutdowns.

Standard & Poor's, Moody's and DBRS still give Canadian debt the highest rating. At DBRS, Michael Heydt, the lead sovereign analyst on Canada, says his concern is about potential structural damage to the economy if the slowdown lingers too long.

Fiscal policymakers "need to be confident that there is a recovery under way before they start talking about (debt) consolidation," Heydt said.

Fitch expects Canada's total government debt will rise to 115.1% of GDP in 2020 from 88.3% in 2019.

Royce Mendes, a senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets, said the economy still needs more support.

"Turning too quickly toward austerity would be a clear mistake," he said.

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Becker took on many titles and mantles in his life. He had the highest grade on the 1969 legal Bar exam. He was the youngest state legislator when in 1972 he started his three terms of service. He was a lifelong Democrat, but worked well with Republicans. He passed the Czech Republic Bar exam and served as the honorary consul there. For 20 years he sat on the board for Enterprise Florida, the states economic development organization. Official accolades and honors for Becker were too numerous to count. He wrote two books. He taught college students.
When Dr. Robert Karpman needed a fertile place to germinate a potential cure for billions of dollars wasted on health care, Scranton checked a lot of boxes.

The orthopedic surgeon, entrepreneur and Cornell professor from Ithaca, New York, needed somewhere to grow Medi-Trust, a robotic assistant that all but guarantees people who struggle to manage medicine regimens can stay on track.

We considered other places, but were really very happy, he said.

His company Geri-Safe, founded in 2014, landed in the Scranton Enterprise Centers business incubator, where his landlord, an affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, helped line up the steps to bring his device to market.

Karpman found funding through the state Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which also has a regional office in the Enterprise Center.

The chamber helped him seek out medical institutions where it could test Medi-Trust. Karpman asked the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education to help recruit 30 candidates for a clinical effectiveness study.

His application is pending before the Wright Centers institutional review board.

Karpman offers only the latest example of medical technology companies choosing to grow in Northeast Pennsylvania, forgoing such medicine and innovation destinations as Boston, Philadelphia or New York City.

The inventor, whose resume includes teaching positions at the University of Arizona, Mayo Medical School and executive posts in health systems around the country, found what he was looking for in Scranton.

At least two other startups in the medical technology invention sector are in area incubators.

At the Tek Ridge Center incubator in Jessup, the company SnapSlide, founded by the Moscow entrepreneur Zachery Rocky Batzel, invented a better pill bottle that requires only one hand to open, but still keeps kids out.

The square-shaped bottle has sweeping implications for people who have had limbs amputated or those with arthritis who struggle to maneuver the pushing/twisting motion of a typical pill bottle.

Also in the Scranton incubator, Unison Workforce Technologies LLC is building a platform that helps home health companies automatically log their workers movements in the field using global positioning systems and bluetooth. The technology would help workers manage schedules and stay on top of tasks.

It takes more than just real estate, Bob Durkin, Scranton chamber president, said of inventing new tech and getting it to market.

Entrepreneurs synergize momentum in an incubator, where they also get access to capital, education and connections.

No individual in an entrepreneurial environment, generally, can succeed just in their own space, he said.

The concept behind the Medi-Trust device isnt exactly new. Plenty of other companies are trying to fix medication nonadherence with technology. Durkin said at the local level, health professionals have been enthusiastic about it.

I think thats got legs, he said.

Medication nonadherence, which is just a lofty way to describe anybody not taking medicine as prescribed, costs the U.S. health care system between $100 billion and $300 billion every year, according to a 2014 research paper in the journal Risk Management and Healthcare Policy.

Experts say the coronavirus pandemic, with many people foregoing regular care and either stretching their prescriptions or not taking them at all, will magnify the effect.

A research brief out this month by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, or PHC4, counted nearly 8,000 potentially preventable hospitalizations in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro last year, and at least some of them can be tied to poor medication management.

They occur for many reasons but are essentially a breakdown in the primary care process, said PHC4 Executive Director Joe Martin. That breakdown can occur due to poor management of patients across practices and venues, poor patient adherence to directions, etc.

Nationwide, nonadherence leads to an estimated 125,000 preventable deaths each year, Karpman said.

A practicing orthopedic surgeon for 25 years, he started Geri-Safe to create technology that helps older people maintain independence and spend their twilight years at home. Medi-Trust is his first initiative.

His project, though heading toward a national market, seems appropriate to grow in Northeast Pennsylvania where the population skews older than the rest of the country.

In fact, in 2017 the Pennsylvania population ranked fifth in the nation for its high percentage of seniors, according to the Wright Center.

Unrelated to the Medi-Trust review, last week the Wright Center rolled out a new service line for seniors that syncs with the Institute for Healthcare Improvements Age-Friendly Health System standards. Medication management is one of the standards four pillars.

Heres how Medi-Trust worksIt looks like a bread machine crossed with a Keurig and takes about the same amount of countertop space.

It holds a 30-day supply of up to 15 different capsules or pills. It also has compartments for eye drops, inhalers and injectables.

Karpman estimates a sticker price around $1,200, which seems jarring at first, but it could pay for itself if a patient stays on track with medication and avoids costly emergency room trips.

Caregivers and doctors will get a notification if a patient misses a dose, and can track adherence over time.

To dispense medicine, it needs a passcode or a fingerprint, and alerts caregivers when someone tries to tamper with it.

Patients wear a smart watch that alerts them 15 minutes before its time to dose, then captures a video of them actually taking the medicine. All of a patients doctors will have access to the data, and can use it to see whether a medicine is working, or needs tweaking.

Were looking at both adherence and potential improved medical outcomes, Karpman said.
BALTIMORE  A crowd of protesters yanked down the Christopher Columbus statue near Baltimores Little Italy neighborhood and tossed it into the Inner Harbor as fireworks went off around the city on the evening of the Fourth of July.

The group shouted as they pulled down the monument with ropes and rolled it with a splash into the water. Dedicated in 1984, the statue is the latest monument in the U.S. to fall during the national reckoning over racism and police violence that also has toppled statues of Confederate figures and enslavers around the country.

The debate drew renewed attention to Baltimores Christopher Columbus memorials  including one in Herring Run Park believed to be the oldest in the country. The legacy of the famous 15th-century Italian explorer, who had long been credited by history textbooks as a hero who discovered America, has come under fire over his violent enslavement of native people.

Carved in Italian Carrara marble, the toppled statue was owned by the city and dedicated on Oct. 8, 1984, by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan.

The statue showed Columbus facing east along Eastern Avenue into the rising sun, the direction from which his boats arrived in the New World.

A wreath-laying ceremony has long been held in Columbus Piazza, the area around the statue, before the annual Columbus Day Parade, which was replaced by a new Italian Heritage Festival in 2019.

The downed statue is one of three monuments to Columbus in Baltimore.

A 44-foot obelisk dedicated to Columbus in Northeast Baltimores Herring Run Park  erected in 1792 to honor the 300th anniversary of his journey from Europe  is believed to be the first monument in the country to honor him. Another statue of the explorer stands in Druid Hill Park.
SCRANTON  Star-spangled celebrations gave way to social distancing on an Independence Day like none other.

Various patriotic-themed festivities, flag-raisings, rifle salutes and Scrantastic Spectacular philharmonic concerts that marked or ushered in the Fourth of July holiday in years past were sidelined this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Old Glory and red-white-and-blue bunting still adorned porches and yards and backyard fireworks still boomed, Saturday for some people kind of felt like, well, just another Saturday.

Richard Chu of Moscow observed a socially distanced Fourth of July at Nay Aug Park with his faithful companion, Colleen, a 14-month-old king shepherd/Lab-mix dog.

In years past, Chu usually made it a point to attend patriotic events on Independence Day. Not this year  there were none.

Instead, Chu brought a lawn chair and his dog to Nay Aug Park, where they sat alone under a large tree near the closed pool with the giant slides, after walking on trails.

Just enjoying life, the sky, the mountains, Chu said of his time in the park Saturday.

Having several health ailments, including asthma and diabetes, Chu deliberately picked an isolated spot to unfold his lawn chair, on a knoll between the closed concession stand and the Schimelfenig Pavilion  far enough away from other park visitors for social distancing, yet still able to take in the overall park scene. He has family out of state, including relatives in Florida on lockdown, he said.

Its hard for families to get together with this thing (pandemic), Chu said. The main thing is survival.

The seven-member Santos family from South River, New Jersey, drove two hours to spend the Fourth of July at Nay Aug Park.

With members hailing from Brazil, Uruguay and Portugal, the family learned of Nay Aug Park on social media. They wanted to avoid crowded New Jersey Shore points during the pandemic and instead headed for mountains in Pennsylvania. They were intrigued by photos of Roaring Brooks waterfalls flowing through the rugged, scenic Nay Aug Gorge, a National Natural Landmark.

After taking in the gorge, they picnicked by the closed pool.

The beaches are too crowded so we decided to come here, Francislaine Santos said. We came to see the waterfalls.

The unprecedented situation of a Fourth of July disrupted by a pandemic prompted Toyota of Scranton, 3400 N. Main Ave., to hold a free, drive-through barbecue as a salute to first responders in the area.

Smoked and Sauced Authentic Texas BBQ of Archbald parked a portable smoker trailer at the dealership overnight to smoke pulled beef brisket, pork and chicken for 12 hours with mesquite.

The menu also included smoked mac-and-cheese and smoked tater-tot casserole.

Local emergency personnel, firefighters and police were encouraged to drive up in their service vehicles or arrive in uniform. Within the first 90 minutes, the free barbecue dished out about 100 takeout lunches to first responders.

We wanted to make sure they were remembered, said Pat Rogers, the CFO of Toyota of Scranton.
More than 50% of Scranton School District students identify as a race other than white. Less than 1% of teachers identify the same way.

As the lone black man to teach in Scranton and all of Lackawanna County, Robert McLeod for years has asked the district to recruit and hire racially diverse teachers. A group of school board members, administrators and McLeod now seek ways to make that happen.

Its long overdue, unfortunately, said McLeod, who teaches math at Northeast Intermediate School. Im tired of just having it be a discussion. We need to go beyond that. I look forward to seeing the action.

Studies show students benefit from learning from people with diverse backgrounds, but school district leaders in Scranton and beyond say they get no minority applicants.

Of the 1,637 teachers in Lackawanna County, only five, who all work in Scranton, identify as a race other than white. Scranton had one multiracial, two black and two Hispanic teachers in the 2018-19 school year, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education data.

More than 28% of the countys nearly 29,000 students are non-white, compared to only 0.3% of the countys teachers.

Statewide, 96% of teachers are white, making the educator workforce the least diverse in the country, according to the department of education.

Research suggests that educator diversity can play an important part in closing achievement gaps, improving school climate and promoting higher expectations for minority students. But, simply hiring more minority teachers is not an easy solution. Experts call the problem a job pipeline issue, as the state loses potential teachers from diverse backgrounds at each stage of the pipeline, starting in elementary school with lower attendance rates and in high school with lower graduation rates for minority students. For non-white students who attend college, few choose to study education.

In McLeods math classroom, most students learn from a non-white teacher for the first time. Many students dont associate teaching as a profession for non-white people, he said.

In December, the state launched its Aspiring to Educate pilot program, an initiative to recruit a new generation of diverse teachers in Philadelphia. The department hopes to expand the program to other areas in years to come.

Recruitment efforts in Scranton could start as early as elementary or intermediate school, with guidance counselors speaking to students about the education profession, said school Director Sarah Cruz, the boards first Hispanic member.

Students need to be inspired to become teachers, that its a worthy career and profession, Cruz said. If they can be encouraged to go into education, their unique backgrounds can be vital to the next generation.

Other efforts could include trying to recruit from outside the area and reaching out to colleges with more diverse populations, officials said.

The school board plans to hold a policy and personnel committee meeting later this month to discuss a plan.

The school districts efforts come as the Black Lives Matter movement continues across the country. While board President Katie Gilmartin called the timing coincidental, the movement brings attention to the disparities in Scranton and beyond.

This does not begin and end in the Scranton School District, she said. Were trying to learn about the barriers and how we can encourage people of color to pursue this career path.
July 5, 1945

Ideal weather for the Fourth

Sunshine and a nice breeze made for ideal weather for the celebration of our nations birthday throughout Lackawanna County.

Many service men and women also made it home for the holiday. A majority just arrived back stateside since fighting ended in the European theater of the war.

Rail and bus traffic was down throughout the area because of the holiday being on a Wednesday.

There was an increase in car traffic because of the recent release of more gasoline coupons. People used these extra coupons to take day trips to the area parks and lakes to celebrate with family and friends.

Stop the spread

State Agriculture Department officials released a request for motorists in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties dealing with gypsy moths.

The two counties were currently under gypsy moth quarantine. The state was asking motorists to check their vehicles for gypsy moth egg clusters before they enter their cars or trucks. If any clusters were found, they were asked to destroy them.

The state also said they could start using DDT to stop the spread of the moth as well.

Shopping at WhelansA jar of tooth powder was 37 cents, a jar of Odo-Ra-No cream deodorant was 59 cents, a bottle of Vitamin B capsules was $2.98, a bottle of aspirin was 11 cents, a bottle of Wildroot Cream-Oil for hair was 79 cents and West Point Hair Dress with Oil was 49 cents.

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.
East Scranton came together on our nations birthday in 1946 to welcome home the men and women who served and to honor the 32 men from that section of the city who died in service to our country during World War II.

The all-day celebration got underway at 9:15 a.m. with the ringing of the bells at Myrtle Street Methodist Church to call the community to a solemn memorial service at 9:30 a.m. at the Honor Roll plaque near the East Scranton Bank.

Several hundred people attended the short service that featured the reading of the 32 names, the laying of a wreath, the singing of Lords Prayer and a short address by the Rev. J. Clewell Ottinger, pastor of the Petersburg Presbyterian Church, which dealt with the phases of war.

After the service, a parade was held through the streets of East Scranton to honor the service members. A special feature of the parade was large numbers of decorated bicycles and high school girls waving the United Nations flag.

After the parade, 300 veterans of the community were the guests of honor at dinners held at Myrtle Street Methodist Church, Petersburg Presbyterian Church and St. Peters Lutheran Church.

Other events of the day included a baby parade, talent show and sporting events.

In the evening, an estimated crowd of 3,000 danced till midnight at a temporary bandstand that was constructed in the 1400 block of Ash Street. The Crystal Band provided the soundtrack for the evening.
HARRISBURG  In July 1939, Pennsylvania Gov. Arthur James declared victory in the war on fireworks.

Just months earlier, he had signed a law that effectively banned ordinary Pennsylvanians from purchasing or using firecrackers, Roman candles and other explosives that for years injured or killed people across the state.

Everyone discovered that because of this new law they can have an even better time free from customary worries, James said shortly after Independence Day that year, according to a newspaper report.

This July 4th weekend, three years after the state lifted its ban on fireworks, many across the state are harkening back to days of peace and quiet. Sales of fireworks amid the coronavirus pandemic are booming, and so are complaints about nightly amateur pyrotechnic displays.

But the likelihood of the Legislature reinstating a ban  or at least allowing cities and towns the right to do it  comes down to one thing: cash.

That was the impetus for making them legal in the first place, when, in 2017, lawmakers quietly lifted the ban as part of a revenue-raising package that brought an end to a protracted budget battle with Gov. Tom Wolf.

Now, lawmakers are considering a proposal that would allow certain municipalities to prohibit residents from setting off fireworks. But with the states finances still reeling from coronavirus-caused shutdowns and closures, a return to prohibition seems unlikely.

All of us know that something needs to be done, but we realize that because of the revenue, that is going to be an uphill battle, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, said.

The 2017 law levied a 12% tax on fireworks on top of the states 6% sales tax. Between the end of that year and mid-2019, that tax raised $8.2 million for state coffers. Preliminary estimates show it brought in another $7.4 million in fiscal year 2019-20 alone.

This year, sales for fireworks have boomed, as families with young children look for outdoor summer activities at home, according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Pyrotechnics Association.

And at least anecdotally, people across Pennsylvania and the U.S. are reporting what seems like incessant fireworks, inspiring headlines including Whats up with all these fireworks and So seriously, whats up with the fireworks everywhere these days?

In Philadelphia, police fielded more than 8,500 fireworks complaints between May 29 and June 29, while in York and Scranton, city officials created a special police unit to deal with the problem. Pittsburgh, too, has set up a task force to respond to complaints.

Honestly, I blame it on corona, Schlossberg said. It had been bad previous years, but its nothing compared to this year. People are confined to their homes and they dont know what to spend their money on, so they buy fireworks.

The appeal of limiting fireworks spans across partisan lines. Last week, the state Senate voted 48-2 to adopt an amendment from Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, that would allow municipalities that meet a certain population threshold to prohibit the use of consumer fireworks. The bill is on hold as the General Assembly breaks for summer recess.

There are also lawmakers who want to go further.

Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, plans to introduce legislation to repeal the 2017 fireworks law, writing in a memo seeking support from her colleagues, Our police and fire departments officials say the complaints continue to pile up and law enforcement has proven to be futile at best. Schlossberg and some of his Democratic colleagues will put forth their own bill with the same goal.

The original push to ban fireworks in Pennsylvania more than 80 years ago came largely in response to injuries and deaths caused by crudely made devices. One newspaper at the time called the ban a powerful instrument for the protection of Pennsylvanias children from fireworks injuries on this and all Fourths of July to come.

While rarer, the U.S. still sees some fireworks-related deaths each year. In 2019, at least a dozen people died either because they misused fireworks or because the device malfunctioned, according to a report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

That year, hospitals in the country treated 10,000 firework related injuries  73% of which occurred in the days around the Fourth of July. Just last week, a man in Scranton was killed after a firework exploded while still on the ground.

Schlossberg said he understands that fireworks bring in much-needed revenue, but they have gotten out of control.

My office has turned into an answering service for unemployment problems and fireworks complaints, he said.
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.
Studies estimate that approximately two-thirds of people have experienced deja vu. Translated, the French term means already seen and it is best described as the feeling you get as though you have been somewhere before or have an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something new. It is a common, almost always harmless, experience, except when reading a grand jury report involving the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

In late June, a Pennsylvania grand jury report was made public. It resulted from a two-year investigation centered on the DEPs oversight of the natural gas fracking industry. If one simply replaced fracking with landfill, it is eerily similar to a November 2017 ruling by another independent body, the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, which evaluated how the DEP regulates Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore and Throop.

Fracking and waste disposal are massive, powerful industries in Pennsylvania. Since frackings emergence, Pennsylvania has consistently ranked toward the top of the U.S. unconventional oil and gas industry. When it comes to trash, Pennsylvania historically imports more waste than any other state. Strong, environmentally destructive industries require stronger regulatory agencies to protect the public. Though the DEPs stated mission is to do so, it has failed woefully.

The grand jury fracking report concluded that ...officials did not do enough to properly protect the health, safety and welfare of the thousands of Pennsylvania citizens who were affected by this industry and that government institutions often failed in their constitutional duty to act as a trustee and guardian of all the people, as Article 1, Section 27 [of the Pennsylvania Constitution] provides and We believe some DEP employees saw the job more as serving the industry than the public.

Oversight lagging

The nearly identical 2017 Environmental Hearing Board Ruling passage found that DEP has not consistently exercised vigorous oversight of the landfill consistent with its regulatory and constitutional responsibilities with just as much concern about the rights of the landfills neighbors as the rights of the landfill.

Further, the grand jury report found that DEP employees often elected not to inspect reported violations... And even in cases where investigation did show that a violation had occurred, and that ground water had been tainted... DEP employees chose not notify unsuspecting neighboring landowners, who would have no way of knowing there was a problem.

The mirror section in the 2017 Environmental Hearing Board: the biggest deficiency with the Departments review [of Keystones compliance history] was that it relied almost entirely on recorded violations, yet the department almost never records any violations at Keystone, even if they undeniably occurred.

The parallels do not stop at the nearly identical written conclusions. Both reference an unexplained lack of notice of violations at the offending companies. Both discuss the lack of underlying historical health data. Both reference the location of offending facilities being in close proximity to residential areas, not out-of-the-way industrial parks.

Perhaps the most damning similarity comparing Keystones expansion proposal and the 2020 grand jury report is, unsurprisingly, the impact of money on environmental decisions.

Revenue was priority

The grand jury report states, ...we believe that our government often ignored the costs to the environment and to the health and safety of the citizens of the commonwealth, in a rush to reap the benefits of this industry.

In the DEPs harms-benefits analysis of the proposed landfill expansion, the DEP concluded that there is not a single environmental benefit, only environmental harms. And every social and economic benefit is financial in nature. Yet, on balance, the DEP still found that the identified benefits of the project clearly outweigh the remaining known and potential harms of the project. Another way to read that is money outweighs our environment, health and safety.

Finally, to connect the remaining dots of these intertwined Pennsylvania cash cows, where does some of the toxic waste from the fracking industry the Grand Jury denounces ultimately reside? Buried in the Keystone Sanitary Landfill, of course.

Deja vu isnt typically something to worry about. Except when it is. Except when it involves repeated condemnations by independent arbiters of the agency in charge of protecting both our citizens and our environment. The DEP has not rendered its final decisions on the landfills expansion request, but it will do so shortly. By rejecting Keystones proposed landfill expansion, DEP has an opportunity to salvage any credibility which this agency may have once enjoyed before it became so marred with a reputation of serving at the behest of industry, the rich and the politically connected. It has one final opportunity to fulfill its constitutional duties and stick up for the people of Northeast Pennsylvania, including generations yet to come.
One of the biggest casualties of the COVID-19 crisis is progress that has been lost in the fight against opioid addiction, which itself was a public health emergency in Pennsylvania well before the novel coronaviruss arrival.

According to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program, a federal initiative that collects data from first-responders, hospitals and coroners, overdoses jumped by 18% in March, 29% in April and 42% in May, compared with the same months of 2019.

In Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, the medical examiner recorded 473 opioid overdose deaths from January through June 2019. This year, the total through May reached 656, with more than 400 more determinations pending toxicology reports.

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, remains a principal driver of the resurgent crisis. Most of that substance comes from China.

Sen. Pat Toomey, the Pennsylvania Republican, and Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama introduced the Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports Act early in 2019.

An existing law enables the United States to cut off aid and take other actions against countries that export certain drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine. The Toomey-Jones bill adds fentanyl to the list.

Toomey and Jones have reached an agreement in the Senate to include the bill in the defense spending bill making its way through Congress. It should become law and the administration vigorously should enforce it.
In Reagan, America had a leader who was responsible and forward-thinking enough to respond when action was needed to safeguard our atmosphere. He also trusted our free enterprise system enough to recognize that business and industry were up to the task, and would adapt to the necessary change.
Editor: Im saddened at the current state of our society.

We talk about progress, but for each step we take forward, we seem to take 10 steps backwards. When I say society, I talk about numerous aspects, including political parties, religious groups, race, gender and sexual orientation. Our basic, common decency, and acceptance of others who are different from us, significantly have diminished our ability to see the humanity in one another. I remember a time when we at least tried to show more compassion and understanding for one another.

We are humans, and until this is the only category we place each other in, we will be destined to continually make the same negative, historical mistakes.

I am not naive enough to believe that a Utopian society can be accomplished, but I believe we can do a lot better. Our children deserve better. Society is not supposed to be this way. We are combative towards one another, unsupportive at times, unwilling to be open-minded, and at times incapable of having the uncomfortable conversations that would be required in order for us to progress in a positive direction.

Lets stop pointing the finger at different colors and races, political parties, genders and the LGBT community. Lets just work together to fix what divides us.

TYRONE D. HOLMES

SCRANTON

Editor: As we are all aware, COVID-19 undoubtedly has disrupted our lives and our security of routine has been turned inside-out.

We all do our best to adapt and function within this bubble of uncertainty, fear and anxiety. A large number of people now work remotely from their homes in lieu of commuting to work, which is especially prominent in office settings.

I recently learned that Pennsylvania state offices have fully embraced this remote work alternative and expect it to be a permanent protocol for the future. So, some selected employees must purchase a laptop, a printer, internet service, and have their phones synchronized with their employers system to facilitate communication.

Aside from judging the many home scenarios that are not conducive to this setup, there is a much more pressing and very disturbing problem: security. In some apartments and homes, the internet has a habit of overlapping to others living close to each other. The fact that mine  and anyone elses personal and vital identification information  might be handled on such insecure servers is simply appalling and definitely unacceptable.

Sadly, Gov. Tom Wolf has expressed his satisfaction concerning this remote work implementation at the state level. Wolf has intimated that this is the new norm and that returning to the physical brick and mortar arrangement probably is a bygone practice. What I need to know is, how can these makeshift offices keep my information secure? Wolf owes his constituents a transparent explanation, an assurance of security and monitoring of such, and soon.

Yes, we are in the midst of a pandemic, but is that an excuse to risk identity theft through insecure transmission of personal information? I wait for some straight answers.

LEE ARNOLD

MADISON TWP.

Editor: Only the Trump administration would ask the Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act during the height of a pandemic.

Thousands more Americans have signed up for health insurance coverage under Obamacare since the COVID-19 outbreak and voters have taken the initiative to expanded Medicaid services in several red states. This cruel court action just proves again what kind of people are in this administration.

Its an illustration of the public-be-damned attitude they have. Sadly, a good number of Trump supporters might be hurt by this potential action and they dont even seem to realize that.

TOM MIELCZAREK

MADISONVILLE
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.

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Brinkworth is unafraid to push back when needed. When the district last fall refused to answer questions about a no-bid $17 million contract for interactive classroom TVs  a matter revealed by the Sun Sentinel  Brinkworth threatened to take the matter to the State Attorneys Office. At that point, Superintendent Robert Runcie agreed to order an outside audit. When Brinkworth later asked for an update, the response she got prompted her to contact the state attorney. When the audit was finally done, it revealed close ties between the tech company and the districts chief information officer, including the purchase of a house at well below market value.
Obituaries will be accepted only from funeral homes, or from an individual only when legal documentation is presented at our office, of that individual's executor status over the estate of the deceased. Obituaries must be received with prepayment before 4 p.m. for publication the following day. On holidays, obituaries must be received with prepayment before noon for publication the following day. If you have questions, please call 256-740-4709
Johnny Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard will not be banned from watching him give evidence in his libel trial against British tabloid, The Sun.

On Saturday, a judge rebuffed the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's argument that the "Aquaman" actress' own evidence would be more reliable if she didn't hear Depp give his during cross-examination, The Guardian reports.

Depp, 57, is suing the tabloid's publisher, News Group Newspapers, as well as The Sun's executive editor Dan Wootton, for a 2018 article that described the Oscar nominee as a "wife beater."

The article pointed to claims made by Heard, 34, that Depp physically abused her while the two were still married, allegations which the "Sweeney Todd" star has always denied.

Preventing Heard from sitting in would be "unfair" and "inhibit" the defense, Justice Nicol ruled.

Witnesses in criminal cases can't be present in court while others give evidence but they can be present in civil cases.

Though Nicol conceded that the "Rum Diary" actress was "not a party" and isn't "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."

He said, "It would be unfair to the defendants to deprive the defendants of that advantage."

Earlier in the week, NGN's camp tried and failed to get the case thrown out of court.

That following the high court's ruling last week that Depp breached an order in the case when he failed to share texts apparently depicting him trying to purchase drugs.

NGN's lawyers requested Nicol strike the libel claim on the grounds he hadn't shared the "Australia drug texts," which were sent in early 2015.

The messaging took place shortly before Heard asserts Depp committed "a three-day ordeal of physical assaults" against her in Australia.

Late in May, the high court dismissed evidence from the mechanic who worked for the former couple toward the end of their marriage, but approved evidence from the actress' former personal assistant. The assistant insists she never saw signs of physical violence.

 Tribune News Service

Boris Johnson's dad defends own travel

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 wasn't "100 percent up to speed" on the British public's 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 Greece's coronavirus restrictions as well as the current travel guidance in the U.K.

The Greek government, which has been lauded for the country's 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 Britain's still-high infection rates.

Many also think that the elder Johnson's trip to Greece via the Bulgarian capital of Sofia went against the overarching advice of Britain's Foreign Office, which currently recommends avoiding "all but essential" travel.

 Associated Press

Swiss zookeeper killed by tiger

A 55-year-old keeper at Zurich's zoo was killed by one of the park's Siberian tigers, officials in the Swiss city said Saturday.

Horrified visitors raised the alarm after seeing the tiger attack the female keeper inside the big cat enclosure shortly after 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) Saturday, prompting staff members to rush to her aid.

They were able to lure the Siberian tiger, named Irina, away from their colleague and out of the enclosure while first responders tried to revive the injured keeper.

"Sadly all help came too late. The woman died at the scene," Zurich police spokeswoman Judith Hoedl said.

Hoedl said an investigation has been launched into the incident, including why the keeper was in the enclosure at the same time as the tiger.

The Siberian tiger, named Irina, was born in 2015 at a zoo in the Danish city of Odense and transferred to Zurich a year ago, according to Zoo Zurich director Severin Dressen. The tiger behaved normally, he said.

"Our full sympathy is with the relatives of the victim," Dressen said, adding that the keeper had been a long-term member of the zoo staff.

Visitors and colleagues who witnessed the attack were receiving psychological counseling, he said.

 Associated Press
Amid pandemic, UN belatedly holds virtual ceremony to mark Vesak Foreign Minister recalls Kadirgamar's effort to get the world body's recognition for the biggest event on the Buddhist calendar View(s): View(s):

The United Nations in New York belatedly commemorated the International Day of Vesak virtually on July 2.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented Member-States from gathering at the UN General Assembly Hall to celebrate this occasion, as in previous years, says a statement from the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations.

The statement said:

Rescheduling to July was also not without significance, as it was on the full moon day of this month that the Buddha preached his first Dhamma sermon. The event, organised by the Permanent Missions of Sri Lanka and Thailand, featured a keynote message from Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka.

Highlighting the value of Buddhism during this time of unprecedented global insecurity created by the pandemic, the Minister stated that the Buddhas teachings could be a guide through this haze of uncertainty, towards light. He upheld that the practice of the four virtues of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity could ease the sufferings of mankind and generate trust and understanding.

Minister Gunawardena outlined that the Dhamma is not only a religion but also a philosophy on the way of life, symbolised by a Path of Knowledge with its goal being the destruction of ignorance, characterised, among others, by the futility of the egoistic notion.

The Minister emphasising that even after 2600 years that the Teachings are still sought for its intrinsic wisdom and values, continue to provide solace, comfort and tranquility to ensure peace of mind to humankind in this troubled modern world. He also paid tribute to Late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar for his leading role in obtaining recognition for the Day of Vesak at the United Nations in 1999.

Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in her opening remarks, referred to the teachings of the Buddha, being reflected in the objectives of the UN Charter, including the practising of tolerance and living as good neighbours, maintenance of global peace and security and achieving economic and social development.

Emphasising the need to arrest the erosion of multilateralism, she pointed out the relevance of the Buddhist doctrine grounded on the principle of equality for all, regardless of status or circumstances, which resonates in the UN tenets of sovereign equality and inclusivity of all nations.

Stressing that the consequences of the pandemic have further exacerbated the ceaseless suffering of mankind, she urged that countries must unite to build in a spirit of cooperation, compassion and equality, a peaceful and prosperous world.

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres observed that the Buddhas message of solidarity and service to others is more important than ever, as it reminds of the need for unity to combat the pandemic.

He highlighted that international co-operation, especially through the combining of energies and expertise, could ease the economic and social consequence of the current crisis and build a healthier, more inclusive, sustainable, resilient and equitable world.

He concluded that the sense of a shared fate and collective compassion, both encapsulate the spirit of the Buddha and the animating force of the UN Charter, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Elaborating on the severity of the current global pandemic, the President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammed Bande, remarked that the world was facing a global health crisis unlike any other, experienced during the 75 years of the United Nations, adding that it is during these times of great anxiety that faith can be a significant source of comfort and community resilience.

He observed that this commemorative event served to remind people of the importance of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding that are enshrined in the teachings of the Buddha, which are the same values that the UN has been promoting and advancing throughout the world that will enthrone peaceful co-existence in diversity.

The occasion also featured blessings in the Theravada tradition by venerable monks of the New York Buddhist Vihara, who chanted excerpts of the Ratana Sutta together with blessings, to alleviate the suffering and fears of people during this time of a global pandemic.

Blessings in the Mahayana tradition were also conducted by venerable monks from China, Japan and Korea of the Buddhist Council of New York and the American Buddhist Confederation.

In his sermon, Ven. Dr. Bellanwila Dhammaratana Nayake Thera, Chief Incumbent of the Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara and Advisor to the Buddhist Library in Singapore highlighted the concept of equality and inclusion in the teachings of the Buddha, which promoted equal opportunities for men and women, Brahmins and outcasts, the rich and the poor alike, to pursue the path of enlightenment.

Ven. Dr. Phra Anil Sakya, Deputy Rector, Mahamakut Buddhist University of Thailand, in his sermon highlighted that the Buddhas teachings encapsulated the

importance of Sustainable Development, as

advocated in the Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta.
COHOES  It was an age of nicknames that when you heard them, you knew exactly which political boss was running the machine in that city or county.

That's why Paul Van Buskirk, 85, used the names as the title of his new self-published book, Big Mike, Uncle Dan and Me: How I Beat 20th Century New York State's Most Corrupt Political Machine, an accounting of how he led the Cohoes Citizens Party in toppling some of the most powerful people in Albany County in 1963.

Buskirk grew up in Cohoes when its Democratic leader Michael T. Big Mike Smith ran the Spindle City out of his eatery, Smiths Restaurant, where Tammany Halls former bar had been installed - adding another layer of politic lore to the scene.

Big Mike was an ally of Daniel OConnell, the famed Albany County Democratic boss for decades who initially entered the political landscape by campaigning for Albany assessor in his U.S. Navy uniform after World War I.

Mention Van Buskirk and the Cohoes Citizens Party to Richard J. Barrett, a historian of local Democratic politics, a Democratic committeeman and former Albany parks and recreation commissioner, made the 1960s and the Albany County Democratic machine come back to life.

He was a mastermind. It was revolutionary. OConnells fiefdom had gone south, said Barrett.

Mike Smith was known as the little Dan OConnell of Cohoes, Barrett said, adding the two political leaders were allies and partners in running Democratic Albany County. O'Connell was known as Uncle Dan.

In his book published in May, Van Buskirk recounts fighting the entrenched Cohoes Democratic machine that held the city tightly in its grip even after Smith had died at age 87 in 1950.

It had to be done from the bottom up for the citizens themselves, Van Buskirk said in a telephone interview from his home in Florida. Van Buskirk out organized the city Democratic machine that had grown complacent after decades of total control.

Getting Dr. James McDonald elected as mayor in November 1963 resulted from a buildup of forces in the city that saw unaffiliated, Democratic and Republican voters unite to battle corruption. The reformers would hold sway for more than a decade before the Democrats reasserted themselves.

It was quite a happening, quite an event that took place. Nobody believed we could do it, Van Buskirk said.

The machine was invincible you know. They designed themselves to be invincible, Van Buskirk said.

Thats what made the victory sweeter, achieving what the Capital Region thought was impossible  unseating the machine boss. Cohoes Democratic leader William Dawson would be convicted in 1966 on federal income tax evasion charges for unreported graft.

Van Buskirk played an insightful political game against the machine, Barrett said. It was the age of reform.

Summing up the outcome for the machine, Barrett repeated, It was terrible. It was terrible.

An engineer who studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned a doctorate in behavior sciences from Barry University in Miami, Fla., Van Buskirk has never forgotten his Cohoes roots. He still returns to the city for several weeks every summer to visit. It was his experience growing up in Cohoes that fed his determination to change his hometown.

We knew growing up theres something wrong. Im living in a democracy. The countrys a democracy and Im living in a dictatorship. I couldnt believe it. I just couldnt accept that. Thats what motivated me, Van Buskirk said.

During the time I lived under that machine, our schools were a mess. The school board was corrupt. Teachers had to kick back. We had no recreational facilities. We had no cafeteria or anything like that in our high school, Van Buskirk said.

The Cohoes Citizens Partys victory would lead to City Hall losing control of the schools, as well as property reassessment, construction of the Cohoes Community Center, the acquisition of the Cohoes Music Hall and St. John's Church, which became the city library, the installation of water meters and installation of sewer lines to stop the rivers from being polluted.

In addition to being a political strategist, Van Buskirk wrote one of the nations first Model Cities plans to secure federal funding for his hometown. Van Buskirk would be recognized as a political giant in 1966 by the Times Union for beating the Cohoes machine, according to his biographical summary. Cohoes was named an All-America City and national publications would praise his work against the machine.

The book, Van Buskirk said, will have a lot of meaning to people who want to get involved in politics. Its what politics is all about and what to expect and what to prepare yourself for and what can be accomplished.

Big Mike, Uncle Dan and Me: How I Beat 20th Century New York State's Most Corrupt Political Machine is available for $19.99 in paperback on amazon.com. The book is self-published through BookBaby.
Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union

LAKE GEORGE  An unresponsive 19-year-old New Jersey man was pulled from Lake George off Shepard Park Beach Saturday, the Warren County Sheriffs Office said.

The Vernon, New Jersey resident was rushed to Glens Falls Hospital by the Lake George EMS, deputies said. His identity was not immediately available.
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ALBANY - As some cities in the Capital Region see a spike in violence - similar to what many urban areas across the country are seeing - some fear the loss of in-person interactions for many supportive and social services could be playing a role in the increase.

Supportive services within the criminal justice system - from parole and probation to community-based organizations offering violence and gang intervention - have limited or eliminated in-person contact and home visits, relying instead on phone calls or online check-ins during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

A parole officer in the Capital Region, who spoke with the Times Union on the condition of anonymity, said the adjusted protocols meant officers did not know for certain if a parolee had drugs or weapons in their homes, among other concerns.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which oversees parole, also adjusted the criteria someone must meet in order for an arrest warrant to be issued due to a directive issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in March to release low-level technical parole violators. Eligible individuals include parolees whose violations did not involve a weapon or violent act, as well as parole absconders.

These restrictions are not allowing us to help the offender or protect the community because things that weve previously been able to do have been taken away from us, the local parole officer said. There are absolutely people dying because we are not doing our jobs properly.

People have listed an array of reasons for the rise in violence in communities across New York - from recent criminal justice reforms like Raise the Age and bail reform to the current state of the nations economy, which has been devastated by business closures and soaring unemployment in response to the pandemic.

During the height of the pandemic, about two million New Yorkers were jobless. That figure now hovers at about 1.3 million, with roughly 20 million unemployed Americans nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Communities across the country have also seen protests in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, drawing thousands to rally in the streets; some interactions later turning violent between police and protesters.

Lucy Lang, director of John Jay Colleges Institute for Innovation in Prosecution, said the current climate of high unemployment and heightened tensions make it particularly challenging to draw any causal connections between the spates in violence and any one factor.

I think there are any number of things that are likely contributing to the increases weve seen in crime in the Capital Region and elsewhere in New York state, she said. I do think many of the social service agencies endeavored to pivot to remote operations pretty quickly, but unfortunately many of them lacked technological infrastructure to be able to do that effectively, and some of the services are ones that really thrive on in-person contact.

For Nik Jones, founder of the gang intervention group Band of Brothers, his in-person contact with youth ended when schools shuttered for the remainder of the school year. Prior to limitations enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, Jones gave gang intervention and prevention presentations at local schools.

Jones said the in-person contact is crucial because I have their undivided attention and thats where they have to be. Its hard connecting with them outside of school because they want to run around.

Those types of interactions are critical for other supportive services, like child welfare and social work, said Sarah Mountz, assistant professor in the School of Social Welfare for the University at Albany. Mountz, who specializes in child welfare, said in-person visits and check-ins with families were mostly done on the internet or phone during the height of the pandemic.

But you dont get a full picture of everything that is going on in that way, Mountz said. Theres just a lot that you dont know about whats going on and less that you can offer.

Department leaders pushed back against assertions that some of the limitations implemented could have been detrimental to their missions.

DOCCS officials say parole officers continued to work closely with parolees, treatment providers, community-based organizations and other entities, and maintained regular communication through office visits, home visits and phone calls. They noted that, during the pandemic, in-person reports of individuals were suspended.

Albany County Department of Probation Director William Connors said without in-person reports, probation officers were required to do more to connect with people.

"Our requirements for reporting were greater and enhanced because we were not seeing a person in person," he said. "It lengthened the amount of contact per person we were required to get.

Probation department staff also were used to help with contact tracing and quarantine measures in the county, Connors said, but that did not prevent probation officers from connecting with people.

Concern over the lack of in-person contact was heightened recently after Albany city officials learned a 17-year-old suspect in a homicide and two other recent shooting incidents absconded from probation.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan said all parts of the criminal justice system were operating differently, and local officials must discuss how to deliver these services effectively, particularly with the threat of a surge of COVID-19 cases in the fall.

In-person, in-home visits, we do those for a reason. We go into the home to see if a pedophile has child porn in the house, Sheehan said. Those types of things work. I think its important that if we are preparing for a potential resurgence of COVID in the fall, we need to acknowledge that there are certain things we should be trying to do even if there is a resurgence.

In other cases, Lang said the ability to check in remotely allows individuals to maintain jobs and family responsibilities. For others, the scheduled check-ins give structure and get a person out of their neighborhood, she said.

Lang said this time should be used to reflect and learn what programs work and identify others that should be revised.

"My hope is that this does not become an excuse to rollback reforms, but rather exposes some of the gaps in available services so they can be filled effectively and comprehensively once we return from quarantine so that people are able to access the support," she said.
The one-time secret disciplinary record of a decorated narcotics investigator is coming back to haunt Albany County prosecutors.

On Thursday, State Police Senior Investigator Samuel Mercados disciplinary history was the main reason that state Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch dismissed the 2017 felony drug conviction of Hector Gomez, a New York City man who had been serving a nine-year prison sentence for allegedly moving 2,195 bags of heroin through the Capital Region. The opioids were found in a secret, elaborate compartment built into a 2001 Chrysler Town & Country minivan Gomez that was operating on the Thruway in Bethlehem.

And prosecutors will not call Mercado as an expert witness against Kenneth Diaz-Mejias of Albany, who is charged with possessing more than five pounds of cocaine found in a 2011 Acura on Grant Avenue in Albany on Nov. 18.

In a scenario that would seem unfathomable less than a year ago, Diaz-Mejias -- who is charged with first-degree drug possession and operating as a major trafficker  may see his own attorney call the legendary Mercado as a defense witness, according to court documents reviewed by Law Beat.

Mercado, a trooper for nearly 35 years, has led a storied career that includes 15 years of dangerous undercover work in New York City where he infiltrated Dominican and Colombian drug trafficking cartels. He now coordinates an undercover school for State Police which in 2018 awarded Mercado.

But as the Times Union first reported on March 5, Mercados history also includes three letters of discipline since 2008 for administrative mistakes involving record-keeping and documentation.

Typically, such police disciplinary records were shielded under the state's Civil Rights Law 50-a, which until recently blocked the release of material that might be used in personnel decisions. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to repeal the law last month in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and calls for police reform across the country.

In March, the Times Union reviewed copies of the censures in a motion filed by Diaz-Mejiass lawyer, assistant public defender Donald Partyka. He was able to obtain them in the wake of the new discovery reforms that went into effect Jan. 1. Prosecutors now need to disclose to the defense 21 kinds of material, including anything to cross-examine an officer at trial to impeach their credibility.

In the first censure, which was in 2008, a superior told Mercado: You caused a record containing false information to be created and retained by the State Police. The fact that you are entrusted with the duties of a supervisor compounds the significance of your misconduct.

The other censures were in 2015 and 2018. In the most recent one, a superior told Mercado that as an experienced investigator he should have known the importance of documenting money used for drug operations. He told Mercado his conduct was "unacceptable and contrary to what is expected from a member with your years of service."

On July 2, Lynch dismissed the case against Gomez, who now faces a new trial. The judge said that when prosecutors called Mercado as an expert witness and showed off his storied career, they made everything about his career, good and bad. The judge said prosecutors had a duty to ask about any misconduct on Mercados part, including the censure history, and breached this duty.

Investigator Mercado made the (prosecutions) case, Lynch stated. Accordingly, there is a reasonable probability that the jury verdict would have changed, had the impeaching evidence been properly and timely disclosed. Absent disclosure of the censure record defendant was denied the opportunity to impeach Mercado as a liar, denied the opportunity to challenge the credibility of the (prosecutions) key witness as a liar.

It was a far different statement than when Lynch sentenced Gomez in December 2017, telling him: "You have entered the big leagues of major drug-trafficking with the transport of over 2,000 packets of heroin."

On May 22, assistant district attorney Alexander Scher, who is prosecuting Diaz-Mejias case, notified acting Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough that prosecutors requested and received voluminous records associated with the investigations that led to Mercados censures. Scher said prosecutors would not call Mercado as an expert witness at trial. Mercado testified before the grand jury, Schers letter noted.

In turn, Partyka informed Scher that the defense would like those voluminous records and may call Mercado as their witness.

State Police declined to comment on the developments in the case.
SCHAGHTICOKE  The State Liquor Authority suspended the liquor license of Liberty Ridge Farm a day before its scheduled July 4th celebration, which led to the farm canceling the event.

The SLA said in a press release Saturday that the full board ordered emergency summary suspensions for the event on Friday, July 3, because there was no planned limit on attendees, violating state protocol. The SLA said the farm was warned prior to the event, but refused to comply or cancel.

The board also ordered the closure of events at the Lebanon Valley Speedway. "Both locations advertised and promoted large events open to the public, with no limit on attendees in violation of the Governors Executive Orders implemented to combat the coronavirus," the SLA said in a statement.

Large gatherings in violation of the Governors Executive Orders risk lives and will not be tolerated," State Liquor Authority Chairman Vincent Bradley said in a statement. "While we understand the economic hardships these businesses face, were in the middle of a global health pandemic and these types of events pose a serious risk of undermining the progress New York State has made.

The farm posted about the cancellation on its website and Facebook page, blaming the state for the shutdown. But it did not explain that its liquor license had been suspended - and how that impacted the overall event, which also featured kids activities and fireworks.

Last night at 10pm NYS came knocking at our door and informed us we are to shut down the celebration, due to a 'new' NYS directive, Robert and Cynthia Gifford said in a posting.

Cynthia Gifford also read an announcement in a video posted on the farms Facebook page. The farm is know for agritourism and special events.

The Giffords have not been able to be reached for comment since they posted the information.

They said they had invested in hosting the event, which had pre-paid admissions. They also said they had put in place social distancing and sanitizing procedures to hold a safe event in response to the pandemic.

Money for pre-paid tickets will be refunded in 10 to 14 days, the farm said.

The Giffords had planned live music, barbecues and bar service, as well as a barnyard "adventure" area for kids with giant gerbil wheels, swings, giant lawn games and duck races. The event was planned to end with a fireworks show.

Rensselaer County spokesman Rich Crist said the county had one conversation with the Giffords prior to the event, but did not have reason to believe the event would have a large turnout. He said their social media said they would allow one-third of their normal capacity. The Facebook event page had over 100 people RSVP as attending, and over 1,000 RSVP as interested.

"We think it would be only fair for NYS to describe why it is fair to have a fireworks display in Midtown Manhattan but not have one in a beautifully, socially distanced field in Schaghticoke," Crist told the Times Union. "There doesnt seem to be a straight line between a state decision and who its being applied for.

The SLA alleged in its suspension order that the farm had sold 600 tickets, and expected twice that many people to attend.

County Executive Steve McLaughlin has been upfront in his encouragement of businesses to reopen, outside of New York phasing guidelines. However, McLaughlin has said New York can direct what businesses reopen if they hold state licensure.

New York has also pulled out individual business types and said they can not reopen despite a region hitting certain reopening phases. The Capital Region is in the last phase of reopening, phase four - but malls, gyms and amusement and theme parks are still banned from operation.

The Giffords made news in 2014 when the state Division of Human Rights ruled they couldn't discriminate against same-sex couples who wanted to get married there. The Giffords were fined $13,000. They unsuccessfully fought the decision in court going to the appellate division.
MBABANE  Time will tell if it is worth it. The parliament probe into the purchase of land by Eswatini Railways where the public enterprise is now building its headquarters could prove to be both academic and a waste of public funds.



A select committee has been elected to investigate the fragrant flouting of procurement procedures at Eswatini Railways in relation to, inter alia: the buying of land in Ezulwini for the construction of the parastatals headquarters and the procurement of eight cars.

While the investigation is pending, Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe has been directed to halt any transfers or processes relating to the ownership of the land.



However, investigations conducted by the Times SUNDAY show that this directive has been overtaken by events.

This is because the land in question is already registered in the name of Eswatini Railways, having been transferred two years ago.

According to the deed of transfer, which this publication has seen, the land was transferred on March 14, 2018 from Muzi Nicholas Dlamini in his capacity as Director of Kwasa Kusile (PTY) Ltd.





PORTION



The property is portion 10 (a portion of portion 1) of Farm No. 850 in the Hhohho District.

Kwasa Kusile (PTY) LTD is owned by Futhi Johannes Dlamini, who is a medical practitioner by profession and his brother Muzi, who is a businessman. During the sale of the property, Kwasa Kusile was represented by Muzi.



An expert on land transfers said in as far as this land is concerned, the horse has already bolted and it is almost impossible to reverse the transfer of the property.



The only thing that parliament can do is to ask for a reversal if they think there was any wrongdoing but even then, only the court can order the reversal. You cannot just reverse by merely pointing but the courts only can order this. Once you transfer a property, it becomes final.



The expert warned that such a reversal could also prove costly because the seller would have to be compensated. The seller might claim that he has been delayed as the property could have been sold to other buyers but now it is being brought back to him, added the expert.



The minister of Public Works and Transport also stated that the land was long transferred to the ownership of Eswatini Railways.

I believe the movers of the motion were given wrong information. We will wait for the select committees questions on the matter and we will inform them of what we will be able to do and what is beyond our control, Ndwandwe said.



Thabiso Masina, the Registrar of Deeds, said their role in this matter would be to only confirm the name to whom the land is registered and nothing else.

As the Deeds Registrars Office, we dont interfere in parliament work; maybe the AG can assist you with the legal implications of this, Masina said.



SOLD



The land, which initially belonged to Mantenga Trust after it was sold to the latter by government in 1956, was sold to Eswatini Railways on January 16, 2018 for E11.25 million.

It is understood that the public enterprise secured a loan from Nedbank to purchase the piece of land, which measures 1.0064 hectares.

Before buying this piece of land, Eswatini Railways is said to have had the option of purchasing another piece of land, which belonged to the late businessman Victor Mfana Gamedze.



This is the same land that was eventually bought by the Members of Parliament and Designated Office Bearers Pension Fund, known by the acronym MOPADO.

The land was sold to MOPADO by Gamedzes wife, Lungile Hotencia Gamedze, for E12 million.

The land, which measures 1.3480 hectares, is situated near Corner Plaza and Cash Build Hardware on the stretch where Lungiles father, the late Prince Makhungu, has a homestead.



The princess sold the property to MOPADO on August 23, 2018 and she did this in her capacity as trustee of Madlenya Trust.

Sources said Eswatini Railways ended up not purchasing this land because Gamedze, who was alive at the time, wanted to avoid political interference that had crept into the sale.



Before purchasing the land that is now subject of the parliament probe, Eswatini Railway is said to have engaged, in November 2017, Ngwenya Wanfor and Associates to conduct an evaluation on the property and the value of the land was placed at E12.5 million.



Eswatini Railways negotiated the price until the figure of E11.25 million was agreed with the seller, an impeccable source told this publication.

It has been ascertained from other sources that one of the main concerns regarding the land sale, hence the probe, are allegations that the price was inflated.

We wonder what the probe team will say when it is brought to their attention that in fact the land was bought at a lesser amount compared to its true value, said one source.



The land is situated next to where the Eswatini Communications Commission has also acquired property on which to build its own head offices.It is also close to the new multi-million hospital that is being built by Swazi Med.

On March 10, 2019, this newspaper published an article in which the private sector expressed grave concern at the rapid growth of public companies that are building their own offices.



Their strong argument was that the hasty construction of office parks by the public companies was driving private investors out of business.



ALLOWED

They pointed to the fact that the more the public companies were allowed to construct their own offices, the more they vacated the already existing offices owned by private investors. They observed that office parks owned by the private sector were increasingly being left vacant.



Business Eswatini President Andrew le Roux was quoted saying this is a very unhealthy business environment and something has to be done to stop this.

Le Roux highlighted that it was wrong for the public companies to compete with private investors in the property (office parks) sector because they were driving them (private investors) out of business.



These companies are subsidised by the taxes paid by the private sector and they then use the same money to compete with the same private sector.

That is totally unfair and not ideal for the countrys economic development, he said.



Other public companies that have built their own offices include Swaziland Finance Corporation (FINCORP), Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF), Eswatini Water Services Corporation (ESWSC), Eswatini Post and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC), EswatiniBank, and the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC).
ALBANY  Its been a year since Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York would enact new regulations to restrict and change the use of solitary confinement in state prisons  but those new rules have yet to be finalized by the state, despite being formally proposed last August.

And legislation that would overhaul the states use of solitary confinement, which has support from a majority of lawmakers in the Legislature, isnt expected to pass anytime soon.

For those doing time in state prisons, that means the current model of solitary confinement is here to stay until New York either enacts administrative changes to the practice, or the Legislature moves to enshrine the shift into state law.

I'm not happy about it, by any stretch of the imagination, said state Sen. Luis Sepulveda, a Democrat from the Bronx who chairs the chamber's Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee. If (Cuomo's regulatory change) is the best we can have right now, then I want to make sure that at least this has been enforced.

Sepulveda carries legislation that would severely limit the use of solitary confinement in state prisons and invest more resources in different forms of isolation focused on programming and services for incarcerated individuals that need to be separated from the general population.

That bill, called the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, failed to pass last year after Cuomo claimed it would cost too much for localities and the state to implement.

Sepulveda and other Democrats disagree with Cuomos projected cost of the legislation, which he pegged at an initial $350 million investment from the state coupled with an additional $1 billion price tag for municipalities.

I dont necessarily agree with his numbers, Sepulveda said. There will be some cost to enforce HALT, but not $1 billion.

But its Cuomos interpretation of the bills cost thats kept it from becoming law, Sepulveda said, even with a majority of lawmakers from the state Senate and Assembly in support of the measure.

I think its primarily because the governor has given it what I think is an unrealistic price tag, Sepulveda said. This is before COVID, so anything thats going to cost that much will give him cause for concern.

Philip Kamrass

Instead, Cuomo came to an agreement last June with the Legislature to implement a series of administrative regulations with the same intent as the HALT Act, but milder changes than the legislation calls for.

But now, more than a year after that agreement was announced, those regulations still arent in effect.

Thats partly because of the states process for promulgating new, non-emergency regulations. They have to be proposed, released for public comment, and finalized before they take effect. That, at minimum, takes a few months.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision formally proposed the new regulations last August, and invited public comment. Theyve been in limbo ever since.

According to a spokesman for the agency, the new rules have hit a regulatory snag because of legislation approved in April as part of the state budget. The new law transfers offenders younger than 18 from DOCCS to the state Office of Children and Family Services.

The change will require the regulations on solitary confinement to be amended and, again, opened for public comment before theyre finalized, according to DOCCS.

Thats not to say the agency has been stagnant when it comes to solitary confinement. Over the last four years, New York has reduced its reliance on the sanction in state prisons by double digits, according to DOCCS.

Some of that progress has been the result of a 2015 court settlement between the state and the New York Civil Liberties Union, but other measures have been implemented independent of that agreement.

Since the settlement, the number of people sent to solitary confinement in a Special Housing Unit (SHU) cell, an isolated space with virtually no interaction for most of the day, has been cut in half. The average amount of time spent in those cells has dropped by more than 36 percent.

The number of people under the age of 22 whove spent time in SHU cells has also been cut in half during that time, according to DOCCS  and the number of people released straight from solitary confinement to the streets has dropped by almost 32 percent.

The regulations announced last June by Cuomo and the Legislature would likely lead to a sharper drop in those numbers, supporters have said.

The rules would ban the use of solitary confinement for certain vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, those living with a disability, and adolescents. The sanction would also only be allowed in the case of serious misconduct.

It would also be unlawful under the regulations to keep people in solitary confinement for more than 30 days at one time, though advocates have argued that theres nothing in the rules that would prevent them from being immediately sent back for another 30 days.

Those living with a serious mental illness would be housed in mental health treatment units if theyre expected to be separated from the general prison population for more than 30 days, according to the proposed rule.

The regulations would also provide opportunities for people to be released from solitary confinement. Their status would be reviewed once a week, and their time in isolation would be reduced if theyre not accused of any violations.

Prisons would also be required to develop so-called "step-down" units, which would be used to transition individuals from solitary confinement back to the general population. Those units would come with a rehabilitation plan and out-of-cell programming.

In the meantime, DOCCS is preparing for the rules to be finalized, according to the agencys spokesman. Construction has started on new Residential Rehabilitation Units, for example, which will provide those incarcerated with learning tools while theyre isolated.

The regulations largely mirror the HALT Act, but the legislation would set stricter guidelines and go further to change the use of solitary confinement than the proposed rules would.

For one, the HALT Act would cap the amount of time someone could spend in solitary confinement at 15 days, and would bar prisons from immediately sending someone back into isolation.

The legislation would also provide six hours of out-of-cell time each day for incarcerated individuals, compared with the one hour guaranteed to them now. They would also be allowed one hour of recreational time each day under the bill.

In short, advocates have claimed the legislation would provide a mechanism for prisons to separate individuals from the general population when needed, but in a way thats seen as more rehabilitative than punitive.

Roger Clark, one of those advocates, said he spent about five years in some form of isolation from other incarcerated persons at Southport Correctional Facility, a state prison outside Elmira.

Clark recalled instances where he wasnt given time out of his cell every day, and said the long-term isolation from others took a drastic toll on his mental health.

I know Im not the same person that I was, Clark said. Even up to today, I do still dream, and when I wake up I still think Im in solitary confinement. I have nightmares about it.

Opponents of the HALT Act see solitary confinement as a necessary mechanism for separating from the general prison population those who cause a major disturbance among other inmates.

Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, said his members view prisons as a condensed version of society.

"Bad actors that disrupt society in the streets are removed from society to maintain the safety and security, Powers said. Its the same premise in a correctional facility.

Powers also said those isolated from the general population have access to services already available in prisons  like academic programs and substance abuse treatment  and often receive more individualized attention in that context than other inmates do.

Thats not to say he considers solitary confinement to be a walk in the park. He sees it as an opportunity to provide services for people while also sanctioning them for egregious or violent behavior.

Powers disagrees with efforts from advocates to completely remove the punitive aspect of the sanction, which he doesn't refer to as solitary confinement.

HALT wont work. Were convinced of that, and it has nothing to do with the disciplinary aspect of that or anything, and theres no consequence for bad activity anymore, Powers said.

He also said that violence in state prisons has continued to increase over the past six years, coinciding with the agreement prompted by NYCLUs lawsuit. That violence, Powers said, has been against both correction officers and other inmates.

We track that very closely, Powers said. The violence is still significant but higher now, today, than (was seen with) a lower inmate population 10 years ago.

While NYSCOPBA opposes the HALT Act, Powers said hes open to working with DOCCS on a finalized version of the forthcoming regulations on solitary confinement. But he hasnt communicated with the agency in months, he said, likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But some Democrats in the Legislature are making a renewed push for the HALT Act, saying on social media in recent weeks that theyd like to return to Albany and pass the bill. But New York is projecting more than $13 billion in lost revenue through next April, and Cuomos cost projections for the bill havent changed.

We know that if it were to go to the governors desk, hes going to veto it, Sepulveda said.

Democrats dont have enough votes right now to override a veto from Cuomo, meaning the chances of the HALT Act becoming law anytime soon are slim to none. And lawmakers are already feeling pressure to preserve state spending in other areas, like education and hospitals.

That could result in a piecemeal system in which solitary confinement is used in some New York facilities, but outlawed in others.

Jails, for instance, are controlled by municipalities; they typically house pretrial detainees and those convicted of crimes with a sentence shorter than a year. Prisons, controlled by the state, house individuals incarcerated for longer.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that jails in the five boroughs will end the use of solitary confinement, with guidelines for ending the sanction expected later this year.

The states regulations restricting the use of solitary confinement could take longer. DOCCS will have to propose a set of amended regulations, then open them for public comment. But there is no deadline for when those rules have to be finalized.

On the agencys plans for the proposed regulations, Sepulveda says hes been left in the dark.

I havent heard anything, he said.

Dan Clark is the producer and host of WMHT's weekly political report "New York Now."
Mark Lennihan/AP

The article on the uncertainties facing New York's not-for-profits due to the cash flow issues facing New York state highlights an enormous problem that entities providing essential services to vulnerable populations are starting to experience ("State delays charity funding," June 18). Late payment for services rendered and contract renewals that aren't happening or (worse yet) are in a state of limbo threaten the very existence of worthy agencies. These agencies all across the state deal with homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, child and elder care, and a host of other issues that impact the lives of citizens who comprise in large measure the most vulnerable among us.

I'm fully aware of the yawning chasm in the current New York state budget. I'm equally cognizant of the failure of the federal government as currently managed to address the human need that the state budget shortfall represents.
mbongeni@times.co.sz



MBABANE  It is here and very real! Phila Dlamini, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), has warned all those who acquired wealth, properties, and land using funds raised from criminal activities and questionable circumstances to be ready to have their assets forfeited by the State.



In vernacular, the DPP said: Bantfu abaphume ehlatsini, sikhatsi sekubhaca sesiphelile, meaning, the time to hide is up.

Dlamini said all the assets that would be forfeited by government under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act of 2018 (POCA) would be sold through a public auction, or destroyed and, if government deems fit, be converted to a public structure that would serve a community.



Giving an example, Dlamini said immovable property forfeited by the State especially in rural areas would be converted into an old age home centre, an orphanage home or a government office to serve the community. This would, however, depend on whether the Criminal Assets Recovery Committee (CARC) approved that the propertys location was convenient for such public use.



Already, government, through CARC in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, has seized or preserved around 20 properties worth millions of Emalangeni.



This has been achieved within months of establishing CARC under POCA. CARC consists of Minister of Justice Pholile Shakantu, Minister responsible for the Police, who is the Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg, Attorney General Sifiso Mashampu Khumalo, the DPP, SRA Commissioner General Dumisani Masilela, ACC Commissioner Dan Dlamini, Police Commissioner William Tsintsibala Dlamini and Director of Intelligence Unit Fitz Graham.



Among the assets that have been forfeited by the State are cash amounting to E1 million as well as liquor and cigarettes worth E757 164 and E440 210.20 respectively. Other assets under preservation include 18 vehicles, amongst them a Hino truck, white Toyota Quantum, navy blue Toyota Ipsum, Nissan Sunny, Honda Fit, Toyota Altezza sedan (blue), BMW 325 (blue) sedan and Honda Civic to name but a few.



The Times SUNDAY can reveal that other seized assets include two immovable properties located both in rural and urban areas.

A fortnight ago, a sum of E85 382.40 was seized by the State from 11 men who are suspected to be dagga dealers. The DPP said the primary duty of POCA was to compensate victims of the crime.



He said emaSwati should understand that POCA was not established to target certain individuals as some people may perceive. In fact, he said the formation of POCA was as a result of international bodies that the country is affiliating to. He explained that the Kingdom of Eswatini is a signatory to the UN Charter and therefore signed off on agreements and conventions. One of these conventions is the United Nations Conventions against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 1988 (Vienna Convention) that calls upon State parties to put measures in place in order to provide for the confiscation of proceeds and instrumentalities of drugs and related activities.



issues of compliance



Dlamini said government reported to the international organisations on issues of compliance. In fact, he said the country had been put on red alert for delaying the implementation of POCA. He clarified that POCAs role was not to investigate but that duty is left with other agencies. These agencies, according to the DPP, can refer a matter to POCA for prosecution. Such agencies include law enforcers, the Eswatini Revenue Authority (SRA), Immigration officers, banks and auditors.



He said after investigations have been completed the matter is forwarded to POCA for prosecution.

Ours is to follow the law, the Constitution and POCA guidelines. We then apply for preservation of the asset in question. We also allow the owner to defend it and ample time is given to the defendant, he said. Dlamini explained that soon government would be issuing adverts for auction and disposal of the forfeited assets. A government gazette published on June 22, 2018 states that POCA was established to combat organised crime and criminal gang activities, prohibit certain activities relating to racketeering, criminalise certain activities associated with gangs.



The DPP said they have noted that some people are converting their assets while others are attempting to sell them to buy cattle to divert attention.

Some build houses on Swazi Nation Land ( SNL) using money made from illegal dealings hoping that the State cannot forfeit their assets there. They are misguided; we are actually found everywhere, even on SNL. The time to hide is up. Converting these illegal assets wont help, he said. He said all the assets forfeited by the State would be disposed of soon.



Once the gazette has been issued, adverts would be run in the paper, Dlamini said.

He was interviewed in the presence of Elsie Matsebula, Principal Crown Counsel.



preservation of property



Meanwhile, Section 42 (1) of the POCA titled Forfeiture of Property and Related Matters, state that: The DPP may apply to the High Court for the preservation of property order prohibiting any person, subject to such conditions and exceptions as may be specified in the order, from dealing in any manner with any property.



Subsection two states that: The High Court shall make an order referred to in subsection (1) without requiring that a notice of the application be given to any other person or the adducing of any further evidence from any other person if the application is supported by an affidavit indicating that the deponent has sufficient information that the property concerned is (a) an instrumentality of an offence referred to in the schedule or (b) the proceeds of unlawful activities, and the court is satisfied that that information shows on the face of it that there are reasonable grounds for that belief.



The Act further states that seized properties shall be dealt with in accordance with the directions of the High Court.

When the High Court makes preservation of property order, it shall at the same time make an order authorising the seizure of the property concerned by a member of the police, and any other ancillary that the court considers appropriate for the proper, fair and effective execution of the order, subsection three states.



In this section, proceedings are civil, not criminal. The Act states in Section 50 that if preservation of property order is in force, the DPP may apply for an order forfeiting the property by the State.

Human Rights Lawyer Sipho Gumedze said he was yet to look at the legislation regarding asset forfeiture. It is way above me this one. I will need to look at the legislation first. I know the statute; I mean the specific section they will rely on, he said.



Meanwhile, Mduduzi Gina, Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) said: Organised crime is a scourge that has destroyed many societies and nations as it is normally a chain that even corrupts public officers entrusted to protect a country in all spheres of life.

He said crime needed to be discouraged.



forfeiture of properties



The forfeiture of convicts properties under this Act should be carried out after a free and independent Judiciary has presided over a case and without influence from no one arrived at that conclusion after a fair trial. Architects of such crime should be warned and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs must put in place programmes to educate the nation on laws of such magnitude, he said.

Tum Du Pont, President of the Federation of the Eswatini Business Community (FESBC), said fairness should be practised at high level regarding asset forfeiture. He said as businesspeople, they believed they would not be targeted. The law should not be personalised and it should be fair. We are asking that proper investigation about inheritance of the properties should be considered, he said.
Farmington, WV (26555)

Today

Rain showers early with some sunshine later in the day. Cooler. High 67F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 44F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tragic Crash Overnight

Four-year-old boy hit by pickup at 16th & Benton KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A four-year-old boy was hit by a pickup truck at 16th & Benton overnight. Police say the boy attempted to cross the street when he was hit by a northbound pickup truck just before 9:30 Saturday night. The boy is listed in critical condition.

Late Night Crash Postscript

Jackson County UTV crash leaves 1 dead, 5 injured Sunday morning KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a 13-year-old is deceased and five others are injured in a UTV crash. According to the sheriff's office, shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, they were notified of an injury crash involving a UTV side by side.

Lake Traffic Claims Young Life

Crash at Lake of the Ozarks leaves 1-year-old child from Kansas City dead SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. - A crash at the Lake of the Ozarks over the July 4th holiday has left a Kansas City infant dead. The crash happened at 9:50 a.m. on July 4 in the 800 block of Shawnee View...

Deadly KCMO Collision

KC woman dead in head-on crash at Eastern and Eastwood KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City woman was killed in a head-on crash at Eastwood just east of Eastern about 7:30 Saturday night. Police say a Mercury sedan was eastbound when it collided head-on with a Volkswagen sedan. The driver, and lone occupant of the Mercury, a 35year-old KC woman died at the scene.

Pandemic Profits Insurance Companies

Car insurance companies are sitting on $600 million COVID-19 windfall Auto insurers are sitting on a COVID windfall of at least $600 million dollars because of reduced driving during the pandemic. Now, several consumer watchdog groups are asking the Texas Department of Insurance to give that money back to drivers.

Quiet Roads Are More Deadly

Car Crashes Became Deadlier During Lockdowns Across Globe: Reuters Insight LONDON - Coronavirus lockdowns led to huge reductions in traffic and fewer car crashes this spring, but as drivers sped up on quieter roads, the collisions became deadlier in several cities, a Reuters analysis shows. In New York City, the ratio of fatal crashes to all collisions rose 167% in April from a year ago.

No Cash For Cars Amid Corona

Coronavirus pandemic continues to hammer car sales It's hard to believe, but the second quarter of the year has come to a close. For automakers, it wasn't great news when it comes to sales, as you might expect. As more automakers release their Q2 results, we'll update this story and include them below.

We notice a great many locals hurt by way of motor vehicles this weekend. Unlike local bike/walk activists, we don't ascribe the horrible aftermaths as a result of "toxic driving" culture . . . Instead, we share these local links as a reminder to locals to beas traffic ramps up on KCMO streets amid Summer months.Developing . . .
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Amid ongoing violence, the Kansas City Health Commission held an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon. Dr. Rex Archer, who has provided numerous updates the past 3.5 months on coronavirus was a part of the virtual call, along with more than a dozen health and city officials.
The August primary election will give Missouri voters the chance to decide if the state should expand Medicaid. Across the state line, Kansas voters will weigh in on their party's nominee for the hotly-contested Senate race. As the election draws closer, here's what you need to know about your voting options in a pandemic.
Three years after the district stood by Shawnee Mission North's Indian mascot, alumni are calling for a change by the school's 100th anniversary in 2022. Organizer Amy Hastings, a 2011 alumna, said the current political climate and conversations about social change initially encouraged her to start the change.org petition and Facebook group SMN Alumni Against Cultural Appropriation.
Columbus statue in Trenton has been wrapped and boxed after being vandalized last week.
With the construction sector in the Mena region hit by the triple whammy of big production cut, low oil prices and contracting non-oil sectors, top data and analytics company GlobalData has further cut its construction output growth forecast for the region for 2020 to -2.4 per cent.

The plunge in the sector growth is further down, compared to the previous forecast of 1.4%, mainly due to the continued spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

Yasmine Ghozzi, an economist at GlobalData, said: "Construction activity for the remainder of 2020 is set to see poor performance. While there is usually weak construction activity during Ramadan and the hot summer months of June, July and August, this is usually compensated by strong performance at the beginning and end of the year."

"However, this will not be the case this year due to the strict lockdown policies that extended until the end of May," stated Ghozzi.

According to her, the sector is expected to face headwinds in 2021 with a slow recovery, but the pace of this will be uneven across countries in the region.

Fiscal deficits and public debt levels will be substantially higher in 2021. Fiscal consolidation will hinder non-oil growth across the region, where governments still play a considerable role in spurring domestic demand.

In addition, public investment is likely to be moderate, which will translate into fewer prospects for private sector businesses to grow  especially within sectors such as infrastructure. Expected increase in taxes, selected subsidy cuts and the introduction of several public sector service charges will influence households purchasing power, having a knock-on effect on future commercial investments, he added.

Amid the worsening situation with regards to the Covid-19 outbreak and the decline in oil prices, GlobalData has further cut its forecast for construction output growth in Saudi Arabia to -1.8% from its previous forecast of 2.9% in 2020 and expects a recovery in the sector of 3.3% in 2021.

The governments decision to host limited annual Hajj entails a possible loss of estimated revenue at more than $10 billion, adding more pressure on the kingdoms economy.

"GlobalData has estimated a contraction of 2.1% in construction output growth in the UAE but expects a rebound in 2021 of 3.1%. In one of the largest global energy infrastructure transactions, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) raised $10 billion by leasing a 49% stake in its gas pipelines for 20 years," remarked Ghozzi.

"This landmark deal is important especially during the prevailing industry downturn in order to keep profitability," she stated.

"GlobalData has also cut further the growth rates for Qatar, Kuwait and Oman in 2020 to -3.4%, -7.8% and -8.1%, respectively. Qatars economy this year will be affected by decline in tourist arrivals, low consumer spending and low oil prices. Nevertheless, strong fiscal stimulus and spending on infrastructure projects should provide support," he added.

According to her, the negative outlook for Kuwait is weighed down by lower oil prices and the prospect of a higher fiscal deficit, possibly compromising the governments capital spending on construction and infrastructure.

"Business unfriendliness constitutes a barrier to reforms in the Kuwaiti economy; the extensions in tenders deadlines compounded by an inflexible bureaucratic procurement setup that slows decision-making will delay progress for several Kuwaiti megaprojects," explained Ghozzi.

Egypts construction sector is set to continue performing well despite poor performance of the non-oil sector in April.

GlobalData expects construction to grow at 7.7% in 2020, slowing from 9.5% in 2019, given a short-term slow down due to the pandemic and 8.9% in 2021, and to continue maintaining a positive trend throughout the forecast period.

With regard to the Maghreb region, GlobalData has further cut forecasts for construction growth in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria to -3%, -2.1%, and -2.5%, respectively, in 2020 and 0.7%, 1.2% and 1.9%, respectively, in 2021.-TradeArabia News Service
Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

Cloudy with rain ending in the afternoon. Cooler. High 63F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies. Low 44F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Sharjah Asset Management (SAM), the investment arm of the Sharjah government, has launched a new company in partnership with CHSS, the largest engineering consulting firm in Malaysia.

The new alliance, called Asool CHSS, will work to provide the most effective levels of engineering solutions in order to support and enhance the development of infrastructure and urban projects in the emirate of Sharjah.

A major player in the Asian region, CHSS Consultants has implemented projects in many countries around the world and has a staff of up to 2,100 people including 1,000 specialised engineers.

CEO Walid Al Sayegh pointed out that the emirate was fast emerging as a preferred option for investors and investments. "This is apparent through the increase in international companies seeking to enter the regions markets, such as the engineering consultancy firm CHSS, which is the largest engineering company in Malaysia," he stated.

"SAM has managed, in line with its continuous efforts aimed at consolidating relations with major international companies, to achieve this exciting new alliance with CHSS," remarked A Sayegh.

"The joint venture will constitute a major value to projects in the Emirate of Sharjah, which is always keen to adhere to the policies of the open market and provide all the facilities necessary to support investment and companies of all sizes and sectors," he added.

HSS Enngineers Executive Vice Chairman Kuna Sittampalam said: "We are excited to join hands with SAM and look forward to a productive business relationship. We are eager to welcome the UAE fresh engineers as they visit our group in Malaysia to get first-hand experience and knowledge of the process of managing large scale projects."

"This will be in the form of short programmes or long internships which will allow the engineers to return home with a wealth of experience to benefit their local society," he stated.

CHSS General Manager George Saeed Khuraish said: "It is our pleasure to enter into an alliance with Sharjah Asset Management, and we will do our utmost to provide the best possible engineering solutions for future projects."

"With our working relationship with government agencies and private companies in the Emirates spanning over the last decade, we are certain that this alliance will contribute to strengthening these relationships even further," he added.

The General Manager also praised the great development witnessed in the urban development sector in Sharjah. He commended the way in which the emirate was able, within a few years, to develop a suitable environment for real estate investment, becoming a leading figure in the sector.

This is demonstrated by the various high quality and distinguished projects in the emirate which reflect the confidence that investors place in the real estate market in Sharjah.

Abdulaziz Fikry has been appointed CEO of the new company, which will serve Sharjah through its amassed experience, studies, and research.

Fikry said: "There are many investment opportunities provided by Sharjah in various sectors, including the real estate sector, and the construction and infrastructure sectors, so we expect great success for this new entity during the coming period, especially in light of the facilities provided by the emirate to investors from all over the world."
- The late KAG Bishop Elisha Juma was buried following Interior CS Fred Matiang'i's intervention to have the body moved to Homa Bay from Mombasa county

- According to his widow, the cleric had undergone a kidney transplant in 2010 and had also been battling blood pressure and diabetes

- She said they had been isolated by family members and friends in Homa Bay following claims the bishop had died of COVID-19

The late KAG Mombasa Bishop Elisha Juma has been laid to rest at his rural home at Kabondo Kodumo in Rachuonyo, Homa Bay county.

The man of God was to be laid to rest on Saturday, July 4, but the family was still in a tussle with the authorities who had insisted his remains be buried in Mombasa county.

READ ALSO: Faces of 4 brilliant, youthful Kenyan women doing greatness behind progressive politics arena

The late KAG Mombasa Bishop Elisha Juma has been laid to rest at his rural home at Kabondo Kodumo in Rachuonyo, Homabay county. Photo: Homa Bay.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Mombasa woman accuses doctor of medical negligence that left her with life-threatening condition

It took the intervention of the Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangis office for the family to get travel permits for the body to leave the coastal county for burial.

Only 10 family members and friends were allowed to accompany the body to Homa Bay after undergoing a mandatory COVID-19 test on Saturday, July 4.

The bishop's widow, Mary Juma, while addressing mourners denied claims her husband died of COVID-19.

READ ALSO: Nairobi man narrates how wife of 32 years betrayed him with a friend

According to the reverend, her husband had a kidney transplant in 2010 and had been sick since then.

He had been battling blood pressure and diabetes and not COVID-19. My husband loved everyone he could have been celebrated with great people from all over the world but somebody went to the press and said he died of the virus," said Juma.

Now he is being treated like someone who died of COVID-19. We were to come here yesterday but we were denied a permit to travel, Juma added.

READ ALSO: Kisumu man who overcame abject poverty to become dentist builds elderly mom new house

She said due to the stigma, friends and family members in Homa Bay isolated both her and the people who had accompanied her from Mombasa with the assumption they had the virus.

I vowed, if my husband has been serving God, he will not be buried in Mombasa. And by His grace, we managed to travel to pay our final respect," she said.

"Am alive and well I do not have COVID-19. It is good to keep distance, wash your hands but do not fear. Just have Jesus, you can die of malaria, diabetes, cancer or any other thing, she added.

READ ALSO: Kisumu man who overcame abject poverty to become dentist builds elderly mom new house

While eulogizing her husband, the reverend said her husband fought a good fight and lived a life that was dedicated to God.

"I am here to celebrate my husband. I was married as a young girl, I met him while in school in a debating society club he was the chairman of their school, I was the secretary," she said

"...I was very young, 17 and he was 22. We got married but people were not happy. Since that time to date, we have stayed with my husband for 42 years, said Juma.

READ ALSO: Eldoret pastor narrates how Filipino wife secretly flew to Kenya, helped him become responsible father

She described the bishop as a loving husband, a hardworking man who never liked failing in life.

Prior reports indicated the clerics eldest son, Peter Juma, 35, had died of COVID-19 in the US on March 28, 2020.

He had worked as a paramedic at St Catherine of Siena Hospital and last visited Kenya over the Christmas period in 2019.

READ ALSO: William Ruto meets Nairobi welders who make convertible benches, makes KSh 150k furniture order

Close family members said the bishop had expressed hope that the remains of his son were buried at a place the family could have an opportunity to pay their final respects after the pandemic.

The familys burial committee treasurer, Justus Oyola, Bishop Juma is survived by his wife, Mary Juma and five children, most of whom are in the US and the UK.

Story by Hamisi Matata, TUKO.co.ke correspondent - Mombasa county

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.

Babu Owino says no man is righteous asks Kenyans to let DJ Evolve rest | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Newspaper
- Madagascar's government has placed its capital city under a fresh lockdown

- This followed a new surge in coronavirus infections barely two months after the restrictions were eased

- No traffic will be allowed in or out of the region starting Monday, July 6, while only one member of a family will be allowed out at specific times

Madagascar's capital city Antananarivo has been placed under a fresh lockdown following a new surge in COVID-19 infections two months after the restrictions were eased.

A statement released by the presidency showed no traffic will be allowed in or out of the region starting Monday, July 6 till July 20, 2020.

READ ALSO: God's time is best: Tears of joy as woman welcomes baby after 31 years of waiting

Madagascar's capital city Antananarivo has been placed under a fresh lockdown following a new surge in COVID-19 infections. Photo: UGC.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Tony Hudgell: 5-year-old double amputee raises over KSh 150M for hospital that saved his life

The measures were taken following the spread of the epidemic and the increase of COVID-19 cases. A strict curfew will be imposed on street movement by people.

The Analamanga region (under which the capital is situated) is returning to full lockdown, the presidency said.

Only one person per household is allowed to go out into the street between 6:00 am (0400 GMT) and 12:00 pm (1000 GMT), said the statement.

READ ALSO: All tutors to undergo COVID-19 tests ahead of reopening - CS Magoha

The measures were taken following the spread of the epidemic and a strict curfew will be imposed on street movement by people. Photo: CGTN.

Source: UGC

All government meetings will now be held via video conferencing, while court hearings have been suspended.

Used to registering dozens of coronavirus cases a day, Madagascar had in recent days seen an exponential rise in daily numbers, jumping to a record 216 cases on Saturday, July 4.

The latest tally came after 675 people were tested. Nearly 24,000 tests have so far been conducted on the impoverished island.

By Sunday, July 5, the country had a cumulative 2,728 cases, including 29 deaths since the virus was first detected on the Indian Ocean island on March 20, 2020

READ ALSO: Nairobi man narrates how wife of 32 years betrayed him with a friend

President Andry Rajoelina launched a local herbal concoction identified as COVID-Organics that he claimed prevented and cured the novel coronavirus. Photo: UGC.

Source: UGC

In April, President Andry Rajoelina launched a local herbal concoction identified as COVID-Organics that he claimed prevented and cured the novel coronavirus.

Rajoelina had also been promoting the brew for export, saying it was the countrys green gold which will change history.

The potential benefits of the tonic derived from artemisia  a plant with proven efficacy in malaria treatment  and other indigenous herbs had not been validated by any scientific study.

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

Source: Tuko
Tulsa International Airport is inching back toward normalcy.

Daily flights from the airport have nearly doubled over the past several months, going from 15 in April to 28 in July, spokesman Andrew Pierini said. Also, four nonstop flights from Tulsa suspended because of COVID-19 have resumed.

Pre-COVID we had around 51 daily flights, so (were) still not back to normal levels but definitely seeing some strong growth coming back, Pierini wrote in an email.

May passenger traffic at TUL, the identifier for Tulsa International Airport, was 34,969, more than triple the number for April (10,761). June figures from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are projected to rise, though they still are estimated to be down 75% over the same month last year.

Nationwide, the story has been the same. The TSA screened 625,235 people at security checkpoints Monday. On the same day in 2019, that number was 2,455,536.

My sense is that our demand this summer is really driven by vacation travel and people going to visit friends and family, Tulsa Airports CEO Alexis Higgins wrote in an email. From what I can tell, travelers are proceeding with caution and embracing the guidance issued by their airline and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
The grant is intended to help defray expenses related to the closure and/or reopening (PPE, cleaning supplies, protection equipment, remodeling to achieve social distancing, etc.), fixed overhead costs such as rent or mortgage and utilities, and payroll due to the statewide emergency. Grants will be made in the form of one lump sum distribution to the recipient.

The maximum grant amount is $3,000 for any individual business, but funding levels will be based on sales tax historically generated, needs as defined on the application, and available funding in the program.

The program is being funded by the City of Coweta through the CIDA. City of Coweta elected officials, and city employees or their spouses are not eligible to apply.

Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received by a board of local business persons to be appointed by CIDA. Not all applicants are guaranteed to be funded.

Funds must be used to defray/reimburse allowable expenses outlined in the application, and a failure to do so will require a repayment of the rebate amount to CIDA. Additional information may be requested by the committee during the review process.

Applications can be obtained through the City of Coweta.
Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has announced the opening of a new boutique in the Mode Al Faisaliah mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

IWC is known for timeless innovation and technical ingenuity, and its latest addition to the range of customer- experience-centric boutiques in the region has opened in partnership with Attar United, strategically located in the capital citys ultimate luxury retail destination.

At the IWC Boutique in Mode Al Faisaliah, watch enthusiasts and discerning collectors can embark on a memorable shopping experience with personalised service from customer advisors who focus on fulfilling the requirements of each individual customer.

Visitors can discover the latest Portugieser collection, which includes new models such as the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42. With storytelling at the core of the brand and its numerous successful partnerships, each experience at the boutique is interesting and educational from the moment you walk through the door until the end of your visit.

With the aim of catering to the needs of every valued existing customer and prospective new customer in Riyadh, the Mode Al Faisaliah boutique is committed to making the emotional journey of buying an IWC Schaffhausen watch one that is truly special.

Stretching over 110 sq m over a single level, the boutique houses a number of limited-edition timepieces and pays homage to the brands watchmaking expertise and craftsmanship. Every aspect of the new boutique was designed by IWC Schaffhausens in-house architects and aesthetically aligned with the brands unique identity, which is seen in the personal touches, exclusive finishes, exquisite textures, soft beige hues and dark wooden accents. The design creates a masculine yet welcoming atmosphere  the perfect setting in which to showcase IWC Schaffhausen timepieces.

IWC is excited to unveil this new boutique in Saudi Arabia with our partner Attar United. We consider the Saudi market to be one with strong growth potential and have been eagerly awaiting this boutique opening for a long time. The layout of the space is centred around luxury with a cosy feeling, to make it welcoming to all customers and keep them at ease. With shoppers in Saudi Arabia wanting more close and trusting brand relationships, the arrival of this new boutique falls in line with IWC Schaffhausens pivotal goal to foster strong customer loyalty, said Mehdi Rajan, Regional Brand Director of IWC Schaffhausen for the Middle East, India and Africa.

The CEO of Attar United, Mohammed Attar, said: Our partnership with the Swiss watchmaking brand IWC Schaffhausen is one that is of great importance to us, as it is the first of many collaborations in the booming landscape of luxury boutiques opening in Saudi Arabia.

With a growing community of loyal customers, collectors and fans in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the ideal location for IWC Schaffhausen and a natural progression for the brand. - TradeArabia News Service
The Color of Slumber centers around a young man named Logan, who is caught in a strange dream world from which he struggles to escape and where he is pursued by a mysterious being called Mr. Shroud and his minions.

In the course of the action, in which Logan encounters such figures as TV newsman Dan Rather, the character of Jenny from the film Logans Run, even the cartoon character Fred Flintstone, Logan meets up with a woman named Tally, who may hold the key to why he is trapped in this unending nightmare.

As Logan and Tally become more involved, Tally reveals that she has difficulty with relationships as a result of being raped and that has led her to question everything about her identity, Frank said. Thats one reason why I thought this would be a good play to do now, in light of the #MeToo movement and because issues of gender identity have grown much more complex since 2005.

The idea for using multiple casts was because of the response to the call for auditions, Frank said.

We have a pretty diverse group, from current students and graduates from TCC, to people I taught when I was working in Coffeyville, to people from the community, he said.
When I finally found the courage to look them in the eyes, I was stunned, she wrote. Almost all of them had tears on their faces. Some lifted their hands in the air and sang with me. Others shut their eyes and wept. Some even prayed with each other. I had not expected such a beautiful moment.

Paperback and eBook versions of the self-published book are available for purchase on Amazon. Quiroz took part in a Q-and-A session in conjunction with the books release:

What was your motive in writing the book  what did you want to accomplish?

I began writing the book a few years ago but never finished it. Deep down, I knew that it was a story I needed to tell. I knew that people would find encouragement in it, but I put off the completion. Recently, I made a new friend who is a writer, and he encouraged me to pursue motivational speaking, strongly suggesting that I write a book before doing so. I took that as a gentle, but much-needed, nudge to finish what I started. It was a story not meant to be kept for myself.

What would be your advice for anyone battling depression?
The bill would substitute Juneteenth  June 19  for Columbus Day, a holiday in disfavor because of Christopher Columbus treatment of indigenous people and because he never set foot in North America.

Senators Johnson and Lankford may be a little confused, Carlson said. They describe themselves as conservatives, improbable as that may seem.

On some level they probably suspect that all the yelling about Columbus Day and Juneteenth doesnt have much to do with emancipation or civil rights. More likely, its just another way to humiliate and demoralize Americans. On some level, they know that. But theyre ignoring it. Its easier just to do what the hysteria patients (civil rights protestors) command.

Emily Jashinsky, writing for The Federalist, said Republicans should be fighting, not pandering.

Theres a perfectly fair argument to be made for such a swap, but making it now is a concession to the statue topplers, an indication of mixed up priorities, and almost certainly rooted in political motivations, she wrote.
Abby Broyles, who on Tuesday night officially became Oklahoma Democrats U.S. Senate nominee, says she wants 25 virtual town hall debates with Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe.

Inhofe, seeking a fifth full term, seems unlikely to agree to more than one or two, if any, but Broyles continues to try to flush him out with strong rhetoric.

The written challenge, in fact, is addressed to Whomever is in charge of the campaign officing out of a defense contractors office paying rent that is substantially lower than fair market value and includes a two-page summation of why Broyles considers Inhofe unfit for office.

We believe Oklahoma voters should have the opportunity to hear directly from the senator, side by side with his opponent, and let him explain  why he deserves another six-year term, the letter says.

Hanging chads: The Oklahoma State Election Board says about 81% of the ballots cast in last weeks primary elections were cast in person on election day.

Thats pretty high compared to some states, especially for the five that conduct elections entirely or mostly by mail, but not for Oklahoma. About 90% of ballots were cast in person on election day during the 2016 and 2018 primaries.
On the flip side of all of those fraudulent claims against individuals are employers also filing reports with the state to try to put a stop to the criminal activity.

The owner of two Tulsa-area retail outlets with fewer than 10 employees total said he alone had to single-handedly respond to more than 2,600 fraudulent claims between April 1 and when investigators from state and federal agencies were finally able to get the phony claims stopped at the end of June.

Ultimately, its my taxpayer money and my state that is being robbed, said the man, who wished not to have his name used because he had not received permission to speak out from the national corporation with which he is a franchisee. I had good days and bad days. There would be times I would just laugh. Or me and my staff would guess how many are going to come in today and we would do an over-under game.

Spokesman Alex Gerszewski said the Office of Attorney General Mike Hunter is working nonstop to investigate fraud and coordinating efforts to strengthen internal security measures at the OESC.
Conversations with James C. King could veer off in unexpected directions.

If you knew him, it wasnt hard to understand why.

Still practicing law well into his 90s, he had stored up in his remarkable memory a lifetimes worth of names and faces. Whatever the topic, he usually had a story.

But there were memories that Mr. King, as I always called him, did not talk about.

And those were the ones that had to do with the war.

A lifelong Tulsa-area resident best known locally for his work as an attorney and municipal judge, Mr. King survived a harrowing experience during World War II that would stay with him, and shape the man he became.

At just 19 hed become a prisoner of war.

He didnt cherish the memories.

The few times Mr. King mentioned war at all to me, it was to convey his general disgust.

Theres nothing glorious about war, he observed once with a frown and shake of his head. And in the years since his own experience, his opposition to the whole idea had only grown stronger.
In separate dissents, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor each made versions of the argument that Montana wasnt discriminating against religious schools, because the Montana Supreme Court struck down the entire private school scholarship tax credit, not only the part that would have gone to religious schools.

This argument is, I think, a bit too clever for its own good. Seen this way, the Montana ruling looks uncomfortably like a segregated Southern town shutting down its public swimming pool rather than allowing it to become integrated. Technically, closing the pool leaves no discrimination in place, since no one, Black or white, can swim. Practically, however, shutting down the pool looks like racial discrimination. It would be a different matter if the state legislature had never created the scholarship program in the first place.

The upshot is that John Roberts is continuing the courts gradual erosion of the separation between church and state. Government funding of religion is becoming not merely permissible but even obligatory under some circumstances.
In House District 79, in southeast Tulsa, Republicans sent Clay Iiams and Margie Alfonso into a runoff to pick a candidate against Democrat incumbent Melissa Provenzano.

Provenzano, an educator, won in 2018 when Republicans went for the most conservative candidate in the field. They appear to be doing the same this year, with Iiams and Alfonso both coming across as more conservative than third-place finisher Maria Seidler.

That said, extreme right-wing positions did not fare well, on the whole. All but one of the abortion abolitionist candidates were eliminated, most by lop-sided votes.

Meanwhile, Turner, the lone Democrat, may well become the Legislatures most liberal member. Certainly she will be its first Black gay Muslim woman.

Thats the only move to the left for the Democratics, but the vote on State Question 802  Medicaid expansion  and the response to it highlights growing urban-rural as well as right-left divisions in state politics. The measure carried only seven of 77 counties but won decisively in the three largest and five of the top seven.

House Minority Leader Emily Virgin thinks the passage of SQ 802, albeit by a narrow margin, bodes well for Democrats in November.
The number of daily coronavirus cases in Oklahoma reported Sunday was 283, with no deaths reported for the second consecutive day, the Oklahoma State Department of Health said.

The number of total cases in the state now stands at 15,928, with 12,246 considered recovered.

Deaths in the state remain at 398, with 72 deaths in Tulsa County. Tulsa Countys cases are at 4,035, with 3,073 considered recovered, both the highest in the state.

Oklahoma County had the second-most cases in the state with 3,479, and 2,516 considered recovered.

On Saturday, 580 new cases of the disease were reported in the state. It was the second-highest daily total since June 30, when the state reported 586 cases.

The states seven-day rolling average of daily new cases on Saturday was 429, the highest it has been since the pandemic began.

More than 129,000 Americans have died from the disease, and more than 2.8 million have contracted it. The number of cases nationally has grown by 54,274 as of Friday.
Oddly, I find something bracing about this. Not long ago I was meeting with a group of young graduate students, who asked what troubled me most about the problems we confront, and the word that instantly came to mind was complacency. As Americans, we have a tendency to feel that weve always come through hard times and always will. The result is often a sense that we can leave things to others: to our leaders, to our nonprofits, churches and community groups, to our more involved neighbors. We ourselves dont set out to do the things we know need to be done.

But heres the thing about a representative democracy like ours: it doesnt work unless citizens do their part and I include our leaders in this. At its heart, it asks of us that we find a niche where we can improve things. Its disheartening to see recent polls that suggest huge percentages of Americans believe things in the country are out of control  80% of respondents in a recent NBC News/Wall St. Journal poll  but its heartening to know theres something we can do about it: The country wont be out of control if each of us steps up to the challenges we see in our own neighborhoods and our nation.
Britain is close to a 500 million pound ($624 million) supply deal with Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline for 60 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, the Sunday Times reported.

Clinical trials are due to start in September and Sanofi has said it expects to get approval by the first half of next year, sooner than previously anticipated.

More than 100 vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to stop the COVID-19 pandemic and governments are racing to secure supplies of vaccines even before their efficacy is proven.

A supply agreement with Sanofi and GSK would be Britain's second such deal, after it said it would buy 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Sanofi was not immediately available to comment, while a spokesman for GSK declined to comment. Both have both said they are prioritising quality over speed in developing a vaccine.

"The Government's Vaccines Task Force is actively engaging with a wide range of companies both in the UK and abroad to negotiate access to vaccines," a spokeswoman for Britain's business ministry, said, without confirming if Sanofi or GSK were among them.

The Sunday Times report said that Britain was considering taking an option to buy the vaccine should it work in human trials, and would see the amount paid in stages.

Sanofi is working on two possible COVID-19 vaccines, one of which uses an adjuvant made by GSK to potentially boost its efficacy, and has said it has capacity to produce up to 1 billion doses a year.

Its timeline for clinical trials is behind the likes of Moderna Inc, the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca Plc, and an alliance of BioNTech and Pfizer Inc, whose projects all grabbed headlines by moving to human trials as early as March.

Sanofi has received financial backing from the United States and caused a stir in its home base of France after its British CEO Paul Hudson signalled that Europe was being too slow in supporting work on a vaccine, hinting U.S. patients might get any vaccine it develops first.

The EU is also seeking a deal with Sanofi, and has invited Britain to join its efforts to buy vaccines for the bloc. ($1 = 0.8011 pounds)

Short link:


Mozambique is on its way to becoming one of the worlds largest energy producers, and its growing oil and gas market is ripe with business opportunities that companies in Dubai can capitalise on, industry experts said during a recent Dubai Chamber webinar.

Sharing their insights, experts identified rising demand for digital solutions and infrastructure, oilfield equipment and logistics services as key areas where Dubai-based companies can cooperate with their Mozambican counterparts and establish joint ventures and long-term partnerships.

The webinar was organised by Dubai Chambers representative office in Maputo in partnership with ABSA Bank Mozambique and Deloitte Mozambique, and attended by more than 130 industry experts and business leaders in the UAE, Mozambique and Southern Africa.

The virtual event featured presentations from Omar Khan, Director of International Offices, Dubai Chamber; Abdulla Momade, Chief Representative of Mozambique & Southern Africa, Dubai Chamber; Benson Marlon, Head of Value Chain Banking, Absa Bank Mozambique; Hermano Juvane, Head of Oil & Gas, Absa Bank Mozambique; and Mario Fernandes, Head of Oil & Gas, Deloitte Mozambique.

Addressing participants, Khan described Mozambique as a market of strategic importance to Dubai and Dubai Chamber, which offers plenty of exciting business prospects for Dubai-based companies that are looking to expand their presence into Africa.

The lack of know-how and expertise to boost local content is one of the major challenges faced by the Mozambican companies at the moment. There is where Dubai-based companies can offer their expertise and investments through joint ventures and partnerships with their Mozambican counterparts that could fill market gaps, said Khan.

Khan concluded with a call to companies in Dubai to further explore market opportunities in Mozambique, and benefit from the support and guidance that Dubai Chambers office in Maputo can offer them. Fernandes shed light on the key benefits of doing business in Mozambique, which include low taxes, a double taxation agreement with the UAE, low investment requirement to open a business, and growth potential of countrys LNG sector valued at $100 billion.

Juvane explained that Dubai-businessmen can use foreign currencies if they operate in Mozambiques oil and gas sector and protect themselves from the local currency fluctuation. He shared his outlook for the Mozambican economy and said the country would likely see a V-shaped recovery scenario in a post-Covid-19 world, as the government pushed ahead with measures to support SMEs and ensure business continuity.

For his part, Marlon familiarised participants with the main oil and gas players in Mozambique, which include Total and Eni, South African Sasol and American ExxonMobil, and highlighted new business prospects emerging in various segments within the countrys energy sector. -- Tradearabia News Service
Kudos to Editorial Writer Ginnie Graham for her column about Mark and Mona Whitmires' effort to cancel all medical debt in Tulsa County ( "Tulsans find a way to forgive medical debt for struggling patients," June 3).

The Whitmires represent all that's good in the world  they embody both civic virtue and working to care for the vulnerable among us. They are a shining example of the Oklahoma Standard to which we can all aspire.
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 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
The Ukrainians were detained over the ban on third-country nationals from entering the EU.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine says there were no legal grounds to ban 17 Ukrainians from leaving Ukraine for Greece.

Read alsoPoland resumes mandatory quarantine for air passengers arriving from Ukraine

"Border guards act in accordance with the current legislation. If a person's documents are okay, the border guards let him in," the BBC News Ukraine reported with reference to the agency's press service.

As UNIAN reported earlier, 17 citizens of Ukraine, including two children, who flew from Kyiv to Greece, were detained at the Athens airport.

The Ukrainians were detained over the ban on third-country nationals from entering the EU.
Ukrainians complain about poor conditions and unsanitary conditions.

Seventeen citizens of Ukraine, including two children, who flew from Kyiv to Greece, have been detained at the Athens airport.

The Ukrainians have been detained over the ban on third-country nationals from entering the EU, according to the Ukrainian-registered European Pravda news outlet.

It is noted the Ukrainians arrived in the Greek capital on Saturday evening with two Ryanair flights (departed from Boryspil airport at 18:00 Kyiv time) and Wizz Air (departed from Kyiv airport at 18:45 Kyiv time).

Read alsoSweden extends temporary entry ban for foreigners until Aug 31

They were taken to a police station at the airport and placed in cells. They spent the night and still remain there.

Greek law enforcement officers took away all things from the passengers, including laptops, except mobile phones, however, without chargers. Ukrainians complain about poor conditions and unsanitary conditions.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has already confirmed 17 Ukrainian citizens were not allowed to enter Athens airport over quarantine restrictions on the entry of third-country nationals into the European Union.

"Our citizens were not detained. They were not allowed to enter the country due to current restrictions. The consul bought water, hygiene products and brought to citizens. The relevant permission to visit has been received from the Greek authorities," Director of the Consular Service Department of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Serhiy Pohoreltsev told UNIAN.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has promised to provide a detailed comment on this issue on Monday, July 6.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the European Union named 14 countries whose citizens are deemed "safe" to be let in from July 1, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Ukraine is not on the "safe" list.
Military helicopters flew with the State Flag of Ukraine and the Naval Flag.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inspected the passage of warships and equipment on board the Hetman Sahaidachny frigate on June 5, the Ukrainian Navy Day.

Military helicopters flew with the State Flag of Ukraine and the Naval Flag, according to the president's press service.

Read alsoThreat of full-scale Russian aggression not disappeared  Ukraine's Navy Commander

Military guard boats and artillery boats passed through the waterways of the Black Sea.

Military boats and helicopters demonstrated a set of actions aimed at providing assistance to the shipwrecked.

In addition, training boats with cadets on board passed through the water area.

Moreover, a wreath was laid on the water in memory of the fallen sailors. The memory of the fallen heroes was honored with a moment of silence.
According to intelligence reports, three members of Russia-led forces were killed and another three were wounded on July 4.

Russia's hybrid military forces on July 4 mounted 10 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one member of the Joint Forces reported as wounded in action.

"The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire 10 times on July 4," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 5. "As a result, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in enemy shelling."

Read alsoOne Ukrainian soldier wounded amid 20 enemy attacks in Donbas on July 3

Russian-led forces opened fire from proscribed 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and small arms.

Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, Katerynivka, Pavlopil, Hnutove, and Pyshchevyk.

The Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy attack. According to intelligence reports, three members of Russia-led forces were killed and another three were wounded on July 4.

"Since Sunday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions twice near Pavlopil and the town of Maryinka, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, and heavy machine guns," the update said.

No casualties have been reported among Ukrainian troops since Sunday midnight.
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Jennifer can be reached at jennifer.parent@mclane.com.

Know the Law is a bi-weekly column sponsored by McLane Middleton, Professional Association. We invite your questions of business law.

Questions and ideas for future columns should be emailed to knowthelaw@mclane.com.

Please note  Know the Law provides general legal information, not legal advice.

We recommend that you consult a lawyer for guidance specific to your particular situation.
9-year-old Injured After Vehicle Rollover

By West Kentucky Star Staff

On Saturday, deputies with the McCracken County Sheriff's Department were sent to 6800 Old Mayfield Road after a report of a single vehicle roll-over collision with injuries.





Upon arrival, deputies say they noticed a vehicle upside down on the side of the road. The driver was identified as Michelle Portales of Texas.





Portales told deputies that she had been driving south on Old Mayfield Road, when another vehicle crossed into her lane. She swerved to avoid a collision, then over corrected when entering back onto the roadway causing her vehicle to flip.





A 9-year-old girl in the back seat was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.





Old Mayfield Road was closed for approximately 40 minutes.

MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A 9-year-old was taken to the hospital after a vehicle rolled over on Old Mayfield Road in McCracken County.
Marc A. Hebert, MS, CFP, is a senior member and president of the wealth management and financial planning firm The Harbor Group of Bedford. Email questions to Marc at mhebert@harborgroup.com. Your question and his response might appear in a future column.
Whats Working, a series exploring solutions for New Hampshires workforce needs, is sponsored by the New Hampshire Solutions Journalism Lab at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications and is funded by Eversource, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the New Hampshire College & University Council, Northeast Delta Dental and the New Hampshire Coalition for Business and Education.

Contact reporter Michael Cousineau at mcousineau@unionleader.com. To read stories in the series, visit unionleader.com/whatsworking.
Austin Beutner has been an investment banker, first deputy mayor of Los Angeles, and publisher and chief executive of the Los Angeles Times. But none of those jobs were tougher than the position he is soon leaving after the grueling COVID-19 year: superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified Sc
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.
THE MOST FAMOUS father in history only got third billing in the Holy Family. A few walk-ons in the Bible were the best that Joseph could manage. That is what fathers do. They are there for the family, not in the spotlight. They work hard and back up mothers everywhere as needed.
HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2020) The Estonian Foreign Ministry has included the Czech Republic and Croatia into its list of European countries whose tourists will have to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to add up to Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden, Romania and the United Kingdom, according to a statement published the ministry's website on Sunday.

"From July 6, the 2-week quarantine requirement will be applied to tourists arriving in Estonia from the Czech Republic and Croatia. This requirement remains in effect for arrivals from Sweden, the UK, Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria and Luxembourg," the statement read.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry is updating the list every week according to the coronavirus environment in the region. If the coefficient of the spread of the virus in a given country has been less than 15 cases per 100,000 people, Tallinn lifts the quarantine requirement.

Estonia opened its borders to arrivals from the European Union and Europe's Schengen Area on June 1.

Health authorities in the Baltic country have so far reported 1,993 coronavirus cases and 69 related deaths.
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 78F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later at night. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Fight Call Leads to Meth Charges for Mayfield Man

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MAYFIELD - A Mayfield man was arrested Thursday on methamphetamine charges.

The Mayfield Police Department says officers were dispatched to a fight call on Clayshire Court. When officers arrived, no one was found outside fighting, however a resident told officers that people had entered his home.

The homeowner allowed officers to enter his home where 27-year-old Joeontra Starks of Mayfield was found. Starks was known to have absconded from a halfway house, and reportedly pretended to be asleep when officers made contact.

Starks was placed under arrest on two active warrants. One warrant was out of McCracken County for promoting contraband. The other was a warrant from the Kentucky Parole Board for absconding parole supervision, failure to complete halfway house program, and use of controlled substance.

During his arrest, officers reportedly found suspected methamphetamine on Starks. Starks was additionally charged with possession of methamphetamine, 3rd or more offense.

Starks was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
A general view shows Somali policemen at the scene after suicide car bomber drove into a checkpoint outside the port in Mogadishu

At least four people died in a bomb attack in the Somali city of Baidoa, and a car bomb in the capital, Mogadishu, wounded several police officers.

By Vatican News

Four people were killed in a restaurant in the Somalian city of Baidoa when a landmine was detonated by remote control early Saturday morning. Several other people were wounded in the attack.

Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the al-Shabbab militant group has previously targeted the city.

Saturday morning also saw a suicide car bomb attack in the capital, Mogadishu. Local authorities said the bomber broke through a security checkpoint near the gates of the motor vehicle imports duty authority headquarters near the citys port. Police officers then opened fire on the vehicle, which exploded outside of the main gates of the facility.

Five police officers were wounded.

Somalia has seen civil strife since the early 1990s, when dictator Siad Barre was overthrown and forced into exile. Since 2008, the al-Shabbab group has been fighting to overthrow the central government.
The COVID-19 lockdown has had everyone stuck inside their homes. The strictness on not roaming outside your house unnecessarily has been a rule for almost every country affected by the virus. However, local travelling is not the only thing that is banned amidst the pandemic, but international flights are also banned.





Japan stops tourism for a while as well as international students. Work visas are not the residents in the country are also banned. According to the latest travel ban list from the Japanese government, about 131 countries are banned from Japan during the pandemic. Re-entry ban is also imposed where people are not allowed to re-enter the country once they have left. Even the Japanese residents who left the country after the ban was imposed arent allowed to re-enter the country until the ban is lifted.





The new cases of coronavirus were stabilized by Japan in May and have been the same way. The country has seemingly controlled the new cases with only 60 new cases in Tokyo, which is the highest since the end of the state of emergency. As the situation progresses, the country is taking safety precautions accordingly and going as far as banning countries for visits.





Below is a world map that shows the currently banned and unbanned countries from travelling to Japan.





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You can also find more infographics at Visualistan
Five members of my family were killed by a wrong-way drunk driver on January 6, 2019. That day was the most devastating day of my life. In an instant, I lost my only sibling and best friend, Rima (38); my brother-in-law, Issam (42); my two nieces, Isabella (12) and Giselle (7); and my nephew, Ali (13). My world crumbled to pieces. That feeling is even more palpable this month, with Rimas birthday being June 12.
Stratovolcano 5426 m / 17,802 ftCentral Mexico, 19.02N / -98.62W(4 out of 5)1345-47, 1354, 1363(?), 1488, 1504, 1509(?), 1512, 1518, 1519-23(?), 1528, 1530, 1539-40, 1542, 1548, 1571, 1580, 1590, 1592-94, 1642, 1663-65, 1666-67, 1697, 1720, 1802-04, 1827(?), 1834(?), 1852(?), 1919-22, 1923-24, 1925-27(?), 1933, 1942-43, 1947, 1994-95, 1996-2003, 2004-ongoingDominantly explosive, construction of lava domes. Plinian eruptions at intervals of several centuries or few thousands of years, vulcanian and strombolian activity in intermittent phases.(tour to see the ongoing eruption of Mexico's most active volcano)

If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online:

Volcan Popocatepetl, whose name is the Aztec word for smoking mountain, towers to 5426 m 70 km SE of Mexico City to form North America's 2nd-highest volcano. The glacier-clad stratovolcano contains a steep-walled, 250-450 m deep crater. The generally symmetrical volcano is modified by the sharp-peaked Ventorrillo on the NW, a remnant of an earlier volcano. At least three previous major cones were destroyed by gravitational failure during the Pleistocene, producing massive debris-avalanche deposits covering broad areas south of the volcano. The modern volcano was constructed to the south of the late-Pleistocene to Holocene El Fraile cone. Three major plinian eruptions, the most recent of which took place about 800 AD, have occurred from Popocatepetl since the mid Holocene, accompanied by pyroclastic flows and voluminous lahars that swept basins below the volcano. Frequent historical eruptions, first recorded in Aztec codices, have occurred since precolumbian time.

Lists and maps of earthquakes in the world in near real time. Country lists, earthquake archive, and I-felt-it reports.

Volcanoes in the land of fire and ice. Iceland is one of the volcanically most active places on earth.

The volcano in Iceland with the unpronounceable name... but famous in 2010 when its ash clouds drifted over Europe and forced a unprecedented large-scale airspace closure for several days, stranding millions of passengers.

Special tour to see the ongoing eruption of Shivleuch volcano. Max 6 participants, 5 nights on location, accompanied by our team and local volcanologists. Sign up deadline Sun 24 Feb 2019!

Impressions from our Tour to Kamchakta during Sep 2018: northern group of volcanoes, Karymsky, and the southern plateau with Mutnovsky and Gorely.

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Lyon County Collision Sends Two to Hospital

By West Kentucky Star Staff

EDDYVILLE - A two-vehicle collision in Lyon County Saturday left two people injured.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened around 11:00 am on US 62 at the KY 818 intersection, approximately four miles east of Eddyville.

Deputies said 23-year-old Robert Hunt of Madisonville failed to see another vehicle driven by 72-year-old Peggy Oliver making a left turn. Hunt's vehicle collided with the rear of Oliver's vehicle, causing Oliver's vehicle to roll over several times.

Oliver was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treament of her injuries. Hunt was transported by private vehicle to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. Hunt's 8-year-old passenger was not injured in the crash.

After being released from the hospital, Hunt was charged with failure to produce an insurance card.
Though some may have thought of an America where the enslaved were free at last, none could have imagined the America under the different flag of today: an expanded America of 50 united states. One where voters could elect their Senators directly, not just their Representative. One where the descendants of the enslaved could vote and hold political office. One where women could do the same. One that plays a dominant role in the world, not only the hemisphere.

The America we live in is a better America than the one they secured and that is part of what we should celebrate today. We are a country founded on self-determination and we have used that power, however fitfully, to steer us toward the ideals of our founding.

Past Fourths have celebrated our military, usually with the timeworn phrase "as we remember our freedoms, we remember those who died to win them." There's a truth in that, but one only completed by those who lived to improve their communities and their countries. They, too, lived for a flag that looked different from ours and yet the same.

The deaths suffered from COVID-19 so far surpass those Americans who died in the Korean War and Vietnam War combined. If the loss from those deaths was significant  the families affected, the lives cut short  we would do well to pay attention here.
Because of social gathering limitations intended to limit the spread of COVID-19, the city of Waco will air a virtual groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday for the new Fire Station No. 6 and Fire Administration Offices planned at 1000 N. 25th St., the site of the recently demolished 25th Street Theatre.

No one will be at the site, but the public is invited to watch the virtual ceremony on the Waco City Cable Channel, WCCC-TV, which is available on Spectrum channel 10, Grande channel 810 and at www.wccc.tv.

Baptism service

Church Under the Bridge will have its Easter and Baptism Service at 11 a.m. Sunday at Camp Hope near McGregor.

Because COVID-19 virus guidelines did not allow for normal Easter worship to be held, this service will replace it. Everyone is welcome. For details, call 235-7818.

The church will follow COVID-19 guidelines at the service, so wear a face mask.

West fundraiser

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.
Sometimes you do have to arrest someone to prevent crime or to get them to a place to consider doing something different, because if people dont want help, we cant help them, Holt said. We also recognize that you cant solve everything that way and in some cases, you dont have to arrest someone to prevent crime if we can help them in other ways to get them other help.

We want to help

Laron Hicks, a 45-year-old McGregor native, was one of the first to agree to participate in the CCAST program. Hicks was arrested 31 times in the past year, mostly for misdemeanor offences including public intoxication and criminal trespassing, primarily stemming from his dependence on alcohol, he said.

My mother was a single mother, a young mother, who was just doing the best she could, Hicks said. I also had a lot of uncles who were alcoholics and drug addicts, so all that was kind of the norm growing up. The majority of my run-ins with the police, in my opinion, didnt end well, but theyve helped me to see in some instances they are here to protect and serve us, and they definitely saved my life.
Note: This Veterans Voices was published previously in June 2019. Writer Mary Drennon is out a few weeks.

By the time he was in his late teens, Miguel M. Valverde II, now 46, had already mapped out his future. He knew he wanted to join the military and make it a career. To that end, he enrolled in the delayed entry program for the U.S. Navy in his senior year.

A graduate of Waco High School, Valverde was born in Winters, Texas, but moved to Waco when he was 9. He had no desire to go to college. I wanted to do something, he said. I was planning for a secure retirement. When a recruiter came to a drum recital and suggested Valverde play for the Navy band, he was tested, but there were no openings available.

Instead, the recruiter said his scores were so high he could be a jet engine mechanic. So, when he entered the service on his fathers birthday in August 1992, his training would be as an aviation machinist mate. He took his basic training in San Diego and his advanced training in Millington, Tennessee.

Because Valverde graduated in the top 2 percent of the class, he was able to pick his location. He chose Italy over Japan. However, after all that training, he was assigned to helicopters instead of jets. My head was spinning from all the changes, he said.
Cameron Joins Quarles in Lawsuit Against Beshear

By West Kentucky Star Staff

The lawsuit was filed against Beshear by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Evans Orchard and Cider Mill, LLC.





Every Kentuckian, including me, wants to do the right thing to flatten the curve and save lives, but the regulatory mayhem unleashed on our state by the haphazard and selective enforcement of Governor Beshears executive orders is causing economic hardship for those who want to put public health first, said Commissioner Quarles. Evans Orchard has prioritized public health, but has suffered immense financial losses as a result of the Governors orders which has limited their ability to operate their 96,000 square foot play area. I am glad Attorney General Daniel Cameron is joining us in our fight to make sure Evans Orchard and many other businesses can put public health first and re-open safely. We want to ensure public health is protected, the American dream is preserved, and that our laws and institutions mean something.





Evans Orchard and Cider Mill, an agritourism business is Georgetown, had instituted the new public health guidelines and procedures in compliance with Beshear's executive orders, which included requiring employees to wear masks, sanitation protocols for the facility, and a reduced workforce to comply with the social distancing requirements. At one point, Evans Orchard was reportedly told by the local health department that they were not allowed to have more than 10 individuals at a time in the businesses 96,000 square foot facility.





According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Beshear's executive orders have resulted in a significant financial loss for Evans Orchard and other Kentucky businesses. If the executive orders remain in effect without change, it could bankrupt family businesses.





You can find additional information about this lawsuit at the link below.

FRANKFORT - Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Ryan Quarles has announced that Attorney General Daniel Cameron has filed a motion to join a lawsuit filed against Governor Andy Beshear.
1.5m Welsh Government funding to help victims and survivors of domestic abuse to Live Fear Free

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jul 5th, 2020

The Welsh Government has unveiled 1.5m in funding to help victims and survivors of domestic abuse to Live Fear Free.

Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt, announced that VAWDASV (violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence) services in Wales are set to receive the additional revenue to help them respond to increased demands on services as a result of Covid-19.

The new funding is in addition to the existing 5.25m announced in this years budget, and will aim to help VAWDASV service providers to cope with an expected spike in demand once lockdown measures are lifted.

Welsh Government will work with VAWDASV partners and specialist providers to allocate funding on a needs-led basis, and in the simplest and quickest way possible. The following areas will be prioritised for support:





Helping VAWDASV service providers to prepare for and meet additional demand for support as lockdown measures are eased, including taking precautions against the spread of Covid-19 Support for children and young people suffering domestic abuse Staff training to provide cover for members of staff who are shielding, and to meet increased staffing needs due to demand Services to support behavioural change in perpetrators of abuse Additional resources to reduce backlogs and free up capacity for those needing urgent support.



Around 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 6 men, experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives. It is impossible to measure the scale of abuse taking place during lockdown, but there is strong evidence to suggest its on the rise.

Visits to the Live Fear Free website have increased by 144% in the last month and there were 1,683 homepage visits made in April compared with 690 in March.

During lockdown, calls to domestic abuse helplines have changed significantly, becoming more complex, and more lengthy (now nearly twice the 3.18 minute pre-Covid-19 average). Services are beginning to hear from victims who tell them that once lockdown is over they intend to leave their abusers.

Jane Hutt said: Im delighted to announce this new funding, which will help those who have been suffering control, manipulation, harassment, physical and sexual abuse as well as violence, and who badly need support.

We know that domestic abuse has been made much worse by being stuck at home with your abuser during lockdown. As lockdown measures ease, I hope that it will become easier and safer for victims and survivors to access the support they need

Home shouldnt be a place of fear. If youre experiencing control at home, or are concerned about someone, I want you to know that you are not alone. Help is available from the Live Fear Free helpline, 24 hours a day.

CEO of Welsh Womens Aid, Sara Kirkpatrick, added: Welsh Womens Aid warmly welcome the news of this 1.575 million for the sector, which will assist specialist services in continuing to provide lifesaving and life-changing support to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

We are delighted that this revenue will be focused on supporting the priority areas highlighted by our members, both directly to Welsh Government, and via the VAWDASV Covid-19 Strategic Group.

This funding is especially critical right now  reflecting on global evidence, we can expect to see the number of survivors who are able and wanting to access support surge as lockdown measures ease across the country. It is vitally important that services are able to meet the needs of all survivors who need help.
Members of the band The Confederate Knotz practice in front of Nazi and Confederate flags in one of several videos the band posted to their Facebook page. (James Neal / Enid News & Eagle)
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.
More than 166 people were killed during anti-government protests in Ethiopia last week, the government said on Sunday, as the capital and other hotspots remained closely guarded by security forces and a blanket Internet shutdown entered its sixth day.

Large protests broke out in Addis Ababa and spread to the surrounding Oromia region on Monday night after popular Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa was shot dead by unknown gunmen in a killing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said was "an evil act".

Haacaaluu sang in the Oromo language of Ethiopia's biggest ethnic group. His killing tapped into grievances fuelled by decades of government repression and what the Oromo describe as their historic exclusion from political power.

The government initially said 80 people had been killed during the protests, which lasted for two days. The unrest is the deadliest since Abiy, who is Oromo, took power in 2018 with the promise of wide ranging reforms.

But a senior regional security official told Reuters on Sunday that the death toll was at least double that, with 145 civilians and 11 security personnel killed.

Jibril Mohammed, head of the Oromia Security and Peace Bureau, said more deaths might be reported due to the number of injuries being treated in hospitals.

Another 10 people were killed in Addis Ababa, a source in the national police service said.

The military, called in to quell the protests Wednesday, were out in the streets of Oromia towns, two residents from the town of Adama and another from the town of Shashemene told Reuters. Authorities shut down the Internet after the protests began, and they are yet to switch it on again, residents said.

"The (Oromia) region is now relatively calm and there is no violence or protests at the moment. Businesses have also re-opened," Jibril told Reuters by phone.

International human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on the government to bring Haacaaluu's killers to justice.

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Praise for North Wales Youth Workers community contributions during COVID-19 pandemic

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jul 5th, 2020

Youth Workers in communities up and down Wales have demonstrated the value of their skills with the work they have done during the coronavirus pandemic.

That is the view of Hayley Douglas, a senior lecturer in Youth and Community Work at Wrexham Glyndwr University, who marked Youth Work Week Wales at the end of June by praising the work being done across the country by youth workers.

Among them is Sian Pierce, who is studying on the MA Youth and Community Work programme and is the Area Youth Worker for East Conwy  covering towns and villages including Kinmel Bay, Abergele, Llanfair Talhaiarn, and more.

As a result of Covid-19 and the temporary closure of youth clubs since March, Sian has been working with colleagues to support young people online  and finding ways to boost their well-being at a critical time.





She said: Covid-19 has not stopped youth work  although all face-to-face provisions have closed following government guidelines, I continue to support young people through telephone conversations and various social media platforms.

I have been actively involved in seeking activities that young people could be doing from the comfort of their own homes, and each day different activities are posted online  ranging from arts and craft, cooking and interesting and useful websites where they can access information

Working alongside my colleagues, I have been working on activities to encourage young people to complete the five ways of wellbeing from home in the hope we can support their physical and mental wellbeing during this difficult time.

Sian has also found other aspects of her role changing, as Conwy Council adapt their working processes to support residents across the county and help them access vital support.

She added: In addition to supporting young people, I have also been working on the community support line for Conwy County Borough Council.

Working on the telephone, I speak directly to members of the public who are need of support of food shopping or collecting prescriptions. Therefore, I am not only continuing to support young people but due to the current pandemic, I am also involved with supporting the wider community.

Sian has credited her studies for helping to prepare not only for the work she has been doing online  but also for the wider roles she has helped fulfill over the past few months as she has assisted with the pandemic response in Conwy.

She said: My studies at Glyndwr have definitely been helpful with the work Ive been doing. In one module at university, we discussed what is youth work and, reflecting on the work I completed then, it made me think how the skills and capabilities that I have as a youth worker can be adapted to this current situation.

Youth work requires the following skills set  excellent verbal communication skills, sensitivity and understanding and the ability to work well with others; customer service skills, patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations; being thorough and paying attention to detail; active listening skills and a non-judgemental approach.

All those skills are still being utilised in the work Ive been doing  whether that has been through speaking to the young people via the telephone or via social media or when answering calls on the community support line.

Senior Lecturer in Youth and Community Work, Hayley Douglas, said: When we were looking to mark Youth Work Week this year, we knew wed be doing it in a different way  because Youth Work itself is being done in a different way. So while many of the events and celebrations this year will be online, there is still much to celebrate in the work so many youth workers are doing up and down Wales.

We aim to teach resilience and flexibility to our students as part of our Youth and Community Work courses here at Wrexham Glyndwr University, and seeing our students apply the skills they have learnt over the past few months  in often very challenging situations  has been wonderful

Id like to thank Sian  and everyone who is working in roles like hers  for all the work they have done to keep their communities safe over the past few months. It really has demonstrated just how important the skills they develop are.

More about Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys MA in Youth and Community Studies (JNC), can be found here  this course is for those who already hold a Joint National Qualification (JNC) but the university also has a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses covering Youth and Community work.
The ABC has warned the Morrison government against abolishing rules that determine how much Australian content should be created in response to a review that could change the amount of local drama and children's content that appears on television screens.

Australian television shows like Home and Away, The Block and The Secret She Keeps are created by local production companies and aired on television under obligations set out in the Broadcasting Services Standard, but the ABC and commercial networks have argued that the rules are outdated and need to be changed because of the existence of streaming services such as Netflix, Stan and YouTube.

Jessica De Gouw and Laura Carmichael in the quota-satisfying Ten series The Secrets She Keeps. Credit:Network Ten

The government's options paper, released in mid-April, presented four pathways to future regulation and support for the film and TV industries in Australia. Any regulatory reform would dramatically reshape the production industry and the amount of Australian content that appears on television and streaming services.

Responses seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reveal clear divisions in the industry, with Screen Producers Australia advocating for an extension of local content requirements to the streaming platforms; Netflix arguing in favour of voluntary targets and self-reporting, Free TV (representing Seven, Ten and Nine, publisher of this masthead) favouring complete deregulation and the ABC is pushing for some form of policy intervention to avoid decreased program hours and higher production costs for the sector.
Mukhtar Muhammad, who is volunteering with the Australian Muslim Social Services Agency in North Melbourne, said the amount of help needed across all nine towers was overwhelming and people simply shouldn't be locked down if they did not have COVID-19. "Its literally like a prison, no backyard, nowhere to go," he said. "Those people shouldnt be subjected to that treatment, particularly if theyre not carrying the virus." Victorian Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt joined critics of the tower lockdown on Sunday, lashing the Andrews government for failing to prepare officers for the move. He said some officers were interrupted from regular duties and called in to police the lockdown with no notice. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video He warned that risks to police could prompt a repeat of the hotel quarantine bungle, in which security guards spread coronavirus throughout Melbourne's northern and western suburbs.

Damian Stock, chief executive of the Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre, said that in the case of the public housing towers the government's decision to go beyond the "stay at home" directions applied to 12 Melbourne postcodes seemed excessive. "If there's no evidence of any infections in these buildings, then it would seem disproportionate that they have been subject to a hard lockdown," he said. Mr Stock said the Health and Wellbeing Act required lawmakers to make orders in proportion to health risks. "My understanding has been with the hard lockdown that the additional extra measure and the imposition on rights and liberties is because of infection rates in buildings," he said. Premier Daniel Andrews, announcing a series of rent concessions and emergency payments for the 3000 tenants of the nine towers on Sunday, pleaded for residents' understanding and co-operation.

"This is not going to be a pleasant experience for those residents," Mr Andrews said. Premier Daniel Andrews on Saturday. Credit:Darrian Traynor "But I have a message for those residents: this is not about punishment but protection." He announced that no rent would be charged for the tenants of the nine towers in Flemington and North Melbourne who were placed in "hard lockdown". The government will also make hardship payments of $1500 for those residents who are unable to go to work because of the lockdown and $750 for those without paid work. Activity packs for children plus boxes of food and essential supplies have been distributed.

Professor Brett Sutton announced four new cases in the public housing towers on Sunday, taking the total to 27  14 in Flemington and 13 in North Melbourne. He said not all of the nine towers, which are spread across three main sites, had confirmed coronavirus cases. "Thats in part what the hard lockdown is for, to ensure that were testing absolutely everyone possible across all of those nine towers," he said. "I think theres a not insignificant chance of finding cases that havent yet been identified in some of those towers.

About 500 police are patrolling the affected towers. Credit:Darrian Traynor "Theres a lot of exchange of individuals between those addresses. So we have to work on the precautionary principle that transmission might have occurred across towers that we havent yet had a notified case from." Mr Andrews warned that many residents of the buildings had pre-existing health conditions and, as in aged care facilities, if the virus took hold, "people will die, it's as simple as that". Authorities were still considering how residents might be allowed to leave their flats for fresh air, he said. Police speaking to community members at one of the locked-down towers in North Melbourne on Saturday. Credit:Darrian Traynor

Infectious diseases expert Professor Mary-Louise McLaws said ring-fencing buildings was used to effectively control the spread of SARS in Beijing in 2003 and in Wuhan as the Chinese city lifted COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year. Flemington tower resident Tehiya Umer said it was unfair to lock up towers with no coronavirus cases and criticised the government for failing to prepare residents for a lockdown. "We are in a pandemic; it's not just people who live in high-rise [flats]," Ms Umer said. "They are treating us like criminals for nothing." North Melbourne public housing resident Idris Hassan also said the decision to lock down buildings without proof of cases was unfair. He said he felt voiceless, and the decision to lock down was "absolutely discriminatory. We feel like weve been isolated and picked on."

Berhan Ahmed, an Eritrean-Australian social activist, warned that the lockdown would create mayhem in the coming days. Loading "I know people with mental health problems. I know people with several autistic children; they cannot be locked in a room with five other kids on the 19th floor," Mr Ahmed said. The Police Association's Mr Gatt said many police officers were worried that they were called in to North Melbourne and Flemington without notice. "Its not good enough. This hasnt just sprung up on anybody. Coronavirus has been with us now for four months," he said on Sunday afternoon.

"High-density housing should have been a consideration for the government earlier on. Blind Freddie could have told you we would have an issue there ... a situation without a plan is a plan to fail. We don't have a plan at this point." Mr Gatt warned that a lack of planning was already showing similarities to Victoria's hotel quarantine management, a reference to the infection of private security guards. "Police dont want to become vectors for the transmission of this disease into the community," he said. About 500 police officers are on duty in each shift, though Mr Gatt estimated up to 800 would be required to fill the government's wish of two officers on each floor of the buildings to stop residents using shared facilities. Mr Andrews said public health workers would approach every room of the up-to-20-storey buildings to test residents, as well as offering services such as drug and alcohol support.
Victoria has recorded 74 new cases of coronavirus, with Premier Daniel Andrews announcing hardship payments for thousands of public housing tenants in 'hard lockdown'.

Mr Andrews said a record 21,500 Victorians were tested in a single day on Saturday, with almost a million tests having taken place so far in the state.

Medics are seen outside the public housing flats in Flemington as they are briefed on July 05, 2020. Credit:Getty

I need every single Victorian to be following the rules, Mr Andrews said.

Of the new cases, 16 have been traced to known outbreaks, one is a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, four were from tests carried out at testing locations or GPS, and the rest are under investigation.
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."
But the narrow margin could be wiped out by postal and pre-poll votes, with half the electorate voting before election day due to the coronavirus, leaving officials counting thousands of votes late into the night to determine the seat's new MP. Neither Labor candidate Kristy McBain or Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs were prepared to claim victory on Saturday night. Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks conceded three hours after polls closed, meaning Eden-Monaro will elect its first female MP since Federation in 1901. Appearing on stage at the Labor election party in Merimbula on the NSW South Coast just after 11pm, Ms McBain said the result was still too close to call. "When the cameras go away and the spotlight fades, my resolve will not," she said. "Regardless of the outcome of this election, I will continue to stand up for these regions that I know and love." Speaking after Ms McBain in Queanbeyan, Dr Kotvojs said it had been 100 years since the government has won a seat of the opposition in a byelection.

"The average swing against the government has been 3.8 per cent in those byelections," she said. "So far, we are going the other way. That's really good, that's fantastic." Facing his first electoral test as Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese said the coronavirus pandemic had made for a tough campaign and managed expectations of a Labor victory. Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Labor candidate for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain at Merimbula Public School on Saturday. Credit:Wolter Peeters "We know that we haven't been able to doorknock, we haven't been able to have town hall meetings," said Mr Albanese. "It has been a difficult campaign." Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally cast the party as the underdog after it was battered by political scandals in Victoria and NSW over branch stacking and allegations of Chinese Communist Party influence, which cost it momentum in the second half of the campaign.

It polluted the political environment, she told the ABC on Saturday. You can't disregard that that's going to have an impact. Loading Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he was not sure that a result in the seat - held by Labor on a margin of less than 1 per cent - would be known on Saturday night. "It will be a close call," he said. A similar margin could see candidates waiting until Sunday or early next week for a clear winner. Declaring she would work with Monaro state Nationals MP and NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro if elected, Ms McBain said the region had been hit by "the triple whammy of drought, bushfires, and then the economic impacts of COVID-19".

The former Bega mayor has accused the government of failing to provide enough timely assistance to bushfire-affected areas in the electorate and urged voters to "send the government a message". Mr Barilaro, the outspoken local state MP who considered running for the federal seat before a public fallout with Nationals leader Michael McCormack, has not ruled out giving it another shot if Liberal candidate Dr Kotvojs fails to snatch the electorate from Labor. In an admission that is set to spark further tension in the Coalition, Mr Barilaro said on Saturday that he had preferenced his friend, former Labor MP Mike Kelly, ahead of the Liberal candidate at the 2019 election. Liberal MP Dave Sharma and Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs at the Jerrabomberra Public School on Saturday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I did vote for Mike Kelly last time after the Nats, Mr Barilaro told Sky News on Saturday. I vote for the man not necessarily the party.

Despite sharing key policy interests with the Nationals, voters for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers directed their second preferences to Labor. The vote, which delivered a 6 per cent share for the regional party as of 9.30pm, is likely to be a protest vote against the Nationals and will trigger further recriminations over the party's direction and its leadership. The party has also attracted disaffected rural Labor voters, putting its first preference share almost on par with the Nationals four hours after polls closed. The electorate, which is the size of Switzerland and spans from Yass to the southern-NSW coast, was a bellwether seat for more than four decades until 2016, falling to the government of the day in each election since 1972. A redistribution of the seat has also seen more conservative-leaning booths around the ACT added to the electorate, but Queanbeyan, which is home to up to 40 per cent of voters, has historically swung to Labor. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Saturday's byelection was seen as a key litmus test of the federal government's response to the multiple crises that have marked the first half of 2020. A victory for the Coalition would cement government confidence in their plans for a post-coronavirus economic recovery and act as a policy springboard for the next federal election. The last time an opposition lost a seat to a government at a byelection was in 1920.

Mr Albanese is likely to come under some internal pressure if Labor fails to hold onto the seat. He said on Saturday that a vote-winning margin of 3 per cent could be attributed to the personal popularity of Mr Kelly. Mr Kelly, who served with the Australian military in East Timor and Iraq, resigned for medical reasons in April. Election night function for Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro Dr Fiona Kotvojs on polling day. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Dr Kotvojs, a farmer with a doctorate in education, has framed her campaign around rebuilding employment in the depleted region through infrastructure boosts and giving voters a voice inside the government.

"After everything we have gone through, particularly after the fires and COVID-19 and the ongoing drought, that is the key thing," Dr Kotvojs said on Saturday. It is the second byelection in two and a half years to be marred by claims of disinformation: the Wentworth byelection in 2018 was also marked by fake emails that suggested then independent candidate Kerryn Phelps had withdrawn from the race after being diagnosed with HIV. Labor supporters gather at Club Sapphire in Merimbula to watch as the results come through. Credit:Wolter Peeters The Australian Federal Police charged a 32-year-old man on Saturday after he allegedly sent emails purporting to be from the Catholic Church to voters linking Ms McBain to the coronavirus outbreak. Ms McBain said on Saturday that disinformation was a "blight on our democracy".
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.
"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.
NEWS - Sunday, July 5, 2020

Tannenberg Storms Onto Consoles July 24

Tannenberg storms onto consoles this July 24! Enlist for WW1 Eastern Front action on Xbox One

Squad-based shooter Tannenberg, the sequel to Verdun, releases on July 24 for Xbox One with a new map!

Tannenberg puts players in the boots of an infantry soldier on the Eastern Front of WW1 as the Russian Empire clashes with the might of Germany. Authentic weapons, uniforms, and battlefields combine to give the experience of maneuver warfare on the Eastern Front, in stark contrast to the gritty and close quarters nature of combat on the Western Front as depicted in its predecessor Verdun. Tannenberg for consoles features a new map centered on fighting around the fortified town of Przemy?l. PC fans neednt worry, the new map will also arrive on Steam on July 24!

Authentic Eastern Front Combat

Tannenberg offers first-person action on the Eastern Front of the First World War, where players will participate in large-scale maneuver warfare on the borders of Russia. The Germans with their Central Power allies faced off against the Entente led by Russia in the East. Despite the enormous significance of this front and the millions of people involved in fighting, it is sometimes overshadowed by the Western Front (which we portrayed in our first game Verdun). Tannenberg gives players a chance to immerse themselves in a vital part of WW1 that they might not be so familiar with.

Players participate in 40 player battles of maneuver, where the goal is to capture key sectors and drain the enemys victory points. Choose your squad, pick a loadout, and fight to control the battlefield. Utilize artillery, gas, heavy machine guns, and more to gain victory! Every nation in Tannenberg is outfitted with authentic weapons, gear and uniforms true to the times. Effort has been taken to include the often forgotten participants in the Eastern Front fighting, from Roumania and Latvia to Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria.

New Przemysl map features fierce fortress fighting

The community has been vocal with their enthusiasm for a console release, and as a thank you for their patience weve made sure to add a new map for the upcoming release: the Austro-Hungarian fortress of Przemy?l.

The fortified town of Przemy?l was the site of the longest siege in the First World War, where the AustroHungarian defenders eventually surrendered to the Russians. Large fortifications make this a very different battlefield compared to the generally more open areas seen in many Tannenberg maps. The battle for the East is waged across a wide range of terrains; from large forests and burnt out villages to Roumanian mountain peaks, Latvian swamps and Austro-Hungarian fortresses.

Controls, graphics and performance have all been optimized for consoles to ensure a seamless multiplayer experience. Maneuver mode features 40 player battles with up to 20 bots. Extra effort was taken to make sure Tannenberg meets the standards for Xbox One X Enhanced on Xbox One.

Developer and M2H co-founder Mike Hergaarden says: Following community feedback after the initial Verdun console release, we decided to handle all console versions of our titles in house - this started with the recent remaster of Verdun. This gave us valuable experience with optimizing the UI, graphics and controls for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and we got a lot of positive feedback from players. For the console version of Tannenberg we built it ourselves from the start.

The 10% pre-order discount on Xbox One will be available until July 24. Sharpen your sabre and ready your Mosin-Nagant as we draw closer to July 24  release day!
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FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, Kanye West attends the WSJ. Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The rap superstar will design adult and kids' clothing that will be sold at Gap in 2021. Yeezy is best known for pricey sneakers that sell out online quickly. But Yeezy footwear, made with sneaker company Adidas, won't be sold at Gap. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-21 02:08:53|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writer Xing Jianqiao

DAKAR, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal on March 2, Chinese companies based in Senegal, together with the Chinese community, have spared no efforts in helping the West African country with donations of medical supplies and equipment in its fight against the common enemy of mankind.

As one of the first countries affected by COVID-19 in Africa, Senegal has so far reported a total of 5,783 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths and 3,859 recoveries.

On June 19, the Chinese technical assistance team based at the Chinese-aided Children's Hospital of Diamniadio on a maintenance mission deployed by Jiangsu Construction Engineering Group Co. Ltd, donated a batch of medical supplies to the hospital, including surgical masks, protective gowns, goggles, disposable gloves and shoe covers.

It also included some needed medical equipment, such as 3 channel ECG Portable Electrocardiographs, bed-side monitors, and blood pressure meters.

"The Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 just took place, and it was such a sucess. At this occasion, we want to fully implement the 'Defeating COVID-19 with Solidarity and Cooperation' theme of the summit," chief of the Chinese technical assistance team Gong Zhen said.

Having been working in Senegal for more than 11 years, he wanted to show the Senegalese the sincerity and solidarity from China during this difficult time.

For the director of Children's Hospital of Diamniadio, Mame Fama Dieng Gaye, the Chinese technical assistance team "supports us for the normal operation of the hospital, both technically and administratively."

Apart from the donation from Jiangsu Construction Engineering Group, her hospital would also benefit from some of the Chinese government's donation that arrived on June 17 in Dakar, said Gaye.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action and the board of the hospital, all the supports provided by the technical assistance team and Chinese government to Children's Hospital of Diamniado," she told Xinhua.

As the largest and the most technologically advanced pediatric hospital in Senegal, Children's Hospital of Diamniadio has played a significant role in deepening the bilateral relations and friendship between Chinese and Senegalese peoples since its opening.

But it doesn't stop just there. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Senegal Women and Children's Hospital project was launched in 2018 and was completely finished by the end of 2019. It is in the same compound with the Children's Hospital, and can accomodate 84 beds and three operating room.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senegalese government decided to use it as a second treatment center of COVID-19 patients.

"In March, we received a request from Chinese Embassy in Senegal to rearrange the facilities of Senegal Women and Children's Hospital. It was Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action that ordered to add 100 additional beds in the hospital to accomodate mild COVID-19 patients," Gong said.

"We had to, at the same time, both assure the maintenant work at the Children Hospital of Diamniadio, and carry out the adjustment work in Women and Children's Hospital," Gong explained, adding that they worked overtime and finished everything three days in advance.

Gong's team also held a seminar on COVID-19 prevention and forwarded the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (trial version 7) to the board of hospital, which gained very positive responses.

Zhang Xun, Chinese ambassador to Senegal, said that Chinese companies and Chinese community in Senegal actively participated in Senegal's fight against COVID-19.

"They used concret actions to interpret China's principal of building relations with Africa based on sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, and China's efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind," Zhang said. Enditem
The head of Englands National Health Service set the U.K. government a challenge to fix the countrys social-care system within a year.

We do not have a fair and properly resourced adult social-care system, Simon Stevens, chief executive officer of NHS England, told the BBC on the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the service. He said he hoped the sectors funding problems could be solved by its 73rd birthday.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC on Sunday that about 30 per cent of U.K. deaths from COVID-19 had been in care homes, a proportion he said compared favourably with other European nations. Yet the pandemic exposed weaknesses in the system, as care homes around Britain struggled to get the necessary protective equipment and outbreaks killed thousands of elderly residents.

We must use this as a moment to resolve, once and for all, to actually properly resource and reform the way in which social care works in this country, Stevens said.

Successive governments have grappled with how to fund adult social care as an aging population puts increased pressure on limited resources. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged in his manifesto for last Decembers election to build a cross-party consensus on how to fund the sector.

That consensus will consider a range of options but one condition we do make is that nobody needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay for it, Johnsons Conservatives said in their manifesto.

Enormous problems

The opposition Labour partys finance spokeswoman, Anneliese Dodds, told the BBC on Sunday that the country had gone into the pandemic with 120,000 vacancies in the social-care sector, and that a national service to deliver the needed care could save costs elsewhere.

Were seeing enormous problems and these are not problems that dont result in costs elsewhere in the system, she said. We know for example lots of people end up in the NHS because theyre not receiving that social care.

The National Audit Office said last month that the situation in care homes had been exacerbated during the pandemic by the discharge from hospitals of about 25,000 patients into such homes, without them being tested for the virus.

That represented just three per cent of people discharged from hospital, and was a lower number than those discharged in the same period last year, Stevens said. They were all because the clinicians felt that that was the medically appropriate thing to do, he said.
      

 

raw  SDfarmer girl, SD Donald Trump: (02:20) Well, thank you very much. Governor Noem, Secretary Bernhardt, we very much appreciate it. Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and a very special hello to South Dakota. As we begin this 4th of July weekend, the First Lady and I would wish each and every one of you a very, very happy Independence Day. Thank you. Donald Trump: (02:52) Let us show our appreciation to the South Dakota Army and Air National Guard and the Air Force for inspiring us with that magnificent display of American air power, and of course our gratitude as always to the legendary and very talented Blue Angels. Thank you very much. Let us also send you our deepest thanks to our wonderful veterans, law enforcement, first responders, and the doctors, nurses, and scientists working tirelessly to kill the virus. They are working hard. I want to thank them very, very much. Were grateful as well to your states congressional delegation. Senator John Thune. John, thank you very much. Senator Mike Rounds. Thank you, Mike. And Dusty Johnson, Congressman. Hi, Dusty. Thank you. And all others with us tonight from Congress, thank you very much for coming. We appreciate it. Donald Trump: (04:07) There could be no better place to celebrate Americas independence than beneath this magnificent, incredible majestic mountain and monument to the greatest Americans who have ever lived. Today we pay tribute to the exceptional lives and extraordinary legacies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. 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 defamed, 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. Donald Trump: (05:29) We gather tonight to herald the most important day in the history of nations, July 4th, 1776. At those words, every American heart should swell with pride, every American family should cheer with delight, and every American patriot should be filled with joy because each of you lives in the most magnificent country in the history of the world and it will soon be greater than ever before. Donald Trump: (06:13) 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. Donald Trump: (07:48) 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, 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. 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. Many of these people have no idea why theyre doing this, but some know what they are doing. 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. Donald Trump: (09:17) One of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. 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. Donald Trump: (10:24) 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 from 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. Donald Trump: (11:25) Make no mistake. This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. 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. To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage. Donald Trump: (12:01)  Memory of our national heritage. Speaker 2: (12:08) Not on my watch. Donald Trump: (12:09) True. Thats very true actually. That is why I am deploying federal law enforcement to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters, and prosecutors offenders to the fullest extent of the law. Speaker 3: (12:28) Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Donald Trump: (12:48) Thank you. Donald Trump: (12:51) I am pleased to report that yesterday, federal agents arrested the suspected ringleader of the attack on the statue of the great Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C., and in addition, hundreds more have been arrested. Under the executive order I signed last week pertaining to the Veterans Memorial Preservation Memorial and Recognition Act and other laws, people who damage or deface federal statues or monuments will get a minimum of 10 years in prison and obviously that includes our beautiful Mount Rushmore. Donald Trump: (13:54) Our people have a great memory. They will never forget the destruction of statues and monuments to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, abolitionists and many others. 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. 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 that were 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. This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore. They defiled the memory of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Today we will set history and historys record straight. Donald Trump: (15:51) 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. Donald Trump: (17:56) 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. Thomas Jefferson, the great Thomas Jefferson, was 33 years old when he traveled north to Pennsylvania and brilliantly authored one of the greatest treasures of human history, the Declaration of Independence. He also drafted Virginias constitution and conceived and wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a model for our cherished First Amendment. After serving as the first Secretary of State, and then Vice President, he was elected to the presidency. He ordered American warriors to crush Barbary pirates. He doubled the size of our nation with the Louisiana Purchase and he sent the famous explorers Lewis and Clark into the west on a daring expedition to the Pacific Ocean. He was an architect, an inventor, a diplomat, a scholar, the founder of one of the worlds great universities and an ardent defender of liberty. Americans will forever admire the author of American freedom, Thomas Jefferson, and he too will never, ever be abandoned by us. Donald Trump: (20:50) Abraham Lincoln, the savior of our union, was a self-taught country lawyer who grew up in a log cabin on the American frontier. The first Republican president, he rose to high office from obscurity based on a force and clarity of his anti-slavery convictions. Very, very strong convictions. He signed the law that built the Trans-Continental Railroad. He signed the Homestead Act given to some incredible scholars as simply defined ordinary citizens free land to settle anywhere in the American West, and he led the country through the darkest hours of American history, giving every ounce of strength that he had to ensure that government of the people, by the people and for the people did not perish from this earth. He served as commander in chief of the U.S. Armed Forces during our bloodiest war, the struggle that saved our union and extinguished the evil of slavery. Over 600,000 died in that war, more than 20, 000 were killed or wounded in a single day in Antietam. At Gettysburg 157 years ago, the Union bravely withstood an assault of nearly 15,000 men and threw back Picketts Charge. Lincoln won the Civil War. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He led the passage of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery for all-time and ultimately his determination to preserve our nation and our union cost him his life. For as long as we live, Americans will uphold and revere the immortal memory of President Abraham Lincoln. Donald Trump: (23:46) Theodore Roosevelt exemplified the unbridled confidence of our national culture and identity. He saw the towering grandeur of Americas mission in the world and he pursued it with  Donald Trump: (24:03)  In the world and he pursued it with overwhelming energy and zeal. As a Lieutenant Colonel during the Spanish-American War, he led the famous Rough Riders to defeat the enemy at San Juan Hill. He cleaned up corruption as police commissioner of New York City, then served as the Governor of New York, Vice President, and at 42 years old, became the youngest ever President of the United States. Donald Trump: (24:43) He sent our great new naval fleet around the globe to announce Americas arrival as a world power. He gave us many of our national parks, including the Grand Canyon. He oversaw the construction of the awe-inspiring Panama Canal and he is the only person ever awarded both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was American freedom personified in full. The American people will never relinquish the bold, beautiful and untamed spirit of Theodore Roosevelt. Donald Trump: (25:39) No movement that seeks to dismantle these treasured American legacies can possibly have a love of America at its heart. Cant happen. No person who remains quiet at the destruction of this resplendent heritage can possibly lead us to a better future. The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of social justice, but in truth, it would demolish both justice and society. It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance and it would turn our free and inclusive society into a place of a repression, domination, and exclusion. They want to silence us, but we will not be silenced. Crowd: (26:43) USA! USA! USA! USA! Speaker 5: (26:43) We love you! Speaker 6: (26:43) We love you President Trump. Donald Trump: (27:11) Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Donald Trump: (27:17) We will state the truth in full without apology. We declare that the United States of America is the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on earth. We are proud of the fact that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and we understand that these values have dramatically advanced the cause of peace and justice throughout the world. We know that the American family is the bedrock of American life. We recognize the solemn right and moral duty of every nation to secure its borders and we are building the wall. We remember that governments exist to protect the safety and happiness of their own people. A nation must care for its own citizens first. We must take care of America first. Its time. 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, is made in the holy image of God. Donald Trump: (29:26) 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. 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. We stand tall, we stand proud, and we only kneel to Almighty God. 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. 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. In toppling the heroes of 1776, they seek to dissolve the bonds of love and loyalty that we feel for our country and that we feel for each other. Their goal is not a better America, their goal is to end America. Donald Trump: (31:25) In its place, they want power for themselves, 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. We will never let them rip Americas heroes from our monuments or from our hearts. By tearing down Washington and Jefferson, these radicals would tear down the very heritage for which men gave their lives to win the Civil War, they would erase the memory that inspired those soldiers to go to their deaths, singing these words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on. They would tear down the principles that propelled the abolition of slavery and ultimately around the world ending an evil institution that had plagued humanity for thousands and thousands of years. Our opponents would tear apart the very documents that Martin Luther King used to express his dream and the ideas that were the foundation of the righteous movement for Civil Rights. They would tear down the beliefs, culture and identity, that have made America the most vibrant and tolerant society in the history of the earth. My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully and defend the integrity of our country. Crowd: (33:36) USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! Donald Trump: (34:03) It is time for our politicians to summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors. It is time. It is time to plant our flag and to protect the greatest of this nation for citizens of every race in every city in every part of this glorious land. For the sake of our honor, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our union, we must protect and preserve our history, our heritage, and our great heroes. Here tonight before the eyes of our forefathers, Americans declare again, as we did 244 years ago, that we will not be tyrannized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen. Crowd: (35:12) USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! Donald Trump: (35:32) We will proclaim the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and we will never surrender the spirit and the courage and the cause of July 4, 1776. Upon this ground, we will stand firm and unwavering. In the face of lies meant to divide us, demoralize us and diminish us, we will show that the story of America unites us and  Donald Trump: (36:03) We will show that the story of America unites us, inspires us, includes us all, and makes everyone free. We must demand that our children are taught once again to see America as did Reverend Martin Luther King when he said that the founders had signed a promissory note to every future generation. Dr. King saw that the mission of justice required us to fully embrace our founding ideals. Those ideals are so important to us, the founding ideals. Donald Trump: (36:43) He called on his fellow citizens not to rip down their heritage, but to live up to their heritage. Above all, our children from every community must be taught that to be American is to inherit the spirit of the most adventurous and confident people ever to walk the face of the Earth. Americans are the people who pursued our Manifest Destiny across the ocean, into the uncharted wilderness, over the tallest mountains, and then into the skies, and even into the stars. Donald Trump: (37:33) We are the country of Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Frederick Douglas. We are the land of Wild Bill Hickock and Buffalo Bill Cody. We are the nation that gave rise to the Wright brothers, the Tuskegee airmen, Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton, Jesse Owens, George Patton, General George Patton, the great Louis Armstrong, Alan Shepard, Elvis Presley, and Muhammad Ali, and only America could have produced them all. No other place. Donald Trump: (38:26) We are the culture that put up the Hoover Dam, laid down the highways, and sculpted the skyline of Manhattan. We are the people who dreamed the spectacular dream, it was called Las Vegas in the Nevada desert, who built up Miami from the Florida marsh, and who carved our heroes into the face of Mount Rushmore. Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the internet. We settled the Wild West, won two World Wars, landed American astronauts on the moon. Donald Trump: (39:25) And one day very soon, we will plant our flag on Mars. We gave the world the poetry of Walt Whitman, the stories of Mark Twain, the songs of Irving Berlin, the voice of Ella Fitzgerald, the style of Frank Sinatra, the comedy of Bob Hope, the power of the Saturn V rocket, the toughness of the Ford F150, and the awesome might of the American aircraft carriers. Donald Trump: (40:23) Americans must never lose sight of this miraculous story. We should never lose sight of it. Nobody has ever done it like we have done it. So today, under the authority vested in me as President of the United States, 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 Guard of American heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live. Donald Trump: (41:24) From this night, and from this magnificent place, let us go forward united in our purpose and rededicated in our resolve. We will raise the next generation of American patriots. We will write the next thrilling chapter of the American adventure. And we will teach our children to know that they live in a land of legends, that nothing can stop them, and that no one can hold them down. They will know that, in America, you can do anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything. Donald Trump: (42:23) Uplifted by the titans of Mount Rushmore, we will find unity that no one expected. We will make strides that no one thought possible. This country will be everything that our citizens have hoped for for so many years, and that our enemies fear, because we will never forget that the American freedom exists for American greatness. And thats what we have, American greatness. Centuries from now, our legacy will be the cities we built, the champions we forged, the good that we did, and the monuments we created to inspire us all. My fellow citizens, Americas destiny is in our sights. Americas heroes are embedded in our hearts. Americas future is in our hands. And ladies and gentlemen, the best is yet to come. This has been a great honor for the First Lady and myself to be with you. I love your state. I love this country. Id like to wish everybody a very happy Fourth of July to all. God bless you. God bless your families. God bless our great military, and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.

polebear  2020-07-10 18:11:45

 ''  : 

  2020-07-05 21:20:11



polebear  2020-07-05 17:33:12

 ''  : Blessings!

polebear  2020-07-05 16:14:40

 'commonsense2'  : 

polebear  2020-07-05 16:12:45

 'yhr'  : 

polebear  2020-07-05 16:07:04

 'Aiping_'  : 

polebear  2020-07-05 16:06:15

 'Rubin717'  : -

polebear  2020-07-05 16:04:48

 'alanshou'  : 

polebear  2020-07-05 16:02:10

 ''  : 

polebear  2020-07-05 16:00:28

 ''  : 

polebear  2020-07-05 15:59:24

 ''  : 

  2020-07-05 13:39:31

God Bless the U.S.A.

commonsense2  2020-07-05 11:05:43









alanshou  2020-07-04 21:19:31

yhr  2020-07-05 09:12:24



Aiping_  2020-07-05 07:45:21

God bless America!

Rubin717  2020-07-05 04:18:59

alanshou  2020-07-04 21:19:31





xxxxxxxx



alanshou  2020-07-04 21:19:31





  2020-07-04 20:38:06



  2020-07-04 19:11:47

God bless America.

  2020-07-04 18:50:04


Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-21 20:06:40|Editor: huaxia

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Gong Zhen (R, front), a project manager on a maintenance mission in Senegal's Chinese-aided Children Hospital of Diamniadio, hands over donated medical supplies to the hosipital in Senegal, June 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Xing Jianqiao)

Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal on March 2, Chinese companies based in Senegal, together with the Chinese community, have spared no efforts in helping the West African country with donations of medical supplies and equipment in its fight against the common enemy of mankind.

DAKAR, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal on March 2, Chinese companies based in Senegal, together with the Chinese community, have spared no efforts in helping the West African country with donations of medical supplies and equipment in its fight against the common enemy of mankind.

As one of the first countries affected by COVID-19 in Africa, Senegal has so far reported a total of 5,783 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths and 3,859 recoveries.

On June 19, the Chinese technical assistance team based at the Chinese-aided Children's Hospital of Diamniadio on a maintenance mission deployed by Jiangsu Construction Engineering Group Co. Ltd, donated a batch of medical supplies to the hospital, including surgical masks, protective gowns, goggles, disposable gloves and shoe covers.

It also included some needed medical equipment, such as 3 channel ECG Portable Electrocardiographs, bed-side monitors, and blood pressure meters.

"The Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 just took place, and it was such a sucess. At this occasion, we want to fully implement the 'Defeating COVID-19 with Solidarity and Cooperation' theme of the summit," chief of the Chinese technical assistance team Gong Zhen said.

A man receives a bag of rice for his family in Dakar, Senegal, on May 7, 2020. (Photo by Eddy Peters/Xinhua)

Having been working in Senegal for more than 11 years, he wanted to show the Senegalese the sincerity and solidarity from China during this difficult time.

For the director of Children's Hospital of Diamniadio, Mame Fama Dieng Gaye, the Chinese technical assistance team "supports us for the normal operation of the hospital, both technically and administratively."

Apart from the donation from Jiangsu Construction Engineering Group, her hospital would also benefit from some of the Chinese government's donation that arrived on June 17 in Dakar, said Gaye.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action and the board of the hospital, all the supports provided by the technical assistance team and Chinese government to Children's Hospital of Diamniado," she told Xinhua.

As the largest and the most technologically advanced pediatric hospital in Senegal, Children's Hospital of Diamniadio has played a significant role in deepening the bilateral relations and friendship between Chinese and Senegalese peoples since its opening.

But it doesn't stop just there. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Senegal Women and Children's Hospital project was launched in 2018 and was completely finished by the end of 2019. It is in the same compound with the Children's Hospital, and can accomodate 84 beds and three operating room.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senegalese government decided to use it as a second treatment center of COVID-19 patients.

This photo taken on June 3, 2020, shows an almost empty beach in Dakar, Senegal. (Photo by Eddy Peters/Xinhua)

"In March, we received a request from Chinese Embassy in Senegal to rearrange the facilities of Senegal Women and Children's Hospital. It was Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action that ordered to add 100 additional beds in the hospital to accomodate mild COVID-19 patients," Gong said.

"We had to, at the same time, both assure the maintenant work at the Children Hospital of Diamniadio, and carry out the adjustment work in Women and Children's Hospital," Gong explained, adding that they worked overtime and finished everything three days in advance.

Gong's team also held a seminar on COVID-19 prevention and forwarded the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (trial version 7) to the board of hospital, which gained very positive responses.

Zhang Xun, Chinese ambassador to Senegal, said that Chinese companies and Chinese community in Senegal actively participated in Senegal's fight against COVID-19.

"They used concret actions to interpret China's principal of building relations with Africa based on sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, and China's efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind," Zhang said.
AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Middle school students in Agawam were allowed to celebrate their last day of school with ice cream after all. The annual tradition was called into question Wednesday when an email to parents from school administrators said Friendlys would not be able to serve stude
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 02:38:57|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Italy's COVID-19 numbers continued a downward trend Saturday, but health officials warned that more lockdowns to seal off small areas could be forthcoming as hotbeds flared up in some parts of the country.

A total of 235 people got infected by the new coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the Italian Ministry of Health said Saturday. This compares to 223 new infections on Friday. However, total active cases decreased to 14,621, down from 14,884 on Friday, according to ministry numbers.

Of the currently active cases, 940 people are hospitalized with symptoms (down from 956 on Friday), and 13,610 are isolated at home (down from 13,849 on Friday) because they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

Currently, 71 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in the ICU (down from 79 on Friday), and most of them (36) are in the northern Lombardy region where the pandemic officially broke out on Feb. 21, followed by 11 in the central Lazio region where Rome is located.

Another 21 COVID-19 patients have died -- 16 of them in Lombardy --bringing the overall death toll to 34,854.

On the positive side, 477 patients have recovered, taking the total to 191,944, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry also said almost 5.6 million swab tests have been carried out so far, up by 51,011 compared to Friday.

The overall number of COVID-19 cases combining infections, fatalities, and recoveries rose to 241,419 nationwide over the past 24 hours (compared to 241,184 on Friday), the ministry said.

HOTBEDS "EXPECTED"

In an interview with Sky TG24 private broadcaster on Saturday, Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri said that the virus is still circulating in Italy and that people must get used to the idea that hotbeds of infection will keep flaring up from time to time -- and some may require lockdowns to ensure they don't spread.

"The virus is circulating, even though less than before (the national lockdown)," Sileri said. "Scientists will discover whether it is less aggressive, or if it has mutated."

"The evidence shows that the hotbeds are occurring (across the country), and each one is a battle. We win by controlling them and preventing them from spreading -- this is what we can expect in the coming months," the deputy health minister explained.

Sileri spoke in reference to a spike in cases in some parts of the country, with three of Italy's 20 regions registering rates of transmission (Rt) indexes of above 1: the central Lazio region where Rome is located (Rt: 1.04), the northern Veneto region whose capital is Venice (Rt: 1.12), and the northern Emilia-Romagna region whose capital is Bologna (Rt: 1.28).

An Rt index of above 1 means each infected person is transmitting the virus to at least one other person, a situation that, in epidemiological terms, can quickly spiral into a large-scale outbreak.

Sileri added that more lockdowns to seal off small areas could be forthcoming. "It could be a rest home or a village," Sileri said. "We must get used to this (scenario)."

"There will always be new hotbeds, the important thing is to discover and contain them," the deputy minister concluded.

On the other hand, the Lombardy region, which has been hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of numbers of cases and deaths, has managed to bring its Rt index down to 0.89, according to the findings published in the latest monitoring report covering the week of June 22-28 compiled by the National Institute of Health (ISS) and the Ministry of Health.

On Saturday, the Corriere Romagna regional paper reported that local health authorities have discovered a new hotbed of coronavirus infection as 12 Bangladeshi farm laborers, who work and also live together on the outskirts of the city of Ravenna, have tested positive for the virus.

Also on Saturday, Lazio health authorities reported that two employees of the World Food Program (WFP) who recently came back from Somalia, a Bangladeshi national who just flew in from his home country, a woman who returned from Peru, and a one-month-old Romanian baby have all tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Italy declared a six-month national state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic on Jan. 31, and the government followed this up with a nationwide lockdown that lasted from March 10 to May 3.

All restrictions on individual mobility and economic activities were lifted on June 3, but top officials have repeatedly warned citizens that more lockdowns could be in the cards if the pandemic reaches dangerous levels again before a vaccine is found.

40 PCT OF HOTEL ROOMS BOOKED FOR AUGUST

Italy's National Tourism Board (ENIT) said in a statement Saturday that four out of 10 hotel rooms in Italy have been booked online by Italian and foreign tourists for August, which is the peak of the summer tourist season.

Venice is struggling the most with 68 percent of its hotel rooms still available, followed by Naples at 47 percent, Milan at 39 percent, Rome at 38 percent, and Florence at 26 percent.

ENIT also noted that between Jan. 1 and June 15, international arrivals in Italian airports plunged by 77.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

The tourism sector contributed 13.2 percent to national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018, according to ENIT. Enditem
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The UK government has announced a 1.57bn "one-off investment in UK culture" to help the industry through the pandemic.

Described by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak as a "rescue package', there will be an 880m worth of grants available through to April 2021, shared out between theatre, heritage sites, museums, music venues, galleries and more, will also be supplemented by 270m-worth of loans.

There will also be 100m worth of support for English cultural institutions and the Heritage Trust, and 120m to help the construction of cultural sites. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "This money will help safeguard the sector for future generations, ensuring arts groups and venues across the UK can stay afloat and support their staff." The scheme will help "support employment, including freelancers working in these sectors".

It comes after intense pressure from the arts sector to support the industry, with a number of venues already forced to make redundancies while in financially precarious positions. Further details about the package are to be revealed over the coming weeks, with the government also finalising guidance on how performances may return, adopting a phased return.

The new funding will also mean an extra 188 million for the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland (33 million), Scotland (97 million) and Wales (59 million).

The package was confirmed by the Chancellor and the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, with in-depth reports in the Financial Times, Variety, i news and more.





Jon Morgan, director of The Theatres Trust said: "Theatres Trust welcomes the announcement of 1.57bn additional support for the arts and cultural sectors, and the recognition of the importance of these sectors to the UK economy and national life. We will need to know more detail of how this money will be allocated across the different areas to fully assess its benefit  we would hope that a significant proportion will be reserved for the performing arts. Theatres have been amongst the hardest hit industries by the pandemic and are still at risk as they are unable to operate viably while social distancing is in place.

"It remains to be seen whether this amount will be sufficient to replace the furlough scheme, as it begins to taper from August and ends in October, at a time when we still do not have timescales for theatres reopening.

"We are pleased to see investment in capital projects included in this announcement. Our research has shown that there are more than 100 theatre capital projects worth almost 800m that have been stalled by the pandemic by anywhere between 3 and 18 months at a cost of upwards of 66m."

RSC executive director, Catherine Mallyon and artistic director, Gregory Doran said: "We are very pleased and relieved to hear news of the government's support package and investment in the arts and culture sector during this critical time. Thank you to the DCMS, HM Treasury and the many people in the sector who have worked together to demonstrate the critical role the arts play in our economic wellbeing and public life.

"We hope this investment will provide meaningful support for the whole sector: for the skilled workforce who create world-class theatre, and for theatres and companies at every scale throughout the UK. We are all ready to be part of a powerful civic, emotional and economic recovery for the country, and will be invaluable contributors to the UK's ability to re-emerge from the pandemic locally, nationally and on a world stage.

'We look forward to receiving the detail of the support package when we will see in full how this will help the survival of the sector, and support our next steps to welcoming audiences back to live theatre."

Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the Bridge Theatre and former artistic director of the National Theatre: "This is a much better plan than anyone expected and it's a big achievement for DCMS. Obviously there's a lot of work to done and questions to be asked about how quickly these funds can be distributed, how they reach the artists who need support, and how soon we can connect with the audiences we're so desperate to serve. But I warmly welcome the way Rishi Sunak and Oliver Dowden have responded to the tenacious and detailed lobbying of the entire arts sector."

Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: "The announcement of 1.57bn of emergency investment in the UK's culture sector is welcome news, but we are fast running out of time.

"This lifeline will come too late for some organisations who have already been forced to close their doors for good or made valued employees redundant.

"While we await precise details of the funding mechanisms, I would remind Government that the priority now must be to get these much-needed funds to the organisations most at risk  and fast."
A new fund has been set up to help theatre workers who have been unable to support themselves through the pandemic, spearheaded by award-winning director Sam Mendes.

According to organisers Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, the scheme aims to help "those who have been ineligible for Government aid and have not been able to work since theatres closed on 16th March due to Covid-19."

The fund will see small grants for practitioners "with nowhere else to turn". It will be aided by a 500k donations from Netflix, with each grant being 1000. Fund applicants must have worked in theatre between 31 March 2020 and the beginning of last year.

Mendes said: "Thousands of theatre professionals in the UK are struggling. Many of them haven't been able to get help from the existing Government schemes, and the situation continues to worsen. They need help now.

"We have created a fund to which the most vulnerable freelance theatre practitioners can now apply. It is specifically designed for theatre workers who find themselves at breaking point, for those unable to put food on the table or to pay bills, or for those considering leaving the profession altogether."

Anne Mensah, vice president, original series at Netflix, said: "British theatre is a vital cultural force, not least because so many emerging talents and original ideas begin life on the stage. Creativity is all about collaboration, and we are deeply concerned by the challenges our friends in the theatre now face, especially in the regions, and the likely consequences for the diverse voices and stories at the heart of our culture."

You can find out more here.

The news comes just as the UK government unveils a massive support package totally 1.5bn to help the arts sector weather the pandemic.
Police arrested a 28-year-old Waterbury man early Sunday whom they said was in illegal possession of an assault weapon and body armor, after reports of gunfire in a residential neighborhood.

Waterbury police were dispatched to William and Laurel streets around 2 a.m. Sunday after receiving numerous complaints of gunshots being heard in the area, police said in a Facebook post.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 02:42:29|Editor: huaxia

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CHICAGO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Chicago is a little quiet during this year's Independence Day holiday as the local government has cancelled the fireworks displays at Navy Pier and most of the surrounding suburbs to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

With some 40 states in the United States reporting resurgence of COVID-19 cases, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have no plans to reverse the reopening course after lifting some restrictions statewide last week. But they are determined to implement the reopening with restrictions more strictly.

Lightfoot sent a message on Thursday, ahead of the long Independence Day weekend, warning that if bars and restaurants let crowds of maskless patrons pack in violation of occupancy and face covering rules, "I will shut you down and if you're shut down, you're not coming back anytime soon."

Under the rules in Chicago, patrons must be seated, and indoor capacity is limited to 25 percent, or 50 people, whichever is fewer.

Lightfoot has also ordered people coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases to practice self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week.

The order was announced on Thursday and will go into effect on Monday. The 15 high-risk U.S. states are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

Nevertheless, Chicago health officials said Friday they have no plan for enforcing the city's quarantine order, but will rely largely on signs posted along highways and at the two airports in Chicago. But violations could bring fines from 100 U.S. dollars to 500 dollars a day.

Statewide, Illinois Governor Pritzker and the state's top health official are also urging restaurants and bars and their customers to follow safety guidelines.

"The virus is not taking the holiday weekend off, and neither can we. Letting our guard down now would fly in the face of the progress we've made over many months," Pritzker said in a statement on Friday. "We have seen those mitigation measures have worked in our state."

Those measures include wearing masks in public, maintaining proper social distancing and abiding by capacity limits in restaurants, bars and other businesses.

The Illinois State Police is working with local authorities on enforcement measures, including warnings, fines and potential suspension or revocation of licenses.

A day before Pritzker made the statement, a southern Illinois judge ruled that Pritzker's executive orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 are void.

As of Friday, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state of Illinois reached 145,750, with 7,005 deaths. Enditem
OTTAWA - A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around and return home because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 5/7/2020 (351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadian flag and the UN flag is shown on the sleeve of a Canadian soldier's uniform before boarding a plane at CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ont., on July 5, 2018. A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19. Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande says the Polaris aircraft carrying about 70 military members and aircrew took off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton on July 2 those on board had spent two weeks in quarantine. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

OTTAWA - A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around and return home because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19.

The Polaris aircraft carrying about 70 military members and aircrew took off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton on July 2 after those on board had spent two weeks in quarantine at the Ontario base, Defence Department spokeswoman Jessical Lamirande said.

All military personnel deploying on overseas missions are required to undergo such quarantine measures as the Canadian Armed Forces has implemented strict measures to ensure troops do not carry COVID-19 to another country or spread the respiratory illness among their unit.

Yet despite those precautions, the plane was forced to turn around in midair after the military received word that someone at CFB Trenton who may have come in contact with the plane and passengers had tested positive for the illness.

"The health and well-being of our members and that of our allies and partners in Latvia is a priority," Lamirande said in a statement. "As such, the decision was made to return the aircraft en route  rather than land in Latvia  to avoid the possible risk of spreading the disease."

Those on board will now have to undergo another 14 days in isolation at the base before resuming their mission, though Lamirande played down any potential impact the delay would have on Canada's mission in Latvia.

Canada has 540 troops in Latvia, where they form the core of a 1,500-strong multinational battlegroup established by the NATO military alliance three years ago. Similar battlegroups led by Britain, Germany and the U.S. have been established in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, respectively.

The battlegroups were created after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and began to support separatist forces in Ukraine's eastern regions. That sparked concerns the Kremlin could launch similar efforts against the Baltics and other parts of eastern Europe.

The battlegroups are designed to defend against a Russian invasion, but their small size means they would almost certainly be overwhelmed in a real war. Instead, their main utility is to deter against Russian aggression, with the idea that an attack on one would draw in all of NATO.

The arrival of the 70 Canadian soldiers in Latvia was to mark the start of a rotation of troops, which the Armed Forces has decided will go ahead despite concerns about the pandemic.

Another group of soldiers deploying to the Middle East as part of a similar rotation of Canada's mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Lamirande said that deployment was not affected by the COVID-19 scare.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2020.
NEW YORK - There were the two-hour, unpaid waits outside supermarkets when San Francisco first started to lock down, on top of the heavy shopping bags that had to be lugged up countless flights of stairs.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 5/7/2020 (351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alexandra Lopez-Djurovic heads to the parking lot with a long receipt trailing behind her after shopping for a client at an Acme supermarket, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Bronxville, N.Y. Lopez-Djurovic was working full time as a nanny until her hours were cut substantially amid the coronavirus pandemic, so she started her own grocery delivery service that made up for some of her lost wages, but not all. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

NEW YORK - There were the two-hour, unpaid waits outside supermarkets when San Francisco first started to lock down, on top of the heavy shopping bags that had to be lugged up countless flights of stairs.

And yet even after signing up for several apps, 39-year-old Saori Okawa still wasn't making as much money delivering meals and groceries as she did driving for ride-hailing giant Uber before the pandemic struck.

I started to juggle three apps to make ends meet, said Okawa, who recently reduced her work hours after receiving unemployment benefits. It was really hard, because at that time, I could not afford to stay home because I had to pay rent.

Okawa is one of an estimated 1.5 million so-called gig workers who make a living driving people to airports, picking out produce at grocery stores or providing childcare for working parents. Theirs had already been a precarious situation, largely without safeguards such as minimum wage, unemployment insurance, workers compensation and health and safety protections.

But with the pandemic pummeling the global economy and U.S. unemployment reaching heights not seen since the Great Depression, gig workers are clamouring for jobs that often pay less while facing stiff competition from a crush of newly unemployed workers also attempting to patch together a livelihood - all while trying to avoid contracting the coronavirus themselves.

U.S. unemployment fell to 11.1% in June, a Depression-era level that, while lower than last month, could worsen after a surge in coronavirus cases has led states to close restaurants and bars.

Marisa Martin, a law school student in California, turned to Instacart when a state government summer job as paralegal fell through after a hiring freeze. She said she enjoys the flexibility of choosing her own hours but hopes not to have to turn to gig work in the future. The pay is too volatile  with tips varying wildly and work sometimes slow  to be worth the risk of exposure to the virus.

We are not getting paid nearly enough when were on the front lines interacting with multiple people daily," said Martin, 24, who moved in with her parents temporarily to save money.

Alexandra Lopez-Djurovic, 26, was a full-time nanny in a New York City suburb when one of the parents she works for lost her job while the other saw his hours cut.

All of a sudden, as much as they want me to stay, they cant afford to pay me, she said. Her own hours were reduced to about eight per week.

To make up lost wages, Lopez-Djurovic placed an ad offering grocery delivery on a local Facebook group. Overnight, she got 50 responses.

Lopez-Djurovic charges $30 an hour and co-ordinates shopping lists over email, offering perks the app companies dont such as checking the milks expiration date before choosing which size to buy. Still, it doesnt replace the salary she lost.

One week I might have seven, eight, 10 families I was shopping for, Lopez-Djurovic said. I had a week when I had no money. Thats definitely a challenge.

Upwork, a website that connects skilled freelance workers with jobs, has seen a 50% increase in signups by both workers and employers since the pandemic began, including spikes in jobs related to ecommerce and customer service, said Adam Ozimek, chief economist at Upwork.

When you need to make big changes fast, a flexible workforce helps you, he said.

Maya Pinto, a researcher at the National Employment Law Project, said temporary and contract work grew during Great Recession and she expects that many workers will seek such jobs again amid the current crisis.

But increased reliance on temporary and contract work will have negative implications on job quality and security because it is a way of saving costs and shifting risk onto the worker, Pinto said.

Its difficult to assess the overall picture of the gig economy during the pandemic since some parts are expanding while others are contracting. Grocery delivery giant Instacart, for instance, has brought on 300,000 new contracted shoppers since March, more than doubling its workforce to 500,000. Meanwhile, Ubers business fell 80% in April compared with last year while Lyft's tumbled 75% in the same period.

For food delivery apps, it's been a mixed bag. Although they are getting a bump from restaurants offering more takeout options, those gains are being offset by the restaurant industrys overall decline during the pandemic.

Gig workers are also jockeying for those jobs from all fronts. DoorDash launched an initiative to help out-of-work restaurant workers sign up for delivery work. Ubers food delivery service, Uber Eats, grew 53% in the first quarter and around 200,000 people have signed up for the app per month since March  about 50% more than usual.

Drivers are definitely exploring other options, but the issue is that theres 20 or 30 million people looking for work right now, said Harry Campbell, founder of The Rideshare Guy. Sometimes I joke all you need is a pulse and a car to get approved. But what that means is its easy for other people to get approved too, so you have to compete for shifts.

Delivery jobs typically pay less than ride-hailing jobs. Single mom Luz Laguna used to earn about $25 in a half-hour driving passengers to Los Angeles International Airport. When those trips evaporated, Laguna began delivering meals through Uber Eats, working longer hours but making less cash. The base pay is around $6 per delivery, and most people tip around $2, she said. To avoid shelling out more for childcare, she sometimes brings her 3-year-old son along on deliveries.

This is our only way out right now, Laguna said. Its hard managing, but thats the only job that I can be able to perform as a single mother.

Other drivers find it makes more sense to stay home and collect unemployment  a benefit they and other gig workers hadn't qualified for before the pandemic. They are also eligible to receive an additional $600 weekly check from the federal government, a benefit that became available to workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. Taken together, thats more than what many ride-hailing drivers were making before the pandemic, Campbell said.

But that $600 benefit will expire at the end of July, and the $2 trillion government relief package that extended unemployment benefits to gig workers expires at the end of the year.

So many drivers are going to have to sit down and decide, do I want to put myself at risk and my family at risk once Im not getting the government assistance? Campbell said.

______

Follow @cbussewitz and @Alexolson99 on Twitter
TORONTO - A planting machine crawled along the 100-acre Good Farm in Brant County, Ont. on a sunny June day, dropping seeds into the soil in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 5/7/2020 (351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

48North Cannabis Corp. chief executive Charles Vennat, shown in this undated handout image, runs a 100-acre outdoor cannabis farm in Brant County, Ont. , which he says is far cheaper than keeping indoor pot facilities. Health Canada began handing out licenses to cultivate cannabis outside in 2019, but interest has since grown steadily. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-48North Cannabis Corp *MANDATORY CREDIT*

TORONTO - A planting machine crawled along the 100-acre Good Farm in Brant County, Ont. on a sunny June day, dropping seeds into the soil in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behind the wheel was an employee of 48North Cannabis Corp. one wouldn't usually expect: chief executive Charles Vennat.

"I joked with my team that I was the most expensive farmhand in southwestern Ontario," said Vennat, who professes to keeping a pair of hiking boots in his car trunk for such impromptu jaunts.

"I've always had the leadership philosophy that you should never ask anybody to do a job in your company that you would not want to do yourself."

Vennat, who visits the farm once a week during warm months, was at work on his company's second crop of outdoor cannabis  a fairly new venture for licensed cannabis producers.

While many pot producers started out with massive indoor facilities to prepare for the legalization of cannabis in Canada, a handful have turned to outdoor cultivation in order to take advantage of savings from free sunlight and lower electricity and staffing costs.

Health Canada began handing out licenses to cultivate cannabis outside in 2019. Interest has since grown steadily.

Health Canada told The Canadian Press there were 391 cannabis license holders as of May 31. About 56 are authorized for outdoor cultivation, up from 28 last December.

As of March 2020, licence holders had dedicated more than 2.7 million square metres of land to outdoor growing and about 1.9 million square metres for indoor cultivation.

Most say savings make outdoor cultivation attractive. A 48North spokesperson said some studies show cannabis grown indoors can cost $2 per gram to cultivate.

"We cultivated 12,000 kilos last year at 25 cents a gram, which is obviously disruptive," said Vennat.

"We're quite bullish on the fact that we will do it again this year with even better quality and a lower cost per gram."

While Vennat boasts about the price, he admits that the company didn't harvest as much as it hoped and didn't have the right licensed drying spaces.

"Some went just extremely large scale where other producers started with a more slow and steady approach and I think are scaling up moving into this season," said Robyn Rabinovich, a senior account director at Hill and Knowlton Strategies, who has worked for CannTrust Holdings Inc. and TerrAscend.

While many companies were instantly interested in outdoor cultivation, several licensed cannabis producers fought it because they had already invested in large-scale greenhouses, she said.

They eventually came around on the idea, which many experts believe could become even more popular because of the cost savings and how easy it is to physically distance on outdoor farms compared to indoor facilities.

Those benefits aren't lost on Canopy Growth Corp.

It first got into the outside growing game last year with a test crop in Saskatchewan, but is back at it again this year. It hopes to use its crop on edibles, cannabis beverages and vaporizer pens.

"Your electricity bill is practically nothing when you grow with the sun," said Adam Greenblatt, a senior communications adviser with the Smiths Falls, Ont. company.

"When you consider indoor growing, you're talking about easily 1,000-watt lamps for every 20 square feet or so and rooms with 100,000 watts of lights, burning 12 to 18 hours a day. It's incomparable."

Outdoor cannabis farming also allows for a drop in labour costs. Greenblatt estimates a dozen workers tend to Canopy's Saskatchewan cannabis farm, in comparison to its headquarters, where roughly 1,000 people work.

Canopy's indoor growing team is much larger because it involves more labour intensive work such as trimming the flowers and maintaining and operating fertilizer tanks and high-powered lighting.

Outside growers can often do their harvesting completely mechanically because the cannabis is being grown to become ingredients for pot products.

Even with its benefits, outdoor cannabis farming isn't always a smooth venture, said Andrew Condin, the chief executive at Saskatchewan-based Bold Growth Inc.

He's always paying close attention to Mother Nature because hail or high winds can wreak havoc on his cannabis crop.

Condin wanted to plant 15 acres of outdoor cannabis this year, but COVID-19 has disrupted that plan.

Pandemic-friendly policies have meant Bold's indoor growing operations has to split its workers into two groups and can't spare enough to tend to a full farm doing outdoor cultivation.

"We basically divided our teams and had no crossover so we didn't have COVID coming through the facility and transmitting through our workforce, but it's been difficult to manage that and to keep that level of protection on our team members," Condin said.

When COVID-19 is over or at least subsides, he envisions all 15 acres growing and predicts, "You will see an increase in outdoor cultivation."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2020.

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The search for a missing nine-year-old boy who was last seen in the Red River continued Saturday, although police say it's now considered a recovery effort.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The search for a missing nine-year-old boy who was last seen in the Red River continued Saturday, although police say it's now considered a recovery effort.

Const. Jay Murray told a news conference there is still some hope Darius Bezecki will be found alive, and that he may have gotten out of the river.

9-year-old Darius Bezecki. (Family photo)

The boys family took shelter under umbrellas, tents and tarps Saturday near the Louise Bridge where they watched the Winnipeg Police Services underwater search and recovery unit comb the river for the boy who disappeared into the river Friday afternoon.

The rain combined with the undercurrent and muddy water posed a challenge as crews navigated around trees that had fallen into the river.

Despite the conditions, family members held onto hope.

On the edge of the riverbank, Dariuss family tended to a fire that will not be put out until he is found. Preparing for a long wait, someone pushed a shopping cart filled with driftwood to fuel the flames, leaving the smoke to drift into the overcast, grey skies.

Dressed in a yellow rain poncho, Darryl Contois offered support to family members.

Contois, a member of Evelyn Memorial Search Team, arrived Friday with his boat and said he was on the water until 2 a.m. Saturday with the Bezecki family.

"I came and talked to the family, and I talked to Edward, which is the dad. I told him I was going to be putting a boat in the water to help and assist to try and locate Darius," said Contois.

"As you can see theres a lot of floating debris and logs we have to go through and to top it off we got rain this morning and stuff like that."

As the day progressed, the rainfall eased, and the crews continued their search.

Members of Bear Clan Patrol, Thunderbird, and Evelyn Memorial Search Team joined forces to investigate the banks and other areas the strong current may have swept the boy.

Just before 1 p.m. a diver from the underwater search-and-recover unit went into the water and was there for nearly an hour. As the diver emerged from the water, onlookers thought perhaps Darius had been found, only to learn the team was moving further down the river.

While crews continued to navigate the water, members of the community visited the scene offering condolences, support and food to family members.

"Right now, the dad is trying to sleep because he was up all night. We tried to get him to change because he was wet and you can get cold, but he wouldnt leave the river," said Contois.

Later Saturday afternoon the sun came out, but the heat and humidity didnt deter searchers from their mission. As the WPS team awaited the arrival of an additional diver, family and community members sat by with heavy hearts.

At a press conference Saturday morning, Winnipeg Police Spokesman Const. Jay Murray said Darius was with his siblings and a friend when the incident occurred.

"Its my understanding that Darius lives nearby the river," said Murray.

"He was with a number of his siblings and a friend. They were riding their bikes. They had made their way to the river at just about 4:30 p.m., just after that time, someone reported seeing at least one of the children in the water."

Murray said while it is unclear what prompted the children to enter the water, they hope to learn more about that as the investigation moves forward.

Murray said the impact of the incident will be felt across many communities.

"I dont think anyone can fathom the pain, the anxiety, the worry that the family is experiencing right now. It was incredibly tough to speak with them, to see that raw emotion that they were displaying... I think this is an incident thats going to tug at the hearts of a lot of people in Winnipeg and even beyond our city," said Murray.

At the time of the Free Press deadline, Dariuss body had not been recovered from the Red River.

nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.ca
It is one of a host of parasites, bacteria and viruses that can cause a gastroenteritis or digestive system infection from eating food contaminated with them.

It is passed via the fecal-oral route. When it comes prepackaged in vegetables or fruits imported from other countries, you are unable to avoid it. In countries and areas where it is commonly in the water, and sanitation is not secure or non-existent, it can be avoided by not eating those foods, even if prepared fresh.

Its one of the many reasons for travelers diarrhea. In the case of an outbreak like this one, you dont have to travel far to get it.

Its biology or life cycle  like that of so many parasites  is complicated, with several stages and forms.

Cyclosporiasis seems to be transmitted almost exclusively from contaminated food or water to humans, although other Cyclospora species can infect a variety of animals, birds and reptiles.
In the midst of resurgent COVID-19, racism, corruption, and Russian meddling and violence against our soldiers associated with the worst U.S. president ever, we not only need the experienced leadership of Joe Biden in January, we need him and his fellow Democrats now.

Only a clean sweep of elected Republican officials will suffice. We have to come together now to work for their November election. We cant allow Trump and Trump Republicans to remove health care nor voting rights in the midst of this pandemic.

We need Joe Bidens expertise in dealing with pandemics, easing tension caused by violent racism, and in national security; reigning in Russia, China and climate change.

Through pervasive negligence, incompetence and dishonesty, Trump has badly botched the preparation, the stay-at-home restrictions, as well as what was supposed to be a gradual and careful reopening.

He didnt listen to his medical team and rushed to open. There have already been 127,460 Americans needlessly lost and a new shutdown of our economy.

After abdicating COVID-19 leadership, Trump is hosting super-spreader rallies Meanwhile, leaders from other nation-states have flattened the curve as U.S. cases again soar.
(The Center Square)  More than 100,000 people likely will stay on Wisconsin's voter rolls through Election Day in November, despite questions about where they live and if they can legally vote.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court late Tuesday decided that it will not hear arguments in the state's voter purge lawsuit until September. That means a decision in the case may not come until after January.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sued in October, asking a judge to order the Wisconsin Election Commission to remove 230,000 voters from the system because of address questions. That number is now down to about 130,000.

An Ozaukee County judge ruled in WILL's favor, but the Election Commission refused to act.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court eventually agreed to hear the case. On Tuesday, the justices voted, 5-2, to add the case to its regular schedule. That means arguments will come no later than Sept. 29.

The two "no" votes came from two conservatives, Justice Rebecca Bradley and Justice Daniel Kelly.

Bradley wrote what the decision means in practical terms.

Under this courts typical briefing and oral argument schedule, the people of Wisconsin would most likely not receive a decision in this case until after every single one of Wisconsins 2020 elections has come and gone, Bradley wrote. The majoritys unusual order delaying oral argument in this case until at least September 29, 2020, renders a timely decision impossible.

Questions about the accuracy of the state's voter list will take on new importance this fall. The state's Election Commission is preparing to send an absentee ballot application to almost every voter in the state. Commissioners have promised not to send those applications to the voters in question in the Supreme Court case.
A Fort Drum soldier fighting to keep us safe, was killed in Afghanistan.

Officials with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum say 21-year-old Vincent Ibarria from San Antonio, Texas was killed on Friday, July 3rd, during a vehicle rollover accident. They say that accident is under investigation.



Ibarria served as an infantryman. At the age of 21, Ibarria had already received a number of medals and awards for his service.
The State of Michigan will re-open to full capacity on June 22 as more than 9 million vaccines have been administered, and COVID-19 cases fall to a one-year low.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 07:39:44|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Six people were confirmed dead while one other was declared missing following a boat mishap in Nigeria's commercial hub, Lagos, said local authorities on Saturday.

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) said a rescue operation was still ongoing after the accident near Ikorodu, the outskirts of Lagos, on Friday.

A total of 21 people, including the captain, were aboard the ferry, but 14 of them were rescued alive, said Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, general manager of LASWA.

Emmanuel told reporters in the city of Lagos that the boat ran into an unforeseen object on the waterways, which resulted in the mishap.

The accident happened at Owode-Ibeshe, near Ikorodu, at about 8.30 p.m. local time on Friday.

Emmanuel said both the boat operator and the passengers broke the law against night travel on waterways.

The Lagos government has repeatedly warned boat operators and passengers against night travel on the Lagos inland waterways. Enditem
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Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth condemned President Donald Trump's divisive message at Mount Rushmore over the weekend, saying his "priorities are all wrong" and adding that he has failed in his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The gulf between reality and President Donald Trump's delusional vision of a waning coronavirus threat was on full display this weekend, as cases soared in key hotspots while he delivered speeches at Mount Rushmore and at the White House, with little physical distancing and few masks, directly contradicting the advice from his public health experts.

Playing with fire at a time when experts say the spread of the virus appears to be spiraling out of control, Trump continued gaslighting Americans about the threat to their health during a Fourth of July speech from the South Lawn of the White House, where he minimized the dangers of Covid-19 with a baseless statement that 99% of coronavirus cases are "harmless," a claim his Food and Drug Administration chief could not back up Sunday morning.

With many Americans flouting public health guidelines during the holiday weekend, Trump's conduct is creating an inflection point for the GOP at a time when his poll numbers have tumbled. With American lives on the line, the question now is whether members of the Republican Party will continue to stand by in silence as the President peddles fiction about a deadly virus, and if so, will they pay a price at the ballot box in November.

While Republicans deserted Trump on the issue of facial coverings -- with many urging Americans to wear masks over the past week -- they have been mostly silent about Trump's effort to deceive the public about the risks the virus poses.

Trump spent the weekend raging about protecting statues of American heroes with racist pasts while setting an irresponsible example as the virus spreads. This time GOP silence could become complicity, jeopardizing public health and safety, as well as American lives.

"I think the President is stepping forward," GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who faces a competitive reelection in November, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" on Sunday when asked whether she thought Trump had exhibited "failed leadership" on coronavirus, as she criticized former President Barack Obama on Ebola in 2014.

The President's falling poll numbers, particularly in swing states in his matchup against former Vice President Joe Biden, are now an area of intense concern for Republicans, and many longtime GOP strategists are puzzled by his dual strategy of ignoring the virus while trying to incite race wars.

View Trump and Biden head-to-head polling

A majority of Americans do not approve of Trump's handling of the pandemic (or his response to the nation's racial reckoning), which has stirred consternation even in his own campaign as the President banks on an economic revival and good news about a vaccine to restore his political fortunes.

But Trump waded even deeper this weekend into his controversial campaign strategy of trying to distract from the virus with race-baiting rhetoric. At Mount Rushmore on Friday, Trump described protesters as a left-wing fascist mob that is trying to "end America" by erasing the nation's history and indoctrinating its children. On Saturday night at the White House, he compared his attempt to defeat "the radical left" to the efforts by the United States to eradicate the Nazis.

While Friday's and Saturday's speeches marked new heights in terms of inflammatory language from the President, many Republicans have long been uncomfortable with Trump's penchant for falling back on culture war tropes and racially incendiary language that he thinks stirs fealty to him within his base.

Late last month, as Trump's poll numbers continued to sink over his handling of the protests, Senate Majority Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told CNN Trump was "good with his base," noting that the people who will "decide in November are the people in the middle."

Afraid to contradict the President on coronavirus

As public health officials sound the alarm about a surge of new coronavirus cases throughout the country, the White House task force dedicated to the pandemic did not meet this weekend, a person familiar with the schedule told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, though a meeting was scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Though the task force has started meeting more regularly in recent weeks after a period with few meetings, it has not resumed meeting on the weekends like it did in the early months of the outbreak. Task force officials were invited to the Fourth of July event on the South Lawn where there was little social distancing and few people wore masks, one person said. While several attended the festivities, others declined that invite.

Meanwhile, the President's view that the US has turned the corner on Covid-19 has also increasingly isolated him from key Republican leaders, like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who are pleading with the public to wear masks and stay home. Yet the President's punitive nature -- and the long list of people he has fired or tweeted about negatively after they contradicted him -- still makes GOP elected officials and his own public health experts loathe to criticize or correct him.

An example of that dynamic came Sunday when Bash repeatedly pressed US Food and Drug Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn to explain the President's false statement that 99% of coronavirus cases are "totally harmless."

"I'm not going to get into who is right and who is wrong," Hahn, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told Bash during CNN's "State of the Union" when she asked him to explain why the President made the claim when his public health experts have said exactly the opposite.

"What I'll say is that we have data in the White House task force. Those data show us that this is a serious problem. People need to take it seriously," the FDA chief said.

One exception was the Republican mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Gimenez, who contradicted the President Sunday as he finds his county in an difficult predicament: "The virus is not harmless. No, absolutely not," Gimenez said Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation." Noting the positivity rate is around 20% in his area, he said that more Floridians need critical care.

"When you have more (cases), you obviously will have more hospitalizations, more ICUs, more respirators, and unfortunately, you'll have more fatalities," Gimenez said.

Meanwhile, Trump's former Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert tweeted the ominous message Sunday: "We are in trouble.... Once a state is over 1% prevalence, it becomes much harder to extinguish the flare up," Bossert tweeted. "It will take a huge effort to put out these outbreak fires. More than masks alone. We could top 500k US deaths this year if this trend continues."

More Trump rallies amid alarming signs of coronavirus spread

Though US coronavirus fatalities are down, there are few signs that the virus is going to disappear. The spike in patients overwhelmed some Texas hospitals as concerns grow about shrinking capacity in intensive care units. Florida set an all-time record for the most cases in a single day Saturday, surpassing the previous record set in New York in mid-April. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that there's "no clear line of sight on how we're going to get this under control."

The political polarization of the virus, driven in no small part by conflicting messages from Trump and his public health experts, was in the spotlight over the holiday weekend.

Though coronavirus cases rose in 34 states over the previous week -- and 12 states recorded an increase in cases of more than 50%, according to John Hopkins University data -- beaches in some parts of the country were packed with people, while others were empty.

Weekend images emerged of partygoers dancing and shouting with no distancing at an event in Diamond Lake, Michigan, and closely packed crowds at a Wisconsin waterpark.

Cases are declining in three states -- Kentucky, Vermont and the swing state of New Hampshire, where the Trump campaign announced that the President will hold a campaign rally Saturday at Portsmouth International Airport. The crowd will be in a hangar, with the overflow crowd outside. The campaign said that there will be ample access to hand sanitizer and all attendees will be provided a face mask "that they are strongly encouraged to wear."

But the concern is that the President's descriptions of an innocuous virus will lead his supporters to let their guard down. In direct contradiction to Trump's "totally harmless" assertion, the US case fatality rate from coronavirus stood at 4.6% this weekend, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The World Health Organization has said that 20% of all people who are diagnosed with coronavirus are sick enough to need oxygen or hospital care. And while the CDC estimates that a third of coronavirus cases are asymptomatic, that does not make the disease any less dangerous since people with mild or no symptoms can pass the virus on to others. As of Sunday, the death toll in America had surpassed 129,000 American lives.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a Democrat, told CNN's Boris Sanchez Sunday that the situation in Miami is "going to get much worse," and he said the disconnect between the reality on the ground and the President's message is making it much harder to force Floridians to heed the guidance of health experts.

"We're telling people to make sacrifices, to put on masks, to socially distance themselves from people they love, to make sacrifices for others," Gelber said. "Friday night, the President is hosting this huge event where none of those countermeasures were being followed. So how do we tell people to swallow very difficult medicine when the President, by his action and his words, is telling them they don't have to?"

A growing number of Americans also do not trust the President's information about the virus. Only 26% of registered voters trusted Trump to give accurate information about the coronavirus, according to last month's New York Times/Siena College poll, while about 77% of registered voters trusted the CDC.

It is not yet clear what damage that may inflict on Trump's fellow Republicans with the President on the top of the ticket in November -- and whether they will continue to stand with him as his message becomes more dangerous.

This story has been updated to reflect that the White House coronavirus task force did not meet over the weekend but has a meeting scheduled for Monday.
Florida surpassed 200,000 cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, following the Fourth of July holiday during which the state recorded its most cases reported in a single day.

At least 40,000 cases have been reported by the Florida Department of Health in the last four days. On Saturday, the Sunshine State reported 11,458 cases, the most reported in a single day, beating the previous record that was set on Thursday.

The state has now surpassed New York's previous single-day high of 11,434, which was recorded in mid-April.

'It's clear that the growth is exponential at this point,' Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday. 'We've been breaking record after record after record the last couple of weeks.'

'Our county closed down the beaches for the July Fourth weekend, in the hopes that all these rules will have an impact, a positive impact,' he added.

For Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, what's alarming is the number of hospitalizations that will likely follow.

'This is just the positives,' Gelber told CNN. 'It's going to get much worse.'

The continued spike in cases came as millions of Americans marked a very different Independence Day, with many choosing virtual celebrations or canceling plans altogether amid mounting concern over the pandemic.

The changes followed pleas from health officials warning that holiday crowds and packed gatherings would likely lead to further spikes in cases.

But while many cities took measured approaches to celebrate the Fourth of July, images emerging from the holiday weekend show not everyone is taking the warnings seriously.

These are the states that require masks

A video posted on Instagram showed a crowd of maskless July Fourth revelers packed close together at Diamond Lake in Michigan.

'We can't control what people do,' a resident who runs the Instagram page told CNN. The resident -- who asked to remain anonymous, citing safety concerns -- said that the majority of people in the video were either residents or make the area their summer home.

'We made announcements saying we're trying not to have everybody right packed in tight,' the resident said. 'We wanted to have more distance between people, and you know that's just young people wanting to enjoying their freedom.'

Your coronavirus questions, answered

Fourth of July crowds

Crowds flocked to Virginia Beach shores Saturday, even after the city canceled its holiday fireworks display to 'help keep Virginia Beach safe in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.'

CNN affiliate WAVY reported city officials warned residents of additional traffic because of the holiday, adding they anticipated tens of thousands of people would visit Virginia Beach.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, saw similar scenes as beachgoers opted to celebrate by the water Saturday. Earlier this week, the state's governor announced bars at Delaware beaches would be closed for the holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, in California, where many beaches in the southern part of the state closed for the holiday weekend, the beach crowds in San Diego were reminiscent of years past. CNN affiliate KSWB reported many were not social distancing or wearing masks.

'It seems pretty regular for the Fourth of July with definitely a lot of people,' Marine Safety Lt. Rich Stropky told the affiliate.

Masks and social distancing were also features that were mostly absent from the White House Fourth of July celebration. Tables on the White House South Lawn were somewhat spaced, with about six chairs per table.

And as people tried to beat the July heat, many congregated in the shady areas of the space, not distancing at all.

Local officials warn of rising cases and hospitalizations

Coronavirus cases were on the rise in 34 states over the past week, with 12 recording an increase of more than 50%, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Three states -- Kentucky, New Hampshire and Vermont -- are reporting a decline in cases.

These are the states where cases are trending up: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Track the virus here

Nearly half of US states have halted their reopening plans as new coronavirus cases surged to record-breaking numbers in recent weeks.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, told ABC's 'This Week' that her state 'opened way too early.' She attributed much of the 'explosion' in cases to people between the ages of 20 and 44.

Miami Beach's Gelber told CNN that hospital capacity in his city is dropping. In the last two weeks, he said, hospitalizations have doubled.

'Too many people obviously are not taking seriously at all these admonishments to socially distance, to wear masks, all those things,' Gelber said.

Rising hospitalizations could lead to another shelter-in-place order, the mayor said.

'We're going to try to avoid a full shelter in place, but we can't take that out of the out of the equation because, frankly, if our hospital system is so overwhelmed, well, then we will have to consider that, obviously,' Gelber said.

Concerns about hospitalizations have also been felt in at least two Texas counties that said their hospitals hit maximum capacity.

In Starr County, at least two patients had to be flown out of the area for treatment.

'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,' Judge Eloy Vera said.

In Hidalgo County, Judge Richard Cortez asked residents to shelter in place and 'only call 911 if absolutely necessary.'

Cases are steady in 13 states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.

121 college students test positive in Washington

Outbreaks have been popping up around the country, including at the University of Washington in Seattle, where 121 students tested positive, according to a joint press release from the university and Public Health Seattle & King County.

Of those, 112 are residents of fraternity houses on Greek Row in the north section of campus, the release said. Students who tested positive but are not residents of the houses are close contacts.

On July 3, the student-led governing board for UW fraternities reported that at least 117 residents living in 15 fraternity houses self-reported positive tests, the release said.

News of the infected students could signal what many colleges across the country face as they prepare for the fall semester and outline plans for on-campus housing.

In north Georgia, an unspecified number of counselors and campers from summer camps have tested positive for Covid-19 after one counselor was first confirmed positive on June 24, according to Lauren Koontz, CEO and president of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. The counselor was immediately sent home and both locations for Camp High Harbour were closed.

'We have since learned of additional positive Covid-19 test results of campers and staff,' Koontz said in a statement, 'but cannot confirm a number.'

Koontz pointed out that while preparing for camp, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta collaborated with the CDC and the American Camp Association, in addition to following guidance outlined by the state.
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI)- Saturday morning, a large group started a protest in Indianapolis.

They then traveled to the Clay County jail.

It is a short-term immigration and customs enforcement detention center.

Demonstrators picked Saturday because they say we cannot take pride in the country while families are separated at the border.

They're demanding the release of all those detained by ICE in Clay County.

"We have people still detained during a pandemic. We have people fighting to not wear masks but you continue to let people stay in a jail where they are exposed and don't even have their basic needs met," said a member of the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance.

These protesters also used their voices to address the criminal justice system and how they say it disproportionately impacts people of color, the poor, and the mentally ill.
RICHLAND COUNTY, Ill. (WTHI)  An Indiana man was seriously injured in crash just north of Olney, Illinois according to state police.

It happened just after noon Saturday. According to Illinois State Police, a man on a motorcycle tried to pass another driver on Illinois Route 130.

Kevin Noble, of French Lick, was ejected from his Yamaha motorcycle. He was flown to an Indiana hospital with serious injuries.

The crash is still under investigation.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- Local company Ice Rigging is this year's winner of the annual Rubber Duck Regatta.

Saturday evening, ducks made their way down the Wabash River.

Several duckies were dumped into the river for the race!

For crossing the finish line first, the Ice Rigging company won a cash prize of $10,000 dollars.

The company owner plans to donate most of the winnings to Catholic Charities.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 10:03:21|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at Makerere University, Uganda's top university, held the 19th "Chinese Bridge" speech competition online on Saturday -- its first ever to be held virtually with COVID-19 restrictions in place.

Gilbert Gumoshabe, the director of the institute, said this year's competition comes with challenges of restricted physical interaction.

"We missed training the competitors face to face and we shall miss seeing them physically, though we shall still see them anyway via this online platform," Gumoshabe said before the competition started.

The competition presents yet another opportunity for the candidates to showcase their skills at and understanding of the Chinese language and culture, he said.

Chen Huixin, deputy Chinese ambassador to Uganda, lauded the participants and expressed amazement at "this magical show, especially their love for the Chinese language and knowledge."

The fact that many speakers talked about solidarity between China and Uganda during the competition reflects the deep brotherhood between the two countries, Chen said.

The competition was won by Marvin Ogwal, a student from Kyambogo University. Enditem
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."
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- On July 4th across the state, churches participated in prayer rallies to pray for our leaders, race relations, and unity. One rally happened at the old Lee County courthouse on Jefferson Street.

At 9 A.M., about 30 people gathered here at the old courthouse to pray and walk around it. The group who organized the event is called Mission Mississippi, a Christian group dedicated to healing racial divisions.

People gathered in front of the courthouse to ask God for wisdom, guidance, and unity for all people today.

We just believe that prayer works. Prayer can go places that we cant go. Prayer can change minds, attitudes and hearts, Bishop Clarence Parks said.

Parks said he is grateful for the freedom to get to do this.

Were praying for our nation, [that] our nation will come together and be what God intended for it to be for all people, Parks said.

Barks said theres one thing he truly wants to see the world do:

Just come together as a people.

Ed Holliday is a co-chair of Mission Mississippi. He also helped organize the rally and prayer walk. He said unity is a powerful thing.

As we pray together, we find out that theres so many things that we have in common, and that we need to work together, Holliday said.

Holliday said he hopes to see peace in race relations and throughout the nation.

God works through prayer. We have an awesome God, and as we come together, we believe God really does move mountains, Holliday said.

Attendee Delilah Chandler said she is grateful that she gets to be a part of this, especially during the pandemic. She said so many people need a refresher, a reminder that everything will be OK. The rally is helping her to spread that message.

To make our city stronger, our nation stronger, and all our faith stronger toward God, you know, and because were all the same, no matter what.

She said she thinks it means a lot to every one there to be able to do this, especially during the pandemic.

How blessed we are to be here today, and you know, join together, even if we have to keep our distances, thats ok, because God is with us through it all, Chandler said.

Being able to be here is a blessing.

She said she is grateful she gets to be a part of this.

Show that we stand for Christ, and that we love everyone. There is no partiality.

The groups main goals for the day included praying for the well-being of the nation, encouraging unity, and giving thanks for our freedoms on the July 4th holiday.
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) -- Two groups faced off on either side of the road in Oxford on Saturday at the Oxford Courthouse Square. The issue was over the state flag and a Confederate Statue in the Courthouse Square.

A group met on Saturday in front of Oxfords courthouse to protest the states flag being changed without the public getting to vote on it.

If they do want a change, it should be put on the ballot, organizer K-Rack Johnson said.

Johnson said the people of Mississippi should decide on the states flag.

Most Mississippians would be willing to accept a voter-changed flag instead of a legislative-changed flag, Johnson said.

Johnson said he feels like his vote was not considered.

Youre basically taking my vote, every persons out here vote away from them, so basically what the legislature did is basically tell me that my vote is not worth anything, Johnson said.

A short distance away is a different group. One man said he feels that symbols that tie to the Confederacy is an insult to his friend.

My best friend who is right there, is an African American male, and it means hate to me, but it means a different level of hate to him.

Eric Tait is an oxford resident. He says his group stands by the courthouse every day to push for one thing.

To take that statue a hundred feet in front of me down, Tait said.

The statue is located right in front of the courthouse. Tait said the square practically is Oxford, and he feels the statue sends a bad message.

If one symbol means hate to one person, it should be removed, it doesnt matter what your history is, Tait said.

Before too long, the two disagreeing sides began shouting at each other. Vehicles with loud engines drove by and revved loudly. Later on, the group supporting Mississippis now retired flag marched to the grove at Ole Miss to protest another statue being moved from the grove to a Confederate cemetery.
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

Showers in the morning, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Cooler. High 73F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low around 50F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Charleston, WV (25311)

Today

Showers in the morning, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Cooler. High 71F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Clear. Low 48F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 10:10:47|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia, the host of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, has decided to postpone the ASEM13, which had initially been scheduled for Nov. 16-17 in Phnom Penh, to mid-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a foreign ministry's press statement on Saturday.

The statement was released after the ASEM Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) via videoconference on July 2-3, which was chaired by Sok Siphana, senior advisor of the Cambodian government and ASEM SOM Leader for Cambodia, and participated by SOM Leaders of all ASEM Partners.

Siphana expressed his sincere appreciation for the support that all ASEM Partners have extended to Cambodia in hosting ASEM13, it said.

"Due to COVID-19, however, all ASEM SOM Leaders unanimously expressed their understanding of and support for Cambodia's request to postpone ASEM13 to mid-2021," the statement said.

It added that the meeting stressed the need to promote effective multilateralism and collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused not only daunting challenges to public health system across the globe but also a severe fallout to the global economy.

"To this end, ASEM SOM Leaders discussed the draft ASEM Ministerial Statement on COVID-19, which is expected to be released in mid-July 2020," the statement said.

ASEM is comprised of 53 partners, encompassing 21 Asian countries, 30 European countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the European Commission.

Collectively, ASEM partners represent 65 percent of the global economy, 60 percent of the world's population, 55 percent of the world trade and 75 percent of the world tourism.

ASEM was founded in 1996 and Cambodia became its member in 2004. Enditem
Niki Kottmann is the Wyoming Tribune Eagles features editor. She can be reached at nkottmann@wyomingnews.com or

307-633-3135. Follow her on Twitter at

@niki_mariee.
Kanye West marked the Fourth of July with a major announcement: He's officially running for U.S. president in 2020.

The 43-year-old shared the news via Twitter on Saturday night, writing: "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ... #2020VISION."

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West has been teasing his presidential campaign for the past several years, originally saying he intended to run in 2024.

"One of my main things [I'll address] once Im president is the medical industry," he said in a 2018 interview with Power 92.3's DJ Pharris. "Im going to make sure that the medical industry flourishes. Theres one thing I learned by hanging around with Jay-Z, and being married to my wife, is you cant fuck up the paper.. That's the problem with a lot of the radical leaders in the past."

West's decision to enter the 2020 race means he'll have to compete with his so-called "brother" Donald Trump. 'Ye has received plenty of backlash for his well=documented support of the incumbent president, even going so far as to don Trump's divisive MAGA hat. He told GQ earlier this year that he planned to vote for Trump in the upcoming election, as he refused to let cancel culture dictate his politics.

"We know who Im voting on. And Im not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over," he said. "Because guess what: Im still here! Jesus Is King was No. 1! I was told my career would end if I wasnt with her (Hillary Clinton). What kind of campaign is that, anyway? Thats like if Obamas campaign was 'Im with black.' Whats the point of being a celebrity if you cant have an opinion? Everybody make their own opinion! You know?"

Assuming Kanye is serious, he'll have to work hard and swiftly to secure the presidency. He's already missed the filing deadline in a number of states, which means he'd likely have to run as a write-in candidate.

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But despite his unlikely chances, Kanye has already received two big endorsements: one from his wife, Kim Kardashian West, and the other from his good friend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

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Naturally, Twitter users were torn over Kanye's announcement, with many pledging their support, others dismissing it as a joke, and some accusing 'Ye of trying to split the vote in favor of a Joe Biden loss. You can read some of the reactions below.

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The Trump administration held its annual Fourth of July celebration on Saturday, capped off by a mile-long detonation of 10,000 fireworks that echoed across Washington D.C.

Just weeks ago, President Donald Trump looked on with a similar approval as the booming explosions of a U.S. military members fired tear gas and flash grenades at peaceful protesters outside the White House in a move that received widespread condemnation from lawmakers, religious leaders and U.S. military figures.

"American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists, toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles and chased down the terrorists to the very ends of the earth," Trump, 74, said during his speech. "We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and people who, in many instances, have absolutely no clue what they are doing."

We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children or trample on our freedoms, continued Trump, who went on to claim that protestors are lying about the past in order to gain power in the present  a claim his critics have lobbed against him on numerous occasions.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Trump delivered similar remarks in his dangerously divisive speech the night before in South Dakota at another Independence Day celebration in front of Mount Rushmore.

Trump has relished in protecting American symbolism in recent weeks, calling for "10 years in prison" for anyone who vandalizes federal monuments and his administration carried out Saturday's event despite local officials' concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

We know this is a special event for the Department of Interior. Weve communicated to them that we do not think this is in keeping with the best CDC and Department of Health guidance," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told the Associated Press. "But this event will take place entirely on federal property."

Story continues

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Image

Although Trump had strayed away from addressing the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, he made a number of claims in his Fourth of July speech that did not reflect the reality of the dramatic surge in cases around the country.

Weve made a lot of progress, our strategy is moving along well, said the president, who did not wear a face mask. It goes out in one area and rears back its ugly face in another area, but weve learned a lot. Weve learned how to put out the flame.

Despite Trumps claims, a number of states  including Florida, California, Arizona and Texas  have become hotspots for new coronavirus cases. Saturday also marked the third consecutive day of the country reporting new daily cases of over 50,000, hitting a new 24-hour high of 57,497 on Saturday, according to MarketWatch.

He also claimed that testing has shown that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are totally harmless  although Johns Hopkins University has estimated the fatality rate in the United States is 4.6 percent, according to CNN. All cases are harmful as those who are asymptomatic can also spread the virus.

Trump then claimed, without evidence, that there will likely be a therapeutic solution or vaccine ready long before the end of the year.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Just last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed cautious optimism that one of the several ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials will be a success and can be mass-produced for Americans to get next year.

The department's secretary, David Bernhardt, told the outlet that this year's celebration was military-focused and that the event  branded as the "Salute to America"  would be "a patriotic tribute to our men and women in uniform."

Last year's similarly themed White House event featured military tanks and flyovers, costing more than $13 million, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office recently reported.

This year's version featured flyovers from military planes but did not feature the tanks (officially dubbed "Bradley Fighting Vehicles") as it did in 2019.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Sens. Tom Udall, Patrick Leahy and Chris Van Hollen released a joint statement ahead of Saturday's event, saying the recent GAO report "confirms what we knew all along: the president was willing to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer fundsexpenses that werent budgeted for and that roughly doubled what was spent in previous yearsto meet his extravagant demands.

And now, the Trump administration is at it againspending undisclosed amounts of taxpayer money to fund special events and encourage large crowds to gather while our nation is in the middle of a pandemic," said the U.S. senators, who are Democrats. "We deserve to know what resources are being spent and what public health precautions are being taken for this years Fourth of July events, as well."

Trump was not seen wearing a protective face mask meant to limit the spread of COVID-19 during the event, and although officials handed out masks and encouraged visitors to practice social distancing, the majority did not appear to head the guidelines, USA Today reported.

At least 129,680 people across the U.S. have died from the novel coronavirus, according to a New York Times tracker.

There have been more than 10,000 confirmed cases of the virus in D.C., with at least 557 deaths in the city attributed to the COVID-19 respiratory illness as of Sunday.
A young protester has died from injuries suffered when a luxury car plowed into Black Lives Matter demonstrators Saturday on a Seattle freeway that has been shut down for days due to the civil unrest, police said.

Summer Taylor was pronounced dead at a local hospital hours after a 27-year-old man in a white Jaguar drove onto a closed section of Interstate 5 where ongoing demonstrations have been occurring and slammed into Taylor and another protester, Diaz Love, 32, who was seriously injured, police said.

Surveillance video captured the 2013 Jaguar apparently speeding down the freeway, swerving around cars supporting the protest that were blocking the lanes and striking Taylor and Love, who were walking on the shoulder, knocking them into the air, over the roof of the vehicle and onto the pavement.

"Absolutely heartbreaking. Summer Taylor was only 24-years-old, peacefully protesting for Black Lives Matter when they were struck by a car," Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, said in a statement posted on Twitter Sunday morning. "Thinking of their family during this difficult time and everyone in the movement today."

PHOTO: Emergency personnel work at the site where a driver sped through a protest-related closure on the Interstate 5 freeway in Seattle, July 4, 2020. (James Anderson/AP)

The incident unfolded about 1:40 a.m. on Saturday when the driver who was arrested and identified by authorities as Dawit Kelete, 27, of Seattle, allegedly entered the closed freeway by going the wrong way on an exit ramp and drove at high-speed toward a crowd of people protesting the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, authorities said.

"Very candidly, we don't know, at this point in the investigation, what the motive was, what the reasoning was," Capt. Ron Mead of the Washington State Patrol said at a news conference.

Mead said that that according to the preliminary investigation drugs or alcohol were not factors in the incident.

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Following the episode, authorities cleared I-5 and warned protesters that anyone caught attempting to march on to the freeway will be arrested.

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"The freeway is simply not a safe place ... We feared something like this would happen," Mead said.

PHOTO: Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead briefs media near the scene where two people in a group of protesters were struck by a car on Interstate 5 while the highway was closed to traffic due to the protest in Seattle, July 4, 2020. (Jason Redmond/Reuters)

Mead said the driver was initially arrested on charges of vehicular assault and felony hit-and-run. Kelete remained in jail without bail on Sunday.

MORE: Vehicle strikes multiple protesters in Washington, 2 people sent to hospital

"Those [charges] could be upgraded depending on the progress of the investigation," Mead said.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a tweet that "many others were almost hit and witnessed this horrific event."

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Prior to news of Taylor's death, friends had established a GoFundMe page in hopes of helping Taylor recover from the injuries.

"Summer is an incredibly strong and independent spirit," wrote Becky Gilliam, who organized the GoFundMe page that as of Monday morning had raised more than $62,000.

Gilliam wrote that Taylor worked at a veterinary clinic and described Taylor as a "bright and caring person who's presence elicits joy and laughter in others."

MORE: Seattle police clear CHOP zone, make arrests after mayor's executive order

For weeks, law enforcement authorities have warned pedestrian protesters not to use the highways as the setting for demonstrations.

The section of Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle has been closed multiple times in recent weeks due to large-scale protests.

PHOTO: Protesters block Interstate 5 after marching from the area known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) on June 24, 2020 in Seattle. (David Ryder/Getty Images, FILE)

Taylor was pronounced dead after being taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Love of Bellingham, Washington, was in serious condition at Harborview, Mead said.

Love had been broadcasting the protest for about two hours on Facebook Live under the caption "Black Femme March takes I-5." The video ended abruptly after someone, according to the Associated Press, is heard yelling, "Car!"

MORE: 1 dead, 1 injured after shooting in Seattle autonomous zone

State police said the suspect continued to drive south on the freeway and was chased by a protester in a car for about a mile before managing to get in front of the Jaguar and forcing it to pull over.

The incident came about a month after a man allegedly drove a car drove through a barricade and brandished a gun at a group of protesters that had commandeered a section of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood and turned it into an autonomous zone. Following several shootings, police cleared out the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone, or CHOP zone, last week.

ABC News' William Mansell and Christina Carrega contributed to this report.

Protester dies after struck by speeding car at Black Lives Matter freeway demonstration in Seattle originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 10:13:49|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Sunday that it received reports of eight new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Saturday, of which two were domestically transmitted.

The domestically transmitted cases were reported in Beijing, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

One new suspected case from overseas was reported in Shanghai, and no deaths related to the disease were reported Saturday, according to the commission.

On Saturday, seven people were discharged from hospitals after recovery.

As of Saturday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 83,553, including 403 patients who were still being treated.

Altogether 78,516 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease, the commission said.

Six new imported cases -- three in Gansu Province, one in Tianjin, one in Shanghai and one in Sichuan Province -- were reported Saturday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 1,931. Of the cases, 1,863 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 68 remained hospitalized. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported.

The commission said seven people, including three from overseas, were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

According to the commission, 4,201 close contacts were still under medical observation after 1,072 people were discharged from medical observation Saturday.

Also on Saturday, seven new asymptomatic cases, all from overseas, were reported on the mainland and one asymptomatic case was re-categorized as confirmed one.

The commission said 99 asymptomatic cases, including 63 from overseas, were still under medical observation.

By Saturday, 1,258 confirmed cases including seven deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 449 in Taiwan including seven deaths.

A total of 1,145 patients in the Hong Kong SAR, 45 in the Macao SAR, and 438 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. Enditem
For Solomon Jones Jr., a Black father, difficult conversations with his son arent optional. Theyre essential.

The talk, a discussion Black parents have had with their children for generations, is now rooted in a new sense of urgency as the list of Black men and women known to be killed by police continues to grow.

In recent weeks, Americans of all races, from coast to coast, have taken to the streets demanding racial equality and justice.

At a time when many across this country are wondering if recent events will be a catalyst for progress, Nightline spent time with two families  one Black, one white  to discuss race and policing in America.

Watch the full story on "Nightline" TONIGHT at 12:05 a.m. ET on ABC

Solomon Jones III and Aidan Kaye are teenagers growing up in middle class households in the Philadelphia area. Their fathers, Solomon Jones Jr. and Daniel Kaye are both middle class, married and college educated. The Kaye family is white and the Jones family is Black.

Nightline first met them six years ago when both boys were just 10 years old.

MORE: Mothers of the Movement and Black female celebrities, including Beyonce, urge Senate to act on voting rights

It was December 2014 and the U.S. was erupting in protest and anger over the police-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City.

PHOTO: Solomon Jones III with his father Solomon Jones Jr. (ABC)

The news prompted Aidan to ask his father questions about the protests and unrest: Dad, whats going on in Ferguson?

You can't say, you know, all police are this or all police are that, you know, they're our friends and they work really hard to protect our community. But you know, you have to be honest that there are problems, Kaye told his son in 2014.

For dad Solomon Jones Jr., a popular radio host, the race talk has always been a running dialogue with his son. He is innately aware of the statistic that Black men are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white people, according to a study by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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If you get stopped by the police, even if you feel like they stopped you for no reason -- like harassing you. Just be polite, he told his son in 2014. Just get out of the situation so you can come home, and then we can file charges against them later.

PHOTO: Aidan Kaye and his father Daniel Kaye. (ABC)

Jones Jr. also asked his son how Eric Garners death made him feel.

It made me feel sad because they already had it on tape and the people who were examining the body counted it as a homicide and the policeman didn't get in trouble, Solomon said.

Solomons father asked him why he believed that happened to Garner.

Because the policeman hated, like, African Americans, Solomon responded.

Nearly two years later, in July 2016, Nightline revisited the Kaye and Jones families. This time, the names in the headlines were Alton Sterling and Philando Castile -- both of whom were shot and killed by police only one day apart.

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While Aidan said he knew about the shootings, he hadnt seen the videos. But Solomon did.He said the news of their deaths hit him pretty hard.

It was like, I guess, sad to think about like, what if that happened to my dad? he said.

Today, in the wake of George Floyds death, Solomon is still asking that same question, worried that his father could become a statistic.

PHOTO: Solomon Jones III with his father Solomon Jones Jr. (ABC)

I think about you and Im worried for my friends, too, because when they get stopped, if they get stopped, I hope they dont get hurt, Solomon said.

Hes now 15, his age marked by a deeper voice but also by growing wisdom. Aidans naivete is gone too.

I was looking back at the previous times that we were on [Nightline], and I saw myself as more of like a happy sort of, you know, just kind of giggly [person] but not really understanding what was going on, Kaye said. As I've gotten older, I've become much more aware of what's going on.

Just like the countrys racial divide, these two families see the exact same events through very different lenses -- their differing life experiences.

I thought about what I told [you], if you have an encounter with the police, your job is to live through the encounter. Jones Jr. said, speaking to his son.

Then I thought about how George Floyd was cooperative and he still died. So its like, what do we do? he said. They look at you and they just see a young Black man and whatever prejudice they bring to that, you know, thats what they bring.

Daniel Kaye told Nightline hes watched the George Floyd video more than once.

That video was so jarring that I needed to see it, I need to remember it, he said. His son also said he made a point to familiarize himself with what happened.

PHOTO: Aidan Kaye and his father Daniel Kaye. (ABC)

Kaye said that what made Floyds death so disturbing was the officer on top of [Floyd] and just looking with his hands in his pockets. There didn't seem to be any compassion for what was happening.

Kaye said he feels its important that the country does not accept this as just another story in the news. [This] just illustrated what we've heard from, you know, for years of the challenges that the African-American community has again and again. And, you know, we need to face it. We need to be aware of these things.

Jones Jr. says hes only seen parts of the Floyd video. Its hard for me to watch 9 minutes of a person dying, he said.

His son feels the same way.

It hurts to see a Black man like me, have somebodys knee on the neck for nine minutes, Solomon said.

The Jones family has dealt with violence on a personal level.

My friend got shot and killed in South Philadelphia, Solomon told Nightline. He got into an argument with somebody and [that] person pulled out a firearm.

PHOTO: Solomon Jones III speaks to 'Nightline.' (ABC)

His father said hearing what happened to his sons friend hurt, but it scared me into action.

We started an organization called ManUpPHL, Jones Jr. said.

Kaye acknowledges that the simple fact that his son is white gives him an advantage over a Black boy the same age, like Solomon.

It breaks my heart, Kaye said.

His son Aidan added, I know as a white person, I will likely never experience the same level of discrimination and fear that Black people in our country and in different places all around the world do.the least I could do is support and listen.

Both families know that the first step towards change begins with action.

We are going to do whatever we can to make sure that this system changes. You can't have DAs having secret grand jury testimony around police killings. You can't have police investigating themselves around these killings. You can't have the qualified immunity.Those things need to change. The arbitration process, all of it has to change. And in order for that to change, we have to vote. We have to protest Jones Jr. said.

I don't remember any part of my life where I felt as hopeless and as determined that this cannot continue. Kaye said. I don't think that if all of us just go back to our homes, that everything's gonna be fine. I know that's not the truth.

Young Solomon feels the urgency, too.

The people before my generation did everything they could to avoid it, he said. And I feel like it's our responsibility to carry it on.

How two fathers and their teenage sons are talking about race in America originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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.
When Aisha, a Pakistani-Canadian woman who has brown skin, went to see doctors to try and figure out what was causing her skin irritation, doctors told her that she had dry skin and dandruff, a common condition that causes skin on the scalp to flake.

Aisha tried the shampoo that doctors prescribed her, but it did not help her symptoms. Her skin has since developed red patches, and she is still researching other conditions she may have.

[The doctors] tried to figure it out, but they dismissed my concerns that it may be psoriasis, Aisha told The Mighty. The dismissal Aisha faced when trying to get tested for skin conditions is not uncommon for people with black and brown skin. Many doctors have no idea what chronic skin conditions look like on darker skin.

BIPOC people already face many barriers to getting adequate medical care, from racism to medical costs. When it comes to chronic skin conditions, the bias and lack of awareness among medical professionals about how symptoms present in BIPOC people can lead to misdiagnosis and untreated symptoms.

Related: Download The Mighty app to connect in real time with people who can relate to what you're going through.

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Doctors Lack Training

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Lynn McKinley-Grant, MD, an associate dermatology professor at Howard University and president of the Skin of Color Society, told The Mighty a lot of the issue BIPOC people face when trying to get a skin condition diagnosis comes down to a lack of education and research among doctors.

A 2006 study conducted Dr. Tobechi Ebede and Dr. Art Papier found that, between 1996 and 2005, teaching events at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting that focused on skin of color has remained at 2%. Since then, not much improvement has been made.

A letter published in the British Journal of Dermatology found that research articles published on how COVID-19 can affect the skin included close to no pictures of or descriptions of Black people with COVID-19, despite Black people making up nearly 30% of the coronavirus cases in the United States.

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This disparity extends beyond the current pandemic. Chronic conditions that have skin or cutaneous involvement, like lupus, disproportionately affect BIPOC people.

Related: 5 Ways Anti-Aging Beliefs Impact Young Women Living With Chronic Illness

Skin Symptoms in BIPOC Patients

In dermatology, skin types on the Fitzpatrick scale that classifies human skin color are ranked from types 1 to 6, from lightest to darkest. Images of darker skin are often not included in medical training, according McKinley-Grant. McKinley-Grant believes that improved documentation of different skin types is important.

You need to be able to recognize erythema [the reddening of skin] in all skin types, McKinley-Grant said. That might require you seeing six people who have different skin colors so you can learn what a disease may look like in each skin type.

The Instagram account Brown Skin Matters regularly highlights the differences of skin symptoms on skin of color. For example, side-by-side images show what Kawasaki disease, a form of vasculitis that mainly affects children under five, looks like on brown skin versus white skin. The redness and skin involvement looks very different between darker and lighter skin tones.

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Improving Doctor Training

To improve the training of dermatologists, McKinley-Grant recommended that prospective medical professionals train in different cultures and environments where they work more with BIPOC people. McKinley-Grant said that she had this experience when she worked at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Gabon, Africa, while she was a medical student.

For doctors continuing their medical education, resources such as the Skin of Color Society offer an educational library, research support and a peer-reviewed journal focused on black and brown skin. There are also symposiums that McKinley-Grant recommended attending.

The Skin of Color Society has large symposiums and the American Academy of Dermatology has symposiums on skin of color, McKinley-Grant said. Learn as much as you can about different cultures.

What Doctors Can Do Now

While expanding research about how different skin conditions affect BIPOC people wont happen overnight, one thing doctors can do now is take the concerns of their patients seriously.

The patient really does know their body, McKinley-Grant said. If the patient says that something is red on dark skin and it hurts, the doctor should listen and can confirm the warmth of the inflammation with a caring touch.

Aisha, who is still searching for a diagnosis, hopes that doctors in the future will be more thorough and learn how conditions can affect people with black and brown skin. She also offered advice for other doctors who treat BIPOC patients:

Be more thorough and take concerns seriously. Do more research about how different diseases and chronic illnesses may affect ethnic minorities. Maybe create a different checklist for minorities and women to make sure the process is transparent and to hold staff accountable.

Read more stories like this on The Mighty:

Why Choosing Optimism Can Help in Your Life With a Chronic Illness

When 'Chronic Illness Overload' Means I Need a Break

Learning to Set Priorities in My Life With Chronic Illness

When a Police Officer Used Excessive Force on Me During a Medical Episode
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

Prince William paid a visit to The Rose & Crown in Snettisham, Norfolk on Friday.

The Duke of Cambridge met with the pub's landlords to discuss the measures they've implemented as lockdown begins to lift in the United Kingdom.

From July 4, people in the U.K. are allowed to visit bars, pubs, and non-essential shops, as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Prince William made a special visit to The Rose & Crown pub in Norfolk, ahead of the government easing lockdown across the United Kingdom on Saturday.

William met with the pub's current owners, Jeannette and Anthony Goodrich, who opened up about the challenges of running a business during the coronavirus pandemic. The couple also revealed that, when lockdown started, they donated leftover stock to The Purfleet Trust, which supports single homeless people in Kings Lynn and West Norfolk.

A number of new measures are now in place to try to make attending public venues safe for everyone. For instance, staff at The Rose & Crown revealed that they had reduced the number of tables on site, and were offering a pared back menu to customers.

Photo credit: AARON CHOWN - Getty Images

Photo credit: AARON CHOWN - Getty Images

Photo credit: AARON CHOWN - Getty Images

The Kensington Royal Instagram account shared photos from the duke's visit and wrote, "As pubs and restaurants reopen around the UK this weekend, The Duke popped into the local pub in Norfolk to wish the staff well and hear how they have adapted their operations in order to allow them to return to a new normal. Wishing everyone a safe weekend."

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From Cosmopolitan

A lawyer representing some of the women hoping to seek justice after allegedly being sexually abused by deceased millionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein (and his associates), has urged Epstein's former friend Prince Andrew to "be a man" and speak with police.

The royal was first embroiled in the scandal when a key whistleblower in the case, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, said that she'd had sex with the Prince while underage and produced a photo of the pair together at Epstein's former girlfriend's house. Said ex-partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was yesterday arrested by the FBI and is charged with six offences. Attentions are now turning to other high profile names involved in the case.

Legal representative Spencer Kuvin, while speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today, said of the matter, "I certainly think Prince Andrew has a story to tell. On behalf of the victims be have continuously asked him to step forward, step up, be a man and tell us what he knows."

He has been hiding behind not only the royal family but his attorneys. Regardless of his position we, on behalf of the victims, hope that he will step forward and speak up about what he witnessed, at the very least when he was visiting the (Epstein) mansion in New York, when he visited the home in Palm Beach and when we know he was down visiting the Virgin Islands mansion.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Another lawyer acting on behalf of alleged victims, Gloria Allred, has echoed these sentiments (according to a report from the Evening Standard), saying the Duke of York is effectively subjecting victims of Epstein to a torture test by staying quiet about what he knows. She added that he is avoiding and evading law authorities by not providing a statement.

This all comes in contrast to what Prince Andrew himself has said on the matter  not only has he strongly denied the claims that he slept with an underage girl, but he's also refuted stories saying he hasn't been cooperating with the police.

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"Far from our client acting above the law, as has been implied by press briefings in the US, he is being treated by a lower standard than might reasonably be expected for any other citizen," the royal's legal team said in a statement. They also added that he has offered to speak with them at least three times.

Yesterday, in a press conference announcing Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest, SDNY acting district attorney Audrey Strauss said they would "welcome" a statement from Andrew.

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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.

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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.

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Residents of the town of Sonoyta, across from Lukeville, Arizona, briefly blocked the main road leading south from the U.S. border over the weekend over fears of coronavirus outbreaks.

Arizona has seen a major upsurge in infections and there were worries about intensified contagion during the July 4 weekend.

The mayor of Sonoyta, Jose Ramos Arzate, issued a statement Saturday ``inviting U.S. tourists not to visit Mexico.''

Local residents organized to block the road with their cars on the Mexican side Saturday.

Video posted by residents showed several travelers complaining that they had a right to cross because they were Mexican citizens. The road is the quickest route to the seaside resort of Puerto Penasco, also known as Rocky Point.

Ramos Arzate wrote that people from the United States should only be allowed in ``for essential activities, and for that reason, the checkpoint and inspection point a few meters from the Sonoyta-Lukeville AZ crossing will continue operating.''

``We had agreed on this in order to safeguard the health of our community in the face of an accelerated rate of COVID-19 contagion in the neighboring state of Arizona,'' Ramos Arzate wrote. ``It is our duty as municipal authorities to protect the health of our town.''

Mexico and the United States agreed previously to limit border crossings to essential activities, but up until this week, that had mainly been enforced for people entering the United States, not the other way.

Residents of Sonoyta demanded health checks on incoming visitors, better health care facilities and broader testing.

There has been some resentment that tourists, but not local residents, had reportedly been allowed into Puerto Penasco, where many banks and other services are located.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 10:50:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd., Beijing Benz Automotive Co., and Fujian Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. have announced a recall of 668,954 vehicles from the Chinese market over oil leakage concerns.

The recall, set to begin on Dec. 18, involves vehicles of the C-class, E-class and V-class, among others, according to a statement on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

The recall order was issued as the linkage between the engine's high-pressure fuel pump and its low-pressure fuel pipe could encounter reduced sealability after long-term use, possibly resulting in oil leakage.

According to the statement, authorized dealerships will replace faulty parts of the affected vehicles free of charge to eliminate safety concerns. Enditem
News

Tampa, Florida - Remarks by Vice President in Briefing with Governor DeSantis of Florida on COVID-19:

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, Governor DeSantis, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for bringing your team together.

And I want to thank Tampa General and the University of South Florida not just for your hospitality today, but for all youre doing every day for the health and wellbeing of the people of Florida.

Governor, the President wanted me to be here to say to you and to the people of Florida: Were with you, and were going to make sure you have whatever you need to meet this moment.

From early on in this pandemic, the people of Florida can be proud of the partnership that we have forged. You speak, Governor, about 60,000 tests a day being performed here in Florida, and I want to commend you for the innovative efforts that Florida implemented months ago to expand testing in this state. And I want to promise you were going to continue  were going to continue to find ways to scale testing all across the state, to go from diagnostic testing to even surveillance testing in this state.

I also want the people in Florida to know that were in a much better place, thanks to the leadership of President Trump, the innovation of American industry, and to the partnership that weve forged in  not just in testing, but in personal protective equipment.

Encouraged to hear your hospital capacity remains strong here in Florida. But in our briefing today, were interested to hear how we can be more supportive of that so that no Floridian would be concerned, even as we see cases rising, that a loved one or a friend would ever be at risk of not receiving the healthcare that wed want any member of our family to receive.

Were also here, Governor, to make it clear that we fully support the prudent steps that you are taking to slow the spread here in Florida and the consistent message, particularly to young people. I have three 20-somethings in my family, and I know the strong independent streak of young people. I know the desire young people to socialize as we approach this Independence Day weekend.

Heeding the guidance of practicing social distancing. Wear a mask if youre not able to practice social distancing, or wear a mask if state and local authorities direct you to do so in the situation that youre in. Its always a good idea to practice these principles of personal hygiene and wash your hands.

And to the young people here in Florida, I know  I know, Governor, your message has been very clear. We all know that, for younger Americans, especially those without underlying health challenges, the risk of a serious outcome with the coronavirus is fairly small. But no young person would ever want to unintentionally infect a mom, a dad, a grandmother, a grandfather, or an elderly friend. And thats  thats really what were about today.

And with regard to the elderly, Id be remiss, Governor, if we didnt tell you that  with the Secretary of Health and Human Services here, with members of our task force here  how grateful we all are with the focus that you and that the State of Florida has placed on the most vulnerable from the very beginning.

We know that one life lost is too many, and we grieve the loss of life here in Florida and across our nation. But the fact that that youve been able to protect, particularly people in long-term care and senior citizens in the way that you have is a great credit to your entire team, and its a great credit to the people of Florida. And we want to  we want to talk today about ways that we can continue to support your efforts to protect the most vulnerable.

But, Governor, were here because President Trump wanted us to come to make sure that you and the State of Florida and the people of this great state have what you need, when you need it.

Were all in this together; we have been from the beginning. And even as we saw evidenced today in those remarkable job numbers  nearly 5 million jobs created in the last month  Florida and all of America is proving that we can meet this moment, we can slow the spread, we can flatten the curve in Florida just as we flattened it in other parts of the country, even while we continue  continue to rebuild our economy and help Americans get back to school and back to work.

So we look forward to the briefing. We look forward to the discussion. And, Governor DeSantis, again, I want to thank you for your tireless leadership on behalf of the health and wellbeing of the people of Florida. Were all very grateful.
Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 80F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 80F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Partly to mostly cloudy. Hot. High near 105F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
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New Delhi: The much-awaited trailer of 'Dil Bechara', which is Sushant Singh Rajput's last film, will release on Monday (July 6). Director Mukesh Chhabra announced the trailer release date on social media and along with the update, a new poster of the film was also shared. 'Dil Bechara' stars Sushant opposite Sanjana Sanghi, who makes her debut in Bollywood with the project.

In the poster, Sushant is seen riding a bike while Sanjana sits pillion. "Only love," Mukesh Chhabra wrote, adding a heart emoticon.

Check out his post here:

Only love pic.twitter.com/xkbhMpn36h  Mukesh Chhabra CSA (@CastingChhabra) July 5, 2020

Soon after the trailer release date was announced, netizens flooded Twitter with posts remembering Sushant. Some said that they "can't wait to watch the trailer and the film" while a section of the internet demanded a theatrical release for 'Dil Bechara', which will stream on Disney+ Hotstar from July 24. It will be available for subscribers and non-subscribers as well.

"Going to be so emotional," read a tweet while another read, "So excited for this." Another Twitter user posted, "Can't wait."

'Dil Bechara' is an adaptation of John Green's 2012 novel 'The Fault in Our Stars'. It was initially titled 'Kizie Aur Manny'. Besides Sushant and Sanjana, the film also stars Saif Ali Khan in a pivotal role.

Sushant died at the age of 34 by suicide on June 14 in Mumbai. While announcing the release date of 'Dil Bechara' some days after the actor's death, Mukesh Chhabra said, "Sushant was not just the hero of my debut film as a director but he was a dear friend who stood by me through thick and thin. We had been close right from 'Kai Po Che' to 'Dil Bechara'. He had promised me that he would be in my first film."
New Delhi: A 106-year old man from Delhi, who had witnessed the 1918 Spanish Flu when he was four, has won the battle against COVID-19 and recovered faster than his son, in his 70s, at a dedicated coronavirus facility here, doctors said.

The 106-year-old patient was discharged from the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) recently after recovering, where his wife, son and another family member also recuperated after contracting the novel coronavirus infection, they said.

"Perhaps, he is the first reported case of COVID-19 in Delhi who also went through the dreaded Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 which like COVID-19 had also ravaged the world. And, he not only recovered from COVID-19, he recovered faster than his son, who is also very old," a senior doctor.

Spanish Flu was a pandemic which hit the world 102 years ago and affected nearly one-third of the global population at that time.

"The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is no universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919," according to the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) in the US.

In the US, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 6,75,000 deaths occurred in America, it said.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the pandemic of 1918-1919 called the Spanish Flu was particularly virulent and killed an estimated 40 million people worldwide.

In India, the disease is believed to have been brought in by the soldiers returning from World War I conflicts.

The first cases of Spanish Flu were reported in areas which are major ports of entry, such as Mumbai (then Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Delhi and Chennai (Madras), where a large number of people returned from abroad.

The casualty count in India from the Spanish Flu is believed to be nearly one-fifth of the entire fatalities in the world, though the statistics for mortality in India are too wide-ranging and debatable.

Doctors at the RGSSH, a dedicated COVID-19 facility were amazed to see the recovery of this centenarian patient from the novel coronavirus, even though he was highly vulnerable to the infection.

"We don't know whether he was affected by the Spanish Flu or not. We haven't seen much documentation on the situation back then as far as Delhi is concerned, but very few hospitals were there at that time. It is amazing this 106-year-old showed the will power to survive," a senior doctor, who monitored his situation, said.

But, what is more, interesting is that he recovered faster than his son, who is in his 70s. So, he lived through the Spanish Flu and now survived COVID-19, hence, he lived through two pandemics, he said.

Notably, his wife and another family member also had contracted COVID-19, and have successfully recovered about a month-and-a-half ago., the doctor said.

The RGSSH has treated 1,000 COVID-19 patients so fare, and on Monday it is marking the milestone with a symbolic event where Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain are slated to participate.

Delhi recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally in the city to over 97,000-mark, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,004, authorities said.

The national capital, at present, is the worst-COVID-19-hit city across India.

According to the COVID-19 health bulletin, 68,256 patients have been recovered, or discharged or migrated so far.
Patna: Twenty people were killed after being struck by lightning in five districts of Bihar on Saturday (July 4, 2020), said officials.

Out of the 20 casualties, nine were reported from Bhojpur district, five from Saran district, three from Kaimur district, two from Patna and one death was reported in Buxar as per the state disaster management department said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the deaths and announced Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia for the next of kin of each of the deceased.

The Bihar Chief Minister has also urged the people of the state to remain alert and vigilant and stay indoors and has asked people to follow advisories issued by the Disaster Management Department to stay safe.

Meanwhile, around 130 people have died due to lightning strikes in the state after the earlier arrival of monsoon in the state.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 11:30:29|Editor: huaxia

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Buildings of financial district in the Marina Bay in Singapore on Jun 19, 2020.(Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)

The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping business models and the way people live:

-- Singapore prepares for "Future Economy".

-- India strengthens its rural job plan for returning migrant labourers.

-- Thailand strives to fill the foreign tourists void with domestic trips.

HONG KONG, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to service industries in Asia-Pacific countries, with tourism, catering and retailing sectors being hit the hardest.

Apart from providing direct financial subsidies to help these sectors survive, governments in some countries have been proactively guiding their enterprises and labor forces on developing new business approaches and skill shifts to adapt to the "new normal" of this difficult time.

SINGAPORE: "FUTURE ECONOMY"

Song Chao, who runs two famous Chinese restaurant brands Xie Lao Song and Xiao Wei Yang in Singapore, is one of the entrepreneurs who responded actively to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call in grasping the opportunities in the changes brought about by the pandemic.

During the Circuit Breaker, imposed by the government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 since April 7, his company closed several restaurants, leaving only one hot pot restaurant and one Chinese restaurant open for takeaways and deliveries.

His operating restaurants have mainly carried out delivery services through websites, WeChat and Star Taster delivery platforms, and personal social network of employees. On the other hand, these restaurants have also changed the variety of dishes to suit the demand for takeaways, including highlighting barbecue features and adding bao, a type of steamed, filled bun, to the menu. "Bao is popular and convenient when people are staying at home," he said.

No guest is seen in front of restaurants on Smith Street in Singapore's Chinatown, June 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xiaoyu)

Song said on the morning of May 1, his Chinese restaurant cooked 26 roast ducks and he himself went out to deliver food. He saw the Circuit Breaker measures changing Singaporeans' living habits, and even if it has ended on June 19, he believes the takeaway and delivery services would not shrink at least in a short term.

Singaporean government has been encouraging local businesses in their digital transformation, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Enterprise Singapore (ESG) launched the E-Commerce Booster Package in April to support small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) retailers, who have little or no e-commerce experience, to start their business transformation by selling online. This package was expanded in May to support SME retailers in strengthening their digital marketing capabilities for e-commerce, providing a one-time 90 percent support for digital marketing advisory services for three months, and support for manpower to build in-house capabilities needed to set the foundation for sustained digital marketing efforts.

People line up with social distancing in front of a bakery in Singapore, May 22, 2020. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)

The E-Commerce Booster Package is in line with the "Stay Healthy, Go Digital" initiative to provide resources for businesses to manage the COVID-19 situation, and the SMEs Go Digital program to help SMEs strengthen their digital capabilities and access global markets via digital channels, according to the government agency.

In a speech on June 7, Prime Minister Lee said his country has been developing plans for the Future Economy, investing heavily to upgrade its workers through SkillsFuture, digitalizing both the private and public sectors, building its innovation and R&D capabilities.

"Nobody can predict what exactly the world will look like after COVID-19 but however things turn out, these Future Economy strategies will stand us in good stead," Lee Hsien Loong said. "We need to pursue them even more vigorously now."

Stranded migrant workers line up to board buses heading for their hometowns during extended lockdown to curb COVID-19 in Ghaziabad, India, May 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

INDIA: RURAL JOB PLAN

"Without any cash or work, how will I survive? That was my first thought after reaching my village," said Ram Kewat, a 60-year-old daily wage laborer who used to work in Delhi.

It was a journey of 450 km from the capital to his village on the outskirts of Jhansi, one of Uttar Pradesh's southernmost districts. Kewat covered that distance on foot in just five days, walking 90 km a day on an average to reach his village on March 29.

After the government announced a three-week nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on March 24, Kewat knew he would be out of work and food, and decided to walk to his village since there was no other mode of commute.

Ram Kewat is only one of the about 100 million migrant workers in India, or 20 percent of the country's total workforce, who have lost their livelihood during the lockdown. Mostly daily wage earners such as security guards, delivery persons, cleaners, and garbage collectors have no other choice but to return home now that their workplaces have shut down.

Stranded migrant workers gather to board buses heading for their hometowns during extended lockdown to curb COVID-19 in Ghaziabad, India, May 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

But there is hope for Kewat to earn a better living even in his hometown. On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the "Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan" (GKRA or Poor Welfare Employment Campaign) worth 50,000 crore Indian Rupees (6.7 billion U.S. dollars), a rural job plan for the welfare of migrant laborers who had returned home from major cities, covering 116 districts including Kewat's hometown of Uttar Pradesh.

A list of 25 works and activities, such as construction of highways, village council buildings and farm ponds, Internet set up, laying of gas pipelines, have been targeted as priority projects to ensure employment for these migrant laborers.

Modi said under the campaign, skill mapping of the rural migrant laborers is being done to help them work closer to their homes, focusing on building a durable rural infrastructure and providing modern facilities like Internet in the villages.

A stranded boy lines up to board a bus heading for his hometown during extended lockdown to curb COVID-19 in Ghaziabad, India, May 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

THAILAND: FILL THE FOREIGN TOURISTS VOID

For highly international cities like Bangkok, tourism hotspot like Pattaya and Phuket, the economic devastation is nearly total as Thailand has received zero international guests because of restrictions on inbound flights from April to June, or even longer.

"The tourism sector of Thailand is in the plight of oversupply due to the absence of foreign tourists. To make it survive and fill the void of the foreign market, the cabinet has approved stimulus packages worth 22.4 billion bah (716.8 million U.S. dollars) to stimulate about 2 million domestic trips from July to October," Yuthasak Supaporn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Xinhua.

The packages include subsidies on accommodation, transport, food and attractions. Domestic travellers stand to receive a subsidy amounting to 20 billion baht, including a 40 percent discount on 5 million hotel room nights, up to a value of 3,000 baht a night, as well as up to 3,000 baht on meals and other amenities. The government will also discount air or bus tickets by 40 percent, up to a limit of 1,000 baht.

Thai dancers wearing face shields perform at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, May 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

"In the past we offered Thai people cash giveaways, as a result, they saved the money instead of spending in trips. This time we'd rather give them discount coupons, to stimulate spending," said the governor.

Besides, a package worth 2.4 billion baht will fund holiday travel for 1.2 million health volunteers and officials who will use services of tour firms, which is expected to help 13,000 tour firms.

"All the measures are aimed to reinvigorate the domestic tourism, to get the economy move again", said Yuthatsak.

The country is also mulling reopening its door to international tourists through travel bubbles. Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman for the government's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said the travel bubble idea had not been finalized but it was clear it would not allow hundreds of thousands of foreigners to pay visits per year.

"Tourism sector will be reset in the pandemic. We are turning away from mass tourism. Targeting wealthy groups, balancing the domestic and international markets will be the trend," he said.

Staff welcome customers at the entrance of a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, May 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

MOVING ONLINE!

Like Singapore's Song Chao, many young entrepreneurs have quickly adapted to the new situation and found their taste of achievement in becoming cloud servers.

Malaysia's Angie Ng runs a company with businesses spanning from property development to tourism. She is also the president of Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association, a major industry player in receiving Chinese tourists to Malaysia.

After business slowed down and tourism came to a halt due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ng soon found a new way to promote Malaysia's tourism, live streaming.

Since April, she has done a number of episodes as a host on Malaysia's tourists' attractions, including urban food streets, rural durian farms, introducing Malaysia's culture on China's social media platforms like TikTok, Wechat.

People take a selfie on the Kuala Lumpur Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 1, 2020. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

Ng said she was inspired when being asked by her friends in China about the pandemic in Malaysia and if it would be safe to come to Malaysia for holiday.

"I have time now, so I must do something to prevent Malaysia's tourism market to cool down," she said. "Live streaming is the best way I can think of, people could actually see the food and the streets."

Ng's viewers have grown from several thousand in the earlier episodes to more than 10,000 now. "Doing live-streaming brings me some sense of satisfaction. When you have 10,000 viewers, you would want to have more, to introduce more fun staff and places to my Chinese friends," she said.

Ng is planning more live streaming of some tropical islands and historic cities of Penang and Malacca, among others. "We want to keep warm the market and not to let the market cool down and hopefully when all these borders reopen, all the tourists will come back," she said.

Like Ng, Nishith Shah, who founded India China Academy (ICA) in Mumbai in 2013 to bridge the cultural gap between India and China, has also enjoyed his new way of doing businesses after moving his Mandarine language courses online.

Children wearing face masks read books at a kindergarten in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 1, 2020. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

"We have re-strategized our teaching methods and tools according to new situation. Despite the physical distance we are able to create the same fun learning environment as we used to have during our classroom sessions. We have designed exercises, activities and learning material to suit online teaching. We are using various digital platforms like zoom platform for teaching, Wechat for discussions and DingTalk for attendance."

He even found his courses now covering a wider participants. Earlier his students mainly came from Mumbai. In a webinar on "Introduction to Mandarin" he was "pleasantly surprised" to see students coming from Kolkata, Surat, Delhi and remote parts of Maharashtra.

"A wider range of students can now access ICA's educational programs," said Shah, devoted to connecting China and India by eliminating communication and cultural barriers of the two ancient civilizations. (1 baht equals 0.032 U.S. dollars)

(Xinhua reporters Li Xiaoyu from Singapore, Zhang Xingjun from Mumbai, Chen Jiabao from Bangkok, Lin Hao from Kuala Lumpur contributed to the story.)
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday wrote a letter to the Union HRD Ministry seeking cancellation of Delhi University's online mock exams. Singh claimed that the current situation posed a question mark on the future of students.

In the letter the AAP minister wrote, "The current state of affairs on conducting online mock exams poses a big question mark on the future of 4 lakh DU students. I am writing to the HRD minister seeking cancellation of online examination."

He also cited the problems faced by students while giving the mock tests on July 4.

On Saturday, students complained of several issues while answering questions to Delhi Universitys online mock open book examinations (OBE). Chief among them were network problems, incorrect question papers and difficulty in logging in to the website.

The Delhi University had announced that online OBE for terminal year students due to the prevailing novel coronavirus outbreak, though students and teachers had expressed strong reservations against the decision.

The exams were supposed to begin from July 1 but were postponed to July 10 and in the meantime, the university had decided to conduct mock tests.
Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday (July 5, 2020) informed that he has tested negative for the coronavirus.

"My report for COVID is negative," tweeted the Deputy CM.

My report for COVID is negative.  Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) July 5, 2020

Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary has also tested negative, as per a PTI news report.

The Ministers had to undergo COVID-19 tests as they attended an event with Bihar Legislative Council Chairperson Awadhesh Narayan Singh, who tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also underwent COVID-19 because he had attended the event as well.

CM who also got negative reports had directed all his officers who came in close contact with him to undergo coronavirus testing.

Bihar Legislative Council Chairperson Awadhesh Narayan Singh had administered the oath to nine newly-elected members of the Legislative Council on July 1, where CM along with Deputy CM and other political figures were also present.

According to the Union Health Ministry on Sunday, Bihar has a total of 11,700 COVID-19 confirmed cases, out of which 2,925 are still active, while 89 people have succumbed to the virus.
New Delhi: As the number of recovered cases in Delhi is on the rise, Dr Sandeep Budhiraja claims that the novel coronavirus peak in Delhi has come to an end.

Budhiraja is one of five members of a panel constituted by the Delhi government to tackle the COVID-19 crisis in the national capital.

The panel was formed to guide the government on areas where strengthening of infrastructure is required to better manage the pandemic.

Budhiraja is the group medical director of Max Hospital. He had performed the first plasma therapy in India for a COVID patient back in April 2020.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday in a press conference had said, ''Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home. Whereas there were around 2300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6200 to 5300. Today, 9900 corona beds are free.''

On Saturday, Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodiya congratulated the coronavirus warriors working in Delhi for achieving a recovery rate of more than 70 per cent.

Meanwhile, Delhi has recorded 97200 confirmed cases which includes 25940 active cases, 68256 cured cases and 3004 deaths.

While India's COVID-19 cases mounted to 6,73,165, with the death toll rising to 19,268 on Sunday, according to the Union health ministry. With this, India has recorded over 20,000 cases of the infection for the third consecutive day.
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Sunday (July 5, 2020) informed that there are 21 States/UTs with a recovery rate of more than the national average, which is 60.77%.

According to the latest COVID-19 health bulletin, the number of COVID-19 recovered cases across India has increased to 4,09,082 as of Sunday.

A total of 14,856 COVID-19 patients have been cured in the last 24 hours.

Chandigarh tops the list with a recovery rate of 85.9% followed by Ladakh at 82.2% and Uttarakhand at 80.9%.

Here is the complete list of all 21 States/UTs with their recovery rates:

The number of active cases across India is at 2,44,814, while the total tally stands at 6,73,165.

India recorded its highest single-day spike as well as COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday as there were 24,850 fresh infections and 613 deaths.

This was the fourth straight day of a record rise in confirmed cases as more than 23,500 cases were reported on July 3 and July 4.

The death count now stands at 19,268.

Maharashtra with 2,00,064 confirmed cases is the worst-hit place in India while Tamil Nadu on the second spot has 1,07,001 cases.

Delhi has a total of 97,200 COVID-19 infections followed by Gujarat at 35,312 cases.
Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) have turned several chiefs of Sikh terror groups into drug smugglers. As per an investigation report, Germany is being developed as a base for Khalistan operations by ISI.

ISI is using Khalistani terrorists to smuggle narcotics and provide funds to terror various groups for anti-India activities. Earlier this month, India declared at least nine Khalistani terrorists in the designated terror list under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A dossier prepared by Indian Security agencies and accessed by Zee News reveals ISI sinister plan to use pro-Khalistani elements based in Pakistan, Germany, UK, Canada and US for promoting terror and terror ideology by luring the youth and spreading hatred against India.

In the biggest narcotics haul in June last year, the Indian customs department sized 532 kg of heroin worth Rs 2,700 crores, which was smuggled into India from a truck through Attari border. The department suspects its link with Germany-based Gurmeet Singh Bagga, which was recovered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Bagga, who has emerged as a common link in the narco-terror network through which drugs and funds for terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India were being pushed into from Pakistan.

An NIA investigation has revealed that Pakistan-based terrorist organizations are using narcotic trade to generate funds for terror activities in India. The proceeds of narcotic trade are transferred to Kashmir Valley through couriers and hawala channel for terrorist purposes.

All the Khalistani leaders based in the UK, Germany and Canada have been inciting violence or involved in facilitating terror activities in India in association with the ISI. In 2019, Punjab Police busted a terrorist module of the revived Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), backed by a Pakistan and Germany-based terror group that was conspiring to unleash a series of terrorist strikes in Punjab and adjoining states, and seized a huge cache of arms, including five AK-47 rifles, pistols, satellite phones and hand grenades.

Security agencies have also found a link to Germany, UK and Canada, which have emerged as the main base of Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorists. Sympathizers of the groups living in these countries fund drugs in Punjab and some part of these funds are also being diverted to Kashmir for terror activities.

Pakistan's ISI is strengthening its hold among Germany's pro-Khalistani terrorists. To dodge Indian security agencies, ISI is engaged in a conspiracy to supply drugs and weapons in India with the help of pro-Khalistani terrorists present in Germany. ISI is trying to strengthen Khalistani terrorists against India so that Punjab can be disturbed.

On the basis of security agencies report, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated nine individuals as terrorists under the amended anti-terror law that was passed by the Parliament last year.

Based on their involvement in various terror activities, Indian Security agencies prepared a dossier in which crucial evidence was gathered against all these suspects.

Here's why they were banned by the govt:

1. Gurmeet Singh Bagga

Bagga has been put into the designated terror list under the provisions of the UAPA. Agencies believe Bagga to be a close associate of Pakistan-based Sikh radical Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta. Bagga is a Khalistan Zindabad Force terrorist and is wanted in three cases of shipment of huge quantity of explosives from Pakistan to Punjab for carrying of terror strikes. Bagga was also sentenced to a four-year prison term by a German court for an assassination bid on Radha Swamy Beas Chief Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon in Vienna.

On the instruction of ISI, last year Bagga and Pakistan based Neeta had managed to drop a huge cache of arms, ammunition in Punjab through Pakistan-controlled drones with a motive to terror strike.

2. Bhupinder Singh Bhinda

Another German-based Pro-Khalisatni militant Bhupinder Singh also known as Bhinda is a close associate of Bagga. He is linked with Khalistan Zindabad Force and in contact with his Punjab-based Sikh terrorists to foment trouble in Punjab.

3. Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta

ISI is eying on several pro Khalistan terrorists based in Pakistan for promoting terror and smuggling of arms and fake currency. Pak-based Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta is the chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force. He is involved in transshipments of arms and ammunition to Sikh terrorists in India. Neeta is also involved in fake Indian currency racket.

4. Wadhwa Singh

Another banned pro-Khalistani and Pakistan-based terrorist Wadhwa Singh is the chief of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). He has been involved in the killing of policemen in Punjab. Wadhwa is involved in smuggling of fake Indian currency notes at the behest of Pakistan's ISI.

5. Lakhbir Singh Rode

Lakhbir Singh Rode has been involved in many terrorist attack in India and is also associated with smuggling of drugs. His son Bhagat Brar, based in Canada is actively involved in anti-India activities and frequently visit Pakistan for meeting radical ISI officials for organizing antiIndia activities abroad.

Lakhbir Singh Rode continues to keep close association with radical sikh elements in the UK, Canada and other European countries for the revival of Sikh militancy in Punjab.

6. Pramjit Singh Pamma

Paramjit Singh alias Pamma is UK-based and associated with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). He actively participates in anti-India activities. Pamma is also in contact with Pakistan's ISI and Sikh-based terrorists in Pakistan. He arranges financial assistance to Sikh radicals.

Pamma spearheaded a hate campaign against India during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to the UK in 2018. Pamma has become close to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (USA) and is actively participating in the activities of SFJ in the UK.

7. Paramjit Singh Panjwar

Lahore-based Paramjit Singh Panjwar is the chief of Khalistan Commando Force (KCF). He has been involved with Afghan Mujahideens based in Peshawar for the supply of arms, ammunition and training of Sikh militants. He is actively involved in carrying out anti-India activities and smuggling of drugs.

8. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

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'.

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.

9. Hardeep Singh Nijjar

A plumber by profession Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has the link with the Khalistan Tiger Force. He has been the mastermind and key conspirator of many terrorist acts in India. Recently, Indian security agencies have alerted that Hardeep Singh Nijjar conspiring a major terrorist attack in India.

The plan of attack being coordinated by his Pakistan-based associates and Jaishe Mohammad (JeM) to cause maximum casualties of multiple cities including Patiala and Chandigarh He is also involved in promoting terrorist activities in India by talent spotting and arranging training of recruits.
New Delhi: Former MLA Mahender Yadav who was convicted in 1984 Sikh riots succumbed to COVID-19 in Delhi on Saturday (July 4, 2020).

Mahender was 70-years old and was an MLA from the Palam constituency.

He was lodged in Jail no 14 in Mandoli and was serving a 10-year sentence.

Notably, an inmate Kanwar Singh had died while sleeping, in the same jail on June 15, who was later tested COVID-19 positive.

Kanwar Singh's death resulted in all the 29 inmates (mostly senior citizens) who shared barrack with him undergoing coronavirus tests.

17 of them were tested positive. The rest of them were given a repeat test after 5 days on June 25 in which 3 people were reported COVID-19 positive including Mahender Yadav.

Earlier on June 26, Mahender had developed uneasiness with some heart-related symptoms and was referred to DDU hospital.

He was then admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital on the same day.

Later, on Mahender's family's request, he was allowed to be shifted under police guard to a private hospital in Dwarka named Akash Healthcare Hospital on June 30.

"Inquest proceedings will be conducted by Metropolitan Magistrate," said Sandeep Goel, DG Prisons.

As of Saturday night, the national capital has a total of 97,200 confirmed cases. Out of the total count, 25,940 cases are still active while 3,004 people have lost their lives due to the disease.
Srinagar: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was on Sunday (July 5) injured in a low-intensity IED blast in Gangoo area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to reports, terrorists planned to attack a CRPF convoy at the circular road in Gangoo area through the IED blast. Reports stated that a firing ensued after the blast took place. There was no report of any arrest at the time of filing the copy.

The entire area was immediately cordoned off and a search was mounted by forces to nab the terrorists. During the search, the police found another IED in the Gangoo area, which they soon defused.

The CRPF jawan sustained injuries in his hand.

A top police officer said, "A minor IED blast occurred near peaks auto crossing on Pulwahma road when a CRP ROP party was being deployed for movement of their vehicles. One constable GD Praeeep Daas of 182 Bn CRP has suffered some minor injuries in his hands."

Sources in the police said, "Terrorists had planted low-intensity IED under a tree near an automobiles showroom in Gongoo area of the district. The IED exploded just a few minutes after the convoy passed through the area."

Sources added that the explosion was followed by firing from forces that created panic in the area.

Kashmir zone police twitted, "A low-intensity #IED blast occurred at #Pulwama. #One CRPF personnel suffered #injuries in his hands and is stable. Senior officers are on the spot. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice."

Security personals cordoned-off the area to nab the attackers. Search has been launched in the area.
Chennai: The Indian Coast Guards Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) located at Chennai on Sunday (July 5, 2020) morning successfully coordinated the rescue operation of six Sri Lankan fishermen along the Chennai coast.

The merchant's vessel was on her way to Visakhapatnam when she sighted a capsized fishing boat with six survivors atop, at around 7:15 AM on July 5, approximately 170 nautical miles east of Chennai.

A merchant vessel, MV YM Summit undertook the daunting rescue task.

The master transmitted the information to MRCC, Mumbai which was timely shared with MRCC, Chennai for further coordination. MRCC Chennai coordinated with the vessel for the safe rescue of the survivors.

The six survivors are identified as natives of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. They were reportedly stranded and adrift at sea, braving the vagaries of rough weather for four days.

MRCC, Chennai further, coordinated with the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission, Chennai and MRCC Colombo to verify the credentials and arranging for their safe return to home.



The successful rescue operation reiterates the Indian Coast Guards resolve towards providing Search and Rescue cover in the vast indomitable sea areas and also highlights the synergy and coordination between the Merchant Marine and the Indian Coast Guard, towards the safety of lives at sea.
Kolkata: A massive fire broke out on the fourth floor of a commercial building in the Canning Street in West Bengal's capital Kolkata on Sunday (July 5) morning. According to the report, the fire broke at 9 am in the morning.

Soon after it broke, the flame spread to other floors and engulfed godowns and offices in no time. Fortunately, all offices were closed and staff and employees were at home at the time of the mishap given it was Sunday. There was no report of injury or anyone trapped inside the building at the time of filing of the cop.

#Breaking: A massive fire broke out in a commercial building in Canning Street in Kolkata this morning. The building houses godowns & offices, however none were present inside given it was a Sunday. No report of any injury, fire fighting on. 7 fire tenders at the spot @ZeeNews pic.twitter.com/KR09JiuHvK  Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) July 5, 2020

The fire department pressed at least seven firetenders into service to douse the flame. A few senior police officials also reached the spot to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, the entire area was engulfed in thick black smoke, which was seen billowing out of windows of the building. The firefighting operation was on until 10:30 am.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 11:39:36|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Sunday with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi noted that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 60 years ago, the traditional friendship between China and Ghana has grown stronger with practical cooperation yielding fruitful results.

China-Ghana relations have shown a sound momentum for all-round development in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples, Xi said.

Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Xi said, China and African countries, including Ghana, have stood by each other in a joint fight against the disease, which demonstrates the brotherly friendship between China and Africa who share weal and woe.

Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he stands ready to work with Akufo-Addo to take the 60th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen cooperation in various fields under the joint construction of the Belt and Road and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to benefit the two countries and their peoples, and contribute to the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future. Enditem
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (July 5) said that nearly 10,000 beds for coronavirus infected people are free in the national capital since more and more people are getting cured at home.

"Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home. Whereas there were around 2,300 new patients daily last week, no of patients in hospital has gone down from 6,200 to 5,300. Today, 9,900 corona beds are free," the Chief Minister said.

Delhi's COVID-19 tally has reached 94,695. Out of the total cases, 26,148 are active, 65,624 have been cured and 2,923 have died so far after contracting the infection.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in Delhi has declined to 10. 58 per cent after rising to nearly 37 per cent, and the average number of cases has also dropped by almost 1,000 over the previous week, indicating a welcome trend, though experts have cautioned the people against lowering their guard.

The national capital's recovery rate too has risen significantly crossing 70 per cent, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said. The national recovery rate is 60.81 per cent.

According to a bulletin issued by the Health Department, 2,505 fresh cases were recorded taking the tally to 97,200 on Saturday. With 55 fresh fatalities, the death toll now stands at 3,004.

The active cases stand at 25,940. This is for the first time since June 24 that active cases have dropped in the range of 25,000.

Meanwhile, as Delhi significantly ramped up testing, more than 45 per cent of the over 5.96 lakh COVID-19 tests in Delhi were conducted in the last 16 days, following the use of rapid-antigen methodology in and around containment zones of the national capital, said a PTI report.
Kathmandu: Amid growing demand for resignation of KP Oli in the rival faction of Nepal Communist Party, senior party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal met the Nepal Prime Minister at his Baluwatar residence on Sunday (July 5). The second round of meeting between the two leaders is likely to take place on tomorrow, reported ANI.

According to reports, Dahal had first President Bidya Devi Bhandari before holding talks with KP Oli.

Meanwhile, a crucial meeting of Nepal's ruling communist party to decide the political future of embattled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was postponed until July 6 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 July 4. But it was postponed at the last minute.

According to The Himalayan Times report, the rival faction of the NCP has been demanded Oli's resignation from the post of Prime Minister while some other leaders have asked him to quit both posts of PM as well as party co-chair. Oli has, however, refused to quit. According to Standing Committee member Haribol Gajurel, the stalemate continues with both Oli and Dahal sticking to their guns.

Dahal told Oli on Saturday that despite the agreement between them on leading the government by turns, he had given the latter the full five-year term, but the Prime Minister failed to run the country well and there was growing frustration in the party, according to Gajurel. Apart from holding one-on-one negotiations, Oli and Dahal are also talking through their confidants to find a middle path.

NCP leaders have to consider the possibility that any attempt by the Dahal-Nepal faction to unseat the Prime Minister could lead to a vertical split of the party along with consequences not only at the central level but also the provincial and local levels.

Another Standing Committee member told The Himalayan Times that the Oli`s decision to bring ordinance to allow party dissidents to split their parties with the support of either 40 per cent members of the Central Committee or the Parliamentary Party, and his decision to abruptly prorogue the budget session of the Parliament had riled rival faction leaders.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (July 5) called on President Ram Nath Kovind and the two leaders discussed issues of national and international importance, Rashtrapati Bhavan officials said. The meeting comes almost two days after PM Modi along with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat visited Leh to take stock of the situation at the Line of Actual Control amid rising border tension with China.

During his visit to the Leh, PM Modi had addressed soldiers and interacted with them for close to 20 minutes. He was briefed about the situation at the border by senior officers at Nimu.

#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Ram Nath Kovind and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance at Rashtrapati Bhavan today pic.twitter.com/YPqOxAvtuK  ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2020

After the meeting, the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted, "Prime Minister @narendramodi called on President Kovind and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance...".

On the intervening night of June 14-15, at least 20 Indian jawans including Colonel Santosh Babu were killed during a violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The clash in Galwan Valley on Monday night is the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.

The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 and 6. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

The two armies were engaged in a standoff in Galwan and several other areas of the eastern Ladakh since May 5 when the two sides clashed on the bank of the Pangong Tso.

After the standoff began, the Indian military leadership decided that Indian troops will adopt a firm approach in dealing with the aggressive posturing by the Chinese troops in all disputed areas of Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie.

The Chinese Army has been gradually ramping up its strategic reserves in its rear bases near the LAC by rushing in artillery guns, infantry combat vehicles and heavy military equipment.

The trigger for the face-off was China's stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley.

The road in the Finger area in Pangong Tso is considered crucial for India to carry out patrols. India has already decided not to stall any border infrastructure projects in eastern Ladakh in view of Chinese protests.
New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID Hospital in New Delhi on Sunday (July 5, 2020).

The 1000-bed COVID hospital has become operational now and has 250 ICU beds.

The hospital will be operated by the medical team of doctors, nurses and support staff from the Armed Forces Medical Services.

"I congratulate all the agencies working tirelessly towards making this Hospital a wonderful example in enhancing our preparedness against the menace of COVID-19," said Rajnath.

Visited newly created, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID Hospital in New Delhi today along with HM Shri @AmitShah, Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal & Health Minister @drharshvardhan. This facility has been created by @DRDO_India in collaboration with MHA & Tata Sons in a record time. pic.twitter.com/c9n4VyFji2  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 5, 2020

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, PM Narendra Modi ji is fully committed to helping the people of Delhi in these challenging times and this Covid hospital, yet again, highlights the resolve. I thank DRDO, Tatas and our Armed Forces Medical personnel who have risen to the occasion and helped tackle the emergency."

PM @narendramodi ji is fully committed to helping the people of Delhi in these challenging times and this Covid hospital, yet again, highlights the resolve. I thank DRDO, Tatas and our Armed Forces Medical personnel who have risen to the occasion and helped tackle the emergency. pic.twitter.com/O7TqmK81qG  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 5, 2020

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was also present.

A joint effort of MoD, MHA, MoHFW, Tata Sons, and Delhi Government, the hospital has been established by DRDO in a record time of 12 days.

The hospital is fully equipped with facilities for patients like medical oxygen gas, PPE kits, ventilators, COVID testing facility and other lab tests.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Home Department on Sunday (July 5, 2020) revoked its earlier transfer order of 10 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) in Mumbai.

The state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the three-day-old order has been revoked and that the police offcials have been asked to continue with their current postings.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP accused the three alliance parties of not having any concensus between them, BJP's Maharashtra spokesperson Ram Kadam said 'one party transfers and the other stops them'.

"The reason is obvious... It is a government of three parties that does not agree on anything and that is the reason that the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra has gotten worse," he said.

The order for the transfer of 10 DCPs of the Mumbai Police had been issued on Thursday, July 2.

As per the previous order, DCPs from Zone VII, Protection, SB-I, Port Zone, CB (Detection), Zone XI, Cyber, Zone I, Operation and LA Tardeo were transferred to different zones in the city police department.

Meanwhile, five Shiv Sena Corporators from Parner Nagar Panchayat in Ahmednagar joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Baramati on Saturday, according to ANI.

Corporators Dr Mudassir Sayyad, Nandkumar Deshmukh, Kishan Gandhade, Vaishali Auti and Nanda Deshmane joined NCP.

Along with Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP are a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
New Delhi: Two Pakistan Army personnel have reportedly been killed while three others have been injured as Indian Army retaliated to Pakistan's unprovoked ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

The two Pakistani soldiers, including one Subedar, were killed in Nikial Sector while the three injured soldiers were in Rakh Chikri, Deva and Bagsar areas.

The ceasefire violation took place at 7:45 pm in Balakote sector of Poonch district on Sunday. Pakistan resorted to small arms firing and intense mortar shelling, an official said.

"At about 7.45 p.m. today Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Balakote sector of Poonch district," the Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Devender Anand was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Saturday Pakistan violated ceasefire along LoC in Degwar sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

So far, Pakistan has violated the bilateral ceasefire along the LoC over 2,400 times this year.

The frequent shelling from across the LoC has thrown the lives of hundreds of border dwellers out of gear. They live under constant fear of losing their lives, homes and cattle due to the firing from Pakistani troops.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police has raised the price money on gangster and notorious history-sheeter Vikas Dubey from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The development comes almost 48 hours after eight police personnel were killed during a raid which was carried in the wee hours of July 3 to arrest Dubey and his gang members in Kanpur.

The UP Police said it will seize illegal properties and money in Vikas Dubey's bank accounts under the Gangsters Act, following which Lucknow Police seized the vehicles parked at his residence in Lucknow.

Vikas Dubey's accomplice arrested, says 'gangster was tipped-off about police raid'

In another development, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested an accomplice of Dubey from Kanpur Dehat area on Sunday morning. The accused has been identified as Daya Shankar Agnihotri and had a reward of Rs 25,000 on him.

The police said that the accused opened fire at the team, resulting in cross-fire, following which he was taken into the arrest. The police recovered a gun and cartridges from his possession.

The accused revealed before the police that Dubey had received a phone from the police station before the police came to arrest him. "Vikas Dubey received a phone call from police station before the police came to arrest him in the wee hours on July 3. Following this, he called around 25-30 people and prepared them for the attack. He fired bullets on police personnel. I was locked inside the house at the time of encounter, therefore, saw nothing," Daya Shankar Agnihotri told police.

Power line of Bikru village snapped before police raid happened:

Notably, on July 3, when a police team reached Bikru village, located almost 45 kilometres from the district headquarters of Kanpur, to arrest Dubey, the power line of the village was snapped. To investigate the matter, police questioned the man, Chhatrapal Singh, Operator, Shivli Power Sub-station, responsible for disconnecting the power line of the area at the time police reached the spot.

According to ANI, the man confessed to having snapped the power lines on instructions by a caller who said was calling from Chaubepur police station. The power was then shut down.

Gangster's photo put up at checkpost near India-Nepal border in Rupaidiha, Bahraich

Ramping up the search for gangster Vikas Dubey, the main accused in Kanpur encounter case, the police put up his photos at the checkpost near India-Nepal border in Rupaidiha and Bahraich districts.

Gangster Vikas Dubey's house razed by authorities:
New Delhi: World's largest, 10,000-bed Sardar Patel's COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Chhatarpur area was made operational in the national capital.

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, inaugurated the facility has been created on an emergency basis by the South Delhi District Administration with support of the Ministry of Home Affairs in a record time of 10 days.

Notably, this coronavirus treatment centre which is set up in Chhatarpur area of the national capital is said to be the "largest" of its kind in the world."The Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital has been developed to help the citizens of Delhi and NCR who are affected by the coronavirus. Our team of doctors and medical staffs will take care of this facility.

Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital will have 10 per cent of beds with oxygen facility," the Delhi LG said after the inaugural.

Talking about the facilities at the new coronavirus centre, Baijal further stated, "We have counsellors for mentally traumatised patients. We have a team of good psychiatrists and specialists in medicine."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also visited the DRDO-built Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment. Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy also present

The facility will function as an isolation centre for mild and asymptomatic COVID positive patients. 10 per cent of the beds will have oxygen facility in case the patient develops severe breathlessness and requires tertiary hospital care, read a statement.

Operationally, the facility has been linked to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital. The referral tertiary care hospitals are Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.

ITBP will be running the first 2,000 beds with their 170 doctors/specialists and more than 700 nurses and paramedics, the statement added.Most of the basic infrastructure such as beds, mattresses and linen has been donated by various civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations.

A recreational centre has been made available to the patients along with a library, board games and skipping ropes. People admitted to the facility will be provided five healthy meals a day along with immunity-boosting chawanprash, juices and hot kadha, the statement added.
New Delhi: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, in his recent blog, took a trip down the memory lane to share when his family moved into their first Mumbai home - Prateeksha - which was named after one of the poems by his father-poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. With it, he also recalled the time his son Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan got married under a Gulmohar tree in their premises. The tree recently got uprooted due to the heavy rains in Mumbai.

"It had served its time .. and voluntarily dropped .. broke away from its roots and fell .. and with it fell 43 years of its history .. its life and all that it represented .. the day in 1976 we moved into the first house that this generation had ever bought and built, and called its own .. it was planted as a sapling, a mere few inches in its height .. in the middle of the lawn that surrounded the property," Big B said.

"Babuji saw the house as we invited him and Maa ji to now live with us and named it .. Prateeksha .. it came from a line of one of his works," he added.

Amitabh Bachchan then explained how the family used to celebrate festivals around the tree and Abhishek and Aishwarya's wedding festivities also happened near it in 2007.

The 77-year-old megastar further said, "The children grew up around it .. as did the grandchildren .. their birthdays and the festivities of festivals all decorated this Gulmohar beautiful tree, with its bright orange flowers that bloomed during the summer .. the children did get married just a few feet away from it .. and it stood guardian above them .. its branches bowed down with the weight of grief and sorrow when the elders passed away."

The Bachchans currently stay in another bungalow named Jalsa. Every Sunday, a huge crowd gathers outside Jalsa to see a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan, who holds a meet and greet session there.

On the work front, Amitabh Bachchan was last seen in Amazon Prime's 'Gulabo Sitabo', also starring Ayushmann Khurrana. The film was directed by Shoojit Sircar.
New Delhi: A day after Saroj Khan's death, Amul paid a heartwarming tribute to the late choreographer via an Instagram post. The brand acknowledged Saroj Khan's works and said she was the "mother of dance/choreography in India." The post has a caricature of Saroj Khan teaching a few dance moves. "From the A, B, C To the Ek, Do, Teen of dance," Amul captioned its post.

Take a look:

'Ek Do Teen' is actress Madhuri Dixit's iconic song from the film 'Tezaab'. It was choreographed by Saroj Khan.

Saroj Khan died at the age of 71 after a cardiac arrest on Friday. She was one of the most prolific choreographers of the Hindi film industry, fondly called 'Master ji'. Saroj Khan had called the shots in over 2,000 songs spanning over four decades.

She gained recognition in the mid to late eighties, first directing some memorable dances for Sridevi and then Madhuri Dixit, the reigning superstars of the era.

Saroj Khan won the National Award thrice in her lifetime. In 2003, she received the honour for the song 'Dola Re Dola' in 'Devdas'. In 2006, she was a recipient of the award for all the songs she choreographed in the Tamil film, 'Sringaram'. In 2008, she won the National Award for the song 'Yeh Ishq Haaye' in 'Jab We Met'.

(With IANS inputs)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 11:39:56|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. states of Florida and Texas reported new single-day records in new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, and concerns about infection spikes in other parts of the country forced local authorities to warn against public celebration of Fourth of July holiday.

The southeastern U.S. state of Florida reported 11,458 new coronavirus cases, smashing the previous single-day record and almost tying New York state's peak daily figure set in April.

The soar was the second time in three days that the state's caseload increased by more than 10,000.

The new record also continues a marked upturn in cases that began in late May, forcing the state to roll back part of its reopening starting on May 4.

In Texas, a record daily increase of 8,258 cases were reported, with the total infections now standing at 191,790, according to local health officials.

Health experts argued, however, that the true number of coronavirus infections is likely to be much higher since the majority of the local population have yet to be tested.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday reported an increase of nearly 53,000 infections, bringing the national count to 2,785,023.

With some 40 states in the United States reporting resurgence of COVID-19 cases, a number of U.S. states and cities either canceled or scaled down Independence Day celebrations.

Chicago is a little quiet during this year's Independence Day holiday as the local government had canceled the fireworks displays at Navy Pier and most of the surrounding suburbs to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

There was also 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.

"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," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in a written statement.

"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," said the statement.

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.

In New York, once the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, the public were urged to avoid crowds, and Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest happened at an undisclosed location without spectators on hand, according to local media reports. Enditem
New Delhi: A few members of the Karni Sena met Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday to urge a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Sushant died by suicide on June 14 in Mumbai. He was said to be under stress and depression for some months. After his death, actress-politician Roopa Ganguly and actor Shekhar Suman have also been aggressively demanding CBI enquiry into the case.

Apart from Deshmukh, the Karni Sena has also requested Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray for CBI probe into the untimely demise of Sushant, a member of the organisation told the press.

Mumbai Police is currently investigating the case and as many as 28 people, including Sushant's family members, his close friends, work associates and household staff, have been questioned so far.

The post-mortem report said Sushant died of asphyxia due to hanging. The Mumbai Police also ruled out any foul play in his death.

Sushant was the star of films such as 'Kai Po Che!', 'Shuddh Desi Romance', 'PK', 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!', 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', 'Raabta', 'Kedarnath', 'Sonchiriya' and 'Chhichhore'. He debuted in Bollywood after ruling the TV industry for years.

His last film will be 'Dil Bechara', which will stream on Disney+ Hotstar from July 24.
New Delhi: By scrolling through the pictures posted by Sushant Singh Rajput on his Facebook profile, we chanced upon an old photo of him when he bought his first bike from his savings. The late actor, who loved luxury cars and bikes, had bought a fancy motorcycle in 2006 from the money he earned by giving tuitions to engineering students. He was in college then.

The picture featured him sitting on the bike and smiling for the photo. "#collegedays #2006 first bike I bought from the money I earned by giving tuitions to aspiring engineering students. Some things make u feel so good," read the caption with which Sushant had posted the photo.

Take a look:

#collegedays #2006 first bike I bought from the money I earned by giving tuitions to aspiring engineering students . Some things make u feel sooooo good.:)) Posted by Sushant Singh Rajput on Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Sushant had many hobbies and interests. He was deeply interested in science, cosmos, universe, mathematics and spirituality and his social media posts also suggested so. He had also written a list of his '50 dreams', which included learning how to fly a plane, learning Morse Code, helping children learn about space, doing a four clap push up and one of it was also to buy a Lamborghini.

The 34-year-old actor already owned a Range Rover, a Maserati Quattroporte and a BMW bike.

Sushant died by suicide in Mumbai on June 14. He was said to be under stress and depression for some months.

Sushant will be last seen, posthumously, in 'Dil Bechara', which streams on Disney+ Hotstar from July 24.
Kabul: A relative of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was shot dead in Kabul, Afghan media reported on Saturday (July 5).

As per the reports, Police on Saturday said a cousin of Ghani was found shot dead inside his home in Kabul. More details are awaited.

Earlier last month, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had agreed to hold a round of negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar's capital, Doha.

Earlier still, in February this year, the United States of America and the Taliban on Saturday signed the Afghanisthan peace deal after witnessing a seven-day cooling-off period which passed off peacefully. The deal was signed in Doha, Qatar.

However, the militant group soon resumed its offensive on the Aghan government, announcing attacks on the country's authority and the military forces.

The situation in the country remains precarious, although India has said that it will continue to support the Afghan government and people of the country.

India's official stance to the Afghan peace process is that it should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 12:17:33|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education has joined hands with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to launch an online recruitment drive to help the country's new college graduates find jobs.

The campaign encourages cultural and tourist companies nationwide to provide information about their vacancies, and the education ministry will organize students from relevant majors to apply online, the two ministries said in a statement. The campaign will run till the end of August.

An online platform has been launched through which employers in the sector can release recruitment information for free, and the students can apply and check the latest updates on their applications.

The statement also asked the employers to give timely feedback to the students.

The authorities said they will review the qualifications of companies and check the veracity of the vacancies. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 12:35:26|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Sunday with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi noted that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 60 years ago, the traditional friendship between China and Ghana has grown stronger with practical cooperation yielding fruitful results.

China-Ghana relations have shown a sound momentum for all-round development in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples, Xi said.

Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Xi said, China and African countries, including Ghana, have stood by each other in a joint fight against the disease, which demonstrates the brotherly friendship between China and Africa who share weal and woe.

Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he stands ready to work with Akufo-Addo to take the 60th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen cooperation in various fields under the joint construction of the Belt and Road and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to benefit the two countries and their peoples, and contribute to the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

For his part, Akufo-Addo noted that the older generation of leaders from both sides, including late Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, jointly initiated and nurtured the friendly relations between Ghana and China.

Over the past 60 years, the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, achieved remarkable results in cooperation in various fields and worked together to build a peaceful, just and equitable international order, he said.

Noting that Xi has shown extraordinary leadership in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Akufo-Addo said that China has won worldwide acclaim for its assistance and support to countries around the world, including Ghana, in the anti-virus fight.

Ghana, he added, firmly supports the efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic through international solidarity and cooperation.

Akufo-Addo also expressed his readiness to work with Xi to consolidate the traditional friendship, strengthen strategic coordination and deepen bilateral cooperation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 12:51:08|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- A total of 35 people were killed with 202 injured in traffic accidents on Myanmar's Yangon-Mandalay highway in the first half year, state-run media quoted Highway Police's figures as saying on Sunday.

From January to June this year, there were a total of 183 road accidents reported on Myanmar's busiest highway, where March was recorded with the highest numbers of casualties, registering nine deaths and 48 injured in 36 traffic accidents.

The highway accidents were mostly caused by human error -- overspeeding, negligent driving, drowsy driving and others.

There were a total of 524 road accidents on Yangon-Mandalay highway, killing 108 and injuring 1,019 others in 2019.

The highway police force is urging people to follow the traffic laws and cooperate with traffic police in carrying out road safety measures.

The highway authorities have increased the number of road safety police stations, providing 24-hour services for travellers since 2012 so as to enhance better traffic safety along the highway.

The 587-km long highway, connecting the country's commercial city Yangon and the second largest city of Mandalay, was opened to lessen the travel time between the two cities in December 2010. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 13:30:18|Editor: huaxia

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File photo shows Chinese President Xi Jinping holding a welcome ceremony for Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Sunday with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi noted that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 60 years ago, the traditional friendship between China and Ghana has grown stronger with practical cooperation yielding fruitful results.

China-Ghana relations have shown a sound momentum for all-round development in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples, Xi said.

Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Xi said, China and African countries, including Ghana, have stood by each other in a joint fight against the disease, which demonstrates the brotherly friendship between China and Africa who share weal and woe.

Troupers perform during the "Ghana Day" at the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 18, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he stands ready to work with Akufo-Addo to take the 60th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen cooperation in various fields under the joint construction of the Belt and Road and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to benefit the two countries and their peoples, and contribute to the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

For his part, Akufo-Addo noted that the older generation of leaders from both sides, including late Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, jointly initiated and nurtured the friendly relations between Ghana and China.

A staff member sorts products at the booth of Ghana at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 9, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiayang)

Over the past 60 years, the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, achieved remarkable results in cooperation in various fields and worked together to build a peaceful, just and equitable international order, he said.

Noting that Xi has shown extraordinary leadership in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Akufo-Addo said that China has won worldwide acclaim for its assistance and support to countries around the world, including Ghana, in the anti-virus fight.

Ghana, he added, firmly supports the efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic through international solidarity and cooperation.

Akufo-Addo also expressed his readiness to work with Xi to consolidate the traditional friendship, strengthen strategic coordination and deepen bilateral cooperation. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 13:40:47|Editor: huaxia

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LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Ten Taliban militants were killed and four others wounded during clashes with the Afghan National Army soldiers in two southern provinces on Saturday, authorities said on Sunday.

In one incident in Helmand province, four Taliban were killed after army soldiers repelled an attack on security checkpoints in Yakhchal locality of Gereshk district, the army's 215 Maiwand Corps said in a statement.

In Zabul province, six militants were killed and four others wounded in similar incident in Shinkay district.

The statement noted that army personnel did not hurt during the fighting while the militant group has not responded to the reports so far.

Violence still lingered in the war-torn country after a peace deal was signed between the United States and Taliban in Qatar late in February, which paved the way for a phased U.S. force withdrawal.

According to the agreement, some 10,000 U.S. and NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan will withdraw from the country by July next year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 13:52:06|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported no new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, with the national tally standing at 220, marking the sixth consecutive day without new cases, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Sunday.

Meanwhile, two more patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total recoveries to 185, the NCCD said in statement.

All the 220 confirmed cases in the country were imported, mostly from Russia, according to the center.

A French national tested positive for the virus on March 10, becoming the first case in Mongolia. So far, no local transmissions or deaths have been reported in the country. Enditem
Egypts ministries of environment and planning and economic development have agreed on implementing 30 percent of investment projects enrolled in Egypts plans for environmental development and green economy, the Ministry of Planning announced in a statement Sunday.

The two ministries have also agreed on increasing this percentage to 100 percent over the coming three years, by which contributing to achieving the national agenda for sustainable development in light of Egypts Vision 2030.

Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad stated that merging the environmental dimension with development projects reduces environment deterioration that costs the state dearly in negative impacts.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said revealed that EGP 36.7 billion has been allocated in the FY2020/2021 budget to implement 691 green projects, accounting for 14 percent of the total public investment allocation.

El-Said added that the total cost of these projects amounts to EGP 447.3 billion, saying that the proceeds of green bonds are likely to be used in financing current or future green projects in the year after the bond issuance date.

The two ministries said that a guidebook is currently under preparation, which is expected to include environmental measures in all state sectors, in addition to specialised guidance for each sector, according to the statement.

Green economy can be an effective instrument in transitioning Egypt onto a sustainable development path that can address the main challenges facing the country, a UN Environment Programme report issued before the Covid-19 crisis said, asserting the viability of green investments and business.

In June, Minister El-Said said that 30 percent of green investment allocations in the FY2020/2021 budget will be invested in the housing sector, mainly in the new cities under construction in Upper Egypt, with a focus on waste management and the efficiency of cleaning systems across the country.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 14:30:57|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 5 (Xinhua) -- A total of 636 soldiers have graduated from the Afghan army's Kandahar Regional Military Training Center and joined the Afghan army as fighting rages in the war-torn country, the country's Ministry of Defense said Sunday.

The combatants, including 16 female soldiers, got certificates during a passing out parade held at the center's headquarters in southern Kandahar province on Saturday, the statement said, adding they would be deployed in Kandahar and neighboring provinces.

The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces remain in control of most of the country's population centers and all of 34 provincial capitals, while Taliban insurgents fighting the government control large portions of rural areas. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 15:07:58|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The United States' army chief of staff Gen. James McConville will not be quarantined under anti-pandemic measures in Thailand where he is scheduled to pay a two-day visit next week, said a senior government official on Saturday.

Gen. McConville is scheduled to visit Thailand on July 9 as guest of the Thai army and to meet with Thai army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong under a "special arrangement," which will spare him the 14-day state quarantine, according to National Security Council (NSC) Secretary General Somsak Rungsita.

The U.S. army chief of staff will come from Singapore to Thailand on July 9 and will leave on July 10, Somsak said.

According to the NSC chief, guests of government may visit the country by a given schedule without undergoing the 14-day state quarantine.

However, Gen. McConville and his entourage, consisting of less than 10 staffers, will not stray out of the itinerary during his two-day visit, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 15:59:01|Editor: huaxia

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 5 (Xinhua) -- A paramilitary trooper belonging to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was injured Sunday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by militants in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The blast went off at village Gangoo in Pulwama district, about 34 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"A CRPF man was wounded in an IED blast in Gangoo," a police official posted in Pulwama said. "The wounded CRPF man was immediately removed to hospital, where his condition was stated to be stable."

Following the blast, the police and CRPF personnel cordoned off the area and brought in sniffer dogs to carry out searches.

"During the search, one more IED was found to be planted, which was immediately defused," the police official said.

The recent past has seen a surge in militant attacks on CRPF.

A guerilla war is going on between militants and Indian troopers stationed in the region since 1989. Militants usually attack government forces by resorting to firings or grenade attacks.

The gunfight between the two sides takes place intermittently across the region.

On Saturday two militants were killed, while three troopers including a junior level officer were wounded during a fierce gunfight in region's Kulgam.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 16:16:46|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 5 (Xinhua) -- A child was wounded Sunday when a Katyusha rocket targeted the heavily fortified Green Zone in central the Iraqi capital Baghdad, while the security forces foiled another rocket attack on a military base near Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.

In one attack, a rocket was fired from Ali al-Salih neighborhood in downtown Baghdad, but went beyond the Green Zone to land near a house in Karrada district, wounding a child and causing damages to the house, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

In a separate incident, the security forces thwarted another attack in Um al-Adham area in eastern Baghdad when they seized a Katyusha rocket and a launcher, which apparently was directed toward the military al-Taji Camp, some 20 km north of Baghdad, the statement added.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, as the military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq and the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks.

The attacks came as the Iraqi-U.S. relations have witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

The U.S. airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament on Jan. 5 to pass a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country.

More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 16:46:11|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities seized a large haul of narcotic drugs in Shan state, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, the anti-narcotic police force made a seizure in Pinlaung township on Saturday.

About 599,400 stimulants worth over 1.49 billion kyats (over 1 million U.S. dollars) and 5 kg of methamphetamine (ICE) worth 125 million kyats (89,285 U.S. dollars) were confiscated from a car and one suspect was arrested.

The township police filed a case against the suspect and further investigation is underway, the release said.

According to a latest release issued by the President's Office, a total of 1,210 drug-related cases were registered across Myanmar while 1,869 people were charged in connection with the cases as of June 27 this year, since the formation of the Drug Activity Special Complaint Department on June 26, 2018. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 17:29:57|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian air troops operating in the restive northeast region killed "scores of" Boko Haram militants in air strikes at Mina along the Gulumba Gana-Kumshe axis in Borno state, the country's military announced in a statement on late Saturday.

Nigeria's defense spokesperson John Enenche said in the statement that the air raids also destroyed the terrorists' logistics supplies at the location.

Enenche said the air interdiction missions being executed under the subsidiary Operation Long Reach II on Friday, had further destabilized the terrorists' new leadership and curtailed their freedom of action.

He said the operation was a sequel to intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists' location had recently been reinforced with fighters and logistics supplies to provide resistance against troops' positions.

According to him, confirmatory surveillance missions also observed significant numbers of terrorists in the settlement.

The defense spokesperson urged troops to intensify the air offensive against the terrorists and all other criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the country.

Boko Haram launched a bloody insurgency in 2009 in northeastern Nigeria but later spread its atrocities to other countries in the Lake Chad region, which prompted a united military response.

Thousands of people have been killed and millions others displaced in the over-a-decade Boko Haram violence in Nigeria and neighboring countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 17:46:21|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has gone into a 14-day self-isolation after one of his closes associates tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a statement has said.

The statement signed by the Minister for Information Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah late Saturday said Akufo-Addo decided to take the precautionary measure in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.

The statement added that although his initial test on Saturday was negative, the president "has elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution."

"During this precautionary period of self-isolation, the president will work from the presidential villa at the Jubilee House," it said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 17:59:22|Editor: huaxia

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KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia reported five new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, the health ministry said, pushing the national total to 8,663.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that of the new cases, three are imported and two are local transmissions.

Another four cases were released from hospital, bringing the total cured and discharged to 8,465 or 97.7 percent of all cases.

Among the remaining 77 active cases, two are being held in intensive care units and both of them are in need of assisted breathing.

No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll at 121.

Meanwhile Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Malaysia is still not opening its international borders to foreign tourists and workers as discussions with countries categorized as green zones are still underway.

He added that Malaysia stressed on obtaining reciprocity to allow Malaysians to enter the countries concerned, according to state news agency Bernama.

"We want the opening of borders to work both ways. If they are still tightening conditions for our people, we would also not allow theirs to enter," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 18:57:03|Editor: huaxia

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A candle is placed at the front of Downing Street as the building is lit up blue to mark the 72nd anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS) in London, Britain on July 4, 2020. According to local media, dozens of landmarks across the country were lit up blue to mark 72 years since the founding of the NHS. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 19:07:23|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 44,254 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,434 new cases on Sunday, the country's biggest single-day infections so far.

"As the country continues to ease community quarantine measures, the rise in the number of cases today may be attributed to the increased contact among the population," the DOH said in a statement.

The DOH said that the number of recoveries rose to 11,942 after 489 more patients survived the disease.

The death toll increased to 1,297 after seven more patients succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH said.

According to the DOH, 1,069 of the newly-reported cases were in Metro Manila, 602 cases in the Central Visayas region in the central Philippines and 756 cases were reported in other parts of the country.

The DOH further said that seven overseas Filipino workers repatriated by the government also tested positive for the virus.

"We implore the public to continue practicing general preventive measures, such as proper handwashing, physical distancing, wearing of mask, avoidance of non-essential travel outside their homes, and to observe minimum health standards to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus," the DOH said.

The DOH also appealed to all establishments to implement the minimum health standards in their premises and immediately report clustering of confirmed cases in their respective workplaces. Enditem
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has extended a loan of up to $100 million to Egypts Commercial International Bank (CIB) to help the bank increase support to clients and companies whose cash flows have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, IFC said in a statement on Sunday.

The loan is IFCs first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through its COVID-19 fast-track financing facility.

The funding will help the CIB, a longstanding partner of the IFC in Egypt, to provide short-term loans to corporations and businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), facing liquidity challenges, according to the statement.

Access to finance for thousands of smaller enterprises in Egypt is crucial during this Covid-19 crisis. The IFCs support for CIB will help ensure a continuous flow of financing and will support a quicker recovery for businesses, IFC country manager for Egypt, Libya, and Yemen Walid Labadi said.

In June, the IFC said that it had allocated up to $10 million to invest in a local Egyptian company to help it expand the installation of digital prepaid and smart electricity metres in Egyptian homes.

The investment will support government reforms to improve accuracy in billing, give consumers more payment options and provide consumers with better information about their energy use in order to encourage savings, according to the IFC

In April, the IFC announced that it is investing around $20 million through the direct investment fund (SPE AIF I) that focuses mainly on Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, where access to equity is especially constrained because of macro-economic and political challenges.

The fund is dedicated to meet the needs of fast-growing companies, help mobilise additional institutional capital in high-growth sectors and strengthen capital markets.

During 2020, the IFC has invested a total of $40.5 million in private equity and venture capital funds to support businesses and companies in MENA, according to the IFC.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 19:22:07|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday declared an extension of the state of emergency by 30 days in the Palestinian territories in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a presidential decree, Abbas urged the concerned authorities "to continue to take all necessary measures to face the dangers resulting from the coronavirus, protect public health and achieve security and stability."

So far, Abbas has issued a presidential degree for the fourth time to extend the state of emergency to fight the pandemic, which has so far claimed the lives of 19 people in the country.

On Sunday afternoon, Palestine announced 208 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Palestinian territories up to 4,458.

The majority of the cases were found in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, the largest district in the West Bank, which has become the new epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that out of the total coronavirus infections in the country, 50 are medical staff who contracted the disease during treatment of patients at hospitals.

It said that three of the total cases are currently connected to a respirator, adding that the total number of respirators available in Palestine is 350, and most of which are occupied.

According to the ministry, 150 new respirators are expected to arrive in Palestine soon. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 19:25:20|Editor: huaxia

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Passengers wait to board a bus which was imported from China in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 5, 2020. Many commuters in Cyprus can now get a greener bus ride, as the first batch of 155 sleek blue and white low emission buses took to the roads for the first time on Sunday. The fleet of "King Long" Chinese vehicles -- all environment-friendly in line with the Euro 6 standard -- were launched in the capital Nicosia and the coastal city of Larnaca. (Xinhua/Zhang Baoping)

by Nathan Morley

NICOSIA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Many commuters in Cyprus can now get a greener bus ride, as the first batch of 155 sleek blue and white low emission buses took to the roads for the first time on Sunday.

The fleet of "King Long" Chinese vehicles -- all environment-friendly in line with the Euro 6 standard -- were launched in the capital Nicosia and the coastal city of Larnaca.

"They drive beautifully, it was a very smooth ride," one of the drivers at the Larnaca seafront bus station told Xinhua. "Today was the first day and I have absolutely no complaints, neither did the passengers."

Operated by Cyprus Public Transport (CPT), the fleet is noticeably quieter than older vehicles, cutting noise for passengers as well as in the community.

Prior to the launch, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos lauded the development as a milestone in public transport on the Mediterranean island.

Besides environmental benefits, an important feature, given the recent COVID-19 pandemic, is the state-of-the-art automated cleaning process.

"The new buses carry increased security features, including sterilization systems," Aristotelis Savva, an executive engineer from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works told Xinhua. The system rapidly disinfects vehicles, eliminating any trace of potential viruses and pathogens.

"Certainly this is an improvement in terms of the quality of the fleet and in terms of safety," Savva added. "Compared with the previous decade, when we had a mixture of new and older buses, this is a major upgrade."

In Larnaca, which is currently basking in summer temperatures of 34 degrees centigrade, the reception was enthusiastic, given the fleet also boasts air conditioning, WiFi, USB charging points, and mobile apps for real-time information during the journey.

"Oh yes, this is a big improvement," laughed student Ogwang Baba. "It's first-class travel which is a different planet to what we have known. They are also good for folks with mobility problems, especially the old people."

In announcing the start of the routes, the CPT consortium pledged a safe bus experience, with all vehicles being disinfected every night.

The Cyprus Green Party welcomed the news that the fleet is equipped with eco-friendly, low-emission Euro 6 engines that minimize the environmental footprint.

"We welcome any change that will bring over better quality public transport for the island," Efi Xanthou, deputy president of Cyprus Green Party, told Xinhua.

"We can only hope that the new-era opening for public transport in Cyprus will actually increase its use by residents and visitors of the island," she added.

CPT, a consortium made up of Malta Lines and a local transport company, Kapnos Airport Shuttle, has been licensed to run bus services for the next decade. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 19:49:42|Editor: huaxia

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VALLETTA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Malta has refused to give a permission to a vessel to disembark 52 migrants it rescued from the high seas on Saturday before other European states pledge to take their fair share, a spokesman of the government said on Sunday.

The spokesman said that a special concession was made to allow the vessel, the Talia, to enter Maltese territorial waters to shelter from the bad weather that is affecting the Mediterranean region due to strong winds.

According to NGO Alarm Phone, which offers a hotline service for people in distress at sea, Malta's rescue and coordination centre instructed the Talia, a registered livestock carrier, to rescue the migrants who were in distress since Friday. The rescue took place on Saturday.

The Talia has been refused to enter Italian territorial waters by the regional authorities in Lampedusa. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 19:59:41|Editor: huaxia

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HANGZHOU, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of Europe-bound freight trains departing from the city of Yiwu in east China reached 296 in the first half of this year, up 151.1 percent year on year, railway sources said Sunday.

A train loaded with 100 TEUs of cargo departed from Yiwu, the country's small-commodity hub, bound for Madrid, Spain, on Friday afternoon. It was the 300th China-Europe freight train to leave the city since Jan. 1.

By Friday, a total of nearly 25,000 TEUs of commodities had been transported by freight trains from Yiwu to Europe.

Since May 5, the city has seen the departure of 20 or more China-Europe trains on a weekly basis.

Railway authorities say the city aims to launch 1,000 freight trains to Europe in 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 20:35:43|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and eight wounded Sunday in a shooting at a nightclub in South Carolina, according to media reports.

Just before 2 a.m. (0600 GMT), two deputies of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office driving on the White Horse Road noticed a disturbance at Lavish Lounge, local WYFF News 4 quoted Jimmy Bolt, an official of the office, as saying.

Bolt said the deputies called for emergency back-up after hearing gunshots from inside the building.

However, Hobart Lewis, a sheriff with the office, said in an earlier press conference that at least 12 people have been wounded, according to the Associated Press. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 21:06:31|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Sunday reported 638 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 49,941 and the death toll to 368, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 9,110 patients are receiving treatment, including 157 in ICU, the statement added.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 520 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 40,463.

Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperating closely in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Gulf country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing their experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 21:25:58|Editor: huaxia

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MACAO, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The gross weight of containerized cargo by land to Macao in May grew 45.8 percent year-on-year to 1,953 tonnes, the special administrative region's statistic service said on Sunday.

The latest report from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the inward transit cargo leapt 666.6 percent to 1,098 tonnes.

In the first five months, the gross weight of containerized cargo by land rose 28.6 percent year-on-year to 9,197 tonnes.

The gross weight of port containerized cargo fell 37.2 percent year-on-year to 8,103 tonnes in May. The cargo handled at the Kaho Harbor plunged 86.0 percent to 851 tonnes, while that shipped through the Inner Harbour went up 6.3 percent to 7,252 tonnes.

In the first five months, the gross weight of port containerized cargo dropped 30.3 percent to 42,210 tonnes.

The air cargo totaled 2,525 tonnes in May, a drop of 19.0 percent year-on-year. The gross weight of inward cargo and transit cargo slumped 71.1 percent to 164 tonnes and 94.9 percent to 21 tonnes respectively, while that of outward cargo edged up 9.6 percent to 2,339 tonnes.

In the first five months, the air cargo reduced 31.5 percent to 10,441 tonnes. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 21:27:30|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and eight others injured in a nightclub shooting in the U.S. state of South Carolina on early Sunday morning, authorities said.

The shooting took place just before 2 a.m. local time in the city of Greenville when Greenville County Sheriff's deputies saw a large commotion outside the nightclub and called for backup due to active gunfire from inside the building, the local sheriff's spokesperson Jimmy Bolt told media.

The nightclub was hosting a "very, very, very, large crowd" for a concert when the shooting erupted, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in an interview with the CNN affiliate WYFF. That was a direct violation of Governor Henry McMaster's executive order restricting nightclubs and any type of concert due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The eight injured people are in "various conditions," Lewis added.

The authorities are looking for at least two suspects, and possibly more, in the shooting, according to an ABC News report.

The Sheriff's Office said no one is currently in custody and police are actively investigating the shooting. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 21:36:38|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection on Sunday, with its total confirmed cases remaining at 355 with zero deaths so far, according to the Ministry of Health.

As many as 340 patients in the country have totally recovered from the disease, the ministry said.

Vietnam has recorded no local transmission for 80 straight days, while there are nearly 11,500 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, according to a report by Vietnam News Agency. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 21:44:55|Editor: huaxia

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NUR-SULTAN, July 5 (Xinhua) -- A new batch of humanitarian assistance sent from the Chinese government arrived at the Almaty International Airport on Saturday night to help Kazakhstan fight against COVID-19.

The medical assistance includes 50,000 testing kits, 600,000 surgical masks, 70,000 protective glasses, 150,000 pairs of medical gloves, 30,000 protective gowns and 1,000 thermometers, according to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.

The supplies will be delivered to medical institutions in priority.

Kazakhstan has recorded 1,452 new coronavirus cases over the past day, bringing the total confirmed cases to 47,171.

The Central Asian country lifted the state of emergency on May 11 and reimposed two-week quarantine measures on Sunday to curb the epidemic. Enditem
Egypts Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait told MPs in a plenary session on Sunday morning that the coronavirus crisis had led to the country losing EGP 3 billion in state revenues over the last three months.

Maaits statements came during a parliamentary discussion of a new law that would establish a fund to mitigate the negative impact of pandemics and natural disasters.

Maait told MPs that the bill, which is officially called the Mutual Support Contribution Necessary to Mitigate the Economic Consequences of the Spread of Pandemics and Natural Disasters, aims to stem the tide of the economic losses incurred due the negative impact of the coronavirus.

The government is committed to meeting its social needs despite a crunch in revenues and an increase in expenditures caused by the coronavirus, said Maait.

The minister swore that not a single Egyptian pound of the mutual support funds money will go to the state treasury.

The funds money will be mainly allocated to addressing infectious diseases and pandemics like the coronavirus, he said.

Article 1 of the bill states that 1 percent will be deducted from the monthly net income of each state employee, beginning from 1 July and lasting for one year. Article 2 states that 0.5 percent of the net pension of each retired employee will be also deducted for the same duration.

However, the draft law states that state employees and pensioners who receive less than EGP 2,000 in net income per month will be exempted from this deduction.

Maait said these deductions will generate between EGP 8 billion and EGP 10 billion in revenue.

"They will be put in a Takaful mutual support fund to help the state mitigate the economic impact resulting from the spread of pandemics such as the coronavirus or from natural disasters," said Maait.

The seven-article bill was approved by MPs. Parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, however, indicated that the final approval will be postponed until a two-third majority of MPs is available.

Abdel-Aal said the coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted most countries worldwide. Some countries resorted to reducing salaries and others opted to set up mutual support funds to help mitigate the economic cost of fighting pandemics, he said.

The parliament also approved a number of draft financial laws on Sunday.

The list includes a two-article bill that will allow the finance ministry to offer EGP 3 billion in guarantees to the Holding Company for Water and Waste Water to help it implement its drinking water and desalination projects.

Also approved was a draft law that aims to help settle tax disputes by allowing the finance ministry to give up fines imposed on tax arrears.

The bill, an amendment to four articles of the Law on Settlement of Tax Disputes (law no. 79 of 2016), aims to encourage taxpayers to settle their tax payments on time and without facing fines or arrears.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 21:52:42|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 5 (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: No meaningful consultation over the legislation on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong was held with the people in Hong Kong. Therefore, the legislation lacks public support.

Facts:

-- In drafting the law, the central authorities and relevant departments had solicited through various means and channels opinions and suggestions from the HKSAR chief executive and other principal officials of the HKSAR government, the president of the Legislative Council, representatives from the legal community of Hong Kong, members of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, national lawmakers and political advisors, etc. In the revision and refinement of the draft, the views and suggestions from the HKSAR government were carefully studied, and Hong Kong's actual conditions were fully considered.

-- Relevant departments of the central authorities held 12 symposiums in Hong Kong, at which representatives from, among others, the political, legal, business, financial, educational, scientific, cultural, religious, youth and labor sectors as well as social and local organizations in Hong Kong candidly expressed their opinions. The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR received more than 200 written opinions from 36 Hong Kong deputies to the NPC and 190 Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in a short period of time.

-- The relevant NPC decision received support from representatives of all sectors in Hong Kong immediately after its release. Nearly 3 million people in Hong Kong have signed a petition in support of the enactment of the law. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:02:51|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish forces on Sunday cut off the drinking water that feeds the Hasakah city in northeastern Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

The Turkish forces stopped the pumping of water in the al-Olouk station in the countryside of Hasakah, depriving one million people in the city from drinking water, said SANA.

SANA said the al-Olouk station is the only source of drinking water for the people in Hasakah.

The report said the Turkish forces prevented the workers in the station from accessing it on Sunday.

Turkey controls areas in northern and northeastern Syria following a campaign against the Kurdish-led militias last October.

The Syrian government has called for the withdrawal of the U.S. and Turkish forces from Syria, branding them as forces of occupation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:09:17|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Governor Yuriko Koike won a second term in the Tokyo gubernatorial election on Sunday, local media reported.

"I am very happy, and simultaneously feel the heaviness of the responsibility," the 67-year-old politician said in a televised address as exit polls suggested she was likely to score a landslide victory.

Koike vowed to seriously deal with a second wave of COVID-19 and coordinate with the International Olympic Committee over the postponed Olympics and Paralympics in 2021.

Koike, the first female governor of the Japanese capital, also said she could not feel completely happy as Tokyo was facing a possible second wave of the pandemic.

"This is a critical time to be prepared for the second wave of coronavirus. We would like to respond firmly," she said.

Koike ran as an independent and beat 21 challengers, including Kenji Utsunomiya, 73, a former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Taro Yamamoto, 45, a former actor and leader of the anti-establishment party Reiwa Shinsengumi, and Taisuke Ono, 46, a former vice governor of Kumamoto Prefecture. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:12:20|Editor: huaxia

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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 Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

The HKSAR government will do its utmost to fulfill its duty and responsibility, and cooperate with the national security adviser and the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR in establishing and improving the HKSAR's legal system and implementation mechanisms for safeguarding national security, Carrie Lam wrote.

HONG KONG, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The enactment of the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is a historic step for improving Hong Kong's legal system and the "one country, two systems" principle, HKSAR chief executive and major government officials said on Sunday, pledging to fully support the implementation of the new law.

Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam and 16 major officials of the HKSAR government published articles on the front page of local newspaper Wen Wei Po, pledging to do their best in supporting the implementation of the law and expressing hope that the public will have more confidence in Hong Kong's future after fully understanding the law.

Lam said in her article that it is a glorious mission and a great responsibility for her to lead the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR and the HKSAR government in taking on the task of safeguarding national security at this historic moment.

The HKSAR government will do its utmost to fulfill its duty and responsibility, and cooperate with the national security adviser designated by the central government and the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR in establishing and improving the HKSAR's legal system and implementation mechanisms for safeguarding national security, so as to ensure the steady and sustained development of "one country, two systems" and the long-term stability of Hong Kong, she wrote.

The promulgation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was signed by HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam and published in the Gazette, according to a statement of the HKSAR government on June 30, 2020. (Xinhua)

The HKSAR government's Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung said in his article that the promulgation and implementation of the national security law will surely halt the turmoil of the past year and bring Hong Kong back on track.

Under the complex and volatile global political and economic environment, it is extremely important to cultivate a sense of national identity, correct conception of history, love for the nation and correct values for the next generation, he pointed out, adding that it is also needed to strengthen the public's awareness of safeguarding national security, especially among the youths.

The HKSAR government's Financial Secretary Paul Chan said a secure and stable environment is a key factor for facilitating business and attracting investment and talents, and a major prerequisite for maintaining Hong Kong's status as an international financial center and ensuring the sustainable socio-economic development and the well-being of Hong Kong residents.

Hong Kong has suffered from the turmoil of the past year, with its international image and confidence of international investors undermined by violence and separatism, Chan wrote, adding that the enactment of the national security law is aimed at preventing the society from falling into turbulence again and restoring social order and public security.

Hong Kong residents 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 HKSAR government's Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng said the law helps safeguard national security in the HKSAR as it provides a clear legal basis for preventing, curbing and punishing illegal acts endangering national security in Hong Kong.

The national security law is unique and groundbreaking as it includes organic law, substantive law and procedural law, and stipulates clearly the important principles of the rule of law and the protection of Hong Kong residents' rights and freedoms, Cheng noted, pledging to lead the Department of Justice to fully perform its duty of safeguarding national security.

Secretary for Security John Lee wrote that he will lead the six disciplinary forces of the HKSAR government to fully discharge their due responsibilities to implement the national security law, striving to safeguard national security and ensuring the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:17:25|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) group has intensified attacks against the Syrian government forces in the eastern desert region, a war monitor reported on Sunday.

Over the past 72 hours, 20 Syrian soldiers were killed and 25 others went missing as a result of the IS attack in the desert of the Sukhneh town in eastern Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based watchdog group said 31 IS members were killed in the ongoing battles over the past 72 hours, adding that the IS attacks have spread from the countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria to the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the Observatory, said the IS group has been active over the past few weeks in the desert of Sukhneh town and a triangle of countryside areas of Hama, Raqqa and Aleppo provinces.

The IS group is threatening the Damascus-Aleppo highway from the direction of the towns of Athria and Khanaser. It also threatens the road between Deir al-Zour and the capital Damascus, according to the Observatory.

Abdul-Rahman said that IS has lost areas it controls but it's active in the desert and wants to send a message to the international community that it still exists. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:33:51|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has warned against complacency in Africa's COVID-19 response, saying the pandemic is likely to get worse in coming months.

Kenyatta, however, lauded the continent's concerted response to the disease, saying measures being implemented by African countries are helping slow down the spread of the pandemic.

"We need to actively prepare for the looming crisis. Let me, however, hasten to add, that there is no room for complacency," he cautioned on Saturday evening during a webinar on post-COVID-19 reconstruction organized by the African chapter of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP).

According to a statement issued on Sunday by Kenyatta's office after the meeting, the Kenyan leader listed peer learning, data-driven decision-making, pragmatism and, regular and transparent communication as some of the best practices that will stand Africa in a better position to defeat COVID-19.

He urged African leaders to continue working together, with the support of partners, in crafting interventions that enhance the resilience of the continent's vulnerable populations.

"We should work in collaboration with our development partners to build capacity for local production of health equipment and to strengthen our local manufacturing capacity more generally," he said.

The Kenyan leader said despite limited resources, the continent had rolled out proactive measures that were helping save lives.

He said Africa has responded to COVID-19 much better than most other parts of the world despite its relatively weaker resource base.

"For a continent with 1.2 billion people, we have about 400,000 confirmed cases and just over 10,000 deaths. For comparison, that is about 15 percent of the cases in the United States and 7 percent of U.S. deaths," the president said, according to the statement.

ISCP is an international network of current and former Heads of State and Government who use dialogue to address global challenges among them climate change, conflict, poverty and corruption. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:44:30|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border point, one of key trade routes between Nepal and China, will reopen on Monday after closure for six months due to snowfall and COVID-19, a senior official of Rasuwagadhi Customs Office of Nepal said.

It is one of the two main border points for international trade between the two neighbors. The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border crossing has remained closed since January, initially due to snowfall blocking the roads in the bordering region and later due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The Tatopani-Zhangmu, another border point, reopened in late March after closing in January.

"We have reached an understanding with the Chinese side to resume operation of this border point starting from Monday for the import of goods from China," Punya Bikram Khadka, chief customs officer at the Rasuwagadhi Customs Office, told Xinhua on Sunday.

"There has been an understanding that 120 tonnes of goods will be delivered to Nepal every day initially."

He said the goods which have remained stranded in Kerung and other parts of China due to the border closure would get priority for delivery into Nepal.

According to Khadka, the Nepali government has already submitted a list of stranded goods equivalent to 1,100 smaller trucks to the Chinese side and the goods include electronics, machineries, equipment related to hydropower projects, electrical goods and garments.

The two sides agreed to reopen the border last month. After local authorities of both sides prepared the operational procedure defining how the movement of goods should proceed with minimal human contacts, the border is now ready to reopen from Monday.

As per the health protocol agreed, there will be no human contact between the people from Nepal and China who engage in delivery and management of goods. The Chinese cargo operators will leave the Nepal-bound goods at the bridge separating the two countries. Then Nepali drivers and other workers will take delivery of the goods and bring them to the Nepali customs offices.

Before the reopening of border points, bilateral trade between the two countries stood at 225 million U.S. dollars through the Rasuwgadhi-Kerung border point, according to the Department of Customs of Nepal. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 22:49:56|Editor: huaxia

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DOHA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's Health Ministry on Sunday announced 616 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 99,799.

Meanwhile, 1,897 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 92,284, while five others died, raising the fatalities to 128, official Qatar News Agency quoted a statement by the ministry as saying.

A total of 381,434 persons in Qatar have undergone lab tests for COVID-19 so far, it added.

China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tons of medical supplies donated by the airline. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 23:16:19|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Four Naxal rebels were killed Sunday in a gunfight in India's eastern state of Odisha, police said.

The gunfight erupted inside the forest area in Tumudibandha of Kandhamal district, about 256 km west of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.

"Today a gunfight broke out between Naxals and police at Tumudibandha in Kandhamal," a police official said. "Four Naxals were killed in the standoff."

According to police officials, some Naxals were also wounded in the gunfight.

Police said the operation was launched on specific intelligence operation suggesting the presence of Naxals. The government forces have not suffered any damage in the gunfight.

Naxals are active in more than a third of India's 600-odd districts across the central and eastern part.

India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh once termed the Naxalite movement as India's "greatest internal security challenge."

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

The insurgency reportedly has claimed hundreds of lives besides rendered thousands of poor inhabitants homeless. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 00:35:49|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Two-decade-long wait of Nepalis in the capital Kathmandu to get water supply from the Melamchi Water Supply Project has come close to reality after the Sinohydro Corporation Limited, a Chinese company, completed the tunnel digging of the project.

Water was released into the 27.5-km tunnel to test if there is any leakage or other problems in the tunnel on Sunday after the Chinese company's work, Nepal's Ministry of Water Supply said in a statement on Sunday.

Sinohydro was awarded contract in September last year, after the Nepali government terminated contract with an Italian contractor in January last year citing poor performance.

Sinohydro had won the two separate contracts of digging tunnel and the headwork of the project.

It is the largest drinking water project in Nepal in terms of the capacity as it aims to supply 170 million liters of fresh water per day to the capital. Together with available supply of water from existing sources, the Melamchi project will largely fulfill the existing water demands in Kathmandu, Nepali officials said.

"After the completion of the testing process, we will soon fix the date of the inauguration which is not far away," Nepali Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar said.

Sunday, the water was diverted to the tunnel by erecting a temporary dam on the Melamchi river which lies in the north of Kathmandu in the neighboring Sindhupalchowk district.

The project, which was launched in 2000 after years of conceptualization, has long been seen as a sustainable solution to Kathmandu's chronic shortage of drinking water.

Sinohydro has been involved in Nepal in a number of development projects as a contractor and developer of 50MW Upper Marsyangdi Hydropower Project in western Lamjung district. Enditem
Under the auspices of Professor Howaida Mustafa, dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University, and Professor Shaimaa Zolfakar, head of the faculty's English Section, the English Journalism Section's graduation project was discussed 4 July.

The discussion panel introduced professor at the Faculty of Mass Communication Journalism Department and dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Al-Ahram Canadian University Inas Abou Youssef, together with Soheir Osman, associate professor in the Journalism Department of Cairo University and head of Journalism Department at Al-Ahram Canadian University, and Ezzat Ibrahim, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Weekly newspaper and Ahram Online.

"Epicure" is a food magazine designed by English Journalism Section students under the supervision of Rehab Hany, lecturer in the Journalism Department at Cairo University, and Zahraa Badr, teaching assistant in the department. The magazine was well received by the panel and students were praised for their hard work, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of the discussion, English Journalism Section students were grateful to panel members for their efforts and time, while panel members congratulated the students and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 00:43:14|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran has established onshore and offshore underground missile bases along the coasts of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy said Sunday.

"The IRGC Navy, like the IRGC Aerospace Force, has established underground and offshore coast-to-sea missile cities," Ali Reza Tangsiri was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying.

The "missile-launching floating cities" would be put on display at the discretion of authorities, Tangsiri added.

Besides, the IRGC Navy has formed "naval Basij," or naval volunteer forces, along Iran's 2,200-km southern coasts, which comprise 428 flotillas and more than 23,000 servicemen, he noted.

"If the U.S. forces make any mistake, they will be followed as far as the Gulf of Mexico," the Iranian commander warned. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 00:46:46|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Farmajo has held talks with Chinese ambassador to Somalia Qin Jian, focusing on the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries.

During the meeting, which was held at the president's office on Saturday, the two sides stressed the importance of strengthening the historical relationship between the two countries and their people.

Farmajo welcomed China's support for Somalia's unity and sovereignty, and guaranteed China Somalia's unwavering respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The two sides emphasized the shared vision of respecting each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Farmajo said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The Somali leader reiterated that Mogadishu respects the One-China principle.

Speaking during the meeting, Qin reaffirmed the Chinese government's commitments to respect the sovereignty and unity of Somalia.

The two countries enjoy a long history of friendship and Somalia was the first country in East Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 01:11:41|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and four others injured in an explosion at a factory in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, a local district administration official said.

The mishap occurred in the Modi Nagar area of Ghaziabad district of the state.

"Seven persons, including women, have died and four persons were severely injured in a fire incident. According to locals, around 20-25 persons were making party poppers in the factory when the fire broke out," Hindustan Times quoted Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Jadaun as saying.

"We are trying to find the owner of the factory, and identification process of the dead is underway," he said.

A local villager was quoted as saying, "There were no safety measures in place at the factory and it didn't have a license to operate." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 03:18:37|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The war against terrorism continues and remains a top government priority, said Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh on Sunday.

The prime minister made the remarks during his visit to the headquarters of the National Guard Special Unit in the northeastern city of Bir Bouregba.

He was informed of the state of preparation of the unit specialized in the fight against terrorism, the working conditions of its different branches, as well as the logistical and technical means placed under its responsibility, according to a presidency statement.

During the visit, Fakhfakh praised the efforts by the National Guard Special Unit in the fight against terrorism through preventive operations in various provinces since 2011.

The war against terrorism "is a long-term process and it is imperative for the security forces to maintain the highest degree of preparation and vigilance," he noted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 04:11:31|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, July 5 (Xinhua) -- A migrant rescue boat carrying 180 would-be asylum seekers has got permission to land in Italy after being denied entry to ports in Malta and France, the crew said Sunday.

The crew of the Ocean Viking rescue ship said that they had received permission from Italian officials to dock at Porto Empedocle on the southern coast of the Italian island of Sicily. Ship officials said they expect to reach the port on Monday.

On Friday, the Ocean Viking crew declared a state of emergency on the ship, stating the "situation deteriorated to the point that the safety of the 180 survivors and the crew can no longer be guaranteed."

In a statement, the crew said 44 of the people rescued by the ship were in "acute mental distress" leading to six suicide attempts, including two men who jumped overboard and had to be pulled back to the ship by crew members.

The ship said it made at least seven requests to dock in various ports in Malta, France, and Italy before getting the OK from Italy on Sunday.

Until 2017, Italy was the main country of entry for would-be asylum seekers from Africa, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with more than 100,000 arrivals per year for at least the previous five years. The numbers dropped dramatically in 2018 after a new government closed the country's ports to new arrivals.

The UN reported that fewer than 7,000 refugees arrived in Italy over the first six months of this year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 05:02:14|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases exceeded 240,000 in Iran on Sunday. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's tally of confirmed cases nudged 210,000.

Iran, the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East region, reported 2,560 new cases, raising the total number of infections to 240,438.

The country also reported 163 new deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 11,571. A total of 201,330 coronavirus patients have recovered, with 3,168 still in critical condition.

Saudi Health Ministry announced on Sunday the registration of 3,580 new coronavirus infections, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 209,509.

The recoveries rose to 145,236 with 1,980 new recovered cases, and the death toll reached 1,916 after 58 fatalities in the last 24 hours were added in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday additional facilities for foreigners who were affected by the COVID-19 lockdown, aiming to minimize the economic impacts of the coronavirus.

The services include extending the residence permits of foreign residents in Saudi Arabia and abroad for three months, including those who are in the kingdom on visit visas.

Turkey's COVID-19 cases increased by 1,148 on Sunday, raising the total number in the country to 205,758, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

Meanwhile, 19 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,225, while 1,188 more patients recovered, raising the total recoveries to 180,680, the minister tweeted.

Qatar's Health Ministry on Sunday announced 616 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 99,799.

Meanwhile, 1,897 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 92,284, while five others died, raising the fatalities to 128.

Egypt witnessed a record 623 daily recoveries from COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the total number of the recovered cases in the country to 20,726.

Meanwhile, the country reported 1,218 new COVID-19 infections, the lowest since June 19, raising the total cases registered since mid-February to 75,253, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

The North African country also saw 63 fatalities from coronavirus on Sunday, the least since June 14, increasing the death toll to 3,343, according to the statement.

Iraqi Health Ministry said on Sunday that 2,125 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the total infection cases in the country to 60,479.

The ministry also reported 105 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 2,473.

The Israeli health ministry reported 788 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, raising the total number in the country to 29,958.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 683 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 51,540 and the death toll to 323.

The total number of recoveries from the virus in the UAE increased to 40,297 after 440 more fully recovered.

Kuwait reported 638 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 49,941 and the death toll to 368, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 520 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 40,463.

Oman reported 1,072 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number in the country to 46,178.

Meanwhile, 10 new fatalities from the virus were reported, bringing the death toll to 213, while 949 more patients recovered, raising the total recovered cases to 27,917, the health ministry said in a statement.

In a separate statement on Sunday, the ministry announced that it was preparing for a survey of antibodies to help determine the extent of the COVID-19 infection across the country.

Algeria's coronavirus cases climbed to 15,941 after 441 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours, while the death toll hit 952 and the recoveries reached 11,492.

Morocco on Sunday reported 393 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country since March 2 to 14,215.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 9,725, while the death toll rose to 235.

Syria reported 20 new COVID-19 cases as part of a daily escalation in the number of infections in the war-torn country.

With the new infections, Syria has so far recorded 358 cases since March, including 126 recoveries and 13 deaths.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 1,265 on Sunday, after 17 new ones were confirmed.

The ministry also announced that the death toll from the respiratory disease climbed to 338 in different areas under its control, including the southern port city of Aden.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 05:52:09|Editor: huaxia

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CHICAGO, July 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 people were killed and 63 others injured in Chicago over the Independence Day holiday weekend as a result of gun violence.

The 17 killed included two children, one is a 7-year-old girl and the other a 14-year-old boy.

This is the third week in a row that involved the death of a young child. A 20-month-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were killed in separate shootings last weekend; and a week earlier, five children were fatally shot, including a 3-year-old boy, Chicago Tribune reported Sunday.

Most of the shootings happened in the South and West sides, which have long experienced gun violence and gang crime.

The Chicago Police Department added more than 1,200 extra officers to work during the holiday weekend, but the dispatch was fewer than the 1,500 deployed last year.

Police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference on Thursday that the city would run "strategic missions" to recover illegal guns and work with violence prevention community groups.

In face of the latest spate of gun violence, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted on Saturday night: "As families gather to commemorate the founding of our nation, we must ask ourselves: is this who we are as a city or as a country? We cannot grow numb to this. We are making progress in slowing shootings, but we have to do better, every single one of us."

Over the long Fourth of July weekend in 2019, six people were killed and 63 were wounded by gun violence.

The last time the Fourth of July fell on a Saturday was in 2015, when 10 were killed and 55 others were injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 05:57:23|Editor: huaxia

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File photo taken on Jan. 28, 2020 shows a Huawei 5G mobile phone testing speed in Huawei 5G Innovation and Experience Center in London, Britain. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

"All our world-leading products and solutions use technology and components over which the UK government has strict oversight. Our technology is already extensively used in 5G networks across the country and has helped connect people throughout lockdown," said Victor Zhang, vice president of Huawei.

LONDON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology firm Huawei said Sunday that it remains "open to discussions" with the British government and is working closely with its customers to find ways of managing the proposed U.S. restrictions so Britain can maintain its current lead in 5G.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that it will impose new restrictions on Huawei's acquisition of semiconductors that are the direct product of certain U.S. software and technology.

Huawei said in a previous statement that it "categorically opposes the amendments made by the U.S. Department of Commerce to its foreign direct product rule that target Huawei specifically."

The British government announced in January its new plans to safeguard the country's telecoms network, which is widely seen as approving a restricted role for Huawei in helping build the country's 5G network.

But the British government is reviewing the impact of the U.S. restrictions on Huawei and will make a statement regarding the issue later this month, according to local media.

File photo taken on Jan. 28, 2020 shows Huawei 5G Innovation and Experience Center in London, Britain.(Xinhua/Han Yan)

In Sunday's statement, Victor Zhang, vice president of Huawei, said: "We believe it is too early to determine the impact of the proposed restrictions, which are not about security, but about market position."

"All our world-leading products and solutions use technology and components over which the UK government has strict oversight. Our technology is already extensively used in 5G networks across the country and has helped connect people throughout lockdown," said Zhang.

An executive of Vodafone has warned that Britain's hopes of leading the world in 5G technology would be dealt a terminal blow if the government removes Huawei from the country's telecoms infrastructure, the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported last month.

"The UK's leadership in 5G will be lost if mobile operators are forced to spend time and money replacing existing equipment," Scott Petty, chief technology officer at Vodafone UK, told FT.

The Chinese technology company has been operating in the British market for some two decades. It employs 1,600 people in Britain and supplies telecoms network equipment to all the major mobile and broadband service providers in the country.

The handout concept image provided by Huawei shows the first phase of a state-of-the-art center to be built in Cambridge, Britain. (Xinhua)

Recently, Huawei announced that it will build a state-of-the-art center in Cambridge, Britain, which will focus on the research, development, and manufacturing of optical devices and modules. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-06 05:57:43|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Baalbek International Festival's committee launched on Sunday night an audience-free concert in the temple of Bacchus to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Greater Lebanon.

The concert, named the Sound of Resilience, was broadcast on Lebanese and international TV channels as well as social media to be seen by all people across the world.

"We want to tell the whole world that Lebanon is keen on its cultural role despite the dire economic situation and COVID-19 outbreak in the country," Nayla de Freige, president of Baalbek International Festival, told Xinhua.

De Freige said this is the first concert broadcast live on television in the Arab region during the COVID-19 period.

Highlighting the significance of this artistic event, Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan said Baalbek is conveying a message that "the dark and gloomy picture we see today in our society is only a temporary phase that will end." Enditem
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reviewed on Sunday the plans to secure the western part of Egypt and its borders with Libya in a meeting with government and military officials, according to a statement.

El-Sisi discussed the plans with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, IT and Telecommunications Minister Amr Talat, the armed forces signal corps commander Tarek El-Zaher, the head of the satellites committee Mohamed El-Bashary, the head of military mobile committee Omar Farouk and the deputy commander of the signal corps for systems and networks Mohamed Said.

During the meeting, the president was briefed on the plans and efforts of the Egyptian armed forces signal corps to secure the western, north-eastern, and southern borders and all other strategic areas of Egypt in cooperation with the governmental authorities concerned with communications systems.

El-Sisi also reviewed the latest developments concerning the construction of the governments national network for emergency and general safety services, as well as the unified governmental network project for administrative bodies.

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County health officials from Community Health and Human Services of Faribault & Martin Counties are working closely with Seneca Foods, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), United Hospital District (UHD) and Faribault County Emergency Management to respond to a cluster of COVID-19 cases at Seneca Foods.

We are taking a united approach to this response by identifying people who are ill as quickly as possible and ensuring that people get the medical care they need. Seneca Foods has been designated as a critical local infrastructure and has been a great asset to the community for many years. They have proactively implemented comprehensive screening and safety measures to minimize the spread of this illness, Tim Langer of Community Health says.

A cluster of COVID-19 cases means that at least three positive cases have been identified in one place. Langer declined to release the exact number of cases at Seneca Foods in Blue Earth.

As of last Tuesday, there have been 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Faribault County since March. Currently there are 20 active cases, and two current hospitalizations, although there have been seven hospitalizations in the county since the pandemic started.

There have been many of these cases outside of Seneca and not associated with the current situation, Langer says. We have been working with Seneca for three months in preparation for handling any cases at the plant.

Seneca is not shutting down the plant at this time, but is implementing all of the mitigation strategies associated with stopping the spread of the disease.

They have been adjusting the line, wearing face masks and face shields, and social distancing in break areas, Langer says. They have a screening process for all employees, including using an infra-red scanner. A temperature of 99.5 is a trigger and they are taken to a separate area to be tested further.

They also ask a series of questions and if an employee does not feel well they are to stay home.

I think everyone needs to do what they can to prevent further cases, Langer says. Everyone in the community needs to take this serious.

Community Health staff at Human Services continue to operate a 24/7 message service for anyone needing assistance with obtaining essential services, such as groceries or supplies. This service is available to help individuals safely isolate and quarantine as they recover from COVID-19. The message service number is 507-238-8434.

Community Health staffs top priority is the health and safety of the workers, their families and the community. They add it is important that everyone in the community continue to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This means:

1. Social distancing  Staying at least 6 feet from other people when you go out.

2. Avoid crowded spaces and when possible, take advantage of outdoor activities.

3. Wear a facemask when you are unable to social distance.

4. Washing your hands often with soap and water and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

5. Covering your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue.

These are simple public health interventions that we know are effective and can make a difference in how quickly this virus spreads and they are the best ways to slow the spread of disease and protect those most vulnerable in our community. While COVID-19 can be mild for most people, those who are older or have underlying medical conditions can be a higher risk for severe disease. Most people all know someone who is at higher risk a family member, neighbor, coworker so all have to work together to protect them.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, body aches, sore throat or shortness of breath, stay home. Call your local health care provider before going to the clinic or a hospital. United Hospital District (UHD) of Blue Earth may be reached at 507 526-3273. They will give you information on what to do.

Community Health & Human Services of Faribault & Martin Counties provides daily COVID-19 updates on their Facebook page. Statewide COVID-19 information can be found on the Minnesota Department of Health website (www.health.state.mn.us).
Comitiva del Ejecutivo liderada por el titular de la PCM, @VicAZeballos, participara en la instalacion del Comando COVID Indigena; y llega con una carga de mas de tres toneladas de equipos de proteccion personal y medicamentos. pic.twitter.com/kKtWO4p8LZ
Although crude prices have rebounded from coronavirus crisis lows, oil execs and experts are starting to ask if the industry has crossed the Rubicon of peak demand. The plunge in the price of crude oil during the first wave of coronavirus lockdowns -- futures prices briefly turned negative -- was due to the drop in global demand as planes were parked on tarmacs and cars in garages. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast that average daily oil demand will drop by eight million barrels per day this year, a decline of around eight percent from last year. While the agency expects an unprecedented rebound of 5.7 million barrels per day next year, it still forecasts overall demand will be lower than in 2019 owing to ongoing uncertainty in the airline sector. Some are questioning whether demand will ever get back to 2019 levels. "I don't think we know how this is going to play out. I certainly don't know," BP's new chief executive Bernard Looney said in May. The COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing then with most planes grounded and white-collar workers giving up the commute to work from home. "Could it be peak oil? Possibly. I would not write that off," Looney told the Financial Times. - Summited? - The concept of peak oil has long generated speculation. Mostly, it has been focused on peak production, with experts forecasting that prices would reach astronomical levels as recoverable oil in the ground runs out. But in recent months, the concept of peak demand has come into vogue, with the coronavirus landing an uppercut into fuel demand for the transportation sector followed by a knock-out punch from the transition to cleaner fuels. Michael Bradshaw, professor at Warwick Business School, said environmental groups are already lobbying to prevent the Paris agreements becoming another casualty of the pandemic, stressing the need for a Green New Deal for the recovery. "If they are successful, demand for oil might never return to the peak we saw prior to COVID-19," he said in comments to journalists. The transport sector may never fully recover, Bradshaw posited. "After the pandemic, we might have a different attitude to international air travel or physically going into work," he said. - 'Science fiction' - Other experts say we haven't reached the tipping point yet, and might not for a while. "Many people have said, including some CEOs of some major companies, with the lifestyle changes now to teleworking and others we may well see oil demand has peaked, and oil demand will go down," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said recently. "I don't agree with that. Teleconferencing alone will not help us to reach our energy and climate goals, they can only make a small dent," Firol added while unveiling a recent IEA report. Moez Ajmi at consulting and auditing firm E&Y dismissed as "science fiction" the idea that a definitive drop in oil demand could suddenly emerge. He expects a slow recovery in demand even if the coronavirus leaves the global economy weakened. That weakness would also likely slow adoption of greener fuels. "It will take time for fossil fuels, which today still account for some 80 percent of primary global consumption to face real competition" from rival energy sources, he said. Meanwhile, the oil industry could face financing challenges. Bronwen Tucker, an analyst at Oil Change International, says the industry is now under pressure from investors. After "a pretty big wave of restrictions on coal and some restrictions on oil and gas, the risks to oil and gas investment right now feel a lot more salient," she said. The industry is already writing down the value of assets to face up to the new market reality of lower demand and prices. Royal Dutch Shell said this past week that it will take a $22 billion charge as it re-evaluates the value of its business in light of the coronavirus. Last month, rival BP reduced the worth of its assets by $17.5 billion. "This process has further to run, and we expect further large impairments to occur across the sector," said Angus Rodger of specialist energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie. Is this the sunset of the oil industry? Owing to the coronavirus, in recent months the concept of peak demand for oil has come into vogue IEA executive director Fatih Biron does not believe that lifestyle changes such as teleworking will cause demand for oil to decline substantially
Dozens of military medics were deployed on Sunday to help combat the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa's third most affected province, where there has been a surge in infections. The deployment to East Cape province comes a day after South Africa recorded more than 10,800 new COVID-19 cases, its biggest single-day jump during the pandemic, taking the cumulative infections to 187,977. Forty-seven defence force medical personnel landed in Eastern Cape city of Port Elizabeth to help shore up the health service, which is buckling under rising number of cases. "The province is not coping. They have personnel and equipment problems," defence force spokesman Thabo Sello, told AFP. "The situation in the Eastern Cape is really bad with infections increasing and spreading rapidly," he said of the province, which accounts for more than 18 percent of national infections. The military teams include doctors, nurses, health technicians and clinical support staff. Sello said the province, ranked the poorest in the country, was the first in the country to request military assistance to help fight the coronavirus. "When the nation calls us, we have to respond, and respond quickly," said the military medical services chief, Lieutenant-General Zola Dabula, at a ceremony welcoming the team. He expressed concern that people were not taking this pandemic "seriously". "So our duty as the army medical personnel is not only to treat people, but also to educate them about this virus," he said. The province already has some of the more than 200 Cuban medical personnel who arrived in South African last month. East Cape is one of the country's hotspot provinces after Gauteng, which houses Johannesburg, the country's largest city, and the capital Pretoria. The Western Cape province remains the country's epicentre. South Africa has imposed some of the strictest stay-at-home measures in the world since March 27 in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the number of infections is rising daily by the thousands as the lockdown rules are gradually eased. Eastern Cape province asked for help from army medics to help cope with the surge in coronavirus cases there
Famed Egyptian actor Ragaa al-Geddawy died on Sunday after contracting the COVID-19 disease, the actors union said. She was 81. "Ragaa al-Geddawy passed away this morning due to COVID-19," union head Ashraf Zaki told AFP. "No public funeral was arranged for health reasons." Geddawy tested positive for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus in late May and was treated in isolation at a hospital in Ismailia province, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) east of Cairo, local media reported. She had recently finished filming for her latest TV series "Laabet El Nesyan" (Oblivion Game), which aired during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. A veteran actor, Geddawy boasted a lengthy and varied career during which she gained fame across the Arab world. Geddawy started out as a model before taking on acting roles from the late 1950s, including her first film "Ghariba" (The Stranger) in 1958. She went on to act in more than 380 films, plays and television shows alongside some of the biggest names in Egyptian cinema. Geddawy was also the niece of renowned belly dancer and actor, Taheya Carioca. Egypt's health ministry has tallied 74,035 COVID-19 cases including 3,280 deaths since recording its first infections. A veteran actor, Ragaa al-Geddawy boasted a lengthy and varied career, for which she gained fame across the Arab world
"We're keeping close tabs on that, but the good thing with the resident and the employee is they both were asymptomatic and are doing very well," Chadderdon said.

The Finger Lakes Center for Living notified residents' families by phone of the positive case. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring nursing homes to inform families within 24 hours if there is a positive case in a facility.

The positive test at Finger Lakes Center for Living is the first known case involving a nursing home resident in Cayuga County. There have been employees at local nursing homes who have tested positive for the virus, but until last week there were no cases among residents.

While Cayuga County nursing homes have avoided the worst of COVID-19, it has taken a toll on other nursing homes across New York. There have been more than 6,000 confirmed or presumed COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. That doesn't include any nursing home residents who contracted the virus and later died at hospitals.
On Tuesday night at a special Legislature meeting, Dennison's own Republican caucus made a statement that, while not nearly as strong a rebuke as the one delivered by the Democratic caucus, nonetheless made clear that his attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement did not speak for the rest of them. Legislature Minority Leader Paul Pinckney, R-Aurelius, read a statement saying GOP legislators don't "condone the language used or the message conveyed by Andy Dennison. ... At a time when our caucus, the county Legislature as a whole and all the Cayuga County public servants have been working hard to bring people together, this sort of actions sets our community back significantly. Although every American is afforded the right to freedom of speech, it also the right of our community to demand better from our elected officials."
Italian super sports car maker Lamborghini is banking on a healthy order book to prevent huge sales dip in India this year due to the coronavirus pandemic as it resumes deliveries of vehicles from this month after restarting operations following lockdown relaxations, according to a senior company official.

While new orders are slow to come by, Lamborghini India is not witnessing any cancellations of bookings, although some customers have asked for delayed deliveries due to the health crisis.

"We still have a strong order bank for Urus and also we launched the new Evo RWD in the beginning of the year. This helped us to build the order bank for the year, which will be acting as a big support in terms of getting some decent numbers this year," Lamborghini India Head Sharad Agarwal told PTI.

The company, which sold 52 units of its super luxury vehicles that are priced above 2.5 crore in India last year, feels that its sales this year will not match that figure.

(Also Read: Speed and style hits the seas as 'Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63' yacht unveiled)

"Definitely, we may not hit the same number as last year but this order bank will definitely support us in (preventing) a decline, which is not as bad as the industry," he said, adding "the good thing is whatever order bank we have we have not seen any cancellations and the customers are still committed with us."

Admitting that there are delays in deliveries due to the shutdown of the company's factory in Italy from March 13 to April 25 due to the pandemic, he said there are also some instances where customers are seeking to defer delivery of booked cars by one or two months.

"This is fair because this is the kind of environment which you can't push. Overall, I still see a positive sign that we are not seeing customers coming and saying now I don't want to take the car," Agarwal added.

From June 8, the company had reopened its dealerships after Unlock 1.0 and has resumed about 50 per cent operations. Although the market is moving slowly and gradually, it remains uncertain how the year will go, Agarwal added.

"We have to see how the new orders start coming and we have to see the situation on the ground...The new orders will be slightly slower unless we start seeing positive signals and the business turning more positive because the priorities today are different.

"The motive has changed for people. The motive is to remain relevant, take care of their people, take care of their businesses. It is also reflecting in demand (of vehicles)," he said.

(Also Read: Lamborghini SCV12 track exclusive hypercar set to roar with thunderous 830 hp)

Although the new orders will be primarily for next year, Agarwal said "we are still trying to see orders for November or December production, and then they will start moving for next year. For some models, we are already taking orders for next year."

Agarwal further said the company will resume deliveries from this month as some cars are coming in.

"The factory was closed from March 13 to April 25 and after that the production has started. There are cars which were manufactured in May and June, we are receiving it in July," he said.

On the outlook, he said if the economy slows further the super luxury segment will definitely a decline sharper than the mass volume segment as "the super luxury segment is driven by emotions", although it is difficult to put a number on the decline.

He said ever since the relaxation of lockdown, the overall passenger cars market has witnessed demand at the entry level as a lot of people are looking at having personal mode of transportation and they want to avoid public transport.

"So there will be some uptick in demand in the entry level but luxury, premium and super luxury segments will be seeing much sharper decline because in these segments you really don't need a personal mode of transportation, you already have enough cars in the house," Agarwal said.

Stating that it remains quite uncertain as to how the year will pan out, he said, "We are taking each month as an independent unit and trying to work around that because it is very difficult to plan today what you want to do in Q3 and Q4."

He, however, expressed optimism that next year will be better.

"By Q1 next year, things will turn around and we don't see 2021 as a challenge yet. If some positive results come by the end of Q3 and beginning of Q1 in 2021, things will pick up," Agarwal said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Sakurai: Thank you so much. It is fresh. It is the distribution time I think. I deliver to the restaurants or to the stores directly, as soon as possible, so it is very fresh. And my production is very small, so I can take care of all the sake very well, each batch, each bottle. That affects the quality.

MLM: I just saw some bottles of your Arizona Sake at Whole Foods in Flagstaff. Do you distribute all over Arizona?

Sakurai: At first I mainly distributed to [the] Phoenix area, there are some Japanese people, small Japanese stores, small restaurants and they love my sake. Gradually I expanded to other stores, and cities: Flagstaff, Tucson.

MLM: You produce small batches of a style of sake called Junmai Ginjo. What makes that style stand out?

Sakurai: Junmai Ginjo is a pure style, brewed with all rice, high quality, premium sake. Just rice, water, yeast, koji. Junmai means pure rice, very basic, very traditional. Ginjo means high quality. Making this style of sake is all I want to do.

MLM: But recently you have branched out a little, experimented with some new styles?
Drive-up COVID-19 testing has been available at Fort Tuthill since mid-March when the pandemic closed cities all over the country. Over the last couple weeks, amid Arizonas recent spike, the location has seen an influx of testing.

Coconino County interim public information officer Claire Harper said in an email that during the first five days of June, an average of 61 tests per day were collected, but the last five days of the month saw a daily average of 330.

In response to the recent increase in testing demand, the county has developed a more robust specimen collection site staffing plan, and are seeking additional assistance from community partners and the state to adequately address these needs, Harper said.

Increased traffic means longer waits and the potential for strained materials, but the county is working to keep up with the demand, Harper said. Those who are tested at Fort Tuthill should expect to wait two to three hours, with lines opening at 9 a.m. and testing beginning at 10 a.m. Test results might take up to 10 days and self-quarantine following a test is recommended if there is any concern about exposure.

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When they brought Sawyer home about a day later, they were met with an unexpected stillness.

Its a lot of time spent alone with just us. Its weird, David said. When I first found out we were pregnant, I didnt have any thought about going through a pandemic, so Id thought wed have our parents over to help and do things, or friends to come over and help and do things. Turns out, its just very little movement that happens within the house now.

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With this unexpected alone time, Rose said she has been thinking about how she will describe the birth to Sawyer when he is older.

It will probably be in his history books and maybe hell ask us about it, she said, hoping he can learn the same lesson of the importance of family that his parents are learning now. Its like the story from the grandparents about walking uphill both ways in the snow to school. I quarantined at my house for five months to have you be safe and sound. I dont think hell ever really grasp what that truly was like for us. At least I hope not, because hopefully we wont have another pandemic in his lifetime -- or in his childhood, at least, but who knows at the rate all this is happening.

Just pick one
This weeks column will focus upon the prison overcrowding emergency that will be declared in Nebraska on July 1. On that date, our states prison population will be in excess of a threshold (140%) for design capacity set by a law passed in 2015. Since Nebraska's prison population is above that percentage, an emergency will be declared. The only required action as a result of the declaration is a review of all parole-eligible inmates, including reconsideration of those that have already been denied parole. This does not change the criteria for parole eligibility and will not lead to a mass release of inmates.

The current overcrowding statistic is based on a measurement of "design capacity," which is the capacity estimated by the original architects of the prisons. Many other states gauge their prison capacity by "operational capacity," which is the functional capacity of the prison based on current standards. Nebraska's prison population currently stands at 158% of design capacity; however, our current population is at 116% of operational capacity.
Joe later prepared a report for President Kennedy that included the funding, but it would be Kennedys successor, President Johnson, who signed off on the legislation after Joe brought opposing congressmen together.

He had the ability to listen to the good and bad in various arguments, Mike said, and then make a decision that often gained approval from both sides.

Eulogy

Born in Marinette, Wisconsin, the son of an Episcopal minister, Joe attended Yale and served in the merchant marines during World War II. Following the war he worked for the Foreign Service in China before communists made the posting dangerous.

In 1973 at age 65, Joe died of a genetic kidney disease, working up until his death, Mike said. In memory of his conservation work the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association named an annual conservation award in his honor. An Ohio chapter of the Izaak Walton League was named in his memory. A New York Times obituary read, During his Washington career, Mr. Penfold was regarded as one of the most effective lobbyists for conservation measures.
Turnover within the downtown resource officer program and the DBA slowed the process in finding a new ROC. And, Yellowstone County's jail was and continues to be at capacity, which reduced the effectiveness of MAAP. Conversations with Sheriff Mike Linder about reserving beds for the program have been ongoing, but with more violent crimes occurring and less space due to social distancing guidelines set forth by COVID-19, beds are quickly filling up, Linder said.

Ideally we would like to find a solution and work with the sheriff to (reserve beds), absolutely, Easton said. But in the meantime, were going to be looking at other ways. And without the jail as a component of the MAAP program as of right now, its going to be about this ROC position building relationships and making meaningful connections with businesses downtown and individuals struggling with mental health and addiction.

The position previously was for a certified licensed addiction counselor, which is a specialty that is difficult to find in the area, Easton said. Now, the coordinator role asks for candidates with experience in outreach, the ability to complete crisis intervention training, skills in case management and more. In addition, the grant will fund hiring a part-time licensed addiction counselor to assist the coordinator.
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.

Tilsen told the protesters that everyone played an important role. He said those prepared to be arrested should write down the number of a lawyer to call and know that they'll have access to a bail fund if they need it.

The protesters prayed before they were arrested just after 7 p.m. All were arrested peacefully and just one person tried to block law enforcement from cuffing her hands with bright orange zip-tie style handcuffs. The group was loaded into a van and car before being taken to the Pennington County Jail.
More than 150,300 people requested ballots for the November election on their June applications. It's unclear how the November election will be fully administered. Thirty-three of North Dakota's 53 counties allow for voting by mail.

'I just think we can be better'

Those involved in elections on the local level say a cleanup of the central voter file would help.

Bottineau County Auditor Lisa Herbel, whose county shares an international border, has dealt before with ballot applications being sent to vacationing Canadians, foreign farm workers, dead people and former residents.

In 2018, she sent absentee ballot applications to active and inactive Bottineau County voters based on the central voter file, due to expected interest in a ballot measure to legalize marijuana.

One 2020 ballot application went to family of a man who died 20 years ago, she said.

"That's not ever a good thing to do to somebody," Herbel said. "That doesn't look good when it's hard enough losing somebody, but to get reminded like that, and I don't like that my name was on those envelopes, so I just think we can get better."
It is not in North Dakotas political culture to let the government require social distancing, hand washing or wearing a mask. Groomed during the rugged pioneer days when nothing happened unless you did it yourself, we cemented individualism into our culture. We are rugged individualists.

Because of this attitude, at least half of the states population is circulating freely in the box stores and other retail and service businesses without safeguards. No government is going to tell them what to do.

We dont know enough about this virus to be treating it like the neighbors dog. Its a moving target that is running ahead of vaccine trials now being performed by dozens of laboratories in as many countries.

(Wouldnt it be embarrassing if China found a vaccine first? What a bargaining chip they would have.)

Let alone our ignorance over the long lasting health problems for those who have had the illness, the virus is an unpredictable danger because it is mutating. And if it is already mutating in these early stages, we have no way of knowing how new strains will speed up the spread of the virus.

According to Egon Ozer at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, reporting in the Washington Post, the virus is mutating again and again.
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.

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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.

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- Cassper Nyovest has paid tribute to a fallen fan by posting an image of them together on social media

- Fans were moved by the star's actions and praised him for really caring about his fans

- The post was flooded by messages of condolence for the fallen fan and support for Cassper

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Unfortunately, 2020 has not been a great year and social media has been flooded with messages of convalescences and July has been a particularly rough month.

Cassper Nyovest learned that one of his dearest fans had passed away. He shared an image of the two of them together and wished him well on his journey.

Briefly.co.za learned that he captioned the photo with the following:

"Rest easy young King."

READ ALSO: AKA wishes his father happy birthday: The resemblance is uncanny

Social media users were moved by the post and shared messages of their own:

@Martha_KingM2:

"Death be not proud. RIP fam."

@IMatterthereal:

"I love the manner in which Cassper recognizes his fans, you'd swear they were friends."

@CharlotteThand0:

"His name is Mpho, he was a 2nd-year student at the University of Johannesburg. He had a car accident. He was such a cool guyRest easy Mpho"

@Mbali_entle:

"He did the same for my cousin after he passed away its a beautiful trait he has, his fans are like family."

@DithebeMB:

"The reason why they say "he passed on", is to emphasize, if Cass wanted us to know what happened, he would've mentioned. So, it's upon us not to prey on him for more info."

"We're not entitled to knowing what was the cause of people's deaths (esp. those whom we're not related to)."

Cassper Nyovest.Photo credit: Instagram

Source: UGC

In other news, Briefly.co.za learned that Cassper Nyovest has been open about how the lockdown has dented his pocket. He has shared that due to the lack of gigs, he has had to let go of some things in order to stay financially afloat. He took to social media to encourage fellow artists to not be ashamed to cut down in order to make ends meet.

Cassper has been vocal on social media about the tough times he is experiencing. On Wednesday, Briefly.co.za reported that the rapper posted a tweet talking about how hard things are but did not give any further details. Mzansi social media users were quick to agree with him, blaming the pandemic and the cold front for their hardships.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly.co.za
Highlights include "unbelievably preserved" drawings from the Governor-General of the British Empire in the 1860s, including a series of 25 pencil sketches by his wife of their travels in the mountains. Guru said he and his wife purchased them in Scotland several years ago. There are also pencil etchings by a British soldier from 1854, copper etchings by an Australian-British artist, oil paintings, and a mixture of metal and wood handicrafts from Kashmiri artisans from the 1820s and 1830s.

Guru's collection is so attractive that the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City  known for its own Asian collection  wanted to buy it and take it there several years ago. The University of California-Berkeley proposed splitting it among itself, Stanford University and Columbia University.

"I've had a few offers to go elsewhere," he said, adding with a smile, "Ultimately, the people of Buffalo got us, because they're too nice."

The project fulfills a longtime dream of Guru, who has spent years pursuing a way to bring it to fruition. Born and raised in Kashmir, Guru graduated from medical school in India, where he met his wife, before both came to the United States for further training and residency in Detroit  at the Henry Ford Health System and Children's Hospital, respectively  and then to Buffalo.
There's an undeniable cool factor to moviemaking, which Ortt acknowledges makes this a tough issue to speak against. He pointed out that "A Quiet Place Part II" shot in his hometown last summer. "That's great. That's awesome," Ortt said in March. "That idea that North Tonawanda or Buffalo is in movies is cool to a lot of people, which is why sometimes this is tough to push back against. And no doubt, the economics when people stay in hotels and go to restaurants, can be good. Any uptick to that in Western New York is important."

That uptick  at least in pre-pandemic times  was significant: A Quiet Place Part II, for example, was responsible for "around 12,000" hotel rooms last year, according to Clark. But one of the senator's broad issues with the tax credit is that much of it is spent in New York City. Rather than seeing a downstate focus and using it to alleviate the costs of large studios, Ortt would prefer it to be smaller  Ortt suggests $50 million  and focus on building the industry in Western New York and other upstate regions. If it was designed to go to small productions or independent movies or films or a smaller amount, he said, that would be far more tenable, certainly, to me.


In most of the civilized world, Election Day ends, a Republican or Democrat declares victory, and life goes on.

Not in New York State. Minor parties like Conservatives and Independence enter the equation, sometimes as the tail that wags the dog.

Indeed, the Conservative Party and the fate of its line in the November general election remains one of the few issues still clouding the 27th Congressional District, and could prove important.

Beth Parlato, the family law attorney from Genesee County who waged a real campaign in the GOP primary against Stefan Mychajliw and eventual winner Chris Jacobs, remains on the November ballot as the Conservative candidate. So far, she has not honored her promise to leave the line should she lose the primary, despite getting creamed (a technical term for losing by a landslide) on June 23.

Im confident I will win the primary, she said earlier this year. But if by some chance I lose, I would never split the vote.

For sure, Jacobs and the GOP can not afford any challenge from the right, forcing the newly crowned Republican candidate to again answer charges that he is not conservative enough for the district.
After about 20 minutes, the protesters headed up Main Street toward Bailey Avenue.

Star Carter, 22, of Buffalo, was among those who participated in the entire march, which lasted more than four hours. She said it was successful because everyone kept things peaceful and the marchers were able to make their points along the way, particularly in front of the mayor's residence.

"All lives can't matter," Carter said, "until black lives matter."

The marching crowd eventually ended up outside the E-District police station on Bailey Avenue, the very scene where protests turned violent June 1.

A small group of protesters blocked Bailey Avenue, preventing honking cars from driving through.

Myles Carter, the man who was tackled and arrested at the June 1 protest while being interviewed by a WIVB cameraman, arrived and offered words of encouragement.

"Keep it tight," he said to protesters in the middle of the road.
Victim kept secret for years

Miller said he was abused multiple times for years by Wright, his scoutmaster.

The guy made me trust him. He made me think what he was telling me was important and that it was part of manhood and that there were steps, he said. I felt like I was supposed to do what he told me to do and somehow I was going to be absolved from not being a good kid.

Miller said he remembers being afraid to go to sleep at night while on overnight camping trips at a scout camp.

He was relieved to move away from Orchard Park with his family in 1977 and get away from the abuse, without having to explain to his mother why.

For me, it was witness protection, he said. I felt like I was in the safe zone and I was going to be OK.

For decades, Miller didnt mention the abuse to anyone. But he ultimately revealed what had happened to him after months of intensive therapy, and his counselor convinced him to report the abuse.

Miller said he called the national organization in 2018 for answers, but they were very dismissive of me and didnt want to talk to me and blew off my calls.
Five confirmed incidents since late Saturday night have now run the tally of summer shootings to 55 since early June, according to Buffalo police.

Capt. Jeff Rinaldo, police spokesman, did not identify any of the victims, but said the latest spree began just after 11 p.m. Saturday at Fillmore Avenue and Urban Street. Detectives say a 30-year-old Buffalo man was struck by gunfire and listed in serious condition at Erie County Medical Center.

Ferry-Fillmore officers responded to a call of a shooting just before 1:20 a.m. Sunday near Peace and Block streets. Police say gunfire struck a 25-year-old woman in the foot. She was transported to ECMC where she was treated and released.

Another man arrived at ECMC in a civilian vehicle around 2:20 a.m. after suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. The 30-year-old was listed in stable condition following an incident on the first block of Eller Avenue, detectives said.

At approximately 2:50 a.m. still another man, 34, arrived at ECMC in a civilian vehicle with a gunshot wound sustained on the first block of Domedion Avenue. He was listed in stable condition.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Since demonstrations erupted across the nation following the May killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, calls have increased for the removal of statues and monuments to those perceived as champions of slavery or racism.

Rinaldo said monument defacing is not a persistent problem in Buffalo, though he noted the Columbus statue near the Peace Bridge is occasionally targeted, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. bust in the Masten District park named for the civil rights leader.

But police have noted an uptick since the Floyd arrest sparked significant protests in Buffalo. City Hall has also been a target, he said.

Rinaldo said police have stepped up patrols near the monument, but they often are interrupted by emergency calls around the city. Still, he said, investigators will now review footage from the many security cameras in the area and appeal to the public for any further information.

DeGeorge noted that many volunteers turned out following an earlier defacing of the monument to help with cleanup efforts. Members of the Mayor's Impact Team will be dispatched to help with graffiti removal.

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Even with the national unemployment rate falling in June, the coronavirus continues to pose challenges to the economy, and they may soon become worse. The federal government, dithering about additional aid in the face of a recession, needs to get its mind right.

At its two-day meeting last month, the Federal Reserve Board expressed alarm about the threat the Covid-19 pandemic may pose to the economy. An even deeper recession is possible, along with permanent damage to the nations workforce, if a second wave of infections overtakes the country. Given Americans reluctant response to the first wave, its hard to be optimistic.

Early on in the crisis, Washington wisely opened the federal wallet, sending cash payments to taxpayers and supporting businesses, which were at risk of failure. There were problems in those programs  payments to dead people, big companies gobbling up assistance meant for small businesses  but, in all, the effort was necessary.

And that was before things got worse.

The areas first hit, especially New York City, worked hard to contain the spread of the virus. While some people grumbled and refused to wear masks, by and large, the people in those areas responded admirably.
When markets are volatile, dividend investors tend to have a better time than most as they are assured of a steady income. If the investors have put their money into aristocrats, stocks that have been increasing dividend payouts for five straight years, thats even better. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything that the modern world has seen, and its effects have been brutal, even for aristocrats.

Well take a look at companies that have been forced to cut dividends and arent likely to get them back anytime soon. So, if you are someone who is looking for a steady income stream, these are not stocks you should buy.

An energy stock on the TSX

Enerflex (TSX:EFX) is an energy stock I have been bearish about since March this year when oil prices crashed 30%. The company operates in the oil and gas equipment and services space.

The stock has gone from $17 in July 2019 to $10 in February 2020 to $5.43 today. Even as other companies on the index have recovered to decent levels, Enerflex is caught in a net it just cant seem to get out of. Clearly, COVID-19 is not the only factor hurting the company. The companys problems are systemic and external, and unless both factors improve, expect the numbers to stay low.

The company has slashed its dividend by over 80%, and the numbers it reported for the first quarter of 2020 werent great. Avoid this stock until the industry stabilizes and the company gets back on track.

Secure Energy Services (TSX:SES) is another stock in the oil and gas equipment and services space. This is a small-cap stock that has gone from over $5 in February 2020 to $1.74 today. The company can do anything an oil driller asks it to do. The problem is, oil drillers are not asking it to do much. Secure Energy Services has reduced its annual dividend from $0.27 to $0.03  a cut of over 88%.

Secure and Enerflex are stocks that will remain volatile in 2020 due to low oil prices. As long as oil prices dont see any significant uptick, these stocks will be under pressure, and you can forget about a dividend increase here.

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A Canadian retail giant

The third stock I recommend you avoid is Gildan Activewear (TSX:GIL)(NYSE:GIL). Now, this apparel company is a buy according to several analysts. However, most of them recommend this stock for its growth potential and not for its dividend.

Gildan had a major decline in earnings for the first quarter of 2020, and the second quarter had started off badly with a drop of around 75% in April 2020 revenues. The company has a strong balance sheet and is backed by a good team but the pressure in 2020 is going to be too much.

Gildan has halted its dividend, stopped production, and cut labour expenses to reduce costs and conserve cash. Dont expect this company to start its dividend payout anytime soon.

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KYIV, June 27 (Reuters) - The World Bank has approved a $350 million loan for Ukraine in support of reforms that are critical to its economic recovery and to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the bank said.

Ukrainian government said earlier this month it expected to receive this loan by the end of June after securing a $5 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund on June 9.

The bank said late on Friday that the key reforms supported by the loan included a strengthening land and credit markets, fostering anti-corruption institutions and bolstering the social safety net for the vulnerable elderly population to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Bank is a major development partner of Ukraine and since the country joined the Bank in 1992, its commitments to Kyiv have totalled about $14 billion for more than 80 projects and programs. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, editing by Louise Heavens)
Calgarians call for justice for B.C. student dragged, stepped on by RCMP during wellness check

About 100 Calgarians rallied in front of city hall on Saturday to call for an end to police brutality and for justice for Mona Wang.

"What happened to her is very disturbing for us," said Rebecca Li.

Wang, 20, is a student at University of B.C. Okanagan who was dragged and stepped on by an RCMP officer during a wellness check on the Kelowna campus earlier this year.

The officer, Cpl. Lacy Browning, has been placed on administrative duties and Abbotsford police are investigating the incident. Browning will also face a code of conduct investigation.

Wang has a history of anxiety and was having a panic attack when she stopped responding to her boyfriend's texts, so he grew concerned and called emergency responders to check up on her.

A lawsuit filed by Wang against Browning says the officer found the student lying on her apartment's bathroom floor and did not provide medical assistance.

Terri Trembath/CBC

Wang alleges Browning used excessive force, kicking her in the stomach, punching her and leaving her with a bruised face while shouting at her to "stop being so dramatic."

Part of the incident was captured on video, which Jing Hu said she found hard to watch.

"I could not sit through the whole thing ... it filled me with rage," Hu said at the rally, which was organized by the Calgary Chinese Union Association.

Hu will be attending University of Calgary at the fall, and she said the video made her fear for friends who will be attending UBC.

She and other protesters called for an end to police brutality and for Browning to be fired. A petition pushing for Browning to be fired has collected more than 350,000 signatures.

Hu said Wang's treatment, and the numerous cases of police violence against Black and Indigenous people in the spotlight right now due to Black Lives Matter protests, point to how ethnicity is a factor in how people are treated by authorities.

Terri Trembath/CBC

"It fills me with rage because, Canada, we advertise ourselves as a free country for immigrants, for people to join, for welcoming refugees, and it's kind of hard right now since, as [people of] Asian descent we're receiving backlash for the pandemic, there's racism everywhere we go," Hu said.

"I hope we can use this platform to raise more [voices] and to bring more information for people who are unfamiliar with what's happening right now."

Many members of the Black Lives Matter movement have said nurses or other mental health professionals should be called to wellness checks, not police.
Uncovering what's become of Canada's deficit, implementing a bonus for workers returning to their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and boosting funding for the country's auditor general are among the Official Opposition's top priorities ahead of Wednesday's fiscal snapshot.

"We need the government to tell us next week, 'How big is the deficit, how big is the debt?'" Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre said during a news conference Sunday. "Stop hiding the mess."

The Trudeau government will update the country on the state of Ottawa's finances on July 8, after a plan to present the federal budget was sidelined in March as the novel coronavirus continued to spread.

The snapshot will include a new official deficit estimate, a figure the parliamentary budget officer says could hit $256 billion due to spending on emergency aid and a historic drop in economic output.

"I think the essential frame from my standpoint [is] we took on the debt so Canadians didn't have to," Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in an interview last week. "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."

Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

The Conservatives and members of other opposition parties have been critical of the Liberal government's decision to release a snapshot instead of a more robust update.

"It shouldn't be just what the deficit will be. There should be some understanding of what things will look like six months from now," Conservative small business critic James Cumming said at the news conference.

"They could also provide some baselines. You could have a low baseline, a high baseline, so you could at least give some information on how we are tracking," he said.

In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that "making projections about what our economy would look like six months from now or a year from now is simply an exercise in invention and imagination."

Story continues

Easing workers off CERB

Poilievre also highlighted the Conservative Party's proposed "back-to-work" bonus to transition workers off the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)  a plan he said his party has raised with the Liberals.

"People on [CERB] should be rewarded when they make the courageous decision to go back to work and earn a wage," he said.

Chris Helgren/Reuters

Under the plan, Canadians who earn between $1,000 and $5,000 a month  workers who would lose their $2,000 CERB payment under the Liberals' existing program  would be eligible for the bonus, which would replace the CERB.

"I have personally raised this proposal with Finance Minister Bill Morneau. It is my understanding that Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has raised it with the prime minister," Poilievre said. "So far we have not gotten any positive signals."

More funding for financial scrutiny

Poilievre also said fully funding Canada's cash-strapped auditor general was critical to ensure financial oversight amid the pandemic.

"The auditor general has been deprived of at least $11 million in necessary funding in order to examine the government's spending," he said.

Interim auditor general Sylvain Ricard has warned that his office has had to reduce the number of audits it performs because of a funding shortfall.

NDP finance critic Peter Julian said his party will be focused Wednesday on seeing that the Liberals address the use of overseas tax havens, but he agrees that funding for proper scrutiny is needed.

"We have to reinforce the auditor general so that [they] can do the appropriate investigation around the expenditures, he told CBC Radio's The House in an interview that aired Saturday.

LISTEN | MPs on the upcoming fiscal snapshot, We Charity contract:

Poilievre cited the federal government's recent decision to part ways with the WE Charity as a reason why better accountability is needed.

The partnership would have seen the organization  which has ties to the Trudeau family  dole out more than $900 million in grants to students this summer.

Canada's ethics watchdog launched an investigation into the matter late Friday, a move both the Conservatives and NDP previously called for.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the world, there has been a scramble to release a safe and effective vaccine.

Over 140 candidate vaccines have been developed globally, and 18 of them are currently in human trials.

Vaccine trials usually undergo three rounds of testing: phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3. The first two trials are typically smaller ones, testing mostly for vaccine safety and biological activity, requiring from 50 to hundreds of volunteers respectively. Due to their smaller size, it's relatively easy for pharmaceutical companies to run these studies in their home countries.

Comparatively, phase 3 trials are a lot more difficult, requiring thousands of volunteers to gauge whether the vaccine works in the real world.

MORE: Early trial results keep Pfizer vaccine development on track for possible 2020 distribution

"Most vaccine phase 3 trials need to enroll tens of thousands of patients. ... You need lots of people to show a statistically significant difference," said Dr. Todd Ellerin, the director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health.

As companies accelerate their research time frames, many have begun looking beyond their own borders, eying volunteers in places where the epidemic is still raging.

"You want to be able to test the efficacy of a vaccine in a country that has ongoing infections," said Dr. Paul Goepfert, the director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic.

Although infections are occurring globally, they are not divided evenly at any given time. Now, companies from the U.K., China, South Korea and Germany -- countries where the pandemic is relatively under control -- are looking for new places to start their phase 3 studies.

PHOTO: A scientist checks quality control of vaccine vials for correct volume at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility (CBF) in Oxford, Britain, April 2, 2020. (Courtesy Sean Elias)

According to the World Health Organization, only one candidate -- the U.K.'s University of Oxford, which is partnering with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca -- has officially launched a phase 3 trial.

The other front-runners include U.S.-based Moderna, Inovio and Pfizer, which is partnered with German biotech company BioNTech. China-based companies CanSino, Sinovac,and Sinopharm, are also gearing up for their own phase 3 trials in the coming months.

Story continues

With the pandemic still spreading in the United States, American companies may not need to look abroad for their phase 3 studies. In fact, Moderna has announced it will begin a phase 3 trial on 30,000 participants within the U.S., beginning this July.

And a spokesperson for Inovio told ABC News that the company will not be testing its vaccine abroad, as "the infection rates in the U.S. are currently high and so we will be able to assess the efficacy of the vaccine in subjects in the U.S."

Pfizer, however, an American company partnering with German-based BioNTech, is looking to conduct global phase 3 trials, although the partners have not yet announced the sites where these trials would take place.

MORE: Early trial results keep Pfizer vaccine development on track for possible 2020 distribution

In contrast, U.K.'s Oxford COVID-19 vaccine will be evaluated not only in the U.K. but also in South Africa, the U.S., Brazil and India.

"The listed sites are a priority for the study because of the ascendant curve of the COVID-19," a representative from University of Oxford told ABC News.

Companies based in China, where the coronavirus is largely controlled, are also making similar plans to test their vaccines overseas.

China's Sinovac is preparing phase 3 trials in China and Brazil, while Sinopharm's phase 3 trial will be carried out in the United Arab Emirates. China's CanSino also looks to further test their vaccine overseas in Canada as well as in the Chinese military. However, the lower rates of circulating virus in Canada and UAE may cause challenges.

"In China now, the pandemic is basically well-controlled, so at least for now, no one can expect an optimal trial environment for the efficacy study," said a spokesperson for the Chinese biotech company Walvax, currently in the phase 1 stage of testing.

"Consequentially, we are likely to conduct the phase 3 clinical trial in countries where the population is large and the infected number is still on the rise," the spokesperson said.

PHOTO: A sign marks the headquarters of Moderna Therapeutics, which is developing a vaccine against COVID-19, in Cambridge, Mass., on May 18, 2020. (Brian Snyder/Reuters, File)

Meanwhile, South Korea-based Genexine -- also in phase 1 -- has already set up collaborations with foreign parties including Indonesia, Thailand and Turkey for its forthcoming phase 2 trial. A spokesperson told ABC News that if the company were to move on to phase 3, it would also consider countries like the U.S., Brazil and Russia where large numbers of new COVID-19 cases occur.

As all these companies look to test their vaccines in citizens of countries with high infection rates of coronavirus, Ellerin warned that companies will have to find a way to not compete with each other, "so finding different parts of the globe to conduct these trials are key."

Apart from concerns over increased competition between companies, there are also concerns about how vaccines will be distributed if one does prove to be effective. Bioethicists warn that it may not be ethical to conduct studies in one county, but then prioritize vaccination for citizens of another country once the vaccine proves successful.

"Most countries who agree to test vaccines in their country do so with the provision that they will have access to the product if efficacy is seen," said Goepfert.

MORE: What will a COVID-19 vaccine look like? Dont expect a cure-all, scientists say

Vaccine developers have also explicitly voiced such intentions.

"We will spare no efforts to ensure that people who live in countries where a trial might be taking place will get equitable access to the vaccine," said a spokesperson for Walvax Biotech in China, for example.

A University of Oxford spokesperson told ABC News that it has made a commitment to equitable global access, although "decisions on who gets the vaccine first will be made by policymakers and are likely to focus on those with highest risk, including healthcare workers."

Interestingly, multinational pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline is taking a different approach to help address the high global demand for an effective vaccine. They will supply their "pandemic adjuvant technology" to their numerous collaborating vaccine candidate companies.

PHOTO: The first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, receives an injection, May 4, 2020. (University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP)

The technology "may reduce the amount of vaccine protein required per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be produced and therefore contributing to protect more people." In addition, the company aims to make their adjuvant available to all countries, and will "offer donations ... to global institutions who can determine the need and help with delivery on the ground."

As the world looks for a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic, large vaccine trials are likely to be carried out in countries with a high and increasing infection rate. Currently, such countries include the U.S., Brazil, India and South Africa.

Because of the ethical concerns regarding such a setup for foreign vaccine testing, experts agree that it will take unprecedented levels of international collaboration for a swift production of an effective COVID-19 vaccine.

Hassal Lee, a neuroscience Ph.D. and student doctor at the University of Cambridge, is a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Coronavirus vaccine developers to launch phase 3 studies in US originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Long lineups at provincial borders have been a defining feature of the new Atlantic bubble, and some say waiting to cross is more than just an inconvenience.

For truck driver Adam Stiles, it's getting in the way of business.

"This border delay is greatly affecting our productivity  and it's becoming a bit of a problem," said Stiles.

He spoke to CBC by phone Sunday afternoon, shortly after crossing into New Brunswick after waiting an hour and 15 minutes on Highway 104.

He had planned to return to Nova Scotia and continue his workday, but he said he could no longer fit in any more runs without exceeding the maximum number of hours truck drivers can legally spend behind the wheel.

Instead, he decided to cut his day short.

Stiles, who works as an independent contractor, crosses the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border multiple times a day, six days a week, hauling petroleum.

The crossing doesn't usually slow him down, but that changed on Friday when tens of thousands of people started taking advantage of the Atlantic bubble.

Under the bubble, residents of the four Atlantic provinces don't have to self-isolate for 14 days after crossing provincial borders. Still, provincial officials are stopping non-commercial vehicles at checkpoints.

Brett Ruskin/CBC

Crossing into New Brunswick, travellers have to prove their residency, provide contact information and fill out a health questionnaire. Crossing into Nova Scotia, travellers only have to show proof of residency.

Stiles said the delay is worse to get into New Brunswick, but he's waited in lineups in both directions. He also crossed on Friday, the first day of the bubble, and spent almost two hours waiting to get into New Brunswick in the early morning, and an hour waiting to get back into Nova Scotia.

He said he was better off than many of his colleagues who travelled later in the day and spent up to four hours waiting to cross in the afternoon.

Calling for a solution

"I'm hoping the governments will come together with a solution," said Stiles, who is a New Brunswick resident.

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At the main highway crossing between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick there are lanes designated for commercial vehicles, like transport trucks, and essential workers, like health-care workers. But Stiles said those lanes have been blocked by the spike in bubble traffic.

"What happens is everyone ends up basically in a single lane, essential and non-essential traffic, until you get to the actual border point or within sight of it."

Stiles said some essential travellers are moving around traffic on shoulders, but he suspects that's creating confusion.

"It's because they cannot seem to divide the traffic far enough back as required to make it safe for the division of traffic."

PC MLA calls traffic jams a safety concern

Stiles isn't alone in voicing frustration with traffic backups on the Trans-Canada highway. Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin posted a video on Facebook Sunday with her own concerns.

The video shows traffic moving at a crawl in both directions near the border.

Smith-McCrossin isn't seen in the video but can be heard saying, "Even though our officials in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia met Friday night to work on a solution, clearly, a solution was not found."

She posits that the lineups are unsafe because they could get in the way of emergency vehicles, and "not fair," for people sitting in their cars waiting to cross.

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Progress Singapore Party chief Tan Cheng Bock at a Nee Soon GRC walkabout on 5 July 2020. (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore/Nick Tan)

SINGAPORE  Progress Singapore Partys (PSP) chief Tan Cheng Bock has called for a national debate on the COVID-19 pandemic in response to Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sings comments that the opposition was not prepared to handle the crisis.

The PSPs secretary-general said on Sunday (5 July) that he was prepared to go on a debate alongside Singapore Democratic Party chairman Paul Tambyah to see if the opposition would have been able to handle the pandemic better than the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP).

Speaking during a walkabout in Nee Soon group representation constituency (GRC), Dr Tan said, I read somewhere that he has told the media - or I don't know where he made his speech - telling that we wont be able to help in COVID-19 management.

Chan said at a media doorstop on Saturday that he had perused the manifestoes from the opposition parties and found that proposals or suggestions on how to get through the pandemic were glaringly missing.

This election is probably conducted in the most challenging time in our history. I think every party, including the PAP, must have the plans to share with the voters how we are going to get through this situation, he said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also echoed Chans comment, saying in a webcast for Sengkang GRC voters on Saturday that the opposition parties have no plans to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

In response, Tan said he was prepared to take on Chan in a debate.

We will challenge it. So I think we are prepared, Paul and I, we are prepared to go on TV and debate on this. So if he's prepared, Chan Chun Sing can bring the health minister (Gan Kim Yong)and we will debate this thing out, see whether the opposition is as good or if not even better than the way they managed COVID-19, he said.

Asked to share some of his proposals or arguments he would raise at such a debate, Dr Tan said, No need, we will debate it in the House.

I and Paul, we will take on Chan Chun Sing and the health minister. I think that will settle everything. You all will see whether we have the competency, whether we have the knowledge of this COVID-19We will get all the answers in an open debate, he added.

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Dr Tan is a retired doctor while Dr Tambyah is an infectious diseases expert, who was recently elected to be the president of the US-based International Society of Infectious Diseases.

Cheer-off between PSP and PAP supporters

PSP's Lee Hsien Yang at a Nee Soon GRC house visit on 5 July. (PHOTO:Yahoo News Singapore/Nick Tan)

Dr Tan was accompanying PSP member Lee Hsien Yang and PSPs Nee Soon GRC slate, consisting of Bradley Bowyer, Damien Tay, Taufik Supan, Kala Manickam, and S Nallakaruppan, who visited at least five coffeeshops around the Yishun area on Sunday.

The PSP team ran into the PAP candidates contesting in the GRC at several coffeeshops, triggering cheering between supporters of the rival parties.

In a coffeeshop at Block 744 Yishun Street 72, the PSP candidates met the PAP team, led by Nee Soon GRC incumbent, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.

When asked about the hustings, Faishal said Nee Soon residents would know how the PAP has taken care of them.

The PSP team then proceeded to the coffeeshop at Block 747 Yishun Street 72 before doing door-to-door visits at an HDB block in the area. The team later took the train from Yishun MRT station to Khatib MRT station before walking to a Mr Teh Tarik shop and the surrounding coffeeshops where PAPs new face Carrie Tan was also present.

The fifth stop for the PSP candidates was at Block 101 Yishun Avenue 5, where they fielded questions from the media.

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Bowyer responding to Shanmugams statement

Bowyer responded to Yahoo News Singapores question about comments by Law and Home Affairs Minister and incumbent Nee Soon MP K Shanmugam on Saturday that the PSP candidate was offering jobs as town council cleaners to Singaporeans.

Bowyer said, We have a big structural problem in the way that we run our workforce. Every society has people from every level, we're not all rocket scientists and you can't turn every Singaporean into a clone of an ideal scholar, so you have to have a society that has space for everyone and thats whats gone wrong.

Mr Shanmugam can have his opinions as to what he thinks of little parts of it, but I look at the big picture and PSP looks at the big picture, and it's some structural issues that we need to fix.

Shanmugam had taken aim at his PSP opponents manifesto specific to Nee Soon Town, saying that there was nothing there.

Asked by Yahoo News Singapore about Shanmugams statement that the team was not familiar with Nee Soon, Bowyer said that he has been coming in and out of this area for many years.

He added that he had relatives who lived in the area whom he visits.

I've been very much on the ground in the last few months, on and off observing and then I (was) finally been able to walk the ground. And I feel the people I've been talking to, they feel just like meI see the same stresses and the same friction. So I feel quite connected and (am) quite aware with what's going on.

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By Alistair Smout

LONDON (Reuters) - People in England appear to have broadly behaved themselves as pubs reopened this weekend, Britain's health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday after the latest step towards a return to normality from the coronavirus lockdown.

Thousands of people flocked to pubs, restaurants and bars around England on Saturday as large parts of the hospitality sector reopened for the first time since March.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to "enjoy summer safely" as he bids to tread a narrow path of restoring consumer spending to help battered businesses recover, while avoiding a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

"From what I've seen, although there's some pictures to the contrary, very very largely people have acted responsibly," health minister Matt Hancock told Sky News.

"Overall, I'm pleased with what happened yesterday. It was really good to see people out and about, and largely socially distancing."

Britain has been the European country worst hit by the coronavirus and has an official death toll of 44,198.

Johnson and Prince Charles each paid treatment to Britain's National Health Service, 72 years after it was founded, for its sacrifices in tackling the pandemic.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, thanked the public for their support, as well as their restraint on Saturday night.

"Pleasingly, we did not see last night the kind of scenes people feared (there) might be" he told BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"The foolish few, but the sensible majority, I think is the story across the country, and long may that continue."

Police Federation National Chair John Apter however said it was "crystal clear" that drunk people were unable to practice social distancing.

The rule changes apply only to England as the devolved nations in the United Kingdom have been setting their own timetables for easing restrictions, with Wales and Scotland easing restrictions more slowly.

Story continues

The government has said that it is aiming for local lockdowns rather than national restrictions if needed, such as the one introduced in the city of Leicester last week.

Hancock said he was worried about factory conditions in the city. Boohoo <BOOH.L> last week defended its supply chain practices after criticism from a garment workers' rights group.

"There are some quite significant concerns about some of the employment practices in some of the clothing factories in Leicester," he said, adding there was significant enforcement powers available including shutting down businesses.

"We're not just asking nicely, we're very clear to businesses that these are their responsibilities."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
At least three tornadoes touched down in southwestern Saskatchewan Saturday afternoon.

Environment Canada issued its first tornado warnings around 3:40 p.m. central time Saturday. A storm system headed southeast across the province, hitting the village of Kincaid and the hamlet of Glenbain around 4:30 p.m.

A tornado was later confirmed in the area of Glenbain.

By Sunday, Environment Canada said no damage was reported related to that tornado.

Another tornado touched down around the village of Kincaid at roughly 4:40 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Environment Canada said.

"Damage to a home and farm property is still being investigated," Environment Canada's website said.

Environment Canada said around 6:20 p.m. a third tornado touched down near Assiniboia. There was no damage reported related to that incident.

The storm system also created damaging winds, intense rainfall and large hail as it moved across the province.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino's office at Lawrence Avenue and Bathurst Street Saturday, calling on the federal government to give more rights to non-permanent residents in the country  including full immigration status.

"The prime minister of Canada must step in and give everybody status so that everyone in the country has the same rights," said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, one of the groups that organized the protest.

"That's what this is about. Equal rights for everyone and that means permanent resident status for all."

The protest comes as the Windsor-Essex region continues to see new positive cases of COVID-19, many among the migrant worker populations working in the agriculture industry.

Given their immigration status, many workers are choosing not to get tested over fears they might be deported.

Talia Ricci/CBC

Almost 1,000 migrant farm workers have been infected with COVID-19, and three have died.

Protesters say they hope enhanced immigration rights would allow farm workers to better protect and care for themselves during the pandemic. Their demands include better access to health care, which typically isn't free for non-permanent workers.

One of the protesters at the demonstration was Khim Smith, who came to Canada to work in hopes of receiving full immigration status.

Smith said she was fired from her job after asking for some time to recover.

"So I know what it is like to be out here," she said. "But we need some action right now. That's why we are here."

Talia Ricci/CBC

Hussan said Canada needs a "single-tier immigration status" so that rights are the same for everyone.

Last week, the Ontario government announced a plan to address the outbreaks in the region, including more testing and support for ill workers.

However, the plan doesn't apply to many of the workers because they don't qualify for government assistance.

A similar protest was organized by Solidarity Across Borders in Montreal Saturday afternoon, where protesters also demanded more rights for undocumented workers and asylum seekers.
In the three months since the doors to his Robson Street souvenir shop were boarded up, Chris Cheung made one sale: two pairs of plaid onesie pyjamas, emblazoned with the words "bear cheeks" on the button-up rear, to a buyer in Australia.

Cheung, who manages Canadian Crafts and Gifts, needs to sell more than just two $50 cotton jumpsuits to pay his bills this summer and it's not looking good. COVID-19 has resulted in an almost complete lack of international tourism in Vancouver, threatening the future of a store that's been in his family for three generations.

"It's going to be a little bit of a rough year," he said.

B.C.'s tourism industry generated more than $20 billion in revenue in 2018. With international travel almost non-existent and large cruise ships banned from Canadian ports, it's expected to take a drastic hit this year.

Until now, Cheung's family has only seen growth in the business. His grandfather opened the store in the early 1970s after immigrating to Canada from Hong Kong. Initially, he sold Asian gifts and products. When Cheung's uncle took over several years later, the store began to sell more Canadiana-inspired items and business took off.

"In 1986 we had Expo. And then the cruises start going in more consistently, and after that [the Olympics] in 2010, and that was huge," Cheung said.

"When the Canucks would do well, we would do well," he added.

Now he's grappling with a store full of unsold stock and wondering how he can sell souvenirs without tourists around to buy them, and during a year most would rather forget.

Ben Nelms/CBC

'A representation of who Canadians are'

Gabe Garfinkel hopes British Columbians exploring their own province this summer reconsider what a souvenir  by definition a reminder of a person, place or event  can be.

Garfinkel is the general manager of Native Northwest, a Vancouver-based business that sells items designed by Indigenous artists to souvenir shops and individuals. He estimates a majority of retailers have had a decline in revenue of at least 90 per cent since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Story continues

Locals might have no use for a Canada flag keychain, a Mountie snow globe or a moose magnet. But, instead, Native Northwest sells items like bags made by Salish weavers, umbrellas with colourful prints of the thunderbird, children's books and mugs printed with images of sasquatch  which is the "master" of physical distancing, according to the store's website.

You don't need to be a tourist in the traditional sense to buy items like these, Garfinkel said.

"It's not necessarily a tourism item, it's a Canadian item, it's a British Columbian item, it's a representation of who Canadians are," Garfinkel said.

"For businesses in retail and tourism to stay alive, they really need British Columbians now more than ever to book their vacations in the province, to go for drives and to visit local small businesses and buy beautiful British Columbian products."

Cheung is thinking a lot more about what local tourists might want from a souvenir shop. He has focused more on having an online presence and is promoting items like Canada flags, reusable masks and Indigenous jewelry.

But the future of his storefront shop  the cornerstone of his family's legacy in souvenirs  remains precarious.

Cheung plans to reopen his storefront in mid-July, which would usually be the busiest time of the year, and he's in discussion with his landlord to renegotiate the store's rent.

Around him, other stores are struggling. OK Gifts, one of his biggest competitors, recently closed three of its stores in Vancouver, Banff, Alta., and Niagara Falls, Ont., after almost 50 years in business.

Cheung doesn't know how long he can remain in business unless sales pick up.

"I'm going to be losing money for the next year," he said.

"Summer is where we make up for all the rest of the months. So this year is going to be a big hit."
A motion to start an e-scooter sharing program as a transit alternative during the pandemic will be before Vancouver city councillors this week.

The councillor behind the proposal says electric scooters would give people an easy and accessible commuting option rather than going back to driving.

"We know that with COVID-19, people are nervous about getting back on to transit," said Sarah Kirby-Yung. "It's a green transportation option and I'm hoping to give people a choice to get out and about and stay out of their cars."

The Non-Partisan Association councillor's motion proposes that city staff come with a plan for a shared e-scooter pilot program that could start in the fall. The program wouldn't cost the city because private operators would have to pay municipal fees to implement their shared e-scooter service.

E-scooters aren't allowed in B.C. under current legislation, but last November, the province changed the Motor Vehicle Act to allow municipalities to pilot micro-mobility devices such as e-scooters and e-bikes.

Vancouver submitted a pilot project proposal for privately owned e-scooters earlier this year, but Kirby-Yung is worried that with the current timeline, Vancouver would not have shared scooters until the summer of 2021 or 2022.

She says the post-pandemic recovery is the perfect time to pilot different forms of transportation like e-scooters and e-bikes, especially as the city is already moving forward on rolling out a network of "slow streets" with vehicle speeds reduced to 30 km/h.

Kristy Snell/CBC

While Kirby-Yung sees e-scooters as an accessible option for people who might not otherwise choose active transportation like bikes, other cities have faced challenges implementing shared scooter programs.

In February, Montreal announced it was banning shared e-scooters after users started leaving them littered across city sidewalks instead of at their designated parking spots. The municipality had previously fined Lime and Jump, the private companies operating the scooters, for not ensuring that users followed parking rules.

Story continues

"I think other cities have gone before us and we have the benefit of learning from some of the initial challenges that they've had in getting started and I think Vancouver can have a very safe and responsible pilot as a result," said Kirby-Yung.

The motion doesn't recommend any particular shared service although there are several available in Canada.

She says Vancouver can follow the lead of cities like Calgary where 300 e-scooters have remained available throughout the pandemic.

Safety concerns

E-scooters have raised safety concerns over whether riders should be required to wear helmets and whether they are a risk to pedestrians if riders use sidewalks.

A 2019 memo from Vancouver municipal staff noted that other cities have reported injury rates on scooters up to 10 times higher than bicycles.

However, Kirby-Yung cites a 2020 report about an e-scooter pilot project in Portland, Ore., that found while scooter-related injuries increased, most of them were not serious enough to require emergency care.

The Portland report also found that 34 per cent of scooter riders replaced car trips with e-scooter trips, which scooter supporters believe could reduce serious car-related accidents and fatalities.
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

From Town & Country

For all the speculation around the motivation for Harry and Meghans incendiary decision to step back from royal duties last yearwas it the hounding tabloids? A rift between brothers? A desire to conquer Hollywood?the couple themselves peddled a central theme in what became known as Megxit: their desire to change the world.



At Sussex Royal, the website the couple launched in January (shortly before it was determined that they could no longer use the word royal in their branding), the most prominent page, Supporting Community, featured photos of a beaming Meghan with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and of Harry high-fiving kids in Botswana. It also included a scattergun list of causes the couple aimed to support, from combating HIV to empowering women and girls.

Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

The Sussexes do not plan to start a foundation, the page stated, but rather intend to develop a new way to effect change. The details were fuzzy, but the implication was clear: The young couple could accomplish far more outside the confines of traditional, fusty royal philanthropy.

The rest of Harrys family hardly seems willing to concede the point. Their recent and very public shows of civic duty can be seen as a direct response to Harry and Meghan deeming them an unworthy organization. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part, the Queen said in a statement early on in the Covid-19 crisis, perhaps spying an opportunity for the firm to bounce back from its recent scandals and rifts.

In late April, William and Kate, who had beamed themselves into a school for the children of essential workers and a new emergency hospital, led the couples launch of Our Frontline, a union of mental health charities supporting key workers.

Even Sophie Wessex, normally one of the less visible royals, stepped up just as Harry stepped down; the former PR executive and wife of Prince Edward has been spotted in recent months at buzzy philanthropic gatherings, and she spent much of April volunteering for a charity that has been making packed lunches for NHS workers.



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The obvious rolling up of royal sleeves made Harry and Meghans next move seem rather uneventful. In April we learned a little more about their much-hyped plans: The couple were going tostart a foundation. Or at least the charitable organization they registered in the U.S. looked a lot like one. It would be called Archewell (Arche, the couple explained, is the Greek word meaning source of action), and its focus would be broad, to say the least, covering emotional counseling and coordinating social, personal care, among other things.

Perhaps Harry and Meghan will soon dazzle the public with the specificity and efficacy of their plans, but for now the couple appear simply to be adding a dollop of Beverly Hills Goopishness to a tried-and-tested royal recipe. For at least two centuries the royal family has used a dizzying array of charitable pursuitsin tandem with a canny employment of PRto add legitimacy to its reign.

Just as Peabody, Carnegie, and Rockefeller were defining modern, self-made philanthropy in 19th-century America and setting the standard for the future billionaire class, royals were redefining their own role in British society. If kings and queens were once born to rule, they are now born to give back. And it all started with a 19th-century image makeover.

A teenage Victoria became queen only five years after the 1832 Reform Act launched modern democracy in Britain. She had to find new purpose for a family with an ever loosening grip on power. Victoria and her German cousin and husband, Albert, were acutely aware of the vulnerability of monarchy.

The 1848 revolutions in Europe terrified Albert in particular. They triggered his view that charity was a fundamental purpose of monarchy, says Frank Prochaska, an American-born historian of modern Britain at Oxford University and the author of Royal Bounty: The Making of a Welfare Monarchy.

Prochaska, who has a special interest in philanthropy, says that since then the royal family has progressively tightened its focus on charity in response to further threats to its reputation and relevance. Victoria and Albert boosted the familys patronage of charities, but Prochaska says it was George V (Queen Elizabeth's grandfather) who raised the bar.

Photo credit: DOUG CURRAN

At the end of World War I, in 1918, the Bolshevik Revolution combined with the wider rise of socialism and the emergence of the Labour Party in Britain demanded a new strategy at Buckingham Palace. The crown wouldendeavour to win the hearts and minds of the proletariat, Prochaska writes. In practice, it meant royalty visiting slums in dusty motor cars and inviting Labour bumpkins to tea.

This charitable doubling down also led to the establishment of the first full-time palace press secretary, who was tasked with publicizing the renewed purpose. The Prince of Wales at the time, Prince Edward, was dispatched to mining and industrial districts. In a letter to his mistress, Freda Dudley Ward, Edward wrote of a tour of poor parts of Glasgow: I do feel Ive been able to do just a little good propaganda up there.



Today the media, which trails the royals as they cut hospice ribbons and walk through minefields, projects an image of relentless do-goodery. More than 3,000 mostly charitable organizations now have a royal as patron or president. Our entire view of the Windsors today passes through the prism of charity. But as a fracturing firm faces new scrutiny over its role and reach, questions are being asked about its philanthropic endeavors. What good does the family doand how do we know?

These were among the questions that emerged in the wake of Megxit, as well as after the Prince AndrewJeffrey Epstein affair. Andrew, like his relatives, had a slew of philanthropic activities he could point to as character references, though by and large all of them, including the English National Ballet and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cut ties with their royal patron upon his downfall. But what was the patronage of a royaleven one in impeccable standingworth, anyway?

Last December the New York Post ran a splashy article suggesting that the American branches of several royal foundations skimp on the cause. It noted that in 2017 little more than 7 percent of the more than $600,000 in donations to the Duke of Edinburghs International Award USA reached the challenged young people it supports. Most of the rest went to salaries. The charity, which is based in Chicago, defended the figures, which it put down to high administrative and startup costs (it had set up shop only the year before).

Caroline Fiennes read the Post story with interest. For years the British scientist turned charity expert (who was married to James Fiennes, the late cousin of the actors Ralph and Joseph) has been on a mission to look into royal-inspired giving. As director of Giving Evidence, a London consultancy and campaign group, Fiennes was struck in particular by the lack of scrutiny royal patronages receive.

Whatever you want to know, ask quickly in case I get my head chopped off, Fiennes quips when I call her, before getting serious. I had so many questions, she says of her initial research in 2016. What even is a patronage? What is the process by which the royals decide what charities to become patrons of? And are they supposed to increase revenue or, I dont know, staff morale? We just dont know.

Photo credit: Tim Graham

Fiennes devised a way to measure the power of royal patronages. By assigning classification codes to hundreds of charities and examining their financial reports, she hoped to compare organizations so that she can determine the effect of, for example, Kate Middletons new patronage of a particular hospice. Its basically a souped-up before-and-after analysis, she explains.



She also hoped to explore the democratic failings inherent in the lack of transparency. The royal family is, she points out, funded by British taxpayers. So why are patronages not audited by the government? And even if it turns out that patronages are effective, we have the situation where some charities are getting a publicly funded resource and most are not, so we should have a conversation about how that resource is allocated, Fiennes says. Why, she wondered, should dying children in one hospice get the benefit of a royal patronage? Do the other hospices find it harder to raise funds as a result?



But Fiennes, who has a masters degree in physics from Oxford, couldnt secure funding for the work. She was demoralized. Then, in the days after Prince Andrews disastrous BBC interview, and the announcement that he would stand back from his 230 patronages, a wealthy donor responded to her pleas on Twitter and offered to fund her research.

Fiennes, who prefers not to reveal the donors identity, got to work. An early challenge has been simply listing royal patronages. The royal familys own online listings were often incomplete, outdated, or contradictory. The link to one Welsh charity for which Prince Harry is patron directed unsuspecting would-be donors from the official royal family website to a Chinese pornography and gambling site. Crown Jewels was the perhaps inevitable headline when the Sun learned of the gaffe.

Fiennes hopes to publish her initial findings later this year. Prince Andrews parting of ways with dozens of charities provides her with potentially valuable new data: Will their fundraising suffer without the dukes imprimatur? And might such data compel charities and donors to reconsider their aspirations for royal affiliationsespecially at a time when the family faces a number of public relations challenges?

But its precisely those challenges that will likely have the royal family doubling down on its philanthropic endeavors. Prochaska remembers the call he received in the midst of the public fallout from one of the biggest nightmares ever to befall the palace. In the time after Princess Dianas death, in 1997, the queen and her heir were seen as cold and remote. A private secretary wanted Prochaskas advice. The historian believes that period of reflection led to, among other things, the introduction, in 2002, of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, now a high honor for charities.

Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert

Post-Diana soul-searching was significant for the current Prince of Wales. After leaving the navy, Charles had launched several projects for young people in the 1970s. In 1999 they were brought together as the Princes Trust and expanded.

The trust is now a fixture of Britains third sector and a passion project for the prince. He refers to it as my charity, says one former executive at the trust, which employs more than 1,000 people. The executive says a standard gala dinner held for the trust might typically raise 10,000. The ones Prince Charles attends make 1.5 million a night. His presence in a room can absolutely make people donate a lot of money.

Those sums can balloon even further when royal foundations look across the Atlantic. In 1992, Charles launched the Prince of Wales Foundation in the U.S. Its lavish gala dinners in the early 2000s fascinated gossip columnists and helped Charles restore his image alongside his new wife-to-be, Camilla.

In 2001, Betsy Bloomingdale, Patty Hearst, and Steven Rockefeller were part of a four-day festival of royal hospitality and polo watching. At a dinner at the princes Highgrove residence underwritten by Burberry and Chopard, Charles sat between Joan Rivers, who was MC, and Queen Noor of Jordan. I remember one woman confiding that her Galliano dress required a butt tuck, and others for whom surgery prevented them opening their mouths wide enough to eat the canapes, recalls another former Princes Trust executive, who was a regular at events in that era.

Photo credit: Tim Graham - Getty Images

The Prince of Wales Foundation, which is based in Washington, DC, donated about the same amount it raised in 2018 (more than $8 million), according to tax returns, spending around 10 percent of its funds on salaries and expenses. That is very much an appropriate figure, says Leslie Lenkowsky, a professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Lenkowsky found little of concern when asked to review the finances of the three foundations, including the Prince of Wales Foundation, that were featured in the New York Post story.

In 2011, William followed his fathers example and launched the American Friends of the Royal Foundation, the U.S. arm of his and Kates charity, which then included Prince Harry. In 2014, 15 high-rolling couples reportedly paid $50,000 each to join William and Kate at an exclusive fundraising dinner in New York at the Gramercy Park home of the British advertising mogul Martin Sorrell.

The money rolled in. In 2017 the New Yorkbased charity made a $100,000 donation to Home Base, a program for military veterans and their families. Michael Allard, chief executive of Home Base, which is based in Boston, says its hard to assess precisely the broader impact of the gift, but he reports that the charity did see a small rise in donations. I dont think it would flip the switch on a philanthropist making a major gift, but having the endorsement of the royal family does have a positive effect at a microgiving level, he says.

There are countless other positive stories of genuine engagement by royals and gains for the charities they support. William and Harry have won plaudits for their work on mental health and the continuation of their mothers charitable legacy. Yet the question of efficacy and transparency remains.

In 2012 the late politician Paul Flynn pointed out that, while a low-key charity visit in his constituency had raised 1,000, it had cost the taxpayers more than 30,000 in policing. The public stood nil-deep on the pavement, he added. To avoid embarrassment a group of schoolchildren were bused in and given flags to provide a hollow ritual cheer.



Fiennes insists she is not a republican campaigner. Im not banging a drum here, she says. If it turns out royal patrons are the best thing since sliced bread, then great.

She may have to devise new metrics for Harry and Meghan. Their challenge will be to balance their charitable ambitions with a new imperative: making a living. The couple have made clear their radical plan to be financially independent. Notably, one of Harrys first engagements after his divorce from the firm was a very much for-profit speech at a Miami investment summit sponsored by JPMorgan. It may be that the Sussexes can carve out roles as more effective royal fundraisers when they are freed of palace shackles. But when a prince becomes a brand, charity begins at home.



This story appears in the Summer 2020 issue of Town & Country.

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While none of the 59 apps banned in the country are available for download users who already have them installed on their smartphone will still be able to use them. There are several Helo alternatives that can be downloaded and used for free. "We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible".

Top Helo alternatives ShareChat ShareChat is an Indian multilingual social networking app that offers content in as many as 15 Indian languages. It also has a chatroom feature that allows users to make a room and meet new friends. ShareChat had launched the app seemingly immediately after the Indian government placed a ban on 59 Chinese apps, and since then, Moj has been downloaded by 50,000 users and has been given an overall rating of 4.3. Roposo was launched in 2014 and has so far crossed the 5-crore milestone for downloads. Apps like Likee Lite, VivaVideo Lite, HAGO Lite, Bigo Live Lite, and Parallel Space Lite are still listed on Play store and not blocked in the country as yet.

"We compete with a wide variety of companies, Google, Samsung, Huawei, Vivo, LG, Lenovo and many more", Daniel Matray, head of Apple's App Store and Apple Media Services, told a Forum Europe online event. The app allows users to make and share videos, view news from across the world and play games.

The app is available in languages like English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.

Download Chingari from the Play Store.
(CNN) London has seen more than its share of crises. The 2000-year old metropolis has endured an influenza pandemic, the Blitz and several financial meltdowns over just the past century.

Time and again, London has come roaring back, relying on a spirit of resilience and reinvention that is being summoned once more as the British capital seeks to recover from what may be this century's greatest upheaval: the coronavirus pandemic.

The spread of the virus and efforts to contain it turned one of the world's liveliest urban meccas into a virtual ghost town, driving millions of people out of the city's center and its financial district, and bringing commerce to a sudden halt.

The scale of the shutdown would have been unimaginable just six months ago, when around 500,000 people poured into the area around Piccadilly Circus for the annual New Years' Day Parade and it was common to wait 90 minutes for a table at the busiest restaurants.

Then the pandemic hit. Virtually overnight, shops closed, tourists fled, offices and streets emptied out and the city's 9 million residents holed up at home. Nowhere was the standstill captured more acutely than in the mainstay of London city life: the Tube.

Underground journeys for the month of March tumbled 43% from the 106 million recorded in February, and plunged even further in April, during the height of lockdown, to just 5.7 million. Social distancing rules mean the Tube can only handle up to 15% of its normal traffic, according to London's mayor, Sadiq Khan.

The fallout from lockdown has been severe. London's economy is expected to contract nearly 17% this year, according to figures from the city government, a sharper drop than the 14% decline the Bank of England expects for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Companies in London are expected to shed some 460,000 jobs, or about 7% of the workforce, with manufacturing, construction, retail, and accommodation and food services the hardest hit. Employment is not expected to fully recover until 2022.

With transportation severely constrained, and a potential coronavirus vaccine still many months away, the people and companies that have made London into a hub for real estate, finance, the arts, hospitality and technology are desperately trying to reinvent themselves in hopes of surviving the pandemic.

One sign of progress: pubs, restaurants and hair salons can reopen on Saturday, provided they follow social distancing guidelines.

The physical city

What the pandemic means for London's sprawling collection of corporate headquarters is still unclear. Paul Cheshire, professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics, is quick to dismiss the suggestion that the office is dead as "nonsense," arguing that what happens in the long term will be less dramatic.

More people will spend more time working from home, or in decentralized office spaces, but this won't abolish companies' demand for locations in the city center, which have been shown to increase productivity and facilitate idea sharing, he said.

What happens to real estate, which accounts for 15% of London's economy, matters a great deal to the city.

The government has protected commercial tenants from eviction through August, but those measures will at some point expire. According to property management platform, Re-Leased, just 45% of commercial rents for the third quarter had been paid by early July. But that was an improvement on the previous three months and "a sign of the capital's resilience," said Re-Leased CEO, Tom Wallace.

The pandemic has accelerated existing trends around agile working and the desire for more flexible office space, where several different companies share meeting and social areas, as well as facilities such as showers, bike racks and kitchens.

Companies "want their offices to count," said Darren Richards, head of real estate at British Land, a leading UK property company. He predicts that greater numbers of older offices in need of refurbishment will likely be released onto the market in the future, as companies prioritize higher quality spaces.

British Land, which owns 7.1 million square feet of commercial real estate in areas like Broadgate, Paddington, Mayfair and Regent's Place, said that currently its tenants are not seeking to get rid of office space. Businesses still "want space fundamentally," though they are contemplating how much and for what purpose, Richards said.

Still, the penetration of online shopping during the coronavirus will mean a reduction in brick-and-mortar outlets, which could radically alter the landscape of London's vast retail space and create yet more uncertainty for the city's real estate market. "What would have happened over five years is happening over months," said Richards.

The City, reinvented

London's financial heart, referred to as the City of London, has a proven track record of reinvention.

Storied institutions like Lloyd's of London, the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange have been around for centuries, withstanding radical social, political and economic turmoil.

Today, the City is home to well over 250 international banks and handles 43% of global foreign exchange trading, according to the Bank for International Settlements. Financial services contributed 65 billion ($81 billion) to the London economy in 2018, or about 15%, figures from City Hall show.

And despite four years of uncertainty over Brexit, the United Kingdom has been Europe's top location for international financial services investment over the past two decades, with London claiming the bulk of those flows.

"London's dominance as the preeminent European financial center remains unrivaled," said Omar Ali, EY's UK financial services managing partner.

UK financial services will continue to be a leading recipient of overseas investment even after the pandemic, according to an EY survey conducted in April.

Investors ranked the availability of capital as the most important consideration influencing their future location choices, followed by safety and security measures introduced to prevent a future major crisis, whether that relates to health, the environment or cyber security.

There are factors working against the City, however. The UK government's handling of the coronavirus crisis has been widely criticized, and business and consumer confidence remains depressed.

"We failed to take advantage of the fact that we're an island and didn't move fast enough. There was a lot of complacency and hubris," said Richard Burge, the CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The government's approach to negotiating its post-Brexit trading relationship with the European Union has also drawn reproach. A group of business leaders warned this week that Britain's decision not to extend the current transition period beyond the end of the year is a "huge gamble."

The City of London may yet be tested. Crucially, there is currently no guarantee that UK financial firms will retain access to the European Union after this year  an export market worth 26 billion ($32.4 billion) in 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics, or 40% of the sector's total value.

Still good for startups

As London seeks to retain its status as a leading global business center, the city's technology sector, which boomed following the global financial crisis, could help.

Google, Facebook and Amazon have big offices in London, and startup investment has continued during the pandemic, suggesting that losses in real estate and financial services could be made up in the tech sector. Startups based in London have raised $4 billion in venture capital since the start of the year, more than Paris, Stockholm, Berlin and Tel Aviv combined, according to figures compiled in June by Tech Nation and Dealroom.

"It's a global arms race but London is still ahead," said Brent Hoberman, the co-founder of Founders Factory, an accelerator. "I think London absolutely remains as the global magnet for tech talent," he added, attributing its attractiveness to world class educational institutions, diverse culture and early entrepreneur success stories.

Lockdowns have only accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in everyday life, and boosted information and health technology companies, playing to London's strengths, said Suranga Chandratillake, a partner at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's leading early stage venture capital investors with stakes in companies such as Citymapper, Vivino, Lyst and Revolut.

The city is home to a large share of digital consumer businesses, Chandratillake said, including online grocer Ocado, digital banks such as Revolut and Monzo, and food delivery companies such as Deliveroo and Gousto.

London also boasts an outsized share of technology companies in areas such as cyber security and workforce management, now servicing armies of home workers. And the coronavirus has boosted investment into health technology, benefiting London and the United Kingdom more broadly.

"The city is the most genetically diverse in the world, almost all citizens use the same health system and there are a variety of tech projects, both government-funded within the NHS [National Health Service] and privately-funded startups, that have grown rapidly against this backdrop and stand in a very strong position," Chandratillake told CNN Business.

The pandemic could even help to catalyze new ways of doing business. London & Partners, the trade and investment body for London, said it recently organized a trade mission via Zoom, where a group of human resources tech entrepreneurs pitched their businesses to potential investors and customers in New York.

"If we assume a reduction in travel, it points towards naturally digital sectors in which London has existing strengths," said managing director of strategy and corporate affairs, Allen Simpson.

Saving London's culture

While London's tech and finance sectors look set to weather the current crisis, social distancing and a reduction in travel spells disaster for its once booming arts and culture scene, which helps attract tourists, ambitious young professionals and investment. For theaters, museums, restaurants and bars, it's an existential threat.

Leisure and hospitality "really strategically matter," said Simpson. "People come from all over the world partly because London is a cool place to live."

Nearly 40% of Londoners are born outside the United Kingdom, making London one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. It is home to 1 million EU nationals and was the world's third most visited city in 2018, narrowly behind Paris and Bangkok, according to Mastercard.

Last year, London boasted 21.7 million overseas visitors who spent 15.7 billion ($19.6 billion) on the local economy and supported 250,000 jobs, according to the Office for National Statistics.

"That revenue keeps certain things alive in London," said UK Tourism Alliance director Kurt Janson. "The West End theaters couldn't survive if not for overseas visitors."

In an open letter to the government signed by UK Theatre and nearly 100 actors, writers and directors, the Society of London Theatre worried that "British theatre is on the brink of ruin."

"Theatres do not have the money to operate viably with physical distancing," they said. The industry has called for an emergency relief fund, ongoing wage support and more help for freelancers and self-employed artists.

Museums, galleries and London's iconic tourist attractions are also at risk. Several have not yet announced plans to reopen, despite being allowed to do so on Saturday. In a joint statement issued late last month, directors of museums such as the Tate, British Museum and National Gallery said it was a question of "how and when we can open our doors again in a financially sustainable manner, for the long term."

The National Gallery has said it will reopen on July 8, while the Tate Britain and Tate Modern will reopen on July 27 and the Tower of London on July 10.

London's pubs and restaurants face an even greater threat from social distancing.

Already, Michelin-starred Texture and the upmarket Indian Accent, a Mayfair outpost of the Delhi original, have permanently closed. They are unlikely to be the only casualties.

Murat Kilic, the owner of Amber, in the hip East Aldgate neighborhood, told CNN Business that he is not confident about reopening. Amber is opening its doors on Saturday for the first time in nearly four months, but at less than half its previous capacity.

Kilic worries that when government support is wound down in October, he could risk eviction unless his landlord agrees to temporarily reduce monthly rent payments.

For Joseph Ryan, business looks set to boom over the July 4 weekend at his two pubs in London. Howl at the Moon and The White Hart have far more bookings than usual, Ryan said, but he is less optimistic about the longer term outlook.

Indoor capacity has been cut in half, seating is now mandatory, wooden panels have been erected between tables, and staff will be wearing masks and gloves.

"We're confident about this weekend, but thereafter we're not so sure," said Ryan. "The novelty might wear off."

Whether Londoners are quick to return to bars and eateries remains to be seen. Worryingly, household income and expenditure are set to tumble by 5.5% and 12% respectively this year, and are not expected to reach 2019 levels before at least 2023, according to City Hall.

How quickly a new London emerges depends on the coronavirus: if cases continue to fall and social distancing is eased further, the economic outlook will brighten. A second wave could prompt further lockdowns and all the economic pain that brings.

London will find "workarounds" to the immediate challenges posed by the virus, said Burge of the London Chamber, from becoming a city of cyclists and walkers to standing outside bars in the drizzle. "That's what we do," he said. "London will come through."

 Eoin McSweeney contributed reporting.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The UK is reopening for business. London may never be the same."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has again allayed concerns about the new anti-terrorism law, as he appealed to the public to give the controversial measure a chance.

In a statement on Sunday, Lorenzana said his department welcomes the passage of the law, which he described as an essential measure for law enforcement agencies to be able to contain and eradicate terrorists who dont play by any rules and who hide behind our laws to pursue their evil deeds.

We appeal to the public to give this law a chance and not to be swayed by misinformation and disinformation, Lorenzana said as he further urged citizens to read and understand the law.

Republic Act No. 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020  which has been a target of local and international criticisms alike was formally signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday.

It repeals the Human Security Act of 2007, giving more surveillance powers to government forces. Among its contentious features is a provision allowing suspected terrorists to be arrested without warrant and detained without charges for up to 24 days.

Just a day after its passage, the measure already faces a petition challenging its constitutionality, after a group of lawyers ran to the Supreme Court seeking a temporary restraining order as well as other legal remedies against the law.

RELATED: Lawyers file first petition vs. anti-terrorism law

Malacanang, on the other hand, stressed it will defer to the high court to handle the plea as well as other potential challenges regarding the case.

The Palace will leave it to the SC to decide on these petitions and will abide by whatever the ruling is, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Netizens and rights groups have previously voiced out concerns about the laws broad provisions, saying the measure may be open to abuse and lead to possible human rights violations. Some critics also argued that it may be used to target those who simply express criticism against the government.

Lorenzana along with a number of security officials and lawmakers have repeatedly dismissed these claims, saying citizens have their rights and several safeguards under the Constitution.

The Defense chief likewise assured the contested measure will be strictly implemented in line with its intent, and that officials will ensure that it will not be abused.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) The capability of churches to maintain health and safety protocols in religious gatherings in areas under general community quarantine will be tested amid threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Sunday.

The Department of Justice, which is part of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, noted that the new directive is not just solely for heeding to the clamor of the churches and their faithful.

"The purpose of allowing up to 10 percent attendance in religious worship gatherings (instead of 10 persons maximum) in GCQ areas...is to provide an opportunity to the various religious congregations to test the effectiveness of their health protocols prior to de-escalation to MGCQ, where 50 percent attendance is permitted," Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

Guevarra noted, however, that such religious activities must still be suspended anytime should cases surge anew.

"But this is without prejudice to the discretion of the churches and religious congregations to voluntarily suspend worship activities at any time should there be any visible threat of COVID-19 transmission," he said.

The IATF previously announced that there will be pilot dry runs in a few selected churches, mosques, and temples in areas under GCQ until July 10, with only a 10 percent capacity.

The government previously maintained a 10-people limit on religious gatherings in places of worship under GCQ areas to curb the spread of the virus.

Already allowed for churches in modified GCQ areas since July 1 is 50 percent attendance limit.

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended Metro Manila's GCQ status until July 15, while Cebu City is still under the enhanced community quarantine due to rising cases.

A total of 41,830 COVID-19 cases were reported in the Philippines on Saturday. There were 1,290 who died from the disease so far while 11,453 have already recovered.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5)  International flights will resume at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on July 8, Wednesday.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) made the announcement over the weekend.

"After temporarily closing its doors in March 28 this year, NAIA Terminal 3 will finally open its gates to resume international flight operations beginning 12:01AM of July 8, 2020," it said.

The airport's Terminal 3 airlines which were relocated to NAIA Terminal 1 last March will also be back in Terminal 3 ahead of the resumption of operations.

Flights of All Nippon Airways (ANA), Air Aisa Berhad (AK), Cathay Pacific (CX), Emirates (EK), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), Qatar Airways (QR), Singapore Airlines (SQ) and Turkish Airlines (TK) will arrive and depart from Terminal 3 starting July 8.

However, international operations of other airline carriers assigned in Terminal 3, such as Cebu Pacific, Delta Air, Qantas Airways, and United Airlines will remain suspended.

Terminal 2 continues to service international arrival flights of Philippine Airlines.

PAL's international departures currently operate from NAIA Terminal 1.

MIAA added that airlines assigned in Terminal 1 shall remain in Terminal 1: Air China (CA), Air Niugini (PX), Asiana Airlines (OZ), China Airlines (CI), China Eastern (MU), China Southern (CZ), Etihad Airways (EY), Eva Air (BR), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Gulf Air (GF), Hong Kong Airlines, Japan Airlines (JL), Jeju Air (7C), Jetstar Asia (3K, )Jetstar Japan (GK), Korean Airlines (KE), Kuwait Airways (KU), Malaysian Airlines (MH), Oman Air (WY), Royal Brunei Airlines (BI), Saudia Airlines (SV), Scoot (TR), Thai Airways (TG) and Xiamen Air.

NAIA Terminal 4 will remain closed until further notice.

On current domestic operations, Cebu Pacific (5J), Cebgo (DG), Philippines Air Asia (Z2) and Air Swift flights operate to and from Terminal 3 while Philippine Airlines (PR) and PAL Express (2P) operate to and from Terminal 2.

"These airlines also operate sweeper flights," the MIAA said.

The MIAA advised the public to constantly check airline websites for announcements.
(CNN)  After a week of skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the United States, officials are issuing a stark warning this July Fourth: Skip the parties.

If you really have to go, wear a mask, wash your hands and maintain social distancing. And if you must host, try to keep festivities outdoors and save the partygoers' information for future contact tracing if needed.

Coronavirus cases have been rising in 36 states with California, Arizona, Texas and Florida all posting record numbers of new infections this week.

The Florida Department of Health reported 11,445 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday -- yet another record for new coronavirus cases reported in a single day. The previous record was set on Thursday, with 10,109 cases.

Nationwide, the virus has killed more than 129,000 people and infected over 2.8 million since the pandemic started, according to Johns Hopkins University. And for the third straight day Friday, the number of new cases surpassed 50,000 nationwide.

Despite the bleak milestones, President Donald Trump said Saturday that 99% of coronavirus cases "are totally harmless" and the rising number of cases are caused by increased testing.

"Now we have tested, almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases -- 99% of which are totally harmless  results that no other country can show because no other country has testing that we have. Not in terms of the numbers, or in terms of the quality," Trump said during remarks on the White House South Lawn.

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.

People yearning for some normalcy hosted barbecues, found crowds in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and attended gatherings to watch fireworks. Meanwhile, others were finding beaches in Miami and Los Angeles closed, tubing in Texas rivers banned and some city celebrations happening mostly on livestreams.

Without stringent safety measures, 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.

"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."

Some beaches open for revelers, others stay closed

Beaches in Huntington Beach, California, would typically be packed with beachgoers this weekend. Just two weeks ago on June 14, photos showed the beach packed with people, towels and umbrellas.

But on Saturday, beaches in the Los Angeles area are closed due to rising Covid-19 cases, and beaches were left empty with large stretches of untouched white sand.

Renee Van Arsdale, who was riding bikes with her husband near the beach, told CNN there would usually be a "sea of people" on the beach for July Fourth.

"But today it's mostly locals just enjoying the beauty of the beach instead of being on the beach," she said.

Her husband, Gary Van Arsdale, pointed out that the city of Huntington Beach had to cancel its annual July Fourth parade. Instead, the city put on a neighborhood tour with small-vehicle caravans that weaved through the streets with local dignitaries.

Beaches were open elsewhere, like New York's Coney Island. There were also beachgoers at Clearwater Beach in Florida, though there were fewer than typical for the holiday weekend.

At Clearwater, some had gathered in groups, according to a CNN crew on the scene, despite signs on the beach that warned not to gather in groups of 10 or more. But many at the beach told CNN they were taking certain precautions like wearing masks and having hand sanitizer at the ready.

Local resident Connor Gourley  who believed he had the coronavirus earlier in the year and recovered  told CNN he wasn't "necessarily concerned" about being on the beach. He wasn't going to let concerns about the virus stop him from celebrating Independence Day, he said.

"It's not more about the partying, it's about celebrating America and our Independence Day," he said. "So, no matter what we're going to be out here and we're going to be American and enjoy our freedom."

Some officials have made small exceptions for July Fourth festivities, so long as people adhere to restrictions. In Harris County, Texas, Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a countywide order prohibiting outdoor gatherings of 10 or more except for a handful of activities, including fireworks.

The order, signed Friday, says fireworks displays and gatherings with more than 100 people are allowed only if people view the celebrations from inside a vehicle. The order will remain in effect through at least Wednesday, August 26. It also includes exceptions for gatherings of 10 or more people at religious services, youth camps, swimming pools and certain sporting events.

"I think this is the real challenge we have," Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, told CNN Saturday. "It's 4th of July now. All of us should be coming together as Americans to fight this pandemic. It is not just going to go away."

Health care workers make plea to governor

In Georgia, where coronavirus cases are going up, about 1,400 health care workers signed a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp asking him to increase state restrictions to 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 at 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 after a spike in cases.

Couk and other medical contacts worked together to create the letter and have other health care professionals sign it. He said he wanted to highlight the need for increased social distancing and further restrictions to slow the spread and was speaking as a member of the Infectious Disease Society of Georgia and not as a representative of Piedmont Atlanta.

More states make sweeping mask mandates

Mask mandates for Texas and Kansas went into effect Friday, which means 19 states and Washington, DC, now have such requirements.

"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 ... and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.

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.

"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.

US commercial labs report testing delays

Rising demand for Covid-19 testing has led some major commercial laboratories to report delays in turning around test results.

Testing demands have reached "unprecedented levels," commercial laboratory Quest Diagnostics said this week, leading to delays in notifying clients of their results.

Although Quest can provide results within a day for priority patients  including sick health care workers and people in the hospital  the average turnaround time is three to five days for most other patients, the company said in a statement Monday.

While the number of tests conducted across the US is increasing, experts say long turnaround times can make it difficult to isolate confirmed cases and quickly quarantine their close contacts.

Another commercial laboratory, LabCorp, is reporting delays. The company told CNN in a statement Saturday that reporting test results may take one to two days longer now, leading to a current turnaround time of two to four days on average.

"In recent weeks, we have seen a steady increase in demand for molecular testing and we are doing everything we can to continue delivering results in a timely manner while continually increasing testing capacity," LabCorp said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "As coronavirus cases skyrocket, US marks July Fourth with pleas for people to skip the parties."
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)  A 36-year-old man died after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Fraser Island in the Australian state of Queensland on Saturday, local police said in a statement.

The man was spearfishing in the waters off Indian Head when he was bitten by a shark.

The man suffered injuries to his leg. A doctor and a nurse tried to save his life on the beach, but he passed away at about 4.30 p.m. local time.

Saturday's attack marked the fourth shark-related death in Australia this year. In April, Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba, 23, was killed by a great white shark also near Indian Head.

In June a 60-year-old surfer died after being bitten by a great white shark in the state of New South Wales, while in January a 57-year-old diver died from a shark attack off Western Australia state.

There were no deaths from shark attacks in Australia in 2019 and just one in 2018, according to Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

In a post to his official Facebook, Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour said that it was a "tremendously sad day" for the local community.

"Our deepest condolences go to this young man's family and friends. The loss of a young life with his future before him is a tragedy beyond words and we share their sadness and grief," Seymour said.

Shark attacks are incredibly rare, not just in Australia but around the world. According the Australian Museum, you are more likely to be struck by lightening in Australia or killed in a car accident than attacked by a shark.

Annually fewer than 10 people a year on average around the world die of shark attacks, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Australian man dies after a shark attack near Queensland's Fraser Island."
US President Donald Trump took to social media to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his wishes on US Independence Day, celebrated on July 4. Calling PM Modi his 'friend', Trump added "America loves India!"

PM Modi had wished Trump and America and said that as the world's largest democracies, India and US both "cherish freedom and human enterprise that this day celebrates".

Thank you my friend. America loves India! https://t.co/mlvJ51l8XJ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2020

Donald Trump had earlier attended the July 4 American Independence Day celebrations in South Dakota.

Both the leaders are known to have a cordial relationship. In October last year, the Indian diaspora organised an event called 'Howdy, Modi!' attended by both the leaders. The event was attended by around 50,000 Indian-Americans. In February, Donald Trump visited India on a two-day trip and attended a similar event in Ahmedabad's Motera stadium. The event 'Namaste Trump' saw a huge gathering of people.

US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster also wished Americans on the occasion of the country's 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!" Juster said.

Also read: Donald Trump says he likes 'great gentleman' PM Modi
(CNN)  As Americans celebrate an Independence Day like no other on Saturday, some are practicing their First Amendment rights by demonstrating about racism, police brutality and President Donald Trump.

Protests from a group called Refuse Fascism were planned for the day in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.

It would be a familiar scene, since protests have taken place in just about every major city in the country since the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody in April.

About 50 protesters holding Defund the Police and Black Lives Matter signs marched on Dale Mabry Highway and blocked traffic Saturday in Tampa, Florida, police said.

Videos posted on social media corroborated an official statement by Tampa police spokeswoman Vanessa Nettingham.

In Pittsburgh, counterprotesters showed up at a boat parade that was being held in support of President Donald Trump.

Pittsburgh Public Safety reported no violence, arrests or injuries at the opposing protest events that lasted just over two hours in the Riverwalk area along the Monongahela River, according to its official Twitter page.

Trump supporters and counterprotesters were "yelling and cursing at each other," but there was no violence, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety, which urged people to avoid the area.

Protesters did stop traffic at times, shutting down the Hot Metal Bridge at one point during the protests, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.

"Public Safety does and will continue to respect everyone's 1st Amendment rights. However, throwing or dropping objects or suspending signs from bridges is prohibited and will result in immediate arrest. Stay safe, everyone," Pittsburgh Public Safety said in a tweet.

Pittsburgh Public Safety categorized the counterprotest groups as small on its Twitter page and reported "several Pro-Trump boaters" on the river but declined to provide an official crowd estimate to CNN.

The Trump Team PA political group organized the "4th of July Trump Boat Parade & Salute To First Responders" and promoted the event for several weeks on social media.

In Seattle, two women were seriously hurt early Saturday morning when a car drove onto the shoulder of a closed section of Interstate 5 where protesters were standing, police said.

The suspect in what is being called a "tragic accident" is now in custody and facing multiple felony charges, said Capt. Ron Mead of the Washington State Patrol during a press briefing.

This story was first published on CNN.com 'Some Americans mark Fourth of July with protests'
Heavy rains continue to lash Mumbai on Sunday after the city witnessed a similar downpour yesterday. Rainfall was especially heavy in the Konkon region of the city. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for parts of the city including Thane and Raigad. It also said the rain is expected to intensify on Sunday.

Thane had recorded 213.3 mm of heavy rainfall on Saturday. There were also reports of several walls collapsing in the area because of the heavy downpour. The Kandivali area report 184.3 mm of rainfall. Government has issued a high-tide warning in areas near the coastline. A 15-feet high tide is expected to land on the shores today.

Though the rains have only been severe for the past two days, reports of waterlogging in several areas have already started to emerge. However, the rains have not disturbed the local trains so far, which are still running on time.

For the past few weeks, only the southern part of the city was witnessing regular rainfall, which has now moved to other areas. The Santa Cruz Observatory in Mumbai had been recording light to moderate rainfall for the past week, the amount of rainfall over Mumbai and its suburban regions and remained meagre during the weekdays.

Heavy rains in Mumbai is always worrisome for people who live in low lying areas of the city. The city is already dealing with a major outbreak of COVID-19, heavy rainfall and waterlogging would make it difficult for people to maintain social distancing norms. Waterlogging also gives rise to diseases such as dengue and malaria because mosquitoes thrive in waterlogged areas.

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India reports nearly 25,000 new cases in a day; death toll at 19,268

Also Read: Big events can be held while adhering to COVID-19 protocol: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
First Nations entrepreneurs can now apply for the Barayamal accelerator programme and access $50,000 in grant funding.

After running the worlds first Indigenous Accelerator in November 2016, Barayamal is now running its second accelerator program in Victoria on the 7th September 2020  thanks to LaunchVic.

Barayamal believes that First Nations Entrepreneurship can change the world for the better. They support this by running an Indigenous business accelerator, free events, the Indigipreneur podcast, school-based education, building technology solutions and by investing time and funding Indigenous startups, which are the high-growth economic and employment solution.

Five innovative First Nations businesses will be selected for the Barayamal Accelerator at the Victorian Innovation Hub. The three-month program will support First Nations businesses to break through the COVID-19 challenges to grow their businesses by providing mentoring and training by industry experts, $50,000 in grant funding and showcasing their businesses at the national Demo Day & Awards event on the 27th November 2020.

The Barayamal Accelerator incorporates a competition model to select the winning Indigenous businesses. Indigenous entrepreneurs submit an application for the Barayamal Accelerator program, which is reviewed and shortlisted, with the most innovative Indigenous businesses in Australia then pitching for one of the five spots available. At the end of this pitch competition, only five Indigenous startups are invited to participate in the Barayamal Accelerator.

Related:

Funded by LaunchVic and supported by our corporate partners, the Barayamal Accelerator will rapidly accelerate the growth of the Indigenous businesses by providing capital, mentoring and industry support over three months then showcase their success at the culminating Demo Day.

Barayamals Accelerator is completely free, thanks to LaunchVic.

Previous participants have highlighted the benefits of the culture and community within the programme.

Kayla Cartledge from Our Songlines, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant, said, I really liked the accelerator program. Weve got an amazingly strong community built on trust and cultural principlesthe connections we made were everlasting.

Stewart Stacey from Binary Security, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant, said, Just in the half an hour after receiving the award, I had many people walk up to me saying that they thought wed done a really good job and they could see the message and they can see the value and they want to help.

Ive got a pocketful of business cards that I cant wait to get back home and start calling. And, and you know, making these contacts and building these relationships just been unbelievable. Its gone past what I thought it would beand Im very proud and honoured to be a part of it.

Niyoka Bundle from Pawa Catering and Events, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant, said the programme allowed to to meet really great Indigenous entrepreneurs and the sharing of their experiences.

Keep up to date with our stories LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
A global resurgence in Covid-19 cases could put paid to Vietnams plans to boost exports in the second half, business executives have warned.

Do Ha Nam, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, said export prospects look gloomy with demand for rice now decreasing after a surge in the last few months when the pandemic was spreading rapidly globally.

The Philippine government recently scrapped plans to import up to 300,000 tons of rice from Myanmar, India, Thailand, and Vietnam because it was "no longer necessary under the current situation."

This shows demand for rice is now dwindling, Nam said.

He was concerned his company would not be able to find new markets for rice exports as there are signs of a resurgence in coronavirus cases globally.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, on June 29 said the pandemic is accelerating around the world as many countries that reopened their economies have seen a resurgence in Covid-19 cases.

The U.S., South Korea, China, Italy, and Germany have all reported new local infections despite imposing lockdowns.

Experts expect exports to the E.U. to rise thanks to the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) taking effect in August.

But rice producers said they have yet to meet the blocs quality standards and so are unlikely to export to it this year.

Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, said if there is a second wave of coronavirus cases globally, demand would slow in the E.U., stymieing Vietnamese businesses plans to boost exports in the second half.

Vietnams trade shrank by 2.1 percent year-on-year in the first six months to $238.4 billion, the first decline since 2009.

Exports fell 1.1 percent to $121.2 billion, with smartphones, textiles and garments, footwear, seafood, and fruit exports all decreasing.

The chief of a footwear company, who asked not to be identified, said products are always created with exports in mind and therefore would not have much demand domestically.

But his company has no choice except to reduce its share of revenues from exports from 80 percent to 60 percent and increase local sales, he said.

Officials have said the pandemic is also an opportunity for businesses to restructure their supply chains and invest more in technology to increase value addition.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said at a recent forum that Vietnamese companies need to focus on growing organic products with traceable origins to meet European standards.
Medical staff advise a mother and child and prepare documents to administer anti-diphtheria vaccine in Dak Nong Province, July 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Hoa.

A four-year-old boy in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai succumbed to diphtheria Sunday morning after two days of treatment.

He was the third death in the ongoing diphtheria outbreak that has struck Vietnam's Central Highlands. A nine-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy both of Dak Nong Province, are the earlier victims.

"The boy was diagnosed with malignant diphtheria and suffered complications from diphtheria that triggered multiple organ damage. He died at 2:30 a.m.," said Mai Xuan Hai, director of Gia Lais Department of Health.

The boy, who belongs to the Ba Na ethnic minority community in Dak Doa District, developed symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat on June 28 after visiting his relatives in Kon Tum Province, a diphtheria-stricken locality. His parents self-medicated him, buying medicines from a nearby pharmacy, but after six days, his health worsened and he was taken to the provinces Childrens Hospital Friday.

Health authorities in Gia Lai are investigating why the boy was infected despite receiving four vaccine shots against diphtheria under the National Expanded Immunization Program.

The boy was also the first diphtheria patient recorded in Gia Lai and 24 people whod come into close contact with him have been quarantined.

Dak Nong Province in the Central Highlands has recorded 16 cases of diphtheria in the latest outbreak, the country's highest to date, including the two previous deaths. Kom Tum Province in the Central Highlands has reported eight cases so far. Hundreds in the infected areas have been quarantined and are being vaccinated against the disease.

One patient in HCMC has recovered and been discharged.

Diphtheria, which can be prevented with vaccination, is an infection caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheria bacterium. It spreads through air and direct contact.

Symptoms include fever, sore throat, swallowing difficulty, and white patches in the throat that could block the airway. Complications include myocarditis, kidney problems, respiratory failure, inflammation of nerves, coma, and death.

Last year a seven-year-old girl in Dak Lak Province near Dak Nong succumbed to the disease. In 2017 and 2018 six people died in Kon Tum and Quang Nam provinces.
Border guards in Quang Ninh Province have detained five Chinese nationals, including one man and four women, for illegally entering Vietnam to gamble.

While on patrol, border guards in Quang Ninh, which is home to the popular Ha Long Bay and shares a border with China, on Saturday found the five Chinese acting suspiciously and asked them to stop for a check. All failed to supply legal entry papers to the country, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The detainees included four women - Guan Li Li, 32, Huang Mei Hua, 26, Miu Jin Bao, 33, Li Qing Hua, 27, and 27-year-old man Lin Jie, coming from Guangxi and Fujian provinces.

Five Chinese are held at an office of border guards in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam, July 4, 2020. Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh Border Station.

They said they had illegally entered Vietnam to gamble at casinos in Mong Cai Town of Quang Ninh.

They said an unidentified Chinese man helped to transport them into Vietnam for 5,000 yuan ($700) each. At around 11 p.m. Friday, they had gathered in the coastal areas of Chinas Wanwei Beach of Guangxi Province on the border with Quang Ninhs Mong Cai Town. Later, the Chinese man used a raft to carry them to Tra Co Beach in Mong Cai.

All five have been put in quarantine at a facility in Mong Cai for 14 days, as per Covid-19 prevention protocol.

One July 1, border guards in Quang Ninh arrested two Vietnamese men for helping three Chinese enter the country illegally to gamble. All were sent to quarantine facilities.
A Hanoi resident has been banned from flying for a year after she refused to pay fines for using a lifejacket on a domestic flight without permission.

The 53-year-old woman, whose name has not been revealed, resides in Hanois Long Bien District. She will not be allowed on domestic and international flights until July 3 next year, and will be subject to strict security screening at airports for six months after the ban expires, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said Saturday.

On June 2, on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Quy Nhon Town in central Vietnam to Hanoi, she took out the lifejacket from under her seat and tore off its cover without permission or request from the cabin crew.

The Northern Airport Authority imposed a fine of VND2 million ($87) for her violation , but she refused to pay it despite several reminders and warnings.

Lifejackets on aircraft can only be used on the advice of flight attendants in case an emergency landing on water is needed. Any act of removing a life jacket from the position without the flight attendant's request is a serious violation of aviation safety, officials said.

Last year, a woman on a Vietjet flight from Hanoi to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province was fined VND8.5 million for stealing a lifejacket.
India delays Taj Mahal reopening for Covid-19 risks

India has withdrawn a planned reopening of the Taj Mahal, citing the risk of new coronavirus infections spreading in the northern city of Agra from visitors flocking to see the 17th century monument to love.

Local authorities issued a new advisory late on Sunday ordering an extension of lockdown curbs on monuments in and around Agra. The government order did not specify the duration of the lockdown for monuments that have been closed since March.

"In the interest of the public, it has been decided that opening monuments in Agra will not be advisable as of now", the district authorities said in a notice published in Hindi. Agra, one of India's first big clusters of the virus, remains the worst-affected city in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state.

India's coronavirus infections are rising at the fastest pace in three months. On Sunday, the health ministry reported a record single-day spike of 24,850 new cases and more than 600 deaths. That pushed India's overall tally to 673,165 cases, closing in on Russia, the third-most affected country globally.
Job seekers stop by a company booth at a career fair at Anhui University of Science and Technology in Huainan, Anhui province, on Tuesday. Chen Bin/For China Daily



BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Education has joined hands with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to launch an online recruitment drive to help the country's new college graduates find jobs.

The campaign encourages cultural and tourist companies nationwide to provide information about their vacancies, and the education ministry will organize students from relevant majors to apply online, the two ministries said in a statement. The campaign will run till the end of August.

An online platform has been launched through which employers in the sector can release recruitment information for free, and the students can apply and check the latest updates on their applications.

The statement also asked the employers to give timely feedback to the students.

The authorities said they will review the qualifications of companies and check the veracity of the vacancies.


Five trade unions in the coal sector have planned to mobilise people in mine areas to generate public opinion against the government's decision to start commercial mining, after their three-day nationwide strike could not budge the Centre from its stand, officials said on Sunday.

The unions, including RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), of Coal India have also decided to go for a day's strike on August 18, the last date for submitting bids for the auctioning of 41 blocks.

The Centre has started the auction process for commercial mining, a move that opens the country's coal sector for private players.

"We are not pushing back. Our protest will continue.

We have decided to mobilise the locals in mine areas to protest against the commercial coal mining and to ensure that no private players enter the sites," BMS leader B K Rai told PTI.

He said all the five trade unions, in a meeting on Saturday, had decided to go for a strike on August 18.

"We will carry on protests in mining areas and start work-to-rule. All trade unions have their presence in the areas where the blocks are being offered for sale and we will be able to gain strength," he said.

The three-day nationwide strike by coal workers against the government's decision to open the sector for private players ended on Saturday, leading to almost nil production in most of the mines, and dispatch of the fuel was totally blocked.

"The central trade unions have planned to build public opinion against commercial mining in mine areas. We will continue our protests in a sustained way if the government remains firm on its decision," INTUC-backed Indian National Mineworkers' Federation secretary-general SQ Zama said.

The auctioning of 41 coal mines for commercial mining is expected to garner Rs 33,000 crore of capital investment in the country over the next five to seven years.

Also Read: Liquidity window for mutual funds induced confidence in system: SEBI

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India reports nearly 25,000 new cases in a day; death toll at 19,268
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 hosted by the Vietnam Association for Information Processing (VAIP) in collaboration with other IT associations.

Speaking at the seminar, Deputy PM Dam affirmed that, in order to carry out digital transformation, it is necessary to have the participation of the Government, businesses and the people.

The government needs digital transformation to better manage and serve the people, businesses carry out digital transformation to develop and bring better services to the people, while the people themselves can participate in this process to facilitate their own interests, so they should be encouraged to participate in digital transformation, Dam stressed.

He also emphasised that digital transformation cannot be separated from the country's socio-economic environment, adding that Vietnam's weaknesses in this process needed to be overcome so that the country does not lose out in international competition.

The senior government official suggested that the VAIP and related associations should coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to quickly develop new "measurements" on the IT applications of relevant ministries, localities and agencies, while enhancing the dissemination of knowledge about IT to the whole society.
>>> Vietnam-funded high school handed over to Lao school

The school worth 49 billion LAK (US$5.4 million) 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.
According to a new study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), coronavirus restrictions are expected to result in a shortfall of between US$1.2 trillion and US$3.3 trillion in tourism and related sectors in the coming months.

In light of these figures, the UNCTAD has developed three scenarios to assess the shortfall for tourism and closely related sectors, such as hotels and restaurants, but also producers who sell their agricultural products to hotels, banks that have granted loans to hotels, energy producers, construction, etc.

The intermediate scenario developed by UNCTAD, which is the closest to the assessment made by the UNWTO, assumes an interruption of international tourism for a period of eight months and estimates the total loss of income at $2,200 billion or 2.8% of world gross domestic product (GDP). It should reach US$1,200 billion, or 1.5% of world GDP, if the interruption lasts only four months, and US$3,300 billion, or 4.2% of world GDP, if it lasts one year.

In absolute terms, the US and China will record the largest shortfalls, followed by Thailand, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy. Meanwhile, in the intermediate scenario envisaged, Jamaica will be the country most affected by the tourism crisis, in terms of the weight of the sector as part of the national economy, according to the UNCTAD study. Jamaica is followed by Thailand, Croatia and Portugal.

Before the UNCTAD released the above report, a series of other statistics and studies also pointed to the gloomy prospects for the tourism industry as this industry was at the eye of the storm of the crisis in the context of how widespread Covid-19 epidemic has become.

The Inter-American Development Bank in early July also issued three different forecasts for the tourism sector in Latin America in 2020, respectively at 43.8%; 56.3% and 68.8% compared to 2019.

African countries have lost almost $55 billion in travel and tourism revenue in the past three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the African Union (AU) commissioner for infrastructure and energy said on July 2.

Amani Abou-Zeid told a news conference the economic impact of lockdowns and border closures implemented to curb the spread of the virus would be severe, with the continent's 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 came in a year when Africa was expected to see an increase in travel and air transport.

In order to save the tourism industry, many governments have recently launched stimulus packages and efforts to restart this important economic sector. In Europe, Greece is gradually restarting tourism, a vital sector for the economy, contributing up to 20% of the country's GDP. From July 1, Greece restored flights to important tourist islands, with more than 100 flights expected to be operated at 14 regional airports.

Meanwhile, since the end of June, Denmark has allowed citizens from European countries with low numbers of Covid-19 infections to enter the country. Accordingly, visitors from Iceland, Germany and Norway are allowed to enter the country provided they have a stay of at least six nights. In another European country, Spain, the Government recently announced a US$4.78 billion bailout plan to help the tourism industry recover.

Egypt, a tourist paradise in Africa, has also been making efforts to revive the tourism industry. Hotels, archaeological sites and beaches have been cleaned and disinfected to welcome visitors back after long periods of closure due to the disease. In Southeast Asia, Thailand has also stepped up measures to rescue tourism. The Thai government has just passed two stimulus packages worth US$723 million to revive the smokeless industry. Accordingly, tourism stimulus packages will start to be deployed from July 1 to October 30, including US$64.5 million to support domestic airfare, bus fares, car rentalfees etc.

The aforementioned efforts to rescue the tourism industry seem to be inconsistent with the difficulties the industry is facing in the long term. In its newest report, the UNCTAD warned that International tourism has been almost totally suspended, and domestic tourism curtailed by lockdown conditions imposed in many countries. Although some destinations have started slowly to open up, many are afraid of international travel or cannot afford it due to the economic crisis. In fact, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to boom as today, most world vacation resorts are struggling. Although major stimulus packages have been launched, once a vaccine is not strong enough to stop the Covid-19 storm, the tonic pills that governments are using for tourism are like drops in the ocean.
The head of Iran's Holy Shrines' Reconstruction Headquarters, Mohammad Jalal Ma'ab, says, despite the coronavirus epidemic in Iraq, building the "Zaynab Courtyard" project in the city of Karbala "continued unabated".

According to the state-run Iran Students News Agency, ISNA, Ma'ab said that pouring concrete for the columns of the building is currently underway.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic officials are discussing with their counterparts in Iraqs Shiite religious cities, including Najaf, to begin other projects, Ma'ab said. He also also announced that the headquarters has resumed its activities in Damascus and is developing Zaynab's sanctuary in the Syrian capital city.

Zaynab, also spelled Zainab, was the daughter of the first Shiite Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah, daughter of Prophet Muhammad.

No one knows the exact date and place of her death, but she probably died in the year 62 AH (681/682). Therefore, her burial place has not been determined.

The construction of Zaynab's courtyard in Karbala, which covers an area of 168,000 square meters (approximately 41.5 acres), is part of Imam Hussein (Shi'ites' third Imam and brother of Zaynab) courtyard development project, which has been under discussion since 2013.

The estimated cost of construction of the courtyard has been on average up to 45 million rials (about $1000) per square meter, or 7.56 trillion rials (roughly $168 million) in total.

Assisted by 2,000 Iranian workers, the courtyard is under construction on four floors as part of Imam Hussein's shrine development project.

The Iranian government has another project underway in Karbala, called the sanctuary of Hazrat Zahra (Prophet Mohammad's daughter, and mother of Zaynab). The shrine has an area of 220,000 square meters (roughly 54.3 acres), which is estimated to cost more than ten trillion rials (about $238 million).

This is amid serious economic crisis in Iran, where the government is running out of cash and resorts to printing money. Iran has been withdrawing money from its foreign currency reserves in the past two years to sustain its essential operations.

According to a senior official at the Holy Shrines Reconstruction Headquarters, the building of the courtyard in Karbala was handed over to the Islamic Republic government's representatives after a Lebanese Shiite cleric saw a dream that the Prophet of Islam gave "Zaynab's cradle" to an Iranian Grand Ayatollah, Mohammad Taqi Bahjat Foumani, who died at 92 in 2009.

Meanwhile, since last June, the officials of the Holy Shrines (Atbat-e-Aliat) Reconstruction Headquarters have launched a project called "Qassem Soleimani" which aims to fulfill the slogan "Every Iranian, 5,000 Tomans (about $1.20)" to help to build the courtyard of Hazrat Zainab in Karbala.

Last March, Washington imposed sanctions on the Reconstruction Organization of the Holy Shrines in Iraq with a batch of sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury Department has described the entity as an organization based in Iran and Iraq, controlled by the Qods Force. Also targeted by the sanctions is the organization's executive chairman, Mohammad Jalal Ma'ab.

An Iranian citizen from the town of Kerman, Ma'ab, was appointed to the post in 2019 by Qassem Soleimani, the IRGC's Qods Force Chief Commander who was killed by a U.S. drone attack in early January, outside Baghdad international airport.

Iran's efforts to rebuild Twelver-Shiite religious sites in Iraq began in 2003. The Headquarters for the Reconstruction of the Holy Shrines, a subdivision of the IRGC's Qods Force, has been responsible for more than 155 projects in Iraq and Syria, so far.

The headquarters has also been active in various Iraqi cities, such as Najaf, Karbala, Al-Kazimiyyah (a northern neighborhood in Baghdad), Kufa, Samarra, Musayyib, and Balad, and has been operating in Syria since 2014.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5

Trend:

Military units of the armed forces of Armenia violated ceasefire 43 times throughout the day in various direction of the front, using large-caliber weapons to escalate situation, Trend reports on July 5 referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Armenian armed forces, located on nameless hills in Chambarak region subjected to fire the positions of the Azerbaijan Army located on nameless hills in Gadabay region.

The positions of Azerbaijan Army were also fired from the positions of Armenian military units located near the occupied Goyarkh village of Terter region, Novruzlu, Yusifjanly, Marzili villages of Aghdam region, Kuropatkino village of Khojavend region, Garvand, Garakhanbayli, Ashaghy Seyidahmadli, Gorgan, Kurdlar, Horadiz villages of Fuzuli region, Mehdili village of Jabrayil region, as well as from the positions located on nameless hills in Terter and Khojavend regions.

The enemy was suppressed by retaliation fire. Our units fully control the operational situation.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5

Trend:

The number of coronavirus tests conducted in Azerbaijan has been revealed, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB).

As of July 5, 6,722 tests were conducted to detect new cases of infection.

In accordance with the data, in general, 509,811 tests were conducted throughout the country.

Currently, 8,332 people are under treatment in special hospitals, 348 of them are in intensive care, and 60 people are connected to artificial ventilation devices.
First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Abdullah Gul, the former President of Turkey, held a telephone conversation, the Elbasy official website reads, Trend reports citing Kazinform.

Abdullah Gul congratulated Elbasy on the jubilee wishing him good health, wellbeing. He noted historical importance of Nursultan Nazarbayev in the development of Kazakhstan as a strong and prosperous country with high authority in the world.

Elbasy expressed gratitude for sincere congratulants and highly praised years of cooperation aimed at development and strengthening of Kazakhstan-Turkey strategic relations.
Iran has filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against the United States over effects of sanctions on Iran's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Leila Joneidi, Iran's presidential aide for legal affairs, said on Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The continuous U.S. 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.

U.S. 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.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday called for promotion of strategic ties between Iran and Venezuela, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Rouhani made the remarks in a congratulatory message to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Venezuela's Independence Day.

The Iranian president urged boost of "brotherly" ties with the Latin American country, expressing hope that Venezuela will overcome the problems caused by its enemies through "resistance."

Iran has recently sent several shipments of fuel to energy-hungry Venezuela amid U.S. sanctions.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

As many as 2,560 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, 163 people have died from the coronavirus over the past day.

Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,168 people is critical.

The official stressed that situation was dire in Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Razavi Khorasan, Ilam, East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces.

So far, more than 1.79 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 240,400 people have been infected, 11,571 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 201,300 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 only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
Rapporteur of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Abolfazl Amouei said on Sunday that the dimensions of the Natanz incident and the report of the IAEA Board of Governors were discussed in the meeting in the presence of Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Salehi delivered a report on the process of Iran's latest nuclear activities and was informed by the commission members in the session, Amouei said.

Referring to the recent Natanz incident, Salehi pointed out that various scenarios about this incident are under investigation and the final results will be announced soon.

Salehi went on to say that the technical and security investigations, conducted by concerned organizations and expert bodies, determined the cause of incident happened at Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility. But the cause of the incident will be announced in appropriate time due to some security considerations, Amouei further noted.

Earlier, Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) spokesman Keyvan Khosravi stated that the cause of the incident at the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Natanz Nuclear Complex has been identified following the technical and security investigations and will be declared in due course for security reasons.

Also, Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said that there were no casualties in the Complex as a result of the incident occurred, and the normal process of enrichment continues far from the site of the incident.
Qatar's Health Ministry on Sunday announced 616 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 99,799, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Meanwhile, 1,897 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 92,284, while five others died, raising the fatalities to 128, official Qatar News Agency quoted a statement by the ministry as saying.

A total of 381,434 persons in Qatar have undergone lab tests for COVID-19 so far, it added.

China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tons of medical supplies donated by the airline.
The World Health Organization( WHO) said on Sunday that it appreciated Sweden setting up a commission to review the country's handling of the coronavirus crisis, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

"Sweden has done something very important by starting an investigation to understand how the strategy worked. The WHO really appreciates this initiative, which other countries should also learn from," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.

The Swedish government appointed a commission on June 30 to evaluate the country's coronavirus strategy and the roles of the government, public agencies and regional authorities in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus and its impact.

The commission will be led by a lawyer and include representatives from the national health care system and municipalities as well as political scientists, economists, and experts on ethics and crisis handling, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said at a news conference on June 30.

Initially, Lofven had said the inquest would be conducted after the end of the coronavirus crisis, but other political party leaders pushed for it earlier so that lessons can be drawn quickly and leaders and experts can be held to account.

A 22-page document outlining the commission's remit was sent to the leaders of all parliamentary parties, who had until July 3 to submit their own input.

Swedish media that have seen the document reported that it includes plans to assess the preparedness and resources of the elderly care system, to analyze the significance of travel when it comes to the infection rate in Sweden and other Nordic countries, and to evaluate the Public Health Agency's recommendations and the extent to which Swedes followed social-distancing directives. The commission will also look into how the epidemic started and developed in Sweden as well as summarize its socioeconomic consequences. In addition, it will make an international comparison with "relevant countries" of the various measures taken there.

According to a statement on the government's website, the commission will present its findings by Feb. 28, 2022 at the latest. The general election will take place on Sept. 11 that year. The commission will also present partial reports on Nov. 30 this year and on Oct. 31 next year, with the first of those reports to include an inquiry into the spread of the virus within the elderly care system.
A soldier of Afghan army's bomb disposal team and four militants were killed in two eastern provinces, authorities said on Sunday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The army soldier lost his life when a Taliban improvised bomb he was defusing exploded in Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar province Sunday afternoon, provincial government spokesman Attahullah Khogiani told Xinhua.

At least 17 improvised bombs and home-made landmines were defused by army personnel within the past 24 hours in the country, according to the Afghan Defense Ministry.

In neighboring Paktia province, four Taliban militants were killed and one security force member and two Taliban militants were wounded during clashes in Aryoub Zazi district at midnight Saturday, the ministry said in a statement.

The clashes erupted after militants ambushed a security forces' patrol in Shego village.

The latest clashes came as militancy and counter-militancy traditionally gets momentum in spring and summer, commonly known as the fighting season in Afghanistan.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The export of cars from Turkey to Azerbaijan spiked by 62 percent from January through May 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, having made up $41.3 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend.

In May 2020, the export of cars from Turkey to Azerbaijan surged by 80.5 percent compared to May 2019 and amounted to $11.6 million.

Export of cars from Turkey to foreign markets decreased by 33.1 percent from January through May 2020 compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $8.7 billion.

According to the ministry, Turkeys export of cars for the reporting period made up 14.2 percent of the country's total export for the same period of this year.

"In May 2020, Turkey exported cars worth $1.2 billion to world markets, which is 56.3 percent less compared to the same month of 2019," the ministry said.

Turkey's export of cars in May this year amounted to 12.1 percent of the country's total export.

Over the past 12 months (from May 2019 through May 2020), Turkey exported cars worth more than $26.2 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
KYODO NEWS - Jul 6, 2020 - 00:33 | All, Japan

A police officer and three others believed to be firefighters were found dead after fire ripped through a warehouse early Sunday in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka, local police said.

The officer and the firefighters entered the warehouse at a factory operated by household product maker Lec Inc. in the town of Yoshida before flames engulfed the building.

Local authorities said they are trying to identify the three bodies as they believe they could be the three firefighters who have been missing since the fire broke out.

Three other firefighters sustained minor injuries due to the fire which was brought under control 16 hours after it broke out.

The fire department received an emergency call reporting the fire around 1:35 a.m. The warehouse, where sponges and sodium bicarbonate for household use were stored, was empty at the time, according to local police and Lec.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 5, 2020 - 23:31 | All, Japan

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Twenty-two people have been confirmed dead, and at least 18 others are presumed dead in the flood-ravaged southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto, local authorities said, as rescue operations continued on Sunday.

Rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit areas along the Kuma River, which broke its banks at several locations after torrential rain struck the area early Saturday, causing massive flooding.

At least 11 more people are missing, and more than 2,000 households in eight municipalities remained isolated on Sunday morning after floods and mudslides cut off roads and swept away buildings.

A Kyodo helicopter flew over an area where the words "rice, water, SOS" could be seen spelled out on the ground. Elsewhere, others were seen waving towels and calling for rescue and relief goods.

The Japan Meteorological Agency urged residents to remain alert as torrential rain is forecast in parts of western Japan through Tuesday.

Of the 22 confirmed fatalities, nine each were reported in Hitoyoshi and Ashikita, and one in Tsunagi, mostly in their 60s to 80s.

Sixteen more people are feared dead in Kuma, including 14 from a flooded nursing home near the river, which runs through the central part of the village.

About 50 people were rescued from the flood-hit Senjuen nursing home on Sunday, the local government said. A day earlier, the 14 people were found showing no vital signs but have yet to be officially declared as fatalities.

Ground Self-Defense Force personnel have been dispatched to the region as part of relief efforts. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said around 10,000 SDF personnel will be mobilized. The premier said at a disaster management meeting Sunday that he wants rescue workers to do their utmost to help stranded people and search for the missing "through the night." A rain front began bringing downpours to the region between late Friday and early Saturday. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an evacuation order for a total of 203,200 residents in Kumamoto and neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture, where more than 100 shelters were set up. Up to 350 millimeters of rain is expected in the 48-hour period through late Tuesday afternoon in the southern part of Kyushu Island, which includes areas hit hard by the flooding, the agency said. Some 4,500 homes in Kumamoto Prefecture remained without power on Sunday afternoon, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co.

Related coverage:

IN PHOTOS: Rescue op continues in flood-hit southwestern Japan

Images of submerged homes, cars, and rescue calls flood social media

Local gov'ts fret over coronavirus spread at shelters after torrential rain
New Delhi:

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday directed the Delhi Police to set up a special team to trace a missing student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, where a section of students has been staging protest alleging inaction by authorities in the case.



Singh called up the Commissioner of Delhi Police and gave the instruction to set up the special team to find the missing student, a Home Ministry official said.



The student, Najeeb Ahmed, went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before.



Agitating JNU students have confined the Vice Chancellor, M Jagadesh Kumar, and about 12 other officials in the universitys administrative building since yesterday afternoon though students and mediapersons have been able to access it.

Also read: JNU student missing row: Watch News Nation Exclusive interview with VC Jagadesh Kumar



Rejecting allegations of inaction, Kumar on Thursday said they had written to the police about the missing student and an inquiry by the university will be expedited and the guilty will be punished.



Coming down heavily on protesting students, the VC warned of action against them. He said that several rounds of talks were held with the students to convince them regarding the sincerity of the university to locate Najeeb but they were continuing with their illegal activity.

Also read: Protest over missing Najeeb Ahmed: JNU students 'confine' top brass of Varsity admin, allege Vice Chancellor acted in 'insensitive' manner

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New Delhi:

US ambassador to India Richard Verma visited Arunachal Pradesh on Friday to participate in the annual Tawang festival.

Richard Vermas visit might displease China especially when India and the US are likely to sign an agreement for the purchase of 145 American Ultra-Light Howitzers, worth about Rs 5,000 crore, this fiscal, the first deal for artillery guns since the Bofors scandal in 1980s.

India had sent a Letter of Request to the US government showing interest in buying the guns which will be deployed in high altitude areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, bordering China.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Beijing:

A jubilant China on Friday defended Philippines President Rodrigo Dutertes decision to separate from the US, saying as an elected leader of a sovereign state he has every right to make independence choices.

Duterte is elected by the people. We believe he will make choices independently which benefits the Philippines and its people in mind, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here reacting to confusion and concern caused by Dutertes remarks in the US.

The sovereign state Philippines can make decisions policies based on its own interests and we respect that, she said defending Dutertes U-turn virtually ending the Philippines alliance with the US and turn to Beijing.

In a shocking announcement after his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Duterte told a meeting of Chinese and Philipino businesspeople yesterday that, I announce my separation from the United States. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost.

In the meeting attended among others by Chinese Vice Premier at Zhang Gaoli, Duterte said Ive realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines, and

Russia. Its the only way.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the America was baffled by this rhetoric and that Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel would be in Manila this weekend and would try to get some answers.

We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the US, BBC quoted Kirby as saying.

China has virtually embraced Duterte, who decided to visit Beijing after his bitter spat with US over his controversial violent war on drug smugglers.

Filipino officials said the two countries yesterday signed 13 agreements and China had promised to invest USD 13.5 billion in various Philippines.

China is facing severe pressure since July this year after an international tribunal struck down its claims on the South China Sea (SCS).

Asked today whether China has imposed in any condition on Duterte that the Philippines has to reject The Hague arbitration verdict on the SCS delivered in response to Manilas petition, Hua said Chinas stand on the so called arbitration case has been made very clear.

I can tell you that in the past 41 years China and the Philippines had consensus on the SCS issue. We should stick to this political wisdom and pass it on as a successful practice and regard it foundation for the future bilateral relations.

For some known reason there have been some twists and turns in China-Philippines ties and after this visit the China and the Philippines have returned to the right track resolving the SCS through bilateral dialogue. We believe this meets the common aspiration of the regional people and the two countries, she said.

The joint statement issued after Duterte-Xi talks said both sides exchange views on issues regarding the SCS. Both sides affirm that contentious issues are not the sum total of the China-Philippines bilateral relationship. Both sides exchange views on the importance of handling the disputes in the SCS in an appropriate manner, it said.

Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the SCS addressing their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force.

The two countries also decided to restore defence ties. An editorial in Chinas state-run Global Times said the SCS issue has been shelved.

The maritime disputes (between China and the Philippines) appear to have been shelved, replaced by pragmatic cooperation projects worth hundreds of million dollars, as China will be among the most important investors in infrastructure in the Philippines.

The South China Sea is embracing a brand-new landscape. Its a worrisome gesture. Maritime disputes between SCS claimants have been obsessively exploited and manipulated by irrelevant forces driven by huge interests.

Those forces want to maintain the status quo and further stir confrontation between China and the Philippines. The sudden shift puts them on the back foot. Will they give up their previous pursuits to help consolidate the Sino-Philippine rapport? it said.

Many worry that the US and Japan will not. Without being pressured by so-called threats from China, the Philippines has publicly announced its decision to suspend joint patrols and drills with US, it said.

Dutertes stand on the SCS and the US was expected to unravel further as he is set to visit Japan in the next few days.

Public opinion conjectures that the US may pressure the Duterte government and that Japan will try to turn Duterte around during his upcoming Tokyo visit, the editorial said.

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Washington:

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton described her rival Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy for refusing to honour results of the general elections.

On wednesday night, Donald Trump did something no other presidential nominee has ever done. He refused to say that he would respect the results of this election. By doing that, he is threatening our democracy, Clinton said at an election rally in Ohio.

Clintons remarks were followed by two round of booing by the audience against Trump, who during the third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday said that he cant commit at this point if he will accept the results of the presidential elections.

He (Trump) is basically saying hey, we have been around 240 years and we have always had peaceful transitions no matter who won or who lost. Look, if you lose an electionI have lost elections, you dont feel very good the next day, do you? But we know in our country the difference between leadership and dictatorship, right? Clinton said.

The peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart. It is how we hold our country together no matter who is in charge. I went to 112 countries as your secretary of state and I saw the difference between what we do and what others do, I was in countries where people jail their political opponents or execute them or exile them or invalidate elections that they didnt win, she said.

That can never be allowed to happen here. I believe thats true no matter who you support in this election, whether or not you support me. Or you support my opponent, together, we must support American democracy and the country that has given every one of us so many opportunities, she said while urging her supporters to come out and vote.

Clinton also slammed the economic policies of Trump alleging that he plans to give tax cuts to the wealthy.

He really believes if you give trillions, thats with a T, trillions in tax cuts to the wealthy, to millionaires and billionaires and corporations, everything will work out.

Its really trickle down on steroids. I believe differently that we must invest in working families in the middle class, in small businesses, that will boost the economy, the Democratic presidential nominee said.

She said we are going to get the economy to work for everyone, not just for those at the top who have done well over the last years.

Donald likes to say that he is on the side of American workers but his actions tell a different story. He has been buying cheap Chinese steel and aluminum for his construction projects when he should be buying good American made steel that supports good American jobs, Clinton said.

She said for all of Trumps talk about putting America first, he has made his products in at least 12 other countries.

Trumps suits were made in Mexico. They could have been made in Brooklyn, Ohio. Trumps furniture is made in Turkey and it could have been made in Cleveland. Trump barware is made in Slovenia instead of Toledo. So if he wants to make America great again, why doesnt he start by making things in America again? And we also know that he hasnt paid a dime in federal income tax for years, Clinton said.

She believes that the country is at a turning point, that this is a crossroads election.

So yes my name may be on the ballot, but the question really is, who are we as a country? What are our values? What kind of future do we want to create together? It is so easy to get cynical about politics, believe me, I know that. But this matters so deeply to our families and our communities and our country, and indeed our world, she said.

So I want to say something to people who may be reconsidering their support for my opponent. I know you may still have questions for me. I respect that, I want to answer them, I want to earn your vote.

I am reaching out to all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and independents. I think America needs every single one of us to bring our energy and our talents, our ambition to build that better country, said the former Secretary of State.

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Delaware (US):

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would accept a clear election result next month, but reserved the right to challenge the outcome if he felt it was questionable.

Trump stuck firm to his unprecedented defiance of US democratic norms, telling supporters: I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election -- if I win.

But he went on to say: I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.

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New Delhi:

Indian auto major Tata Motors has increased prices of its passenger vehicles by up to Rs 12,000 across models to combat rising input costs.

"We have hiked prices of our passenger vehicles by one per cent ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 12,000 due to rising input costs," Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors, told PTI. He said prices of raw materials such as steel and zinc have gone up prompting the company to take such a step.

Tata Motors sells a range of passenger vehicles, including the entry-level small car Nano, newly-launched hatchback Tiago and crossover vehicle Aria, which were priced at a range of Rs 2.15 lakh to Rs 16.3 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Home-grown rival Mahindra & Mahindra has hiked prices of some of its passenger and small commercial vehicles by up to 1 per cent from this month.

In August, Hyundai Motor India had hiked prices by up to Rs 20,000 across its models while Maruti Suzuki India had also done so for its various models by up to Rs 20,000.
Ghaziabad:

Four people with two minors were taken to the Ghaziabad hospital after being beaten up and their private parts injected with petrol in Ghaziabad by a Politician's brother, allegedly on suspicion that they had stolen a mobile phone.

Doctors said they will need surgery to help with their body functions until they heal completely. The brother of a local Samajwadi Party leader, identified as Rizwan, is among the two who have been arrested and charged with "unnatural offences" besides other crimes.

Rizwan and his two friends Akil, Nadeem filled syringes with petrol from his bike and injected it. Rizwan and Akil have been arrested but Nadeem is missing.













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Washington:

A 37-year-old man, who ripped off a Muslim woman's hijab on a flight while shouting "this is America!", has been sentenced to a year of probation, including two months of home confinement.

Gill Parker Payne was also fined USD 1,000 for the attack, according to a statement by the US Attorney's Office in the District of New Mexico.

"You hurt me, you disrespected me you violated me," the victim, Khawla Abdel-Haq was quoted as saying in court by the Albuquerque Journal.

"I was scared, and it shouldn't be like that," she said, adding that she did not leave her home for weeks out of fear after the in-flight attack last December.

Payne, from North Carolina, was sentenced in US District Court yesterday to a year of probation, including two months of home confinement.

US Magistrate Judge Steven Yarbrough also ordered Payne to pay a USD 1,000 fine, along with a nearly USD 4,000 fee.

In May, Payne had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstructing a person's free exercise of religious beliefs.

Payne also apologised during yesterday's hearing and said he has taken online courses to familiarise himself with other religions and recently toured a mosque in hopes of learning more about Islam.

"I'm embarrassed. I'm 100 per cent embarrassed," he was quoted as saying.

Payne said he was drunk on the flight and "doesn't fully remember everything" that happened.

But Abdel-Haq remembers. "I'm not gonna forget it. It's going to be with me every minute of every day of my life," she said.

She was sitting in an aisle seat on the Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque after a trip to Ohio when Payne approached her about 30 minutes before the flight landed, she said.

"I was minding my own business. He went and he grabbed my scarf, my hijab, and he told me, 'Take it off... This is America,'" she said of the incident.

A shaken Haq pulled the scarf back onto her head. She met with police after the flight landed, and the FBI launched an investigation.

Before he announced the sentence, Yarbrough said he had taken into account Haq's willingness to forgive along with the public shaming Payne endured and his recent efforts to learn about world religions.

"I hope that that has made an impact on the way you see the world," Yarbrough said.

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Washington:

Comparing India's high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate with America's one per cent, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised to deliver 4% GDP growth and create 25 million new jobs in the US over the next decade.

"Indians are not satisfied growing at the rate of 8% whereas for the United States and its people, a low growth of one per cent is considered fine," the real estate tycoon said at an election rally in North Carolina.

Underlining the need for economic growth, Trump said that high growth rate is essential for the US to become a strong and great nation again.

"Strength will also require growth. Right now our economy is not growing at all. We had only around one per cent growth last quarter. GDP is a disaster. When China has one per cent it is over, but they don't have one per cent. They have seven per cent, that is considered terrible," he said.

Trump, 70, also said that his rival and Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton will lead America to negative growth rate.

"If Hillary gets in she is going to raise your taxes and the one per cent is going to be negative and that is going to be almost unheard of," he said.

"If she (Hillary) gets in, you are gonna have such negative growth, you will have problems like you have never had before, and our companies and our jobs will flee," he added.

"I am going to get us to four per cent growth and create 25 million jobs over a 10-year period," Trump said. "Your jobs will come back under Trump administration. Your incomes will go up under Trump administration. Your taxes will go way, way down under a Trump administration," he said.

"Your companies won't be leaving North Carolina under a Trump administration. There will be consequences for that. We will be strong and a really strong and powerful nation again," Trump said.

Asserting that American military is depleted, he said, "We gonna build it up. America has grown weak, and so weak that the Philippines have broken with decades of pro-American foreign policy, to instead leave for the orbit of China and Russia," said the Republican leader.

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Bhubaneswar:

Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Friday resigned as the Health Minister of Odisha following the fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives. Nayak handed over his resignation to resignation to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The Odisha CM has accepted the resignation and has sent it to the Governor. "Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has resigned on moral grounds, I have accepted his resignation and sent it to the Governor, said Patnaik.

The opposition Congress and BJP had demanded the resignation of Nayak. The fire tragedy, in the backdrop of the death of over 50 children due to Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri district, has come as a major ammunition for the opposition which had demanded Nayaks resignation.

On Thursday, the Odisha BJP had lodged a police complaint against Patnaik and naming them as accused in the SUM Hospital fire incident. Lodging the complaint at Capital police station here, the party demanded that Patnaik and Nayak be made co-accused in the case.

(With PTI inputs)

Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has resigned on moral grounds, I have accepted his resignation & sent it to the Governor: Odisha CM pic.twitter.com/T5NAf5YsEc  ANI (@ANI_news) October 21, 2016

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Chennai:

Cases have been registered against social activist 'Traffic' KR Ramaswamy and his aide Fathima for allegedly spreading rumours about the health status of Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, police said on Saturday.

A police official said cases have been registered under various IPC sections including section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot).

Police have already arrested eight persons on similar charges

Jayalalithaa is undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai since September 22.

Police have warned of stern action against those spreading rumours on the chief minister's health and have already registered around 50 cases in this connection.

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New Delhi:

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday recommended a total penalty of Rs 3,050 crore on incumbent players Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular for denying interconnection facility to newcomer Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have been slapped with a fine of Rs 50 crore for 21 circles each (except J&K). Idea faced the same amount of penalty for 19 circles each.

Reliance Jio, which launched its services on September 5, had approached Trai alleging that incumbent players were denying it sufficient number of interconnection ports leading to huge call failures on its network.

The regulator recommended to the Department of Telecom imposing penalties on the big three players after it found that the operators were non-compliant with licence conditions.

Denial of interconnection "appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti consumer", Trai said. The regulator stopped short of recommending cancellation of their telecom licences saying it may lead to "significant consumer inconvenience".

Reliance Jio has said its customers are facing 75 per cent call failures on Airtel, Vodafone and Idea cellular networks due to insufficient interconnection facility provided by the incumbent operators.

As per the service quality norms, not more than five out of 1000 calls should fail at the point of interconnect.

Coming down heavily on the erring operators, the regulator went to the extent of saying that the non-compliance of licence terms and condition "warrants" recommendations for revocation of licence.

"However, the authority is mindful of the fact that revocation of the licence will entail significant consumer inconvenience and therefore in view of the larger public interest involved, the authority recommends a penal action of Rs 50 crore per LSA (circle)...," it said.

When contacted, the companies refused to comment on the issue.
Allahabad:

Fifty-three passengers and crew members on board an Allahabad-New Delhi plane had a close shave on after the aircraft developed a technical snag and had to make an emergency landing minutes after take off, a senior official said.

Airport Director S R Mishra said the Air India flight no 9604, carrying 48 passengers, including a child, and five crew members, took off at 14:48 hours from the Bamrauli Airport here.

"At 14:54 hours, the pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control and informed that something was amiss with the engine and it needed to make a landing at the airport immediately," he told PTI.

He said full arrangements were made and the aircraft landed smoothly without requiring any emergency procedures.

The aircraft remained air-borne for about 14 minutes and may not have travelled more than five or six nautical miles, he said.

"All passengers and crew members are safe," Mishra said.

He said the passengers who desired cancellation of their tickets were given a refund.

"Those who needed an alternative arrangement, went by a taxi hired by us to Varanasi from where they boarded a flight for New Delhi," he added.

He said the incident is unlikely to affect air traffic between Allahabad and New Delhi.

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Jammu:

Pakistani spy was arrested from Jammu and Kashmirs Samba district for passing on vital information regarding deployment and movement of security forces to Pakistan.



Two Pakistani SIM cards and a map showing deployment of security forces was recovered from his possession.



Based on information received from Military Intelligence on involvement of one Bodh Raj of village Changiia of Jammu district for his espionage activities and passing on vital information regarding deployment and movement of security forces and Army to Pakistan, a special search operation was launched in Ramgarh sector of Samba, SSP, Samba, Joginder Singh said.

Also read: 2 JeM terrorists arrested in Baramulla, schools in bordering villages shut as precaution



During the search operation, Raj was found roaming in suspicious circumstances in Jerda village close to the International Border (IB) and tried to escape on observing the movement of the police party, the SSP said.



Police chased him and later he was arrested, he said. Two Pakistani SIM cards, one map showing deployment of forces, two Indian made mobile phones and one memory card besides Rs 1711 were recovered from his possession, the SSP said.

Also read: Virtual wall tech upgraded, India inches closer to seal border with Pakistan, says report

A case has been registered against the accused under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Official Secrets Act, SSP said.



As per initial interrogation, he had made markings of various spots on the map and security agencies are jointly investigating the matter.

Also read: BSF says 7 Pakistani Rangers killed after an infiltration bid foiled in Kathua; Pakistan denies claims

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London:

India hopes to reach a deal with Britain for facilitating short-term visas for Indian students, academicians and businessmen during Prime Minister Theresa Mays visit, said Dinesh Patnaik who is Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

I am hopeful, certain things will happen, he said. I hope we will have a deal on Britain facilitatingshort-term visas for students, academicians and businessmen from India and these categories should not be in the migration list, Patnaik told reporters.

Noting that Mays visit is important for India, he said This is her first bilateral visit and India is her first trip outside the continent. UK-India, we have a very very long umbilical relationship.

It is an official visit and she will be heading a high-level 160-strong delegation. The trade delegation also assumes importance because of the Brexit scenario, he added.

Post-Brexit, they will need it and they want to increase trade outside EU. The discussion will focus on framework of post-Brexit trade deal.

On the Indian side, he said what we want is ease of doing business - access to the UK, both for students, academicians and businessmen.

He noted that a large number of tourists visit Europe but return home because of visa restrictions.

India wants Britain to extend visa concessions given to Chinese to be extended to Indians - 6 months to 2 years visa for 87 pound.

He said many companies here are shifting their jobs to India. In the next 3 to 4 months, about 2,000 jobs are expected to go to India.

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WASHINGTON -- Researchers have developed a new plug-and-play device that can add adaptive optics correction to commercial optical microscopes. Adaptive optics can greatly improve the quality of images acquired deep into biological samples, but has, until now, been extremely complex to implement.

"Improving the technology available to life scientists can further our understanding of biology, which will, in turn, lead to better drugs and therapies available to doctors," said research team leader, Paolo Pozzi from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.

In The Optical Society (OSA) journal Optics Letters, Pozzi and a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), CNR-Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnology (CNR-IFL) and University Medical Center Rotterdam describe their new adaptive lens device. They also show how it can be easily installed onto the objective lens of a commercial multiphoton microscope to improve image quality.

"This approach will allow advanced optical techniques such as multiphoton microscopy to image deeper under the surface of the brain in live organisms," said Stefano Bonora, group leader at the CNR-IFL. "We look forward to seeing how it might also be implemented in other systems, such as light-sheet microscopes, super-resolution systems, or even simple epifluorescence microscopes."

Imaging deeper

Optical microscopy can be used to image biological samples in natural conditions, making it possible to observe various biological processes over time. However, as light travels through tissue it gets distorted. This distortion gets worse as light travels deeper into tissue, causing images to look blurry and obscuring important details.

Adaptive optics, a technology initially developed to compensate for atmospheric turbulence when using telescopes to view celestial objects, can be used to correct the optical aberrations that occur when imaging through thick tissue. However, doing so typically requires building a custom microscope that incorporates a deformable mirror. This mirror is used to compensate for the distortions, creating an image that looks sharp and clear.

"Including a deformable mirror in an existing microscope is nearly impossible, and no commercial adaptive microscope is available on the market yet," said Pozzi. "This means that the only option for a life scientist to use adaptive optics is to build the entire microscope from scratch, an operation which is too difficult and time consuming for most life sciences laboratories."

A simpler approach

To simplify this setup, the researchers created a smart lens made with glass so thin it can bend without breaking. The lens consists of a glass disk-shaped container filled with a transparent liquid. A set of 18 mechanical actuators on the glass edges can be controlled with a computer to bend the glass to a desired shape.

The lens functions like the deformable mirror used in most adaptive optics setups, but instead of reflecting light, it transmits light. As light travels through the liquid inside the lens, it gets distorted differently depending on the shape of the lens. "This is similar to the distorted images you see when looking through a bottle of water while squishing it with your hands," said Bonora.

Using the lens for adaptive optics correction requires a complex algorithm to control the actuators. "Efficient optical correction was made possible by the DONE algorithm (database online nonlinear extremum-seeker), a very elegant solution based on machine learning-like principles, which we previously developed at TU Delft," said Pozzi. Quick results

The researchers tested the new software, which is also made available to others via github, and adaptive lens by applying it to the objective lens of a commercial multiphoton microscope. They used the microscope to perform calcium imaging on the brains of living mice, one of the most complex life science experiments performed with microscopes.

"We surpassed our expectations by achieving very nice results within a few hours," said Pozzi. "This technology can be retrofitted on any existing microscope that has interchangeable objectives and displays images on a computer screen."

The researchers are now testing the system on other types of microscopes and samples while also exploring whether multiple adaptive lenses could be used to achieve a better correction than is possible with more complex techniques using deformable mirrors. The team has also founded a spin-off company, Dynamic Optics srl, to commercialize the multiactuator adaptive lenses.

The new lens could also be useful for applications beyond microscopy. "Our new device could also be applied in other fields such as free space optics communications, where it could increase data connection rates and bring data connections to remote and isolated areas," said Pozzi.

###

Paper: P. Pozzi, M. Quintavalla, A. B. Wong, J. G. G. Borst, S. Bonora, M. Verhaegen, "Plug-and-play adaptive optics for commercial laser scanning fluorescence microscopes based on an adaptive lens," Opt. Lett., 45, 13, 3585-3588 (2020).

DOI: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1364/ OL. 396998

About Optics Letters

Optics Letters offers rapid dissemination of new results in all areas of optical science with short, original, peer-reviewed communications. Optics Letters accepts papers that are noteworthy to a substantial part of the optics community. Published by The Optical Society and led by Editor-in-Chief Miguel Alonso, Institut Fresnel, Ecole Centrale de Marseille and Aix-Marseille Universite, France, University of Rochester, USA. Optics Letters is available online at OSA Publishing.

About The Optical Society

Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.

Media Contact: mediarelations@osa.org
Three members of the BiRTE research group at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Economics and Business have published an analysis of the evolution in electricity prices during a 16-year period (2002 to 2017); the article appears in Energy Economics, a journal positioned in the first decile in the field of Economics. The study set out to see how various factors linked to renewable energy affect the price of electricity. As a starting point, "the incorporating of this energy is known to exert a dual effect: firstly, it lowers the price, in other words, the energy that is transacted is cheaper, because renewable energy has a unit cost of production very close to zero. Secondly, however, it increases price volatility, fluctuations that occur in the price, because as it is an intermittent energy, availability and therefore generation cannot always be guaranteed", explained Aitor Ciarreta-Antunano, lead researcher in the BiRTE research group and co-author of this publication.

However, the authors wanted to go one step further in the analysis of volatility and incorporate into the analysis the influence exerted by the regulatory framework, the policies that govern the setting up of renewable energy plants and the grants used to provide them with incentives. "The regulatory framework is crucial in the electricity market and, what is more, is greatly influenced by European directives. We wanted to see whether the periods in which there was uncertainty in this aspect have influenced the volatility of the price of electricity," said Ciarreta. To do this "we built a statistical model with the data on the electricity prices of the Spanish market that included the data on a 16-year period", to be able to see on the basis of which indicators volatility varied.

Increased volatility associated with regulatory uncertainty

The statistical analysis of the data revealed "a grouping or cluster of volatility in the specific period in which there was uncertainty in the regulatory framework in Spain". In the period analysed, from 2002 to 2017, the researcher highlights the differentiation of "phases in which there is a very stable regulatory framework, such as that which occurred between 2007 and 2012, when direct grants were awarded to generate renewable electrical power. However, in 2012, there was a change in the regulations which did not settle down until 2014 and these two years of regulatory uncertainty coincide with the period that saw the highest level of volatility in electricity prices, which has nothing to do with the fact that renewable energies lead to a certain volatility owing to their intermittent nature. Economic players are disrupted most by the uncertainty associated with regulatory policies", stressed the PhD-holder in Economics.

The period of regulatory uncertainty described was caused by various factors, as Ciarreta described. "From 2010 onwards the economic crisis also reached the electricity market and this crisis was accentuated by the high deficit growth occurring during the previous period, in which the degree of funding of renewables was regulated so that it ended up accounting for nearly 3% of GDP. The European Union was also putting pressure on Spain to control that deficit."

Faced with this situation, the government tried to put together a new system designed to promote renewable energies because Spain also had to meet the aims on reducing CO2 emissions. It took the country two years to establish the new system and when it was implemented uncertainty returned to the markets. "The rate of return offered by the new regulatory system was lower, and one may more or less agree with what had been established, but we can see that this did not affect the volatility of the price of electricity, uncertainty affects it much more. Investors derive more security from knowing what they have to comply with," said the researcher. And at the end of the day, citizens, too, are affected, because most of us are paying rates that depend on the daily market price", he added.

The researcher believes that the results obtained in this analysis should serve "as a wake-up call for regulators, so that they do not adopt measures to change regulations hastily, and that regulation should be kept as stable as possible. And if they make any changes, they should allow the players to react in such a way that uncertainty is not incorporated in electricity markets".

###

Additional information

Aitor Ciarreta-Antunano is a member of the Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Economics and Business. He is the lead researcher in the BiRTE research group that pursues a line of research devoted to energy markets and electricity markets in particular. The other two co-authors of the research work published in the journal Energy Economics are Cristina Pizarro (Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II and BC3) and Ainhoa Zarraga, from the Department of Applied Economics III (Econometrics and Statistics).
Up, up and away they go. Kicking off the second half of the year with a bang, the S&P 500 followed up its best quarter in over 20 years by extending its winning streak to four sessions. That said, given the current climate of uncertainty, predicting what the remainder of 2020 holds can feel like a guessing game.

So, maybe its time to look at what the insiders are doing. Company owners, presidents and other officers, board members  have a direct line to information that the rest of us dont usually see. Their positions put them in place to know what is about to impact their companies, and they have access to better legal and regulatory advice than the general public. Its only natural  and very human  for them to use this information in their personal trading activities. To keep the playing field a bit more level, these people in the know are required to disclose their inside trades quarterly.

TipRanks collects that insider trading data, and puts it in the context of the larger markets. The Insiders Hot Stocks tool lets you follow the insiders, sorting the data by stock or by trading strategy. Its a smart way to get an inside track, and to demonstrate, weve picked three stocks that have recently skewed strongly positive on the strength of insider trades.

T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS)

The first stock is a company you know. T-Mobile is the countrys third largest wireless carrier, by customer base, and the company started Q2 by taking ownership of competitor Sprint. This past quarter marked the first full quarter of activity by the combined entity, and TMUS shares rose an impressive 24% during the period.

Along with strong share appreciation in Q1, TMUS posted unexpectedly solid earnings. The earnings, reported back in May, showed EPS coming in at $1.23, which beat the forecast by 23%. Looking forward, T-Mobile has strong prospects for growth due to its commitment to increasing 5G coverage. As part of the Sprint merger, the company had to commit to expanding rural coverage and making 5G service available to 97% of the US population within three years.

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In the wake of the successful Sprint merger, TMUS has seen a major insider buy. The purchase, by Director Ronald Fisher, was for 350,000 shares, for which he shelled out more than $36 million. It was a big move, and it swung the insider sentiment on the stock deep into positive territory.

Writing on T-Mobile and its prospects, 5-star analyst from Wells Fargo, Jennifer Fritzsche, says, in our view the true value of Sprints platform is access to greater scale and a deeper spectrum portfolio. With the combined Sprint asset mix, we believe TMUS has a 1-2 year head start for 5G relative to its peers. And despite the recent outperformance, we believe the valuation is more than justified considering the significant growth opportunity ahead to expand margins and grow market share.

To this end, Fritzsche rates the stock a Buy, and her new $120 price target, up from $110, indicates a potential for 13% upside growth in the coming year. (To watch Fritzsches track record, click here)

Do other analysts agree with Fritzsche? As it turns out, most do. With 10 Buys and 2 Holds assigned in the last three months, the word on the Street is that TMUS is a Strong Buy. Its recent share appreciation has pushed the stock price close to the average price target in recent weeks. The stock is selling for $106.01, and the average price target of $111.61 implies room for another 5% growth this year. (See T-Mobile stock analysis on TipRanks)

Arcimoto, Inc. (FUV)

The next company on our list, Arcimoto, is an Oregon-based green economy player. Arcimoto has developed, and is marketing, a series of low-weight, high-efficiency electric vehicles. The companys name for the line, Fun Electric Vehicle, is also the source of its stock ticker, FUV.

Over the past year, Arcimoto has expanded its EV designs to include delivery vehicles and rental fleet options. The company was forced to suspend manufacturing operations during the coronavirus crisis, but has since reopened its assembly facilities.

In a move to raise capital and expedite recovery from the pandemics impact, Arcimoto put 1.7 million shares of common stock on the market at the end of June. The move grossed $8.5 million, the proceeds of which will be used for general working capital, including acceleration of manufacture and delivery of pre-ordered vehicles.

The offering was an opportunity for insiders, as well as the public, and three company officers made significant purchases in recent days. Mark Frohnmayer, company President, bought 78,531 shares for an estimated $334,000, and two board members, Jesse Grant Eisler and Joshua Scherer, also made six-figure purchases. These were informative buys, the first in a year, and have moved the companys insider sentiment far more positive than its sector average.

Amit Dayal, 4-star analyst with H.C. Wainwright, is bullish on Arcimoto, rating the stock a Buy and writing, We once again reiterate the 'multiple shots on goal' aspect of the company's market positioning, where one vehicle platform has the flexibility to serve multiple applications and markets. Accordingly, pushouts in vacation oriented sales should, in our opinion, be compensated with pickup in delivery applications... The company's cash burn was lowered during the lockdown but should be expected to ramp with production picking up.

Dayals $7 price target suggests that FUV has room for 3% growth over the next 12 months. (To watch Dayals track record, click here)

Recent share appreciation  the stock rose an eye-opening 378% in Q2  has pushed FUV above the average price target, too fast for most analysts to adjust their outlooks. Shares are currently selling for $6.82, so the $5.38 average price target puts the downside potential at 21%. The Strong Buy analyst consensus rating is unanimous, based on 4 recent positive reviews. (See Arcimoto stock analysis on TipRanks)

Principal Financial (PFG)

Last on our list is Iowa-based Principal Financial Group, an $11 billion asset management and insurance company. PFG shares are still down 26% year-to-date, having only partially recovered from losses in February and March.

One thing the corona quarter could not do was derail the companys dividend. PFG paid out a generous sum in both Q1 and Q2, giving an annualized payment of $2.18 per share and an impressive yield of 5.4%.

There has been one recent informative insider purchase of this stock in recent weeks. Board member Daniel Gelatt bought a block of 28,148 shares, paying a disclosed $999,823. His move pushed overall insider sentiment on PFG into positive territory, just above the sector average.

Piper Sandler analyst John Barnidge covers this stock, and points out that PFG has so far managed to avoid a direct blow to its insurance operations from the COVID-19 epidemic  and in a curious way, its vision and dental policies have brought a benefit to the company. Barnidge writes, As of 1Q20, the company has not yet experienced any known CV19 deaths in its life insurance products and only a limited amount of claims on benefit products, primarily short-term disability. PFG continues to benefit from dental & vision claim tailwinds from a lack of ability to make appointments PFG could potentially see more of a benefit from a lack of claims in dental & vision than actual direct impact from CV19 claims.

Barnidges Buy rating on the stock is supported by his $43 price target, suggesting a one-year upside potential of 5%. (To watch Barnidges track record, click here)

While Barnidge is bullish, Wall Street is still cautious here. The analyst consensus rating on PFG is a Hold, based on 7 reviews. The reviews break down as 2 Buys, 4 Holds, and 1 Sell. Shares are currently priced at $40.79, and the average price target of $43.57 implies a modest 7% upside potential. (See Principal Financial stock analysis on TipRanks)
STOCKHOLM, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to acquire FocusCura, a leading provider of technology solutions for senior care in the Dutch market. FocusCura has developed a software platform, which in combination with other products and technology services, enables elderly care organizations to focus on care.

"I am very pleased to welcome FocusCura and their employees into the ASSA ABLOY Group. FocusCura is a strategic technological addition to the ASSA ABLOY Group. The company will reinforce our current offering within Senior Care and will provide complementary growth opportunities," says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

"FocusCura is a true innovator in digital solutions for care providers and senior people. The FocusCura offering is a good fit with our solutions in Phoniro and together we will continue to support people to stay independent for longer and live enriched lives," says Christophe Sut, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Technologies business unit Global Solutions.

FocusCura was founded in 2003 and the main office is located in Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands.

Sales in 2019 amounted to about EUR 13 million (approx. SEK 130 million) and the acquisition will be dilutive to EPS from start.

The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2020.

About ASSA ABLOY

The ASSA ABLOY Group is the global leader in access solutions. The Group operates worldwide with 49,000 employees and sales of SEK 94 billion. The Group has leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. ASSA ABLOY's innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places. Every day, we help billions of people experience a more open world.

For more information, please contact:

Nico Delvaux

President and CEO

tel. no: +46-8-506-485-82

Erik Pieder

CFO and Executive Vice President

tel. no: +46-8-506-485-72

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Bjorn Tibell

Head of Investor Relations

tel. no: +46-70-275-67-68

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-acquires-focuscura-in-the-netherlands,c3147745

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By Daniel Ramos

LA PAZ, July 5 (Reuters) - Bolivia's Health Minister Maria Eidy Roca has tested positive for COVID-19 though is in stable condition, the ministry said on Sunday, as a sharp rise in cases of the novel coronavirus strain hospitals and cemeteries in the South American country.

The landlocked Andean nation of over 11.5 million people has registered some 38,000 confirmed cases of the disease and 1,378 deaths. Its daily burden of cases make Bolivia currently one of the worst affected countries per capita in the world.

Latin America has become the epicenter for the virus, with Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru particularly hard hit, while Argentina and Bolivia have seen the number of new cases rise in recent weeks despite early lockdowns.

"The fight against the virus continues relentlessly and I wish the minister a speedy recovery to rejoin this battle for the health of Bolivians," interim President Jeanine Anez said in a post on Twitter.

Bolivia's health ministry estimated that the peak of infections would hit between August and September. The country is heading towards a general election on Sept. 6, a delayed re-run of a fraught ballot last year that sparked widespread protests and led to the demise of leftist leader Evo Morales. (Reporting by Daniel Ramos in La Paz; Writing by Adam Jourdan; editing by Diane Craft)
SAO PAULO, July 3 (Reuters) - Brazilian power firm EDP Energias do Brasil SA said on Friday it requested a 573.7 million-real ($107.95 million) loan as part of government efforts to support utilities firms amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a securities filing, the local unit of Portugal's EDP added that around 354.3 million reais will be allocated to EDP Sao Paulo and the remaining 219.4 million reais to EDP Espirito Santo.

($1 = 5.3143 reais) (Reporting by Gabriela Mello; Editing by Dan Grebler)
China has launched a pilot programme in the northern province of Hebei requiring the public to apply for approval if they plan to make large cash deposits or withdrawals at commercial banks.

The regulation comes after a series of bank runs in the past year at debt-laden small lenders and as an unprecedented pandemic-related economic contraction starts to take a toll.

From July 1, residents in the province will need to provide information about the source of deposits or the purpose of withdrawals for transactions over 100,000 yuan (US$14,162) for individuals, and 500,000 yuan for corporations, the state-backed China Securities Journal reported last week.

Applicants will have to give one day's notice to the bank to make a withdrawal of this size or larger, and gain the branch's approval of the registration information, the report said.

The pilot programme will be expanded to Zhejiang province in the east and the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province from October 1, affecting individual account transactions of more than 300,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan, respectively.

The measures were aimed at curbing unreasonable demand for large amounts of cash to keep the risks to China's banking and economic system in check, the report said.

"Frequent use of large cash transactions could equate to money laundering or tax evasion so the regulation of large cash transactions can help curb such illegal acts," said Pan Helin, executive dean of the Digital Economy Research Institute of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

The regulation mainly targeted transactions conducted with physical cash through quick, self-service deposit and withdrawal equipment that avoided monitoring, the Journal reported.

The People's Bank of China was quick to say the public would feel a minimal impact on their business transactions as a result of the regulation.

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But it will require every commercial bank to integrate their information systems to minimise the amount of reporting required by individual customers.

China's US$40 trillion banking system is seeing growing signs of trouble after runs on two small local lenders last month, with customers trying to withdraw their savings because of concerns about the health of the financial institutions. Local governments and police in both Baoding in Hebei province and Yangquan, a coal mine town in Shanxi province, pleaded with customers not to withdraw cash from the banks.

Local branches of China's central bank and the nation's banking regulator also issued statements seeking to assure the public that their savings were safe.

China guarantees deposits of up to 500,000 yuan per bank. But investments in wealth management products and trust investment plans, which are popular among Chinese savers and are often sold via bank branches, are not protected.

And while bank runs are often calmed quickly after intervention by local authorities, the episodes are reminders of the troubled balance sheets of small Chinese banks amid souring loans and darkening growth prospects, which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus.

Many small lenders in China are facing a mix of problems including rising non-performing loans, insufficient capital and poor governance.

Bank of Gansu, which raised HK$6 billion (US$848,000) through an initial public offering in Hong Kong in January 2018, was hit by a bank run in April, while Yingkou Coastal Bank in the rust-belt province of Liaoning received a large volume of over-the-counter requests to withdraw cash in November.

Last year, the central government took control of Baoshang Bank as the lender in Inner Mongolia, once a star performer, was unable to sustain operations and was recapitalised and restructured. The government was also forced to bail out the Bank of Jinzhou and Hengfeng Bank last year.

The small banks' woes come as Beijing needs them most, relying on the lenders, which often serve small businesses, to provide credit to factories and farms to help them survive the impact of the pandemic.

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.
Photo: Getty

British Airways (IAG.L), easyJet (EZJ.L) and Ryanair (RYAAY) will end a legal challenge against the UK government after it announced certain countries would be exempt from its quarantine rule.

Europes top airlines were worried the rule, implemented 8 June, would deter British holidaymakers from travelling, for fear of having to quarantine for 14 days upon return.

All passengers  bar a handful of exemptions  have to fill out an online locator form giving their contact and travel details, as well as the address of where they will isolate.

People who failed to comply were told they could be fined 1,000 ($1248.40) and police were allowed to use reasonable force to make sure the rules were followed.

The airlines had taken action against Health Secretary Matt Hancock over measures they said would have a severe impact on the travel and tourism industry, which was already running on fumes.

However, the challenge was withdrawn after a list of 73 countries and territories where English tourists can visit without self-isolating on their return was published by the Department for Transport (DfT).

The list features popular short-haul destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, as well as long-haul locations including Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Vietnam.

China, Portugal, Thailand, the Maldives and the US are among the notable absentees.

READ MORE: UK aerospace industry faces very bleak future without government aid

The publication of a list of countries is a first step. We look forward to the publication of the rationale behind the decision-making and the continued lifting of the quarantine from safe countries, the airlines said in a statement.

Meanwhile, union leaders and politicians staged a fresh protest against job cuts at British Airways on 3 July by demonstrating at the airlines viewing tower attraction in Brighton.

Airlines around the world are forecast to lose $84bn this year, with revenue halved, as a result of the pandemic.

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.
A look at the shareholders of Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (NZSE:PCT) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

Precinct Properties New Zealand isn't enormous, but it's not particularly small either. It has a market capitalization of NZ$2.2b, which means it would generally expect to see some institutions on the share registry. In the chart below, we can see that institutions own shares in the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about Precinct Properties New Zealand.

View our latest analysis for Precinct Properties New Zealand

NZSE:PCT Ownership Breakdown July 5th 2020

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Precinct Properties 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 Precinct Properties New Zealand does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone, since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Precinct Properties New Zealand's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

NZSE:PCT Earnings and Revenue Growth July 5th 2020

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Precinct Properties New Zealand. AMP Capital Investors Limited is currently the company's largest shareholder with 20% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 13% and 5.0% of the stock.

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A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 11 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% implying that no one share holder has a majority.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Precinct Properties New Zealand

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

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 data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited in their own names. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around NZ$6.6m worth of shares (at current prices). Arguably, recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 45% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Precinct Properties New Zealand (at least 2 which are potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

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.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's economy may recover from October onwards from the coronavirus pandemic, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.

"I am sure that the downturn of our economy can be stopped after the summer break and that from October onwards, the economy can start growing again in Germany," he told the mass circulation Bild am Sonntag in an interview.

While the economy would shrink by 6% in 2020, growth by over 5% would be possible in 2021, Altmaier said.

His goal was to reach the level that employment was at before the crisis by 2022, and to start heading for regaining full employment after that date, he said.

Altmaier also said that the rate of the spread of the virus in the United Status was a major concern.

"A pandemic that gets out of control there, has big consequences for the world economy," he said.

(Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
DUBLIN, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Pressure Relief Devices Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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The global pressure relief devices market grew at a CAGR of 4% during 2014-2019. A pressure relief device refers to a cushioned appliance that is used to minimize pressure and friction between various body parts, such as shoulders, elbows, heels and hip bone. It is usually filled with water, gel or foam and is also used for providing relief to patients suffering from pressure ulcers caused by the lack of mobility post-treatment or surgery.



Some of the common types of pressure relief devices include static air mattresses, foam- and gel-based mattresses, and dynamic air therapy and kinetic beds. These devices ensure that the patient's skin is not deprived of oxygen by continuously being compressed under the bodyweight, thereby minimizing the development of sores or ulcers.



The increasing prevalence of pressure ulcers, along with rising awareness regarding the available treatment options for diabetic ulcers, is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, the rising geriatric population across the globe is also providing a boost to the market growth. The aging population is highly susceptible to terminal illnesses that require a prolonged hospital stay and limited bodily movements to maximize recovery. This enhances the risks of developing pressure ulcers and other associated issues, thereby increasing the overall product demand.



Increasing awareness among the masses regarding the availability of technologically advanced devices is also acting as a growth-inducing factor. Manufacturers are focusing on developing product variants that speed up the healing process and ensure a painless recovery experience for the patient. Other factors, including rising healthcare expenditures and improving healthcare infrastructure, along with the continual launch of innovative products by key industry players, are projected to drive the market further. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to exhibit stable growth during the next five years.



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Acelity, Apex Medical Corp., ArjoHuntleigh, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Ltd. (Sidhil Limited), Hill-Rom Services Inc., Invacare, Medtronic, Paramount Bed Holdings Co. Ltd., Stryker Corporation, Talley Group Ltd., etc.



Key Questions Answered in this Report:

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How has the global pressure relief devices market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the device type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-user?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global pressure relief devices market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?



Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology

2.1 Objectives of the Study

2.2 Stakeholders

2.3 Data Sources

2.3.1 Primary Sources

2.3.2 Secondary Sources

2.4 Market Estimation

2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach

2.4.2 Top-Down Approach

2.5 Forecasting Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Pressure Relief Devices Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Device Type

6.1 Low-tech devices

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Major Types

6.1.2.1 Foam-Based Mattress

6.1.2.2 Gel-Based Mattress

6.1.2.3 Fiber Filled Mattress

6.1.2.4 Water/Fluid Filled Mattress

6.1.2.5 Air Filled Mattress

6.1.2.6 Others

6.1.3 Market Forecast

6.2 High-tech Devices

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Major Types

6.2.2.1 Dynamic Air Therapy Beds

6.2.2.2 Kinetic Beds

6.2.2.3 Others

6.2.3 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by End-User

7.1 Hospitals

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Clinics

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Long-term Care Centers

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Others

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Region

8.1 North America

8.1.1 United States

8.1.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.1.2 Market Forecast

8.1.2 Canada

8.1.2.1 Market Trends

8.1.2.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Asia Pacific

8.2.1 China

8.2.1.1 Market Trends

8.2.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2.2 Japan

8.2.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2.2 Market Forecast

8.2.3 India

8.2.3.1 Market Trends

8.2.3.2 Market Forecast

8.2.4 South Korea

8.2.4.1 Market Trends

8.2.4.2 Market Forecast

8.2.5 Australia

8.2.5.1 Market Trends

8.2.5.2 Market Forecast

8.2.6 Indonesia

8.2.6.1 Market Trends

8.2.6.2 Market Forecast

8.2.7 Others

8.2.7.1 Market Trends

8.2.7.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Europe

8.3.1 Germany

8.3.1.1 Market Trends

8.3.1.2 Market Forecast

8.3.2 France

8.3.2.1 Market Trends

8.3.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3.3 United Kingdom

8.3.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.3.2 Market Forecast

8.3.4 Italy

8.3.4.1 Market Trends

8.3.4.2 Market Forecast

8.3.5 Spain

8.3.5.1 Market Trends

8.3.5.2 Market Forecast

8.3.6 Russia

8.3.6.1 Market Trends

8.3.6.2 Market Forecast

8.3.7 Others

8.3.7.1 Market Trends

8.3.7.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Latin America

8.4.1 Brazil

8.4.1.1 Market Trends

8.4.1.2 Market Forecast

8.4.2 Mexico

8.4.2.1 Market Trends

8.4.2.2 Market Forecast

8.4.3 Others

8.4.3.1 Market Trends

8.4.3.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Middle East and Africa

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Breakup by Country

8.5.3 Market Forecast



9 SWOT Analysis

9.1 Overview

9.2 Strengths

9.3 Weaknesses

9.4 Opportunities

9.5 Threats



10 Value Chain Analysis



11 Porters Five Forces Analysis

11.1 Overview

11.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

11.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

11.4 Degree of Competition

11.5 Threat of New Entrants

11.6 Threat of Substitutes



12 Price Indicators



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Structure

13.2 Key Players

13.3 Profiles of Key Players

13.3.1 Acelity

13.3.1.1 Company Overview

13.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.2 Apex Medical Corp.

13.3.2.1 Company Overview

13.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.2.3 Financials

13.3.3 ArjoHuntleigh

13.3.3.1 Company Overview

13.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.4 Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Ltd (Sidhil Limited)

13.3.4.1 Company Overview

13.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.5 Hill-Rom Services Inc.

13.3.5.1 Company Overview

13.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.6 Invacare

13.3.6.1 Company Overview

13.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.6.3 Financials

13.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.7 Medtronic

13.3.7.1 Company Overview

13.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.8 Paramount Bed Holdings Co. Ltd.

13.3.8.1 Company Overview

13.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.8.3 Financials

13.3.9 Stryker Corporation

13.3.9.1 Company Overview

13.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.9.3 Financials

13.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.10 Talley Group Limited

13.3.10.1 Company Overview

13.3.10.2 Product Portfolio



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1tzgmu

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Land seizures. Dangerous working conditions. Mistreatment of native populations. For decades, such practices were associated in the public mind with the oil and gas industries. That perception in turn undermined confidence in fossil fuels and, as climate change worsened, helped set the stage for a widespread boom in the renewable-energy business.Now that business is itself under scrutiny  and for some of the same practices.According to a new report, at least 197 allegations of human-rights abuses have been leveled against renewable-energy projects in recent years, including land-grabs, dangerous working conditions and even killings. Meanwhile, many of the world's largest publicly held solar and wind companies are failing to meet widely accepted human-rights benchmarks.The report comes from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, a London-based group that promotes human rights in the corporate world and which has been scrutinizing the renewables business for several years. In 2019, the group documented 47 attacks, ranging from frivolous lawsuits to violence, on individuals who raised concerns about human-rights abuses in the industry. That ranked fourth, behind only mining (143 attacks), agribusiness (85) and waste disposal (51).Thats hardly the kind of company that most renewables executives want to keep, and the report offers some insight into whats gone wrong. The group evaluated 16 of the world's biggest public renewables companies against standards including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as well as against several criteria that the group developed specific to the green-energy industry. The results were not good. None of the companies had policies to to respect land rights, to govern their process of land acquisition, or on just and fair relocation of residents. Perhaps more worrisome, the probe found that the companies had little to no ability to identify human-rights violations in their extensive supply chains.Those accusations come on top of some other disturbing developments. Fed up indigenous communities in Mexico are now suing the French developer of a massive new wind park after years of complaining that they've been harassed into approving projects, for instance, while Norway is ignoring an appeal from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to suspend a state-backed wind-power project that could harm indigenous herding communities.Such incidents are especially disheartening because of the hopes that many have invested in the renewables industry. Activists and policy makers have long viewed green energy not just as a means of improving the environment but of mitigating injustices connected to fossil fuels, whether from air pollution, abusive labor conditions or land seizures that disproportionately affect indigenous and low-income communities. From this perspective, a green economy didnt only mean decoupling economic growth from fossil fuels; it also meant healthier neighborhoods and jobs.An inability to curtail human-rights abuses could dash those hopes. And that should serve as a warning for the entire industry, especially as calls for a green recovery from the Covid-19 recession intensify. Such abuses have altered public perceptions of other sectors, including apparel and IT, and could surely undermine green businesses too.As a start, companies and industry bodies should embrace human-rights policies in line with international standards. A lack of such policies, the report found, strongly correlates with allegations of abuse. They should also consider an unlikely example of good corporate conduct: In recent years, the oil and gas industry, in consultation with governments, has embraced human-rights policies on a global scale. Such policies change nothing about environmental harms or climate change. But they do show that even businesses that were once thought irredeemable can in fact reform themselves with the right incentives.In this one case, at least, renewables should consider following the lead of fossil fuels.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade and "Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale."

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - People in England appear to have broadly behaved themselves as pubs reopened this weekend, Britain's health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday after the latest step towards a return to normality from the coronavirus lockdown.

Thousands of people flocked to pubs, restaurants and bars around England on Saturday as large parts of the hospitality sector reopened for the first time since March.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to "enjoy summer safely" as he bids to tread a narrow path of restoring consumer spending to help battered businesses recover, while avoiding a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

Health minister Matt Hancock said he was satsified with how the latest step to ease the lockdown had gone and played down individual cases where social distancing guidelines were not respected.

"From what I've seen, although there's some pictures to the contrary, very very largely people have acted responsibly," he told Sky News.

"Overall, I'm pleased with what happened yesterday. It was really good to see people out and about, and largely socially distancing."

Britain has been the European country worst hit by the coronavirus and has an official death toll of 44,198.

The rule changes apply only to England as the devolved nations in the United Kingdom have been setting their own timetables for easing restrictions, with Wales and Scotland easing restrictions more slowly.

Police Federation National Chair John Apter questioned whether the idea of staying socially distanced was compatible with excessive alcohol consumption.

"What was crystal clear is that drunk people can't/won't socially distance," he said in a tweet after finishing a shift in Southampton, south England.

"It was a busy night but the shift managed to cope."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Starting this week, each permanent resident of Hong Kong will be eligible to receive HK$10,000 (US$1,290) in a one-time cash payout, part of the government's HK$55 billion financial stimulus to help the city survive its worst recession on record.

Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, the architect of the financial disbursement, would prefer the city's residents to spend that money dining out, shopping, travel locally or pay for their utility bills. Chances are that Hongkongers will redirect that money towards the stock market, where they can put it to better use in one of Asia's cheapest bourses, and to subscribe for two dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) in the pipeline.

"I will use it to invest in the stock market at the right time," said Irene Chan, a white-collar professional working in the Central business district. "HK$10,000 is not a large sum of money. My aim is to double it to HK$20,000, which can be more useful."

Chan's investment plan underscores the shortcomings in the unprecedented US$6 trillion that the world's central banks and monetary authorities are unleashing to bolster the global economy. She is one of the 5.5 million people who have registered with their banks to receive the payout starting on Monday, two days earlier than scheduled, in a process that stays open until the end of next year.

Chan would be spoilt for choice. The city of 7.5 million people is served by nearly 28,000 licensed traders in 594 brokerage firms, making Asia's third-largest capital market one of the best-served cities.

"Many Hongkongers already have stock trading accounts," said Tom Chan Pak-lam, chairman of Hong Kong Institute of Securities Dealers. "The recent surge in the stock market's turnover may reflect the optimism that the cash handout is encouraging investment sentiment in the stock market."

At least 13 of the 50 stocks that make up Hong Kong's benchmark index are within reach. There's New World Development, one of the city's largest property developers and an operator of the biggest bus service, available for HK$9,800 for a round lot of 250 shares. There's also the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), one of the country's largest banks, which can be had for HK$4,920 for 1,000 shares of minimum order. Bank of China, the country's oldest lender and the nation's biggest overseas bank, is even cheaper at HK$3.02 per share, allowing the investor to buy three round lots of 1,000 shares each.

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Hong Kong is hardly alone in letting financial payouts spill over to speculation. Robinhood, the discount brokerage based in Menlo Park, California, that serves mostly millennial investors, said 3 million new accounts were opened in the first four months of the year. Half of them were first-time investors. Punters have used the US$1,200 cash handout given to each American adult as part of the US$2 trillion emergency package passed at the end of March to play the stock market.

A resident fills in a form for the government's HK$10,000 cash payout at an HSBC branch in Kwun Tong, on June 21. Photo: Winson Wong alt=A resident fills in a form for the government's HK$10,000 cash payout at an HSBC branch in Kwun Tong, on June 21. Photo: Winson Wong

In South Korea, the country's leading brokerage, Mirae Asset Daewoo, said that some 650,000 new accounts have been opened between March and June, more than triple the number in the same period last year. In June alone around 330,000 accounts were opened. This came after the South Korean government in April announced cash handouts of up to 1 million Korean won (US$816) to every household. It has since disbursed more than 13.59 trillion won to 21.6 million households.

Similarly in Japan, individuals opened more than 820,000 online brokerage accounts between February and April after the government announced a cash handout of 100,000 yen (US$930) to all citizens.

Even in the Philippines and India, where the citizens have received no handouts, a lot more people have been dabbling in trading stocks as a result of the extensive lockdown.

In the Philippines, online brokerage accounts openings at AAA Southeast Equities have increased rapidly after the lockdown was imposed in March, said the company's president William Matthew Cabangon.

"Many retail investors are seeing the Covid-19 stock crash as a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity of sorts to get into the market at cheap valuations," Cabangon said.

But not everyone is keen on investing in stocks. Some are looking at alternative assets like wine.

"Stock prices can do down, but wine prices tend to go up," said a teacher who only wanted to be identified as Louis. "I'd better use the HK$10,000 to invest in some good wine," he said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
July 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of scientists say there is evidence that novel coronavirus in smaller particles in the air can infect people and are calling for the World Health Organization to revise recommendations, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The WHO has said the coronavirus disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with COVID-19 coughs, sneezes or speaks.

In an open letter to the agency, which the researchers plan to publish in a scientific journal next week, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence showing smaller particles can infect people, the NYT said https://nyti.ms/2VIxp67.

The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Whether carried by large droplets that zoom through the air after a sneeze, or by much smaller exhaled droplets that may glide the length of a room, the coronavirus is borne through air and can infect people when inhaled, the scientists said, according to the NYT.

However, the health agency said the evidence for the virus being airborne was not convincing, according to the NYT.

"Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence," Dr. Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead of infection prevention and control, was quoted as saying by the NYT. (Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (NVAX), a late-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced the appointment of Ben Machielse as Executive Vice President, CMC, with responsibility for overseeing Novavax manufacturing, process technology, quality and regulatory functions. The Company also announced several leadership promotions:

John J. Trizzino to Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer

John A. Herrmann III, to Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer

Jill Hoyt to Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

Bens extensive manufacturing and operations expertise will be vital to our leadership team as we evolve to commercial stage, said Stanley C. Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novavax. The addition of Ben supports our continued commitment to progressing our pipeline programs as we scale up to produce a global supply of NVX-CoV2373, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, and grow our NanoFlu production capabilities. In addition, I also want to congratulate John, John, and Jill on their promotions as they are all a critical part of Novavax growth.

Mr. Machielse brings more than 25 years of biotechnology industry experience to Novavax. He was most recently Chief Executive Officer of rare disease company Vtesse, before its acquisition by Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., now a part of Mallinckrodt. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at Omthera Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw development and approval of a treatment for hypertriglyceridemia and was integral to the Companys IPO and acquisition by AstraZeneca. Earlier, as Executive Vice President of Operations for MedImmune, later acquired by AstraZeneca, he led worldwide development and operations of the companys therapeutic antibodies, small molecules and vaccine products. Additionally, he was responsible for development of MedImmunes H1N1 influenza vaccine, which was the first to be approved by FDA. He currently sits on the board of directors of Comet Therapeutics, Complexa Therapeutics and Polyneuron. Mr. Machielse received a bachelor of science degree in medical biology and a master of science degree in biochemistry from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

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The rapid and precise steps Novavax is taking to increase manufacturing capacity for NVX-CoV2373 demonstrate both the validity and the viability of our program as a significant part of the worlds COVID-19 vaccine solution, said Mr. Machielse. I am excited to work with the team as we rapidly advance development activities and manufacturing capabilities and ensure we deliver safe, innovative vaccines to prevent a broad range of infectious diseases worldwide.

Mr. Trizzino originally joined Novavax in 2009 with responsibility for business development. In 2011, Mr. Trizzino joined Immunovaccine as its CEO and successfully led the company into clinical development of its lead candidate. In 2014, Mr. Trizzino rejoined Novavax and in 2018 was promoted to Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his tenure at Novavax, Mr. Trizzino held leadership roles at several companies focused on infectious disease, including MedImmune, later acquired by AstraZeneca, ID Biomedical, acquired by GSK, and Henry Schein, Inc. Mr. Trizzino received a bachelor of science degree from Long Island University, CW Post and a master of business administration degree from New York University, Stern School of Business.

Mr. Herrmann has been our general counsel and corporate secretary since 2010, and will now also lead corporate and business development. Prior to joining Novavax, Mr. Herrmann was General Counsel at Ore Pharmaceuticals and Deputy General Counsel at Gene Logic before it became Ore Pharmaceuticals. He has also served as Senior Corporate Counsel for Celera Genomics and Baxter Healthcare. Mr. Herrmann received a bachelor of arts degree from Brown University and a juris doctorate from the University of Illinois.

Ms. Hoyt joined Novavax in 2008 with responsibility for human resources. Since joining the company, she has played a key role in expansion of the companys talent base and geographic footprint, including the acquisition of manufacturing subsidiaries in Europe. She has held senior positions in HR at a number of technology companies, including TRW and Choicepoint. Ms. Hoyt received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Shepherd University and a master of science degree in human resource management from Marymount University.

About Novavax

Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) is a late-stage biotechnology company that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. Novavax recently initiated development of NVX-CoV2373, its vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with Phase 1 clinical trial results expected in July of 2020. NanoFlu, its quadrivalent influenza nanoparticle vaccine, met all primary objectives in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in older adults. Both vaccine candidates incorporate Novavax proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant in order to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. Novavax is a leading innovator of recombinant vaccines; its proprietary technology platform combines the power and speed of genetic engineering to efficiently produce highly immunogenic nanoparticles in order to address urgent global health needs.

For more information, visit www.novavax.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements herein relating to the future of Novavax and the ongoing development of its vaccine and adjuvant products, including statements regarding the manufacturing of vaccine antigen dose amounts and timing, are forward-looking statements. Novavax cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include those identified under the heading Risk Factors in the Novavax Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and updated by any Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, particularly the risks inherent to developing novel vaccines. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read our filings with the SEC, available at sec.gov , for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of the statements. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.

Contacts:

Investors

Novavax, Inc.

Silvia Taylor and Erika Trahan

ir@novavax.com

240-268-2022

Media

Brandzone/KOGS Communication

Edna Kaplan

kaplan@kogspr.com

617-974-8659




First, they said it nicely: play along and cut to your quotas, or well all suffer low oil prices for longer. Then they put their foot down: start cutting deeper or else. And now it has emerged what the or else part wasa new price war.

The Wall Street Journals Benoit Faucon and Summer Said reported earlier this week that Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud had threatened Nigeria, Angola, and Iraq with another oil price war if they didnt get in line with the production cuts, according to OPEC delegates. If they kept producing more than their quotas, Saudi Arabia would start selling its crude at a discount on these three countries key markets, stealing market share.

In a phrase reminiscent of some of the best crime dramas, bin Saud reportedly told Angolan and Nigerian delegates, We know who your customers are.

OPECs crude oil production last month fell to the lowest in thirty years, at 22.69 million bpd. However, Iraq, Angola, and Nigeria still fell short of their quotas: Iraq only managed to achieve 70 percent compliance, Nigeria did a little better at 77 percent, and Angola even better at 83 percent. But that was not good enough.

It is understandable why the OPEC leader has had enough. The Saudis were not only the driver behind the latest agreement. They also voluntarily deepened their own production quota, pledging to cut an additional one million bpd on top of the more than two million bpd they agreed to cut, shouldering the largest part of the total 9.7-million-bpd OEPC+ cut.

And they have stuck to it, unlike the three laggards. Last month, the Kingdom pumped 7.53 million bpd, when it had originally been set a quota of 8.5 million bpd, the same as OPEC+ fellow Russia, which, however, has been slow to reach its own quota. The Saudis have literally done whatever it takes to prop up prices. And prices have remained weak. That would frustrate even the most patient of producers.

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Brent crude traded at more than $51 a barrel in early March, a few days before Saudi Arabia declared its first price war of the year against Russia for its refusal to sign up for an extension of the previous round of cuts, agreed on last December. On March 9, the benchmark plummeted below $35 a barrel.

After a further plunge in April on the back of the coronavirus lockdowns, Brent has to date recovered to about $40. So, if Saudi Arabia makes good on its threat, this time Brentand WTIwill be falling from a lower starting point. This is the only thing we can be sure of.

Of course, the threat of a price war remains hypothetical. Perhaps it would prove to be enough to get Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola to mend their ways and start cutting production like they mean it. It would be the safer choice because Saudi Arabia has more oil, and it can afford to sell it more cheaply than the three laggards, at least for a while. But what if they dont?

Related: U.S. Shale Needs To Rethink Its Strategy To Survive

Well, if they dont, well likely have a new price crash, and it could turn out to be worse than the first one as it would come amid a rising fearand perhaps some evidenceof a second wave of Covid-19 infections in the worlds largest consumer. Meanwhile, demand has been slow to rebound.

There have been some good signs such as a pickup in gasoline production in the U.S. and a drawdown in floating oil storage. And yet, most analysts warn that people around the world would continue to be cautious in commuting and traveling, which will continue to affect oil demand.

If, in such an environment, Saudi Arabia decides to make good on its threat, oil will fall sharply. Just how low it would fall is anyones guess, but it is safe to say such a development would hardly benefit anyone, including Saudi Arabia. Certainly, it could beef up exports to undermine the market shares of Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola in China and India by cutting prices, but it wouldnt be able to keep on doing it for a very long time. The Kingdom has a deficit to deal with.

It could do it for a short while, to make its point. And then Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola could continue under complying because there would be nothing else Saudi Arabia could do to stop them. And thats not all. Earlier this week, Russias Energy Minister said there had been no discussions in OPEC+ to continue cutting deep after the end of July.

As per the agreement, the cuts would be relaxed from 9.7 million bpd to 7.7 million bpd after the July extension. But its still early July, and there is a problem with compliance. That Saudi Arabia could propose another extension is not out of the question because oil continues to be way too cheap for it. And then we will have another OPEC+ drama brewing and, should the Saudis patience expire, a second price war.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article on OilPrice.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trevali Mining Corporation (Trevali or the Company) (TSX: TV, BVL: TV; OTCQX: TREVF, Frankfurt: 4TI) announced on June 26th that 19 workers at the Santander mine in Peru tested positive for COVID-19 during routine serological testing. In response, operations at Santander were suspended and all 298 workers on site were safely quarantined and underwent further testing. A total of 82 workers have tested positive for COVID-19 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Three individuals are currently displaying mild symptoms while all other workers are presently asymptomatic. Operations remain suspended to focus on the health and safety of Santanders workforce and the community.



The Santander operation has health professionals in place to monitor and provide medical support to the workforce and additional resources are being brought in where required. Workers that tested negative and who are not required for critical tasks at the operation are being transported offsite to their homes. Workers who have tested positive will remain in safe quarantine for up to two weeks. If symptoms develop, the affected workers will be transported to medical facilities for treatment.

Ricus Grimbeek, President and CEO, stated, Care for our workforce is our top priority. We have suspended the mining and milling operations at Santander and are focusing on providing a safe environment to workers so that they can continue their quarantine. I am grateful that the vast majority of workers affected are currently asymptomatic with the remaining few showing mild symptoms, and to the team for their quick action in following the plan that we put in place at the onset of the pandemic. We are working with our main contractors and government to determine new screening and testing protocols before we determine a re-start date. The health and well-being of workers will be our primary focus in any decisions made.

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ABOUT TREVALI

Trevali is a global base-metals mining company, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The bulk of Trevalis revenue is generated from base-metals mining at its three operational assets: the 90%-owned Perkoa Mine in Burkina Faso, the 90%-owned Rosh Pinah Mine in Namibia, and the wholly-owned Santander Mine in Peru. In addition, Trevali owns the Caribou Mine, Halfmile and Stratmat Properties and the Restigouche Deposit in New Brunswick, Canada, and the past-producing Ruttan Mine in northern Manitoba, Canada. Trevali also owns an effective 44%-interest in the Gergarub Project in Namibia, as well as an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Heath Steele deposit located in New Brunswick, Canada.

The shares of Trevali are listed on the TSX (symbol TV), the OTCQX (symbol TREVF), the Lima Stock Exchange (symbol TV), and the Frankfurt Exchange (symbol 4TI). For further details on Trevali, readers are referred to the Companys website (www.trevali.com) and to Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

Investor Relations and Media Contact:

Brendan Creaney  Vice President, Investor Relations

Email: bcreaney@trevali.com

Phone: +1 (778) 655-6070

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management of the Company as of the date the statement is published, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect managements expectations or beliefs regarding future events including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys operations, including the temporary suspension of operations at the Santander mine and the Company's efforts to minimize the impacts of same, the refinement of practices for the screening and prevention of COVID-19, discussions with government authorities and other stakeholders, and the timing of the resumption of operations at Santander. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks related to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of zinc, lead, silver and other minerals and the anticipated sensitivity of our financial performance to such prices; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recoveries; dependence on key personnel; potential conflicts of interest involving our directors and officers; labour pool constraints; labour disputes; availability of infrastructure required for the development of mining projects; delays or inability to obtain governmental and regulatory approvals for mining operations or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; counterparty risks; increased operating and capital costs; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; operating in foreign jurisdictions with risk of changes to governmental regulation; risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreak including the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources and what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on our business; compliance with environmental laws and regulations; land reclamation and mine closure obligations; challenges to title or ownership interest of our mineral properties; maintaining ongoing social license to operate; impact of climatic conditions on the Companys mining operations; corruption and bribery; limitations inherent in our insurance coverage; compliance with debt covenants; competition in the mining industry; our ability to integrate new acquisitions into our operations; cybersecurity threats; litigation and other risks and uncertainties that are more fully described in the Companys most recent annual information form filed and available for review under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Trevali provides no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events may differ from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Source: Trevali Mining Corporation




Every investor in Else Nutrition Holdings Inc. (CVE:BABY) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. I generally like to see some degree of insider ownership, even if only a little. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb said, 'Dont tell me what you think, tell me what you have in your portfolio.

With a market capitalization of CA$169m, Else Nutrition Holdings is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions are not on the share registry. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about Else Nutrition Holdings.

View our latest analysis for Else Nutrition Holdings

TSXV:BABY Ownership Breakdown July 3rd 2020

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Else Nutrition Holdings?

We don't tend to see institutional investors holding stock of companies that are very risky, thinly traded, or very small. Though we do sometimes see large companies without institutions on the register, it's not particularly common.

There are many reasons why a company might not have any institutions on the share registry. It may be hard for institutions to buy large amounts of shares, if liquidity (the amount of shares traded each day) is low. If the company has not needed to raise capital, institutions might lack the opportunity to build a position. On the other hand, it's always possible that professional investors are avoiding a company because they don't think it's the best place for their money. Else Nutrition Holdings's earnings and revenue track record (below) may not be compelling to institutional investors -- or they simply might not have looked at the business closely.

TSXV:BABY Earnings and Revenue Growth July 3rd 2020

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Else Nutrition Holdings. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is the CEO Hamutal Yitzhak with 19% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 16% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 11% by the third-largest shareholder. Interestingly, the second-largest shareholder, Uriel Kesler is also Top Key Executive, again, pointing towards strong insider ownership amongst the company's top shareholders.

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On looking further, we found that 50% of the shares are owned by the top 4 shareholders. In other words, these shareholders have a meaningful say in the decisions of the company.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of Else Nutrition Holdings

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Else Nutrition Holdings Inc.. Insiders have a CA$68m stake in this CA$169m business. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 49% stake in BABY. 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.

Private Equity Ownership

With a stake of 11%, private equity firms could influence the BABY board. Some investors might be encouraged by this, since private equity are sometimes able to encourage strategies that help the market see the value in the company. Alternatively, those holders might be exiting the investment after taking it public.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Else Nutrition Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Else Nutrition Holdings (including 1 which is can't be ignored) .

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies.

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.
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State funding cuts to public schools amounting to $621.4 million werent as deep as initially thought, but still are painful, say finance officials, who worked feverishly to submit 2020-21 budgets by June 30.

It wasnt brutal, but our funding levels are going backwards instead of forward, said Glenn Gustafson, deputy superintendent and chief financial officer for Colorado Springs School District 11, the second-largest school district in the area.

This is my 29th year, and this is by far the hardest budget Ive ever done, he said. What we normally do in four to six months we did in four to six weeks.

The impacts of shutting down businesses and restricting people from normal activity for months due to the coronavirus outbreak led to $3.3 billion less state revenue than expected. The situation led lawmakers to hold out on finalizing the 2020-21 budget.

Districts were warned in April that funding cuts as steep as 15% could be coming.

But lawmakers worked to spare K-12 public schools from such severe decreases by using multiple one-time federal funds to help close the gap and by eliminating corporate tax breaks.

That left districts with about 5% less, on average, in appropriations from the general fund than the fiscal year that ended Tuesday.

Pikes Peak region school districts employed such strategies as layoffs, furloughs, staff reductions through attrition, pay freezes, program cuts and dipping into reserve funds to balance their budgets for the fiscal year that began Wednesday.

School District 49 in eastern El Paso County declared a fiscal emergency on June 12, in preparing its budget.

The fiscal emergency is actually a pretty necessary step to validate the strategies and decisions to freeze pay, not replace vacated positions and such that were necessary to react to the reduction, said Brett Ridgway, chief business officer for D-49.

If the state of Colorado is in fiscal emergency and K-12 education is the largest spend on the state's budget, how can any K-12 school district not be in a state of fiscal emergency?

D-49, the areas third-largest district, did not fill 85 vacant positions but did not resort to layoffs in reducing expenses by $4.9 million. No ones getting a raise, either.

In cutting $15 million from its budget, Colorado Springs D-11 laid off 15 employees, including one custodian from each high school, Gustafson said.

Other layoffs were from the administration office, which took the largest hit with a $2.5 million budget cut. Twenty teaching positions also were eliminated through attrition.

Every D-11 employee will be required to take one unpaid furlough day, saving about $900,000.

Employees will see a 2% salary increase for experience, known as steps, which will amount to a $7 million package, and those completing 16 hours of professional development credentialing will get about a 1% pay increase.

The district decided to boost salaries, Gustafson said, because when steps were frozen in 2008 for multiple years and never restored, some new teachers were entering at a higher salary than veteran teachers.

We didnt want that to happen again, he said.

The areas largest school district, Academy D-20, did not include raises in its new budget but is giving all employees a one-time 1.25% lump-sum payment this fall.

Given the uncertainty of funding levels for 2021-22 and beyond, this increase will not be recurring and does not jeopardize our financial future, said Allison Cortez, spokeswoman.

D-20 projected it would need to slash $16 million but ended up cutting $9 million. There have been no layoffs and will not be any furlough days, Cortez said.

Officials say they are more concerned about the budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Districts now are receiving federal and state COVID-19 relief money to cover related expenses such as additional cleaning and sanitization as well as technology and materials for remote learning.

Stimulus money isnt expected to be in the future picture.

Next years is going to be far worse, D-11s Gustafson predicts. Were not out of the woods yet.

District leaders also are trying to plan for fall, with much uncertainty still about students and staff returning for in-person instruction. Schools are bound by any executive orders of the governor, health orders of the Colorado Department of Health and Environment and local El Paso County guidelines that may exist in August.

As of now, local schools are planning for in-person classes.

Heres a look at 2020-21 budgets for some El Paso County school districts.

Academy D-20:

Budget: $292 million

Expense reduction: $9 million

Strategies: No furloughs or layoffs. One-time 1.25% lump-sum payment will be given as a salary boost.

Used one-time reserve dollars from the general fund, capital reserve fund, transportation fund, technology fund and 3% TABOR emergency reserve. Central administration department budgets are reduced by 10%. Cafeteria plan contributions for staff are eliminated, with the money being reallocated for increases in health insurance premiums.

Etc.: We tried to keep cuts and reallocations as far away from the classroom, student programming, and staff salaries and jobs as possible.

Plans are to start classes on Aug. 17, as close to normal as possible. Alternative options for students and staff unable to attend in-person are being created. Surveys on remote learning and fall expectations showed most of the 12,000 respondents, who included teachers, parents and students, preferred an in-person return.

Colorado Springs D-11

Budget: $260.7 million

Expense reduction: $15 million

Strategies: Cut $2.5 million from administration office. Laid off 15 people, reduced teachers by 20 positions through attrition, cut an insurance benefit, decreased district contribution to health insurance.

Requiring one unpaid furlough day for all employees. Giving 2% step movement on salary scale and 1% for professional development credentialing.

Reduced funding for AVID program, temporarily moved mill levy override programs to general fund, decreased capital reserve fund by $1 million.

Etc.: Weve been talking about a number of different options for returning in the fall. Middle and high school may be hybrid. We know we need elementary students in school five days a week. Were looking at four days a week regular teaching and learning and the fifth day for WIN, What I Need  gap closure with additional supports.

Were ordering more electronic devices, and our 501(c)(3) organization is fundraising to provide more internet service for families. A team of 30 educators from all levels is working on a remote platform and drafting curriculum.

Falcon D-49

Budget: $218.5 million

Expense reduction: $4.9 million

Strategies: A net of 85 positions lost due to attrition. No layoffs, no furlough days, salaries frozen.

District practices organizational agility. With this recession, as with the prior, we adjust to the new reality and prepare to launch off of that new reality toward growth in the subsequent year  assuming no additional cuts to funding.

Etc.: D-49, through the operated programs of Springs Studio for Academic Excellence and Pikes Peak Early College, as well as our charter and contract programs of GOAL Academy and the Education reEnvisioned BOCES, is the largest provider of online education in Colorado. Online education is going to grow even more than its previous steady pace. As a result, we are projecting close to 5% overall enrollment growth, led by 7-8% growth in online programs and about 3% growth in traditional settings.

Cheyenne Mountain District 12

Budget: $58.1 million

Expense reduction: $1.5 million

Strategies: Froze salaries, passed health insurance increase on to employees, reduced staffing through attrition. Cut building budgets across the district by 15%, reallocated dollars held in reserves for future textbook purchases, reduced spending for capital projects. No layoffs.

Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8

Budget: $88.8 million

Expense reduction: $3 million

Strategies: Reduced full-time equivalent positions through attrition across the district and made cuts to other, smaller nonsalary and benefit budget items.

No layoffs; increased certified employee salaries and salaries for staff on supplemental salary schedule by 1%. Returning classified staff will receive a 2% increase. Administrators will not get a salary increase.

Etc.: We focused on maintaining and supporting existing staff.

Hanover School District 28

Budget: $3.9 million

Expense reduction: $350,000

Strategies: Cut two teacher and two paraprofessional positions, reduced other staff through attrition, decreased funding of activities fund, reduced purchased services across the board.

Etc.: School board members desire to return to in-person instruction in the fall, but plans are still on hold.

Harrison District 2

Budget: $199.5 million

Expense reduction: $4.8 million

Strategies: Transferred $1.07 million from capital reserves.

No layoffs but reduced staff through attrition from retirements and resignations, reassigned some employees from district offices to classrooms, froze salaries.

Brought professional development in-house. Eliminated noneducational expenses, including supplies, travel and purchased services, throughout departments.

Etc: We worked to minimize impacts to the classroom and relied on collaboration at all levels, recognizing the current economic situation and impacts beyond.

We are planning for students to return to school Aug. 10, using a cohort model and following all the recommended safety precautions. Orientation days will be Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, to review new protocols with families and students.

All K-12 students will be provided a laptop, in the event that a student requires online instruction based on a health concern or a high-risk family member.

Lewis-Palmer District 38

Budget: $55 million

Expense reduction: $2 million

Highlights: Some vacant positions left unfilled. Also delayed curriculum adoption purchases, delayed equipment and maintenance expenses, cut administrative and school expenses to minimal and are dipping into reserves.

No layoffs, no salary increases.

Etc.: We used teamwork; administrators and principals looked at all reductions in order to protect the educational experiences of our students.

D-38 will offer in-person and online programming beginning Aug. 19 and also will provide a one day a week, free Home School Enrichment Academy for K-8 students living in and out of district.

Widefield District 3

Budget: $106.5 million

Expense reduction: In excess of $5 million

Strategies: Allocated $3.5 million from reserves. Cut textbook adoptions and some capital projects and applied a 5% cut to all areas and schools. Also moved technology purchases to the CARES Act relief grant.

Some empty positions are being left unfilled. Salaries are frozen, however, employees will receive a one-time compensation in the fall.

Etc.: We believe we were successful in keeping cuts away from the classroom to not directly affect students as well as protect staff as much as possible with limited staff changes for the 2020-2021 school year.
It really devastated [my middle sister] and she was really very, very upset about it, Lindberg said. Like, she was like, Why did it happen to you? Why does this happen? Why does this have to be you?

Lindberg also has three best friends who came up to visit her as often as they could, and Lindberg said she cherishes them the most because they stuck with her through her cancer journey.

They stuck by my side, she said. They have stuck by my side ever since, like, they never left, and they helped me fight my biggest battle because they always made me in a good mood. I always knew theyd be there if I needed anything.

Though she skipped eighth grade and experienced a slight drop in her comprehension level, but through some homeschooling and working with her teachers, Lindberg was able to graduate high school without being held back a year.

One of her biggest challenges in her recovery was going back to school and being in public sometimes, especially because she had her seizure in school and felt anxious that shed have a seizure again.

Lindberg finished her treatments in 2011 and goes back up every year for a checkup to make sure the cancer has not come back, and so far she has been cancer-free.
To that end, though most entities had to close for a short while, there have so far been very few permanent closures reported in the area.

Its so encouraging to see our business community find new and innovative ways to serve their customer base and still remain economically viable, said Diana Schwartz, the executive director of the River District Association. I think theyve done an incredible and commendable job in almost constantly changing the way that they have to do business in order to continue to serve customers and survive this very challenging time.

At Lizzy Lou Boutique at 310 Main St., owner Sarah Gibson took advantage of both the rent reimbursement grant and the grant for marketing expenses. The latter funds mostly went toward Facebook advertising to promote her website and the updated hours of her store.

Of the rent relief grant, Gibson said, That was really awesome because it came right before we were able to reopen and I was stretching myself a little thin.  That made a huge difference for me.
Finding an opening late, Wheels On Fire claimed victory in the $36,000 Preferred Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday (July 4).

Driver Doug McNair launched Wheels On Fire for the front from post 7 for the front but then yielded command to odds-on favourite Evenwood Sonofagun past a :26.4 first quarter. Evenwood Sonofagun continued on the lead through a :55.1 half but endured pressure rounding the far turn as Casimir Richie P flushed first over and raced within a length of the lead through three-quarters in 1:23.3.

Evenwood Sonofagun clung to command as Casimir Richie P hung and veered wide, leaving room for Wheels On Fire to burst through the middle into the final eighth. Wheels On Fire lunged for the lead and managed to put a nose in front on the finish, forcing Evenwood Sonofagun into second. Casimir Richie P settled for third.

Winning his fifth race from 11 starts this season and his 19th from 50 overall, Wheels On Fire has earned $298,103. Brad Grant owns the five-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding who paid $5.90 to win.

Wheels On Fire was one of three victories for trainer Richard Moreau on the evening. Two races prior, Legion Seelster ($7.20) rolled to a 1:49.1 victory in a $24,000 conditioned pace andeven earlier on the cardSo Much Bettor spurred a 55-1 upset in a $20,000 conditioned pace, paying $112.90 to win.

In the co-featured $32,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred, Kendall Seelster kicked off a pylon trip to a 1:50.3 victory.

Treacherous Reignthe 8-5 co-favouritecleared command from 8-5 co-favourite Boadicea past a :26.1 first quarter while Kendall Seelster raced in fourth. Treacherous Reign rolled to the half in :55.1 but accelerated again as Boadicea popped pocket nearing three-quarters in 1:24.2. Boadicea took a narrow lead coming into the stretch but Treacherous Reign battled back to the inside to reclaim command. The two drifted off the cones, leaving an opening for Kendall Seelster to skim the cones and rip to the lead in the final strides. Treacherous Reign settled for second with Boadicea third.

A five-year-old mare by Shadow Play, Kendall Seelster won her fourth race from 13 starts this season and her 26th from 72 overall, earning $1,041,526. Rod Boyd trains the $25.40 winner for owner 1187422 Ontario Inc. while Robert Shepherd drove the winner.

A pair of Ontario Sires Stakes Gold splits were also contested on the Saturday program. A recap of those events can be found here.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
On Monday, Gov. Justice participated in yet another conference call with Vice President Mike Pence, members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and other governors across the country to discuss the latest developments in nationwide efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.



They were talking about a secondary-type outbreak thats going on in the country, Gov. Justice said. This outbreak, now, is attacking our younger people as well. A percentage of the younger people that didnt seem to have a problem with this before now have a problem from it. If youre under the age of 50 and get this, it can be a problem. In most situations, it is not a problem. But, in some situations that are popping up, some people are getting really sick.



They also told us that the drug, remdesivir, there are now large supplies of the drug for the United States from Gilead, Gov. Justice continued. Through this September, they will be pumping more and more of that drug to the states to treat people if there happened to be an outbreak.



The Governor reported that this will allow American hospitals to purchase the drug in amounts allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state health departments. The Trump Administration explained that they plan to allocate this drug in the same way they did before, which means the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources will be distributing it to local hospitals across the state.
Tanglen has always known she wanted to teach. It was her dream to be an educator and a professor. Like most dreams, hers has an inception point  a moment of clarity, a convergence of the dominating themes in her life, packaged with a bow in the form of a research project.

While teaching high school at Billings West, she was awarded a grant from the Montana Committee for the Humanities, the earlier name of the organization she now heads. The grant was to facilitate a research project examining the cookbooks of rural Montana women, cookbooks stuffed with family recipes and then sold to raise money for churches or other organizations. Tanglen wanted to know, what impact did these pieces of literature have on the community  culturally, socially or historically?

The project took her across the state, places like Glendive and Miles City. She even traveled back to Lustre in Valley County, the childhood home of her mother. Along the way, she realized the role these cookbooks played in elevating the voices and influence of those who didnt have much room for input. Because the women created these books, they had a large part in the decision of where the money went.

In the process of presenting her research, Tanglen realized she could do the same  elevate the voices of those who are no longer, or perhaps never were  in the mainstream.
Donnette Beckett "Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter Together Decatur columnist and food and drink reporter for Lee Enterprises Central Illinois. Follow Donnette Beckett 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

DECATUR  Young people have marched in rallies and protests around the country in recent months, including in Decatur. They're an important voice to Jacob Jenkins, who organized the group Youth 4 Justice.

What I realized was this would be a movement that would need to have young people in it, he said.

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other examples of brutality against Black people in the U.S. have sparked demonstrations worldwide, and touched off a national conversation about race and equality in our current times.

Jenkins has been at the forefront of local marches. An East St. Louis native who has been in Decatur since 2009, his resume includes positions with the Illinois Department of Human Services and Greater Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce, as well as a run for mayor last year.

Youth 4 Justice grew out of a series of Justice Walks throughout the city in recent weeks. The program is still in the infancy stage, but its focus is on key areas of criminal, economic, political and social justice. Organizers address young people at local marches, and they've organized movie nights and voter registration efforts.

Following social distancing rules has been a challenge, Jenkins said, "but anytime you can get almost 500 people to put on a mask and march, thats pretty awesome."

Rene Verry approached Jenkins to be a part of Youth 4 Justice. It seemed like a perfect storm of opportunity, she said. I never thought I would live long enough to see this type of a movement. We have to maximize the moment.

In the early 1960s, Verry, who is white, attended grade schools with integrated classes in New York and segregated classes in Virginia. No matter the environment, she was taught to be engaged in the community and help those around her. She said she has a passion for civil liberties and justice. Thats my idea of a fun time, she said.

For Verry, taking someones rights away is alarming. Because you could do the same to me, she said.

Said Jenkins: "Justice is an ongoing fight.

They also have the goal of registering at least 3,000 voters.

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Elijah England, 21, is a registered voter. He has now been encouraging peers to join him. Its important because the young vote really matters, he said. In the past years, there hasnt been a strong young presence. But thats going to change, especially in 2020.

England has marched along with Jenkins and others. Theres a lot going on, he said. And theres a big push for change.

He's also trying to educate young people, starting in the schools, about the ramifications of gun violence. We need to change from the inside out, he said.

For Jenkins, other focus areas include education about jury duty, addressing armed law enforcement in schools, hiring more minority teachers and encouraging youth to attend city council meetings.

"Because we want their elected leaders to see them and know that this is a part of your constituency that you have to advocate for, Jenkins said. Letting young people know that they have a voice in as many ways possible is whats going to drive this mission.

Another area is getting Decatur Public Schools to establish a curriculum on African-Americans starting in grade school

Not just slavery, civil rights and everything else, Jenkins said. Framing it in a larger sense that has more wholeness to it, as opposed to just a trauma-driven message.

The faces often seen at the marches are young, but motivated. Jenkins wants to keep that going, no matter the age.

You dont have to wait until you graduate or youre in college, he said. This fight needs you now.

Protest in downtown Decatur

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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SPRINGFIELD  Illinois on Friday, June 26, entered Phase 4 of the state's Restore Illinois reopening plan.

In this phase, restaurants and bars may open for indoor dining at fractional capacity as long as they follow state guidelines, and gatherings up to 50 people are allowed. PreK-12 schools, higher education and all summer programs may also open with IDPH approved safety guidance, as could fitness clubs.

Restaurants must arrange their seating facilities so that tables are 6 feet apart, and parties larger than 10 people will not be allowed, per state guidelines. Standing areas such as bars will be allowed to operate at no more than 25 percent of capacity, and staff is required to wear face coverings when serving customers.

As well, gatherings of 50 people  up from 10  will be allowed in Illinois, including at weddings and funerals; and fitness centers, movie theaters, museums and zoos will be allowed to reopen with capacity limits and health guidelines in place. Industry-specific guidelines from the state can be found at Illinois.gov/businessguidelines.

While each of the second, third and fourth phases of the plan lasted 30 days, there is no timetable for moving from Phase 4 to Phase 5, the final phase of the plan when the states economy fully reopens, including conventions, festivals and large events. Per the current plan, Phase 5 cannot begin without a coronavirus vaccine or highly effective treatment being widely available, or without new cases of the virus being eliminated for a sustained period.

Also during Phase 4, venues may host up to 50 people or 50 percent of their overall room capacity  whichever number is less. Multiple groups are permitted at certain facilities as long as there is space to social distance and limit interaction between groups.

Bowling alleys, skating rinks and clubhouses are on the list of allowable indoor and outdoor recreation under Phase 4, provided they also operate at the lesser of 50 customers or half capacity. Groups of 50 are allowed for outdoor recreation, and multiple groups can gather if they can remain separated.

Museums and zoos can reopen at 25 percent capacity or less, but interactive exhibits and rides must be closed. Guided tours are allowed but must be limited to 50 people or fewer per group. Indoor exhibits at zoos will remain closed as well.

Indoor-seated theaters and performing arts centers are allowed to open with 50 guests maximum or 50 percent capacity, whichever is less, in each of the theaters screening rooms or performance spaces. Outdoor capacity is limited to 20 percent of overall theater or performance space capacity.

* * *

JUDGE RULES ON PRITZKER ORDERS: All of Gov. JB Pritzkers executive orders since April 8 pertaining to the novel coronavirus pandemic are void because he exceeded his authority when he used his emergency powers for more than 30 days, a Clay County judge ruled Thursday, July 2.

The Illinois Department of Public Health instead has supreme authority to close businesses and restrict residents activities in a public health crisis, Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney added.

His decision, which he expanded to apply to all Illinoisans, is the latest ruling in Xenia Republican Rep. Darren Baileys lawsuit. He argued in his April 23 filing that the governor could not issue successive disaster proclamations to manage COVID-19.

The attorney generals office is likely to ask a higher court to reconsider the order. Thomas DeVore, Baileys attorney, said business occupancy limitations and other restrictions can no longer be enforced.

An official in the governors office, though, said the judges ruling is one contradicted by multiple other judges. She added it is not a final judgement and has no injunction. Phase 4 of the reopening plan is in effect, she said.

McHaney did not agree with all of the points Bailey alleged, however. He rejected the argument that COVID-19 did not satisfy the definition of a disaster, as outlined in the law Pritzker cited in his executive orders.

One problem with the governors approach was that he acted as though he knew better how people should behave, Bailey said in a statement. Instead of presenting facts and calling on people to respond in a collaborative way, hard and fast rules were imposed.

Bailey entered the court Thursday afternoon and walked out to applause from a group of supporters who, the representative said, came from across Illinois. Several were wearing grey shirts that said, My governor is an idiot.

The ruling in his lawsuit, he told reporters after the hearing, is beneficial for all Americans  governors COVID-19 responses should not be unilateral. Instead, he suggested, local departments of health should make determinations county by county.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Kwame Raoul said officials are reviewing McHaneys order and evaluating our options.

* * *

STATE'S FISCAL HEALTH: The state of Illinois, like most states, began a new fiscal year on July 1 and the person in charge of managing the states bank accounts said she fears it could be one of the most difficult years in modern memory.

This is going to be, I think, by far perhaps the most challenging year that I've had to manage as comptroller, state Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in an interview Wednesday, July 1. And that's saying something because, you know, I had to navigate the state through what was, when I took office, the worst fiscal crisis that our state had ever experienced, that two-year budget impasse.

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.

However, the plan for paying back that money, and any more the state may need to borrow this fiscal year, hinges on the idea that Congress will pass another economic relief package that will include significant relief for states  something it has not done yet and is still the subject of partisan wrangling on Capitol Hill.

Mendoza said there is no way for Illinois to make it through this new fiscal year without making draconian budget cuts if Congress doesnt come through with that aid.

* * *

COVID-19 HEALTH STATISTICS: COVID-19 hospitalizations rose above 1,651 for the first time in seven days at the end of Wednesday, July 1, increasing by 140 from the day before and by 187 from its June 27 low.

The number is also the highest single-day tally for hospital bed usage since June 19, when there were 1,699 people hospitalized with the virus.

The number of intensive care unit beds used by COVID-19 patients declined to 349 at the same time, however, decreasing by 35 from the day before and marking a new low since the state began reporting the figure daily on April 12. There were 195 ventilators in use by COVID-19 patients at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, an increase of six from the day prior and the second straight day the number saw an increase.

The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced 869 new confirmed cases of the virus among 30,262 tests completed in the previous 24 hours, making for a one-day positivity rate of 2.9 percent. The seven-day rolling positivity rate from June 26 to July 2 remained at 2.6 percent.

The seven-day period ending July 2 averaged 778 new cases announced per day, marking the second straight weeklong period in which the number of daily new cases has increased. From June 19-25, there were 665 new cases reported per day. From June 12-18, there were 596 new cases reported per day.

In total, the state has seen 144,882 confirmed cases of the virus since the pandemic first arrived in Illinois in March. There were another 36 COVID-19-related deaths reported Thursday, July 2, as well, bringing the total to 6,987 in the state. A total of 1.66 million tests have been completed in Illinois.

* * *

GOP LEGAL CHALLENGE DENIED: A federal judge on Thursday, July 2, denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have allowed Illinois Republican Party groups to host large fundraising events.

In the lawsuit, the state GOP argued that Gov. JB Pritzkers 50-person cap on gathering sizes  which was a 10-person cap when the lawsuit was filed  does not apply to religious organizations, and the governor declined to enforce his order against protesters demanding an end to systemic racism.

The GOP  along with the Will County Republican Central Committee, Schaumburg Township Republican Organization and Northwest Side GOP Club  argued that applying those exemptions to protestors and religious institutions but not to political parties created an unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech, according to a court document.

That, the Republicans claimed, was a violation of their First and 14th Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, which grant freedoms of speech and demonstration, as well as equal protections under the law.

U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis, of the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, denied the request for a temporary order that would allow the GOP to resume large gatherings, stating that granting the relief would pose serious risks to public health.

Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider said lawyers were already working on an appeal.

* * *

MITIGATION STUDY: There have been more than 1.66 million people tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, and the average number tested between June 24 and 30 was 29,065 daily.

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According to a new study conducted by the Harvard Global Health Institute for NPR, that puts Illinois on an adequate path to mitigating the spread of the virus, but short of the amount of testing needed to suppress the spread of the virus. Suppression would require 68,211 tests per day, according to the study, and would help decrease the number of new cases further than the current leveling off.

Also according to NPR reporting, the main difference between mitigation and suppression is that suppression calls for much more aggressive and consistent testing of high-risk individuals to allow communities to clamp down on emerging case clusters faster.

Suppression would also require much wider contact tracing efforts, and testing could be targeted at high-risk places such as nursing homes, meat processing plants and other facilities requiring close quarters, according to the study.

That study also showed that Illinois was one of just 14 states on a mitigation path, while only three states  Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska  are doing enough testing to suppress the virus spread.

* * *

RED-FLAG TREND?: According to a report at covidexitstrategy.org  a collaboration of public health and crisis experts  Illinois has moved from a trending better category as recently as June 24 into trending poorly based on several metrics, including measures laid out in the White Houses reopening plan.

The main drivers of the change in designation are that Illinois is seeing 60 new cases per million per day, and the states 14-day trend of new COVID-19 cases is on an increasing trajectory by 16 percent after there were fewer than 700 cases reported each day from June 10-23.

In the past seven days, the state has reported fewer than 700 cases only once, and has averaged 766 daily.

Illinois PIRG, a left-leaning nonprofit consumer advocacy group, issued a news release citing the report and calling on the state to maintain all current restrictions related to COVID-19, and consider additional measures to improve containment.

Illinois has made great strides in containing the spread of COVID-19 because Gov. (JB) Pritzker and local leaders have listened to public health experts, said Abe Scarr, Illinois PIRG director and a coordinator of Open Safe Illinois, a coalition of 25 health, labor, aging, and public interest organizations. The trending poorly ranking is a reminder that every stage of reopening brings increased risk, especially for essential workers, those in long-term care facilities and Black and Latinx communities, and that we must continue to act to control the spread of COVID-19.

* * *

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT: Illinois top lawyer wants a U.S. court to compel a federal official to formally acknowledge the Equal Rights Amendment received enough state support to be added to the U.S. Constitution  a largely procedural step that has thus far blocked the amendment from ratification.

The case centers on a decision by U.S. National Archivist David Ferriero, who was effectively ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice to deem passage of the Equal Rights Amendment  which would add protections for women as the 28th Amendment to the nations governing document  unsuccessful because multiple states missed a key congressional deadline.

Ferriero, who was appointed archivist by President Barack Obama in 2009, has since insisted that, unless a judge orders him to acknowledge the amendments passage, he will not do so.

When Congress introduced and passed the initiative in 1972, it set a seven-year deadline for state ratification, which was later extended to 1982. By then, only 35 states formally approved the language, five of which  South Dakota, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska and Tennessee  withdrew their backing in the 1970s.

In the last three years, Nevada, Illinois and Virginia became the last three states to approve the proposal.

In response to Ferrieros insistence he would not officially certify the Equal Rights Amendment without a judges order, Illinois Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul, joined by his counterparts in Nevada and Virginia, filed a lawsuit in late January.

The archivist later asked a judge to dismiss the case. The attorneys general argued in a document filed Monday, June 29 that if that request is granted, the careful balance our founders established in the constitution between states and the federal government would be upended.

* * *

CHICAGO CASINO: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Tuesday, June 30, that paves the way for development of a major casino in Chicago, something officials expect to provide significant revenues for the states recently-passed capital improvements plan known as Rebuild Illinois.

Lawmakers passed the bill during their special session in May. They initially approved a Chicago casino plan in the massive gaming expansion law enacted in 2019, but a subsequent study showed the taxes and fees included in that bill would have made such a casino financially infeasible.

The bill signed by Pritzker, Senate Bill 516, provides for a lower tax schedule that ranges from 22.5 to 77.4 percent of adjusted gross receipts from slot machines, and from 15 to 35 percent on table games. That revenue is split between the state and the city of Chicago, with the state getting the larger share of the cut.

In February, while the bill was being negotiated, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot estimated that a casino could produce around $1.2 billion in revenue, with the bulk of that going into the states coffers. That money is earmarked for so-called vertical construction projects such as hospitals and university campus improvements.

The citys share of revenue is earmarked for police and firefighter pension obligations, and a small amount is set aside for Cook County for criminal justice enhancements.

* * *

PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS: A new report from an Illinois think tank says the state was ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily because of a pre-existing shortage of nurses, and that the pandemic has left state even more vulnerable in the event of another public health crisis.

The report, by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization with strong ties to organized labor, also argues the state would be in a better position if nurses at more hospitals were unionized and if the state adopted a law requiring mandatory minimum nurse staffing levels, an idea that was proposed in the 2019 legislative session but was not adopted.

But while the Illinois Health and Hospital Association agrees there is a nursing shortage, it argues the lack of preparedness was more of a federal problem, and that the nursing shortage did not diminish the quality of care patients received. It strongly opposes legislation requiring minimum nurse staffing levels at hospitals, and disputes any correlation between the quality of patient care and the presence of a nurses union in a hospital.

The report notes that even before the pandemic, Illinois had a shortage of about 20,000 nurses statewide and that the shortage will likely be exacerbated in the coming years because about half of the nurses practicing are older than 55.

Across all levels of care, it noted, nurses in unionized hospitals were able to spend more hours per day treating their patients. They also had lower turnover rates and lower vacancy rates for registered nurses.

But Danny Chun, spokesman for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, strongly disagreed that hospitals werent prepared for the pandemic.

First of all, we've been drilling and doing exercises on pandemics before the pandemic hit, Chun said during an interview. Every hospital in the state, as you know, has an emergency preparedness plan for disasters of all kinds  mass shootings, traffic accidents, biochemical, biohazard, flu epidemics or pandemics. In the city of Chicago last year in the summer of 2019, Chicago hospitals did an exercise, a drill with the Chicago Department of Public Health on this exact issue  pandemics. And we were directly involved in a lot of the planning and discussions back in January, February, March where hospitals got ready for the pandemic.

If there was any weakness in preparation, Chun said, it was with the federal government and its failure to maintain a national stockpile of personal protective equipment as well as open supply chains with China, where most PPE is manufactured.

* * *

JUNIOR LIVESTOCK SHOWS: The state reported Monday, June 29, that the Illinois Department of Agriculture will host junior livestock and horse shows in place of the events that would have taken place at the canceled Illinois State Fairs.

The Junior Livestock Expo is scheduled to take place in Springfield for two consecutive weekends in September  the weekend of Sept. 11-13 for beef, sheep, dairy goats, pygmy goats and rabbits; and Sept. 18-20 for swine, dairy cattle and meat goats.

The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds will host a junior horse show on August 29-30 and Sept. 5-6.

After the cancellations of the Illinois and Du Quoin State Fairs we knew there was a need to recognize our junior exhibitors who work year round preparing for the fairs, Jerry Costello II, acting IDOA director, said in a statement. We are excited to provide modified shows that will provide an opportunity for young adults to exhibit their animals safely following the Restore Illinois plan.

Shows are limited to Illinois residents between the ages of 8 and 21.

* * *

UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS: The number of Illinois workers receiving state unemployment benefits fell by more than 29,000 during the last week of June as many businesses resumed operations after 14 weeks under a stay-at-home order brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday, July 2, there were 676,338 people in Illinois receiving continuing unemployment benefits during the week that ended June 27. That was 29,511 fewer than the previous week.

First-time unemployment claims also fell to 45,249, a decrease of 1,027 from the previous week, but still a 463 percent increase over the same week a year ago when only 8,038 initial claims were filed.

In addition to those workers who qualify for traditional unemployment benefits, another 32,587 Illinoisans filed first-time claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, more than triple the number from the week before. PUA is a program funded entirely by the federal government under the CARES Act to extend benefits to independent contractors who arent normally covered under traditional state-funded unemployment.

The Department of Labor also reported figures for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program for the week that ended June 13, two weeks earlier than the other unemployment numbers. PEUC is another federally-funded program that extends benefits for up to 13 weeks for people who have exhausted their state-funded benefits. That was down 15 percent from the week before.

First-time PEUC claims during that week in mid-June totaled 32,604, a decrease of 14 percent from the prior week.

10 ways Illinois schools could look different this fall

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Months after the nation's economy crashed and millions were (and continue to be) put out of work, a large group of Illinois House Democrats is still quite upset at the way Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration is handling unemployment insurance claims.

But the Pritzker administration is refusing to bend on their most important demands, saying the governor will not move selected constituents to the "front of the line" ahead of others, which created a backlash within his own party.

Late last month, 53 of 74 House Democrats, including several members of leadership, sent a letter to the acting director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security Thomas Chan. The letter began with an acknowledgement of the hard work put in by Chan's agency and the Pritzker administration to address the "unprecedented crisis" of vast and sudden unemployment.

But the legislators then complained that many of their constituents "continue to be unable to complete the filing of their claims, process their applications and often, even make contact with someone from the Department despite days and weeks of trying." And, "despite their best efforts, our staff are unable to help as there is no mechanism to allow them to coordinate with IDES claims services."

The House Democrats said each of their offices are dealing with, on average, "60-90 open cases at any given time, some dating as far back as mid-March." They asked that those constituents "receive a call back from IDES within 7-10 days," requested that IDES directly coordinate efforts" with their district office staff and that "IDES increase staff resources dedicated to working with district office staff to handle outstanding cases."

Gov. Pritzker's press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said in response that the administration is committed to working with the General Assembly, but she also claimed "multiple" staff members from IDES and the Governor's office are already "working as liaisons between the General Assembly and the agency to answer their questions," adding: "We have implemented every solution at our disposal to provide immediate relief and are more than willing to implement any ideas from the General Assembly."

But then came Abudayyeh's rejection: "What we will not do is take the 60 to 90 claims General Assembly members call on behalf of each week, and move those claimants to the front of the line ahead of the tens of thousands of claims the department is working to address. The agency cannot pull staff away from processing claims in the system to prioritize claims from legislators."

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Abudayyeh has a valid point. If folks were given preferential treatment in each legislative district each week, everyone else who's having trouble with the system would undoubtedly be pretty darned upset when a news outlet claimed "political favoritism."

Many legislators live and die by constituent services, love their districts and are scared to death of what could happen to them if they fail their voters. Most legislators believe that their priorities, as members of a co-equal branch, should be addressed by the governor's office. And all legislators hate taking blame. That's politics.

And this is not a new frustration. Members of both parties have been privately grumbling for months about their inability to get help from IDES and the administration. And several were furious about the administration's response.

"What we want is to be able to tell these people that they are actually going to get a call, and many haven't, so we can't," said Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines). "They're not calling us because they want preferential treatment, they're calling us because they are broke, scared, and time is running out for them. The fact that the Governor's office is accusing us of playing politics is just awful. Now is not the time to shift blame and lob accusations at one another."

He has a point, but legislators also tried to shift blame.

"We're not looking for favorable treatment, we want to work with the Governor's office on practical solutions to this challenge," said Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook).

"I'd like to invite the author of that statement... to sit in one of our offices for a day and hear what it's like to take 100s of calls from people who are about to lose their house," texted another Democrat, who asked not to be named.

"I understand why they're frustrated," said another. "But they don't seem to understand why we are."

I know of no state that isn't still having serious problems processing a flood of unemployment insurance applications. But the governor needs to find a way to calm this storm.

Rich Miller publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

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About White Tire Center Springs Road | Tire and Auto Service Repair | Hickory, NC

Operating since: 1971

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The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu called for creating an ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive and urged every Indian to adopt Atm-Nirbhar Bharat campaign to transform Local India into Glocal India.

Speaking at the virtual launch of Elyments mobile App through video conferencing from Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, the Vice President said the Atm-Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was aimed at giving a new boost and a quantum jump to the economic potential of the country by strengthening infrastructure, using modern technologies, enriching human resource, and creating robust supply chains.

Describing Atm-Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan as a mission to galvanise the forces of growth across the country in various sectors of the economy, he said it was a launch pad for fostering entrepreneurship, nurturing innovation and creation of an ecosystem for rural-urban symbiotic development.

The Vice President said the call for Atm-Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was not a call for protectionism or isolationism, but for adopting a pragmatic development strategy that would enable the country to recognize and capitalize on its inherent strengths.

The Vice President said that it was quite appropriate that the Prime Minister has announced the Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge yesterday in the backdrop of India becoming one of the IT superpowers because of the talented scientists and technology experts.

He said it would encourage Indian IT specialists to prepare apps for various uses to enhance our quality of life. As the Prime Minister envisages, it would result in world class Made in India apps and create an Atmanirbhar App Ecosystem, Shri Naidu added.

Appreciating the efforts of more than one thousand IT professionals in creating the indigenous app Elyments, he said the New India needs vibrant young thinkers who are willing to experiment and explore. We should innovate not just imitate. Innovation is the watchword for 21st Century. We have all the ingredients for success. We have pioneers who have built global brands in various sectors, Shri Naidu asserted.

Expressing his happiness that the app would be available in eight Indian languages, he expressed the hope that it would be made available in all major Indian languages.

The Vice President said such initiatives by Indian tech industry and professionals were truly praiseworthy as they not only demonstrated Indias prowess in technology but also was a step towards Atm-Nirbhar Bharat. I hope this App would prove to be a good desi alternative to the many foreign Apps being used by the people.

Shri Naidu stressed the need to make India a leading power in every field, be it science & technology, economy, defence or human development.

Talking about the number of internal and external challenges being faced by the country including the COVID-19 pandemic, Shri Naidu said, India is passing through a crucial moment in the history. But we should remain resolute in our response to the challenges thrown at us, he added.

Dedicating the App to the nation on the occasion of Guru Purnima, the Vice reminded the audience of the crucial role of Gurus in this transformation towards Atm-Nirbhar Bharat.

Founder of Art of Living, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar ji, Chairman, Chairman of GMR Group, Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao, Yoga Guru, Baba Ramdev, Chairman of Ramoji Group, Shri Ch. Ramoji Rao, Chairman, Sumeru Software Solutions Pvt Ltd, Shri A L Rao and other dignitaries joined the App launch virtually via video conferencing.
Drug dealers headed back to Mexico when the borders began shutting down. Local opioid supplies were drying up, yet some addicts across the nation found new sources for heroin and pain pills. The concern from health officials was addicts are using new dealers and not aware of the strength or purity of the pain pills or heroin. Within the first couple of weeks of the government shutdown, there were spikes in opioid-related deaths and overdoses.

National data will not be collected for some time about how the pandemic impacted the drug supply and how overdose rates increased. Yet the indicators are there, and the opioid epidemic is right alongside the COVID-19 pandemic.

Incorporated with the pandemic, local law enforcement across the country say the availability and prices of illegal street drugs change. Much of this is due to travel restrictions and state government lockdowns. The stay-at-home orders also impacted the demand for street drugs in many parts of the nation. The pandemic caused an apparent disruption in some supply chains, and drug dealers were not getting resupplied. Evidently, this forced drug users to use other sources and alternatives. The work stoppage and skyrocketing unemployment caused a percentage of the addicted population in the country to not have the money to buy drugs.
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New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI) By developing strategic Chabahar Port in Iran, Indian will reduce logistics cost by 20 per cent in container transport to CIS countries, bypassing China or Europe, Union Minister Mansukh Lal Mandaviya has said.

So far, CIS countries could be reached only via China or Europe, he said.

Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan province at energy-rich Iran's southern coast, lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from India's western coast, bypassing Pakistan.

'In a strategic development, loading and unloading of cargo has started at Chabahar Port. Container transport logistic cost to CIS countries will be reduced by 20 per cent through Chabahar. So far, cargo to CIS countries from India could be sent only via China or Europe,' Shipping Minister Mandaviya told PTI.

CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

'If we want to send containers to CIS countries we can only send via Europe or China. There was no other connectivity with CIS countries. Now, we have developed Chabahar port and there is direct connectivity to these countries via Afghanistan,' the minister said.

Transshipment of cargo started last week at Chabahar Port, he added.

'This is very important for the country. This is strategic. Container transport logistic cost will be reduced by 20 per cent,' he said.

Steps are on for local infrastructure mobilisation at the port, Mandaviya said.

'Chabahar Port is scaling up its operations drastically. India Ports Global Ltd terminal loaded 76 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent unit) all refrigerated for India. This is record single loading and is a milestone in growth path of Chabahar Port,' he said.

Transit of export consignment from Afghanistan through Chabahar commenced in February 2019 and has now started showing a healthy upward trend, he said, terming the port as a game changer.

Story continues

IPGL terminal on June 30 loaded 76 TEUs for India, which is a record single loading.

India Ports Global Ltd ( IPGL) had commenced operations at Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar on December 25, 2018, and has completed 18 months of smooth operations.

During this period, it not only handled container and Bulk cargo vessels, but also livestock and heavy lift cargo vessels, according to the Ministry of Shipping.

The integration of Chabahar port with the Free Zone was approved by the Iranian Guardian Council in February 2020.

Subsequently, an MOU has been signed between Ports and Maritime Organisation (PMO) and Free Zone Authorities in June 2020 for implementation of laws and regulations of the Free Zone in Chabahar port.

The inclusion of the port in the Free Zone is expected to boost the cargo, as per the shipping ministry.

Earlier on June 28, the port also handled the fourth consignment of 300 TEUs of wheat aid from India to Afghanistan.

This is part of 75,000 tonnes of India's humanitarian aid to people of Afghanistan, the ministry said.

Earlier, the shipping minsitry had said the trade was upbeat after the announcement that Ghazanfar Bank of Afghanistan will soon open a branch in Chabahar.

It is understood that the bank has received requisite permit from Central Bank of Iran, it had said.

IPGL now has a water front of over 1,200 mts (with 70 Ha of back up area).

India, Afghanistan and Iran had welcomed steady progress in port operations by India Ports Global Ltd company since the taking over of the operations at Shaheed Beheshti Port at Chabahar in December 2018.

The Chabahar port -- being jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan -- is considered a gateway to opportunities for trade by the three countries with central Asian nations. It is located on the Indian Ocean in the Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran.

The Chabahar port, which is easily accessible from India's western coast, is increasingly seen as a counter to Pakistan's Gwadar Port which is being developed with the Chinese investment. PTI NAM BAL
Bangladesh border, 1 arrested Malda (WB), Jul 4 (PTI) A total of 194 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup were seized along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Malda district and one person was arrested in this connection, a BSF spokesperson said on Saturday.

During patrolling on Friday night, BSF personnel noticed movement along a section of the international border.

When the troops challenged the people suspecting them to be smugglers, 8-10 men armed with sharp weapons encircled the personnel, BSF South Bengal Frontier spokesperson Rabi Ranjan said.

A BSF personnel fired a round in the air, following which the smugglers fled the spot leaving behind the goods.

The troops chased the smugglers and succeeded in nabbing one of them while the remaining managed to escape, he said.

The apprehended person has been identified as Biplab Mandal, a resident of Kaliachak area in Malda district. As many as 194 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup were seized from the load left behind by the smugglers, Ranjan said.

The nabbed person and the seized goods have been handed over to the police on Saturday, he added.

Phensedyl is a codeine-based cough syrup abused as an intoxicant in Bangladesh and some northeastern states where liquor consumption is prohibited. PTI COR ACD ACD
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): Delhi Police Special Cell probing the larger conspiracy behind the North-East Delhi violence, in its report to the court has said that one of the accused in the case had met fugitive Zakir Naik. A copy of the report has quoted passport details of one of the accused Khalid Saifi. "The passport and travel details of the accused confirm that accused Khalid travelled outside India and met persons including fugitive Zakir Naik in order to get support for spreading his agenda", reads the Delhi Police status report submitted in the month of June. Delhi police has further stated, "Evidences have been collected from various WhatsApp groups, which were active during the above said protests and riots in order to update the ground reports and gave directions to the protesters/riots". According to sources, police is now searching whether Naik has any link with violence or not. Although more than 1,000 suspects have been arrested by the police team, but efforts are on to identify the key conspirators. Their apprehension is crucial in finding out the missing links of the larger conspiracy. Accused Ishrat Jahan got funds from a suspicious route through her relative residing in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) and other connected persons residing in Maharashtra and were unable to move due to COVID-19 lockdown. Examination of these connected persons is very crucial in order to investigate illegal funding. In the same way, accused Khalid got suspicious funds through an NRI account of a person, who is serving in Singapore, in the account of an NGO which he is running in partnership with his friend. The examination of NGO partner of Khalid could not be completed as in the midway of examination, he has been quarantined by the local authority in Meerut as COVID-19 suspect. Apart from this, investigation with respect to the fundraiser, who is in Singapore, is under way. Due to some technical fault, relevant data from the mobile phone of accused Khalid could not recover, which are important for the purpose of investigation. However, due to COVID-19 lockdown, expert technician could not be available. Now, efforts would be made to get it opened through authorized service station so that data could be extracted and examined to complete the chain of investigation. (ANI)
Amaravati, July 4 (PTI): As the protest seeking Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh enters its 200th day, around one lakh non-resident people of Andhra living around the world on Saturday expressed solidarity with agitating farmers for Amaravati amid the COVID-19 crisis.

On the occasion, former president of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) Jayaram Komati said the NRIs are participating in a candlelight vigil in almost 300 cities across the world for 'One State, One Capital'.

'As the farmers' protest in Andhra Pradesh reached 200 days, we, as NRIs, want to show our solidarity with the farmers...Amaravati should be our capital. More than 250 cities voluntarily came forward to hold the candlelight vigil,' he said in a statement.

Around one lakh NRIs, all hailing from Andhra Pradesh, across the world participated in the protest rallies, which were held in full adherence to COVID-19 rules, he said.

The NRIs joined the rallies as per the rules of the local governments.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the NRIs participated in the event in small groups of 15-20 people, while many of them participated from their homes virtually, he added.

According to the statement, the NRIs have promised to help the agitating farmers of Amaravati financially and morally to help them fight a legal battle against the decision to shift the capital.

More than 24,000 farmers of Amaravati capital region have been on the warpath ever since the YSR Congress Party government in the state announced on December 17 last about creating three capitals executive capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and judicial capital at Kurnool.

The farmers, belonging to 29 villages, who gave away nearly 34,000 acres of their fertile land to the capital city during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime in 2015, resisted the move, asserting that they had sacrificed their livelihood in anticipation of the development of a world-class capital city in Amaravati.

'For the last 200 days, these farmers have been waging a relentless battle demanding that the capital Amaravati be retained. They took out rallies, held relay hunger strikes, blocked the national highways and braved arrests and lathicharge from the police. Some of the farmers died of heart attacks due to psychological pressure, said Komati, who was former special representative of Andhra Pradesh government for North America.

Besides the US, Telugu NRIs from the UK, Ireland, Kuwait, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have come forward to voice their solidarity. PTI LUX NVG NVG
California [US], July 4 (ANI): As the struggle for "Amaravati as sole capital for Andhra Pradesh" enters the 200th day, the non-resident Telugu people across the globe are expressing their solidarity with Amaravati farmers. On the occasion, Telugu Association of North America's (TANA) former president Jayaram Komati said, "Andhra NRIs in almost 300 cities across the world are participating in a candlelight vigil for the sake of -- One State One Capital." Kumati added, "As the farmers' protest in Andhra Pradesh reached 200 days, we as NRIs want to show our solidarity towards the farmers and 'one-state one capital'. Amaravati should be our capital. More than 250 cities voluntarily came forward to do the candlelight vigil." He further said, across the globe, we have more than 300 cities people are participating in this. "More than one lakh people are participating in this candlelight vigil. We as NRIs request honourable Prime Minister Modi ji to get involved and resolve the issue once and for all. We request the PM to take initiative in this particular issue," Kumati added. The idea behind the protest was known to express solidarity in 200 cities all over the world to mark the 200th days of the movement. However, in the US itself, NRIs joined the solidarity event from more than 230 cities, with the global number going up to 300. This event was conducted across the world in full adherence to COVID-19 rules. The NRIs participated in the event in small groups of 15-20 people. However, more people took part in the event and several more NRIs have participated in the event from their homes virtually. Telugu NRIs from USA, UK, Ireland, Kuwait, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have come forward to voice their solidarity. (ANI)
Dhaka, Jul 4 (PTI) 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 per cent. The total infection rate so far stands at 19.19 per cent, 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 per cent, 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 per cent 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. PTI MRJ MRJ
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
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.

If there are many more asymptomatic infections than once thought, then the virus may be less deadly than it has appeared. But even that calculation is a difficult one.

On Thursday, after the World Health Organization held a two-day online meeting of 1,300 scientists from around the world, the agencys chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, said the consensus for now was that the IFR is about 0.6%  which means that the risk of death is less than 1%.

Although she did not note this, 0.6% of the worlds population is 47 million people, and 0.6% of the U.S. population is 2 million people. The virus remains a major threat.

At present, countries have very different case fatality rates, or CFRs, which measure deaths among patients known to have had COVID-19. In most cases, that number is highest in countries that have had the virus the longest.

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According to data gathered by The New York Times, China had reported 90,294 cases as of Friday and 4,634 deaths, which is a CFR of 5%. The United States was very close to that mark. It has had 2,811,447 cases and 129,403 deaths, about 4.6%.

Those percentages are far higher rates than the 2.5% death rate often ascribed to the 1918 flu pandemic. Still, it is difficult to measure fatality rates during pandemics, especially at the beginning.

In the chaos that ensues when a new virus hits a city hard, thousands of people may die and be buried without ever being tested, and certainly without them all being autopsied.

It is never entirely clear how many died of the virus and how many died of heart attacks, strokes or other ills. That has happened in both New York City and in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began.

Normally, once the chaos has subsided, more testing is done and more mild cases are found  and because the denominator of the fraction rises, fatality rates fall. But the results are not always consistent or predictable.

Ten sizable countries, most of them in Western Europe, have tested bigger percentages of their populations than has the United States, according to Worldometer, which gathers statistics. They are Iceland, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Britain, Israel and New Zealand.

But their case fatality rates vary wildly: Icelands is less than 1%, New Zealands and Israels are below 2%. Belgium, by comparison, is at 16%, and Italy and Britain at 14%.

Both figures  the infection fatality rate and the case fatality rate  can differ quite a bit by country.

So far, in most countries, about 20% of all confirmed COVID-19 patients become ill enough to need supplemental oxygen or even more advanced hospital care, said Dr. Janet Diaz, head of clinical care for the WHOs emergencies program.

Whether those patients survive depends on a host of factors, including age, underlying illnesses and the level of medical care available.

Death rates are expected to be lower in countries with younger populations and less obesity, which are often the poorest countries. Conversely, the figures should be higher in countries that lack oxygen tanks, ventilators and dialysis machines, and where many people live far from hospitals. Those are also often the poorest countries.

The WHO and various charities are scrambling to purchase oxygen equipment for poor and middle-income nations in which the coronavirus is spreading.

And now, new factors are being introduced into the equation. For example, new evidence that people with Type A blood are more likely to fall deathly ill could change risk calculations. Type A blood is relatively rare in West Africa and South Asia, and very rare among the Indigenous peoples of South America.

Before this past weeks meeting, the WHO had no official IFR estimate, Oliver Morgan, the agencys director of health emergency information and risk assessment, said in an interview in early June.

Instead, it had relied on a mix of data sent in by member countries and by academic groups, and on a meta-analysis done in May by scientists at the University of Wollongong and James Cook University in Australia.

Those researchers looked at 267 studies in more than a dozen countries, and then chose the 25 they considered the most accurate, weighting them for accuracy and averaged the data. They concluded that the global IFR was 0.64%.

The CDCs estimate for the United States is lower: an IFR of 0.4%, according to a set of planning scenarios released in late May. The agency did not respond to requests to explain how it arrived at that figure, or why it was so much lower than the WHOs estimate. By comparison, 0.4% of the U.S. population is 1.3 million people.

The 25 studies that the Australian researchers considered the most accurate relied on very different methodologies. One report, for example, was based on diagnostic PCR tests of all passengers and crew aboard the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that docked in Japan after it was overcome by the coronavirus. Another study drew data from an antibody survey of 38,000 Spaniards, while another included only 1,104 Swedes.

The current WHO estimate is based on later, larger studies of how many people have antibodies in their blood; future studies may further refine the figure, Swaminathan said.

But there is a lot of uncertainty about how many silent and untested carriers there are, Morgan of the WHO said.

To arrive at the CDCs new estimate, researchers tested samples from 11,933 people for antibodies to the coronavirus in six US regions. New York City reported 53,803 cases by April 1, but the actual number of infections was 12 times higher  nearly 642,000, the agency estimated.

New York Citys prevalence of 7% in the CDC study was well below the 21% estimated in a state survey in April. But that number was based on people recruited at supermarkets, and so the results may have been biased toward people out shopping during a pandemic  often the young, who have been less affected.

The global fatality rates could still change. With one or two exceptions, like Iran and Ecuador, the pandemic first struck wealthier countries in Asia, Western Europe and North America where advanced medical care was available.

Now it is spreading widely in India, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and other countries where millions are crowded into slums, lockdowns have been relatively brief and hospitals have few resources.

But the death rates may also shift in wealthier northern countries as winter approaches. Most of the spread of the virus in Europe and North America has taken place during mild or warm weather in the spring and summer.

Many experts fear that infections and deaths will shoot up in the fall as colder weather forces people indoors, where they are more likely to infect one another. Discipline about wearing masks and avoiding breathing on one another will be even more important then.

In each of the eight influenza pandemics to hit the United States since 1763, a relatively mild first wave  no matter what time of year it arrived  was followed by a larger, much more lethal wave a few months later, noted Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

More than a third of all the people killed by the Spanish flu, which lasted from March 1918 to late 1920, died in the stretch between September and December 1918  about six months after a first, relatively mild version of what may have been the same virus broke out in western Kansas.

We will go much higher in the next 12 to 18 months, Osterholm said. Because this is a coronavirus, not influenza, it may not follow the same pattern, but it is a much more efficient transmitter than influenza.

Donald G. McNeil Jr. c.2020 The New York Times Company
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 stretch of DNA linked to COVID-19 was passed down from Neanderthals 60,000 years ago, according to a new study.

Scientists dont yet know why this particular segment increases the risk of severe illness from the coronavirus. But the new findings, which were posted online Friday and have not yet been published in a scientific journal, show how some clues to modern health stem from ancient history.

This interbreeding effect that happened 60,000 years ago is still having an impact today, said Joshua Akey, a geneticist at Princeton University who was not involved in the new study.

This piece of the genome, which spans six genes on chromosome 3, has had a puzzling journey through human history, the study found. The variant is now common in Bangladesh, where 63% of people carry at least one copy. Across all of South Asia, almost one-third of people have inherited the segment.

Elsewhere, however, the segment is far less common. Only 8% of Europeans carry it, and just 4% have it in East Asia. It is almost completely absent in Africa.

Its not clear what evolutionary pattern produced this distribution over the past 60,000 years. Thats the $10,000 question, said Hugo Zeberg, a geneticist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden who was one of the authors of the new study.

One possibility is that the Neanderthal version is harmful and has been getting rarer overall. Its also possible that the segment improved peoples health in South Asia, perhaps providing a strong immune response to viruses in the region.

One should stress that at this point this is pure speculation, said Zebergs co-author, Svante Paabo, the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Researchers are only beginning to understand why COVID-19 is more dangerous for some people than others. Older people are more likely to become severely ill than younger ones. Men are at more risk than women.

Social inequality matters, too. In the United States, Black people are far more likely than white people to become severely ill from the coronavirus, for example, most likely due in part to the countrys history of systemic racism. It has left Black people with a high rate of chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as living conditions and jobs that may increase exposure to the virus.

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Genes play a role as well. Last month, researchers compared people in Italy and Spain who became very sick with COVID-19 to those who had only mild infections. They found two places in the genome associated with a greater risk. One is on chromosome 9 and includes ABO, a gene that determines blood type. The other is the Neanderthal segment on chromosome 3.

But these genetic findings are being rapidly updated as more people infected with the coronavirus are studied. Just last week, an international group of scientists called the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative released a new set of data downplaying the risk of blood type. The jury is still out on ABO, said Mark Daly, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School who is a member of the initiative.

The new data showed an even stronger link between the disease and the chromosome 3 segment. People who carry two copies of the variant are three times more likely to suffer from severe illness than people who do not.

After the new batch of data came out Monday, Zeberg decided to find out if the chromosome 3 segment was passed down from Neanderthals.

About 60,000 years ago, some ancestors of modern humans expanded out of Africa and swept across Europe, Asia and Australia. These people encountered Neanderthals and interbred. Once Neanderthal DNA entered our gene pool, it spread down through the generations, long after Neanderthals became extinct.

Most Neanderthal genes turned out to be harmful to modern humans. They may have been a burden on peoples health or made it harder to have children. As a result, Neanderthal genes became rarer, and many disappeared from our gene pool.

But some genes appear to have provided an evolutionary edge and have become quite common. In May, Zeberg, Paabo and Dr. Janet Kelso, also of the Max Planck Institute, discovered that one-third of European women have a Neanderthal hormone receptor. It is associated with increased fertility and fewer miscarriages.

Zeberg knew that other Neanderthal genes that are common today even help us fight viruses. When modern humans expanded into Asia and Europe, they may have encountered new viruses against which Neanderthals had already evolved defenses. We have held onto those genes ever since.

Zeberg looked at chromosome 3 in an online database of Neanderthal genomes. He found that the version that raises peoples risk of severe COVID-19 is the same version found in a Neanderthal who lived in Croatia 50,000 years ago. I texted Svante immediately, Zeberg said in an interview, referring to Paabo.

Paabo was on vacation in a cottage in the remote Swedish countryside. Zeberg showed up the next day, and they worked day and night until they posted the study online Friday.

Its the most crazy vacation Ive ever had in this cottage, Paabo said.

Tony Capra, a geneticist at Vanderbilt University who was not involved in the study, thought it was plausible that the Neanderthal chunk of DNA originally provided a benefit  perhaps even against other viruses. But that was 40,000 years ago, and here we are now, he said.

Its possible that an immune response that worked against ancient viruses has ended up overreacting against the new coronavirus. People who develop severe cases of COVID-19 typically do so because their immune systems launch uncontrolled attacks that end up scarring their lungs and causing inflammation.

Paabo said the DNA segment may account in part for why people of Bangladeshi descent are dying at a high rate of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

Its an open question whether this Neanderthal segment continues to keep a strong link to COVID-19 as Zeberg and other researchers study more patients. And it may take discoveries of the segment in ancient fossils of modern humans to understand why it became so common in some places but not others.

But Zeberg said that the 60,000-year journey of this chunk of DNA in our species might help explain why its so dangerous today.

Its evolutionary history may give us some clues, Zeberg said.

Carl Zimmer c.2020 The New York Times Company
Jaipur, Jul 4 (PTI) 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. PTI SDA AQS AQS
Participants take part in the LGBT Pride March in the Manhattan borough of New York City

By Maria Caspani

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Diana and Jillian Rosile of Denver this year would have marked their first Pride celebration as an out queer couple since Diana, a transgender woman, changed her legal name this month.

But as the relentless coronavirus pandemic forced Colorado's Pride events to go virtual, the young software engineers had to shelve their plans. However, the Rosiles still showed their Pride, sharing their news on social media.

The response, they said, has been overwhelmingly positive. "Family and friends and coworkers have all been supportive," said Diana, 33.

The pandemic has forced organizers to move parades, marches and forums online across the United States in June for Pride Month, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ community and a renewed call for equal rights. Still, "canceling" Pride was not an option, said Cathy Renna, director of communications at the National LGBTQ Task Force.

"Our community just said, 'A year without Pride is not acceptable - let's find a way to try and create an experience online'," she said. "And in some ways, it's allowed an accessibility to Pride that we didn't have before."

Millions of people from every corner of the world are expected to tune in on Saturday to Global Pride, a 24-hour virtual broadcast that organizers say could become the largest LGBTQ event ever.

Chazzie Grosshandler, a 14-year-old transgender activist, would have attended her first Pride parade in New York City on Sunday. Instead, she will follow the event online from her home in Chicago. She will also participate in virtual events for the GenderCool Project, the organization co-founded by her mother to advocate for transgender and non-binary young people.

"It is sad that we can't do stuff in person," Grosshandler said. "We have to accept the change, and it's really disappointing but, you know, we have to move on."

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STILL MARCHING

Some in-person demonstrations will still take place. On Sunday in New York City, the Reclaim Pride Coalition, a group of queer and trans activists, will hold its second annual Queer Liberation March which this year will focus on a protest against racial injustice and demands for police reform.

"Inspired by the historic, Black-led protest movement that has taken to the streets here in NYC and across the world, Reclaim Pride supports demands for immediate defunding, disarming, and dismantling of police forces, the organization's Francesca Barjon said in a statement.

Organizers of Reclaim Pride reject commercial sponsorship as well as the presence of uniformed police, and have asked participants to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing during the march.

Pride Month is especially significant this year for Michael Bridgeforth, 56, a Black gay man who said he grew up afraid ofcelebrating his identity and battling racism.

"I think we all should take pride in who we are, regardless of our skin color, but it just makes me feel prouder," he said. "Now I feel more empowered to stand my ground."

Bridgeforth and his husband Roland Ducharme, 60, have been attending Pride events together since they met at a gay bar in Baltimore in 1994. They took part in many Pride parades across the country over the years as they moved frequently due to Ducharme's job with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In recent years, they favored smaller gatherings with friends in the gay community in Westfield, Massachusetts, but this year things will be different.

"I'm not sure if anything has been planned" locally for Pride this year, Bridgeforth said. "I don't think so because we were all very cautious" of the coronavirus threat.

"We'll probably have a fire in our backyard."

(Reporting by Maria Caspani, Editing by Frank McGurty and David Gregorio)
Kathmandu, Jul 4 (PTI) 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 Partys 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 Ministers 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.

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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 dont 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 gentlemans 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. PTI SBP CPS AKJ AKJ
Kathmandu [Nepal], July 4 (ANI): Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday claimed that the ruling party's unity was at stake and told his ministerial colleagues that some "forceful decisions" might be taken. In a meeting called at Baluwatar on late Saturday evening, Oli asked ministers to decide on whose side they were if the condition worsens. "Plots are being hatched against me and President (Bidhya Devi Bhandari). This might result in taking forceful decisions. So, all of you would now need to clear your stance and be prepared," a sitting minister quoted Prime Minister Oli as saying. The meeting between PM Oli and ministers of cabinet started about half-an-hour late as PM Oli went to Sheetal Niwas to hold consultation with President Bhandari. Oli's remarks came amid escalating rift in ruling Nepal Communist Party. The meeting of central standing committee (CSC), scheduled for Saturday morning, was postponed on by two days on Saturday. Nearly 90 per cent members of 50-membered CSC are demanding that Oli should step down. The Prime Minister has been declining to give up any post while the party's co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that he should give up either the post of Prime Minister or as party head. Oli has also been skipping CSC meetings which has further increased dissatisfaction in the party. Dahal on Friday also had held discussions with the President after meeting PM Oli. The faction of Madhav Kumar Nepal and Pushpa Kamal Dahal is unhappy after President Bhandari prorogued the ongoing budget session. There have been hints from party leaders that Oli was hatching plans to split the party. Dahal and Oli share the chairmanship of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). (ANI)
London [UK], July 4 (ANI): UK's first female suicide bomb plotter, Safiyaa Shaikh has told police during an interview that she was planning a Sri Lanka style terror attack on St Paul's Cathedral as she is jailed for 14 years. The eight deadly terror bombings had rattled several high-end hotels and churches across Sri Lanka on the morning of April 21 last year when people were busy celebrating Easter Sunday. More than 250 people had lost their lives in the attacks. According to media reports, Shaikh, 36, born Michelle Ramsden in Hounslow, west London, raised her index finger in a salute associated with dreaded terrorist organisation ISIS as she was taken to the cells. The single mother told undercover police officers that she wanted to do a 'piece of history and kill as many kuffar as possible'. As per reports, after setting off two bombs, she wanted to blow herself up on London underground. Shaikh reportedly told an undercover officer that she is 'ready for jannah [paradise] but I want to do big things, insha'Allah [god willing]'. Upon being interviewed by police officers, she confessed about planning to carry out suicide bomb attack like terrorist attack in Sri Lanka. "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, as per the reports. (ANI)
Chandigarh, July 4 (PTI) University and college examinations in Punjab have been cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Saturday.

The students will be promoted on the basis of their previous years' results and will also have an option to take the exams later, Singh announced in his weekly 'AskCaptain' Facebook live.

However, the online exams being conducted by some universities will continue uninterrupted.

Universities and colleges are in the process of working out the modalities for implementing the decision which will be announced in the next few weeks, the chief minister said.

Singh urged all students to continue with their studies in right earnest despite the cancellation of the examinations.

'You have to continue to work for your future,' he told the students.

Responding to the CM's announcement, the Panjab University (PU) here said it is waiting for the UGC guidelines.

In a statement, PU's dean of university instructions R K Singla informed that the university has noted the announcement made by the Punjab CM regarding the cancellation of university/college exams.

'However, the university which has been preparing for exams/admission related activities since long, is awaiting guidelines from UGC,' it said. Meanwhile, the CM has announced increase in the number of attempts for ex-servicemen appearing for the Punjab Civil Services examination.

Scheduled Caste candidates will continue to get unlimited chances, as per the existing system, while the general category ex-servicemen will now get six attempts, instead of the earlier four.

For the Backward Classes category of ex-servicemen, the number of attempts has been increased to nine, the chief minister said.

Singh said he had received several petitions from ex-servicemen to be put at par with the overall general category aspirants. PTI CHS VSD SNE
A Ugandan man has died after setting fire to himself in a police station when officers allegedly demanded a bribe to release his motorcycle, which he was using as a taxi and which had been impounded over violation of coronavirus restrictions.

The case has provoked anger among Ugandans who say it reflects widespread abuse by security personnel, including beatings, detentions and extortion that in the current climate are often disguised as enforcement of coronavirus regulations.

The rider, Hussein Walugembe, had recently acquired his motorcycle and it was being driven by a colleague when it was impounded on Tuesday for violating a dusk-to-dawn curfew, regional police spokesman Nsubuga Mohammed said.

On Thursday, Walugembe came to the police station in the town of Masaka to claim the bike but was frustrated by some police officers who demanded he pay a bribe, Mohammed said.

After his pleas to the police officer responsible for traffic violations to release his bike were rejected, he doused himself with gasoline, which he concealed in a container in his jacket, and set himself on fire.

"He attempted to grab the officer, for them to die together, but he escaped with minor burns, leaving the victim behind," the national police headquarters said in a statement.

Police are investigating allegations of "extortion and bribery" at the station, the statement said, adding that two police officers have been arrested. Masaka is about 130 km (80 miles) south of the capital Kampala.

Uganda implemented one of Africa's strictest lockdowns to curb the coronavirus and has kept infections relatively low at under 1,000 cases, with no deaths. The government has loosened some of the restrictions but some remain.

Critics have accused President Yoweri Museveni's government of using the pandemic to repress rights and harass opponents ahead of a general election due early next year.
Seoul [South Korea], July 4 (ANI): The top American envoy for North Korea will visit South Korea and Japan next week amid stalled denuclearisation talks between Washington and Pyongyang, a diplomatic source here informed Yonhap news agency on 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. It was not immediately clear if Biegun would also 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 US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the US presidential election in November. Trump and Kim have met three times to try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programme in exchange for US concessions. The two sides have failed to make progress since their second summit in February last year ended abruptly due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearisation and sanctions relief from the US. Biegun said earlier this week that he believes another summit is unlikely before the election, citing COVID-19 as a reason. But he stated there is still time to make "substantial progress." (ANI)
Kolkata, Jul 4 (PTI) Three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have been injured in an attack by Bangladeshi smugglers along the India-Bangladesh international border in West Bengal, officials said on Saturday.

The incident took place near the Bansghata post of the BSF in the North 24 Parganas district of the state during the intervening night of July 3-4, they said.

Troops of the 107th battalion of the force had laid an ambush in the border area and when a group of 10-12 Bangladeshi smugglers were spotted in the dead of the night (around 3:30 am), the BSF men challenged them.

'The smugglers encircled the BSF party and brutally attacked them with bamboo sticks and sharp-edged cleaver-like weapons called 'Dah',' a senior BSF officer said.

Three BSF men were injured in this attack, he said.

The troops fired five rounds from their non-lethal pump action gun in self-defence and subsequently, the miscreants ran across the border towards Bangladesh, the officer said.

A packet containing eight kilograms of 'ganja' or marijuana was seized from the incident site, he added.

It is understood that one or two of the attackers were injured in the firing by the BSF troops, the officer said. PTI NES IJT
New Delhi, Jul 4 (PTI) Noting that the teachings of Lord Buddha were as relevant in the current times as they were earlier, both President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that as the world fought extraordinary challenges, his message served like a beacon.

Addressing the Dhamma Chakra Day celebrations, organised by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in partnership with Ministry of Culture, Kovind said Lord Buddha's cure for human suffering remains as relevant today as it was over two and half millennia ago.

'There is no doubt that the urgency of abiding by the values that 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,' he said.

Kovind said that in India, Buddhism is seen as a fresh expression of the sublime truth.

'His enlightenment, and the subsequent preaching by him for over four decades, were in line with India's tradition of respect for intellectual liberalism and spiritual diversity,' said Kovind.

Dhamma Chakra Day is celebrated all over the world to commemorate the first sermon that Gautama Buddha gave to his five ascetic disciples.

The PM in his virtual address said that in his first sermon at Sarnath, Lord Buddha referred to hope and purpose. For Lord Buddha, it was the removal of human suffering, the prime minister observed.

'We have to rise to the occasion and do whatever we can to increase hope among people,' he said.

Modi also said that India's start up sector is a great example of how hope, innovation and compassion can remove suffering.

'Bright young minds are finding solutions to global problems. India has one of the largest start-up ecosystems,' he said.

Recalling the eight-fold path of Lord Buddha, Modi said it shows the way towards the well-being of many societies and nations.

Story continues

It highlights the importance of compassion and kindness, he said adding that the teachings of Lord Buddha celebrate simplicity both in thought and action.

'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,' Modi said.

Buddhism, the prime minister noted, 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.' Modi said he is very hopeful about the 21st century.

'This hope comes from my young friends, our youth... would urge my young friends to also stay connected with the thoughts of Lord Buddha. They will motivate and show the way ahead,' he said.

The president inaugurated the Dharma Chakra Day, while the 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.

Patel in his address said that the message of Lord Buddha has permeated globally and it was everyone's responsibility to spread his teachings.

The culture minister said his ministry has again presented the copies of 'Mongolian Kanjur' in front of the country and abroad. Patel gave the copies of Mongolian Kanjur to Kovind and Ambassador of Mongolia to India Gonching Ganboid.

He said that the ministry has decided to deliver these copies in all the monasteries of Mongolia. Patel added that it has 108 sections and 'we are printing five volumes, but it is our resolution that we will take all 108 volumes to them'.

Mongolian Kanjur, a Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes, is the most important religious text in Mongolia. In Mongolian language 'Kanjur' means 'Concise Orders' the words of Lord Buddha.

Rijiju said that the values and teachings of Buddhism are very much at heart of India's ethos and cultural identity.

'The historical legacy of our great land being the land of Buddha's enlightenment and awakening connects us intimately with not only Buddhists but everybody who understand and follows Buddhism and everyone who values love, compassion around the world,' he said.

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.

The rest of the day's celebrations will be streamed from Mulagandha Kuti Vihara, Sarnath and Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya in association with Mahabodhi Society of India and Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee. PTI NAB ASG AAR
There was also a huge bowl of traditional Mandarin orange and toasted almond salad with fresh citrus vinaigrette on every table. And several Tahitian punch bowls on a communal table which, if memory serves, was fantastic. And for dessert they served a tropical fruit medley topped off with a Pina Colada cake. And, of course, there were the complementary leis everywhere.

I spent the day eating, participating in local dances and watching multiple productions put on by children and other performers. At the end of the night, I was exhausted. I believe I slept half of Sunday away, but I managed to get up in time to drive to a local tourist area where I could witness active lava flowing.

Now, this portion of my story is completely ridiculous, but it goes to prove that ignorance is bliss. I arrived late, so I wasnt able to join a tour group to explore the lava fields. I just drove my car until I found a nearby spot to park then got out and walked. There were roped off areas along the lava flows that were placed there for the spectators safety, which I, of course, ignored.

I stepped over the safety ropes and out onto active lava plates. I strolled out about 200 feet to take pictures of flowing lava. It was incredible. I could hear the rock plates cracking under my feet, but I didnt pay any attention to it. Suddenly, there was a considerable amount of commotion behind me. I turned to see more than a dozen people waving. At the time, I didnt realize they were trying to warn me of the dangers, so I just waved back. My feet were getting hot and when I looked down, my shoes were melting. This cant be good, I thought. The active lava was just a few feet away, and suddenly one of my shoes felt like it was on fire, and it dawned on me. Im too close. Oh, its hot. Yep, time to go.

Alberto Perez wrote the first two books in a series, The Second Coming: The Arrival and The Second Coming: The Gathering, almost three years ago. The books illustrate an account of the Rapture and are available for purchase through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The Second Coming: The Trials, is a continuation of the same story and Part 3 in a series of six. You can learn more about him at www.albertoperez.com or join him on Twitter @albertoperezmba and Facebook.
Still, the movement to reorder the symbols of what we honor in our public spaces is fraught with ambiguity. Lee is a prime example. His legend is shrouded in romance; we know the name of his horse, and that his home was filled with Founding Fathers memorabilia. During the week before the attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincolns adviser Francis Blair asked Lee to take on the role of major general to command the defense of the national capital, with an eye toward eventual accession to the position of chief general. But, in 1861, it was not at all uncommon for military leaders to feel the tug of loyalty more strongly from ones home state rather than the country as a whole. And so Lee decided to don a uniform as leader of the Army of Northern Virginia, effective June 1862.
Likewise, the nods of approval many elected officials have given to rioters and looters in recent weeks have served to appease the masses and many have, remarkably, failed to condemn blatantly illegal behaviors. Democrats and even many Republicans have outright ignored the violence being wrought in major cities across the country, giving implicit approval by simply remaining silent. Votes are votes, it seems, regardless of the sanctity of our democracy.

The destruction of historical monuments, in fact, is the physical manifestation of suppressing free speech. Those who destroy statues are making a statement, clearly demonstrating the belief that their viewpoint is the correct one  the only one  as dissenters are left without a voice as monuments are toppled. Theres nothing like a little mob rule when theres a point to be made.

This is not to be construed as support or condemnation of Civil War monuments. It is merely to point out the need for public debate before removing statues that some see as offensive.
Our union was still in need of reform when it was led by the brave women and men who fought for the 21st Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

I believe we are currently on the brink of another opportunity to take a great stride forward in our pursuit of a more perfect union. Our nation is simultaneously experiencing two historic moments. One, a global pandemic that has taken the world by storm and changed the way we live our everyday lives; the other a renewed awakening of the human spirit to address injustices that have plagued our society for far too long as we reaffirm our commitment to the belief that all men are created equal.

As we navigate this time in our country, however, I fear a rising movement to disregard our founding and our history. This movement paints democracy and capitalism as evil, while saying socialism is a positive path forward for our country. Make no mistake, socialism has destroyed countries and would turn our freedom into oppression. Democracy and capitalism, on the other hand, are the greatest agents for peace and prosperity throughout the history of the world.

Sadly, these American values are under attack.
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.

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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.
Heisman's previous attempt to start an airline didn't end well. In 2013, he was CEO of a company called Met Jet that started flying from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Orlando and Fort Myers, Florida. The company leased its planes from Sun Country.

The airline went under after operating flights for a little over a year, and while the company issued refunds to all customers who had bought tickets, it did not do so within the required 14-day time period. Heisman said the delay was caused by a credit card issue and the company had funds to pay the refunds in escrow, so there was never any danger of them not being paid. He signed a consent order with the Department of Transportation that prohibited him from being involved with another charter airline for five years.

He also signed a consent order and was fined $3,000 by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions in 2018 in conjunction with another attempt to start an airline.

For his part, Heisman noted that the consent order from the Department of Transportation has now expired and the department has not raised any concerns about him attempting to start another airline.

"I always get amazed when people think that because someone falters once they should just go into a corner and sit forever," he said in an email.
When facial pigmentation first appears, its important to see a dermatologist for a definitive diagnosis because melasma may be subtle and can look like other skin conditions. Once diagnosed, the goal of melasma treatment is to decrease the production of pigment and remove areas of excess pigmentation that already have appeared.

Intense-pulsed light treatment for melasma uses a broad spectrum of light to generate heat to target and remove pigment. But the heat diffuses to all the surrounding tissues. That can lead to complications, including a condition known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which causes more dark patches to appear. Research shows that intense-pulsed light can improve melasma in the short term, but relapse often is seen within three months.

More recently, fractional nonablative lasers have been studied for the treatment of melasma. These lasers resurface the skin and remove pigment through heated columns, but they leave the skin around the columns untouched. Different devices with different levels of power are available, so the treatment can be individualized for each patient. Unlike the set 100% coverage of intense-pulsed light, these lasers can treat as low as 5% of the skin to slowly remove pigment with a much lower risk of relapse or worsening of melasma.
The confluence of two national tragedies in 27 months has further muddied the topic of school resource officers on Lincoln's campuses.

In its intended form, police presence at schools is designed to bridge the gap, providing armed security while also adding a positive role model for all students and exposing them to a glimpse of law enforcement in a more relaxed setting.

However, in the aftermath of the February, 2018, shooting rampage at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the quest for school safety, while fostering a trusting environment for students of color -- especially in light of the horrendous death of George Floyd's at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer in May -- has become a much more challenging needle to thread.

Both sides possess valid arguments to complicated issues that have only grown more complex and nuanced in recent weeks under a national spotlight placed on police reform.

No doubt, it's tricky. The Parkland shooting killed 17 and injured 17 others. The safety of children should be a given, a promise school administrators should be able to guarantee to parents and loved ones. The presence of law enforcement on our middle and high school campuses provides at least the perception of security.
Timothy Lopez is a sturdy man, with close cropped dark hair, a boyish face and a military-style vocabulary filled with "yes ma'am" and "no sir."

He's 30 years old, from Hispanic and Native bloodlines, a young man raised in chaos and the foster care system and then by an African American woman who became his guardian, but who he thinks of as a mother.

"She loved me nothing less than what a mother would, and gave me as much as she could give me," Lopez explains.

But it wasn't quite enough to keep him out of prison  for a more than 10-year stint  for a crime he committed at age 17.

Now, he's trying to get to a place in his life where he can say he's making it on his own, that he's succeeding.

As the Nebraska Board of Parole steps up its review of inmates for parole, mostly because of a pending declaration of an overcrowding emergency from Gov. Pete Ricketts that the law demands, a greater number of inmates could more quickly find themselves in Lopez's shoes.

In the past 17 months, through May, the board held 2,700 parole hearings. And 1,546  three out of five eligible inmates  were approved in that time to be released.
1870: The Burlington opened its railroad from the east as far as Newton (now Havelock); this was a year after construction began at Plattsmouth for the line that was to enter Lincoln via Louisville, South Bend and Ashland.

Lightning struck the Lincoln dwelling of Mr. and Mrs. N.S. Scott. Two women were in the house at the time, one in bed and the other sitting in a chair. The latter received a severe shock.

1880: A trainload of machinery for the manufacture of agriculture implements arrived at the penitentiary and business started with convict labor.

1890: Lincoln was shutting off the street lamps to avoid a threatened deficit in the lighting fund.

1900: A period of drought was broken when heavy rains fell in Nebraska.

1910: The City Council granted the Lincoln Traction Co. the right to place temporary tracks over the North 10th Street viaduct.

1920: The second season of summer school at the University of Nebraska began. The six-week session offered 50 classes.

1930: After a few days' respite Nebraska was again in the grip of torrid temperatures. Lincoln reported 108 degrees -- the hottest day in 12 years.
CHICAGO  United Airlines plans to fly about three times more routes in August than it did last month as passengers slowly return to the skies, even as the number of new COVID-19 cases across the U.S. rises.

Chicago-based United will have about 60% fewer flights on its schedule in August compared with the same month last year. But travelers are slowly coming back, particularly when it comes to domestic flights, said Ankit Gupta, Uniteds vice president of domestic network planning.

The number of people passing through U.S. airport security checkpoints each day topped 600,000 on certain days in late June, down from 2.7 million people a year ago. Still, airports are busier than theyve been since late March.

United is scheduling about 600 more domestic flights a day in August than July, including more flights between Hawaii and hubs including Chicago. The airline said it has seen interest in beach travel, suggesting passengers may be seeking outdoor vacation spots where social distancing could be easier.

Some states have slowed reopening plans after seeing an increase in cases of COVID-19. Nationwide, the number of new confirmed cases has topped 40,000 per day after falling below 25,000 earlier this summer, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
I love that type of challenge, said Preston, who added that as a mechanic, you learn something new every day. Youre always getting creative.

Hes hoping the streetcars will be operating again soon after being stopped during the COVID-19 shutdown. During this downtime, were done here doing maintenance and other projects. Everyone asks us when the streetcars will be running again. Were working to get back to normal, but the target date is above my pay grade. (City officials are aiming for Aug. 1 to get the streetcars rolling again.)

During this shutdown, he said, Its been really tough because we havent been able to have visitors here. This whole operation was done to help Kenosha and has become a staple of the community, but we had to hit the pause button this year.

A labor of love

The biggest issue in keeping Kenoshas streetcars operating is the TLC each car needs, Preston said. Theres always something to do, but its been a labor of love. These arent hangar queens that sit inside and look good; these streetcars are out in the elements, putting on miles and are all at least 70 years old. He quickly adds that the 70-year-old vehicles are built like tanks and perform flawlessly.
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.
CALEDONIA  With only one in three small businesses making it to the 10-year mark, North Shore Animal Hospital, 4630 Douglas Ave. (State Hwy. 32) in Caledonia, is in very rare company: Its marking its 50th anniversary this month.

Across all the changes inherent with the passage of 50 years of time, one thing has remained the same  the cohesive oversight of Burlington born-and-raised veterinarian Dr. Thomas N. Torhorst.

Ive always liked animals, he noted. I enjoy dealing with animals and their people  Ive had a very enjoyable career.

After earning a bachelor of science degree in economics and doing graduate work in agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Torhorst earned his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Michigan State University in 1968, spending his last two years on MSUs open heart surgery team.

Beginning his professional career in Niles, Ill., in suburban Chicago, Torhorst returned to Racine County in the midst of a local tragedy: On July 3, 1970 Caledonia veterinarian Dr. Lawrence Gearhart, 41, and his 14-year-old son, Lawrence Jr., died when their boat was swamped by high waves while salmon fishing on Lake Michigan. An 11-year-old son, Jeffrey, survived a harrowing 17-hour ordeal on the lake.
RACINE  While people lined the streets of Waterford and Union Grove for parades in western Racine County, the City of Racines streets were mostly empty this Independence Day.

In years past, people got up in the wee hours of the morning to stake out their places along Main Street for the Racine parade.

While there still was a parade this year, it was dubbed a traveling parade: It consisted of 14 vehicles and, in light of COVID-19 concerns, Fourth Fest organizers did not announce the route ahead of time to prevent people from gathering.

Despite the secrecy, a few people figured out it was going down Main Street before turning on 14th Street and eventually making its way along Washington Avenue to Festival Foods, 5740 Washington Ave. The grocery chain was a major sponsor of this years parade.

That is the shortest parade I ever saw, Chris Thieme said, after the parade went through Downtown.

It stopped Downtown traffic briefly. But when it went through Uptown, which was almost entirely empty, it was there and gone in about a minute, from the first police squad car announcing the parade to the last one marking its end.

Traditional entries
As the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing and summer settles in, more homeless people are sleeping outside in tents, often in small clusters usually on public property, advocates and city officials say.

There are many reasons for the increase, but the main one seems to be fear of the new coronavirus in shelter settings, said Ben Jackson, an outreach worker for nonprofit Porchlight who works with many homeless living outside.

Ive got people coming out of shelter asking me for tents, he said.

At the dawn of the pandemic, Jimmy White opted for a tent over shelter. I love it out here, he said, referring to the campsite he shares with others off a trail in a city park. I love being outdoors. Were trying to make it a home. The homeless community is pretty small. Everybody pretty much knows everybody. This is the safer way to quarantine if you really think about it.

The choice offers more freedom and makes social distancing easier, but its also less hygienic, with a lack of access to soap, water and other sanitation supplies  a primary means of preventing infection, said city community development director Jim OKeefe, who estimates that more than 60 people are camping and receiving services.
Tearing down those statues doesnt advance any cause. It only causes further division and shows how uneducated some of the protesters are about our own nations past.

Col. Heg, who ended up living in Racine County, died in 1863 in a battle in Chickamauga, Georgia, in the fight to end slavery.

In a Wisconsin State Journal report, University of Connecticut professor Manisha Sinha, a leading authority on the history of slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, called the removal of the statues in Madison misguided because it opens the door for Confederate statue supporters to ask where the line in historical recognition will ever be drawn.

And debates are ongoing about the possible removal of Lincoln statues, including the one atop Bascom Hill that looks down State Street toward the Capitol Dome.

There are many stains on Lincolns past that are hard to look back on. He signed the Homestead Act, which provided settlers with land taken away from Native Americans who were pushed onto reservations. During a debate speech, he argued that he favored the superior position assigned to the white race, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

But in the end, he is remembered most for signing the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the end of slavery.
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

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Spc. Vanessa Guillen timeline

11:30 a.m. April 22  Final text message from Guillen

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 22  Guillen last seen

April 23  Guillen reported missing to CID by unit

April 24  First news release of Guillens disappearance

April 27  Army CID announces reward of up to $15,000

May 4  GoFundMe started by Guillens sister, Mayra

May 21  Fort Hood provides details of search for Guillen

May 21  Family holds press conference outside of Fort Hood

May 22  First protest outside of Fort Hood

May 23  Petition to White House started for Guillen

May 30  Residents search for Guillen in Belton and Copperas Cove

June 10  Fort Hood provides update of search for Guillen

June 12  Second protest outside of Fort Hood

June 13  Mass of intentions held for Guillen at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Killeen

June 13  Houston rapper Baby Bash announces on Facebook he will add $5,000 to the reward

June 15  Army CID reward increased to $25,000

June 16  LULAC President Domingo Garcia announced LULAC would match the CID reward bringing the total to $55,000

June 18  3rd Cavalry Regiment begins sexual harassment investigation

June 18  Fort Hood provides update to the search for Guillen

June 19  Third protest outside of Fort Hood

June 20  Fundraiser barbecue held for Guillen family in Killeen

June 21  Search for Guillen begins near the Leon River

June 23  Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, holds press conference with updates from Fort Hood

June 23  LULAC urges Latino families to not let their daughters join the Army

June 25  Texas Association Against Sexual Assault issues a statement about its concern over the handling of the Guillen case

June 25  Leon River search suspended

June 26  Fort Hood provides update to the search for Guillen

June 26  Fourth protest outside of Fort Hood

June 27  Fort Hood releases FAQs on its website

June 27  Texas EquuSearch searches for Guillen in Copperas Cove

June 28  LULAC launches #LaQuieroViva (I Want Her Alive) campaign

June 29  Secretary of the Army addresses the Guillen case

June 30  Searchers return to area near Leon River. Human remains found.

July 1  Spc. Aaron Robinson, a suspect in the case, takes his own life after Killeen police confront him.

July 1  Guillen family and their lawyer Natalie Khawam hold press conference at Navy memorial in Washington, D.C., demanding a congressional investigation

July 1  Petition to shut down Fort Hood started on www.change.org

July 2  Press conference at III Corps headquarters with Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, Fort Hood deputy commander, and Damon Phelps, senior special agent of Fort Hood CID

July 2  Cecily Anne Aguilar charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence by the U.S. Department of Justice

July 3  Candlelight vigil held for Guillen
Access to broadband internet was critical to success in the 21st-century classroom before the COVID-19 pandemic that made remote learning a necessity and access to digital tools vital for students and educators.

As we close the door on this school year of unprecedented challenges, we need our leaders in Washington to prioritize solutions to tackle the digital divide rapidly, to ensure students and educators are better connected when the next school year begins in the fall.

Nearly 600,000 Wisconsin residents lack access to a broadband connection at home, according to data from BroadbandNow.

The same analysis finds at least one-third of the residents do not have access to broadband internet in 24 Wisconsin counties. In seven counties, fewer than half of residents have access to a true broadband connection.

For those living in these unserved and underserved communities, that are particularly concentrated in rural areas, the abrupt transition to remote learning this spring was made far more challenging as a result of limited broadband connectivity.

To complete or submit assignments, too many Wisconsin students were forced to work from the parking lots of fast-food restaurants or other connected facilities.
Last month, I learned how to salsa, hula and dance like an extra in a Bollywood film.

And I didnt have to leave home.

I was one of a thousand or so people who signed up for dance parties via Zoom. These Saturday morning virtual dance parties came from Daybreaker, a group that throws early morning parties that are more sweat and connection than booze and pretension.

Daybreakers in-person dance parties stopped during the pandemic and moved online. I signed up to see how the energy, connection and hugging looked virtually.

These daytime dance parties are part of a growing movement to separate the dance floor from the nightclub. When Daybreaker launched in Philadelphia, I went to a rare weekend session. (Usually they are held early on a weekday morning. Great to break up the week but not so great if you dont live in the neighborhood.) It was fun and exhilarating to just dance.

But that was two years ago. Im a new parent and havent made time to go to any of the weekend Daybreaker sessions in Philly or any dance class in Lancaster County.

Lately, Ive been working from home with day care closed and family socially distant. What is this free time you talk of?

Still, when I saw the email about the Saturday Staycation Series, I immediately signed up.

There was no commute.

The sessions had a sponsor so they were free.

The dance partys at home so my daughter could join in if she wanted.

We were about three months into isolation and these virtual voyages were meant to help with the wanderlust.

Each trip started with a dance lesson. The first one had some technical difficulties. Our teachers cable disconnected a few times as he bounced around his home. The screen switched back to our host, who awkwardly ad-libbed live. A few times, our teachers glamorous background scenes from India gave way to reveal his real set-up: a plain white-walled room.

These problems made me feel more connected. Our teacher didnt have a professional camera crew. He too was alone, streaming this call on his phone in a home that wasnt Instagram perfect. Thats OK.

The camera went from person to person holding up signs from their hometown. There were people from all over the world: young and old, dancing by the pool and on top of the couch.

There also was time to watch performances by a Bollywood star for the trip to India plus a fire dancer and a professional hula dancer in Hawaii.

Outside of these parties, there are plenty of solo dance breaks (and singing breaks) to the beat of the playlist in my house. They dont require tickets or a calendar alert.

The feeling of just dancing for an hour was something completely different. The joy was not the same as a burst of dopamine during a run, too.

I forgot for a bit that there was a global pandemic.

Dancing with other people, even far away, made me feel less alone.

At the end, everyone was asked to share photos of people they missed. The photos flashing on the screen reminded me we may be apart, but technology can bind us together, sometimes in ways that dont make a lot of sense on paper.

One of these days we wont be so distant.

These virtual dance parties help in the meantime.
This story contains links that will take you to our archives site on newspapers.com. This content is free for LancasterOnline subscribers who are logged in. Click here for more information about how to subscribe.

Excerpts and summaries of news stories from the former Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era and Sunday News that focus on the events in the countys past that are noteworthy, newsworthy or just strange.

Generally, the "white" part of white-tailed deer doesn't refer to the animals' whole body. But all-white deer do exist, though they're quite rare. In 1995, there happened to be several of them in one Lancaster County place, easily seen by the public.

The exhibition pens at Oregon Dairy were home to no less than five of the pale-furred animals - two bucks, a doe and two fawns. Earl Hurst, who bought the dairy in 1952, said he had no intention of raising white deer there, it just sort of happened.

One reason white deer are so rare is that when the recessive genetic trait does appear in the wild, the animals' lack of natural camouflage makes them an easy target for predators, thus they tend not to live long enough to reproduce.

A tour bus crash in Wales ended up injuring at least a dozen Lancaster County students, ages 14 and 15, who were traveling there as part of an educational trip. The students were riding in two buses, one of which crashed into the other on a steep, wet road in the coastal town of Bangor.

All 73 passengers of the two buses were injured, as were both drivers. Most of the injuries were minor, though some of the injured were hospitalized.

In the headlines:

3 spacecraft participate in ballet at undocking

Fighting rages around Sarajevo

Graf leads top 4 to Wimbledon semis

Check out the July 5, 1995, Intelligencer Journal here.

In the summer of 1970, Columbia residents were living in fear of automotive arsonists.

Five cars in the borough were set alight within a 12-hour period on the night of July 3, and Columbia's fire inspector, Larry Smith, said similarities in the way the fires were set indicated that a single arsonist (or a group working tighter) was to blame. Three similar fires over the course of the previous week were suspected to be related.

Smith had reportedly organized a "network of men" to try and catch the arsonist(s) the next night, but when contacted by a reporter, declined to elaborate on that plan.

In the headlines:

UK troops seize arms in Belfast

The hirsute hassle - the long and short history of hair

UN's World Youth Assembly focuses on generation gap

Check out the July 5, 1970, Sunday News here.

A short, but unusual, piece of local news appeared on the front page of the July 5, 1945, Intelligencer Journal, amid world news focused on the final stages of the Second World War.

A pair of twins was born to Mr. and Mrs. George Robert Landis - but the girls were born in separate parts of the county. The first was born at the couple's Landisville home at 6 p.m., and the second - after an ambulance ride - was born at 7:15 p.m. at the former Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital.

In the headlines:

'Murder factory' in Bavaria area found by Yanks

Philippines freed; oil port won

Stars and Stripes raised in gore-stained Berlin Square

Check out the July 5, 1945, Intelligencer Journal here.
A song widely beloved by African Americans opens with a call to all people.

Lift evry voice, it says, and sing.

Sing loud, it implores, loud as the rolling sea.

Often referred to as the Black national anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing is a century-old masterpiece that speaks to America today.

Written by Black brothers living under Jim Crows codified oppression, the song balances two truths: the aspirational harmonies of Liberty and the suffering that Black people endured as slaves and second-class citizens.

The song is blunt about the violence. It references the chastening rod and blood of the slaughtered.

But that reality didnt cause brothers James and J. Rosamond Johnson to lose faith in the rising sun of our new day.

Williams "Its a rich song that speaks to what were going through today, reminding us all, white and Black, what it is we are trying to overcome."

Our history is rooted in contradictions from its founding. Moving toward an honest reckoning with that past is where America unexpectedly finds itself this Fourth of July.

Lift Every Voice invites us to greater understanding.

Its a rich song that speaks to what were going through today, reminding us all, white and Black, what it is we are trying to overcome, said Catherine Williams, an assistant professor of preaching and worship at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

Emotional reactions

Found in hymnals of many Christian denominations, Lift Every Voice melds evocative lyrics and surging music in a way that stirs emotions.

I am often between tears and having my chest burst with pride, the Rev. Gerald Simmons, a Black pastor in Lancaster, said.

Simmons 2 "I am often between tears and having my chest burst with pride."

Pride is also a reaction experienced by Amanda Kemp of Lancaster, a racial justice advocate and mentor for cross-cultural dialogue.

Kemp attended a Black-majority school in New York City where Lift Every Voice was sung at assemblies and graduations. Most students learned the first verse by heart, she said.

Its part of our dual heritage, Kemp said. She recalled a 1986 conference led by Jesse Jackson and attended by thousands that opened with singing of The Star Spangled Banner. While not on the program, singing Lift Every Voice followed spontaneously.

Shifting perspectives

The first of the songs three verses is a rallying call to all people who cherish freedom, Williams, of the seminarys faculty, said.

But the second verse is a different story.

It points to the horror of slavery, and that is where white voices may fall silent and listen to the pain in the Black voices, Williams said. That line about treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, I always find it so moving I can barely sing it.

The song shifts focus again in the final verse, becoming prayerlike, Williams said.

It acknowledges that Black people could not have gone through slavery apart from a strong faith in a God who is on the side of the oppressed, she said.

So how should white people approach this song? Kemp cautions against cultural appropriation.

Recognize you are entering into an oppressed groups cultural space, she said.

A predominantly white congregation, she said, should understand how the song differs from others in their hymnal, purposefully consider the historical and cultural context and acknowledge white complicity in systems of oppression.

I do want people to engage with the song, Kemp said, but I want them to engage it recognizing who they are in relationship to it.

Full picture

The dramatic reform movement that arose from the police killing of George Floyd thrust much of American history into a new light.

Independence Day, for example, may remind us of our debt to the 18th-century disciples of the Enlightenment who dared to, as the song says, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty, and found a nation upon such concepts as inalienable rights and self-governance.

But a fuller accounting is true, too, that well over half of the Declarations 56 signers were an elite group of white oppressors whose prosperity, in many cases, came at the expense of the unfree, victims bought, worked and treated like animals.

Simmons "The lynchings, decapitations, castrations and on and on are nowhere chronicled in a place the average white person will ever look."

Most white people do not know the suffering of Blacks in detail, the Rev. Simmons said. Nobody depicts, even in history books, the rape of women, men made to have sex with their mothers, children snatched from their mothers arms. The lynchings, decapitations, castrations and on and on are nowhere chronicled in a place the average white person will ever look.

It makes it hard when Im confronted with the Fourth of July, he said.

Lincoln at Gettysburg spoke of the unfinished work, indeed, of the great task, needed to achieve a new birth of freedom.

Lift Every Voice and Sing affirms the effort.

Have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers sighed? it asks. Yet out of the dark past, we emerge full of the hope that the present has brought us.

Some say Lift Every Voice and Sing should be Americas national anthem.

At the very least, it deserves to be known by all of us.

Lyrics to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing"

Lift ev'ry voice and sing

'Til earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the list'ning skies

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march on 'til victory is won

Stony the road we trod

Bitter the chastening rod

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died

Yet with a steady beat

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered

We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered

Out from the gloomy past

'Til now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast God of our weary years

God of our silent tears

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way

Thou who has by Thy might

Led us into the light

Keep us forever in the path, we pray

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee

Shadowed beneath Thy hand

May we forever stand

True to our God

True to our native land.
One person is in custody after a shooting in Ephrata Township sent four males to the hospital, police said.

The shooting broke out at the intersection of Blackberry Lane and Eastbrooke Drive at 1:42 a.m. July 5. Ephrata police said the shots were fired during a dispute.

Four males were shot in the fight and sent to Lancaster General Hospital for treatment. Police did not disclose the condition of those shot.

Police are investigating the incident and anyone with information is asked to contact the Ephrata police at 717-733-8611.
How does a heroic figure like Christopher Columbus, whose achievements are honored by statues in his memory, become dishonored 500 years after his death? Certainly not because of something hes done in the last 500 years!

Ismail Smith-Wade-El, the president of Lancaster City Council, essentially says that he wants to rewrite history and that this historical figure does not deserve to be remembered (Christopher Columbus does not represent who we are, June 28 Sunday LNP | LancasterOnline Perspective section). Do we really appreciate what challenges had to be overcome by that hero?

We often hear that history repeats itself for those who fail to learn its lessons. Both the good and the bad moments of the past are part of history. When we protest the death of George Floyd  a death that never should have happened  those protests and their aftermath also become part of history. If the killing of George Floyd must not be forgotten, the memory of other historical figures must also be preserved.

The urge to allow the passion of the moment to rewrite history is grossly hypocritical. It also is reminiscent of past losses civilization suffered: the destruction of the ancient library in Alexandria, Egypt, and, more recently, the purges that followed totalitarian government takeovers in the Soviet Union and Hitlers Germany.

Today, many high school students graduate with a dearth of knowledge about our Constitution and our nations history. That trend must be reversed. All history is important!

Grant Hansel

East Hempfield Township
New York Times Continues To Leak Intelligence on Alleged Russian Bounties

July 4, 2020 (EIRNS)The criminal intelligence leaks continue to flow to the New York Times. In a report posted yesterday, the Times described a memorandum produced by the National Intelligence Council in recent days. The memorandum allegedly is an attempt to maximize uncertainties surrounding intelligence indicating that Russian military intelligence had paid bounties to the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill U.S. troops, and that Trump had done nothing about it.

The memo is said to contain no new information, and both its timing and its stressing of doubts suggested that it was intended to bolster the Trump Administrations attempts to justify its inaction on the months-old assessment, the officials said.... Some former national security officials said the account of the memo indicated that politics may have influenced its production.

But, one must ask, was there no politics behind the leaks to the Times?

The memo reportedly says that neither the National Security Agency nor the Defense Intelligence Agency had direct evidence confirming that Russias Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) was, in fact, paying bounties. It seems that further, despite Afghan chatter about bounties, that American officials were unable to link any GRU payments to specific attacks.

Yet another report in the Times, also posted on July 3, claims that while the Russians officially and vociferously deny the existence of such an operation, the common view in Russia is that the Americans had it coming. A deep well of bitterness created by past and current conflicts in Afghanistan, Ukraine and more recently Syria, where U.S. forces killed scores of Russian mercenaries in 2018, help explain why Russia, according to U.S. intelligence officials, has become so closely entangled with the Taliban.

The Times is attempting to expand the revenge story, to give backing to the leaks it has been reporting on. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Times imagines, has for years throbbed with real and imagined pain from hurt inflicted by the United States, notably the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a desire to make it pay. It refers to Putins 2007 Berlin speech in which Bristling with wounded pride, Putin denounced what he said was a world of one master, one sovereign and complained that the United States has overstepped its national borders, in every area. Putin has been settling scores ever since, often with help from the GRU, the Times pouts.

In what could be considered a blow to the war party, one of its own, retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, told Fox News yesterday that he has been unable to confirm the Times leaks from his sources within the Army. The problem is none of the other intelligence agencies or I think some of the other countries that are involved in Afghanistan along with us can verify that, he said. Keane said that if the U.S. military commanders believed that the Russians placed bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, they would have had the loudest voice in the entire national security team because theyre responsible. Theyre on the ground with those soldiers, Keane said. They dont have that evidence.

Meanwhile, various news reports have taken note of a significant portion of House Armed Services Committee Democrats siding with House Republican Conference chairman Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney (who was behind the lies that were used to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003) on two amendments to the fiscal year 2021 Defense Authorization Bill which are aimed at hobbling President Trumps ability to withdraw troops from both Afghanistan and Germany. The vote on the amendment to prevent Trump from lowering the troop level in Afghanistan to below 8,000 was 4511. The opposition to the amendment was also bipartisan, led by Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida and Democrat Ro Khanna of California.
July 4, 2020 (EIRNS)Quotes from President Trump at Mt. Rushmore yesterday:

 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.

 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 rightsgiven us by our Creator in Heaven. And that which God has given us, we will allow no one, ever, to take awayever.

 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. Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. 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. One of their political weapons is Cancel Culturedriving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America. 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. Make no mistake: this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. 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.

 The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets of 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. 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 were villains. The radical view of American history is a web of liesall 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.

 The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of social justice. But in truth, it would demolish both justice and society. 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.

 We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion, and creed. Every child, of every colorborn and unbornis made in the holy image of God. We want free and open debate, not speech codes and cancel culture. We embrace tolerance, not prejudice.

 In toppling the heroes of 1776, they seek to dissolve the bonds of love and loyalty that we feel for our country, and that we feel for each other. Their goal is not a better America, their goal is the end of America. In its place, they want power for themselves. But just as patriots did in centuries past, the American people will stand in their wayand we will win, and win quickly and with great dignity.

 We will never let them rip Americas heroes from our monuments, or from our hearts. By tearing down Washington and Jefferson, these radicals would tear down the very heritage for which men gave their lives to win the Civil War; they would erase the memory that inspired those soldiers to go to their deaths, singing these words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic: As He died to make men Holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on. They would tear down the principles that propelled the abolition of slavery in America and, ultimately, around the world, ending an evil institution that had plagued humanity for thousands and thousands of years. Our opponents would tear apart the very documents that Martin Luther King used to express his dream, and the ideas that were the foundation of the righteous movement for Civil Rights. They would tear down the beliefs, culture, and identity that have made America the most vibrant and tolerant society in the history of the Earth. My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully and defend the integrity of our country.

 It is time for our politicians to summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors. It is time. It is time to plant our flag and protect the greatest of this nation, for citizens of every race, in every city, and every part of this glorious land. For the sake of our honor, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our union, we must protect and preserve our history, our heritage, and our great heroes. Here tonight, before the eyes of our forefathers, Americans declare again, as we did 244 years ago: that we will not be tyrannized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen.

 We are the culture that put up the Hoover Dam, laid down the highways, and sculpted the skyline of Manhattan. We are the people who dreamed a spectacular dreamit was called: Las Vegas, in the Nevada desert; who built up Miami from the Florida marsh; and who carved our heroes into the face of Mt. Rushmore. Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the Internet. We settled the Wild West, won two World Wars, landed American astronauts on the Moonand one day very soon, we will plant our flag on Mars.

 From this night and from this magnificent place, let us go forward united in our purpose and re-dedicated in our resolve. We will raise the next generation of American patriots. We will write the next thrilling chapter of the American adventure. And we will teach our children to know that they live in a land of legends, that nothing can stop them, and that no one can hold them down. They will know that in America, you can do anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything.
Kanye West announces he is running for president in 2020

Platinum selling producer, rap artist and fashion icon, Kanye West announced today his 2020 bid to run for president of the United States of America. West set off social media fire works on July 4th with his tweet that announced his presidential plans.

West said he would run for president back in 2015 at the MTV Movie Awards and again in 2019 but that he would run in 2024.

If West were to run for president he would have to run as an independent.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION  ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

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Saturday, July 4, 2020

Tessa Solomon on ARTnews reports on a novel form of protest by artists of immigrant detention on the July 4 weekend. She writes: "Why protest the detention of immigrants across the United States on Independence Day? When asked that recently, artist Dread Scott responded with a Frederick Douglass quote: `What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?'

Scott is one among the 80 artists participating in In Plain Sight. Over the July 4th weekend, skytyping planes will write artist-generated messages above 80 ICE detention facilities, immigration court houses, processing centers, and former internment camps. Each message will end with #XMAP, which, when plugged into social media, will direct to an online interactive map that offers a view of the closest ICE facilities to the user.

In our imagination, immigration detention is something that exists along the Mexico-U.S. border, when in fact detention centers exist in every state, said artist rafa esparza, who founded In Plain Sight with the Canadian performance artist and activist Cassils.

Visitors to the events website are encouraged to donate to local funds like the Black Immigrant Bail Fund and join the #FreeThemAll campaign, which advocates for the release of detainees from crowded facilities, where social distancing is often impossible right now. With In Plain Sight, esparza and Cassils are hoping to educate viewersand to encourage the abolition of facilities such as these.

The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CNN and many other media outlets covered the artists' protests.

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2020/07/happy-july-4-artists-protest-immigrant-detention.html


At least 2,100 anti-Asian hate incidents have been reported in the United States since March. Asian-American activists say the racism is being fueled in part by political speeches against China in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.

The Los Angeles-based Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council is a coalition of organizations that support the rights and needs of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. The organization is gathering reports called Stop AAPI Hate of incidents against Asian-Americans.

It says most of the incidents were cases of hate speech, like racial insults. But it said about 8 percent involved physical attacks, including spitting on victims and bans against Asians from businesses.

In one incident in March, an Asian man reported an attack by a group of teenagers on a train in San Francisco, California. He said he got on the train wearing a mask and the group hit him with their bags and said he had COVID-19.

In April, about an hour north of San Francisco, a Chinese-American family reported an attack on their home. A large rock was thrown at the house, breaking through a window. The house had a message of hope for good health and harmony written in Chinese on the front door at the time.

These are first-hand accounts where individuals are describing harrowing and traumatizing experiences, including what is being said to them when theyre being attacked, said Cynthia Choi. She is co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, one of the coalition partners.

Asian-Americans have been targeted before during public health crises, such as the 2003 SARS health crisis. The latest wave of anti-Asian hate comes at a time of increased tensions over the pandemic.

Are political speeches to blame?

United States President Donald Trump first praised Chinese leader Xi Jinping for how he dealt with the health crisis. But as the virus quickly spread across the U.S., Trump began to accuse China of delays in reporting news of the outbreak in Wuhan. He also said China had not reported on the severity of COVID-19 and its spread.

Trump also has repeatedly described the new coronavirus as the Chinese virus and kung-flu. Asian Americans and others say the terms are derogatory and have led people to blame them for the disease.

The president denied that the terms were racist. In March, the president wrote on Twitter, It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus....is NOT their fault. White House officials added that the president used the term merely to note that the virus began in China.

But Asian American leaders disagreed.

Those are terms meant to be humiliating, said Gene Wu, a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

Phil Ting, a state assemblyman in California, said those words have led to an increase in anti-Asian behavior and hate crimes. You see leaders express words that really give license to other people to express those same sentiments and also to act on them, Ting said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines a hate crime as a criminal offense driven by bias against the victims race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.

In a recent Stop AAPI Hate report, the coalition examined possible links between political speeches and anti-Asian opinion. It found that reports of anti-Asian discrimination increased after Trump repeatedly used the term Chinese virus.

Legal experts say while most of the 2,100-plus incidents recorded by Stop AAPI Hate do not rise to the level of a hate crime as defined by law, but more than 100 do.

Increase of hate crimes against Asians

Brian Levin is director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University. He says this sudden increase comes at a time when most American cities are reporting an overall decrease in hate crimes against members of other groups.

California, home to the nations largest Asian American population, has been especially hard hit. In Los Angeles, police recorded 10 anti-Asian hate crimes through April 30, compared to a total of four for all of 2019. That information came from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

New York City recorded two incidents through May 17, compared with three in 2019. In addition, there were 20 coronavirus-related hate crimes. They included an attack in April in which a man used acid to severely burn an Asian American woman.

One of the worst known attacks took place in March in Midland, Texas. A man stabbed an Asian American man and his two young children at a store in the city. The suspect reportedly told the police that he acted because he thought the family was Chinese and infecting people with the coronavirus.

California State Universitys Brian Levin said, In the cities where anti-Asian hate crimes increased, they increased significantly to the extent that there were almost as much anti-Asian hate crime as we had for all of last year or significantly more.

The increase in hate crimes against Asians has not been limited to the U.S.

From Melbourne, Australia, to Vancouver, Canada, Asian-American communities have reported increased discrimination, including physical attacks.

In Vancouver, known as the most Asian city outside Asia, there were 20 anti-Asian hate crimes from January 1 through April 29, up from 12 for all of last year. London, another major city with a large Asian population, had 267 anti-Asian attacks, compared with 375 for all of last year.

Writer Helen Zia, a leading Chinese American civil rights activist, described the situation as a global pandemic of hate.

I'm Caty Weaver.

And I'm Jonathan Evans.

Masood Farivar reported this story for VOA News. Hai Do adapted for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people around the world

spit - v. to force saliva from your mouth

harmony - n. a pleasing combination

harrowing - adj. very painful and upsetting

traumatize - v. to cause someone to suffer emotional trauma

derogatory - adj. showing a lack of respect for someone or something

humiliate - v. to make someone feel very ashamed

license - n. a freedom to act however you want to

sentiment - n. attitude or opinion

orientation - n. a person's feelings, interests, and beliefs
Budget cuts caused by the coronavirus crisis have forced Indonesia to reduce fire patrols and protection for some of the worlds most important forests, the environment ministry said recently.

Indonesias forests are some of the biggest in the world. They are home to more than a tenth of the worlds mammal species and nearly a fifth of its birds. And the cuts come ahead of the worst season for fires.

Indonesia is also the worlds top producer of palm oil. Fires, often set to clear land for palm oil plantations, were very damaging in 2019.

It is still too early in the dry season, when most land is cleared, to get a clear picture of what will happen this year. But a careful study of satellite information shows about 400,000 hectares were cleared in the first 24 weeks of 2020. In the same time period last year, 300,000 hectares were cleared.

Environmental officials said that the coronavirus outbreak is affecting the countrys economy. Nearly $50 billion is being sent to health emergency programs. This led to a 50 percent budget cut for the team that finds and puts out fires. At the same time, people who lost their jobs during the health crisis are clearing land for crops using fires. And in some areas, social distancing rules are making it harder to fight fires.

President Joko Widodo called for the tough enforcement of laws in order to stop illegal fires. And the environment and forest minister told parliament recently that an extra $35 million was needed to fight forest fires this year.

Environmentalists agreed the budget cuts could have bad results.

There is a real risk of another ecological and health disaster in 2020, said Kiki Taufik, head of Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest campaign.

I'm John Russell.

Fathin Ungku and Bernadette Christina reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________



Words in This Story

patrol -- n. a group of people, vehicles, etc., that go through an area to make sure that it is safe : a group that patrols an area

mammal -- n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

species  n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus

plantation  n. a large area of land especially in a hot part of the world where crops (such as cotton) are grown

ecological  adj. relating to the relationships between a group of living things and their environment


Australian animals called koalas could disappear from New South Wales state by 2050, unless the state government immediately acts to protect them. That is the finding of a year-long state parliament investigation of the marsupials.

Marsupials are mammals with an unusual system of reproduction. Most, including koalas, are born when they are just embryos. The little koala then takes shelter for months in a pouch on its mothers body. Newborns, called joeys, stay in the safe, warm place for months, while they continue to develop.

Koalas are among Australias most beloved animals.

Lawmakers in the New South Wales upper house of Parliament released the report on Tuesday. It said land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry are threatening the koalas survival. Such operations destroy koala habitat. Koalas live in eucalyptus forests. The trees provide shelter and food for the koalas. They eat eucalyptus leaves.

But, the states most recent fire season, aided by severely dry weather, was unusually long and proved disastrous for koalas. The investigation found that about 25 percent of koala habitat across the state was destroyed. The report also said that, in some parts of New South Wales, or NSW for short, fires destroyed as much as 81 percent of the habitat.

The evidence could not be more stark, the report reads, adding The only way our childrens grandchildren will see a koala in the wild in NSW will be if the government acts on the reports suggested measures.

The parliamentary committee heading the investigation includes lawmakers from several political parties. The report advises that the government take 42 actions to deal with the problem.

One calls for immediately counting koalas in New South Wales. Another advises that the government place the protection of the animals above urban development. And it calls for more money to support efforts to save the environment.

Stuart Blanch is an expert on land clearing and restoration at the Australian office of the WWF, or World Wide Fund for Nature. He called on the government to do as the report advises and to strengthen protections for areas where the animals live.

WWF calls on the NSW Premier to rewrite weak land clearing laws to protect the koala habitat, Blanch said in a statement. He also said that the government should provide increased economic support to farmers who actively protect eucalyptus trees and stop wood industry operations in koala habitats.

The Premier of New South Wales is Gladys Berejiklian. A spokesperson for her administration said the government would comment on the report after a period of consideration. The official added that New South Wales had already provided more than $30 million to protect koalas.

Im Caty Weaver.

Reuters reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted the story for Learning English.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pouch n. pocket of skin on the stomachs of some female animals (such as kangaroos and koalas) that is used to carry young

stark adj. very plain and easily seen

grandchildren n. children of a person's son or daughter

restoration n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.

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Scientists are only beginning to understand the health problems that are caused by the novel coronavirus. Some of these problems may have effects on people and healthcare systems for years to come, note doctors and infectious disease experts.

The virus that causes the disease COVID-19 attacks many organ systems, in some cases causing terrible damage.

We thought this was only a respiratory virus, said Eric Topol, a doctor and expert on hearts. (It) turns out, it (the virus) goes after the pancreas. It goes after the heart. It goes after the liver, the brain, the kidney, and other organs. We didnt appreciate that in the beginning, he said.

Topol is director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.

In addition to respiratory problems, patients with COVID-19 can experience blood clotting disorders and extreme inflammation. The virus can also cause neurological problems such as headaches, lightheadedness, seizures and even a loss of taste or smell.

And recovery can be slow, incomplete and costly.

Dr. Sadiya Khan is a heart expert at Northwestern Medicine in the United States. He described the health problems caused by COVID-19 as somewhat unusual and different.

With influenza, people who have underlying heart conditions are also at higher risk of health problems, Khan said. What is surprising about this virus is the number of complications that take place outside the lungs.

Khan believes there will be huge healthcare costs for people who have survived COVID-19.

Patients who were in a hospital intensive care unit or on a ventilator for weeks will need time to recover and regain their strength.

It can take up to seven days for every one day that youre hospitalized to recover that type of strength, Khan said. Its harder the older you are, and you may never get back to the same level of function.

While much of their attention has been on the patients who experience severe disease, doctors are looking to the needs of patients who were not sick enough to need hospitalization. Some of them are still suffering months after first becoming infected.

Jay Butler is deputy director of infectious diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He told reporters in a telephone call last month that studies are just beginning to look at the long-term effects of infection.

We hear anecdotal reports of people who have persistent fatigue, shortness of breath, Butler said. How long that will last is hard to say.

Helen Salisbury is a doctor with the University of Oxford. She wrote recently in The British Medical Journal that an estimated 1 in 10 people experience prolonged symptoms from the coronavirus.

Salisbury said many of her patients have normal chest X-rays and no sign of inflammation, but they are still not back to normal.

If you previously ran 5k three times a week and now feel breathless after a single flight of stairs,  then the fear that you may never regain your previous health is very real, she wrote.

Im John Russell.



Julie Steenhuysen,Caroline Humer and Nancy Lapid reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted their report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

respiratory  adj. of or relating to breathing or the organs of the body that are used in breathing

appreciate  v. to understand the worth or importance of (something or someone)

blood clotting  n. a thick and sticky piece of dried blood that stops blood from flowing through a blood vessel in a person or an animal

inflammation  n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes enlarged and painful

ventilator  n. a machine for helping a person to breathe

function  n. the special purpose or activity for which a thing exists or is used

anecdotal  adj. used to describe a story about an interesting event

persistent  adj. continuing firmly

symptom  n. a physical or mental condition which is considered a sign of disease

stairs  n. a series of steps leading from one floor to another




Astronomers say a massive star appears to have mysteriously disappeared from a distant galaxy.

The star is part of the Kinman Dwarf galaxy, also known as PHL 293B. The galaxy is about 75 million light years away from Earth. It sits in the constellation of Aquarius. A constellation is a group of stars that forms a particular shape in the sky, the U.S. space agency NASA says.

Images of the Kinman Dwarf galaxy were captured in the past by a camera attached to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. But since the galaxy is so far away, researchers have not been able to clearly observe its individual stars.

Astronomers had, however, identified important signatures, or signs, that the massive star existed. Now they are searching for answers about why these signatures can no longer be seen.

A team of scientists from the European Southern Observatory reported it had been observing the star with its Very Large Telescope, VLT, for at least 10 years. The observatory, based in Chile, provides astronomy support to European countries.

The team said its observations repeatedly showed evidence that the Kinman Dwarf galaxy contained the massive star, estimated to be about 2.5 million times brighter than our sun.

Researchers said the evidence suggested that the star was in a late stage of its evolution. They added that the star was a kind considered to be unstable. This means it could go through major changes in brightness or lose some of its mass.

The projects leader was Andrew Allan, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Irelands Trinity College Dublin. He led a study on the findings, recently published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Allan said the researchers wanted to learn more about how massive stars end their lives. The massive object observed in the Kinman Dwarf galaxy seemed like the perfect target.

But when astronomers turned the Very Large Telescope toward the distant galaxy in 2019, they could no longer find any signatures of the massive star. Instead, we were surprised that the star had disappeared, Allan said in a statement.

Similar stars that experience major changes usually produce some signatures. So the team tried searching several more times using different equipment, but still found no signs of the star.

It would be highly unusual for such a massive star to disappear without producing a bright supernova explosion, Allan said.

NASA describes a supernova as an extremely bright, super-powerful explosion of a star. A supernova takes place at the end of a stars life.

The astronomers are now exploring two possibilities. The first is that the star might have become less bright and could be partly blocked by dust. The other possibility is that it collapsed into a black hole without producing a supernova.

If the star did collapse into a black hole, it would be a highly unusual end, the researchers said. This would be a rare event: our current understanding of how massive stars die points to most of them ending their lives in a supernova, said a statement issued by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Trinity Professor Jose Groh, another project leader, said the astronomers plan to keep observing the galaxy for signs of the mysterious missing star.

We will likely need to wait a few years before confirming what fate befell this particular star. We will observe the galaxy again with the Hubble Space Telescope next year, which will provide new clues, Groh said.

The ESO also plans to launch observation equipment and is expecting its Extremely Large Telescope to be in operation by 2025.

That telescope should be capable of resolving stars in distant galaxies such as the Kinman Dwarf, the statement said. The new equipment could also help astronomers solve the mysteries of the future.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the European Southern Observatory and Trinity College Dublin and NASA. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Quiz - Scientists Say a Massive Star Has Mysteriously Disappeared Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

astronomer  n. a scientist who studies stars and planets

particular  adj. used to describe a certain part of something

evolution  n. a gradual process of change and development

unstable  adj. likely to change or end suddenly

fate  n. what happens to something, especially something bad

befall  v. to happen

clue  n. a piece of information that helps you solve a problem or answer a questions

resolve  v. to solve or end a problem or difficulty
Ice and snow is just so intermittent, and studs are really more dangerous on dry pavement because you dont get near as much traction, Schulte explained.

All of the police vehicles were chained up Tuesday morning, as officers responded to several minor accidents.

Its mainly just people spinning out so far. So far weve had nothing major and its just what we would expect, he added.

School closures

All Lebanon district schools were closed on Tuesday, including the district office.

The announcement first appeared on Facebook, at about 6 a.m. through the Cascades parent-teacher organization.

At about 6:30, the district website posted the snow day.

Director of Technology Brian Bray said the school district initially had problems with the districts FlashAlert, the system used to inform parents of school closures.

The district had five furlough days scheduled for the 2010-11 school year as a budget saving measure. The first furlough was taken by district staff on Nov. 12. The remaining days are June 7 through 10. How the snow day will affect these dates was not known by press time.

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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
Trent Ashby is the state representative for District 57 that includes Angelina, Houston, Leon, Madison, San Augustine and Trinity counties. His email address is trent.ashby@house.state.tx.us . He and his staff are available during the week at (512) 463-0508 or 634-2762.
Alfreida Casterlow could hardly bear her first weeks working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Disrupted routines upset her 20-year-old autistic daughter. Casterlow, 43, would try to keep her daughter engaged. She would lie alongside her, rubbing her forehead to soothe her  all while continuing to operate switchboards for Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee.

Then she lost her job.

They let me go at 6 p.m. By 6:05 p.m. I had applied for unemployment, Casterlow said. I knew  or at least I felt  like, Okay, Wisconsin's gonna handle this.

I didn't know how many people were waiting.

Like thousands of other jobless Wisconsinites, Casterlow is trapped in the purgatory of Wisconsins backlogged and overloaded unemployment system  with no income or idea of when it might arrive. She has waited since April 24 for a state Department of Workforce Development (DWD) adjudicator to resolve her unemployment claim.

Wisconsin workers who qualify can receive up to $370 per week in unemployment insurance, plus an extra $600 per week in federal pandemic aid through July 31. Unable to grasp that lifeline, Casterlow said she has not had more than $30 in her pocket since she was laid off. She is struggling to support her household, which includes her daughter and granddaughter.

She said she owes about $2,000 in rent and late fees on the apartment she rents from the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee. (On June 23 she applied to be included in a lottery for housing assistance through the authority.) Casterlow for the first time started receiving $194 in monthly FoodShare benefits in May; her adult daughter and granddaughter get a separate monthly allotment of $355.

Casterlow is among more than 700,000 people who filed for regular unemployment in Wisconsin since the pandemic began wreaking economic havoc in March. DWD is closely tracking that and other data points, including unemployment claims by county. The agency is also analyzing data to understand the toll of the pandemic on various industries. But we do not have race, gender, age, or income reports available, said agency spokesman Ben Jedd.

DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman acknowledged in an interview that he lacks a statistical view of how his agencys rules and practices might favor some people over others, such as producing different outcomes along racial lines, but its definitely worth having further discussions.

During a national reckoning about the role of racism in shaping American institutions, some experts say Wisconsin  home to some of the countrys most severe racial disparities in education, public health, housing and criminal justice  should track whether its workforce agency equitably distributes unemployment aid across racial categories.

You manage what you measure, said Rebecca Dixon, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit that supports protections for low-wage workers and the unemployed. And if youre not even measuring it  it makes it hard to really be able to paint the picture of whats actually going on.

The national unemployment rates for Black (16.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (17.6%) workers remain significantly higher than those of white people (12.4%), according to an analysis of May data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Not everyone who loses a job gets unemployment benefits. In fact, most didnt before the pandemic. And laid off Black and Latino Americans have historically proved less likely to receive compensation.

A 2012 Urban Institute analysis of national claims from 2010  during the Great Recession  found that 24% of laid-off Black workers who applied received benefits, compared to 33% of white workers and 29% of workers classified as Hispanic. That was likely due to a mix of socioeconomic disparities and eligibility rules around benefits, the study said.

People of color during the Great Recession were more likely to suffer long-term unemployment, increasing their risk of exhausting benefits, according to the Urban Institute. Like most states, Wisconsin limits unemployment compensation to 26 weeks, although federal CARES Act funds allow states to add up to 13 additional weeks during the pandemic.

Casterlow, who is African American, has yet to resolve her jobless claim as she struggles to keep her family housed and fed during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Wisconsinites of all races sit in similar limbo. But systemic factors in state unemployment insurance systems tend to disadvantage Black workers and other people of color, Dixon said. And the state cannot understand the scope of that problem unless someone looks.

Casterlow said Wisconsins unemployment insurance system seems unfriendly to poor people in general.

A white female can be in the same situation I am in right now  and we are both not getting paid, Casterlow said. So I'm not saying it's not racism, but classism is just as prevalent.

Steady work hard to come by

Casterlow moved from Detroit to Milwaukee in 2016  looking for opportunity after struggling for years to find steady work despite having an associate degree in communications. She often pieced together part-time jobs.

Casterlow initially slept on her cousins floor while working as a forklift driver at a Chrysler parts distributor, she said. Her granddaughter and daughter, who stayed with her sister in Detroit while Casterlow visited every other weekend, joined her once she set up her life in Milwaukee in late 2017. Casterlow soon left the auto parts gig for a 30-month contract position as a receptionist at Mercer, a consulting firm. She also dispatched taxis part-time for Yellow Cab  helping her pay for an apartment security deposit.

A heart attack sidelined her in March 2019. She paused work at Mercer, she said, and followed her doctors advice in quitting at Yellow Cab. What she didnt realize: Having a quit in her work history temporarily would disqualify her from collecting unemployment insurance when her Mercer contract expired that August.

Wisconsin requires unemployment insurance applicants to have worked within the past 18 months and earned a minimum amount of wages. Quitting or being terminated for cause can disqualify a Wisconsin applicant from receiving aid.

Casterlow spent a jobless month before a staffing agency found her a role at Northwestern Mutual. She stayed there until the company ended her contract in April  accusing her of being unprofessional on an office call. She disputes the allegation, and said it stemmed from a confusing sequence in which she suspected a caller who refused to identify herself was a telemarketer disguising herself in a ploy to speak to a higher-up at the company  something Casterlow said employees had been warned about.

Northwestern Mutual referred questions about Casterlows employment to Kforce, the staffing agency. Multiple calls to Kforce were routed to a mailbox for the marketing department. A message was not returned.

Casterlow said Kforce advised her to apply for unemployment insurance as someone whose job had been terminated. That kicked her application into a pile of claims needing adjudication. She has since waited two months for a DWD adjudicator to examine whether she qualifies for help.

Structural disparities for Black workers

Many factors could explain why Black workers are less likely than others to receive unemployment aid, according to the 2012 Urban Institute report.

African Americans are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have characteristics linked to low (unemployment insurance) recipiency, including low levels of education, concentration in occupations or industries where workers are less likely to be covered, and short tenure on jobs, the report said.

Casterlow, with her associate degree, does not check all of those boxes. But her frequent moves between jobs  and complicated circumstances surrounding her exits  have muddled her quest for help.

Other labor market dynamics also may disproportionately prevent Black residents from receiving assistance, experts say.

Black workers typically face nearly double the rate of unemployment compared to white workers, said Valerie Wilson, director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy at the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington D.C.-based think tank that aims to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions. That pattern is incredibly persistent in good and bad economic conditions  and across gender, education and geography, Wilson said.

I find it difficult to attribute something that consistent to anything other than racial discrimination in the labor market.

The gap has temporarily narrowed during the pandemic, partly because Black workers disproportionately perform essential frontline work that continued even as states shuttered their economies to slow the spread of COVID-19, Wilson said.

An Associated Press analysis of census data found that Milwaukees people of color fill 63% of frontline jobs  those in grocery stores, health care, building and cleaning services, social services, public transit, and delivery and warehouses. Black and Latino residents make up about 43% of the citys population.

That overrepresentation has a potentially deadly consequence; it bolsters the odds that those workers will contract COVID-19, which disproportionately infects and kills people of color. Additionally, Black and Latino workers have reported retaliation for raising safety concerns at significantly higher rates than white workers during the pandemic, according to a June National Employment Law Project survey.

African American workers are less likely than white workers to receive jobless aid, even when comparing people with similar education levels and other characteristics, the Urban Institute found.

Tough state eligibility rules also may keep Black workers off of aid rolls, said Margaret Simms, a fellow at the Urban Institute who co-authored the report.

Wisconsin is among the nations most stingy in unemployment benefits, and state lawmakers spent much of the past decade making it tougher for people to qualify.

Wisconsin ranks 40th among the states and the District of Columbia in the maximum weekly benefits it offers to unemployed workers, and the Republican-led Legislature enacted a series of laws between 2011 and 2018 that: created a one-week waiting period for benefits (now waived during the pandemic), increased work search requirements for applicants, disqualified people on federal disability from accessing benefits and increased criminal penalties for making false statements or misrepresentations on unemployment insurance applications.

Additionally, Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed a lame-duck law just before Democrat Tony Evers succeeded him that restricts the governors ability to waive certain requirements for state-federal benefits programs including unemployment insurance.

DWD officials over the past weeks have been unable to confirm whether those changes disproportionately affect Black workers or other people of color. Agency officials say they do collect demographic information from people who file initial applications. WPR and Wisconsin Watch recently requested that data under Wisconsins public records law.

Frostman expressed an openness to examining potential disparities in the states unemployment system.

If there are disparate impacts  whether its explicit or implicit  we need to correct those things, he said.

Research surrounding COVID-19 is clear, Frostman added: Both from a public health and from an economic standpoint, (the pandemic) disproportionately affects communities of color.

The pandemic, Frostman added, offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the relationship between work and quality of life, including for communities of color.

Dixon said state agencies should closely watch the trajectory of unemployment among Black residents as the pandemic continues. If it peaks later or grows more persistent  as has happened in past downturns  rates of assistance might plunge, too. Congress could address that problem by extending the July 31 deadline for the program that adds $600 in federal funds to weekly unemployment checks, Dixon added.

Hope follows frustration

DWD has hired hundreds of extra workers to field the avalanche of calls coming from laid off workers seeking help. The agency reported nearly 343,000 calls in one recent week alone, and claimants frequently complain of being unable to get through on the phone lines for months at a time.

Casterlow said she reached a call center staffer a few weeks ago, only to be told there was nothing the woman could do to help. The message Casterlow heard: Just be patient.

She tried calling again at 7:30 a.m. on June 22, joining the queue as number 199. More than four hours later she was behind just nine callers  only to have her call dropped, she said.

Its daunting and unbelievable, but I cant give up, or hope will die, she said.

Following that defeat, Casterlow described her hardship in an email to Evers office, attaching photos of herself and her granddaughter. She was dejected to receive a boilerplate response.

But a call on June 25 offered an infusion of hope. An adjudicator told Casterlow that Evers office had instructed him to call  citing Casterlows tough circumstances. The adjudicator already knew her cases details and had identified a major error holding up her claim, she said: Although Northwestern Mutual ended her contract, Kforce, the staffing agency, still employed her. Casterlows exit should not be classified as a termination for cause, but rather as Kforces inability to find her a new job due to the pandemic, Casterlow said she was told.

Casterlow was informed that the adjudicator sent a letter asking Kforce to clear up the issues holding up her claim, and DWD would grant the claim by default if the company failed to respond within a week.

This man was so friendly I wanted to hug him, Casterlow said. He was like, I'm gonna take care of this for you. Youre fine, Ill handle it. And he made me feel like he was so capable.

She added: Its sad that a lot of people (waiting on unemployment claims) wont see that.
Before moving to Madison in 2016, Julian Zepeda was a marine biologist who spent his days with turtles in his hometown of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But when he and wife Heidi prepared to start a new life near her Spring Green home, she told the animal lover he might need to consider new interests.

Cows are probably your best bet, she told him.

Four years later, Julian has channeled his love of science in a very different direction: making tortillas.

It began as a problem-solving endeavor. Julian had tried one Madison Mexican restaurant after another and found them all disappointing. The dishes were fine, he said, but the tortillas just werent up to par. Ditto for the tortillas he found at the grocery store, which were full of preservatives. You can smell the chemicals, he said.

These were nothing like the tortillas hed grown up eating in Puerto Vallarta, where families visit the mill daily to get fresh masa, or corn dough, to form tortillas, tamales or gorditas.
"Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will recommend the general cause, by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. (But) she well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself, beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.
Dear Editor: July 5 marks the 10-year anniversary of Wisconsins Smoke-Free Indoor Air Law which prohibits smoking in enclosed places of employment and public spaces. This has protected employees and patrons alike from the hazards of secondhand smoke and has had a powerful positive impact on those with lung disease.

Before the Smoke-Free Indoor Air Law passed, 20% of adults and 21% of high school youth smoked cigarettes. By 2018, those rates had dropped to 16% and 5%, respectively. This clearly demonstrates that by restricting where smoking is allowed, we have changed many minds and hearts, preventing the next generation from taking up a deadly habit and encouraging others to quit.

Today, thanks to the work of many local communities to expand local smoke-free indoor air ordinances, over 2 million Wisconsin residents (about 36% of the states population) are also protected from secondhand e-cigarette aerosol. However, that still leaves nearly two-thirds of Wisconsins citizens involuntarily exposed to the chemicals, heavy metals and fine particulates in e-cigarette aerosol. Wisconsins legislature must take immediate steps to address this by adding all vaping products to the smoke free air law.
Dear Editor: Paul Fanlund takes aim at some pretty easy targets  Confederate leaders Nathan Bedford Forrest and Robert E. Lee  in his defense of toppling statues as a legitimate means of protest. However, he maintains a curious silence when it comes to toppling the statues of abolitionist Hans Christian Heg and Lady Forward, a symbol of women's empowerment. Fanlund should know that the history of iconoclasm is not a noble one. The English Puritans in the mid-17th century destroyed priceless statues of saints in Gothic cathedrals and the Taliban dynamited a centuries-old statue of Buddha in the name of defending their faith against "idolatry." No one today is applauding their actions.

We are seeing a secular resurgence of that intolerance in Madison and around the country. One question Fanlund evades is what happens when the fanatical ideologues run out of statues to desecrate? (Recently one of their leaders called for the destruction of any ecclesiastical art depicting "white Jesus and his European mother"). After the offensive art has been obliterated, I predict books will be next.

Fanlund ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that "the pendulum, this time, will keep swinging in the right direction and then stay still." Alas, history has shown that the pendulum always swings back, as is its nature, often with horrific consequences.
One of her post-doctoral fellows with funding to travel to South Africa for his project is stuck in Madison for the summer, while another has been able to forge ahead on field work in Kansas. A graduate student with a project that includes field work in Mexico postponed the trip until 2021, but another was far enough along in her research that she spent the pandemic writing papers.

Undergraduate seniors completing their theses finished their year-long projects this spring. But McCulloh fears this years incoming class of seniors may be delayed in getting their own projects up and running this summer.

For students just starting out in their studies and unfamiliar with some research procedures, McCulloh has held FaceTime video calls to walk them though proper techniques while also limiting the number of people working in the lab.

As for McCullohs own work studying how plants respond to drought and other extreme temperatures, she said she has mostly been able to continue her research remotely.

These are questions we really need answers to, she said. Climate change is unfortunately not pausing because of COVID-19.
Theyve largely been pushed into urban residential areas and depend largely on chimneys, Staffen said. Theyre highly dependent on the goodwill of people and having those structures.

But with high-efficiency furnaces and water heaters that vent exhaust gases through pipes in the wall, those brick chimneys just arent as common as they once were. Many of those with older homes dont want to bother with expensive repairs  or the prospect of attracting unwanted critters.

People want to cap them off and be done with it, Staffen said.

Because the swifts fly south for the winter, they generally inhabit chimneys when fireplaces arent in use, and aside from some high-pitched squeaking when chicks hatch, homeowners might not even know they had guests. Just keep the damper closed from April through October.

Its usually a very good working arrangement, Schwab said.

Schwab, who retired in 2009 from her job as research coordinator at the UW School of Medicine, developed her interest in the birds while volunteering at the Dane County Humane Societys wildlife rescue center.

Someone brought in three baby swifts that hed found in his chimney.
HOUSE

IMPROVING ACCESS TO CREDIT DATA: Voting 234 for and 179 against, the House on Monday passed a bill (HR. 5332) that would require the credit bureaus Experian, TransUnion and Equifax to establish a joint online portal giving consumers free anytime access to information on their credit scores and reports, dispute histories and sale of personal data to third parties. Consumers now must deal separately with the bureaus and they are allowed a limited number of free views. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would oversee the portal. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

EXPANDING AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: Voting 234 for and 179 against, the House on Monday passed a Democratic bill (HR 1425) that would reshape the Affordable Care Act by steps such as broadening its Medicaid expansion, capping medical expenditures for certain coverage levels and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. The bill would raise the national debt by at least $50 billion over 10 years while extending coverage to 4 million Americans in addition to the 23 million already using the law to cover a large share of their medical expenses. The bill would require states that have not yet joined the ACAs Medicaid expansion to do so or face a cut in the federally paid share of their basic Medicaid program. For newly joining states, the federal government would cover 100 percent of added costs for three years and 90 percent thereafter. In addition, the bill stipulates that enrollees in ACA Silver plans could not be charged more than 8.5 percent of their annual income for premiums, deductibles and related charges. The bill also would require pharmaceutical companies to negotiate with the federal government the prices of approximately 250 top-selling prescription drugs offered in Medicare Part D and employer plans. Further, the bill would nullify an executive order by President Trump that allows the sale of plans that do not meet ACA requirements such as coverage of pre-existing conditions and the provision of essential health benefits, including maternity and pediatric care. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
The airport is now home to 42 aircraft and includes hangars for Cardinal Glass, Gold Leaf Investments and Meister Cheese, and a facility for Johnson Bros. Flying Service, an aircraft maintenance and restoration company. Prop and jet aircraft land here from around the country and can include customers checking up on their custom vehicles being put together at Ring Brothers in nearby Spring Green, cattle buyers and others with business in southwestern Wisconsin.

But COVID-19 has resulted in a decrease in traffic. The airport has an annual budget of $240,000, about 85% of which is funded with operational revenue, including the sale of about 20,000 gallons of fuel. As of last week, Higgs had sold only 2,600 gallons, most of which was sold in January.

There also wont be a bump in fuel sales and customers at the diner in late July and early August since AirVenture in Oshkosh is canceled. In addition, Iowa County will give up its ownership piece of the airport in January and no longer provide $16,000 in funding.

So for now, and likely the remainder of the year, the airport and diner will rely primarily on hobbyists who can self-isolate in the cabins of their small planes.
He has continued to look out for his personal interests first and foremost, rather than acting on behalf of the country. He continues his unapologetic lying at a time when the people need to hear truths they can rely on. He has continued to express low regard for the rule of law and for the checks and balances built into our Constitution.

Its little wonder so many competent people who were brought into his administration either became frustrated with his antics and left after a short tenure or were fired when they failed to show complete loyalty to him (though they owed their loyalty to the American people and their government, not to him personally) or advised against the actions he wished to take.

Since Trump came to dominate the Republican Party, it has seen its dominance in state governments collapse, including hundreds of state legislative seats flipped to Democrats in 2018. It also lost the House of Representatives and a Senate seat in Alabama of all places. Simply put, the Trump version of the GOP isnt a winning coalition.
It is going to be something to behold, on Jan. 21, 2021, when President Biden takes revenge on Russia for paying the Taliban to kill Americans in Afghanistan. Hell task the CIA with killing the Russian agents behind the bounties, send lethal aid to Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression, work with allies to oust Russia and Cuba from Venezuela, withdraw from the arms deals Russia is violating, and ratchet up sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany.

Of course, Biden will do none of that, which ought to put into context the latest Washington uproar over the alleged Russian bounties and President Trump. The stories, leaked by anonymous sources, are another dive into the murky Washington nexus among intelligence, the media and politics.

Trump is cast again as the villain who knew the intelligence and did nothing, or should have known but didnt, and in any event he must be in hock to Vladimir Putin. Trump and his advisers say he wasnt briefed on the bounties intelligence, but sources (again anonymous) say it did appear in his daily intelligence briefing that he rarely reads. U.S. intelligence chiefs are denouncing the leakers, who no doubt want to damage Trump before the election.
Phillips was the first black woman to graduate from the UW Law School, the first woman elected to the Milwaukee City Council, and the first African American judge in Wisconsin. She became secretary of state in 1978  the first black woman elected to statewide office in the nation. Phillips died in 2018.

The young people of Wisconsin and generations thereafter need to see that representation matters, Johnson says in his proposal to state leaders. They need to see heroes and leaders that reflect the ecosystem of our communities at large.

Hes right.

The State Capitol Executive Residence Board, a bipartisan committee responsible for the maintenance and decoration of the Capitol grounds, restricts new plaques or monuments from the Capitol without the removal of an existing one.

But that policy can, and should, change.

So far, Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, a member of the board, said she supports returning the Forward and Heg statues and would be open to considering the Phillips proposal.

Thats good to hear.
The media outlets are not covering the truth in the Flynn case or anything else because it will expose many powerful Democrats including Obama in the greatest and criminal abuse of power in the history of our Republic, Powell responded in an email. There are trillions of dollars at stake in the global Corruption they have created and enjoy.

President Trump putting America and the American worker first jeopardizes and reduces their power and wealth. People must try to watch Biden and think for themselves. That the Left is even willing to put him forth as the candidate is terrifying. Hes a shell.

I dont see the news medias soft treatment of Biden as part of a corrupt conspiracy, but I understand why Powell does.

The large media outlets only know how to look at the Flynn story one way. Flynn was the first casualty of the FBIs Russia probe, and he pleaded guilty twice before he pleaded not guilty. So they can ignore special counsel Robert Muellers failure to uncover coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. And they are noseblind when Flynns defense attorney forces the release of exculpatory evidence, which the feds had not disclosed.
Between now and January, House and Senate members will put together at least a half dozen ideas for improving the elections process, creating a better process for special sessions, and on handling emergency funds for crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. The rightists will try to hijack these ideas as well, but dont seem likely to succeed.

Theres plenty of time between now and January for the rump legislators to hone their messages on how terrible Little has been as governor, how he should reopen the whole state immediately without regard for the COVID-19 upswing, and the usual gnashing of teeth on how Idahos sovereignty is being eroded daily by federale. incursions.

This is, of course, nonsense. Despite the yelling and rants we see from Reps. Heather Scott, Blanchard, and Chad Christensen, Ammon, the only tyranny we see in Idaho is the tyranny of thought these rightists want to impose on others.

Never one to stray from a debate, Melaleucas CEO, Frank Vandersloot, has urged common-sense Republicans to stand for reasonable discussion and traditional GOP principles.
To make purchases, a customer registers on the Join page of the website. The information asked for is name, email address, home address and phone number, and the customer sets a username and password. All purchases, no matter from which vendor, can be combined into one order and paid for at once on the website. Thats a change from the farmers market, in which people pay the individual vendors.

The website also has a Vendor Spotlight section.

A section about Grover Roark, dated June 28, states: Grovers business is called Deep Creek Farm, and hes been at the Farmers Market for 18 years at least! During the peak season, Grover sells tomatoes, beans, peas, potatoes, cucumbers, beets and greens. Throughout the year, you can also buy honey, preserves, fried apple pies, and dried apples from him.

The June 21 entry features the three-generation family team of Caitlin Marie Stanley, Cindy Leann Allred Stanley and Gloria Sheffield. Theyve been at the market for seven years, it states, and they sell homemade cookies, bread, muffins, jams, jellies, pickles and pimento cheese.
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) said that international credit rating agencies Moodys Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have upgraded its final issuer ratings by three notches to Aa3 from A3 and by two notches to AA- from A, respectively.



The ratings represent the fourth highest investment grade rating on each of the agencies rating scales and are based on solid, investment grade standalone ratings of 'baa1' and 'bbb+' assigned by Moody's and Fitch, respectively, reported state-run news agency Wam, citing a press release issued by Taqa.



The standalone ratings are boosted by strong implied support from the Government of Abu Dhabi, Taqa's majority indirect owner, to arrive at the final issuer ratings, as per the agencies rating methodologies.



The upgrades to Taqas credit ratings come within days of completing the landmark transaction between Taqa and Abu Dhabi Power Corporation, ADPower, which saw the transfer of the majority of ADPowers power and water generation, transmission, and distribution assets to Taqa in exchange for 106,367,950,00 new shares.



Jasim Husain Thabet, the newly appointed CEO and Managing Director of Taqa, said, "The news of our upgraded issuer ratings demonstrates the strength of Taqas new position as a leading player in EMEAs utilities sector. Our ambition to deliver and sustain strong financial performance through a fully integrated and diverse asset portfolio with strong growth prospects makes Taqa a compelling opportunity for equity and credit investors alike. To that end, we will commit to maintaining solid investment grade standalone credit ratings through proactive and disciplined financial management."



Taqa is now the UAEs third largest publicly traded company by market capitalisation and among the top 10 integrated utilities companies in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.



Moodys announced the upgrade shortly after the news of the transfer, stating on its website: "The upgrade reflects Moody's view that the transfer of the ADPower assets reinforces the strategic importance of Taqa for the government of Abu Dhabi (Aa2 stable). The additional assets entrench Taqa's dominance over electricity generation, transmission and distribution and water desalination in Abu Dhabi. Taqa becomes a vertically integrated utility with total assets of around AED200 billion ($54 billion) and a more diversified energy generation mix. Indirect government ownership will increase to 98.6% from 74.1%."



"Taqa holds a monopoly position in Abu Dhabi's electricity and water transmission and distribution sectors, and a leading market position in generation. Taqa provides about 95% of the electricity and water consumed in Abu Dhabi. Fitch expects Taqa to have a pronounced importance to Abu Dhabi's electricity and water markets, UAE Energy Strategy 2050, and its role in diversifying the Emirates' generation towards renewables, Fitch said in its official announcement.
The new city budget went into effect July 1 and includes both an electric fee increase and a water-and-sewer increase.

City Council member Danny Turner suggested in the form of a motion at last months regular meeting that the electric rate increase be pushed to the end of August to coincide with the extended moratorium on service disconnections and then give utility customers who were behind a total of 12 months to bring their accounts current.

We dont want mass shutoffs, Turner said.

His motion died.

We were talking about resuming cutoffs on June 14, but we compromised and extended it until the end of August, and there will be no late penalty until then, Towarnicki said. Those that dont pay are just digging a hole for themselves.

Ultimately, youre going to have to pay your bill.

Everyone in the city of Martinsville who is behind in an electric bill must have an understanding in place with the city before the end of August if they wish to keep their service.

It is a requirement that they discuss a payment plan  if they dont  they will get cutoff, Towarnicki said. They have to make an arrangement.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt

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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.
South Carolina Democrats may not have liked the idea of giving women the right to vote but they soon decided they liked Springs  and intended to nominate her for vice president. Mrs. Springs was taken completely by surprise when told of the plan, the Times reported.

The next day, after the front page story in the The Times, Springs was immediately surrounded by scores of friends and admirers, with men in the majority. The powerful Sen. Burton Wheeler of Montana declared he would approve of her nomination: She would most certainly improve the situation in the Senate. Humorist Will Rogers suggested that I am willing to consider you for head of the ticket. The New York Times reported. Delegates from nearly every state, it seemed were also among those who complimented the brilliant and comely woman.

Its hard to say whether Springs was ever seriously going to be considered or if this was just a popular gesture, a nod to changing times. In any case, Democrats labored through the longest political convention in history before finally nominating darkhorse John Davis. Early in the morning of July 10, the convention delegates finally got around to picking a vice presidential candidate, those being the days when delegates still did such things. There were an astounding 30 candidates nominated  and Nebraska Gov. Charles Bryan led with 332 votes. Springs finished a distant fourth  but still ahead of the governors of New Jersey and Kansas, the mayor of New York City and apparently 23 others. The first roll call showed 42 votes for Springs before delegations started switching votes to get behind front-runner Bryan  and go home. The Davis-Bryan ticket lost badly in the fall, and Springs was apparently never mentioned for office again. How might history have been different if she had been?
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Greece announced on Sunday the closure of its frontier for Serbian nationals until July 15 because of a coronavirus spike.

Serbia declared a state of emergency on Friday in the capital Belgrade because of the highest rise of coronavirus cases since April.

Greece had made its decision after analysing the epidemiological data, said government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni.

Greece, which has suffered fewer than 200 virus deaths, has launched a promotional campaign to revive tourism, which accounts for a quarter of its gross domestic product.

Travellers are given scannable bar codes after they fill out a questionnaire with personal details such as their country of origin and the countries they have travelled through in the last 15 days.

Roughly 6,000 tests are now being carried out daily on travellers entering the country.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Iranian health authorities on Sunday announced 163 new deaths due to the COVID-19 disease, the country's highest official one-day toll since the outbreak began in February.

The previous record of 162 deaths was announced on Monday in the Islamic republic, which has been battling the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The new deaths bring the total toll in Iran to 11,571, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state television.

"In the past 24 hours, 2,560 people have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 240,438," Lari added.

Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in fatalities and new confirmed cases since Iran reported a near-two month low in daily recorded infections in early May.

The increase has prompted the government to make the wearing of masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces, with some officials and state television anchors wearing masks on camera as part of a campaign to encourage their use.

Authorities have repeatedly urged the public to respect hygiene rules aimed at reining in the outbreak.

But footage on state television showed people still travelling without face coverings on public transport, where masks have been obligatory for more than two months.

The Islamic republic has not imposed a full-scale lockdown but has introduced restrictions, including on religious and commercial sites.

But with its US sanctions-strapped economy in crisis, the country had progressively lifted measures from April, as infection numbers had declined.

Official figures show that the virus has rebounded since then.

Lari said almost a third of Iran's 31 provinces were classed "red", the highest category in the country's virus risk ranking.

Authorities say infections in the nine provinces, all on Iran's borders, have yet to peak.

Explore further Iran reports over 100 new virus deaths for third day running

 2020 AFP
From time to time, backcountry travelers notice an unusually tall and odd-looking tree in the forest: a clumsily camouflaged communications tower.

Those towers, and more obvious collections of cell-phone and data relay stations, could get technological updates soon based on directives from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. The federal department that oversees the U.S. Forest Service has ordered it to expand broadband service across public lands to benefit rural residents.

Theres been a strong push by the secretary for years on strengthening rural America, and part of that is to bring much wider broadband access, said Deputy Chief of the Forest Service Chris French. Specifically, weve been working on an initiative that aligns our processes for folks to apply for permits thats simpler and more consistent with other agencies, so companies have a more stable environment to work in.

French said in rural regions of the West, the Forest Service typically manages the high-elevation spots best located for communications towers. From early radio and microwave repeater facilities to modern cellular telephone relays, those are good for voice and data delivery from point to point, but not equipped to spread Wi-Fi signals across wide areas.
Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) authorities have announced that the second phase of the development and expansion of Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Domestic Airport in AlUla region of the kingdom has been fully completed.

The improvements include the renovation of the main terminal building, the expansion of the airport apron to add four large aircraft stands and six smaller ones, and an additional 150,000 sq m of taxiways, including two additional connections to the runway, reported Arab News.

In addition, a VIP lounge terminal has been built using local materials and a design that reflects the picturesque environment of AlUla and its rich heritage. It also includes a range of other amenities to improve the overall passenger experience, it stated.

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), which completed the key phase in collaboration with GACA, said with this milestone, the airports annual capacity will increase from 100,000 to 400,000 passengers.

The project is a key component of the commissions strategy to position the city as a major tourism destination and logistics hub, it stated.

The first phase of the airport development, completed in 2019, included an expansion to accommodate more flights, a new digital information system in the arrival and departure halls, and the development and redesign of both halls.

The completion of Phase Two will help the airport cope with 15,000 flights a year that will be required to serve the two million visitors AlUla expects to welcome annually by 2035, said the Arab News report.

The RCU, in consultation with Saudi Arabian Airlines, has resumed flights from Riyadh to AlUla. There are currently four a week, and it is expected that domestic flights from Jeddah and other cities will start operating soon. The airport will also be capable of receiving direct international flights, it added.
Clarks real reason for bringing him along was he wanted to have the biggest, strongest guy behind him, should there be mutiny on the trail, Davis said. And I think thats what he (York) believed as he started out. But then he starts seeing himself differently because the people they encountered saw him differently.

York was admired as Black Indian, Big Medicine and Gift From God by the tribes. Some approached him as chief of the Corps.

He knew how to fight. He knew how to hunt. He had his own rifle, which was unheard of among slave people," Davis said. "He was a full support member. I dont think he started as that. He started as more or less a creature comfort for Clark, but once they got out of civilization, he was so much more.

There are signs in the journals that York became fed up with natives trying to rub the black off his skin.

About that same time he realized he was being used. He got tired of being tokenized like that, Davis said.
The first-place prize for best float went to one made by the kids and grandkids of Barb Solvie, a Lincoln resident who has been in Montana for nearly 70 years. Solvie, now 90, wore her wedding dress from 45 years ago  it didn't quite fit the same, but they made it work  and sat atop a throne on the float.

Her kids, grandkids and a few friends all dressed up in wigs and fancy gowns and titled the float 20+20+20+20+10 Happy Birthday Barb! to fit with the 20 theme. She was supposed to have a huge party for her birthday in May but couldnt because of COVID-19.

So, this is pretty much my birthday party, even though its the United States birthday party, Solvie said.

She has been a businesswoman her whole life, owning the Garland Town and Country shop and later the Montanan restaurant in Lincoln, which she started at age 80. She said she plans to live until shes 125 years old.

Im just a happy, very healthy old broad, Solvie said.

The next part of the days celebrations picked up at the fairgrounds for the 68th annual Lincoln Open Rodeo. People entering were stopped by two EMS workers in masks taking temperatures. Signs at the entrance read, If you are sick you can not enter and Stay six feet apart for social distancing.
After this historic COVID19 pandemic recedes into history, and it will, what will America, and especially Montana, learn from it? What will the people of Montana and America expect when the next pandemic arrives? The answers to these questions must be answered correctly or else the damage done to us all will take decades from which to recover.

Regardless of ones political spectrum, the response to COVID-19 has been flawed. In todays environment, everything takes on political aspects, and consequently, people support views complementing their politics. Whether our governments over-reacted or did not take the virus seriously enough is yet to be determined. The loss of life has been a tragedy, and everyone agrees that some of them were unnecessary. And it is indisputable that the damage to America  economically, psychologically, emotionally, and environmentally  has been extensive. But every disaster provides a learning opportunity, and COVID-19 provides us the chance to enhance those things that worked and correct those that did not before the next pandemic, which may be even more destructive.
In addition to maintaining at least 6 feet of physical distance from others, thorough hand-washing and not touching ones eyes, nose and mouth, wearing a face covering is an effective way to prevent community spread of the virus. And since symptoms of COVID-19 may not be apparent for up to two weeks after infection, its important to limit others exposure at all times.

Goldman Sachs recently reported that its analysts found that wearing face coverings has a significant impact on coronavirus outcomes. Further, they estimated that a nationwide face mask mandate would increase mask-wearing by 15%, with a corresponding drop in new daily cases of coronavirus of 1%. And this, they concluded would save the national economy from a 5% hit to the gross domestic product  in the neighborhood of $1 trillion.

The list of states requiring face coverings in most indoor public spaces is steadily growing. Still, many local and state governments have been reluctant to go so far as to issue a face mask order. They are no doubt hoping their residents will voluntarily make the right choice. The smart choice. The considerate choice.
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Eltizam Asset Management Group, a leading provider of facility management (FM) solutions in the UAE, has announced that one of its subsidiaries Tafawuq FM has secured contracts and renewals worth more than Dh739 million ($201 million) during the first six months, thus setting a new company record.

The landmark achievement demonstrates significant growth in the company's business - which reflects an increase of over 120% in the forward order book of the company, compared to the same period in 2019, said the company.

Tafawuq has come a long way since it was first established in 2014 and over the years, it has successfully become one of the leading integrated FM companies in the market, offering a diverse portfolio of services to communities, residential and specialized sectors including ports, aviation, healthcare, it added.

On the achievement, Eltizam Asset Management Group COO Mohammed Alsharaf said: "The main driver to Tafawuq's continued success lies in our people - the employees who have demonstrated their key commitment towards ensuring our partners' success."

"This has become especially important during the recent disruptions caused by COVID-19, where our front liners worked around the clock to ensure safe conditions for building occupants. In addition, the company has also emphasized the importance of learning and adopting newer technologies and practices, which ensures the efficiency and safety of tenants in the buildings we safeguard," stated Alsharaf.

"The new record we have achieved serves as an inspiration that has prompted us to create more strategic roadmaps to bring in more business growth and expansion throughout the region," he added.

Tafawuq FM General Manager Michael Nicholas, revealing the company's shift in 2020 towards proactive energy management, said: "The implementation of the new strategy falls in line with the company's show of support and commitment for Dubais Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, which aims to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in the emirate's energy consumption by the year 2030.

It is now an integral part of any new integrated facilities management (IFM) contracts.

"At Tafawuq, we operate on the strong belief that we make a substantial impact on the living and working environment of the communities, public sector entities and businesses. Our achievements were made possible as we implement the 'Get Wonky' culture, the companys organizational and business enhancement strategy being promoted across the Eltizam Asset Management Group," he stated.

"Thanks to the 'Get Wonky' approach, we are able to focus our efforts on people, technology and CSR, among other aspects, and help us serve our clients better. It also enables us to maintain business continuity even as we all face the impact of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The News Herald continues to have stories about Burke County's Confederate soldier on the square, an issue being debated nationwide. Some weeks ago my son, Alan, recognized Burkes monument would eventually come up and suggested You know, its history and it should be preserved. The best spot would be at the History Museum. Sounds like a reasonable solution to me  if reason can prevail. But I also remember the Museum's Spanish exhibit and the Joara Foundation being asked to stop using the flag of 17th century Imperial Spain due to its use of St. Andrews cross, which some thought mimicked the Confederate battle flag. And then this past spring WPCC's Speakers Forum on Symbols of the South began with some discord before being canceled due to Covid-19.

I experienced these deeply felt emotions many years ago at WPCC while teaching a World History class when a student identified himself as a Nazi, as well as his uncle in Asheville. Thinking this to be an excellent learning opportunity I asked him to bring Nazi memorabilia  which I displayed, without comments, at Moore Halls lobby in a glass case. To say the least, a Jewish faculty member freaked out. I was saved only because WPCCs president Gordan Blank was also Jewish.
And in North Carolina, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is hoping to unseat Gov. Roy Cooper, has come under fire for politicizing the virus with a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Democratic governor over his public health orders.

Raising such criticisms presents pitfalls that go beyond any single race, said Lee Banville, a professor at the University of Montana School of Journalism.

In Bullocks case, Banville said that if Republicans can show the only reason he went to the testing event was to further his campaign, they will have proved he violated the law. Regardless, he said the dispute has the potential to set a precedent that cuts both ways.

Youre basically saying that any time somebody does something in their official duties in their elected office, they cant use any of that materialin their effort to win re-election," Banville said.

Im not sure Republicans or Democrats would be super excited to hear (that)," he added.

The Montana race is one of a handful across the country that will decide which party controls the Senate. The state Republican party has filed a formal complaint over the testing site photos, which the GOP alleges violated state ethic rules that prohibit using public time or resources to promote candidates.
In particular, a fiscal time bomb is about to detonate. Actually, two separate bombs.

Enhanced unemployment benefits are scheduled to expire at the end of July, and Republicans have said that no way, no how will the program be renewed. Some have expressed concerns that the enhanced benefit  a flat $600 federal payment on top of state benefits  might disincentivize work because some workers receive more in benefits than they earned in wages. But that design could be amended.

Additionally, states and localities are going broke. Thanks to COVID-19, their tax revenue has plummeted and expenses have gone up. Lucy Dadayan of the Tax Policy Center estimates that the pandemic will reduce state revenue alone by $200 billion (or about 10% of pre-pandemic projections) over fiscal 2020 and 2021. Officials from both blue and red states have pleaded for federal help. Unlike most states and municipalities, after all, the feds don't have to worry about balanced budgets.

While there is bipartisan support in Congress for providing state aid, it hasn't happened yet. Republican Senate leaders have said they don't plan to put together the next coronavirus relief bill until the end of July.

Perversely, the gains in Thursday's jobs report might reduce pressure on policymakers to pass this needed legislation.
ARCHIVED - Covid positive illegal migrant climbs out of hospital window at 3am in Cartagena



This is one of the 108 illegal migrants who arrived in Cartagena last weekend in a small boat and was hospitalised after testing positive for Covid-19.

The last week has been a difficult one for racial tension, as the growing number of Covid positive illegal migrants arriving in Spain via small boats has started to cause tension in local communities and Murcia has been no exception.

On Thursday Los Alcazares made the national news when frightened residents hurled abuse at illegal migrants who were being quarantined in a property by the Cruz Roja humanitarian aid organisation and were moved to another location as a result.

In Murcia city residents are angry and anxious about the migrants being housed in flats within residential areas by the organisation and have been protesting outside the apartments, a fact which has added fuel to the interest of the national Spanish media. None of the migrants being housed in the community are Covid positive, but are being quarantined as they were in contact with other migrants who arrived in the small boats and were hospitalised as they tested positive for Covid (8 tested positive last week). The properties in which they are housed are being guarded by the Policia Nacional to ensure that the migrants dont leave, although increasingly it appears that the protection is required to ensure that the migrants are protected against the ire of the local population, who are clearly uncomfortable with their presence.

This particular patient is a 25 year-old Algerian national and was taken to the Hospital Universitario de Santa Lucia. He is described as being tall, slim, dark-haired, and short-haired and wearing the black tracksuit given by the Red Cross to immigrants in this type of situation

The patient is reported to have escaped around 3am, using sheets tied together to climb out of the hospital window.

On Friday the regional and national governments finally agreed to the protocols which are to be followed during the period that the state-run migrant transit centres remain shut and the national government is unable to house illegal migrants during the period in which expulsion procedures are undertaken.

All migrants found to be Covid-positive are being monitored in hospital and isolation and quarantine, monitoring and healthcare is being undertaken by the Murcian Health Service, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Public Health and Addictions.

The Cruz Roja has undertaken to house the irregular migrants in quarantine in properties owned by or loaned to the organisation.

During the week there was disturbance in the hospital in Lorca when another covid-positive young migrant attempted to escape. In that case, his escape attempt was unsuccessful, but hospital staff and other patients were shaken by the incident. The hospital is not a jail one commented to the regional media.

Dupicated below is the full background to the situation, published on Friday:

Migrant transit centres are temporarily closed so the Spanish government has no mechanism by which to repatriate those reaching Spanish soil illegally in small boats

During the state of alarm decreed by the coronavirus crisis, at least 2,545 migrants have irregularly entered Spain, of which 2,384 (94%) arrived by sea.

Illegal immigrants attempting to enter Spain in pateras or small boats, is a regular occurrence along the Spanish coast, migrants choosing the shorter routes across from the African coast via Morocco arriving in the various provinces of Andalucia, from Algeria and landing in Andalucia, Valencia region and the Murcia Region, or the longer routes from Algeria to the Balearic islands and a fourth across to the Canary Islands. All attempts are made to intercept the boats out at sea by the Spanish coastguard, which undertakes a major vigilance operation to prevent the pateras arriving undetected and their occupants disappearing off into the Spanish countryside.

All those intercepted are brought into Spanish ports, their medical condition assessed and the migrants taken to migrant transit centres(CIE) where they are temporarily held whilst attempts are made to repatriate them to their country of origin; 45 days is the maximum time permitted for this process, after which, if they cannot be repatriated, the Spanish government is obliged to release them onto Spanish soil. On average, only 36% of repatriation cases are successful.

The migrants are not given residency rights and are not allowed to work legally, which means that some end up being exploited or earning money illegally, and others continue their journey on to other European countries, France or Belgium where there are large established communities of migrants (and some trying to reach the UK) and other destinations.

The onset of the Covid crisis initially halted the flow of migrants, as both Algeria and Morocco closed their own external borders, but whilst this has the effect of limiting the number of migrants from entering via the African Continent, it also prevents the Spanish authorities from repatriating migrants who have successfully reached Spain.

Irregular migrants are normally held in a migrant transit centre for the 45 day period, but these were all closed during the state of emergency as the authorities could not repatriate the migrants. Algeria and Morocco are still closed off, so the centres in turn, remain closed.

But this hasnt stopped the mafias who earn millions transporting irregular travellers across to Spain. In Morocco confinement of the Moroccan population is very strict, so very few boats are reaching the provinces of Cadiz, Malaga or Granada, but boats from Algeria are more numerous, reaching the coast of Almeria, Murcia and the Balearic Islands, their numbers growing as word spreads that the Spanish Authorities cannot hold or repatriate those who reach Spain.

There are believed to be thousands of would-be migrants waiting for their chance to make the journey across into Europe, living in hidden encampments, and these have not escaped the Covid crisis which has engulfed the world, so recently, a number of the migrants reaching Spanish soil are testing Covid positive.

During the state of alarm decreed by the coronavirus crisis, at least 2,545 migrants have irregularly accessed Spain, of which 2,384 (94%) arrived by sea, according to data from the Interior Ministry. Most of them (1,412) arrived by boat on the shores of the Canary Islands.

Although the Covid cases in Spain have been largely brought under control by a strict lockdown, there have recently been a number of outbreaks, some of which are being attributed to illegal immigration, such as that of Navalmoral de la Mata (Caceres), or that of a Red Cross reception center in Malaga.

In the case of Navalmoral de la Mata (Caceres) a migrant who had arrived in Almeria on 24th May had been transferred to a Red Cross centre in Caceres along with a larger group of around 50 migrants, none of whom had been tested. Some of the other migrants who arrived in the same boat had been sent to Soria, and it was here that one of them tested positive for Covid. It wasnt until five days after the migrants had been moved that the Caceres authorities were informed that a positive had been found in Soria, and were warned to test all of those distributed amongst six houses for Covid, 20 of whom were found to be positive, having been in close contact with the patient zero. He walked out of the house and into the community and a search warrant had to be issued to track him down and bring him back into quarantine, sparking extreme concern in the local community.

In Malaga there were 103 cases at the Red Cross welcome centre, the origin believed to have been an aid worker who caught the virus whilst volunteering in the Canary Islands and who subsequently sparked off a major outbreak amongst staff at the centre in Malaga and many of the migrants the centre was sheltering.

The Canary Island of Fuerteventura only had two positives between April 23rd and June 17th, when an inflatable boat arrived from El Aaiun (Western Sahara) with 14 positive cases on board. And four days later, another boat came from the same port with 11 others.

And these are not isolated cases, there are many more, including our own in Murcia, which have this week caused a major stand-off between our regional government and the national government with several days of arguing, as well as causing upset amongst local residents in the locations in which they are being housed.

On Monday this week 7 Algerians reached Aguilas in a small boat, two of them testing positive for Covid-19. They were put into quarantine and temporarily housed in an encampment alongside the Guardia Civil installation in Aguilas, provided by Cruz Roja. Four cases were also detected amongst 108 migrants who arrived in a dozen small boats at the weekend and were taken into Cartagena, adding to the one case detected earlier in the same week, from a separate boat arrival in Aguilas.

In that case, 23 police officers were quarantined after coming in contact with the first individual.On Tuesday it was reported that the 14 year old covid-positive who had arrived in the first boat in Aguilas and was being monitored in the Rafael Mendez hospital in Lorca, had tried to leave the hospital, causing distress for other patients and staff. The patient, who doesnt speak Spanish, was described as having caused damage in the hospital and being in a highly anxious state, and although he didnt succeed in escaping the hospital, staff later expressed their concern about the situation, saying that the hospital is not a jail.

Of the 108 migrants who arrived last weekend, the four positives were taken to hospital, whilst the remainder were located in temporary accommodation by the Cruz Roja and the Fundacion Cepaim (which works to help refugees and migrants). Eight people, close contacts of the positive cases were put in quarantine.

At this point, the calls to find suitable accommodation intensified, the Mayoress of Cartagena meeting with the Government Delegate to the Region of Murcia (the highest representative of the Spanish state in the region who looks after the interests of the national Government, such as the Guardia Civil, prisons, coast guard and government-run bodies), Jose Velez to insist that the national Government provide more resource to help control the arrival of the pateras and resolve the issue of what happens once migrants reach these shores.

The Government Delegate wrote to the Murcian regional government requesting that the region provide accommodation for the migrants as the state-run migrant centre at Santomera (CIE) was closed. He stated in his letter that the same locations that had been used by the regional government to house the homeless during the state of emergency would be perfectly suitable for the purpose, (there were several problems at one of these locations in Mazarron after the residents rioted on two occasions and unsettled locals).

However, the regional Minister of Health, Manuel Villegas, responded that the Delegation should have sufficient means for this itself and "if you do not have the capacity, you should ask for help".

Han despedido al grito de "perros,maricones,hijos de la gran puta" a unos migrantes a los que han desalojado por su presion.Fueron trasladados a un piso de Los Nietos(Murcia) para pasar la cuarentena tras estar en contacto con 4 positivos por covid. Luego que no hay racismo y tal pic.twitter.com/E5EI0T0pWZ  Ibon Perez (@ibonpereztv) July 3, 2020

By this point on Thursday, some of the migrants had endured the unpleasant experience of being heckled by residents of Los Nietos, where six immigrants were temporarily housed in calle Mujol, in a property owned by Caritas. Rumours had spread that these were Covid positives, and there was a risk that locals could be infected. There were even rumours that one of the young men had escaped, and frightened residents gathered in the streets when cars came to transfer them to a Red Cross centre in Murcia on Thursday afternoon, heckling and shouting, as police separated them from the migrants. On Friday afternoon the president of the neighbour's association said that the residents were "not racist" but were "frightened" and criticised the lack of communication and explanations about what was happening for the neighbours.

In Murcia city residents in the district of la Fama where nine migrants who are close contacts of those who have tested positive and who had arrived in Cartagena were being housed in a property owned by Cruz Roja were also concerned, upset by the presence of two police cars and guard in the street outside the property in a residential area where the young men were being quarantined.

It was stressed that the young men were not being arrested, but simply offered a roof over their heads as they had nowhere else to go until they had completed a quarantine period and had not tested positive.

The Government Delegate issued a press statement on Thursday evening explaining that he could only hold any irregular migrants for 72 hours, as the only mechanism by which they can be detained for a further 45 days is the issuing of a judicial order for repatriation, after which they must be sent to the migrant transit centres, which are closed.

Finally, on Friday afternoon, it was announced that an agreement had been reached between the regional government, Government Delegate and Cruz Roja to temporarily house migrants who either tested positive or had been in close contact with others who had tested positive for a 14 day quarantine period.

Cruz Roja would undertake to house the migrants and the regional government would supply additional accommodation as required, with assistance and vigilance by the Policia Nacional.

The regional government stated that although illegal migration was the competence of the national Government, they were extremely concerned at the prospect of outbreaks in the resident population ( should Covid-positive migrants be left to wander freely) and were also concerned that residents not be disturbed (by the migrants being housed in unsuitable accommodation) as had occurred in Los Nietos, we have offered our collaboration to prevent the sacrifice of Murcian residents during the lockdown being wasted, they said.

However, this doesnt resolve the problem that as long as the Migrant Transfer Centres remain closed there are no repatriation orders being issued and after 72 hours there is no legal mechanism to prevent illegal migrants who test negative being detained in Spain.

The role of the humanitarian charitable organisations who will be looking after the migrants is to give medical assistance, help, advice and information and should those in their installations wish to leave then they can do so at any time; the only route by which they can be prevented is for the health department to obtain a judicial order should it be felt that they represent a health risk to the general public, which would only be done for those testing positive or held in quarantine.

Which is itself an added incentive for all those who are desperate to get to Spain to take advantage of this window of opportunity a point being seized on by Vox far-right politicians in other areas of the country.

Not all boats are detained. On Thursday Almeria media reported that a woman carrying a baby and child had been found walking along the road close to where an empty boat was later found. Had she arrived alone? Had any of her undetected companions been Covid positive? How many more boats are reaching Spain undetected???????

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Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has joined the Invest in Knowledge initiative rolled out by the Mohammed bin Rashid Knowledge Foundation.

RTAs participation in the inititaive is part of its support to the Mohammed bin Rashid Knowledge Foundation (MBRKF) which provides an educational and knowledge platform for various community members, especially government employees.

"The concept of an educational foundation has always been part of RTAs core business. We are endeavouring to make it a reality through grooming knowledgeable and skilled employees," the Authority said on Sunday.

RTA will be uploading several books, reports, magazines, manuals and other specialist knowledge resources for the benefit of employees and others to the initiative digital platform link.

"The association with this initiative will further nurture the knowledge of beneficiaries from RTA, thanks to the rich contents of the MBRKF platform, which boasts of 300,000 addresses and 3.5 million digital materials," it added.

The Authority has a comprehensive plan to enhance the foundation which supports the community to broaden their knowledge and education.

It had launched 'Read' with RTA application with 150 free books in both Arabic and English available for Android and iOS users. It fits with the national agenda for the next decade aimed at making reading part of the duties of government offices.

RTA also launched Dubai Audio Library, in collaboration with Bookshare online library, which includes 400,000 books in Arabic language. The library has 820 international publishers and volunteers in Dubai who contribute to by donating their digital files.-TradeArabia News Service
Criminals in South Africa are using social engineering to steal personal and confidential information from South Africans, according to SABRIC.

This type of crime relies heavily on personal data, which is why many pickpockets and muggers are now sifting through their victims smartphones to see if they can log in to the banking app or other sensitive services.

Phishing, whether it is through email, voice calls (vishing), or SMS (SMishing), remains a common method for criminals to trick victims into divulging their online banking credentials.

Personal information includes identity documents, drivers licenses, passports, addresses and contact details amongst others and could be used to eventually commit fraud, SABRIC said.

Confidential information includes usernames, passwords and PIN numbers should never be shared with anybody.

Common attacks

SABRIC said South Africans should be wary of social engineering attacks where criminals call you and pretend to be a bank representative.

Tactics that continue to be rife are Vishing  where criminals call you and manipulate you into believing that they are from the bank to coerce you into revealing confidential information like PINs or passwords  and SMishing, where you are sent an SMS leading you to believe that you will be assisted to trace your phone and duping you into revealing this confidential information, she said.

She added that standard email phishing, where you are sent an email which you believe to be from your bank that asks you to click on a link that requests your PINs or passwords.

Business email compromise remains a concern, as criminals target specific employees in organisations who are authorised to transfer funds or make payments, SABRIC said.

Criminals utilise information obtained from company websites and/or other digital platforms to identify the details of CEOs, Financial Directors, and other key senior individuals.

They then impersonate these individuals by sending electronic requests via email or text message to junior staff in the accounting or finance function requesting that an urgent payment be made to a specific beneficiary, she added.

By the time the employee realises that the funds have been paid into the incorrect account, it is too late.

Protecting yourself

SABRIC said that all of the banks it partners with have robust fraud mitigation mechanisms, which is why criminals find it easier to target customers and use social engineering to steal money.

Through staying informed and following the safety tips provided by banks and SABRIC, customers can make it difficult for criminals to defraud them of their hard-earned money, SABRIC said.

The locking of mobile phones using dual authentication where available and monitoring bank transactions through SMS notifications should be standard practice for all online banking customers.

Other steps South Africans can take to avoid becoming a victim of common banking crime include the following:

Do not carry unnecessary personal information in your wallet.

Do not disclose personal information such as passwords and PINs when asked to do so by anyone via telephone, fax or email.

Dont write down PINs and passwords, and avoid obvious choices like birth dates and first names.

Dont use any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) as a password, user ID or personal identification number (PIN).

Dont use Internet Cafes or unsecured terminals (hotels, conference centres etc.) to do your banking.

MyBroadband also spoke to Absa and Nedbank about online banking crime trends, and they echoed the views outlined by SABRIC.

Absa

Absa RBB head of fraud strategy Ulrich Janse van Rensburg told MyBroadband that social engineering attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and warned customers to refrain from divulging their personal information.

For clarity, there is an upsurge in social engineering globally, and fraudsters use personal data from data breaches to impersonate banks with the sole purpose of tricking customers into granting them access to their money and bank accounts, Janse van Rensburg said.

Janse van Rensburg added that Absa has a number of measures in place to defend customers against SIM-swap fraud and unauthorised transactions.

Absas systems are world-class and we encourage customers to adopt the Absa mobile banking application to ensure that their transactions can be authorised securely without reliance on their SIM card, thus minimising the risk of SIM-swap fraud.

Absa recently launched a market-first digital fraud warranty for customers who bank using our banking app  signalling our confidence in the security of our app as the safest way to bank, Janse van Rensburg said.

He added that Absas online banking service requires the customers account number, user number, PIN, and password to access the service.

The service will send the customer a logon alert on their cell phone to warn them if somebody is logging on to their online service.

In addition to that, the customer must download the Absa banking app which contains the option to authenticate high-risk transactions performed on the online banking service, Janse van Rensburg said.

Nedbank

Nedbank RBB head of digital channels Tawanda Chatikobo also told MyBroadband that social engineering attacks remained the biggest threat for online banking users in South Africa.

We have also noted an increase in instances where customers receive malware via email that then intercepts all the keystrokes of the client, thereby obtain the secret logon credentials, Chatikobo said.

There is also a distinct pattern among victims that they do not read the second-factor authentication messages when approving an operation, thereby allowing fraudulent transactions to take place.

Chatikobo added that the combination of phishing and smartphone theft was also a worrying trend.

Following the theft of the device, the criminals send a phishing email or SMS to the client that pretends to be from the manufacturer of the device, informing the victim that he or she can track or wipe their stolen device by following the link.

The client provides the credentials to their device account which the criminals then use to obtain access to the device and the banking app, Chatikobo said.

Chatikobo echoed the security advice given by SABRIC, stating that customers should never divulge their personal information and should contact their bank when they encounter any suspicious activity.

Now read: South African smartphone snatching fraud warning
With government trying to strike a delicate balance between the loss of lives and saving jobs, President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is not considering returning to a hard lockdown.

The President clarified governments stance during his oversight visit to Mpumalanga on Friday where he assessed the provinces state of readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another hard lockdown is not being considered for now, the issue of jobs lost concerns us. Other countries are experiencing even bigger losses. We are developing various other ways of responding to this, said the President.

The exponential increase in COVID-19 cases ignited fierce debate across society with a hard lockdown proposed as a measure to curb the countrys rising infections.

President Ramaphosa said government would rather consider other options in the toolbox in fighting the pandemic.

He said the increase in numbers was expected but the National Coronavirus Command Council will examine the situation in the hardest hit provinces such as Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape.

The three provinces account for the lions share of the countrys COVID-19 cases with the Western Cape leading the pack 64 841cases, 49 937 in Gauteng and 30 603 in Eastern Cape.

To date South Africa recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases in one day as 8 728 people tested positive bringing the national total to 168 061.

On Thursday, 95 new COVID-19-related deaths were reported bringing the total number of deaths to 2 844.

SANews
The Gauteng government wants to reintroduce a hard lockdown in the province to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19.

The Sunday Times reported that the plan is to close down the province for up to two weeks and then open it up again.

Nobody goes to work, and no-one moves. Then the economy opens up again for a particular period of time and then it closes again, Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku told the newspaper.

Masuku added that strict lockdown rules, similar to the level 5 national lockdown in April, are needed to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed.

On Thursday, Gauteng premier David Makhura said the COVID-19 storm has arrived in the province, which could necessitate the reintroduction of stricter lockdown rules.

Makhura said that his provincial government will continue to push for behavioural change at a ward-level, but cautioned that this will likely not be enough.

We are also making presentations to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) at reinstating some of the harsher and more stringent (lockdown) measures, said Makhura.

BusinessTech and the Sunday Times reported that specific issues which are being considered include:

More stringent restrictions on the movement of people.

Limiting the number of learners who can return to school.

Limiting the sale of alcohol to only one day per week.

Banning weddings, protests and church gatherings.

Limiting the number of people at funerals to 20.

Given what we are going through now, and the fact that things will get worse in July, we cannot just throw our hands in the air and say that there is nothing that we can do, Makhura said.

NCCC to decide

The decision to implement a lockdown is taken by the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), and a hard lockdown may be a hard sell.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday the government is not considering returning to a hard lockdown.

Another hard lockdown is not being considered for now, the issue of jobs lost concerns us. Other countries are experiencing even bigger losses, Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa said the government would rather consider other options in the toolbox in fighting the pandemic.

He said the increase in numbers was expected but the NCCC will examine the situation in the hardest-hit provinces  Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Western Cape.

Prof Salim Abdool Karim, chairperson of the COVID-19 ministerial advisory committee, told ENCA a strict lockdown is one of their prevention strategies to fight the coronavirus.

You cannot go into battle with this virus and say I am not going to use one of my most powerful weapons, he said.

The question, Karim said, is when to use it. I call it a tool of last resort. When we get to a point where everything else is failing us, it becomes the tool we need to go to.

The said the main criteria for reintroducing a strict lockdown in Gauteng is to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed.

We are not there yet, but the rate at which were going we are going to get there is pretty quickly, he said.



Rapid growth of COVID-19 in Gauteng

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced on Saturday that there are now 187,977 COVID-19 cases in South Africa.

Over the last 24 hours, 10,853 coronavirus cases were recorded  a new daily high for South Africa.

74 more COVID-19 related deaths were reported, which brings the total number of deaths to 3,026.

Gauteng now has 59,373 total COVID-19 cases, up 5,042 over the last 24 hours. This means Gauteng is South Africas new coronavirus epicentre.

Karin said it was always expected that the virus would spread the fastest in Gauteng for two reasons:

The number of foreign and domestic travellers are the highest in Gauteng. The province has the highest population density  Johannesburg is SAs New York equivalent.

He said the lockdown in April and May stemmed the spread of the virus in Gauteng, which gave the province time to prepare for the inevitable storm which it is now facing.

The chart below, courtesy of Hydra, shows the spread of the coronavirus in Gauteng over the last few months.
A number of prominent South African companies have published an open letter to Cyril Ramaphosa, pleading for the national ban on tobacco products to be lifted.

The letter was published in the Sunday Times and was signed by major retailer Spar, British American Tobacco, SAAI, Fresh Stop, South African Tobacco, Twisp, and CTP Unlimited.

The letter pointed out that 5 July marks 100 days since the sale of tobacco products was first banned in South Africa, arguing that this has caused significant damage to South Africas economy and citizens.

Whole communities have been torn apart as the ban has extinguished livelihoods that sustain thousands of families across the nation, it said.

With the stroke of a pen, 11 million previously law-abiding smokers and vapers have been turned into criminals.

The companies pointed out that the ban has cost the country R3.5 billion in excise taxes to date  money which could have paid for:

Two new hospitals and 5,000 ventilators

54 new schools

The salaries of 25,000 nurses, 5,000 doctors, and 20,000 primary school teachers

8,045 new affordable homes

23 million food parcels for the poor

It has been 100 days, but South Africa  the only major nation in the world with a tobacco and vaping ban  cannot afford for this to last a single day longer, the letter said.

Court loss and delay

The publication of this open letter follows a double-blow of legal defeats for tobacco organisations in South Africa.

On 26 June, Pretoria High Court dismissed an application made by the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA), which argued for the lifting of the ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products during the national lockdown period.

In its ruling, the Court said FITAs argument that tobacco products be considered necessary due to the negative effects the ban was having on those dependent on the substance was without merit.

The court also noted that FITAs case ignored the context in which the ban was put in place  an unprecedented global pandemic, which required swift response from the government.

FITA has said it will appeal this decision and keep the public updated on further developments.

British American Tobacco (BATSA) has also brought an urgent application to lift the national ban on the sale of tobacco, but this has been delayed for six weeks.

BATSA said it received communication on Friday 26 June that the application being brought by it and others against the ban has now been listed for 5 and 6 August.

The organisation labelled this move inexplicable and worrying, adding that all applications had previously agreed the matter was urgent and needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

Having received the extremely strong replying papers from the applicants, the state president and Cogta have done a total volte-face and now want the matter to be heard on 5 and 6 August  this despite their acknowledgement that it is urgent, BATSAs Johnny Moloto said.

This delaying of justice and a resolution of this issue is inexplicable.

By the time the case is heard the ban will have been in place for four and half months during which time billions of illegal cigarettes will have been sold.

Now read: Western Cape judge under fire over tobacco case delay
I once had an editor who was unusually focused on the newspapers style book, the guide to how words and phrases are used and spelled.

Most newspapers follow, at least generally, the Associated Press style guide, but this editor decreed some significant differences. For example, he insisted on using honorifics  Mr., Mrs., Dr., and so forth. Most newspapers, with the notable exception of the New York Times, long ago abandoned such honorifics, but my editor was defiantly old fashioned and liked the effect.

So old fashioned was he that he was also no fan of the feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s. Therefore he refused to allow the term Ms. for women who preferred not to be defined by their marital status. That left the reporters in the field in the uncomfortable position of spending time trying to persuade women to reveal whether they should be Miss or Mrs.

Being of a conservative bent, my editor also insisted that we could not use the word Gay in reference to sexual orientation, except in direct quotes or in the proper name of organizations. Instead, we had to use the word homosexual.

+2 Taking the first steps to understanding A recent forum by the Napa Valley Vintners turned into a fascinating and eye-opening discussion about race in America, Editor Sean Scully says.

I am not sure whether my editors position was a calculated insult, or whether he simply wanted to signal that he refused to be defined by positions put forward by advocacy groups. Either way, it was a style point that irritated gay rights groups, which seemed to suit my editor just fine.

Whatever his intent, his unusual points of style were an early lesson to me that details matter. Small elements, elements that many readers might not notice or might even consider trivial, can in fact communicate a great deal, in terms of values, political orientation, or editorial bias.

By and large, the Napa Valley Register follows the AP style guide, with a few modifications for local conditions. For example, we capitalize Upvalley to indicate the vicinity of St. Helena and Calistoga. And when I took over as editor, I added Downvalley to the style book, even though my Napa-centric staff had never heard of such a word (yes, Upvalley people do talk that way).

The sharp-eyed among you have noticed already that were now in the midst of working through another style question, this one laden with far more significance than which end of the valley youre talking about. And thats how to approach racial and ethnic terms.

+2 The first glimmer of understanding A long-ago journalism project launched Editor Sean Scully on a decades-long journey to understand race in America.

The Associated Press has recently recommended capitalizing Black in the context of African Americans. Its a small but significant point that tends to emphasize African Americans as a distinct community worthy of recognition.

The AP did not, however, issue guidance on whether to capitalize White. And thats where, I confess, I am hung up.

I experimented with capitalizing White a few times, but it felt wrong. It felt like in doing so, we were defining a distinct ethnic community rather than discussing what is effectively the dominant culture. By capitalizing White, we seem to be validating the idea that whites constitute a distinct minority or interest group, with needs or grievances equivalent to various well-established minority groups.

Worse, it felt to me like we were validating the White Identity movement, which is for the most part a thinly veiled white supremacy movement.

+2 Let's hope we get this right Editor Sean Scully reflects on the violence of last weekend and Napa's response to it.

Moreover, the very definition of whiteness is as fraught as any other racial question. A century ago, the definition of white would almost certainly not have included anyone from Eastern or Southern Europe, Jews, Middle Easterners, or Spanish-descended Central and South Americans, despite the fact that, from a strictly skin tone point of view, it would be hard to distinguish them from others that were well understood to be white.

And although all those groups might these days be covered under white in the popular understanding, there are still plenty of people trying to define them as outside the white community. Think the tiki-torch-bearing Unite the Right rally-goers in Charlottesville, chanting Jews will not replace us.

So with that in mind, seeing the word White capitalized feels jarring, strangely off balance, to me. On the other hand, if we do not capitalize White, we run into a different set of problems.

+2 Covering our 'Brave New World' Help us cover the emerging shape of our post-pandemic life, editor Sean Scully says.

If not White then why, for example, Native American and not native American? Or why Indigenous not indigenous?

Some ethnic descriptors are easy, since they are based, at least loosely, on geographic names, which should be capitalized: African American, Latino, Hispanic, Asian American.

But if the descriptor is not normally capitalized, like white or native, why capitalize it now? If I follow that line of argument, however, then African Americans should be black and not Black, but that could be read as a signal of disrespect.

Thus I wind up chasing my own tail, philosophically speaking, in trying to work it out. The arguments for and against are circular and I wind up back where I started.

+2 How it looked back then A happy ending has a way of buffing the edges off of painful earlier memories, editor Sean Scully

I am sure most readers would not notice either way, or might not care much, but since I have seen that small details like this matter, I want to think this through. Whatever style we adopt should at least have a well-worked-out philosophy behind it.

I would love to know what you, the readers, think. I am definitely inclined to follow the AP guidance on capitalizing Black, but how do think we should handle White? Or white?

Lets talk about it.

You can reach Sean Scully at 256-2246 or sscully@napanews.com.

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Iranian Vice-President for Legal Affairs Laya Joneydi said Saturday that Iran had filed a lawsuit against the United States over the impact of US sanctions on Iran on the COVID-19 fight, Mehr reported.

The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran in the midst of the country's struggle against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his readiness to help Iran in the fight against the pandemic.
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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
Tourists to Jordan will wear electronic bracelets on arrival to ensure compliance with the quarantine regime, Arab News reported.

All foreign citizens who arrive in Jordan are required to be quarantined for 14 days in the hotels on the shores of the Dead Sea, west of the capital of Amman. Then, they must be isolated at home or in another hotel on their own.

The country has declared a curfew, and use drones to monitor the social distancing. In early June, Jordanian authorities slightly eased the measures.

Jordan has recorded 1,147 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began. The death toll has reached 10, MK noted.
President Armen Sarkissian has addressed the nation on the occasion of the Constitution Day.

His statement runs as follows:

Dear Compatriots,

Distinguished Citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today is the Constitution Day, and we also celebrate the State Symbols Day.

We have common state symbols  the state flag, coat of arms, anthem, and one unified Constitution  the Main Law of the land.

History is not only a good teacher but also an undeliberate inspirer. It constantly reminds and prompts us to keep in mind that to achieve success as a society and as a state, we need to work hand in hand, build our country together,

that first and foremost we have common state and national interests, and only after that come personal or private interests,

that the individual is the greatest asset,

and that the Constitution is not only the right and responsibility but also a mindset, a work culture, a system of values, and philosophy.

When over 200 years ago, the Shahamirians created the Snare of Glory, we didnt have statehood yet, but they wrote is as a constitution for the future Armenia, hoping in their hearts that the time would come, the time of the Armenian statehood, statehood void of the snares of glory.

Dear Compatriots,

We need to exercise the utmost efforts and responsibility, discipline and vigilance to overcome challenges with dignity and move forward. We have to be more alert, united, and proactive to have a stable and developed country and to pass it to future generations; we need to have a strong state, a tolerant and unified society, unblemished state symbols  the flag, coat of arms, anthem, and unity based on the Constitution.

I congratulate us all and wish peace, prosperity, and optimism.

God bless our Fatherland and us all
Gulf Medical University (GMU), Ajman, the leading medical university in the Middle East region has signed an agreement with the Healthcare Division of Thumbay Group.

The agreement aims to apply, implement and follow the international standards of academic centres according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and international accreditation bodies like the Joint Commission International (JCI), across the academic hospitals and clinics of Thumbay Group. The association is the latest in GMUs efforts to strengthen the implementation of its academic health system.

The agreement was signed at Thumbay Medicity, Ajman on June 30, 2020, by Prof Hossam Hamdy, the Chancellor of GMU and Akbar Moideen Thumbay, Vice President of the Healthcare Division of Thumbay Group, in the presence of the COOs of various hospitals of the Thumbay Hospital network and Thumbay Clinics.

The agreement also aims to facilitate continuous training of the doctors, nurses and technicians of Thumbay hospitals and clinics by GMU, in addition to collaborating for joint educational programs and translational research, in addition to jointly organising scientific conferences and continuing professional development programmes.

The hospitals will also serve as a clinical training site for the students of the University, being the academic health centres of Gulf Medical University Academic Health System (GMUAHS).

Speaking about the agreement, Prof Hamdy, the Chancellor of GMU said: The value of having an Academic Health System integrating academia, healthcare and research becomes all the more important during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the GMU Academic Health System, we were able to quickly transform some of our hospitals into Covid care hospitals, and our central research lab was transformed into a Covid testing facility at very short notice, thanks to the integration of infrastructure and the manpower  including doctors, nurses and student volunteers - within the GMU Academic Health System.

Furthermore, this agreement with Thumbay Groups Healthcare Division paves the way for greater collaborations and partnerships, expanding the clinical training facilities of GMU students who can now learn from leading medical experts and gain hands-on experience on cutting-edge healthcare technology. The internationally accredited systems at Thumbay hospitals and clinics will not only prepare the students for a global healthcare career, but will also equip them with futuristic competencies.

Thumbay said that the healthcare division was delighted to partner with GMU. The agreement with Gulf Medical University will further strengthen the high standards of patient care at Thumbay Hospitals and Thumbay Clinics. We are glad to host GMU students for clinical training at our hospitals and clinics which have a reputation for superior healthcare delivery standards. I am confident that our healthcare team at Thumbay University Hospital will groom the future healthcare professionals of GMU with their extensive experience and knowledge, he added.

Thumbay Groups Healthcare Division operates 8 academic hospitals at various locations in the UAE, in addition to the Thumbay Clinic network of 12 family clinics, 46 Thumbay Pharmacy outlets and the largest CAP-accredited private diagnostic labs network comprising 5 Thumbay Labs. All these are part of the Gulf Medical University Academic Health System.

The Thumbay Hospital network is the largest private academic hospital chain in the region, and treats patients from as many as 175 nationalities. Thumbay Group has an exclusive medical tourism company, Thumbay Medical Tourism, with has representative offices in 87 countries.

Thumbay Groups Thumbay Medicity in Ajman is a regional hub of medical education, healthcare and research, with its state-of-the-art facilities attracting students, medical professionals, researchers and patients from around the world. The Group employs more than 4,000 people across its various businesses. -- Tradearabia News Service
Iran has recorded 163 COVID-19 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 11,571, IRNA reported.

Iran's health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday that 2,560 COIVD-19 new cases have been reported and 1,295 of whom have been hospitalized.

Sadat Lari said a total of 240,438 Iranians have tested positive for COVID-19 and 201,330 of whom have recovered.

According to her, 3,168 other COVID-19 patients are in critical condition and being treated in intensive care units.

Lari added that 1,794,727 tests have so far been carried out in Iran.
Pilot among 11 new coronavirus cases in HK

Health officials say the cargo pilot didn't show any symptoms after returning to Hong Kong. Image: Shutterstock

A 54-year-old pilot  who's exempted from Covid-19 quarantine measures because of his job  was among 11 new coronavirus cases recorded in the city on Saturday, bringing the total tally in Hong Kong to 1,258.



Ten of them are new arrivals, from countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, the United States and Egypt.



The Centre for Health Protection said the cargo pilot tested positive after visiting a private clinic on Friday.



It said the pilot didn't show any symptoms after returning to Hong Kong, and he had mostly stayed at home in Tung Chung.



The centre said the patient had been to Kazakhstan and Turkey during the incubation period from June 11 to 30. He had a cough last Thursday, and it subsided a few days later.



His wife and daughter have not shown any symptoms and they have been sent to a quarantine centre.



The centre stressed the public should always maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene, to protect themselves against infection and prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Tehran in talks with Beijing over pact

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran is working on a pact with China. File photo: Reuters

Iran has been negotiating a 25-year accord with China and the terms will be announced once a deal is struck, the foreign minister told a stormy session of parliament on Sunday.



"With confidence and conviction, we are negotiating a 25-year strategic accord with China," Iran's top trading partner, Mohammad Javad Zarif said.



During the session, Zarif was heckled by lawmakers, largely over his key role in negotiating a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018 as a prelude to reimposing biting sanctions.



It was his first address to parliament since a new house started work in late May in the wake of elections that were dominated by conservatives and ultra-conservatives.



Zarif insisted there was "nothing secret" about the prospective China deal.



The nation would be informed "when an accord has been concluded", he said, adding that the intention had already been made public in January 2016 when President Xi Jinping visited Tehran.



China is also a key market for Iranian crude exports, which have been severely curtailed by the US sanctions.



The 2015 nuclear deal had given the Islamic republic relief from international sanctions in return for limits on its nuclear programme, but Iranian conservatives staunchly opposed that multilateral agreement, arguing the US could never be trusted.



But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has come out publicly in support of a strategic bilateral partnership with China.



The planned China deal has been a hot topic on Iranian social media since populist ex-president Mahmud Ahmadinejad last month condemned negotiations underway with a foreign country. (AFP)
Southern California residents sit on the roofs of their vehicles to watch the fireworks during the Drive-Up 4th of July Spectacular at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Beaches were closed and many fireworks shows were canceled.

Huntington Beach's annual 4th of July Parade went from the largest celebration west of the Mississippi to a neighborhood drive-by.

Still, the Southland celebrated.





Lighting up the sky over North Hollywood

Fireworks light up the sky Saturday over North Hollywood, as seen from Burbank. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

Fireworks explode Saturday over North Hollywood, as seen from Burbank. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

Red, white, blue and round

The Ferris wheel is lighted in patriotic colors on July 4 weekend at the pier in Santa Monica. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Augmented parade

American Legion Post 133 is represented in the OneHB Neighborhood Parade passing along Rockinghorse Lane in Huntington Beach celebrating July 4 with two vehicle caravans traveling on separate routes, passing within a mile of every single home in the city. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Miss Huntington Beach and Court is represented in the OneHB Neighborhood Parade passing along Frans Lane in Huntington Beach celebrating July 4 with two vehicle caravans traveling on separate routes, passing within a mile of every single home in the city. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Mike Whitford, of Newport Beach, wearing a Captain America costume, is shown with his family and the Schmidgall family as the OneHB Neighborhood Parade passes by celebrating July 4 with two vehicle caravans traveling on separate routes, passing within a mile of every single home in Huntington Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Spirited attire

Tita Jaramillo runs on Balboa Pier in patriotic colors July 4. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Above it all

A powered paraglider flies above high surf near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach on July 4. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Closed for the holiday
Two Oklahoma police officers have been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly applying multiple electrical shocks from stun guns to the body of a man who died afterward.

Wilson Police Department Officers Joshua Taylor and Brandon Dingman reportedly responded to a call around midnight on July 4, 2019, that 28-year-old Jared Lakey was allegedly acting disorderly.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations was requested by the Carter County Sheriffs Office to assist with the investigation. The OSBI said in a press release on July 2 that when Lakey did not comply with the officers' commands, they both used their police-issued stun guns.

The agency found that both Taylor, 24, and Dingman, 34, used the stun gun multiple times on Lakey until backup from the Carter County Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene to assist with getting Lakey into custody.

MORE: Ex-officer faces felony murder charge in shooting death of Rayshard Brooks: DA

According to the Daily Ardmoreite, a local newspaper, the backup officer wrote in an incident report that he "placed Lakey in a neck restraint, causing him to go unconscious, and had the other officers place him in handcuffs." The backup officer, who was not identified, has not been charged.

Lakey stopped breathing, became unresponsive, began breathing again and was taken to the hospital, OSBI said, and died two days later.

The Daily Ardmoreite also reported that Lakey's probable cause of death determined by the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was due to complications of a heart attack "and law enforcement use of electrical weapon and restraint."

"Jareds death was completely avoidable," Steven Terrill, the Lakey family's attorney, said in a statement to ABC News. "The conduct of these officers and the video (which the Bryan & Terrill firm hopes will be available soon) should be a constant reminder that we cannot depend on police officers to self-report use of force encounters that go too far or violate policy."

Story continues

"Anytime there is a law enforcement encounter with the public involving use of force, accountability and transparency should be paramount for any officer, the department, and that governmental entity," he added.

PHOTO: Joshua Taylor, 25, of the Wilson Police Department in Oklahoma is charged in connection to the second-degree murder of Jared Lakey. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

The family has also filed a civil lawsuit.

Neck restraints, including chokeholds, used by law enforcement officers across the country have become one of the topics of calls for police reform which was sparked on the heels of the death of George Floyd. Floyd was seen on video being held down by the knee of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on Floyd's neck.

Chauvin along with three other officers were charged in connection to Floyd's murder. They have all pleaded not guilty.

MORE: Noose found in building owned by elite university

The protests have also called for systemic racism changes throughout the world. In the Oklahoma incident, everyone involved was white.

The OSBI said a report with their investigation findings were submitted to District Attorney Craig Ladd's office, who issued a warrant on July 1 for the arrest of Dingman and Taylor.

Judge Carson Brooks set $250,000 bond that both officers paid and were released by July 2, according to online court records.

PHOTO: Brandon Dingman, 34, of the Wilson Police Department in Oklahoma is charged in connection to the second-degree murder of Jared Lakey. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

Ryan Hunnicut, who is the listed attorney for Dingman and Taylor, could not be reached for comment.

But in a statement to The New York Times he said: "The death of Mr. Lakey saddens us all. We are confident that the legal system will provide an opportunity for all the facts to be known and look forward to our day in court."

Their next court date for a preliminary conference is on Aug. 27 at 9:30 a.m.

MORE: Bar shooting leaves 1 dead, 3 injured, hunt on for suspect

The officers reportedly have been placed on administrative leave.

Terrill, the family's lawyer, took issue with the officers' punishment, saying, "While criminal charges have been filed against two of three officers involved in Jareds death, when will the City of Wilson and the Wilson Police Department address why Dingman and Taylor were actively working for the last year?"

When contacted, a dispatcher with the Wilson Police Department referred questions to the city's mayor, who did not return request for comment.

2 Oklahoma police officers accused of repeatedly using stun gun against man charged with his murder originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Passengers queue to take flights from Stansted airport in Essex. Now, arrivals coming from local European countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece have been named among those who are exempt from undergoing quarantine restrictions. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

According to the latest announcement by the UK government on July 3rd, From July 10th, 2020, unless they have visited or stopped in any other country or territory in the preceding 14 days, passengers arriving from the list of 54 countries and territories will not be required to self-isolate on arrival.

The list published by officials in the UK also includes Asian countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong (China) and Vietnam. In the announcement, the UK government states that arrivals will not have to self-isolate on arrival providing that these are the only places passengers have been to or stopped in during the previous 14 days.

Moreover, travelers from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man will be exempt under the policy as they are part of a common travel area.

Furthermore, arrivals from 14 British Overseas Territories will also be exempt.

It is anticipated that the list may grow over the coming days following further discussions between the UK and its international partners, with updates posted to www.go.uk./.


The UAE has announced major changes to the government structure, including merger of ministries and formation of new ministries, aiming at faster decision-making.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has approved the new structure of the UAE Government, said a Wam news agency report.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, after consultations with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, announced the new ministerial structure through several tweets published on his official twitter account. He also praised the support given by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the new structure.

The new structure includes the closure of 50 percent of government services centres and their transformation into digital platforms within two years, and the mergers of around 50 percent of federal authorities with other authorities or ministries, in addition to the appointments of new ministers of state and CEOs of specialised sectors, said Wam.

The new structure revealed today is in line with the announcement of Sheikh Mohammed at the end of the UAE Government meeting held remotely in May, under the title, "The Preparations for the Post-Covid-19 Period," which witnessed the participation of 100 government officials, as well as international experts and researchers.

Sheikh Mohammed then stated that the governments size and structure will be revised, changes will be made and some ministries will merge, noting that the post-Covid-19 world requires more flexible and proactive governments that are capable of adapting, in addition to the need to ensure readiness, reassess national priorities, develop a comprehensive proactive approach that foresees the features of this era, and innovate solutions to address future challenges.

The new ministries include the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, which will develop the countrys industrial sector. Three ministers will also be appointed under the Ministry of Economy, as well as a Minister of State for Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Work Applications while a UAE Government Media Office will be established.

The new structure of the government includes the merger of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Infrastructure to become the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure; the merger of the National Media Council (NMC) and the Federal Youth Authority to the Ministry of Culture; the merger of the General Pension and Social Security Authority and the Ministry of Community Development; the merger of the National Qualifications Authority and the Ministry of Education; and the merger of the Insurance Authority and the Securities and Commodities Authority.

Sheikh Mohammed posted a series of tweets that stated, "Brothers and sisters, after consultations with my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, who approved the new government structure and directed those concerned to harness all resources to preserve our achievements and accelerate the process of national development, and after the approval of my brother, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, we announce, today, the new structure of the UAE Government. Our objective is to create a government with faster decision-making capacities that is capable of keeping pace with the latest developments, making the most of opportunities, and addressing this new era of our history, and a flexible government that aims to continue the nations achievements."

"Today, my brothers and sisters, we announce the mergers of ministries and authorities, the re-allocation of powers and responsibilities, and the restructuring of the UAE Government. We are closing 50 percent of government service centres and turning them into digital platforms within two years, merging 50 percent of federal authorities with other authorities or ministries, and appointing new ministers of state and CEOs of specialist sectors," he added.

Sheikh Mohammed then highlighted the establishment of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, which will aim to develop the national industrial sector, and its merger with the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA), explaining that the Minister of State for Advanced Sciences will work under its umbrella.

He also announced the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber as Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and the establishment of the "Local Content Centre" to help local businesses follow the ministry.

He noted the transfer of the "Quality of Life and Happiness" portfolio to the Ministry of Community Development, the transfer of the Federal Human Resources Authority to the UAE Cabinet Office, and the appointment of Ohoud Al Roumi as Minister of State for Government Development and the Future.

Sheikh Mohammed announced the merger of the Ministry of Energy with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development to become the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, with the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme and the Federal Transport Authority - Land and Maritime being assigned to this new ministry, as well as the appointment of Suhail Al Mazrouei as Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

He also announced the merger of the National Media Council (NMC) and the Federal Youth Authority to the Ministry of Culture to become the Ministry of Culture and Youth, which will have two ministers, Shamma Al Mazrui as Minister of State for Youth and Noura Al Kaabi as Minister of Culture and Youth, noting that the Emirates News Agency (WAM) will be transferred to the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, while the Federal Electricity and Water Authority, the Emirates Post Group, the Emirates General Transport and Services Corporation and the Emirates Real Estate Corporation will be attached to the Emirates Investment Authority (EIA) as well as the drafting of a new government investment strategy.

The new government structure also includes the merger of the National Qualifications Authority to the Ministry of Education, and the merger of the Insurance Authority to the Securities and Commodities Authority, to be chaired by the Minister of Economy, and the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber as President of the Emirates Development Bank.

"Merging the General Authority for Pensions and Social Security within the Ministry of Community Development .. and forming a sector within the Ministry to provide modern services for pensioners .. and the establishment of the National Social Security Fund to manage security funds under the supervision of brother Obaid Al Tayer and under the umbrella of the Emirates Investment Authority."

Three ministers were appointed within the Ministry of Economy: Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri as Minister of Economy, along with Ahmed Belhoul as Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs; Thani Al Zeyoudi as Minister of State for Foreign Trade. "Our national economy is an absolute strategic priority," Sheikh Mohammed said.

He revealed in his tweet the creation of the portfolio of Minister of State for Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence and Teleworking Applications and appointment of Omar Al Olama to be responsible for this portfolio.

"The future work environment in medicine, education and trade will change dramatically. We seek to be at the forefront of these changes and to be the best model globally," Sheikh Mohammed said.

''The new government has one year to achieve its new priorities. Continuous changes will be the headline of the new phase until we achieve the best governance model for the new era; and until we achieve a government that fulfils the ambitions of the Emirati people," Sheikh Mohammed said in conclusion of his tweets.

The new UAE Government structure is as follows:

* His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Vice President, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense

* Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior

* Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs

* Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Minister of Finance

* Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

* Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan - Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence

* Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi - Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future

* Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi - Minister of Federal Supreme Council Affairs

* Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais - Minister of Health and Prevention and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs

* Dr Anwar bin Mohammad Gargash - Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

* Obaid Humaid Al Tayer -Minister of State for Financial Affairs

* Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy - Minister of State for International Cooperation

* Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei - Minister of Energy and Infrastructure

* Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi - Minister of Climate Change and the Environment

* Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber - Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology

* Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi - Minister of Justice

* Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi - Minister of Education

* Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi - Minister of State for Defence Affairs

* Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi - Minister of Culture and Youth

* Jameela bint Salem Al Muheiri - Minister of State for Public Education

* Nasser bin Thani Al Hamli - Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation

* Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid - Minister of Community Development

* Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri - Minister of Economy

* Dr Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi - Minister of State

* Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi - Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs

* Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi - Minister of State for Foreign Trade

* Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi - Minister of State for Government Development and The Future

* Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Youth Affairs

* Zaki Nusseibeh - Minister of State

* Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri - Minister of State for Food and Water Security

* Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri - Minister of State for Advanced Technology

* Omar bin Sultan Al Olama - Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Teleworking Applications

* Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh - Minister of State

CEOs of UAE Government

Mohammed Sultan Al Obaidli, Head of Legal Affairs; Mohammed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security; Saeed Al-Attar, Head of Government Media Office; Hoda Al Hashemi, Head of Government Strategy and Innovation; Hamad Al-Mansoori, Head of the Digital Government; Mohammed Bin Taleya, Head of Government Services.
Citywide, Oakland

Photo: Britt Fohrman/Facebook



The Bay Area's shelter-in-place order has brought countless events usually held as in-person gatherings online. We're aiming to support local businesses in San Francisco and Oakland by highlighting five of these events each day.

Got a suggestion for an online event based in SF or Oakland? Email our events reporter, Teresa Hammerl.

Here's your SF and Oakland online event calendar for Monday, July 6. Improvise during a comedy night, be part of a morning meditation or improve your job interview skills.

Free Virtual Morning Meditation

Photo: Yoga Phamily/Facebook

Ease back in after the holiday weekend with this early-morning meditation session hosted by Mission yoga studio Yoga Phamily, By sitting with the mind, train to be more open and at ease, and discover greater calm, clarity, contentment, and compassion.

When: Monday, July 6, 7:45 a.m.

How to join: Via Mindbody

Price: Free

Behavioral Interviews: Telling Your Story

Photo: Community Living Campaign/Facebook

Looking for a new job after a recent layoff? Join San Francisco-based Community Living Campaign for a free job interview improvement session. They'll teach you how to utilize your past accomplishments in a way that helps interviewers understand what you'll contribute to their company.

When: Monday, July 6, 1 p.m.

How to join: Via Community Living Campaign

Price: Free

Lane Moore: How to Be Alone

Image: Green Apple Books/Facebook

Green Apple Books is welcoming Lane Moore, the former sex and relationships editor for Cosmopolitan, to discuss her book "How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even if You Don't." Originally published in 2018, it explores how Moore rose from living in her car as a teen to become a successful writer and performer. And for those who are living alone (or feeling romantically alone) during the pandemic, Moore will share some tips.

When: Monday, July 6, 6 p.m.

How to join: Via Instagram Live

Price: Free; buy the book online

Juicy Relaxation on Zoom

Photo: Britt Fohrman/Facebook

Unwind from work with a soothing and grounding combination of tension-releasing stretches focused on the hips and back, all of which will support a deep night's sleep. The class will be wrapped up with a long, guided savasana  also known as corpse pose  to keep you feeling more connected to yourself and more resilient to stress.

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When: Monday, July 6, 7 p.m.

How to join: Instructions available in the Facebook event

Price: $10  $30 suggested donation

Comedy Lab Open Mic

Photo: Performers & Creators Lab/Facebook

Working on your stand-up routine, but need a creative boost? This open-mic session will have you "draw" a writing prompt, with 30 minutes to prepare before performing immediately afterward. You'll get four minutes to share your new jokes or a story with the group, and hopefully leave with some fresh ideas.

When: Monday, July 6, 7:30 p.m.

How to join: Via Eventbrite

Price: Free
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Teslas stock may have hit an all-time high, trading at $1,113 as of Wednesday morning, while the companys market cap is up to over $200 billion, making it the most valuable car company in the world.

However, one firm that advises shareholders is calling for the firm to remove CEO Elon Musk from the companys board, due to the potential exposure to lawsuits.

According to The Guardian, PIRC (Pensions & Investment Research Consultants), an advisory firm that advises the local authority pension funds in the U.K., cited both Musks behavior on Twitter and his large bonus deal.

The board, including CEO Elon Musk, awarded themselves excessive compensation packages over a three-year period that allegedly allowed directors to enrich themselves at the companys expense, Pirc said, per the newspaper.

The Twitter behavior was a reference both to Musks claim, 2018, that he was taking the company private, which led to SEC charges and Musk agreeing to pay a $20 million settlement, as well as the episode last year in which Musk referred to a Thai cave rescuer as a pedo. The latter episode, however, did not result in monetary damages. Pirc also cited controversial tweets Musk has made in relation to the coronavirus pandemic.

PIRC has also called for Robyn Denholm to step down as the companys board chair.

PIRCs website describes it as a globally recognised independent expert in corporate governance. From a foundation of critical and comprehensive data, research and analysis, PIRCs services for asset owners and asset managers focus on capital stewardship for the long term investor. The maintenance of company capital, the effective exercise of shareowner rights and an active engagement in capital market reform are at the heart of the PIRC perspective.

It should be noted that while PIRC is influential, the firm is not actively mounting a hostile takeover against Musk, nor would any effort be likely to succeed, considering the companys recent financial performance.

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Meanwhile, analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush, in a note Wednesday, maintained his Neutral rating and $1,000 price target for Tesla (the note did not mention the PIRC effort).

We have seen a strong bounce back in deliveries across the U.S. over the past few weeks in the month of June as the lockdown has started to ease with a similar dynamic also seen across Europe and represents some positive tea leaves for the bulls, the note said. The clear standout this quarter is the massive underlying demand coming out of China as we have seen demand surge in China for Model 3s in this key region with Giga 3 firing on all cylinders despite the softness seen earlier in April.

Other analysts, including Daniel Levy of Credit Suisse, also had positive Tesla news.

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.

Image: Reuters

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Key Point: This program ensures that Russia will strike back even if they are all dead. It's mutually-assured-destruction on steroids.

The 1970s were some of the lowest years of Cold War for the United States. In that decade, the Vietnam War divided the American public who, dazed and confused from the long, grinding war cried for peace at any price. The Soviet Union was leading the nuclear arms race and appeared strong.

But then the Reagan Administration entered office with a bold, if risky plan for winning the Cold War. In Regans America, the United States would not purchase its security through surrenderthe American retreat was over and accommodation had no place in the United States foreign policy.

This policy shift was intended to convince the Soviet Union that the United States was not afraid of nuclear war by expressing a willingness to strike the USSR, and it worked. Reagans rhetoric, and real or proposed military advancements like the Star Wars plana space-based system of weapons that could shoot down Soviet missilesseriously worried Soviet leadership. If the United States struck the USSR first and had the ability to shoot down Soviet retaliatory missiles then the U.S. could not only initiate a nuclear war, but also survive it.

Soviet officials believed that the United States would not back off fighting a nuclear warand maybe even was confident enough to start one. The Soviet Union felt they were backed up against a wall. So they built Dead Hand.

Dead Hand

Dead Hand was a fail-safe (or rather, fail-deadly) system of launching whatever Russian nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles survived the aftermath of an American first strike. A Wired article described the systems abilities:

It was designed to lie semi-dormant until switched on by a high official in a crisis. Then it would begin monitoring a network of seismic, radiation, and air pressure sensors for signs of nuclear explosions. If the information Dead Hand collected indicated a nuclear strike against the Soviet Union may have occurred, it would initiate a verification procedure.

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Before launching any retaliatory strike, the system had to check off four if/then propositions: If it was turned on, then it would try to determine that a nuclear weapon had hit Soviet soil. If it seemed that one had, the system would check to see if any communication links to the war room of the Soviet General Staff remained. If they did, and if some amount of timelikely ranging from 15 minutes to an hourpassed without further indications of attack, the machine would assume officials were still living who could order the counterattack and shut down. But if the line to the General Staff went dead, then Perimeter would infer that apocalypse had arrived.

Once this nightmare scenario had been established, command missiles stored in hardened, nuclear-blast resistant silos would be launched all over the Soviet Union, transmitting launch sequences to whatever missiles had survived, and authorizing whoever happened to be in the silos to initiate launch and bring about nuclear armageddon.

Even if the Soviet Unions top military commanders, politicians, leaders, cities, and capitalyou name itwere smoldering piles of ash, the Soviet Union could guarantee a retaliation.

Active

There is widespread disagreement over just how autonomous Dead Hand actually was. There is also disagreement over Dead Hands existence today, though Russian officials have confirmed that Dead Hand did exist in the past, and that a similar fail-deadly system is still in existence. Though the Soviet-era Dead Hand does not play the outsized role in Russian nuclear strategy that it used to, heres to hoping it is not on such a sensitive hair-trigger as during the Cold War.

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.
Anneliese Dodds replaced John McDonnell as Shadow Chancellor after the last Labour reshuffle - Stefan Rousseau/PA

Labour's shadow chancellor has refused to rule out her party's support for a "wealth tax" on assets to aid the country's coronavirus recovery.

Anneliese Dodds refused seven times to discuss the detail of a policy that could involve taxes on savings or property ownership in the UK to boost the country's public finances.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme and Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Ms Dodds said the burden of higher taxation ought to fall on those with the "broadest shoulders".

But pressed on what a Labour wealth tax might involve, she said a debate over the policy would take place only if the UK has a severe Covid-19 recession.

"I think, where there needs to be additional funds going into the system, they should be coming from those with the broadest shoulders, and we have seen an increase in income and wealth inequality over recent years," she said.

"I think there's strong public support for where there needs to be that additional contribution, that coming from those with the broadest shoulders."

Her comments come in advance of an economic statement from Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, on Wednesday.

The "mini-Budget" will allow the Government to set out policy for a coronavirus recovery.

Asked if she was a socialist, Ms Dodds said she wanted to see a "fairer society".

"We need to change to that," she said.

"Some people would call that socialism; some people would call it fairness.

"What's most important to me is that we actually get that changed that we don't ever enter a crisis again, with so many families in our country struggling."

Ms Dodds has previously said the Government "does need to look at" the idea of a wealth tax, which could see the Treasury raid accounts for taxpayers' savings.

Basic rate taxpayers can currently earn 1,000 of interest on their savings tax-free, and higher-rate taxpayers can earn 500.

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Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday, Ms Dodds said the wealth tax was a "complicated area".

"There's a large number of academics who are looking at this actually, [there are] currently a variety of different proposals," she said.

"And I would really encourage Government to engage with that rather than looking at tax rises, which would affect everyone equally. I don't think that would be fair."

Ms Dodds, who first entered Parliament in the 2017 election, took over the job of Shadow Chancellor from John McDonnell when Sir Keir Starmer entered office as Labour leader.

Labour is widely expected to abandon much of the economic policy developed under Jeremy Corbyn, which called for free broadband, a pensions tax and significant nationalisation of industry.
Various alt-right groups including militias, the oath keepers, a scattering of klansmen, and confederate flag advocates, descend upon the Gettysburg battlefield to defend it from a rumored confederate flag burning by anti-fascist groups on July 1, 2017 at the Gettysburg National Park in Gettysburg, PA. The rumor turned out to be false.

Andrew Lichtenstein/ Corbis via Getty Images

A conspiracy over a potential flag burning and children getting their faces painted by Antifa, short for "anti-fascist," drew counter-protesters to the Gettysburg battlefield days in advance for an event that never materialized.

The commotion arose from a mysterious Facebook event called "Left Behind USA," which later went missing, calling for "peaceful flag burning to resist police" in the national park on July 4.

A smattering of self-proclaimed oath keepers, Confederate flag bearers, and various right-wing militias descended on Gettysburg days in advance, but nothing has happened so far, and the official Antifa chapter for Central Pennsylvania has denied any involvement.

"We are not even remotely involved," the Central PA Antifa chapter wrote in an email. "Let them give each other COVID. We will be home with our families."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A bizarre episode has unfolded at one of the nation's most storied sites, with right-wing groups descending on the Gettysburg battlefield for no sound reason.

The commotion started in late June, with a mysterious Facebook event under the title "Left Behind USA," promising "peaceful flag burning to resist police" at the Gettysburg National Park on July 4.

A few Confederate flag bearers, self-proclaimed oath keepers, and various right-wing militias descended on the park on July 1, anticipating a clash that has yet to materialize.

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Local news outlets and independent fact checkers have debunked the claim that Antifa  a decentralized, leaderless movement dedicated to combatting right-wing authoritarianism and white supremacy  was planning some sort of flag burning, and even the official Antifa chapter for Central Pennsylvania has denied any involvement.

"We are not even remotely involved," the Central PA Antifa chapter wrote in an email to the local Evening Sun newspaper. "Let them give each other COVID. We will be home with our families."

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Local police issued a statement that avoided delving into any of the conspiracy claims.

"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," Gettysburg Borough Police Chief Robert Glenny Jr. wrote.

As of the afternoon of July 4th, local news outlets and observers on the ground had yet to report any kind of anti-fascist or flag burning presence on the grounds, but some of the right-wing protesters were still there.

In 2017, a similar episode unfolded when a hoax circulated about Civil War graves to be desecrated by Antifa, but nothing of the sort ever ended up happening.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Here's What You Need To Remember: The lasting legacy of the Bird of Prey was its ability to demonstrate advances in stealth concepts, notably the "gapless" control surfaces that were developed to blend smoothly into the wings to reduce radar visibility, while the engine intake was completely shielded from the front.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force outside of Dayton, Ohio is home to more than 360 aircraft and missiles. Its collection includes such truly notable airplanes as the B-29 "Bockscar" that dropped the "Fat Man" atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the B-17 "Memphis Belle" and the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 that had the callsign Air Force One when it was used by Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

In the Cold War gallery of the museum, near a Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor is a truly special aircraft  the one-of-a-kind Boeing YF-118G, a black project aircraft that was developed to demonstrate stealth technology. Developed by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in the 1990s it was soon dubbed "The Bird of Prey," named for its resemblance to the Klingon spacecraft from the science fiction series Star Trek, as well as the movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

The secret project ran from 1992 to 1999 and the single-seat aircraft was a demonstrator used to test "low observable" stealth techniques as well as new methods of aircraft design and construction. The aircraft, which was tested at the top-secret "Area 51," first flew in 1996 and made a total of 38 flights, where it was used to determine ways to make aircraft less observable not only to radar but also to the eye.

The program also validated new ways to design and build aircraft using large single-piece composite structures, as well as "virtual reality" computerized design and assembly and disposable tooling. It was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5C turbofan that provided 3,190 pounds of thrust and had a maximum speed of 300 miles per hour, and a ceiling of 20,000 feet.

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The aircraft made its final flight in 1999 and it was declassified three years later when its design techniques had become standard practice. Boeing has used those techniques in the development of X-32 Joint Strike Fighter demonstrators and later in its X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle prototype.

The lasting legacy of the Bird of Prey was its ability to demonstrate advances in stealth concepts, notably the "gapless" control surfaces that were developed to blend smoothly into the wings to reduce radar visibility, while the engine intake was completely shielded from the front. Yet, despite its advancements, the National Museum of the United States Air Force noted that it still utilized some "off the shelf" technology to reduce costs while also speeding the production. This included a control system that is all-manual with no computer assists, while its landing gear was adapted from Beech King Air and Queen Air aircraft.

Boeing donated the sole YF-118G Bird of Prey to the museum in 2002 and it has been on display since 2003  where despite its stealthy technology is ready to be seen and photographed by visitors!

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 originally appeared in May 2020 and is being republished due to reader interest.

Click here to read the full article.
A young woman in an elevator wears a face mask to prevent coronavirus spread.

Getty Images

An asymptomatic coronavirus carrier traveled from the US to China in March. Even though she didn't interact with anyone face-to-face, her downstairs neighbor was infected.

According to a new study, transmission likely occurred in the elevator, when the neighbor touched the same buttons that the quarantined traveler had.

The neighbor was later linked to 70 other coronavirus infections in the local community.

Coronavirus particles can live on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel, which are common in elevators, for up to seven days.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

New research reveals that an elevator can be a coronavirus transmission hotspot, even if an infected person doesn't ride with anyone else.

A woman traveled from the US back to her home in China's Heilongjiang province on March 19. Although she did not have any symptoms, she quarantined in her apartment following her arrival, avoiding any close contact with other apartment-building residents. An antibody test would later reveal she was an asymptomatic coronavirus carrier.

Related: How to clean, disinfect everyday surfaces

Three weeks later, her downstairs neighbor (and four of the neighbor's close contacts) tested positive.

The two apartment-building neighbors had not crossed paths. But they had used the same elevator at different times.

According to a new CDC study, the downstairs neighbor "likely became infected by using the elevator in the building" after the asymptomatic carrier had ridden it, the study authors wrote. They think transmission likely occurred when the neighbor touched surfaces and buttons in the elevator.

No other residents in the building tested positive, but contact tracing later revealed the neighbor was patient zero of a 71-person cluster in the local community.

Elevators could be coronavirus-transmission hotspots

A woman presses an elevator button.

Getty Images

The primary concern when it comes to coronavirus and elevators is that nearly all lifts are small, enclosed indoor spaces. Those are the ideal conditions for the coronavirus' spread, since it's expelled in droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.

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Elevators also tend to lack strong airflow, which mean people who have COVID-19 (no matter whether they're presymptomatic, asymptomatic, or feeling ill) could leave some virus behind.

Although it's not common, a person can get the coronavirus if they touch a surface or object that has viral particles on it and then touch their mouth, nose, or eyes.

The virus' lifespan on different surfaces depends on the surrounding temperature, humidity, type of surface, and other factors. But two studies found that it lasts longest  up to seven days  on stainless steel and plastic, which are commonly found in elevators. That means elevator buttons and doors could harbor viral particles for days.

Indeed, a May study found the coronavirus' genetic material on elevator buttons in a hospital in Wuhan, China.

People stand in designated areas to ensure social distancing inside an elevator at a shopping mall in Surabaya, Indonesia on March 19, 2020,

Juni Kriswanto/Getty

CDC guidelines stipulate that commonly touched surfaces, including those in public elevators, should be frequently cleaned and disinfected.

Even so, it's important to "punch the buttons with something other than your fingers," Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech, previously told Business Insider.

A 71-person cluster

The downstairs neighbor's infection jump-started a chain reaction in the local community.

A week after the asymptomatic traveler returned home, the neighbor hosted her mother and her mother's boyfriend for an overnight stay. Three days later (on March 29), the mother and boyfriend attended a party, interacting with another gentleman. By April 10, all six people had tested positive.

The man from the party had a stroke before testing positive for COVID-19. He went to the hospital on April 2, where his sons cared for him. The sons later tested positive, too. The three of them interacted with hospital staff and other patients, unknowingly passing the virus on to them as well: A total of 28 people were infected. Then the man moved to a second hospital, catalyzing another series of infections.

By mid-April, 70 people were infected who could be traced back to the neighbor's case.

A hospital employee wearing a protective mask and gear shows a cotton swab for taking a mouth specimen.

Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty

Scientists from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention sequenced the genome of virus samples from across the 71-person cluster. They determined that the samples were nearly identical, and that the virus genome differed from any other samples previously found circulating in China. That indicated the virus originated abroad.

That's how they figured out that the asymptomatic traveler was likely "the origin of infection for this cluster."

"Our results illustrate how a single asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection could result in widespread community transmission," the study authors concluded.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Now You See Me, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Goosebumps.

So many movies to choose from including a modern sci-fi classic, a magical heist movie, and a family-friendly chiller as TopFilmTip brings you the best films on TV for Sunday, 5 July.

Some films may require a Sky subscription.

Contented man realises his life's a sham in Peter Weir's prophetic Philip K Dick-esque indictment of vicarious reality TV The Truman Show 2:30pm Sony Movies

Sent to remote celtic town to negotiate oil billionaire's interests, company man begins to see mystical wonder of Scotland in heartfelt drama Local Hero 2:35pm Film4

Patrick McGoohan and Ernest Borgnine fight the cold in a scene from the film 'Ice Station Zebra', 1968. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

Spy satellite seeking submariners survive sabotage before battling communist commandos in icy Cold War thriller Ice Station Zebra 3:40pm BBC Two

A man battles the odds as he tries to heal the hatred between European settlers and Apache natives in true story Broken Arrow 4:50pm Sony Movies Action

Hapless inventor inadvertently assaults island after culinary catastrophic, atmospheric accident Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 5:00pm SyFy

Read more: What to expect if you visit a cinema this weekend

Forced to fake feeling, raven-haired radical sparks revolt in baboon-battling, couture-conflagrating The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 6:05pm E4

Tricky city trader slips in swimming pool, fancies feisty Fanny and becomes smitten with country life in charming romance A Good Year 6:40pm Sony Movies

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Affable preteen kids instigate onslaught of abrasive authors abominations in slappy-scheming, werewolf-chewing fun Goosebumps 6:50pm SyFy

Fully aware that he could call the police at any time, Les Incompetent abandoned boy becomes self-sufficient learns empathy then sadistically burns/brakes/bludgeons burglars Home Alone 6:55pm Film4

Vapid high school socialite's shidduching reveals her naivete as Jane Austen's Emma gets a 90s makeover in erudite comedy Clueless 7:00pm Comedy Central

Women of all walks and ages find familial sisterhood around southern salon in tear-jerking, wry-witted, barbed comedy Steel Magnolias 8:00pm 5 Star

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Liam Neeson pursues the man who wronged him meeting mirages, thieves and mystics in metaphysical, philosophical western Seraphim Falls 9:00pm Sony Movies Action

Mentally and physically shattered by war, man finds meaning in Mexican linguistics and political activism Born on the Fourth of July 9:00pm Sky Atlantic

Magnificent magnetic mercenary toxophilite assists elite order in monster massacre in black-powder battling bonanza The Great Wall 9:00pm Channel 4

Far-sighted fathers are tested in furnace of peer's fears as they walk war's knife-edge in game changing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 9:00pm Film4

Four friends repay mob debt with poorly planned kidnap in Dan Stevens twisted and banter-fuelled thriller Criminal Activities 10:50pm Sony Movies

Bank robbing magicians stay one step ahead of relentless FBI agent in rabbit-abusing, mystery-chasing frenetic thriller Now You See Me 10:55pm Channel 4

Beach massacre survivor and self-directed killer of killers becomes CIA slayer in unflinching, frenetic race to prevent nuclear catastrophe American Assassin 11:35pm Film4

Amid 1980s Spanish socio-political tumult, true detective duo track sadistic serial killer in intense and atmospheric gem Marshland 1:45am Film4

Everything new on 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
The first Aramco-sponsored Formula 1 race, the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix takes place over 71 laps of the 4.318-km Red Bull Ring in Spielberg this afternoon (July 5).



Aramco, the worlds largest integrated oil and gas company, signed a long term global sponsorship with Formula 1 in March 2020, connecting the company to a worldwide audience of 500 million racing fans.



The sponsorship agreement features Aramco corporate trackside branding and grants Aramco the title rights to major Formula 1 races in 2020. Formula 1s integrated digital platforms and broadcasts will also feature Aramco.



We are thrilled to be sponsoring Formula 1. Millions of people around the world saw Aramcos branding along the racing circuit today for the first time. As the worlds largest energy supplier and an innovation leader, our ambition is to find game-changing solutions for better, more efficiently performing engines and cleaner energy. Partnerships such as this are important to help us to deliver this goal, Aramco said in a statement.  TradeArabia News Service


Joe Biden removes his face mask as he arrives Tuesday to speak at a school in Wilmington, Del. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

Former Vice President Joe Biden vowed Saturday to "rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country" in a Fourth of July message that contrasted sharply with President Trump's warning at a Mt. Rushmore fireworks display that "angry mobs" at protests against racism were assaulting America's history and culture.

In a video posted on Twitter, Biden, Trump's presumed Democratic challenger, said the United States had never lived up to the statement in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal." That phrase has "gnawed at our conscience" through more than 200 years of institutionalized racism, including the recent police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, he said.

"America is no fairy tale," Biden said. "Its been a constant push and pull between the two parts of our character, the idea that all men and women  all people  are created equal, and the racism that has torn us apart. We have a chance now to give the marginalized, the demonized, the isolated, the oppressed, a full share of the American dream."

Biden's remarks came hours after Trump told a crowd of mainly white supporters Friday night at Mt. Rushmore that America was facing a growing danger from anti-racism protesters' "merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children." He accused them of promoting what he labeled a new far-left fascism.

At another Fourth of July celebration Saturday on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump hammered away at the same theme, underscoring how appeals to racial resentments are at the heart of his reelection campaign.

"We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing," Trump said.

Trump's combative response to the Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the nation for weeks comes despite polls indicating most Americans support the movement. When New York City recently announced it would paint "Black Lives Matter" on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower, the president denounced it as a "symbol of hate."

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In an essay published Saturday by NBC News, Biden said Americans had "marched and bled" to build a better democracy since the nation's founding, citing the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement.

"That pursuit of a more perfect union has been thrown off course in recent years  and no one bears more responsibility than President Donald Trump," Biden said. "Every day he finds new ways to tarnish and dismantle our democracy  from baseless attacks on our voting rights to the use of military force against Americans protesting peacefully for racial justice."

Biden said he would restore democratic values in part by reversing Trump's "cruel and counterproductive" immigration policies, including the separation of families at the U.S.-Mexican border.

He also vowed to eradicate "systemic racism from every area of society it infects  from unfairly administered COVID-19 recovery funds, to laws that perpetuate racial wealth gaps, to health disparities, to housing policy, to policing, to our justice system and everywhere in between."
Curb your enthusiasm.

The big rebound from the steepest job losses in U.S. history has gotten off to a roaring start, with a record 4.8 million jobs added to the economy in June, following 2.7 million gains the prior month. But the comeback is likely to slow significantly in the months ahead, economists say.

Job gains more muted ahead

We expect the recovery from here will be a lot bumpier and job gains to be more muted, says economist Michael Pearce of Capital Economics.

Ian Shepherdson, chief economist of Pantheon Macroeconomics, thinks its even possible payrolls could decline in July and August.

The biggest stumbling block is that 21 states, largely in the South and West, have paused or reversed their reopening plans amid a spike in cases. Many opened sooner than health guidelines dictated. New U.S. coronavirus cases passed 50,000 this week, a single-day record.

Arizona has shut down bars, gyms, theaters and water parks. South Florida and California are closing some beaches for the July 4th weekend. Texas shuttered bars, limited restaurant capacity and banned elective surgeries.

Even areas with declining cases and hospitalizations are scaling back on fears of contagion from the new hot-spot states. New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, for example, has delayed indoor dining indefinitely. And regardless of state restrictions, many consumers avoid public gathering spots when they learn of infection surges.

In this photo taken Thursday, June 4, 2020, a pedestrian wearing a mask walks past reader board advertising a job opening for a remodeling company, in Seattle.

Blockbuster job gains: 4.8M jobs added and unemployment falls to 11.1% as more states reopen after COVID-19 shutdowns

The pullbacks are showing up in some real-time data. Kronos, which tracks worker shifts, says growth in that metric slowed from 9% in May to 6% in June, with shifts falling in Florida, South Carolina and Illinois the past few weeks. Hours worked at small businesses have plateaued the past couple of weeks after rising steadily since mid-April, and that trend is likely to continue or worsen, according to Homebase, a provider of scheduling software.

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And Open Table has recorded a sharp drop in restaurant reservations in the Houston area, notes Diane Swonk, chief economist of accounting firm Grant Thornton.

It will not be long before businesses in the worst affected areas are forced to shutter, at least temporarily, she says.

Government aid runs dry

There are other factors. Some of the millions of small businesses that received forgivable federal loans as long as they retained or rehired staffers may be laying off workers now that the funds have run dry, according to Oxford Economics. That so-called Payment Protection Program also likely pulled forward employee callbacks that would have occurred in later months, Barclays says.

Some businesses, meanwhile, are permanently cutting ties with workers after waiting several months to assess the economys course. In June, 35% of officially reported layoffs in California were permanent, more than twice the May level, Oxford notes.

Those trends will make it even tougher for the economy to recoup historic, crisis-induced job losses. The 7.5 million jobs recovered in May and June represent just a third of the unprecedented 22.1 million shed in March and April, leaving total U.S. employment 14.7 million jobs below the pre-pandemic peak.

Jobless claims remain high

Initial jobless claims  a rough measure of layoffs  have remained stubbornly high, totaling 1.4 million the week ending June 27 and topping a mind-boggling 48 million over the past 15 weeks. Many, however, also reflect furloughs and reduced hours under expanded eligibility for unemployment benefits.

A less tangible factor is business confidence. The rebound largely has been fueled by firms that have brought back laid-off employees as government constraints eased. As that rehiring slows, net job gains will depend more heavily on new hiring as companies expand or fill open slots left by workers who quit.

Tom Gimbel, CEO of LaSalle Network, a Chicago-area staffing firm, says such hiring partly rebounded from the depths in April but has remained low. Before the pandemic, many companies were aggressively hiring new sales representatives and converting temporary contractors to permanent employees  signs of a bullish outlook.

Wine in a box: 'Don't tell my wine snob friends': Why Americans are buying more boxed wine during COVID-19

Both of those activities have remained subdued, Gimbel says.

Noting that companies are unsure if consumer spending will hold up after enhanced unemployment benefits and other government aid expires, he says, There are these big unknowns.

Swonk says thats why its vital that Congress pass a new stimulus measure.

Some are more sanguine. While coronavirus cases have spiked, theyve largely hit young people who are less vulnerable to severe illness, and deaths in states like Texas and Florida have remained low, says economist Jacob Oubina of RBC Capital Markets.

If those trends hold, he says, You could be at the other end of the (state) shutdowns by the time you get to the July employment report.

Contributing: Joshua Bote and Grace Hauck

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jobs report 2020: June's gains may be followed by pullback amid COVID
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Key Point: The Object 279 would have dominated Europes nuclear battlefields.

In the early days of the Cold War, both American and Soviet war planners assumed that the next European war would be nuclear right from the get-go. Strategic thinking was of the opinion that since the United States and the USSR had nukeswhy not use them?

A lot of strange prototypes were built around this pretenseand not just tanks, turboprops and jets were designed for the opening hours of a nuclear exchange when planners assumed that one of the first targets to be taken out would be airfields. Like these planes, the Object 279 was also designed to survive on a nuclear battlefield.

Object 279

Object 279 was a heavy tank with some startling capabilities and an emphasis on cross-country performance to more easily traverse sloppy Russian spring conditions. To that end, the Object 279 had four tracks to give it lower ground pressure. The Object 279s tracks were mated to two large pontoons in between the tracks and the hull.

These pontoons were hollow and could store fuel, giving the Object 279 good range despite the large engine and high curb weight. The engine was also a beasta 1,000 horsepower diesel that could propel the tank to speeds of up to 35 miles, or about 55 kilometers per hour.

The Object 279s main gun was quite large, 130 millimeters in diameter. Though it was designed in the 1950s, the main gun would be considered large even by todays standards. For comparison, the American M1 Abrams tank has a 120-millimeter main gun.

What really stands out about the Object 279 though is the armor, which had to pull double-duty resisting anti-tank roundsand nuclear blasts. Object 279 almost looked like a flying saucer. It had a large, downward-sloping disk-shaped armored hull. The armor was of variable thickness, but at its maximum was a whopping 270 millimetersover 10.5 inchesthick.

The high weight of the Object 279 was intended to keep the tank from flipping over when exposed to a nuclear explosion, and the downward-angled hull would press the tank into the ground. The Object 279s turret was even better protected and had about 320 millimeters of steel protection or over 12.5 inches.

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Cancellation

The Object 279 was done in by changes to warfighting doctrine. As the Cold War progressed, American and Soviet planners shifted assumptions about nuclear war. They became convinced that the opening salvos of the next European war would not be nuclear as had been assumed earlier, but dominated by conventional weapons. The other reason Object 279 was done was because of a changing armor doctrine, which moved away from a diverse tank inventory of light, medium, and heavy tanks, to the universal or Main Battle Tank concept. Object 279 just didnt serve a purpose anymore.

Caleb Larson is a Defense Writer with the National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This article first appeared earlier this year and is reprinted due to reader interest.

Image: Wikimedia Commons / Alf van Beem

More From The National Interest:

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Donald Trumps claim not to have been briefed about intelligence suggesting Russia paid Taliban-linked militants to kill US soldiers is just not the way the system works, former national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday.

Related: Trumps niece says 2001 NDA based on fraudulent financial information

Bolton was appearing on Face the Nation, the Sunday talk show from ViacomCBS, the communications giant which owns Simon & Schuster, the publisher which put out Boltons Trump White House memoir, The Room Where It Happened, over the presidents objection.

Elsewhere, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice said Bolton would have known about the bounties intelligence while he was in the role, which he left in September 2019, and would therefore have briefed Trump himself.

I dont buy this story that he was never briefed, Rice told NBCs Meet The Press. I believe that  when the information first came to light in 2019, my successor, John Bolton, would have walked straight into the Oval Office, as I would have, and informed the president of this intelligence.

Boltons book, a tell-all which sold nearly 800,000 copies in its first week in stores, is named for the Oval Office and contains numerous shocking descriptions of Trumps behaviour. But it does not mention the alleged bounties plot.

Im not going to disclose classified information, Bolton told CBS. Ive got the struggle with the president trying to repress my book on that score already.

Bolton submitted his book to a national security review but was scolded by a federal judge for likely publishing classified materials, gambling with the national security of the United States and exposing  himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability.

On Sunday, Bolton said: I will say this. All intelligence is distributed along the spectrum of uncertainty. And this intelligence in 2020, by the administrations own admission, was deemed credible enough to give to our allies. So the notion that you only give the really completely 100% verified intelligence to the president would mean you give him almost nothing. And thats just not the way the system works.

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The existence of intelligence about a bounties plot, which Russia has denied, was first reported by the New York Times then confirmed by other outlets. Trump attacked the Times on Twitter this weekend.

Amid inconsistent White House explanations for Trumps supposed ignorance on the matter, current national security adviser Robert OBrien said information was withheld by a CIA official, even though it was included in the presidents daily brief.

The presidents career CIA briefer decided not to brief him because it was unverified intelligence, OBrien told Fox News, adding: She made that call and, you know what, I think she made the right call, so Im not going to criticize her. And knowing the facts that I know now, I stand behind that call.

OBrien was widely criticised. Ned Price, a former CIA analyst, told the Guardian: This is the same scapegoating play that the White House ran in the coronavirus context  blaming Trumps intelligence briefer for something that is chiefly and fundamentally a failing of the White House staff.

Bolton said any decision to withhold intelligence would certainly not be made only by the briefer who briefs the president twice a week. Thats a decision that at least when I was there, would have been made by the director of national intelligence, the director of the CIA, myself and the briefer together.

Though his book is a brutal and extensive anatomisation of Trumps personality and fitness or otherwise for office, Bolton sidestepped a chance to criticise OBrien, saying: I dont want to make this a matter of personalities.

Related: Iran admits incident at Natanz nuclear site caused major damage

Nor would he say if he had known of the bounties intelligence or not.

What was made public in 2018, he said, was Russian assistance to the Taliban, and thats been known for some time. That alone is troubling.

What is particularly troubling, if true, is this latest information that they were  providing compensation for killing Americans. And that is the kind of thing that you go to the president on and say, Look  we may not know everything on this, but a nuclear power is reportedly providing bounties to kill Americans.

Thats the kind of thing you need to have in the presidents view so that he can think about it as he develops  well, at least as normal presidents develop strategy to handle Russia, to handle Afghanistan.
In 2013 Peter Humphrey was detained in China and charged with illegally acquiring personal information of Chinese nationals - Heathcliff O'Malley/Heathcliff O'Malley

Britain's television watchdog is expected to announce on Monday that China's state television channel severely violated British broadcasting rules by airing a forced confession of a UK citizen, the Telegraph understands.

Chinas state broadcaster, which airs in English in the UK as CGTN, is likely to face sanctions, decided in a separate process by Ofcom, which could include hefty fines or being stripped of its broadcast license as a result of the investigation launched May 2019.

The ruling could escalate diplomatic tensions between the UK and China at a time when MPs have become more vocal in pressing for a re-think of bilateral relations. The original complaint to Ofcom, filed by Briton Peter Humphrey, focused on a confession forced under duress from him by Chinese authorities in 2013.

Mr Humphrey told the Telegraph in an interview last year that he was drugged and handcuffed to an iron chair inside a steel cage.

Six uniformed police officers sat at a podium while the lead interrogator read questions from a clipboard and instructed Mr Humphrey how to answer, he said.

A heavily edited version made to look like a news interview with a bombshell confession was broadcast around the world on CGTN, and other channels under parent Chinese state media organisation, CCTV  including in the UK.

They twisted things, Mr Humphrey previously told the Telegraph. It was terrifying; all along, I knew I was innocent and that I was being falsely accused. I also knew that I had no way to escape.

Humphrey had been hired to investigate an alleged smear campaign against the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline - Heathcliff O'Malley/ Heathcliff O'Malley

As the confession was procured under conditions tantamount to torture, the broadcast itself violated a number of UK rules on impartiality, accuracy, fairness and derogatory or abusive content, Mr Humphrey wrote in his initial complaint, filed in November 2018.

Mr Humphrey and his American wife were detained for nearly two years on what they maintain were trumped-up charges relating to a bribery investigation.

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Monday's announcement is one of a flurry of decisions expected to be announced in the coming months as Ofcom concludes a number of investigations into CGTN.

It remains unclear how Chinese authorities will react to the decision. Over the past year, Beijing has expelled 18 journalists from US outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, after Washington placed restrictions on CGTN and other Chinese state media outlets in the US.

In May, Ofcom found CGTN in serious failure of compliance by presenting biased coverage of the pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong last year; the regulator also said it was minded to formally sanction the organisation.

Other Ofcom investigations are ongoing into the broadcast of forced confessions from Swedish citizen Gui Minhai who previously published salacious titles about Chinese leaders, and former British consulate worker in Hong Kong Simon Cheng Man-kit.

Mr Gui first vanished five years ago while on holiday in Thailand before surfacing in China, confessing on a state broadcast to a fatal drunk-driving accident in 2003 and for smuggling illegal books.

Former Hong Kong consulate worker Simon Cheng demonstrates the different poses state security officers forced him to stand in for hours each day as part of the torture he endured while being interrogated - OLIVIER MARCENY/OLIVIER MARCENY

In February, he was sentenced in a secretive trial to ten years in prison for providing intelligence to foreign entities. His daughter, Angela Gui, who studies at the University of Cambridge, filed a complaint to Ofcom November 2018.

Mr Cheng filed a complaint last year for being forced to confess to soliciting prostitution  used later as an explanation for why he disappeared for 15 days in August 2019, during which he said he was tortured, beaten and interrogated by Chinese secret police about Britains role in pro-democracy protests roiling Hong Kong.

Mr Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, has since been granted political asylum in the UK.

CGTN hired former non-executive Ofcom board member Nick Pollard in December 2018 as it prepared to open a broadcast centre in West Londons Chiswick Park. Mr Pollard left after less than a year, reportedly over concerns about the Chinese state broadcasters impartiality.

CGTN established its third major global broadcasting hub in London, after Washington and Nairobi, looking to hire journalists to report news from a Chinese perspective".

Ofcom has cancelled broadcast licenses in the past. In 2012, Iranian state broadcaster PressTV, also accused of airing forced confessions, lost its license after the regulator found its practice of running editorial oversight from Tehran breached broadcasting rules.

Safeguard Defenders, a human rights NGO, has written an open letter to Ofcom pressing for the cancellation of CGTNs license, laying out evidence that the organisation is directly controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Neptune Energy, a global E&P company, recently announced a major milestone for the Touat gas facility in Algeria, with day-to-day operations having been formally passed to Groupement Touat Gaz (GTG).



Operation of the facility has been carried out by contracting company, Tecnicas Reunidas (TR), since gas export began in September 2019. Operational handover was dependent upon the signing of the Performance Acceptance Certificate (PAC) between GTG and TR, which took place on 24 June.



GTG is staffed by Neptune Energy and Sonatrach secondees who bring together decades of operational experience in Europe and Algeria.



Neptune Energys Vice President for North Africa Asia Pacific, Philip Lafeber, said: The Touat plant continues to operate well, emphasising the growing importance of the North Africa business in Neptunes geographically-diverse and gas-weighted portfolio.



Director General at GTG, Ian Conacher, added: We have built the right team to deliver operations at Touat.



TR played a key role in enabling first gas export and ramping up the plant to plateau and I would like to thank them for their efforts at site. I look forward to continuing to work with the excellent GTG team to maintain solid production levels from Touat as we take over the operator role.



The Touat facility is located around 1,400 km southwest of Algiers and close to Adrar, comprising 19 development wells, a gas treatment plant for gas and stabilised condensate with a gathering network and export pipelines. The facility achieved plateau production in April 2020.



Production from Touat will represent around nine percent of Algerias total gas exports and will be in production for more than 20 years.



GTG consists of Neptune Energy Touat (65%) and Sonatrach (35%).  TradeArabia News Service
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Texas has seen a significant surge in coronavirus cases in the past two weeks, joining other Sun Belt states.

Here are four things to know about the increase in positive tests for COVID-19 in the Lone Star State.

1. Whats the Caseload in Texas?

Texas has almost 168,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the Real Clear Politics coronavirus tracker.

In raw numbers, Texas ranks fourth in the nation behind New York, California, and New Jersey for the most confirmed cases. However, in cases per million of population, it ranks 31st.

According to reports Tuesday, the state had 6,900 new cases, and more than 6,500 were in the hospital.

In Texas, it has largely spread because we didnt have a high case rate in the initial round, Chuck DeVore of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based think tank, told The Daily Signal. Its a sharp increase, but a lot of that is from people who were not infected to begin with.

>>> Whats the best way for America to reopen and return to business? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, assembled Americas top thinkers to figure that out. So far, it has made more than 260 recommendations. Learn more here.

The month of June was not a good time for any state, DeVore said.

There was an uptick in cases after Memorial Day and with the protests and looting, he said, referring to nationwide demonstrations following the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody in Minnesota.

The positive rate for those being tested for COVID-19 also is surging.

In Texas, the positive rate is 15% of those tested, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. A month ago, it was 4.2%.

The latest seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Texas increased by more than 41% from the week before, CNBC reported Tuesday.

Things do not look good for Texas. It has had double the cases in the last 14 days, Jennifer Tolbert, director of state health reform at Kaiser Family Foundation, told The Daily Signal.

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The hot spots for the state are the cities of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, told the Senate this week that 50% of all new COVID-19 cases are in Texas, Arizona, California, and Florida.

One reason for the increase is that residents of Texas and other high-temperature states spend time indoors with recirculated air conditioning in the summer, said Dr. Kevin Pham, a medical doctor and contributor to The Daily Signal.

2. Whats the Death Rate?

Although the caseload in Texas is moving in the wrong direction, the death toll has been declining for months and peaked at 2.7% of all cases in late May, according to Texas Health and Human Services.

Our death rate continues to plunge, DeVore told The Daily Signal. There has been a steep decline. We have seen the death rate decline every day.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in Texas is just under 2,500 as of Wednesday, according to Real Clear Politics tracker.

In raw numbers, thats the 15th-highest death toll in the nation. But Texas is the second-largest state and, ranking states by population, its 86.1 deaths per million represent the 11th-lowest death rate.

Devore predicts that Texas will reach its peak in deaths in the next week or two before declining.

Texas had 31 COVID-19 deaths over the past seven days.

Thats fewer than the other states in the Sun Belt surge, which saw 65 deaths in California in the past seven days, 38 in Florida, and 36 in Arizona.

Texas is well behind the seven-day coronavirus death toll of 114 for New York state.

Arizona and Florida lead the country in new deaths, according to the Real Clear Politics tracker. Virginia, Alabama, and Maryland round out the top five.

The death rate in Texas could change for the worse, but not dramatically, Pham said.

I dont think we will see a spike in deaths. We probably wont see a decrease, and there may be a slight increase, Pham told The Daily Signal. Most of the new cases are young people. The death rate among young people is low, but its not zero. So, with more cases, there will likely be more deaths.

Last week, members of the White Houses coronavirus task force noted that about half of the nations new COVID-19 cases were under 35.

3. Whats Being Done About It?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week suspended elective surgeries in eight counties where COVID-19 hospitalizations are going up. The suspension could expand to more counties.

Abbott also closed bars, which prompted a lawsuit from the Texas Bar and Nightclub Association.

In light of Greg Abbotts irresponsible and shameful actions this morning that shutter the businesses that provide a livelihood for your families and employees, we support our members in the Constitutional right to protest by keeping your businesses open, the nightclub association said in a prepared statement.

Abbott closed the bars Friday. He also ordered restaurants to return to 50% occupancy after having lifted the ban to let restaurants operate fully.

Abbott gave local governments more authority to regulate gatherings of more than 100.

Pham said Abbotts actions in closing the bars are reasonable since bars are a natural place for a virus to spread. But he said he doesnt think states can go all the way back to the lockdowns previously in place.

Texas still doesnt require masks statewide for those who go out in public, Tolbert noted, saying that would go a long way in slowing the spread of the virus.

Isolation and staying home would curb the spread in Texas and other states seeing a surge, but residents might not respond so well to that solution at this point, Tolbert said.

While these states do have more information and strategies, it remains to be seen if those strategies are adopted, Tolbert said, adding:

The states with the biggest outbreak now were not the hardest hit during the first waveif you want to call it the first wave. But they were still locked down. Some opened more quickly than others. The states moving in the right direction were hit the hardest.

4. Could Texas Health Care Be Overwhelmed?

Hospital chiefs say medical facilities in Texas are ready, even with the rising infection rates.

Our hospitals have the ICU capacity, staff, and supplies to meet the health care needs of our community, Texas Medical Center CEOs said in a joint statement June 25. In addition, Texas hospitals continue to reserve 15 percent of capacity for COVID-19 patients and medical care continues to be routinely provided in inpatient and outpatient settings without taxing the overall hospitalization capacity.

The Texas Medical Center CEOs added: While this pandemic is unprecedented, our hospital systems have learned a lot, very quickly, and our coordinated efforts have allowed us to nimbly respond to this fluid situation.

DeVore said some politicians are promoting fear porn.

Hospitals are not running out of ICU beds. ICU beds are costly to maintain, so hospitals typically keep them at 95% capacity, DeVore said. Only 37% of beds are going to COVID patients. Since March, hospitals have expanded the ICU capacity by 89%.

This article by Fred Lucas, @FredLucasWH, and Leave a comment first appeared in The Daily Signal on July 1, 2020.

Image: Reuters.

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A novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 530,000 people worldwide.

More than 11.2 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks.

The United States is the worst-affected country in the world, with more than 2.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 129,676 deaths.

Latest headlines:

LA reports 7,232 new cases over holiday weekend At least 121 students now positive in UW frat outbreak Florida tops 200,000 total cases Trump claims a coronavirus vaccine coming 'long before the end of the year'

Here's how the news developed Sunday. Check back for updates. All times Eastern.

9:46 p.m.: LA reports 7,232 new cases over holiday weekend

The Los Angeles County Public Health department reported 7,232 new COVID-19 cases for the period of Thursday-Saturday over the July Fourth weekend.

Friday marked the county's largest number of new cases in a single day at 3,187, officials said.

As of Saturday there were 1,921 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in LA County, 28% of whom were in the ICU and 18% of whom were on ventilators.

Officials reported 30 new deaths but said that figure was pending verification and was likely an undercount.

6:55 p.m.: Mississippi health dept. says uptick not tied to protests

The Mississippi State Department of Health told ABC News that it has no evidence to support Gov. Tate Reeves' claim that the state's uptick in COVID-19 cases is related to last months protests.

Reeves said on Twitter Sunday that the uptick "began within days of massive protests all over."

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When contacted for information to confirm the governor's claim, health department spokesperson Liz Sharlot told ABC News, We do not have any evidence that an increase in cases is due to the protests that occurred a few weeks ago."

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Other states have also reported that they haven't seen a rise in COVID-19 cases tied to protests, including Minnesota.

Mississippi has 30,671 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of July 3, according to the state health department. The state set a record for daily new cases on June 25, with 1,092.

4:35 p.m.: At least 121 students now positive in UW frat outbreak

More students have been identified in a COVID-19 outbreak tied to the University of Washington's Greek houses.

At least 121 UW students, including 112 fraternity house residents, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the university announced Sunday. The other nine students were close contacts of the residents but do not live in the houses, the Seattle school said.

The Interfraternity Council, a student-led governing board for UW fraternities, has separately reported that as of July 3 at least 117 residents living in 15 fraternity houses have self-reported that they tested positive for COVID-19. The university said it is continuing to conduct its own testing and verification of coronavirus cases, which may account for the discrepancy.

PHOTO: Students at the University of Washington are on campus for the last day of in-person classes on March 6, 2020 in Seattle. The university closed March 9, as a reaction to the novel coronavirus outbreak for the remainder of the winter quarter. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

A testing site set up near UW's Greek Row in the past week has conducted nearly 1,300 tests as of this weekend, the university said. Greek house residents and others in the community have also been tested at Seattle drive-up sites, Hall Health and UWMC-Northwest, it added.

The university first reported the outbreak on June 30, when at least 38 students living in 10 fraternity houses tested positive.

About 1,000 students are currently living in 25 fraternity houses north of the UW campus. The residents of the houses are being asked to quarantine or self-isolate.

12:36 p.m.: Florida tops 200,000 total cases

The Florida Department of Health released its morning summary which reports 200,111 total cases -- an increase of 10,059.

The department reported this is a positivity rate of 15%, up from 14% on Saturday.

The total number of tests conducted was 66,839.

Miami-Dade reported 2,258 new cases and a positivity rate of 20.3%.

Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) reported 1,670 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.5%. This is the highest one-day total of new cases.

Duval County (Jacksonville) reported 531 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.9%, up from 14.5% on Saturday.

Lee County (Fort Myers) reported 278 new cases and a positivity rate of 14.8%.

Hillsborough County (Tampa) reported 630 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.2%.

Orange County (Orlando) reported 760 cases and a positivity rate of 14.2%, a daily high.

Osceola County (Kissimmee and Celebration) reported 188 new cases and a positivity rate of 16.4%, down from 19.5% on Saturday.

2:08 a.m.: Fort Worth bar faces 30-day shutdown

The Rail Club Live in Forth Worth, Texas, now faces a 30-day shutdown after hosting a "Tea Party Protest" on Saturday evening which defied state orders designed to counteract the state's soaring COVID-19 numbers, according to ABC News' Dallas affiliate WFAA.

Owner Chris Polone made good on a promise made earlier in the week to host a protest party Saturday night at the venue.

Masks were required at the door and guests were advised to maintain social distancing and wash their hands regularly. Hand sanitizer was also made available by the staff.

The opening of the bar was a direct violation of executive order Governor Greg Abbott signed over a week ago which temporarily closed businesses that earn 51% of their sales from alcohol.

Abbott said in an interview with WFAA on June 26, that delaying the opening of bars is the one thing he would have done differently in his reopening plan.

Bars are one of those types of settings that are not made for a pandemic. Bars invites people to gather together, to drink and to have conversations and things like that. And that is the opposite of the type of practices that are needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, he said.

Owner Chris Polone streamed the beginning of the event on Facebook live but just minutes after his protest began Saturday, enforcement officers arrived, informing Polone he could stay open, but would lose his license for 30 days. He chose to remain open.

A post on the venue's Facebook page argued the shutdown was unconstitutional because the venue didn't charge admission or "sell" alcohol Saturday.

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The post said the state shut down a peaceful protest on Saturday, not a business.

The protest, however, did not appear to be shut down, as it was allowed to continue after a visit from authorities.

12:55 a.m.: Trump says vaccine will arrive 'long before the end of the year'

President Donald Trump made remarks on Saturday evening at the second annual Salute to America July 4th event held in Washington, D.C. and claimed that a therapeutic and/or vaccine will be around long before the end of the year.

"I want to send our thanks to the scientists and researchers around the country and even around the world who are at the forefront of our historic effort to rapidly develop and deliver life-saving treatments and ultimately a vaccine," Trump said. "We are unleashing our nation's scientific brilliance and we'll likely have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year."

Trump also said that his administration has tested more than 40 million people around the country.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump greets visitors as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House during a 'Salute to America' event, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Washington. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

"We got hit by the virus that came from China," Trump began. "And we've made a lot of progress, our strategy is moving along well. It goes out in one area and rears back its ugly face in another area. But we've learned a lot. We've learned how to put out the flame. We've made ventilators where there were none, by tens of thousands, to the point that we have far more than we need, and we're now distributing them to many foreign countries as a gesture of good will. Likewise, testing -- there were no tests for a new virus. But now we have tested almost 40 million people."

Said Trump: "By so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless, results that no other country can show because no other country is testing that we have, not in terms of the numbers or in terms of the quality. And now just like everything else, we have become the manufacturer and record for ventilators. We have the most finest testing anywhere in the world and we are producing gown and masks and surgical equipment in our country we're heretofore it was almost exclusively land in lands in China ironically where this virus and others came from. China secrecy deceptions and coverup allowed it to spread all over the world. 189 countries, and China must be held fully accountable."

ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway, Eric Alvarez and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

At least 121 test positive in UW frat outbreak originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Police clash with protesters in Hong Kong on July 1 after the first arrests under China's new national security law as the city felt the chilling effect of Beijing's offensive to quash dissent in the territory - LAM YIK FEI/NYTNS / Redux / eyevine

As a protester on the frontline of fierce clashes with the Hong Kong riot police during the citys pro-democracy rallies, Dan always knew he would face a day of reckoning.

It came earlier than expected, shortly after he joined the storming of the citys legislature in July last year in protest against a controversial extradition bill that would allow suspects to be tried in China. His face was captured on surveillance footage.

An encounter with the police made up his mind. I wasnt arrested but they stopped and searched me and filmed my face and marked my ID. At that moment, I decided to go to Taiwan, said the 21-year-old, who requested anonymity for fear of repercussions.

Dan was one of the first of hundreds to seek refuge in Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million a short flight from Hong Kong, which has a history of receiving dissidents. It was easy enough then for him to flee.

Taiwan, like the UK, has offered a safe haven. Taipei last week opened a new office to make migration easier for Hong Kong residents and companies to settle there.

But there are potentially massive numbers are planning to join him in exile after the sudden enactment last week of China's ambiguous and draconian national security law that can impose life sentences for acts of subversion. And now leaving Hong Kong is becoming much more difficult.

After more than 9,000 arrests during the protest movement, many have found themselves on watchlists or had their passports confiscated, forcing them to seek alternative routes of escape, sometimes being smuggled by sea.

A pipeline of clandestine Hong Kong-based sympathisers and rescue teams around the world have launched into action, secretly offering exit strategies, medical care, safe houses and financial donations to protesters wanted by the authorities.

The underground network has been likened by some to Operation Yellowbird, a sophisticated mission to extract hundreds of dissidents from China and into Hong Kong in 1989 following the massacre around Beijings Tiananmen Square.

Story continues

A woman argues with police officers during a march to celebrate US Independence Day outside the US consulate in Hong Kong - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

Dans instincts to flee had been right. A month later, the police came to his family home to search for him. His mother, a Communist party supporter, welcomed them with tea. They now rarely speak to each other.

His new life in Taiwan was initially tough. We gave up all the things we grew up with in Hong Kong, and we didnt know anything about the new place. It was very stressful, he said.

He struggled with what he believes was post-traumatic stress disorder, glued to live-streams of the ongoing protests, his conscience heavy because he was not there. I would feel guilty because I saw many protesters get hurt and arrested by the police, tortured, or even I heard about rape, he said.

He eventually restarted his studies and gradually recovered with the help of the Chi Nan Presbyterian Church. It has assisted hundreds fleeing Hong Kong by offering accommodation, medical care, counselling and supporting job and university applications.

Police officers make an arrest during protests in the Causeway Bay neighbourhood of Hong Kong on July 1 after protests greeted China's imposition of its controversial national security law - LAM YIK FEI/ NYTNS / Redux / eyevine

Huang Chun-sen, the churchs pastor, said the exiles were often traumatised. People who come here have different degrees of PTSD. Sometimes they wake up and smell tear gas, he said.

Others arrived with serious medical problems they had been too afraid to treat in Hong Kong in case they were turned over to the police. Some were coughing up blood. Others had fractured bones or bruises from rubber bullets, said Pastor Huang.

One girl was a First Aider during the protests and her back was all bruised because she was trying protect a doctor who was giving CPR to a patient. The police wanted to hit the doctor so she ran over and covered him so he could continue saving the patients life.

The pastor is a prominent player in the network that has sprung up to help Hong Kong residents move legally to Taiwan. Dan had been connected with the church through one of the many private online chat groups helping protesters to flee.

Reverend William Lim, the programme secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan's Hong Kong Rescue Project, said church connections had also been reignited around the world to help the most vulnerable, including a handful of minors who had boarded flights alone. A similar system was triggered during Taiwans own period of martial law under the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang regime between 1947 and 1987  known as the White Terror  when churches helped political dissidents opposing authoritarian ruler Chiang Kai-shek to escape to the US, he said.

Meanwhile, Taiwans growing Hong Kong community has also risen to the occasion to offer solace and help.

Aegis, a new cafe opened by a Hong Kong lawyer, provides familiar comfort food, companionship and much needed jobs to those who need it. Mr and Mrs Wong, regulars in their sixties, who have lived in Taipei for five years, said they tried to welcome disorientated newcomers.

After the British handover in 1997, we had hope that the prosperous middle classes would change the Communist party. It has changed, but in the opposite direction, said Mrs Wong.

I often cry at night. I cry for the young people. We were supposed to protect them.

Passersby walk past bricks that have been dug up and laid out on the street as a way to slow down incoming police during demonstrations in Hong Kong - Katherine Cheng/SOPA Images/Shutterstock/ Shutterstock

Like many of Hong Kongs fleeing youth, Dan is now turning to political activism to lobby from abroad for Hong Kongs freedoms. He switched his studies from chemistry to politics, and hopes he can one day return to Hong Kong to help the city recover.

Until now, I still have the feeling that I am travelling, not living here," he said. "When I am upset, I want to find a place called home to let me have a good sleep. But somehow I cant find that place.
Scott Erskine, who was on death row for the gruesome 1993 abduction and murder of 13-year-old Charlie Keever and his 9-year-old friend Jonathan Sellers, died from what prison officials said appear to be complications from COVID-19. (Jim Baird / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Scott Erskine, who was on death row for the gruesome 1993 abduction and murder of 13-year-old Charlie Keever and his 9-year-old friend Jonathan Sellers  in a case that haunted the county for almost a decade before it was solved  died this week from what prison officials said appear to be complications from COVID-19.

Erskine was 57 and died Friday morning at an outside hospital, according to a statement by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The mothers of the two boys, Maria Keever and Milena (Phillips) Sellers, said they received phone calls from prison officials Friday morning informing them of the death.

Erskine had been on death row in San Quentin State Prison since 2004 but was in prison far longer for other crimes. In 2001 he was serving a 70-year sentence for raping a woman when he was charged in the murder of the boys, eight years after their bodies were found in a makeshift fort in heavy brush on a bank of the Otay River.

The children had been bound and gagged, and there were signs of violent sexual assault and torture.

The boys were friends who had left their homes for a bike ride when Erskine intercepted them. Many details of their deaths were revealed later in court, but it remains a mystery how Erskine lured the boys to the secluded spot.

Their bodies were not found for two days, and the crime went unsolved for years. Detectives who worked the case later said it was the worst case they had ever worked that went unsolved for so long.

In 2001, amid advances in DNA forensics, evidence taken from the crime scene was tested. Erskines DNA was found in a cotton swab taken from the body of one of the boys and on two cigarette butts found in the fort.

Erskine went on trial in 2002 for the murders, and after two penalty phases  the first jury could not decide on death or life with no parole  he was sent to death row in September 2004.

Both mothers grimly sat through years of hearings, listening to details of how their children died. On Friday Maria Keever said she was shocked when she first heard the news of Erskines death from a corrections official in the morning.

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She said she cried but did not know exactly why. Some mixed feelings now, she said.

Keever said she long had hoped to be able to speak with Erskine, to ask him details about what had happened and why. She said he refused. Now she wont be able to have that conversation, she said.

I hoped he would change his mind, but he did not want to talk to me, she said. It seems so final.

Im never going to know now.

Phillips said she also cried at first, in shock and as a kind of release.

It is over, that part is over, she said. Hes gone. I dont have to think of him. I dont have to go to trials or any courts.

I have a lot of emotions going through me because of this, she said later. In a way I feel like we can breathe, finally I can exhale a little bit, let the boys rest, let them down to rest and move on from that.

The boys were not forgotten by their community. In 2012 a park at the southern end of San Diego Bay along Bayshore Bikeway was dedicated in their names.

The mothers started the Jonathan Sellers and Charlie Keever Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting child safety and well-being, preventing child abduction and exploitation, and providing support to families who have lost a loved one to violence.

Last year the state Supreme Court upheld Erskines death sentence, but he had years more of appeals ahead. At that time his lawyer said he had been hospitalized with heart and lung problems.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began many people who have died from the disease are known to have had underlying medical conditions that contributed to their death.

Another death row inmate, Manuel Alvarez, 59, also died Thursday at an outside hospital of what appeared to be COVID-19 complications, corrections officials said. He was convicted of committing murder and rape during a four-day rampage in Sacramento County in 1987.

Erskine and Alvarez are the third and fourth death row prisoners in the past 10 days to die.

On June 24 Richard Stitely, 71, was found unresponsive in his cell. A death row inmate since 1992 after the rape and murder of a woman in Los Angeles County in 1990, Stitely was found to have tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Wednesday 75-year-old Joseph Cordova also was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead. He had been on death row since 2007, after being convicted of raping and murdering an 8-year-old girl in Contra Costa County in 1979. The cause of death and his COVID-19 status have not been determined.

San Quentin, where the state's 723 death row inmates are housed, is in the midst of a raging outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As of Thursday there were 1,383 active cases in the prison, which houses about 3,400 inmates, officials said. The bulk of those cases, 944, have come in the past two weeks, according to the departments COVID-19 tracker.

All of the prisons cases began in June after the May 30 transfer of 100 prisoners from the state prison in Chino, which at the time had one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections in the state system.

Moran writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.




LONDON  Lockdown restrictions were eased, the pubs opened and crowds flocked onto the streets of English cities Saturday, many ignoring social distancing rules and prompting complaints from the police. A number of arrests were made.

John Apter, chair of the Police Federation for England and Wales, warned that it was "crystal clear" that drunk people cannot observe social distancing.

Apter, who was on patrol in Southampton, a city on England's south coast, wrote on Twitter that officers dealt with "anti-social behavior, naked men, possession of class 'A' drugs, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights, more angry drunks."

In Brentwood, a small town east of London, moments after he urged people to "enjoy yourself" but to "behave," Special Inspector Steve Weaver tweeted that four people had been arrested.

"That didn't last long," he wrote.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

In what some of the U.K.'s tabloid press dubbed "Super Saturday" and British "Independence Day," some bars were forced to close early after having opened for the first time in three months after the coronavirus lockdown.

London's Metropolitan Police said that most of the public complied with social distancing guidelines but that some areas of the capital were "notably busy."

Images and videos taken in central London's Soho nightlife district showed packed streets with very few people wearing masks.

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Mark Welford, 61, who runs Bloomsbury Flowers in nearby Covent Garden, walked over to Soho on Saturday afternoon to see what had gone "from zero to essentially normal activity" overnight.

Welford was initially happy to see the pubs back in action, he said in a phone interview. "But there was clearly no social distancing."

After seeing videos from later that evening, he was surprised to see people acting like "it was a normal Saturday night, pre-COVID."

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Some did not feel comfortable with the unraveling scene and decided to leave.

"I had my mask on and went home. I did not feel comfortable being there. It felt like all the hard work of lockdown was thrown in the bin," Stephen Brian Lowe said in a private message on Twitter.

Low, 20, a real estate agent from Kingston-upon-Thames, recorded the scene of "absolute madness" in London late Saturday before heading home.

The large crowds raised concerns that the deadliest outbreak in Europe may spike again.

In the southern counties of Devon and Cornwall, police said they received more than 1,000 calls Saturday night, most of them linked to drinking-related disorder.

In the eastern county of Nottinghamshire, four people were arrested and several pubs decided to close because of alcohol-related anti-social behavior.

Pubs and restaurants had worked hard to get ready for the moment, spacing tables, putting some staff members behind plastic counters and registering customers upon arrival.

Even so, some pubs decided not to reopen at all Saturday night because of continued fears of a coronavirus outbreak. Leicester, a city in the middle of England, has even had its lockdown restrictions reimposed after a flare-up last week.

Image: Are Kjetil Kolltveit (Frank Augstein / AP)

While England embarked on its biggest lockdown easing yet  hair salons, restaurants and museums also reopened  many said it came too soon given still-high levels of coronavirus infection.

On Friday, Britain's chief medical adviser, Dr. Chris Whitty, said the pandemic "is a long way from gone" in the U.K., which has one of the highest death rates in the world.

More than 44,000 people had died from the virus as of Sunday, British health officials said.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

Elsewhere in Europe, in South Korea and in the U.S., the reopening of bars and restaurants is blamed for spikes in infections from patrons losing their inhibitions and abandoning social distancing among strangers.

Case numbers continue to grow around the world, as more than 11.2 million people globally had been infected as of Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University. With shortages of testing materials, the real number of cases is unknown.
Specialty retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc (NYSE:WSM) reported first-quarter results at the end of May that took Wall Street by surprise. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, analysts had expected that the closing of the company's 616 stores for more than half of the quarter would result in very poor numbers.





Instead, Williams-Sonoma beat on revenue, earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share estimates, causing the stock to surge 13% higher by the end of the trading day following the release of results. Shares are nearly flat since then, but this might be a good opportunity for investors to get in the name.

Company background and recent quarterly results

Williams-Sonoma sells its products through several different channels, such as physical store locations and e-commerce channels. The company has several different brands, including the Williams Sonoma Home (which sells cooking and entertainment products), Pottery Barn (which offers furniture, bedding and decorative accessories), Pottery Barn Kids (which provides products for decorating nurseries and bedrooms), Pottery Barn Teen (which includes furniture and lighting for bedrooms and dorm rooms), West Elm (which markets home decor products), Rejuvenation (which offers hardware and furniture based on historical products) and Mark and Graham (which provides men's and women's accessories). Williams-Sonoma is valued at $6.5 billion.

On May 28, Williams-Sonoma reported first-quarter earnings results for the period ending April 30. The company's revenue declined 0.5% to $1.2 billion, which was $140 million ahead of what Wall Street had expected. Earnings per share declined 32% to 45 cents, though this was 25 cents above expectations. Excluding the cost of acquisitions and inventory write-offs, earnings per share decreased 8.6% to 74 cents. Adjusted earnings topped estimates by 67 cents. Same-store sales increased 2.6% compared to an expected decrease of almost 14%.

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With its physical stores closed for half of the quarter, Williams-Sonoma leveraged its e-commerce business during the quarter.

Source: Williams-Sonoma's June Investor Presentation, slide 3.

This sales category grew 31.2% and accounted for more than 70% of total sales in the quarter. E-commerce growth was why Williams-Sonoma was able to produce essentially flat total revenue, beat the top and bottom line estimates and grow same-store sales even as retail as a whole has struggled mightily due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

E-commerce growth and its contributions to total revenue in the first quarter shows that Williams-Sonoma was very quickly able to adapt its business and provide customers the products that they wanted. That nimbleness is an attractive feature of the company.

Williams-Sonoma was already showing its e-commerce might prior to the pandemic as slightly more than half of sales already came from online shopping. The company first made online shopping available to customers way back in 1998, way before others had even toyed with the idea.

While e-commerce sales soared in the first quarter due in large part to the coronavirus, it is likely that this channel will be a robust growth driver for Williams-Sonoma whenever the economy returns to a more normal way of doing business. Approximately 80% of industry sales are still done in person at physical store locations. This gives Williams-Sonoma's e-commerce growth a likelihood of strong future growth as so many shoppers remain available to convert to online shoppers.

Nearly all of Williams-Sonoma's brands had comparable sales growth in the first quarter. The lone weak brand was Pottery Barn, which was down 1.1% year over year. The company stated on the conference call that, thanks to e-commerce, this business was positive in the month of May. Pottery Barn accounted for 39% of quarterly revenue.

Pottery Barn Kids and Teens, on the other hand, did quite well, with a combined growth of 8.5%. E-commerce sales were very strong and promotional activity was reduced, which led to higher margins. Williams-Sonoma's baby business continues to see high demand from consumers and offers the company a way to capture a larger pool of customers at a much earlier age. These brands added slightly more than 15% to total revenue.

West Elm, which contributed nearly 26% of revenues, grew 3.3%. Gains were driven by increased demand for outdoor and office furniture.

The Williams-Sonoma brand grew 5.4% and was responsible for nearly all of the remaining revenue. This increase was on account of higher demand for cookware, electrics and food and housewares. The company used its digital channels to bring live demonstrations and recipes suggestions to customers. E-commerce growth came from new customers. Williams-Sonoma said that traffic and conversion rates compared to its peak holiday season, showing how much of an impact e-commerce had for the brand.

In addition to brand and e-commerce growth, Williams-Sonoma has several other growth levers that it can pull.

For example, Williams-Sonoma announced that it had more than 10 million members in its loyalty program, The Key, and found that these consumers spent more than three times as much and made purchases twice as often than non-members. The company's ability to translate its loyalty program into higher sales rates will also be a boast to growth going forward.

Second, the specialty goods market is estimated at $330 billion worldwide. China and southeast Asia is the largest market at $150 billion. With a leadership position in an otherwise highly fragmented space consisting of much smaller companies, Williams-Sonoma can use its size and scale to attract more customers.

Williams-Sonoma ended the quarter with $2.2 billion in current assets, which included $861 million of cash, and equivalents against $1.7 billion in current liabilities, which included $488 million of current debt.

Shares of Williams-Sonoma yield 2.3% today and the company has raised its dividend for the past 14 years. It should be noted that the company has maintained the same dividend for the past six dividend payments. Based on the month that the last increase was given, Williams-Sonoma can raise its dividend this year or next year and still have its dividend growth streak intact.

The company did pull its guidance for 2020 given the continued uncertainty regarding the ongoing pandemic, but Williams-Sonoma guided toward net revenue of at least mid- to high- single-digit growth. Yahoo Finance says that analysts expect the company, on average, to earn $4.50 per share in 2020.

Final thoughts

Williams-Sonoma posted an impressive first-quarter given the circumstances. All but one of the company's major brands produced comparable sales growth. E-commerce, which has long been a strength of Williams-Sonoma, really showed how valuable this channel is to the company's business.

Using Thursday's closing price and expected earnings per share for the year, Williams-Sonoma trades with a price-earnings ratio of 18.5. According to Value Line, the stock has an average price to earnings ratio of 16.9 since 2010. While shares can be considered to be on the slightly expensive side, Williams-Sonoma's first quarter showed that its business is operating on a different plane from most other retailers. For that, the stock deserves a higher multiple.

Disclosure: the author has no position in any stocks mentioned in this article.

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One last month. As he faces a tough re-election campaign, watch for desperate acts. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

The nation could well be entering an especially dangerous period in Donald Trumps presidency. His poll numbers are embarrassingly low for an incumbent seeking reelection, even some of his loyal supporters question his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and the economy he had planned to ride into a second term has been battered by shuttered businesses and stay-at-home orders.

All of which has made the president unhappy. He scolds the usually supportive Fox News over polling numbers he dislikes. He reportedly was angry at his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, after Trumps much ballyhooed campaign-relaunch rally in Tulsa fizzled. He continues to blast away at media outlets and journalists he doesnt like. Its immensely worrisome that revelations of a possible Russian scheme to pay a bounty to Taliban troops for killing U.S. soldiers drew outrage from Trump  not at the practice, but at the press coverage of it.

On Wednesday Trump called the Russia Bounty story just another HOAX!  even as his national security advisers were briefing members of Congress on it. Remember, Trumps initial response was deflection  his aides had not briefed him on the issue, he said, though news outlets report that the White House had been briefed. No, its not the presidents fault that the Russians engaged in such atrocious behavior, but it is his responsibility to do something about it. Which he has not.

This is where the danger bubbles to the surface. Trump feels he needs some wins, and he has shown us for the past four years that he doesnt care how he gets them. He lies to downplay the scope of a crisis; he brags about minor achievements and takes credit for things beyond his control; he exploits the nations racial tensions for his political advantage, making it ever harder for progress to be achieved.

He at one point forced the shutdown of the U.S. government to try to pressure Congress into approving funding to extend the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. When that failed, he declared a bogus national emergency, then began moving around money to pay for it, sacrificing infrastructure upgrades, including housing for military families.

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Most Americans say they dont want the wall, and experts argue that it ultimately will have little effect on illegal immigration, which these days tends to involve people who enter the country legally then dont leave. And its not that hard to defeat a 30-foot wall with a 32-foot ladder. And with Election Day looming, he is accelerating construction because it appeals to his base, and hes desperate to report that he has delivered on his promise to build 450 miles of new wall by the end of the year (never mind that his promise to get Mexico to pay for it will never happen).

With deplorable cynicism, the administration has used this global health crisis to circumvent the original purpose of the asylum system and impose hard-line anti-immigration policies after many years of stalemate in Congress. This week, the Department of Homeland Security announced it intended to pursue regulations that would let the government consider public health concerns based on disease when reviewing asylum applications, effectively barring admission to people from countries facing epidemics  regardless of whether the asylum-seeker has been exposed. That would allow the government, post-pandemic to continue to shut out asylum seekers.

There may be legitimate public health reasons to shut the border during a pandemic, but the Trump administration has too deep a history of lying about pretexts to get the benefit of the doubt here. Especially since the shut border did not keep the government from deporting hundreds of foreign nationals who returned home with the coronavirus, adding to the global spread and undermining the administrations claim that it was focusing on halting the march of the pandemic.

Trump is a flailing demagogue who sees his grip on power slipping away. With the Republican-controlled Senate serving as his raincoat, the shame of being impeached by the Democratic-led House of Representatives rolled off him. But the Senates refusal to remove him from office did nothing to dispel the clear evidence that the president put his personal interests, and his reelection, ahead of the national interest. America, don't let your guard down.
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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

With South Korea and the United States marking the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, its time to consider the conditions for a lasting and just peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Korean conflict was instrumental in solidifying the Cold War at both ends of the Eurasian continent. While vestiges of the Cold War have disappeared from Europe, the Cold War remains very much alive on the Korean Peninsula. Formally ending it will serve as a major catalyst in implementing a more stable security structure in and around the Korean Peninsula.

But a declaration of an end to the war based on political expediency and naive conceptions of peace between the two Koreas isnt going to result in real peace. The reason why a Cold War persists on the peninsula is because of the continuing threat emanating from North Koreathe worlds only communist dynasty. Armed with nuclear weapons since 2006 and with accelerating nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, North Korea under Kim Jong-un has hardly relaxed tensions with South Korea.

Leaving aside recent antics such as blowing up the South-North liaison office, Kim has given absolutely no indication that he is willing to negotiate away his nuclear weapons. President Donald Trumps attempts to brush the North Korean nuclear threat under successive Tweets have failed dismally. His comical attempts to convince Kim to denuclearize such as asking Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to deliver Elton Johns Rocket Man CD as a sign of Trumps friendship isnt funny but outright dangerous. Under Trumps watch, North Koreas nuclear weapons program has accelerated. Trumps chaotic, ill-prepared, and, yes, even childish attempts to reach a deal of the century with the head of the worlds most totalitarian regime has dialed back the clock for genuine peace on the Korean Peninsula.

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Putting into place a verifiable denuclearization roadmap; strengthening deterrence and defense vis-a-vis North Korea; revamping the alliance to meet new political conditions in South Korea and the United States; maintaining the unity of effort between the United States, South Korea, and Japan; and responding effectively to Chinas increasingly robust power-projection capabilities are all critical prerequisites to making lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

What many forget is the undeniable report card of the two Koreas that has been placed in front of the world sixty-seven years since the end of the Korean War in 1953. As the famous satellite image reminds us, North Korea is shrouded in near-complete darkness whereas South Korea is ablaze with light from its megacities. A third-generation Kim rules North Korea with an iron fist. Kim and his family run North Korea like their own backyard, but a backyard packed with nuclear weapons, 1.2 million soldiers, and an archipelago of gulags. The Kims live like billionaires while the vast majority of their countrymen live in poverty. South Korea is the complete opposite of North Korea.

A just, enduring peace is possible on the Korean Peninsula, but its not going to happen just because political leaders decide to formally end the Korean conflict. It will happen only when twenty-five million North Koreans can live as free men and women and not as prisoners in the worlds biggest jail. This message is the abiding lesson from the Korean War and the reason why so many gave their lives in the defense of freedom and liberty.

Chung Min Lee is a senior fellow in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and is the Chairman of the International Advisory Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He previously served as South Korea's Ambassador for National Security Affairs, as South Korea's Ambassador for International Security Affairs, and as Yonsei University's Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), the Underwood International College, and the Division of International Exchange and Education. He has served on various advisory panels in South Korea including the Presidents Foreign Policy Advisory Council and the National Security Council Secretariat, as well as advisory panels in the Ministry of Defense and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is author of Fault Lines in a Rising Asia and of The Hermit King: The Dangerous Game of Kim Jong Un.

Image: Reuters

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Midway through the installation of Sarah Szes site-specific artwork at LaGuardia Airport, the clock stopped. On March 22, under executive order by Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York State officially went on pause as part of emergency measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

But Terminal B, the centerpiece of a comprehensive overhaul to LaGuardia by LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the Governor and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, depended on the sculptures completion to open. So Sze and her teamall deemed essential workerslabored on, working through early May to finish the artwork, itself a standstill representation of hours gone by.

An airport is a portal into the displacement of time and space, reflects Sze, one of four artists commissioned by LaGuardia Gateway Partners and Public Art Fund to create works for Terminal B. Her sculpturea monumental assemblage of scaffolding and photographic imagery that is suspended through two levels of the headhousevisualizes both time and space, creating what Sze calls a record of light.

Affixed to ethereal rods of powder-coated steel are some 1,200 photographs of the sky above New York, all takenover the course of a day. Blown-out snapshots capture the blaze of high noon; gentle gradients reveal the soft glow of dawn and dusk; and gaps stand in for the darkness of night while creating an opening through which to observe the spectrum, which encloses a spherical void. Taken as a whole, the sculpture distills time into a poetic brushstroke of sorts, one that will leave travelers in awe on their way to their gates and coming through arrivals.

Meghan Marin

I am always trying to make sculptures that look radical, unlike anything youve seen before, notes Sze, a MacArthur genius grant winner whose intricate sculptures, often made up of everyday objects, explore themes of memory and the mundane. Public art has always been an important part of her practice, most recently in the case of her celebrated tiled installation for New York Citys Second Avenue Subway. Im committed to having the biggest audience possible, having art be accessible, be owned, shared, and seen by the many.

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A feat of engineering, her concept required a leap of faith on the part of LaGuardia Gateway Partners and Public Art Fund. To translate it from a drawn proposal into a structurally sound sculpture, Sze worked closely with longtime collaborators at Amuneal, the Philadelphia-based fabrication studio, devising an intricate system wherein small components appear woven, like twigs in a nest, creating the illusion of a floating sphere. While there was no welding done on-site, elements were added and subtracted to make sure the void properly appears and disappears from view. It had to feel like a clouduneven but not unbalanced, teetering on a thread, says Sze. That fragility extends to the photos, printed with polyester pigments onto aluminum panels that were laser-cut to resemble torn paper. It was important that they felt like they could fall off at any moment and float away.

More of the Ethereal Installation Transforming LaGuardia

Meghan Marin

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Meghan Marin

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The process was exhausting but also invigorating. Everyone made a heroic effort to get it done so Terminal B could open, Sze explains, noting that no one was required to work on-site during the pandemic but team members still opted to do so. We were driven by the belief that finishing the piece would be a sign of light in a dark time, a show of resilience, a symbol of functioning government, and a reminder that art has the capacity to be uplifting.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Hong Kong (AFP) - Beijing's new national security law for Hong Kong is the most radical shift in how the semi-autonomous city is run since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

China's authoritarian leaders say the powers will restore stability after a year of pro-democracy protests and will not stifle freedoms.

But it has already sent fear coursing through a city used to being able to speak openly and fundamentally altered the city's relationship to both Beijing and the outside world.

- Legal firewall toppled -

A key pillar of Hong Kong's success has been an independent judiciary, insulated from mainland China's party-controlled courts and their conviction rates of around 99 percent.

That legal firewall has now come down.

The law grants China jurisdiction in some national security cases and allows mainland security agents to set up shop openly in the city for the first time. Those personnel are not bound by local laws.

Local police have been granted broad surveillance powers that do not require judicial oversight while trials involving state secrets can be held behind closed doors without juries.

China also claims universal jurisdiction. That could make it risky for Beijing critics, including foreigners, to travel to Hong Kong or through its airport.

- Central government control tightened -

Hong Kong normally passes its own laws through a legislature.

But the national security law was written in Beijing and imposed on the city -- its contents kept secret until it was enacted on Tuesday evening.

It establishes supremacy over the Basic Law, the mini-constitution that grants the city certain freedoms as well as judicial and legislative autonomy.

The law states that if there is a discrepancy between the two systems, China's law takes precedence.

It also embeds mainland officials within Hong Kong's government.

A new national security commission is headed by the head of Beijing's Liaison Office and staffed by both mainland and local officials.

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Article 22 of the Basic Law says the central government cannot interfere in the running of Hong Kong.

But Beijing has made clear national security trumps that and is the central government's purview.

- Slogans outlawed -

Beijing and Hong Kong's government said the new powers would only target a "very small minority".

But it has quickly become clear certain political views, even if expressed peacefully, are now illegal -- especially calls for independence or autonomy.

The first arrests under the new law came on Wednesday, almost all of them people who were in possession of flags or leaflets promoting independence.

On Thursday the government confirmed that one of the city's most popular protest chants -- "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" was now banned.

For some the phrase represents genuine aspirations to split Hong Kong from China.

But for many others it is a more general cry for democracy and an expression of rising frustration with Beijing's rule.

- Protest walls scrubbed -

The impact of the law on people's speech has been visible both digitally and physically.

Some restaurants and businesses have removed political displays after warnings from police. Officials were filmed scraping certain words and phrases from a protest wall at a university campus.

Across town, posters and phrases are being removed from "Lennon Walls" that first sprung up during last year's pro-democracy protests.

Some Hong Kongers are getting creative, replacing outlawed slogans with altered versions or puns that only hint at politics in a bid to stay ahead of the new laws.

Online, people have scrubbed chat groups and anonymised their social media accounts -- or deleted them entirely.

- Politicians flee, shut down parties -

For years Hong Kong was a place to which people fled when they feared persecution on the authoritarian mainland.

Now it is a place people flee from.

Prominent democracy activist Nathan Law announced on Thursday evening that he had gone overseas to an undisclosed location because of the law.

He and a group of fellow young activists disbanded their pro-democracy party Demosisto two days earlier, fearing prosecution, even though it does not advocate Hong Kong independence.

"As I look down at the magnificence of Hong Kong from the airplane, this image has become one unforgettable scene in my mind," he wrote.

"I hope the day will come when I can return to Hong Kong again and I can still be that young guy who hasn't forgotten about his initial aspirations."

Other groups who more openly advocate autonomy for the city also announced they were shutting down.
The global Covid-19 pandemic has jolted the oil and gas industry, disrupting supply chains and choking off demand. And if that wasnt enough, the plummeting oil prices heightened the challenge for companies in the industry.

To understand the extent of the challenges faced by companies, OGN magazine conducted a survey in the GCC region across all sectors of the industry: upstream, midstream and downstream.

Considering the significant role of oil and gas in the regions economies, the survey gives us an insight into the possible long-term impact on the industry, and compels companies to ask themselves hard questions and think strategically about how they will adapt as the pandemic and markets evolve, says Abdulaziz Khattak, Editor of OGN.

Of the surveys respondents, 57.2 per cent were small- and medium-sized companies and 28.6 per cent were large companies.

About 57.1 per cent said their business was moderately affected by the pandemic, while 28.6 per cent said the impact had been strong. Some 14.3 per cent also said they had not yet felt the full effect of the pandemic despite a visible slowdown.

The impact of the situation on the companies has been in many ways. Some 57.1 per cent said they had been affected due to a temporary shutdown, while others had been affected by employee absences due to sickness (28.6 per cent), clients not paying their bills (71.4 per cent), reduced logistics services (28.6 per cent), problems with infrastructure, such as internet or roads (28.6 per cent), increased administrative bottlenecks (28.6 per cent)

About 42.9 per cent companies expressed difficulty in importing materials or products from abroad, while 14.3 per cent said they were facing difficulty accessing inputs domestically.

Over half of the responding companies (57.1 per cent) said they were operating on reduced capacity, with 28.6 per cent saying their operations were normal and an equal number said they were operating remotely.

With regard to working ability, all the companies said they could work remotely. However, some companies added the inability to travel due to restriction were impacting sales and services, and customer interactions. Some also said their plants had to have people for operations.

To the critical question of whether their business was at the risk of permanently shutting down because of this crisis, 71.4 per cent were confident they would stay open. Only 14.3 per cent said they were at a risk of closing down in six months or more.

To further elaborate this, they were asked how long before the continued pandemic would force their business to close down, 28.6 per cent gave a timeframe of 3-6 months, an equal number said 6 months to a year, and 14.3 per cent said they would close down in less than 3 months if the pandemic continued.

The pandemic has had a huge impact on the workforce, with 42.9 per cent) saying their workforce numbers had changed due to Covid-19. About 28.6 per cent said they had laid off employees, while 42.9 per cent said they were temporarily reducing employment.

Other companies were also considering measures including reduction in its current workforce (57.1 per cent respondents), freeze on new employee hires (57.1 per cent), pay/salary freeze (14.3 per cent), and salary reduction (28.6 per cent). About 14.3 per cent said they were maintaining their current workforce numbers.

Other strategies followed by companies to cope with the crisis include remote working (85.7 per cent), online sales (57.1 per cent), increase in marketing efforts (28.6 per cent), reduction in marketing expenditure (14.3 per cent), and introducing customised/new products (14.3 per cent).

There was concern for maintaining financial performance for the current year. Some 71.5 per cent companies said the impact on their financial performance would be moderate, while 14.3 per cent anticipated a major impact.

A good sign, however, was the ability of companies (42.9 per cent) to maintain standing lines of credit to help them bridge this interruption in business. Yet 28.6 per cent said they had no financial cushion.

When asked what top three government measures would be most helpful to cope with the Covid-19 crisis, 57.1 per cent said rent subsidies, followed by employment programmes (such as temporary unemployment programmes), financial programmes (such as low interest credit line or credit guarantees), and tax waivers.

Among other challenges of the pandemic, companies pointed to keeping the morale of the workforce high and adjusting to the new normal topped the list. Yet others said there were financial challenges, and those of travel, sales and mental health of employees.

Some sales-oriented companies were concerned about the inability to have face-to-face meetings with customers. And others were worried about global trade. --Tradearabia News Service
Composite image showing detail from artwork for (L) Flash Gordon 4K remaster and (R) Black Rainbow box art. (Studiocanal/Arrow Films)

At the end of the 1970s, as Hollywood desperately tried to find the next Star Wars, legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis (Hannibal, King Kong) was so convinced Flash Gordon would be a hit that he decided to start developing the sequel even before the first film began shooting.

Nic Roeg (Dont Look Now) was already on board to helm Flash, the comic strip that George Lucas had first tried to adapt before he was thwarted and instead created his own, rather successful, space opera.

For the Gordon sequel, Roeg suggested Mike Hodges, the acclaimed Brit behind 1971s Get Carter and cult hit The Terminal Man (1974).

I met Dino and said look, I'm totally the wrong director, Hodges tells Yahoo now, while promoting the rerelease of his 1989 film Black Rainbow by Arrow Films.

Read more: Sam Neill details Jurassic return

I didnt know Flash Gordon, I didnt know anything about American comics, I read Beano and Dandy. Then Nic and Dino fell out and Dino, for reasons I never quite understood, decided that he wanted me to do [the first film]. I resistedhe talked me into it. I'm glad he did, because I enjoyed making it and it's given a lot of pleasure to people over the years.

Actors Sam J. Jones and Timothy Dalton in a scene from the film 'Flash Gordon', 1980. (Photo by Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images)

Hodges came in with pre-production in full swing. The star was Sam J Jones, a former Marine whod been spotted on the American version of Blind Date and had signed a six-picture deal. Then, just before filming began, disaster struck.

[Sam] went to the cinema in Leicester Square [in London] with his girlfriend and her friend, remembers Hodges. A bunch of skinheads set upon him and knocked him down.

Fearing the story would emerge that their macho star was mortal, the incident was kept under wraps. I said for Gods sake dont let this out! says Hodges.

Critics are divided on the movie, particularly Joness performance, which has been accused of being wooden. Hodges disagrees.

Read more: Explaining the hype behind Hamilton

I think the character Flash Gordon, you know, he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. Hes innocent, says the director. Hes a bit like American foreign policy  they go into places, have no idea what its like[dont] understand the culture. I thought [Sam] was wonderful.

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The director did, however, have an issue when Jones had a falling out over money with De Laurentiis. Internet rumours have suggested the actors entire performance ended up being dubbed (by actor Peter Marinker), but Hodges puts paid to that.

Director Mike Hodges of the film "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" poses for portraits during the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. (Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)

Basically, [Sam] left the film at Christmas and all the principal photography was done. This included scenes like the fight scenes and so on. You've got extraneous noises for certain elements of dialogue, but he wasn't coming back. So I got an actor, a very good one, to just impersonate his voice. It wasn't very difficult, you know, anybody on Dead Ringers would be able to do Sams voice for maybe five or ten minutes of dialogue.

On its fortieth anniversary, the film remains a camp classic and is even getting another cinematic outing on 31 July. Hodges, now 87, is also celebrating the re-release of his lost 1989 movie Black Rainbow, a film that was dumped on release despite excellent reviews.

Starring Rosanna Arquette as a medium who foresees a series of murders, Jason Robards as her alcoholic father and Tom Hulce (Amadeus) as a dogged reporter, its a clever mix of supernatural thriller and social commentary centred around corporate corruption.

Rosanna Arquette in a still from Black Rainbow (Arrow Films)

It's very odd that it should come out in the middle of a pandemic because it's very much the subject matter of the film, explains Hodges. I wanted to build it around the medium because I was anxious to talk about what I could see in the future coming down the line for us all.

Unfortunately, financial issues with the distributors torpedoed its original release. The film was dumped onto VHS soon after opening in Britain and in the States, [Miramax] sold it off to cable channels.

Hodges himself didnt have any notable run-ins with then-Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein. I heard that Rosanna came out against Harvey Weinstein saying her career had been ruined by him, he says, but doesnt know if that was anything to do with Black Rainbow.

A still from Mike Hodges' Black Rainbow. (Arrow Films)

Experiences like the one he had on Black Rainbow led to the director becoming increasingly cautious about the movies he made. In the 80s I had a sort of a rough time with films being re-edited and things like that, he admits. So I became very careful about who I worked with.

Of course, for film lovers, the fact that the writer/director of the iconic Get Carter might have made fewer films that he should is a tragedy.

English actor Michael Caine as Jack Carter in the film 'Get Carter', 1971. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

I just made [Get Carter] in white heat, he says. It went out reviews were sort of mixed. And then it sort of disappeared. I didn't realise it'd gone underground.

I was in New York three or four years after Id finished it and I was at a restaurant, he continues. One customer heard that Id made it and started falling all over the place. He couldnt believe Id made Get Carter.

Mike Hodges supernatural chiller Black Rainbow is available on 6 July from Arrow Video.


Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

I flew out of the new Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport on a recent trip to Orlando and experienced the new Arrivals and Departures Hall, known as the headhouse, for the first time as a passenger last week.

Putting it through its paces a regular flyer, the terminal did not disappoint but many of the shops and eateries were closed due to the pandemic.

Now that LaGuardia has modern facilities, the other positive aspects of utilizing the airport quickly shined through and it was a great experience.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Arrivals and Departures Hall of the new Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport just opened to passengers on June 13 after four years of construction, marking a new era for the long-forsaken airport. Known as the headhouse, it's the centerpiece of the first major overhaul to LaGuardia's largest terminal since it opened in 1964, replacing the old and congested Central Terminal Building.

Passengers flying on American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines were the first to experience the new building, part of the $5.1 billion project to completely revamp the airport. The terminal itself is only around 80% complete but the first impression for departing passengers will now be a brand-new facility with the most modern infrastructure.

Related: Flight attendants explain how COVID-19 affected their jobs

On a recent trip to Orlando on Southwest Airlines and United Airlines to test the social distancing policies of each airline, I flew in and out of the new terminal. I had already visited the terminal before its opening and saw all of its coolest features but now it was time to put it to the test as a regular passenger.

Come take a look at what it's like to fly out of and into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.



I parked my car in the Terminal B garage which directly connects with the terminal via a two-story concourse.



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Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Despite only serving as a thoroughfare between the terminal and garage, the connector is huge with artwork and a timeline history of the airport lining the walls.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The new building includes scores of safety features due to the ongoing pandemic and face coverings are required for everybody entering the facility.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





A key safety feature of the terminal was the placement of hand sanitizer dispensers across the building located near most touchpoints including the check-in kiosks and after security checkpoint.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The connector lets out right into the departures level of the terminal without having to step outside into the elements to access the terminal.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The check-in counter for American Airlines is the closest to the garage and I was flying on Southwest but luckily, I knew the trick to get my boarding pass here instead of having to walk further down.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Read More: The 14 coolest features of LaGuardia Airport's huge new Terminal B, including passenger-friendly touches, high-end food options, and a dancing fountain



There's an option on the main screen of every kiosk that says "more airline choices" which allows passengers to access the check-in system of any airline at the terminal. Even though I was flying on Southwest, I was still able to get my boarding pass from the American check-in area.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Passengers getting dropped off at the terminal would arrive here at the departures roadway. A key design feature here is that the sidewalk and roadway are level, allowing for an easy transfer from the road to the terminal.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The old revolving doors that felt an inch away from the roadway are replaced by huge entryways with automatic sliding doors.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Walking in the terminal feels more like entering a mega international airport than it does the LaGuardia to which most New Yorkers had grown accustomed.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





It wasn't even 5 a.m. when I got to the terminal but the facility was beautifully lit, perfectly highlighting the artwork on display.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The Arrivals and Departures Hall itself is 850,000 square feet and the check-in area is only one part of the massive four-story building.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Departing passengers enter the building on the third level. Baggage claim is on the second level and a welcome center is on the first level.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





After I printed my boarding passes, I followed the clouds to the security checkpoint.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





All passengers pass through one checkpoint but with 16 lanes available, there wasn't too much of a size constraint.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The TSA is still reporting less than 750,000 people are passing through checkpoints across the country every day spread across 500 airports. Here's the lane for TSA PreCheck.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Displays lined the walk informing passengers of what they need to do when they get to the front. No more TSA officers shouting "shoes off, belts off."





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Most of the expansive screening area isn't used as demand is still low but when travel does rebound, peak days at LaGuardia will see the facility used to its maximum extent.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Terminal B is supposed to be employing the new Credential Accreditation Technology that only requires passengers to show their identification to TSA officers but it wasn't being used when I passed through so I had to show my boarding pass.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The post-security area offers couches and tables for passengers to reassemble themselves after the screening with no shortage of hand sanitizer dispensers.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Passengers then take the escalator or elevator up to the main retail and dining space before heading to the gate.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





At the top of the escalator and elevator bank, there's a departure board that tells passengers if they should head to the gate or if they have time to hang out.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





My flight was less than a half-hour from boarding but with the gate only a six-minute walk away, I was told to "relax."





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Departure signs are organized by departure time instead of destination and give the walking time to the gate, customized from each board.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Passengers then have to walk through the Bowery Bay Shop before they can get to the gates, much like how international airports abroad require walking through a duty-free store before going to the gates.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The store is massive with countless brands represented and there's even an LED light display overhead.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





I felt like I was walking through a department store rather than an airport with everything that was on offer.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The passageway ends in the heart of the retail and dining space, complete with a fountain in the center almost as if we were in a luxury mall.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





It's a quasi-oval shape with shops on one side and eateries on the other.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





I wouldn't have normally associated LaGuardia with high-end brands like Kate Spade but this is clearly a new era for the airport.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The seating area here isn't expansive but there are plenty of places to take a breather before a flight.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The designers wanted to make the area a place for passengers to hang out before heading to the busy concourses below or even a place to retreat to during a layover or delay.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Most of the restaurants and fast food joints were closed, however, because of the pandemic.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





New York City was still in phase 2 and as such, indoor dining was not allowed.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The main dining area had been halved of its normal capacity as tables were spread out by at least six feet to allow distancing. Those hanging out in the area, however, were treated to gorgeous views of the sunrise.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





With no reason to stick around, I headed over to my gate in the Eastern Concourse.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The directional boards said it would be a five-minute walk to my gate, which is long for LaGuardia. The one downside to the new terminal is that it will undoubtedly take longer to get from the curb to the gate.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Most shops along the way had introduced a self-checkout option and cashier stands had plexiglass partitions.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





High-end restaurants line the walkway to the concourse including this one, an Italian restaurant and bar named Mulberry Street.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Once construction on the terminal is fully completed, diners will have unobstructed views of aircraft passing below.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The walk isn't over just yet as we still have to cross the bridge.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





This is one of two air bridges that connect the Arrivals and Departures Hall with the concourses that house the gates.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Aircraft will be passing directly under this bridge, which allows for another taxiway to ease congestion. Developers had to get creative as LaGuardia isn't known for its wide open spaces.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Luckily, there's a moving walkway to help across.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Passengers then descend into the terminal from above, going from the highest point of the terminal to the lowest.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The four-escalator bank brings passengers first to the upper level of the concourse where United and Air Canada have lounges and there are some seating areas.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Then, it's just one more escalator ride down to the first floor that houses the gates.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The elevation plays tricks here as you've just gone from being around 90 feet up to what feels like the bottom floor, even though you're still above ground.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The terminal is almost L-shaped but even the furthest gate is a short walk from the center where the escalator ends.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





The retail and dining experience continues with fast food places like Shake Shake serving passengers. Most still weren't open either when I departed.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Like the rest of the terminal, the new concourse is night and day from its predecessor in terms of open space and seating availability.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Social distancing wasn't a problem thanks to the rows of seating available.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





All of the gates also have plexiglass partitions courtesy of the airport.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





After I boarded my Southwest flight to Nashville, we pushed back and taxied without delay.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





It was a short taxi to the runway before we took off and got to enjoy the perks of flying out of LaGuardia even before the new terminal came: the views.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





There's the airport just off of the wing.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





And we were treated to this great view of Manhattan. So far, the new LaGuardia did not disappoint.





Flying out of the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





I arrived back at LaGuardia later that day after flying home on United. Our gate was on the other side of the concourse, which had been largely empty.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





It was the first time I'd arrived at the new LaGuardia and didn't immediately want to rush out.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Seeing as all the stores were still closed, however, I headed for the exit. I'd once again ascend to the highest level of the terminal,





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Take two sets of escalators,





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





And walk across the air bridge.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Instead of heading back to the retail space, however, I exited through glass doors with "Welcome to New York" written on the side.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Arriving passengers are then greeted to this view of the departures hall. I wasn't the only one taking photos.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





It's another two escalator rides down to baggage claim but as I only had a carry-on, I could exit at departures and head for the parking garage.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





It took less than 10 minutes to get from my arrival gate to my car, and that was including stops to take photos.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





For-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft are also met in the garage, eliminating the need to go outside at all when arriving.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider





Before I knew it, I was in my car heading home. I had gone from the plane to my car without braving the elements, which I know will come in handy come winter.





Flying into the new LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

The new terminal is clearly impressive and provides a much-needed upgrade for LaGuardia Airport. My favorite aspect, however, isn't just one specific feature but it's that the new facility allows the rest of the airport to shine.

Among others, LaGuardia is a small airport so taxi times are short when there are no delays and the new terminal removes a good chunk of the congestion that plagued on-time departures and arrivals. For example, passengers will no longer have to wait for the plane behind theirs to move before they can pushback and won't have to wait as long to taxi into the gate on arrival.

On top of that, it's the closest airport to Manhattan, and flying out of LaGuardia is typically more convenient than John F. Kennedy International or Newark Liberty International. Its proximity to the city also means passengers are treated to the best views of the city on arrival and departure.

The reason some travelers hated going there is that its infrastructure paled in comparison to other area airports. Now that the airport boasts modern facilities, flyers can enjoy the other understated aspects of LaGuardia.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Click here to read the full article.

Key Point: Paris didn't want to rely on anyone to defend it. So it built its own nuclear weapons.

The French nuclear arsenal is pretty substantial, with air- and sea-based components. Here is a breakdown of French nuclear capabilities.

Nuclear Dyad

Unlike the United States or Russia, who maintain a nuclear triad of land-based, submarine-launched, and air-launched missiles, France has a dyad of submarines that can launch nuclear ballistic missiles and a stockpile of air-launched nuclear cruise missiles.

M51 Ballistic Missile

The M51 is the heart of French nuclear deterrence at sea. Each missile has six to ten Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), and each of those MIRVs is guessed to be in the 75 to 110 kiloton range.

Its range is estimated at 8,000 kilometers, or just under 5,000 miles and the missiles are launched from the nuclear-powered Triumphant-class submarines.

Air-Sol Moyenne Portee

The Air-Sol Moyenne Portee is the air-launched component of French strategic deterrence. The missiles play a unique role in French deterrence, where their use would be considered a warning shot of sorts before the more widespread use of nuclear weapons would be used in a conflict.

It uses a high-speed ramjet engine design and replaced earlier French free-falling nuclear bombs. According to CSIS, the missiles accelerates to Mach 2.0 in five seconds, after which the booster cartridge is ejected from the ramjet exhaust nozzle. Then, the liquid (kerosene)  powered ramjet motor takes over and accelerates to a maximum speed of Mach 3. Though not supersonic (Mach 5+), these speeds are nonetheless quite fast. CSIS estimates that only 40 to 50 missiles were ever produced.

Hades

The Hades missile system was at one point a land-based component of French strategic deterrence  though only at the tactical, not strategic level, due to the systems relatively short 480 kilometer, or about 300 mile range.

The Hades was created in 1975 as a road-mobile option to defend the borders of France in case of an invasion by the Soviet Union. Part of what doomed the program was the missiles range, which would have put East Germany squarely in Hades crosshairs.

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After the reunification of Germany in 1990, it became politically untenable to maintain a stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons that could reach only as far as Germany, and the missiles and launchers were subsequently dismantled in the mid-1990s.

Prestige Factor

French nuclear deterrence is marked by a distinctly independent streak. France left the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1966, and returned only fairly recently, in 2009. One of the issues was French reluctance to place their strategic nuclear arsenal under the umbrella of NATO.

France is one of the worlds preeminent missile powers  in addition to a wide array of conventional and nuclear missiles, France is also a permanent member of the United Nations security council. There is indeed an aura of exclusivity in being one of the worlds few nuclear powers  an aura made even more exclusive by leaving the worlds largest military alliance.

Thankfully, France is no longer going it alone.

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.
Rex

Ghislaine Maxwell will "never" offer information to federal prosecutors about Prince Andrew as part of a plea deal, according to a close friend of the woman who has been charged in connection with an alleged sex trafficking ring tied to the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Laura Goldman told The Daily Telegraph she would "never sell out" the Duke of York, according to an interview with the publication. She suggested that Ms Maxwell could instead discuss with law enforcement their ties to former president Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, though no allegations have been made against either man.

Ms Maxwell's arrest and charges by federal prosecutors have intensified scrutiny over the royal's relationship to the British socialite and Mr Epstein, who allegedly killed himself in jail while awaiting trial.

"We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us," US attorney Audrey Strauss said at a press conference in Manhattan on Thursday. "We would like to have the benefit of his statement,"

Asked whether Andrew intends to submit a statement following the US attorney's remarks, a source close to the Duke's working group told The Independent that "the Duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the [Department of Justice] in the last month, and to date, we have had no response".

In January, prosecutors told The Independent that the office sought an interview with the Duke but he had not offered any cooperation, and that the office was working in close coordination with the FBI to get him to speak with authorities.

Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations levelled at him, including allegations by Virginia Giuffre, who has claimed she was trafficked by the disgraced late US financier and forced to have sex with his friends  including the British prince  when she was 17 years old. She said the assaults took place in London, New York and Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.

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In March, then-US attorney Geoffrey Berman said that "contrary to Prince Andrew's very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation".

The office was "considering its options" in pursuing the case.

In June, Andrew's lawyers said they offered to assist the Justice Department three times.

"Unfortunately, the DOJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming that the Duke has offered zero cooperation," attorneys said in a statement. "In doing so, they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered."

Ms Maxwell has been charged with "enticing a minor to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to commit both of those offences, and perjury in connection with a sworn deposition," prosecutors with the US Attorney's office in New York announced.

The indictment alleges that Ms Maxwell conspired with Epstein in the 1990s to exploit girls as young as 14 by travelling with them "for the purpose of engaging in illegal sex acts".

Ms Maxwell "played a critical role in the grooming and abuse of minor victims" across the US, including New York, Florida and New Mexico, prosecutors allege.

She also is accused of making several false statements in sworn depositions in 2016.

Ms Maxwell faces up to 35 years in prison, if convicted.

"The only way she can walk is if she gives someone up, but that definitely won't be Andrew," Ms Goldman told The Telegraph. "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."

She suggested he was too "naive" to understand why young girls would be invited to Mr Epstein's properties and whose "sense of entitlement" would lead him to believe they were servants.

The Duke has also been named in a federal lawsuit by a woman who claims he was present at Mr Epstein's New York mansion when she was raped by the late billionaire.

Caroline Kaufman, who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence in December 2010, alleges that she was invited to Epstein's Manhattan home by an associate for a "modelling interview".

Now 26, Ms Kaufman has alleged that she was escorted to a massage room by an "older woman" who she believes to be Ms Maxwell, where she was raped by Epstein, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday in the Southern District of New York.

Ms Kaufman does not claim that the Duke of York took part in the incident, only that he was present in Epstein's Manhattan mansion beforehand.

Prince Andrew's legal and public relations team did not comment to The Independent about Ms Kaufman's lawsuit.

Read more

Prince Andrew named in new lawsuit by Epstein victim

Andrew deliberately evading US authorities, says victims lawyer

FBI tracked Ghislaine Maxwell as she slithered away to New Hampshire

Can Prince Andrew be forced to testify in the US?
The Prime Minister has faced pressure from the US and his own party to perform an about-turn on Huawei - Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Boris Johnson is poised to begin phasing out the use of Huawei technology in Britains 5G network as soon as this year, in a major about-turn, The Telegraph can disclose.

GCHQ is understood to have revised its previous assurance that the risks posed by the Chinese technology giant can be safely managed.

A report due to be presented to the Prime Minister this week is expected to conclude that new US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control.

The report, by GCHQs National Cyber Security Centre, has concluded that the sanctions, which bar Huawei from using technology relying on American intellectual property, has had a severe impact on the firm that significantly changes their calculations.

Officials are now drawing up proposals to stop installing new Huawei equipment in the 5G network in as little as six months, and to speed up the removal of technology that is already in place. Whitehall figures are now also examining the ramifications for existing Huawei equipment in other infrastructure outside 5G.

Such a package of measures would represent a dramatic reversal by the Prime Minister after his decision in January to allow Huawei to build parts of the network.

The report comes as Mr Johnson faces his biggest backbench uprising yet, with Tory MPs threatening a parliamentary insurgency if the Government failed to take a tougher approach on Huawei and China.

Debate on the National Security and Investment Bill, which Tories had been preparing to amend to force Mr Johnsons hand on Huawei, is now believed to have been postponed until after the summer, amid fears of a major rebellion. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who plays a leading role in the 59-strong Huawei Interest Group of Conservatives, said: Unless the Government now really takes a firm lead they will find that Parliament leads dramatically.

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Whitehall sources said the NCSCs report was expected to mark a fundamental shift from its previous assurances that led to Mr Johnson allowing Huawei a market share in the 5G network of up to 35 per cent. Its assessment of the potential risks to the UK is now believed to be far closer to that of security agencies in the US.

Mr Trumps administration has classified Huawei as a national security threat amid claims the company has close ties to the Chinese government and military apparatus. Huawei has said the decision was based on innuendo and mistaken assumptions.

Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, is expected to provide Mr Johnson with formal advice, including the NCSCs fresh assessment, as soon as this week.

The Prime Minister is likely to then call a meeting of the National Security Council to finalise a new strategy before announcing the measures in Parliament later this month.

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. Its important to focus on facts and not to speculate at this time.
Photo: Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

UKs health secretary has said Huawei must meet certain conditions if it wants to continue to be involved in the countrys rollout of 5G networks, following news that the company could be barred from doing so.

Some publications reported the UK is poised to end the use of Huawei technology as soon as this year amid security concerns.

In May, the Trump administration tightened sanctions against the tech giant over fears of close ties to the Chinese state.

Stricter rules around Huaweis ability to buy semiconductor chips from firms which use US technology in their manufacturing led the UKs National Cyber Security Centre to carry out a review assessing the impact this could have on the UKs networks.

Reports now suggest GCHQ has reassessed the risks posed by the Chinese tech giant and in a study set to be presented to Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week will declare that sanctions will force Huawei to use technology that is untrusted.

READ MORE: UK asks telecom providers to stockpile Huawei gear

Reports also said officials are working on proposals to prevent new Huawei equipment being installed in the 5G network in as little as six months.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock did not deny that the government is set to do a U-turn on Huaweis involvement, adding that he wouldnt comment on leaks of that kind.

Speaking on Skys Ridge on Sunday, Hancock said: What I can say though, is that when we came out with an interim report on this earlier in the year, there were a number of conditions that needed to be met.

So Im sure that the National Security Council will look at those conditions and make the right decision on this to make sure that we have both a very strong telecoms infrastructure but also that it is secure.

We have been looking very closely at this.

Last month, UK officials wrote to the countrys mobile operators, asking them to ensure they have plenty of Huawei equipment as they fear US sanctions could disrupt the Chinese companys ability to maintain supplies.

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Huawei has repeatedly denied allegations that its equipment could be used to spy on people and governments in the West.

It has also said it is committed to bringing better internet connections to all parts of the UK.

The firm is planning to build a huge facility in the UK, where it will conduct research in fields including photonics and data communications.

READ MORE: Huawei expected to get approval for UK R&D centre
Protesters cheered as workers removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson on Wednesday in Richmond, Va. (Steve Helber / Associated Press)

At Gettysburg, where the bloodiest and most decisive battle of the Civil War occurred, no fewer than 1,320 monuments are scattered across the rolling Pennsylvania landscape. Some memorialize Union generals and their men; others remember Confederates.

One is especially poignant: the Maryland monument, which lists both Union and Confederate units from one divided state. It depicts two wounded men, one from each army, propping each other up.

Theres a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, surveying the battlefield on horseback, and another of the Union commander, Gen. George G. Meade.

The Union monuments outnumber those of the Confederates, just as their armies did in 1863.

Its an open-air museum, and it leaves no doubt which side won: the North.

Almost 200 miles to the south, in Richmond, Va., Civil War statues were erected to convey a very different message.

Monument Avenue is the Virginia capitals grandest boulevard. Until recently, it was dominated by heroic statues of Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and others.

They are the men who lost the war  but on Monument Avenue, they appeared triumphant.

That was the point. Richmonds statues were erected more than a generation after the war ended, after white segregationists regained control of the Southern states.

The message [was] a victory narrative about the overturning of Reconstruction and the reestablishment of white supremacy, Yale historian David W. Blight, the biographer of Frederick Douglass, wrote last week.

Now the Richmond statues are coming down. Protesters toppled Davis on June 10, the city removed Jackson, and the governor is battling in court to remove Lee.

Their removal is long overdue. By contrast, Lees statue in Gettysburg should remain standing because its meaning is so different.

In Richmond, Lee appears dominant, his presence designed to intimidate. At Gettysburg, outnumbered by federal troops and about to lose the most important battle of his career, he appears in a more appropriate context  as history, not mythology.

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The distinction is not only whom the statue shows, but what message it conveys.

Monuments to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson celebrate their wisdom in founding the republic, not their flaws, chief among them their ownership of slaves. We honor them despite those flaws, not because of them.

Statues of Christopher Columbus pose a tougher question. Are we honoring him for his intrepid navigating or because he opened the Americas to European colonization?

The good news about this summers protests is that theyve forced us to confront our history more squarely  not merely the mythologized version most of us received.

Case in point: Army bases. Until last month, how many of us knew that 10 U.S. Army bases in the South were named for Confederate officers who fought against the United States? The names were usually given to placate white politicians.

The strangest is Fort Bragg, N.C., named for Braxton Bragg, perhaps the least competent general in Lees army. One of his officers called him cruel, yet without courage  crafty, yet without strategy. He resigned his commission after losing the battle of Chattanooga.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says hes open to changes, but President Trump has declared the Army bases names a matter of high principle. The only principle involved is his relentless drive to nail down his conservative base by pushing a culture war against Black Lives Matter.

The president waded back into the battle at Mt. Rushmore last week, charging spuriously that protesters against racism "are determined to tear down every statue, symbol and memory of our heritage."

This argument has a long way to go. Since the death of George Floyd, 22 Confederate statues have come down  but 748 are still standing, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

And most of the public agrees with the protesters, not with the president. A Quinnipiac University poll last month found that a small majority, 52%, think the statues should come down  a notable change in public opinion.

The protests have not only started useful conversations; they appear to be building a new national majority in favor of change.

Those Confederate generals should be hoisted off their pedestals and put where they belong: in a museum or on a battlefield, not in a position of honor.




Click here to read the full article.

Here's What You Need To Remember: China definitely still has a long way to go. Two aircraft carriers that are based on 1980s technology are in no way close to as capable as modern nuclear-powered carriers. Still, China has progressed in leaps and bounds.

While one of the United States aircraft carriers, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is dealing with a corona virus outbreak that has now become deadly, one of Chinas aircraft carriers sailed past Taiwan in a show of force. Though Taiwan scrambled jets to intercept and monitor the sail-by, it was perhaps not the best moment for the U.S. Navy.

China currently has two carriers and a third in the shipyard, with a fourth planned. But what is the Chinese aircraft carrier program like? Here is Chinas carrier fleet.

Yesterdays Carriers, in Use Today

China currently has two aircraft carriers, with a third in early construction, and a fourth planned for sometime in the mid 2020 or 2030s. Their first carrier, the Liaoning was commissioned by the PLAN in 2012, though it was first laid down in the early 1990s. It was an unfinished Ukrainian carrier, inherited from the Soviet Union, which was then sold to China.

Chinas second carrier, the Type 002, was essentially a copy of the Liaoning, though it did feature some incremental improvements including upgraded radar, and increased fighter capacity. Like the Liaoning, it features a large ski jump above the bow that helps launch jet fighters into the air.

Type 003

The Type 003 will be larger than both the Type 002 and the Liaoning, and have a steam catapult launch assist system similar to what the United States uses on aircraft carriersand thus will likely dispense with the ski-jump bow launch assist platform.

In an interview with The National Interest, an expert on Chinas naval abilities said that the third carrier will be an attempt atsteam catapults and hydraulic arresting gear that will allow China to launch aircraft with heavier bomb loads and go longer ranges.

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Another expert concurred, saying that It [the Type 003] will also likely be larger than the Type 001 or the Liaoning, enabling it to carry more aircraft. The PLAN also wants to expand the range of their carrier-based aircraft, and more importantly, they need to be able to launch early warning and electronic warfare aircraft as well as larger fighter-bombers that can carry more weapons. They need catapults and arresting gear to deploy these kinds of aircraft. So more fighters, and better armed.

Type 004

The Type 004 would be the most advanced of Chinas aircraft carriers once completed and would be considered a third-generation aircraft carrier. In addition to electro-magnetic launch capabilities, the Type 004 would be the first aircraft carrier in Chinas navy that would use nuclear propulsion. It would also have enough power output to power railgun or laser weapons that are currently in development and testing.

China reportedly spent over $3 billion researching a unique molten salt nuclear reactor that could be used to propel the Type 004. It purportedly generates more heat, which can be converted to electricity, and creates only a fraction of the radiation as uranium-powered reactors.

The first hull is expected in the late 2020s or possibly later, though details about the Peoples Liberation Army Navy are notoriously difficult to come by.

Tomorrows Aircraft CarriersTomorrow?

China definitely still has a long way to go. Two aircraft carriers that are based on 1980s technology are in no way close to as capable as modern nuclear-powered carriers. Still, China has progressed in leaps and bounds. If the Type 003 and Type 004 can put their money where their mouth isif they are as capable as projected by western analysts and as claimed by the Chinesethen they would indeed be a force to be reckoned with.

Caleb Larson is a Defense Writer with The National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This article 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.
Every investor in SKY Network Television Limited (NZSE:SKT) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

SKY Network Television is a smaller company with a market capitalization of NZ$257m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about SKY Network Television.

See our latest analysis for SKY Network Television

NZSE:SKT Ownership Breakdown July 5th 2020

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About SKY Network Television?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that SKY Network Television does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see SKY Network Television's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

NZSE:SKT Earnings and Revenue Growth July 5th 2020

It looks like hedge funds own 12% of SKY Network Television shares. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Our data shows that Jupiter Asset Management Limited is the largest shareholder with 8.9% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 7.7% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 7.0% by the third-largest shareholder.

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After doing some more digging, we found that the top 11 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no one share holder has significant control over the company.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of SKY Network Television

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.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our information suggests that SKY Network Television Limited insiders own under 1% of the company. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. It has a market capitalization of just NZ$257m, and the board has only NZ$704k worth of shares in their own names. Many tend to prefer to see a board with bigger shareholdings. A good next step might be to take a look at this free summary of insider buying and selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 42% stake in SKT. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand SKY Network Television better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with SKY Network Television (at least 1 which is potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.
A handful of protesters hold up signs next to the fenced-off Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach on May 2. (Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Wearing a mask, as some Americans insist is their right to refuse to do, is less of a bother than wearing a bra or probably a jock strap. ("Americans are obsessed with 'rights.' In the pandemic, that's killing us," Opinion, July 2)

Neckties look uncomfortable too. High heels can be hell. Girdles are no fun. Dress shirts buttoned at the collar look like they feel unpleasant. Kids would rather run naked and free through the house, but parents grab them and at least get a diaper and maybe some pants on them.

We wear what's necessary to be safe and fit in or make others safe or comfortable all the time.

Masks are a simple, hopeful gesture that might make ourselves or others safer or merely more comfortable. It's a bit like washing hands.

Marcella Hill, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Law professor Jamal Greene argues that some Americans' obsessions with "rights" is curious, given how many fewer rights Americans have as compared to many other countries.

What Greene fails to note, however, is that the concept of a right in our Constitution is very different than the concept of a right in almost all other countries.

In other countries, rights are things the government bestows upon its people, but in our system of government a right is something the government cannot take away without a compelling reason. Thus, we have many fewer rights.

By the way, our government does bestow many things as well, but this is accomplished through legislation rather than through rights. Personally, I am happy to have greater freedom and fewer rights, though I admit that our government often struggles to achieve this ideal.

Peter Marston, Glendale

..

To the editor: I agree wholeheartedly with Greene (no relation, by the way), but let me add a "yes, and."

Growing up, I was taught that yes, we have rights, but with those rights come responsibilities  namely, to consider the consequences of our actions and to realize that others also have rights.

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Under the Trump presidency, this commonly held, common-sense understanding has been challenged. Trump, among the most self-obsessed men in the world, could not care less about responsibilities and respect, unless it has to do with respect toward him.

This president has unleashed in many Americans their spoiled, five-year-old inner child who wants what he wants no matter what. This is all the more reason we need to come to our collective senses and elect a responsible adult for president this November.

Mike Greene, Portland




President Reagan and Nancy Reagan wave from a limousine during his inaugural parade in Washington on Jan. 20, 1981. (PBS)

To the editor: Finally, the Teflon is coming off one of the most destructive U.S. presidents. ("Are Trump's coronavirus failures Ronald Reagan's fault?" Opinion, July 1)

Historian Robert A. Slayton clearly spells out the rise of the religious right and the systematic dismembering of our social safety net under President Reagan. Many of today's ills can be attributed to his administration and those who voted for him, but one in particular is personal for me.

I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras in the 1980s and saw the devastation there. Reagan's wars against the poor in Central America are well documented to have been atrocities, and they created the refugee crisis that persists today.

The "build the wall" hysteria, which was perhaps the No. 1 issue on which Trump ran for president, is therefore a Reagan legacy. Thanks for that, Mr. President.

Rachel Bruhnke, San Pedro

Related: Reagan's 'tear down this wall' Berlin challenge to the Soviets

To the editor: The example used by Slayton to illustrate his premise that religious fundamentalists deny science  a friend's second-grade admonishment many years ago on fossils and evolution  is a generalization that is both incorrect and offensive.

It implies that all religious fundamentalists deny science. Contrary examples to his erroneous conclusion are too great to be listed here, but the professor might ask his friend if he has examined religious views on the subject since being in second grade.

Furthermore, what grade would Slayton give to a student who followed his example of generalizing?

Donald Loze, Beverly Hills
Does the July share price for Catapult Group International Limited (ASX:CAT) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Catapult Group International

Crunching the numbers

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$450.0k AU$3.75m AU$14.0m AU$17.0m AU$19.2m AU$21.1m AU$22.7m AU$24.1m AU$25.3m AU$26.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 13.12% Est @ 9.86% Est @ 7.58% Est @ 5.98% Est @ 4.87% Est @ 4.08% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 8.9% AU$0.4 AU$3.2 AU$10.8 AU$12.1 AU$12.5 AU$12.6 AU$12.5 AU$12.1 AU$11.7 AU$11.2

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$99m

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.3%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$26m (1 + 2.3%)  (8.9% 2.3%) = AU$403m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$403m ( 1 + 8.9%)10= AU$171m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$270m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$1.2, the company appears about fair value at a 16% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

ASX:CAT Discounted Cash Flow July 4th 2020

Important assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Catapult Group International as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.110. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Catapult Group International, we've compiled three pertinent factors you should explore:

Risks: You should be aware of the 1 warning sign for Catapult Group International we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does CAT's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every AU stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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.
Click here to read the full article.

Key Point: The Air Force found the idea feasible, but never pursued it.

A1973 study looked a launching tiny jet fighters from airborne aircraft carriers.

This fascinating feasibility study says right off the bat, This investigation has studied the feasibility and usefulness of an airborne airbase and has found it to be technically feasible and potentially valuable to the nation as a rapid deployment multi-purpose strike system. It has the potential for intercontinental response, with large combat forces, before an aggressor can fully mobilize for invasion of neighboring countries.

In addition to looking at the feasibility of an airborne aircraft carrier based on commercially available jetliners, the study also investigated if small jets, so-called microjets, could successfully preform. One of the studys stated objectives was to develop a micro-fighter point design such that a number airplanes can be transported intact with a 747/C-5 class carrier aircraft and have a capability of being air launched and recovered from the carrier.

The Fighters

The investigation had a number of constraints and was technically complex. One of these constraints was the realization that small jets in the 7,000-10,000 pound range would have to be somehow deployed from the carriers center of gravity to maintain the planes positive flight characteristics. They could not simply be launched from the rear of a C-5s cargo bay.

The microfighters themselves had a number of constraints as well. Their wingspan would have to be no more than 17.5 feet across, which was the maximum length that would fit inside a 474 fuselage. Since the microfighters would be launched and recovered by the air carrier, they would not have traditional landing gear, but rather landing skids with a brake parachute for emergency landing.

They also could only hold a minimum amount of fuel internally, just 2,500 pounds. For comparison, the F-16 Fighting Falcon carries 7,000 pounds of fuel internally, in addition to 3,050 pounds externally on conformal fuel tanks. The F-16 is a significantly higher-preforming bird to be sure, but microfighters would have a very short flight time, despite having just a single engine. They would not even carry much as far as weaponsjust 400 rounds of 20 mm ammunition for two onboard cannons, though the study later said fighters could be equipped with small air-to-air missiles.

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Five designs were considered in accordance with these constraints, and included a variable-sweep design, one delta wing, a canard configuration, and a traditional swept-wing fighter. The most promising design was a modified delta wing with small winglets on the wings outer edge.

The Carriers

The carriers themselves also had several design requirements, including dual launch bays that could also recover micro jets, booms for in-flight refueling, and the ability to preform other functions when not transporting microfighters, like troop transport or tanker.

Both the 474 and the C-5 Galaxy were considered, and several loading configurations were tested. The 474 won out. Though the C-5 Galaxy was easier to modify, it had lower future growth expectations, whereas the 747 was estimated to have a greater maximum payload, and greater range at maximum payload.

Feasibility

After lengthy diagrams and explanations of flight minutia, the study concluded that by 1980, the airborne aircraft carrier would be feasible, The concept of a micro-fighter/airborne aircraft carrier is technically feasible and could be operational by 1980 with emerging technology. Operational feasibility requires technology demonstrations of air launch and recover and on-board handling of the fighters. In addition to the feasibility conclusion, the study stated that, the system concept offer the potential of great national benefit in a policy world that leans toward a low profile American overseas while being responsive to diver needs of our allies, though well likely never see an airborne aircraft carrier.

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: U.S. Navy / Flickr

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Click here to read the full article.
Christian Bruckner - David Rose

The German paedophile suspected of abducting Madeleine McCann could have snatched another child, say the parents of a young girl he allegedly exposed himself to in 2017.

Christian Bruckner was arrested in Portugal for exposing himself at a playground, leaving parents terrified that the convicted sex offender could have gone further and taken their children away in his van.

The new details of Bruckners twisted behaviour in the Algarve have once again put the spotlight on Portuguese authorities as to why they did not link the career criminal to the countrys biggest ever missing persons case.

Instead of facing trial in Portugal, he was extradited to Germany on an outstanding arrest warrant for separate child sex abuse charges.

The German drifter, who spent two decades living on and off in Portugal was arrested in 2017 after four children told their parents he had flashed them at a playground in Sao Bartomoleu de Messines, a town less than an hour away from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing ten years before.

Bruckner's Winnebago camper van - Collect

Speaking on Portuguese broadcaster RTPs show Friday at Nine one of the parents said: If he had snatched one of the children and put them in his van, we might never have seen them again.

He could have gone anywhere. Its still something that haunts me. I was left feeling very frightened. I think we were very lucky.

The mother of one of the youngsters in the playground added: My daughter was eight at the time. He spoke to her in English and asked her, Whats your name?

Its very traumatic knowing that someone whos been linked to so many cases and is perhaps a very dangerous man was so close to my little girl and spoke to her and could have snatched her or any other child who was there.

The investigation into the incident was reportedly never followed through because Portuguese officials discovered Bruckner was wanted by German police on more serious charges, and he ended up being extradited.

Story continues

The German was convicted of sexually abusing a child and possession of child pornography and served a 15-month prison sentence in his homeland.

Bruckner in the early 1990s, when he fled Germany for Portugal after being convicted of molesting a six-year-old girl at a playground - David Rose

It is the second time that Bruckner was extradited for child sex offences, after he fled to Portugal in 1996 following a conviction in Germany for molesting a six-year-old girl when he was just 18.

But in 2007, when Madeleine went missing, Portuguese police insiste they did not know he was a convicted sex offender, only that he had stolen fuel from parked lorries in a nearby town.

Police even knocked on his door in the wake of Madeleines disappearance, but Bruckner was not at home and they never called again.

Now, some 13 years on, German police have identified Bruckner, now 43, as the prime suspect in the McCann case and say that they have evidence that the young girl is dead, and that the convicted paedophile did the deed.

He has so far denied these claims, but it is understood that he has not been formally interviewed in connection with the case.

Bruckner is currently in prison on drugs charges, and is appealing against a rape conviction for an attack on a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz in 2005. His hearing is expected in the coming weeks.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos via New Yort Public Library

The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City was marked in June 2019. This year saw the 50th anniversary of the citys first Pride march, known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March. But on June 27 and 28, 1970, one year after the riots, New York City wasnt making history alone. That weekend there were also the first Pride marches in Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Franciscoalthough in their first iteration Pride was not in their names.

To organize and attend those marches was brave; this was an era in which being LGBTQ and being out brought considerable personal risk. But the Stonewall genie was out of the bottle; being out and visible at marches and demonstrations was the LGBTQ rights movements most public statement.

Below, participants and organizers of Americas first ever dedicated LGBTQ marches in 1970 talk to The Daily Beast about the era, why they marched, the drama and color of the day, how they feel the movement has evolved since, what they would like to see in the futureand what advice they have for the next generation of activists.

New Yorks 50th LGBTQ Pride March Should Be as Political as Possible

NEW YORK CITY: Victoria Cruz

Victoria Cruz is a longtime trans activist and LGBTQ campaigner, and a senior domestic violence counselor and advocate for the Anti-Violence Project (AVP). She was present at the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the 1970 Christopher Street Liberation Day March, and was a close friend of Sylvia Rivera.

Cruz is 73, and lives in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and appeared in David Frances 2017 documentary, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, trying to solve the mystery of Johnsons 1992 death. In 2012, Cruz received the National Crime Victim Service Award from then-Attorney General Eric Holder.

What was it like being at Stonewall?

I was 22, and identifying as butch/femme drag queen back then. As a bar, Stonewall was a release. You could go there and be yourself and dance with whoever you wanted. The music was fantastic. There were very few clubs around and most of them used to get raided. The night of the Stonewall Riots, people were fed up: the abuse, the verbal abuse, the physical abuse, the pushing, the shoving, the name calling. People couldnt take it any more, so they fought back.

Story continues

What do you remember feeling and seeing?

It was a very warm, humid night. There was a stillness in the air. Judy Garland had just been buried. There was a full moon. It was the calm before the storm. I saw the paddy wagons pull up at the Stonewall and thought it was another raid. But I could see the cops were from another precinct. I was out front. We heard bottles breaking and mirrors smashing.

People starting coming out, the cops were beating up a lesbian (some say this was Storme DeLarverie, but accounts vary). The crowd threw pennies at them and called them pigs. Then all hell broke loose. Someone threw a brick, and cracked the windows. People used parking meters to bang on the doors. The crowd grew. More cops came. They werent used to us fighting back. I think they were more astonished than we were.

What happened to you next?

When more cops came, they started chasing protesters. We went north on Seventh Avenue, then on to 10th Street, then back to Waverly Place, then back to the Stonewall again. The cops were chasing us, then we were chasing the cops. It ended up like a Keystone comedy. Then we saw people with Molotov cocktails setting cars on fire and I thought, This is getting too much.

My then-boyfriend Frankie was illegal here, from Canada. He was a bouncer at the Stonewall. He didnt want to get arrested, and get sent back to Canada. It got more and more rowdy. There were more bricks, cops, and batons. We got the train home. When we got there, it was already on TV.

Did you go back the next two nights?

The bar called Frankie to go in the next day. The place was destroyed. He brought back a Stonewall bar sign with the prices of drinks. I still have it. People reorganized, and we went back on the second night and it was more violent. The third night I didnt go. I thought, I dont need any of this.

You went to the first Pride march the following year in 1970?

Yes, it was so interesting. I remember at first around 50 people gathering at Bleecker and Christopher Streets. Then we marched up Sixth Avenue. They gave us half the street, and we marched all the way up to Central Park. As we were marching, more and more people joined the parade. We got to Central Park. It was like a spectacle. We were so happy, free, and liberated. It was a different feeling. Nobody was ashamed to be out and be themselves. It was just an uplifting feeling of freedom.

Frankie and I stayed together another six months. He didnt want me to be in drag, he wanted me in regular-guy clothes. I said, No, this is not me. He met me in a mini-skirt, and tried to change me. I wouldnt go for that. I had already let my hair loose, and taken hormones and said, This is what I want to be. I transitioned before Stonewall during high school. I had found out there were doctors experimenting with black market hormones. My doctor was a real pioneer.

How was your family about you being trans?

I was one of 11 children, and third from the eldest. (Cruz was born in Guanica, Puerto Rico, and moved as a young child with her family to Red Hook, Brooklyn.) My parents both worked, so I had to take care of my brothers and sisters.

They always knew. I never hid myself, never hid in the closet. They were very supportive. I was one of the family, one of them. I was my mothers child. My mother was my dressmaker, my father was my friend. I could sit on the bench and talk the breeze with my father about anything. Its very important when youre accepted.

That sounds a very positive experience.

Most of the time trans people werent that visible. I told my mother, This is the way I feel. She didnt fight me. Once I started my transition she saw the difference. I went to school, and had a job. I passed. It was always difficult at work because when they found out employers would fire me, or make my life so miserable I didnt want to go back to work. Being trans was taboo back then. I modeled. Once they found out, I lost those jobs.

I took up hairdressing and cosmetology, thinking it would make life easier. In some ways it was more accepting and tolerant. But in those days trans people were not visible. Many people hadnt met a trans person. They had perhaps heard of Christine Jorgensen (whose transition in 1952 had made headlines).

How accepting in those days was the mainstream gay rights movement to trans people?

I felt in the first march they wanted us to go to back of the parade, and we said, Hell no. We were up front rebelling. We mixed through the whole crowd. Thats why you dont see a separate trans contingent. We wouldnt go to the back.

It hasnt changed much. We havent been fully accepted, period. You get all these corporations and banks with their boy-toys and fancy floats. How many of those corporations ever hire trans women? How many banks hire trans women as tellers? How many offer medical coverage? We have to depend on government handouts. We are still third-class citizens. Then there are the murders of trans women of color. People look around and find someone who is vulnerable to bully.

Have you had experience of this yourself?

I started at AVP as a survivor of sexual assault and rape. I had been raped before by men. I was working at a nursing home in 1996 and was assaulted by female nurses. It was more physical and hateful. I got through it with the help of AVP. They were arrested.

I was never alone in court for the whole year the case went on (two of the accused were found guilty of harassment, the others were acquitted). Someone from AVP was always with me. I wanted to give something back to them, and I have been there for the last 20 years.

How impactful was STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), which was set up in 1970 to feed and house homeless queer youth?

Sylvia and Marsha (P. Johnson) founded STAR House. It was a youth center in the East Village for two years. There were not enough funds coming in, and it broke apart. The girls took the copper piping plumbing, sold it, and bought food for the street kids. Sylvia had that on her mind all the time, to help people. Marsha would say, We have to be good to one other. Those were her favorite words.

I used to call Sylvia, Rusty (Mae Moore) and Chelsea (Goodwin, who ran Transy House in Brooklyn from 1995 to 2008) to help girls who couldnt find shelters. They did not once say no. They welcomed them with open arms.

In 1973, Sylvia gave her famous speech in Washington Square Park to Pride protesters, talking about trans people being raped and beaten, and being ignored by the gay community. I will no longer put up with this shit.

Sylvia went home slashed herself after that. Marsha found her, and took her to the hospital. Otherwise shed have been dead. Sylvia felt the movement had abandoned her, and other trans people. She left the movement, and she moved to Westchester.

The Christopher Street Liberation Day March, New York, 1970 Courtesy Mark Segal

How were the rest of the marches that decade?

The marches during that time featured gay bars and clubs who rented out floats and buggies and horses. The second and third march were more organized. Gay bars, with mainly men, at that time sometimes wouldnt let you in if you didnt know someone, so we went to trans bars.

Did the mainstream movement become more trans-inclusive?

It got more inspirational, but trans people were still at the bottom of the barrel. Unless you do something out of the ordinary its still not as accepted that much. The mainstream movement sidelined us. I always speak my mind. Dont tolerate us. accept us. I say that to heterosexual people too. Accept me just as I accept you. Its acceptance, not toleration.

What do you think of the Trump administration?

That draft dodger who uses the excuse of heel spurs? If Marsha and Sylvia were around today, Marsha would ask what kind of heels he had been wearing. Hes a liar. The Russians have got something on him.

Today, they would be upfront marching with the rest of the crowd. Marsha seemed gullible, but she always knew what the prize was. She would give you that naivete but always knowing what she wanted and how to get it. Sylvia was in your face and aggressive, where Marsha wasnt. They made a good pair.

Tell me about your friendship with Sylvia.

Myself and Sylvia, we were enemies. You know how girls are! A friend of hers was seeing Frankie, so I was all pissed off about that. It was a rivalry. After I started with AVP, Sylvia and I became friends. When we first met after 25 years, it was at a meeting. She said, I know you. I said, I know you too. Just then a Marsha button popped off her blouse, and rolled over to my feet. A sister came and picked it up. Sylvia said, Give it to her, shes one of us. Ever since then, we started working together for the community.

She became my best friend. I was with her at St. Vincents (the former New York hospital) the day before she died (in February 2002). I used to go at lunchtime. I was feeding her. She told me, Victoria, sit down. I have to speak to you. She called me Victoria, so I knew it was serious. She said, You have to keep the community together because we can be our worst own enemy, and theres power in numbers, and we do have the numbers with our allies. And I said, Ill try.

The next day I found out that Sylvia was dead. I really miss her. There was something supernatural in that Marsha button popping off, and Sylvia and I making amends and working together.

What are you proudest of?

I am most proud of my counseling work at AVP, around domestic violence, hate crime, rape, police misconduct, bias assaults, without and within the community. Also, the gratitude I get from old clients. When I see them they tell me, You saved my life, or You gave me a roof over my head, or You gave me my self-esteem back. To me, thats reward enough.

I found that my life came to a standstill when I was in relationships. When I would break up I would move forward. Relationships got in the way of what I wanted to do, which was to be free and be an activist. When I was on my own, I went to college. When I was on my own, I worked. One relationship caused me to be a crack addict. Then I worked for AVP, and I progressed.

Aging is a process. You age gracefully. Im still growing up. I hope what I am doing now will be my legacy as an activist and a person, working to ensure all marginalized persons are accepted as human beings. Trans rights are always human rights.

Do you think the trans movement has reached a positive turning point?

I think the trans movement has moved a little further forward, especially with shows like Pose. I cant identify Caitlyn Jenner. She has never walked in my shoes, and I never walked in hers. I cant identify with her because shes always had what she wanted, whereas I had to hustle and struggle to get what I wantedand work for it. It just didnt come on a silver platter. Most of the girls have to work hard for it. Pose is brilliant, and reflects the lives of real trans women. Will & Grace and other shows are comedies. Pose is real life.

Pose Made History. Now Its More Important Than Ever.

Are you optimistic about the future?

I am optimistic because I feel the movement coming now will be about change. Now its the youth and all races fighting these injustices. George Floyds killing was a 21st-century lynching. As long as theres injustice, brown children being put in cages, people have to stand up for what is right. And this is all wrong.

How do you feel about Black Lives Matter, and Black Trans Lives Matter?

Fantastic. Its time we bring these things out in the open, because the wider world doesnt hear much about it. We only hear about it in our community. I know all lives matter, but picking on marginalized groups is a systemic thing in this country, and that system has to break down. We need to break it down.

You have done so much work and activism over the years.

In a way I am honored, and in a way I am humbled. We have won many battles, but the war keeps on with this administration.

What is your advice to younger activists?

Get educatedbecause once youre educated, nobody can take that from you.

LOS ANGELES: Karla Jay

Karla Jay, author of Tales of the Lavender Menace: A Memoir of Liberation, was an early member of the Gay Liberation Front and a founding member of Radicalesbians. She helped organize the first Los Angeles Pride marchknown as the Christopher Street West paradeon June 28, 1970.

How does this 50-year span of LGBTQ history feel?

It is kind of funny to think it was a mid-century ago. Sometimes it feels like that, sometimes it does seem like yesterday. It is quite strange. I think in terms of social history the progress in general we have made is extraordinary.

There were four of those first Pride marches in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, with fewer than 10,000 people. Last year, there was an estimated 5 million people in New York City, attending or in the March. Now there are Prides in many countries around the world. That is an extraordinary development in the last 50 years.

Karla Jay, circa 1970. Diana Davies/Collection of Karla Jay

You helped organize the LA march?

I helped plan some of the New York march, then went out to Los Angeles at the end of May to help them get ready too. The major obstacles to the marches were the police departments, which remains very relevant today. The police wouldnt give us permits to march because they saw us as felons, who really shouldnt be out on the street, let alone marching in broad daylight.

It was really very difficult for us to pull off these marches because police departments would throw up things like overtime, bail bonds, and huge sanitation bills which we couldnt afford. In Los Angeles we raised $1,000 for bail money, which would have bailed out 10 people back then for disturbing the peace.

The then-police chief in Los Angeles, Edward M. Davis, tried to stop the march. He had refused to give us a permit, saying that if he did he would have to allow thieves and burglars to march the following week. He said we would discommode the public if we marched. (In a forthcoming interview, the Reverend Troy Perry, one of the key L.A. march organizers and founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, talks about having to take the police to court to get the march greenlit.)

The march was eventually allowed to go ahead. What was the day itself like?

We started out at McCadden Place, right off Hollywood Boulevard, and marched one mile to Hollywood and Vine. It was hot during the day, so we set off at 7 p.m. Most people in LA are not used to walking, let alone marching long distances, so we kept it short.

How was the atmosphere?

Really kind of amazing. We didnt know what would happen. We encouraged people to come in festive clothing. A number of people came in Halloween costumes. It was really quite entertaining, and also served as a way to disguise the marchers. They were kind of tentative.

I walked with the Gay Liberation Front banner, and I liked to walk in the middle of the street in case people threw things. People used to throw bottles from the sidelines. But none of that happened in this particular march. There were people lined up, 10-deep, watching to the side. The atmosphere was extremely festive.

We were shouting, Out of the closets, into the streets, 2-4-6-8, How do you know your grandmothers really straight?things like that. We used to sing a song, If it was good enough for Sappho it was good enough for me, although you could take Sapphos name out and add whatever name you liked to the chorus.

Was it well attended?

A guy counted 1,169 people using one of those little counters. It probably wasnt exactly accurate, but fairly accurate. We didnt know we were making history. We were walking in the sunshine, showing our faces. And, in those days, we were risking losing a lot to do that: risking losing our apartments, homes, careers, you could be thrown out of school.

We knew that once we took that step over the starting line that we couldnt go back. Not many people have taken a step like that. For so many people to say, Here I am, look at me. That was making historyto be visible. Thats the biggest challenge still. Every day there are so many people in our community who still invisible in various ways. If everyone came out, they (anti-LGBTQ politicians) wouldnt be able to do to us what theyre doing today.

What are your strongest memories of the day itself?

I remember holding my breath, just as we stepped off on the march I didnt know if people would cheer or boo. Suddenly I heard people cheering. I didnt know if I was going to cry, I was so excited and breathless that people were cheering for us, for something that we had been hated for for our entire lives.

At that moment we knew we had made history. We didnt know how many people would show up, certainly more than we expected.

Afterwards we went to bar called Satans and heard from the activist Morris Kight that activists including Troy Perry, who founded the Metropolitan Community Church, had gotten arrested. (Perry will speak about his arrest, his night in jail, and much more in his forthcoming interview with The Daily Beast.)

An argument ensued about whether we should go to the police station or wait to get them out in the morning as we would not be able to get them out at that hour. Finally, it turned into not quite a fight, but some people wanted Morris to shut up and poured beer over him. It was kind of like the wild west. One guy said to Morris, covered in beer, Morris youre all washed up. That was our gay liberation night.

What happened in the morning?

They got out. Then we did a sit-in for 10 days at the Federal Building. Davis was looking for an excuse to arrest us, but the cops couldnt arrest us because it was a federal plaza. We sat there for 10 grueling days trying to get civil rights and marriage equality. Some people were fasting.

Some protesters said they had met with police and gotten concessions. I dont think they did, but sometimes people said that to stop something that had become fruitless with no winner. We got publicity and now it was the July 4th weekend, everyone was gone, and really it was time to go home.

This was 50 years ago. Has the LGBTQ movement delivered what you expected?

In some ways I never thought back then that we would have marriage equality. l remember one of the early Gay Liberation Front meetings in New York, where we sat in a circle and talked about what we wanted. One woman said she wanted to get married. We all laughed at her. We thought she was crazy. Back then we couldnt even hold hands in public without getting beaten up.

We thought that was really far out, as we called it back then. We werent interested in marriage, imitating what we saw as heterosexual failed relationships. We really thought we as outlaws could change straight society. We used to say, Well never go straight until you go gay.

We had a more ambitious image of transforming heterosexual culture to be more androgynous and be able to give up on the idea of monogamy and the patriarchal system. Marriage hadnt worked out so well for heterosexual people. We had a very different idea. It makes me very sad that we left out non-conforming people of all sorts.

The marriage equality movement threw gender non-conforming and trans people under the bus, and didnt cherish people who wanted to live a different kind of lifepeople who wanted to live as single people or sleep with everyone in town or live as a throuple. We wanted to see what could be done, not to have what has already been done. That was our ambition then as radicals. I was a feminist, I certainly didnt want a traditional coupledom.

What did you want, or still want?

Id also like to see more protections for LGBTQ families, and in particular an end to violence against transgender women of color. Its an epidemic. There were a lot of transgender women in the movement back then, and except for Sylvia (Rivera) and Marsha (P. Johnson) these women have been forgotten. Thats sad.

Its disgraceful now to see some feminists attacking trans women, at a time when the right wing are attacking us. We should embrace one another. I fully support my trans brothers and sisters. I think to deny trans people their full humanity and right to exist is awful. I just dont have strong enough words for LGB people and feminists spending their time attacking trans people in this political environment.

What should the LGBTQ movement do now?

One of the things we were adamant about back then was being intersectional, although we didnt have that word. In 1969 and 1970, we formed alliances with the Black Panthers and other left-wing groups. Today, I would like for these organizations that are mostly focused on just the LGB communityand too little on the Tto think more broadly about really aligning in more meaningful ways with other organizations; really to mean it when they say that Black Lives Matter.

Its easy to talk the talk but those organizations that dont walk the walk need to step aside and let those from the POC and BIPOC communities to lead us. This is the next step.

How do you see the Trump administrations LGBTQ animus, and importance of the November election?

I think this election is the most critical election weve ever faced. Trump has done incredible damage by appointing 200 federal judges to the courts. We cant begin to fathom the amount of damage were facing going forward. If we dont get Trump out of there and dont flip the Senate, we are in for tremendous trouble in the future. I would have hoped for a better, stronger, more forward-thinking Democrat candidate, but I would be willing to vote for a cabbage over Trump if it were running.

NEW YORK CITY: Mark Segal

Mark Segal, then 18, participated in the Stonewall Riots in New York City, and was one of the original founders of the Gay Liberation Front. He was a marshal at the first New York Pride marchthe Christopher Street Liberation Day Marchin 1970. He is the founder and publisher of Philadelphia Gay News, and author of And Then I Danced: Traveling the Road to LGBT Equality.

What do you remember about that day in 1970?

For me, its one of the most memorable days of my life. There are few days you remembermy wedding first, of course, but this is up there because that day I knew would be the start of a substantial movement for equality. We had created something.

First had come Stonewall. From the ashes of Stonewall had come the Gay Liberation Front. The Gay Liberation Front changed everything for the LGBT community, or at that time the gay community, in terms of what it ever thought of itself and what we will be.

What was that era like?

There was no LGBT community before the Gay Liberation Front. The only places where LGBT people could go were private parties, or where they met in parks, or the few illegal gay bars there were and they were only in the major cities. And there were some small gay organizations like the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis, which did small demonstrations. They might have had meetings, but very few people showed up because they were scared the police would raid them.

At Stonewall, it was a riot. No one was expecting anything to come from it, with the exception of (activist) Marty Robinson. Three things about Stonewall stand out. First of course there was the violence of police. Personally I had never witnessed this before, and the police, and their behavior, represented the oppression each and every one of us had been going through our entire lives.

I remember standing across the street from the Stonewall and saying to myself, This is 1969. Women, Black people and Latino people are fighting for their rights. What about us? That moment was when I decided to devote my entire life to this movement.

You dont think in the middle of a riot whether it will be historic. You think, Will I be safe? and there was also a lot of joy. Some of the depictions of Stonewall are false. While there were people throwing things at the bar and chaos, there was a sense of joy.

We were fighting back for the very first time, fighting as a unit, and there was power in numbers. There were a lot of people running around having fun. It was probably the most joyous riot you have ever seen, because the heavy weight of oppression lifted that night. We felt that that oppression was being lifted by our very actions.

What happened after the first night of rioting?

Somewhere during all this Marty Robinson (a noted gay activist, who died in 1992) came up and gave me a piece of chalk to write on the streets and walls up and down Christopher Street: Christopher Street, Tomorrow Night. That created the second night of Stonewall. On the third night, the people who later became the Gay Liberation Front were leafleting on the streets. That act of leafleting was an act of defiance because it was illegal for us to be doing it. We were literally saying to the police, Screw you, you cannot stop us any more.

Three weeks after the Riots came the first march that Martha Shelley and Marty Robinson organized. It was not a Pride march. It was from Washington Square Park to Christopher Street. This was against the police. We were saying, Take back the streets.

Remember, at this time there was no gay community. The only thing we had was taking back our streets and creating pride. Later the Gay Liberation Front created community. We created everything we could to help build an inclusive and diverse community. We created the first trans youth organizations, medical alerts, legal alerts; we created the first gay community center. We distributed newspapers on the streets.

And then the first march was created, a year to the day of the Riots.

The first march was to celebrate three thingsto mark the occasion of Stonewall obviously; to celebrate the fact of our pride in what we had created and pride in ourselves; and the most important part of that pride: that we were out, loud, proud, and in your face. Thats called visibility. Thats what the march was all about.

How easy was it to organize the first march?

It was organized by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee. We didnt know what was going to happen. We congregated at Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street. We marched down Christopher Street, then up Sixth Avenue to Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

We were leaving what was our ghetto to walk across town in public. Thousands of LGBT people had never done this before. We were defying the world to come after us. We didnt know what was going to happen. We gave civil disobedience classes. I was a marshal. I didnt know how many people would be brave enough to come with us. I didnt know the magnitude of community wed created that first year. On the morning-of, we thought a few hundred people might show up.

Whats your outstanding memory of that first New York march?

The area of Seventh and Christopher was so crowded it made lining people up very difficult. It was chaotic. It was an occasion overflowing with joy, seeing how many people were there.

I hadnt realized how many people were there until I climbed a pole at 17th Street and looked back and could still see people coming out of Christopher Street. I felt a chill at that moment I dont think I would ever have again in my life. At that moment I knew we had created a movement for equality that would exist for a long time. The LGBTQ rights movement is one the best export gifts America has given to the world.

How do you see the 50-year span of LGBTQ history since then?

If you look at just the United States weve come an incredible way. Remember, in 1969 I was an outlaw just because of who I was. Who would ever have thought that that kid standing outside the Stonewall at 18 years old would be invited by President Obama to dance with his husband at the White House (in 2014, at a White House Pride reception)? Thats huge.

Mark Segal, 2nd left, with husband Jason Villemez, with the Obamas. Courtesy Mark Segal

Who would have thought we would have had a viable out presidential candidate, gays in the military, marriage equality, the recent non-discrimination-in-employment decision by the Supreme Court? These are all things we in the GLF laid the groundwork for. Everything we have in the LGBT community today is founded on the shoulders of the Gay Liberation Front.

Before the GLF, those activists had been very brave, but not been able to form a massive movement as we did. I blame the LGBT organizations that came after us for ignoring the trans community. If they had embraced trans people, we would be further down the line on trans issues. They are embracing transgender people and issues now, but its relatively recent and they have a long way to go in that area.

What do the Trump administrations attacks, particularly on trans people, mean?

There will always be cycles in civil rights movements. I think we will survive Trump I dont know if he will survive us. What I mean is history will record him as wrong. As far as trans rights go he will be considered the George Wallace standing in the doorway. Every single public opinion poll shows that the American public is far ahead of Trump and his administration. Trump is an outlier.

What advice do you have for the next generation of activists?

When there is an issue go to the streets. When there is an issue dont be afraid of getting arrested. When there is an issue, do outrageous acts, but make sure they are non-violent. And during all of it, try and keep a little joy in your life.

You talk about joy a lot.

Joy is very important when dealing with a tough subject. During my 51 years of working on this, I always told those I have worked with in the allied community, or those I was trying to make allies, This is going to be difficult for you. The only way to get through it is if we have some fun doing it.

I have worked with governors, presidents, mayors, you name it. Some werent always friendly. You can only do that if youre willing to talk and have communications and dialog. I dont think someone will remain an enemy forever. I cannot express how many politicians were opposed to marriage equality who now embrace it fully.

NEW YORK CITY: Alston Green

Alston Green, 69, is a client of SAGE, the advocacy organization for LGBTQ elders. A creative consultant and fabric and graphic designer (including leading the design initiative for Mahogany, Hallmarks African-American card brand), he lives in New York City, and attended the Christopher Street Liberation Day march in 1970.

What was the 1970 New York march like?

It was rather quiet. It didnt have a parade permit. It wasnt really huge. But the congregation that happened at Sheep Meadow in Central Park afterwards attracted a large crowd. I was 19 years old, and it was all kind of new to me, because I had only recently come out. I didnt realize the full impact of what had happened at Stonewall. I grew up in Philadelphia, I had moved to New York City to go to school (Parsons School of Design) two months after the riots.

How did the march feel?

A combination of the celebratory and the political. There were a lot of hippies, and a lot of people were stoned. I was pretty political. The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam situation were at the top of my list.

At the time I could have been drafted. There was a lottery back then, but I wasnt called to go. I knew people who had moved to Canada to avoid it. We had no business being in that war. It destroyed a lot of men, who either died or came back with PTSD, or drug addiction. It was a really awful, painful time, and we didnt treat them right.

The first march was typical of that thing that happens with white gay men who wanted to exclude trans peopleand they were the ones who helped start the riots! I think its wonderful theyre erecting those monuments to Sylvia (Rivera) and Marsha (P. Johnson). Im not surprised Sylvia went off at the protesters in 1973. I dont blame her.

Im African-American. In that era the bar scene was very segregated. Several bars we could not get intoalthough the Stonewall itself accepted everybody. My first experiences of going out here were at parties attended by a consistent group of gay menand a few lesbians, but not that manyin Harlem, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. We have all this technology now. Who knows how we did it back then, but we did it. We had our own little family.

The first bar that opened in Manhattan that welcomed people of color was a block away from the U.N. on the East side. At that time it was not really a mixed neighborhood. Then everything changed in the mid-70s, the Village became very popular. The world was your oyster, it really was. You could really be, say, and do whatever you wanted. I was young, I didnt go crazy, but I certainly enjoyed myself. I wasnt out in my job at the time.

Alston Green, 1992, and 1985 Courtesy Alston Green

How has George Floyds killing, and everything that has come from it, affected you?

I was devastated when I saw the video. That is what we call a televised lynching. Listen to the last line of Gil Scott Herons 1971 song The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: The revolution will be live. What happened was awful, but Im glad it inspired young people to get off their asses. I have been cynical about millennials, but its great to see them so involved.

What do you think when you consider that 50-year span of history?

It feels good to have helped us get to where we are now. We still have problems, but its good the movement is more diverse now. Where we are now is two steps forward, two steps back. I was sad to hear about the altercation at the Queer Liberation March at the weekend. I tell young people: its your turn now.

I also want young people to know about gay history. What we are seeing in this country is very disturbing and frightening. A lot of people dont want to realize how the country is built. As people of color we know. We see it every day. White America is now being forced to look at the ugliness that built this country. This country was built on systemic racism. We have lived it every day of our lives as Black people. We know it. Slavery ended, and then the penal system was built for free labor.

What advice would you give to younger activists?

To know history. You need to understand history in order to be able to move forward. Im not knocking young people. I 100 per cent didnt feel it was important to me until I was 25/26. Thats when started I reading about the Mattachine Society. Its important for all LGBTQ people to know their history.

Alston Green, 1984, and 1995 Courtesy Alston Green

How do you feel about the future?

My biggest disappointment right now is how impatient people are, and how many are not paying attention. I cant believe so many people have a problem wearing masks, when they help save other peoples lives. My generation went through the AIDS crisis. We knew the importance of safer sex. A lot of people had difficulties with that.

I went to three or four funerals a week, which was too much for me to deal with. We were forced to learn how to take care of each other. We lost so many male leaders, lesbians stepped up to the plate. In the early 1980s everyone was burnt out from people dying. Drag became very popular. We became more comfortable with gender flexibility.

Im optimistic. I hope the younger generation are learning from what is happening now. I cant believe there are shows like Pose, featuring trans and non-binary people on TV. Its pretty awesome to see. I never thought I would get to this point. I dont watch RuPauls Drag Race, but so many straight people do!

SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Fiske

Peter Fiske is a Stonewall veteran, and has been an activist for over 50 years. He was at the first Gay Freedom Day march in San Francisco on June 27, 1970, and at the following days Gay-In picnic in Golden Gate Park. He is a Leather person, and a proud ally for people of color, trans people, and Black Lives Matter.

What happened on June 27 and 28, 1970, in San Francisco?

There was a parade on Saturday, and a picnic which we called a gay-in in Golden Gate Park on the Sunday. We called it Gay Freedom Day. It hadnt really found the name Pride yet. Im a Stonewall veteran, but Im a veteran of the bar, not the Riots. It was my hangout in 1968 and 1969.

I had come to New York for seven-and-a-half months. I had taken a lot of drugs in San Francisco and wanted to clean myself up. I went to the Stonewall 50, 60 times, and I was in there three times when the police raided it in 1969. What I saw turned me into a lifelong activist.

What was it like being in the Stonewall when a police raid happened?

I was in there the last time the cops raided it before June 28, 1969. Youd get no notice of a raid. The first evidence was the music being turned off, and the lights turned on. It was about 1 in the morning when it happened that final time before Stonewall itself.

The cops would come in, and you would have to line up and show them your ID. If you were not wearing three items of clothing that matched what they deemed to be your gender, or if you were underage, you were arrested. They called us queers and fags. They were mean and bullying.

If your ID was OK, they let you leave, and the bar reopened afterwards. That last raid before the one the night of the riots, people were angry and muttering. Stonewall was a street bar. There were hustlers, street people, homeless people, poor people, and also suburban people, people of color, leather folks. I was one of them. I used to go there after going to the two leather bars New York had in those days.

Peter Fiske at Rockaway Beach, Queens, in June 1969, the same month as Stonewall. Courtesy Peter Fiske

You werent there for the riots themselves?

I left New York the Tuesday before the riots. I was not a very political gay person before what I saw at the Stonewall. I had drag queen friends, and was at the Comptons Cafeteria Riot in San Francisco in 1966.

There was a lot of police brutality in San Francisco. It was not a tolerant city until the 1970s. That night at Comptons, the cops beat everybody, the queens fought back, and a bunch were taken to jail. In those days, peoples names got printed in the newspaper. It was awful for them. That was part of the oppression.

When I came back to San Francisco after Stonewall, I went to GLF meetings. I didnt get extremely politically active immediately. That came during the AIDS crisis.

After Stonewall, GLF expanded wildly in San Francisco. Gay people were moving into the Polk Street neighborhood, the first gayborhood in San Francisco; the Castro was still mixed back then. New bars were opening all the time.

How was the march?

A lot of people at the time were afraid to be in a gay march. I would say the crowd had around 800 to 1200 people on it, which was a lot. I was happily surprised when I got there. People had come out, dressed mostly hippie-ishly. It was very colorful. There were a lot of drag queens. People didnt do drag in the streets normally. I wore a leather vest and leather chaps.

There were speakers at the march. The route started at Polk and Sutter, near to one of the biggest gay business of that time, the Town Squire, known as the Squire. We walked down Polk Street, and as the street got un-gayer and un-gayer, I thought there would be catcalls, but people waved. We walked all the way to North Beach, and had a picnic at Aquatic Park. Everyone smoked marijuana. The next day, in Golden Gate Park, there were a lot of drugs being done. I believe I took a small dose of LSD for that one.

What happened next in the city?

Suddenly the city seemed full of activists, and we were starting to find our way. I remember us picketing Pacific Bell who wouldnt hire homosexuals. Eventually, the they gave in. The city changed throughout the 1970s.

By 1978, this little parade had become one with 3-400,000 people, marching against the Briggs Initiative, which was aimed at stopping LGBTQ people from teaching in Californian schools. Harvey Milk made his career fighting it. I knew him to say hello to. I used to see him and his then-partner Scott Smith at the bath-house.

I remember him being assassinated and the White Night Riots that followed (when his assassin, Dan White was given a lenient sentence). There was a lot of anger that day. Our march that afternoon snaked through the streets. We chanted, He got away with murder. He got away with murder. The demonstrators burned around 6 police cars; and the cops beat up patrons at some Castro gay bars in retaliation.

You also lived through the AIDS era in San Francisco.

AIDS brought me my partner and love of my life, Coulter Thomas. He was International Mr. Leather in 1983. We met in 1983 at an AIDS benefit. He was with someone else, and when that person died he moved to San Francisco, we got together. We had a wonderful time together for four and a half years, until, in September 1992, AIDS also took him away. He was the most beautiful man I ever saw in my life, and he was also a really kind and sweet man.

He introduced me to a group of friends who were transitioning from female to male, and I got to know them and they are still very close to me now. Because of that, later on, I campaigned to get the leather community and leather events to accept transgender men and women. It took a long time, but we did it.

Do you think mainstream gay activism has done enough for trans people?

I dont think we have done enough. Thats why I am so glad to see so much going on with Black Lives Matter, and Trans Lives Matter and Black Trans Lives Matter. Im still an activist. I was glad about the Supreme Court ruling.

The first and only time I was arrested was in 2009, when Proposition 8 (banning same-sex marriage in California) was ruled constitutional. (It was finally overturned in 2013.) There was a sit-down protest. Because of my age I was told I would be arrested with the clergy. When I was arrested and they pulled out plastic handcuffs, I joked I would prefer metal ones. My cop friends found that very funny. The charges were dropped the next day.

What does LGBTQ activism mean to you today?

I didnt dream of marriage equality. In 1969, we were fighting not to be oppressed. That was what Stonewall was about. I think we have come further than I could have ever dreamed. There is still some way to go, of course. Were not done yet. They could take it all way away again if the country continues to go down the dark road its been on for the last three years.

What advice would you give to young activists?

Sometimes you have to get angry to get action. Sometimes you have to demand rather than ask. And keep going. If youre angry enough about it, channel that anger into creative action.

Im proud to be part of the Stonewall generation of activists. I did it because we wanted the world to be better for the ones coming after me. I also did because I was damn angry, especially in the 1980s during the height of AIDS when the government didnt just not care but it actively wanted us dead. We were frightened for a time they would put us in camps.

Its been a long, wonderful road and Im not going to stop. I cant physically go to demonstrations for Black Lives Matter, but I would be there if I wasnt at high risk for COVID. I have emphysema, Im 75, and I have lung problemschronic pulmonary disease. I can be there in spirit.

Im so proud of the young right now. They have really done something that reminds me of the time around Stonewall and the time around the start of AIDS, and theyre doing it for LGBTQ people, women, people of color, trans people. And theyre confronting and exposing our own racist history.

You left San Francisco to move to Palm Springs?

Yes, in 2011. Palm Springs is gay leather heaven! Half the leather community in San Francisco has moved here. There are 3 bars, several clubs, and a couple of leather resorts. 40-50 per cent of the town is gay. It used to be Republican and racist until the 1990s, but that changed when the queers moved in.

NEW YORK CITY: Ellen Broidy

Ellen Broidy was an early member of the Gay Liberation Front. She was president of the NYU Student Homophile League, a founder of Radicalesbians, and, in fall 1969, presented the resolution creating the Christopher Street Liberation Day March at the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations.

A Californian since 1971, she completed her doctorate in U.S. History at UC Irvine. She has worked as a librarian, faculty member, and Writing Specialist at UCI, UCLA, and UCSB. Ellen and her partner of 41 years live in Santa Barbara where she remains active in progressive causes, with a particular focus on racial and immigration justice.

What did you do to help make the march happen?

I was one of four people who wrote one of the initial statements saying we should have this kind of march. I made the proposal at the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations on Nov. 2, 1969. (The statement, written by Broidy, Craig Rodwell, Fred Sergeant, Linda Rhodes, proposed there should be an annual march, the last Saturday in June, to mark the 1969 Riots, and not just in New York City but across America.)

We wanted it to be on the Saturday, but it ended up being Sunday. Chicago had theirs on the Saturday and beat New York. I was 23 when I made the proposal, 24 at the time of the march, and 74 now.

How was coming out for you?

All the struggles were in my head. They did not exist with family at all, which was quite unusual at that time. I was 23 when I finally told my mother that I was a lesbian. She looked across the table at me and said, Ive known since you were 6. I said, Why didnt you tell me? She said, I didnt think it was any of my business and youd come to it on your own. Shed been an activist all her life in civil rights, and worked at the National Urban League.

How was the march itself?

There was a great appetite to have one, and a cohesive group of activists looking to organize it. It took on a life of its own. Demonstrations in New York City are not easy to mount because of police and permits and all of that. There were thousands of people at the march, so it clearly hit a nerve. What Stonewall was was a moment. What GLF needed to do was turn that moment into a movement, and the June 1970 march was a pivotal turning point in that movement.

We did not call the march Stonewall. We called it the Christopher Street Liberation Day March. Talking about not what happened in the bar but on the street may be a difference without a distinction, but I think its important.

All those debates around who threw the first stone and pennies has taken on an interesting mythology of its own. But what happened in the street wasnt mythology. And what happened with the march wasnt either. It was tangible and real.

Did it feel like a moment in history?

Through my 24-year-old eyes it sure felt like a turning point, like we had joined the revolution, and not only joined the revolution but joined it in our own names which was significant. Ive been disappointed until now these last 50 years because we were supposed to have a revolution.

I was gratified to see this years Dyke March in New York alongside Black Lives Matter. These revolutionary forces are coming together in a way that probably could not have happened 50 years ago.

Visually, what do you remember from the 1970 march in New York?

One really strong picture in my mind were the numbers of people looking out from their windows and fire escapes. We were calling out, Off the sidewalks, into the streets. And damn it, people did that.

What was your emotional trajectory that day?

Trajectory is a good word because I probably started off feeling a great deal of anxiety and trepidation. We had no idea whether the crowds were there to support us or do us harm. We had no idea what the reaction of the police would beif something went amiss, would they let it happen, facilitate it, or intervene?

When I saw the crowd numbers, that trepidation and fear dissipated, and was replaced with a kind of elation. If someone was asked to describe me, elation would not be a word they would choose. Im sort of dour. But that day I felt elation, great cheer and joy, just to be there.

How do you feel about the span of time since the first marches?

If you asked me this question last year at Stonewall 50, I probably would have given a somewhat negative response. This year, everything happening with Black Lives Matter feels much more positive. I had felt pretty negative for the last 49 years. In our youthI was 24 years old at the time of the first Pride marchwe really thought we were on the cusp of revolution. Before we had a word for it, we thought we knew something about intersectionality and crossing borders. But we all came together and what we ended up doing was Donald Trump.

Has the movement achieved what you hoped?

Marriage equality, serving in the military: as a member of GLF 50 years ago, these werent even on my list. But things like the recent anti-discrimination Supreme Court decision, yeah, thats wonderful. I never served in the military. I married, and Im very grateful that happened, but it was not something on my mind or the minds of my colleagues when we were marching in 1970.

As I have said before, we werent out for a piece of the pie, we were out to blow up the bakery. We were out to start the whole thing again.

What do you think of the LGBTQ movement now?

It has gone the way it needed to go which is not to say I necessarily recognize it. The issues are different. In some ways its far more dramatic because were dealing with the murders of trans women of color.

Our moment is over, although I do wish my younger colleagues have a stronger sense of history and they did not wake up one morning and invent the whole thing. They are standing on other peoples shoulders. But then, reflecting back, I was quite dismissive of the homophile movement that came before gay liberation. The only thing I regret is the sense that lesbians in some ways have disappeared from the face of the movement and I mourn that.

What has the movement achieved in the last 50 years?

What isnt revolution is reform. Those are two pretty distinct concepts. We have a degree of equality, but we still dont have liberation. We have equality as has been given to us by the courts. We are still not in a position of being a liberated community that can demand in its own name this and that.

This is reform, not revolution; and its a kind of equality, not liberation. The fact that the Supreme Court had to make that decision is clear that this is an equality that can be taken away and that is terrifying, as was the fact that the good citizens in the state of California were able to vote on my rights when it came to Proposition 8.

Whats your advice to the next generation of activists?

Keep doing it, keep on keeping on. Dont let the pressure off. Dont deny why you are in this movement. Keep going and then occasionally turn around and look over your shoulder and remember us.

Know your history. Acknowledge the fact that you did not invent this struggle. You can move it forward in new and important ways, but you didnt invent it.

I say that with a great deal of self-criticism, given my own completely dismissive behavior towards the people who came before me, like the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis, the mainstream homophile organizations of that time. And really they were incredibly brave people. They didnt participate in the struggle in the way I thought they should have, but at 23 you think you know everything.

Do you think LGBTQ equality will ever be settled, or will always be a struggle?

You know what they say: freedom is a struggle. 50 years ago we thought this struggle was for lesbians and gay men. Now its lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people. I dont see an end to any of these struggles, as much as I would like to see an end to white supremacy, heterosexism, homophobia, and racism. We have got to keep moving forward.

CHICAGO: Gary Chichester

Gary Chichester, 73, has provided more than 50 years of commitment and work to the LGBTQ communitiesincluding marching in the inaugural Gay Liberation March of June 27, 1970.

In 1971, Chichester co-founded the Chicago Gay Alliance, which created Chicagos first gay and lesbian community center. He has served on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, and sat on the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame Committee from its inception in 1991 (co-chairing it since 1992).

What do you remember about the planning of the march?

It was organized by Gay Liberation Front student group at the University of Chicago. A month or so prior to it, we created a symbol of two sets of male and female symbols under a proud fist.

Around 200 people participated. We wanted to march over to Michigan Avenue to show people there were angry queers around. We marched to Daley Plaza for a rally. The atmosphere was noisy, and jubilant for the most part. We shouted for people to come out of their closets and join us. Then we danced around as hippies did in the day.

I remember peoples jaws dropping. They had never seen anything like that. People in the march felt the same: a lot of them had never marched before.

The 1970 Chicago march kicks off at Washington Park (Bughouse Square). Courtesy Gary Chichester

Were you political before the march?

I had come from a conservative suburban background. Two years prior, we had the 1968 Democratic National Convention here. I spent weeks going to demonstrations, and saw the police beating up protesters. I was even hit by a teargas canister on Michigan Avenue.

In 1969, my then-partner Richard and I were at home one Saturday night, and got a call from a friend of Richards who was living in New York City, who said, Youll never guess whats going on here, and told us about the Stonewall Riots.

Groups like GLF started forming on Chicago campuses. There were social events and dances. Bars started allowing dancing. The vice department didnt care; their attitude was Get them off the streets.

The rally after the 1970 Chicago march at Civic Center (Daley Center). Courtesy Gary Chichester

What was it like, being LGBTQ in Chicago at that time?

If you dont have something, you dont miss it when dont have it. I was pretty open about my sexuality. It didnt bother me to be gay, and I had a pretty good relationship with my family. But during the 1968 Convention the cops raided gay bars. There was a lot of street cruising. I spent a lot of time in a 24-hour restaurant drinking a lot of coffee. Thats how you met up with people. Some of the bigger bars were racist, and didnt let Black gay people drink in them, but we eventually worked through that.

How do you see the last 50 years of LGBTQ history?

Knowing your history and heritage gives you power. Ive been posting on Facebook throughout June about LGBTQ history, which people liked. I was mad because I came to New York City for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, and there was so much, celebrating Sylvia (Rivera) and Marsha (P. Johnson) and events and exhibits. There wasnt anything like that in Chicago, and it upset me. There was a memorial at the Stonewall commemorating the Pulse massacre, but Chicago didnt touch on that.

At the 1974 rally: Gary Chichester (l), Patrick Jordan (r) Courtesy Gary Chichester

What happened after the 1970 march?

I was part of the Chicago Gay Alliance. In 1971, we thought we should get a permit for the march. My signature is on the first permit given to an LGBTQ parade. You think people will say no, but Ive found if you walk in and act like you know what you want, you get it. We got everything we wanted. The only thing we didnt get was the approved closure of streets and removal of parked cars, so it was a little tight on the sidewalks in 1971.

Im so happy Chicago elected Lori Lightfoot, our first African-American lesbian mayor. Pete Buttigieg is just down the road in Indiana. I never thought Id see the day when a gay man would run for President of the United States.

What advice would you give younger activists today?

I really appreciate when the kids go out now. I think they need to know that what they have today wasnt just here for them. There were a lot of people fighting to get where we are today, and a lot of fighting to go. Learn your history, learn your heritage. Its where youll get your power from.

NEW YORK CITY: Martha Shelley

Martha Shelley, 76, was born in Brooklyn. She is one of the founders of the New York City chapter of the Gay Liberation Front, and author of numerous poems, essays, and a historical trilogy which takes place in the ancient Middle East. She also writes a blog.

What do you remember of the 1970 New York march?

That 1970 march was not the first march. I helped organize the one we did one month after Stonewall. We called it a protest march. There were around 400 people there. It was the first time people were prepared to step outside in the sunshine, and let the world know they were gay. I was scared before the march. I had been in Harlem when Martin Luther King was killed. I knew the government would have no hesitation in killing us, or beating the crap out of us and throw us in vans.

But once it started, I wasnt scared. I was angry. We ended up in Christopher Park, opposite Stonewall. Marty Robinson made a speech. I made a speech, and asked people to leave peaceably, because this wasnt an end, but a beginning and we would be back. And we were: as the Gay Liberation Front.

Martha Shelley, circa 1970. Courtesy Martha Shelley

One of my memories of the 1970 march is that I was totally blown away by numbers. Whatever sexuality you were, you were part of us. We ended up in Central Park. It was a lovely, lovely afternoon.

Did that era feel like a turning point?

I knew it was a historical moment, but I didnt know how fast it would spread.

I had passed by the Stonewall Riot on the Saturday night, and thought it was an anti-war demonstration. I knew we had to seize the day. I called the head of (lesbian activist group) the Daughters of Bilitis and said we should have a protest march. I had joined it as 1967, and served briefly as treasurer and president. I didnt have skills to do that job, but I was articulate, so became its speaker because I was unafraid of speaking in public.

Where did that fearlessness come from?

I wasnt brought up to be fearless. Some of my family were Holocaust survivors, some had emigrated before the Holocaust. I always asked myself what I would have done in Germany or Polandif I had been a non-Jewish German or Polein that moment of history. Would I have had the courage to oppose to the regime, to fight back, to stand up for what I knew was right? That troubled me.

You cant go back in history, so I knew at this moment this was something I had to do. I had been on anti-war protests and was very much aware of segregation. I was too young to have gone on the freedom marches in the South, but my mother had been sympathetic to all those movements.

Was she OK about you being gay?

No, she wanted me to be straight. It was the same with all the other stuff I did. She wanted me to be safe and protectedthe idea of finding a man who makes a comfortable living, to be married. She was never comfortable with who I was, but she loved me. She had gone through poverty, the Depression, she never crossed a picket line. She had socialist principles. I learned early which side I was on.

What is the legacy of GLF? Did lesbians face sexism in it?

Very powerful. I dont think the GLF was so sexist. I think there were an awful lot of men who were anti-sexist. The problem came up with dances. There would be mixed GLF dances, where sometimes straight men came and harassed and groped the women. The gay guys were too busy looking into each others eyes to do anything. We realized we needed all-women dances.

Personally, I think it was a mistake to split into so many different groups. GLF ended in 1972. If we could have maintained an umbrella organization, it might have lasted longer, but maybe it wouldnt because how politics changed.

How do you feel about Prides growth over the years?

For a while I was really impressed with the participation. Then I got kind of disgusted with all the corporations who use Pride for advertising. Last year, I addressed both an event held by the organizers of the big march, then went on the first Queer Liberation March on Sunday.

The pressing issues for me now are climate change, and the concentration of wealth among the very few. Our rightsas LGBTQ people, as women, as Black people, as trans peopledont mean anything if we cease to exist as a species, or if we have to work three jobs to make our rent.

Where do you think LGBTQ rights are now?

I think weve made some progress, but mostly in western countries. Were not safe everywhere. There is an awful lot of rights people want to tale away, specifically Trump, Pence, and all their followers, and evangelicals. I have mixed feelings about the recent Supreme Court victory; on the one hand we can wipe the sweat off our brows, but on the other we dont know long this will last, especially is Trump is re-elected. Or if he gets another chance to pick another Supreme Court justice.

We cant rely on the courts. We need to be continually on our guard and ready to fight for our freedoms. There are always people who want to take it away. Intersectionality is not new. It started back in 1969/1970, when Gay Liberation Front members attended the Black Panther conference in Philadelphia and made alliances. Im glad its continuing now.

Whats your advice for the next generation?

Dont give up, and dont expect that everything is going to be won in your lifetime. There is something that we say at Passover: In every generation, there will be a pharaoh that arises to oppress us. The corollary is that in every generation we have to fight back. Its not won, once and for all.

Im astonished at the progress we did make. I have benefited from marriage equality, but I am not terribly impressed by gays-in-the-military. I was never interested in going to Vietnam and killing Asian people to benefit our corporations. I dont want my adopted children and grandchildren to be made to go to Iraq and kill more people to benefit more corporations. I want to get rid of the military, not serve in it.

Right now, because of my age and medical condition and my wife Sylvias age and her medical conditions we cannot go out, so I write my blog and do interviews like this. So, my other advice is to make connections with other oppressed people all around the world.

NEW YORK CITY: Joe Negrelli

Joe Negrelli is a former applications programmer, and longtime activist. He was present at the Stonewall Riots, and the first New York City march in 1970. He is a client of SAGE, the advocacy organization for LGBTQ elders.

You were at Stonewall, and also the first march?

Yes, I was 18 years of age in 1970. I had been at the Stonewall riots the year before. I was 17 at the time of the Stonewall Riots. I had lived in New York since 1957. I was very happy. It was a riot, tremendous civil disobedience.

I was very impressed, very happy, and a lot of the rioting was done by non-homosexuals who just understood that gay people had had enough. And it was that time in the history of New York when lots of groupswomens liberation, Black liberation, anti-war anarchistswere all in the West Village area. They were very sympathetic and very kind to help gay people.

What do you remember of the riots?

I remember seeing the smashing of the plate glass window at the Stonewall, the garbage cans set on fire. All trash cans and bottles were made of glass then. Police barricaded themselves in the bar. Someone started a fire. Believe me, it was a small fire but it scared the police and Im very happy it scared the police.

What was your mood like?

I was really enraged, very angry. I remember that there were about 50 to 75 people there at the beginning, and then by 4 a.m. there were at least a thousand people throughout the Village causing anarchy. Places that specifically discriminated against gay clientele were particularly targeted for vandalism.

In the 51 years since, the police havent figured out how to be nicer to people who they initiate hostility with. And that night the hostility came from police, not gay people. If it wasnt for the police there wouldnt have been a riot. If they had just arrested people there wouldnt have been a riot, but they had to try and humiliate gay people

How was the first march a year later?

I was stunned. There had been homosexuals who had hidden out on the first three days of Stonewall. No one knew what would come from this thing. One year later homosexuals did get the message.

I was deeply moved by all the people who showed up. These are the people who hid the year before, afraid to lose their jobs, their apartments, their standing in the community. Now they were coming forward. I felt great deal of pride, and a great deal of liberation. At least, if nothing more, one year later people understood what we were talking about.

How do you feel about activism now?

Last Sunday I marched at the Reclaim Pride/Queer Liberation March, and I was exceedingly proud and happy, and proud of the young people. There were very few people my age there! I was really happy, and happy they were defiant.

I dont agree with all they say. I agree with them about the corporations who make money off gay people and give very little. Im unhappy about the exclusion of LGBTQ police officers. But I know that its complicated, and Im proud of young people taking the initiative to get their voices heard.

I was happy about the recent Supreme Court ruling, but there are still some states where LGBTQ people are not so free and safe. Were getting there. I still wear pink and yellow, and thats how I want people to remember meas bright and sunny, and not some bitter old queen like I used to meet 50 years ago.

What advice for young activists do you have?

I would like them to carry on the banner of what happened a few days ago. I would ask other gay people in other cities to be civilly disobedient towards the government. I should not have to beg for the right to live. I dont not need your permission to breathe.

I am a human being and a citizen of this country. Im not going to beg for that, or beg to get married, or have health insurance, or beg to have equality in the place I was born and raised. Ive been in New York for 63 years. I have no reason to beg to be treated normally, like any other citizen.

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Tom Brenner/Reuters

Kremlin-controlled Russian state media set out to tickle U.S. President Trumps fragile ego amid falling ratings after his blustery appearance at Mount Rushmore on Friday.

Mentioning that the American head of state had previously toyed with the idea he might be featured alongside Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln, Russias premier state media channel Rossiya-1 aired a graphic of Trumps mug right up there on the mountain beside them.

Given the frequent allusions on Russian state media to Trump as Moscows friend, even Moscows agent in the White House, maybe the Kremlin would like to see the enormous monument renamed Mount Russia-More.

But there were signs on Saturday, July 4, that, for now, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are trying to keep their longstanding bromance in check, at least where the official record is concerned.

Putin sent a telegram congratulating U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Americas Independence Day. Interesting move. By avoiding a phone call Putin also avoided any direct pressure to address reports about the Kremlin paying bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Prior to the bounty leaks flooding out of the U.S. intelligence community, the calls between Trump and Putin had become unusually frequent, but those revelations put the brakes on the presidential chatter.

Trump Uses Mount Rushmore Event to Sic Supporters on Evil Protesters

Trumpwho is at least as reluctant as Putin to discuss the matterhad also avoided calling to congratulate him on Russias nationwide vote for constitutional amendments that assure Putin the Russian presidency for life.

The Kremlin described the vote as a triumphant referendum demonstrating nationwide confidence in Putin. But only a handful of foreign leaders called to congratulate him, and as they rang in from the presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and South Ossetia the impression of Putin as pariah for life was only heightened.

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While Trump was likely given a Do not congratulate input from his national security advisors, the old Chekist Putin can most certainly read between the lines. After all, Trump notoriously took Putins side in Helsinki, denied Russias proven interference in the U.S. elections, essentially abandoned U.S. bases in Syria for the benefit of the Russians, toyed publicly and divisively with the idea of re-admitting Russia to the G8, and threatened to remove nearly a third of U.S. troops from Germanya midsummer nights dream for Putin.

Trump-centric Fox News and the GOP follow the lead of Americas most pro-Russian president, churning out talking points that increasingly benefit the Kremlin. Russian state media have aired so many of Tucker Carlsons comments that the host of Russias state television program 60 Minutes Evgeny Popov lovingly described Carlson as practically our co-host.

Likewise, instead of concocting its own divisive propaganda, TASS simply quotes Devin Nunes and Mike Pompeo, both of whom sought to find and punish the leakers who exposed the Kremlins alleged cash for kills program instead punishing Russia for putting a price on the heads of American soldiers.

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Growing suspicion that large proportion of virus cases were spread by medical workers rather than in the community - EPA

Cleaners, porters and office staff working for the NHS were "super-spreaders" of coronavirus within hospitals, according to initial results from a national screening drive.

Sir John Bell, who oversees the Government's antibody testing programme, said domiciliary workers in some hospitals were found to have "sky-high" levels of antibodies compared to doctors and nurses who treated patients in intensive care.

The discovery has prompted health bosses to examine how lower-paid workers can be better protected from the virus in the event of a second coronavirus wave, he said. It comes amid growing suspicion that a large proportion of virus cases were spread by medical workers rather than in the community.

In May, the Government asked NHS health chiefs to test staff for coronavirus antibodies in their blood in order to map the spread of disease in hospitals.

Sir John told The Telegraph he had seen "surprising" initial figures suggesting that the main vectors of the virus were not necessarily front line medics on intensive care wards but porters, cleaners and backroom office staff.

"Most of the people with sky-high antibody levels are domiciliary workers rather than front line workers in intensive care," he said.

"If you think about it, these were the people moving around the hospital. They were in 50 different 'bubbles', if you like, but the people in the ITU live in a single 'bubble'. They arrive at work, they're in a 'bubble' all day long.

"It's the same people, the same patients  whereas the porters and the refuse cleaners see many more people."

Sir John said the serology studies were now being used by hospitals to help better prepare for a potential second spike in the winter. "The hospitals are now using that information to make sure PPE and social distancing can be prioritised towards these types of workers if a second wave comes along," he added.

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According to one Whitehall source, however, frustration is growing among ministers over delays in collecting crucial data from individual NHS trusts in order to build up a national picture.

"Given this is about protecting NHS staff, you would think the results would come through a bit quicker," the source said. "It's not their finest hour, frankly."

In May, NHS England said a fifth of patients with Covid-19 in some hospitals were thought to have contracted the disease while already being treated there for other illnesses. Some of the infections were passed on by hospital staff unaware they had the virus and displaying no symptoms, health bosses said.

During the pandemic, three cleaners from the same south London hospital died after contracting coronavirus. Salih Hasan and Fyngs Mullings both worked for private cleaning giant Mitie at St George's Hospital in Tooting, while the death of a third, unnamed, cleaner at the hospital was also believed to be related to the virus.

Meanwhile, ONS data released last month showed that doctors and nurses did not have higher rates of death involving Covid-19 compared to the rate among the wider population of the same age and sex.

People working in elementary jobs faced the greatest risk. Of those, there were more security guard deaths than in any other profession at 74.0 per 100,000, or 104 deaths. The data showed that, compared with the wider rate among people of the same sex, those working in the lowest-skilled occupations had the highest rate of death.

"These data are already prompting hospitals to think differently about who might be most at risk from coronavirus," Sir John said. "We mustn't forget about valued NHS staff just because they're not on the front line."
SADDLE BROOK, N.J.  Three months ago, the Saddle Brook school district was making steady progress toward social and emotional learning as part of a district initiative.

In-class yoga, mindfulness mantras and coping strategies for anxiety were part of the daily routine.

Then came the pandemic.

Virtual learning separated children from schoolmates and teachers as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and other health experts noted a surge in stress and depression. Next came the killing of George Floyd and racial tensions that heightened anxiety for many families.

Im glad that we were in front of social and emotional learning, that we had this wellness initiative in place, because we had already been talking about it and doing it, Superintendent Danielle Shanley said.

To address a complicated new reality, the entire faculty worked together to keep social and emotional learning at the forefront.

My concern was the kids need to be OK," Shanley said. "If theyre not OK, they wont be able to learn anything  they cant be focused. None of that is going to matter.

Saddle Brook schools began online instruction in mid-March. Communication and rapport between the teachers and students were desperately needed during this time. Teachers were required to do a live face-to-face with students once a week.

That was really to check on their wellness, so that students and teachers could make eye contact," Shanley said.

Some students flourished in the virtual environment, but others struggled.

That loss of human connection on such a grand scale is really troubling and really impacted some of our faculty and some of our students, Shanley said.

Meghan Walls, a pediatric psychologist with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said its important to understand how stressful the pandemic is for families. Disrupted routines are especially troubling for children.

One of the things that sustains anxiety is having this lack-of-control feeling, Walls said.

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What the district did for students

After schools closed, students took part in virtual Mindfulness Monday and Fitness Friday. Across the district, students practiced yoga positive affirmation, repeating a mantra to themselves: "I am responsible, I am kind, I am strong."

It mirrored activities children had done in classrooms, such as deep belly breaths and cupping their ears and replicating the sound of a buzzing bee through a long humming sound.

Activities during remote learning included writing a journal. Students were asked to give feedback on their favorite activity, in the hope that they would find practices they can continue during the summer.

A kindergarten class does yoga at Helen I. Smith Elementary School, which uses mindfulness programs in its curriculum in Saddle Brook, N.J., on March 9.

Jillian Shadis, president of the New Jersey School Counselor Association, said mindfulness and wellness practices are strong preventive measures.

They "provide kids with skills, resources and coping mechanisms that they need, so they know how to handle the anxiety that is inevitable in life," Shadis said.

Addressing racism

The killing of Floyd on May 25 added urgency to the district's efforts to confront issues of racism as part of social and emotional wellness practices.

Coronavirus and schools: Kids need to talk about George Floyd, protests and racism. With closures, it's hard to do.

Toni Violetti, the district's director of curriculum and instruction, urged teachers to integrate diversity into their lessons and teach "how to confront the racial injustice that continues to occur in our world and give our students the skills and mindset to think critically and be culturally responsive."

A physics teacher did a lesson on minorities in the sciences. "She wanted to have them start to think critically and realize that there is so much underrepresentation of minority groups in all their textbooks," Violetti said.

Other teachers assigned students to write essays in the voices of underrepresented groups. The message was "put your privilege aside for a moment and climb inside the head and the heart of somebody else  how might you see this differently?" Shanley said.

"We are trying to promote some empathy and understanding and tolerance and action, maybe a little bit of rage," she said.

Julianne Belsito, a kindergarten teacher, leads her class in a morning meeting at Helen I. Smith Elementary School, which uses mindfulness programs in their curriculum in Saddle Brook, N.J.

Teacher training

Before school closed, Violetti and the Social and Emotional Learning Committee had a day of professional development for teachers. They focused on the "five competencies": self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness and relationship skills.

Violetti and the committee created a social and emotional learning bingo board for students, with squares containing social competency activities, such as: write down 10 things you are grateful for, check in on elderly neighbors, get the family together.

What reopened schools will look like: Scheduled days home, more online learning, lots of hand-washing

She said students told her it was exactly what they needed. Educators from North Jersey and beyond have asked to use the bingo board

"It's very exciting," Violetti said.

Shanley said mindfulness is being considered as part of summer assignments.

"We are putting in for summer hours for all of our guidance counselors," she said. "We anticipate there will be a need, at the elementary level, in particular."

Emma Byrne, the counselor at Helen I. Smith School, said, "Students carry this invisible backpack, and we don't always know everything they are going through.

"Our goal is for them to feel calm and safe."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Coronavirus: How 1 school district tends to students' emotional health
The Mighty's Guide to Fibromyalgia: Related Conditions

Learn More About Fibromyalgia: Overview | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Resources

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Related: Download The Mighty app to connect in real time with people who can relate to what you're going through.

Autoimmune Conditions | Digestive Conditions | Pain-Related Conditions | Genetic Conditions | Other Conditions | Mental Health Conditions

What Other Conditions Could You Have With Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia often occurs at the same time as other chronic illnesses, and its important to treat as many of these as possible.4 This will improve your overall health and reduce other conditions that aggravate fibromyalgia symptoms. Common comorbid conditions include autoimmune disorders, other pain-related conditions, Lyme disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, genetic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, mental health conditions and more.

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Related: Study Suggests Fibromyalgia Patients May Have Greater Risk of Self-Harm

Autoimmune Conditions

Before doctors really started to understand fibromyalgia, they thought it was an autoimmune condition, which are caused when your immune system gets confused and attacks healthy cells in your body. Instead of producing antibodies to protect your system, your immune system creates autoantibodies that attack healthy tissues and cause problems.22

After more research, doctors found fibro isnt caused by a wonky immune system, even though your immune system is involved in some capacity. However, many people do have an overlapping autoimmune condition in addition to fibromyalgia, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes the symptoms can look similar.

Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune condition that can impact any part of your body, including your skin, joints or organs.22 The condition can imitate other chronic illnesses because many of the symptoms overlap  fatigue, joint pain and swelling, sensitivity to light, rashes on your face, and your fingers turning white or blue when theyre cold. Like fibromyalgia, there isnt a single test that can diagnose lupus, so your doctor will likely rely on your medical history, a series of blood tests to see what your immune system might be up to and other medical tests.

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Related: 16 Reasons People With Chronic Illness Make Great Partners

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Considered the most common autoimmune arthritis condition, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to pain and swelling in the small joints in your wrists, hands and feet.5 Usually the stiffness in your joints will be most apparent in the morning. You might also have other symptoms like a low-grade fever, lack of energy or loss of appetite. RA is typically diagnosed using a combination of blood tests, X-rays and ultrasound images along with a physical exam and medical history.

Sjogrens Syndrome

Sjogrens syndrome is an autoimmune condition that youre likely to have along with another autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis.18 Its also common among people with fibromyalgia. The main symptoms of Sjogrens include dry or burning eyes or a dry mouth because it most commonly affects your tear and saliva glands. When Sjogrens syndrome occurs with another rheumatologic condition (like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia) its referred to as secondary Sjogrens syndrome.

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Digestive Conditions

Though one of the biggest fibromyalgia symptoms is pain, the condition can also affect your digestive system. Your autonomic nervous system  the part of your body responsible for regulating automatic bodily functions  controls your digestive system. When youre in fight-or-flight mode, your sympathetic nervous system redirects energy partly by putting a pause on digestion.

Normally once your system gets out of danger mode, your parasympathetic nervous system would take over and digestion goes back to normal. However, this process gets interrupted often when you have fibromyalgia. As a result, you may experience a variety of digestive conditions sometimes referred to by doctors as somatic dysfunction.

GERD (Acid Reflux)

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or acid reflux) happens when acids or other contents in your stomach travel back out and up into your esophagus.9 This causes a burning feeling in your chest area. Its the sensation of heartburn, but you may also experience asthma, nausea, a sore throat or vomiting, especially when its chronic. It can often be treated with over-the-counter medications or prescriptions from your doctor.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is about what youd expect based on the name  disruptions in your digestive process that can cause an upset stomach, constipation and diarrhea.3 The exact cause of IBS isnt well understood and typically a doctor makes a diagnosis based on a review of your medical history and symptoms. IBS changes the way the muscles in your colon contract and doesnt lead to damage in your digestive tract, which is what distinguishes it from inflammatory bowel disease.23

Crohns Disease

Crohns disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes symptoms like digestive pain, bleeding, diarrhea, constipation and seemingly unrelated symptoms like fever, weight loss or fatigue21 Crohns occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks safe bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) and causes damage.

With Crohns the area of your GI tract typically most affected is your ileum, the end of your small intestine. The beginning of your colon may also be involved, and additional damage can occur anywhere along your GI tract.21 The condition can flare and enter remission, but you may still experience symptoms even when you are technically in remission.

Ulcerative Colitis

Like Crohns, ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) where your immune system attacks non-harmful cells and food in your digestive system. This leads to chronic inflammation that causes damage in your colon, specifically ulcerations in the lining of your colon.23 If you have ulcerative colitis, you might experience diarrhea, blood in your stool, crampy abdominal pain and low energy or fatigue. You may have periods with almost no sign of the condition and then have a flare when all the symptoms come back.

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Pain-Related Conditions

Fibromyalgia and pain are closely related, so youre probably not surprised to learn other pain conditions can be both a symptom of fibromyalgia or a separate condition. This could include migraine, myofascial pain syndrome or temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), which are fairly common when you have fibro.

Migraine

Migraine is technically defined as having at least five unprovoked headaches that last four to 72 hours each in your lifetime that are severe enough you cant do your usual routine.15 The classic symptoms include nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. If you live with migraine, you likely know this definition is a little narrow.

Some people with chronic migraine will have many each month and mild or moderate migraines can sometimes last for days. Its believed migraine is the result of extra sensitivity in the neurons in your nervous system.15 These neurons can be triggered by external changes like the temperature or internal changes like a hormone level drop, which then results in migraine.

You may also experience migraine with aura, which occurs for about 20 to 25 percent of those who have migraine, though not necessarily each time.15 Aura typically happens before a migraine attack and includes sensory disturbances like seeing sparks, dots or jagged lines to tingling on one side of the body or difficulty speaking clearly, which is called transient aphasia.19 Its also possible to have only aura symptoms or a migraine without pain.15

Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome can appear to be very similar.14 Its also possible to have both at the same time. However, the subtle difference between the two is tender points (fibromyalgia) and trigger points (myofascial pain syndrome), though youll hear both terms used interchangeably.

When you have fibro, you feel pain in tender areas on your body at tender points.14 With myofascial pain syndrome, you may feel pain in similar areas in your muscles, but those pain points are actually a trigger  pain at the trigger site also sets off pain at other points in your body because of bands along your muscle fibers. Myofascial pain syndrome also causes stiffness, muscle weakness and limited range of motion.

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) is a general category of issues you may have with the joints that hinge your jaw, which are right in front of your ears.16 Some of the most common symptoms include facial pain, jaw pain or stiffness and earaches. TMJ can also cause ringing in your ears, also called tinnitus.17 Keep in mind tinnitus can be its own condition, typically associated with hearing loss, or a symptom of TMJ.

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Genetic Conditions

If you live with another genetic condition, like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or a mitochondrial disease or disorder, you may also be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Sometimes it can be tricky to tell these conditions apart because many of your symptoms could overlap. Often genetic conditions can be diagnosed with testing, unlike fibro, which does not have a definitive test yet.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a genetic condition that affects the connective tissue in your body. It impacts your collagen genes, a type of protein that makes up connective tissue, which is all over your body, including your skin, ligaments and even your bones.20 There are 13 different types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, but the most common type is hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). Hypermobile EDS causes you to have loose or flexible joints that dislocate easy and stretchy skin, along with other symptoms that can cause chronic pain like fibromyalgia.

Mitochondrial Disease/Disorder

Mitochondrial disease (or disorder) is a genetic condition that impacts the mitochondria in your cells  the part of your cells that generate energy. If you have this condition, you might experience feeling sensations similar to fibromyalgia like muscle pain, weakness, difficulty thinking and other cognitive difficulty, digestive issues and seizures. Mitochondrial disease is progressive and difficult to diagnose and treat.1

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Other Conditions

Those who live with fibromyalgia also report a variety of other chronic illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease or hypothyroidism that have many of the same pain symptoms as fibromyalgia. Some of them are also difficult to diagnose and it may take time for you and your doctor to accurately determine which conditions you are experiencing.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is one condition your doctor will want to rule out before making a fibromyalgia diagnosis because it can look so similar to fibro. When your thyroid is hypo-active, it isnt producing enough hormones, which slows down your whole system.12 This leads to symptoms like fatigue, feeling colder than usual, being forgetful, feeling depressed and other symptoms. Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed with a regular blood test.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is almost like a cousin condition to fibromyalgia if youre considering the symptoms. The main signs of ME/CFS include fatigue, difficulty getting good sleep, memory issues or brain fog, and chronic pain. While fatigue is the main symptom of ME/CFS, there isnt a test for ME/CFS, so it can be difficult to distinguish from fibromyalgia and you may find out you have both conditions based on your symptoms.4

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is caused when youre bitten by a tick (often a deer tick) carrying the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi.11 Its a chronic illness that can cause joint, soft tissue and nerve pain, dizziness and short-term memory problems. While there are tests you can take to get a Lyme diagnosis, like the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or Western blot test, tick infections arent always caught right away. Its common to have fibromyalgia as a secondary diagnosis to Lyme disease.

Raynauds Syndrome

If youve ever noticed your fingers turn colors, like blue or white, when its cold or youre stressed, it could be a sign of Raynauds syndrome or phenomenon.13 It occurs because the blood vessels in your fingers (and sometimes toes) are unusually sensitive. When theyre exposed to cold or stress, the most common triggers, the blood vessels narrow or spasm, which reduces blood flow to your fingers. You may also feel a tingling sensation along with color changes. As your fingers return to normal, they may also turn bright red as the blood flow suddenly returns.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition that causes tissue similar to endometrium in the uterus to grow outside the uterus, typically on other pelvic organs or tissues.24 This can lead to significant chronic pain, especially when you have your period. You might also experience pain in your lower back, legs and shoulders, after sexual intercourse, or when urinating.6

Endometriosis in later stages (stage III or IV) or following surgery may cause painful adhesions, bands of scar tissue that may attach to your ovaries or the side of your pelvic wall, for example. Adhesions can cause a different type of pain, sometimes described as a stabbing or sickening pain. You may also experience diarrhea, constipation, bloating, irregular or heavy periods and fatigue as a result of the condition.6 Endometriosis can also lead to difficulty getting pregnant.

Currently, the best way to make an accurate endometriosis diagnosis is through laparoscopic surgery.24 Excision surgery of the invasive tissue is the most effective treatment, though surgery may not eliminate all of your symptoms and there is a risk of recurrence or adhesions.

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Mental Health Conditions

Like many other chronic illnesses, its not uncommon you might have both fibromyalgia and a separate mental health condition. While you could have any mental health condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or bipolar disorder, an estimated 20 percent of people who live with fibro also have either an anxiety or depressive disorder, the most common among fibromyalgia patients.7

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety can be both a symptom of fibromyalgia and a condition you might have along with fibro. Because fibromyalgia turns your fight-or-flight reaction in the nervous system into overdrive, theres a lot of overlap between how fibro and anxiety might affect your nervous system so a connection between these two conditions might make sense.

There are a variety of anxiety-based conditions. You might have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) if you find you worry a lot and cant tune out the worry no matter what you do. Like fibromyalgia, GAD is twice as common if youre female.10 Other common anxiety disorders include panic disorder, where you experience panic attacks without an apparent trigger, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or social anxiety disorder.

Depression

Depression symptoms, like a lack of interest in things you usually love, loss of energy, sleep issues and feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, could be a sign of fibromyalgia or could indicate you also have major depressive disorder (generally just referred to as depression though there are other depressive diagnoses). Youre three times as likely to experience depression if you have fibromyalgia.8

Just like with anxiety, the reason youre more at risk for having both fibromyalgia and depression could be connected to your nervous system and how fibro affects it.2 For example, having lower levels of serotonin or norepinephrine, mood-regulating neurotransmitters, have been linked with depression. The involvement of these same neurotransmitters has also been linked to fibromyalgia.

If you are struggling with your mental health, know you are not alone. If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting START to 741741.

Learn More About Fibromyalgia: Overview | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Resources

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Sources

About Mitochondrial Disease  Mito FAQ. (n.d.). http://www.mitoaction.org/mito-faq Arnold, L. M. (2018, December 11). Antidepressants for fibromyalgia: Latest word on the link to depression and anxiety. Retrieved from https://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/66131/depression/antidepressants-fibromyalgia-latest-word-link-depression-and Chang, L. (n.d.). Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/irritable-bowel-syndrome Diagnosis of ME/CFS | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) | CDC. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/symptoms-diagnosis/diagnosis.html Duarte-Garcia, MD Ali Duarte-Garcia, A. (2019, March). Rheumatoid Arthritis. Retrieved from https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Rheumatoid-Arthritis Endometriosis.org. (2011). Symptoms  Endometriosis.org. Retrieved from http://endometriosis.org/endometriosis/symptoms/ Fibromyalgia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia | Arthritis | CDC. (2017, October 11). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gastro.org/practice-guidance/gi-patient-center/topic/gastroesophageal-reflux-disease-gerd Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad Hypothyroidism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thyroid.org/hypothyroidism/ Lyme Disease | Lyme Disease | CDC. (2018, December 21). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html Mecoli, C. (2018, April). Raynauds Phenomenon. Retrieved from https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Raynauds-Phenomenon Myofascial Pain Syndrome. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fmcpaware.org/m-n/myofascial-pain-syndrome Rothrock, J. F. (n.d.). What is Migraine? Retrieved from https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/what-is-migraine/ TMJ and Facial Pain | AAOMS. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://myoms.org/procedures/tmj TMJ Treatments. (2016, December 14). Retrieved from https://www.ata.org/managing-your-tinnitus/treatment-options/tmj-treatments Udell, J. (2017, March). Sjogrens Syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Sjogrens-Syndrome Understanding Migraine with Aura. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/understanding-migraine-aura/ What are the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/ What is Crohns Disease? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/ What is lupus? (2013, July 31). Retrieved from https://www.lupus.org/resources/what-is-lupus What is Ulcerative Colitis? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis/ Zondervan, K. T., Becker, C. M., Koga, K., Missmer, S. A., Taylor, R. N., & Vigano, P. (2018). Endometriosis. Nature Reviews Disease Primers,4(9), 1-25. doi:10.1038/ s41572-018-0008-5

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Scientists say the risks associated with Covid-19 are not greater for pregnant women, but some in Papua New Guinea are concerned the health system could easily be overloaded - AP

Papua New Guineas leading obstetrician has told women in the country to delay getting pregnant for two years over fears of coronavirus.

Glen Mola, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Papua New Guinea, told ABC news in Australia that women should delay getting pregnant until the pandemic is over because the countrys hospital will not be able to cope if infections run out of control.

Dr Mola said: "It's best not to plan a pregnancy this year or perhaps even next year, because we don't know how the epidemic is going to run.

According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization there have been just 11 cases of the disease in the Pacific nation and no deaths as of July 2, although there are fears of underreporting.

The country shares a border with the Indonesia province of West Papua, which has had more than 290 cases, and the threat of importation is high.

The countrys health service has been described as dysfunctional by two Papua New Guinean academics and there are just 500 doctors and 4,000 nurses in a country of 8 million people.

The nations lockdown has also meant that pregnant women are unable to get proper care and Dr Mola told ABC news of a heavily pregnant woman who was turned away from the hospital after seeking care for high blood pressure. She gave birth but the baby died.

"Every day I see problems that have occurred because women have tried to access care when they've had problems and they haven't been able to do so," he said.

Professor Mola said the Port Moresby General Hospital was now set up to screen people with fevers or respiratory symptoms at the front gate and "most" pregnant women were now being accepted.

Being pregnant is not associated with a higher risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus or worse outcomes. However, in the UK they are assessed as having a moderate risk as a precaution.

A study looking at the outcomes of 427 pregnant women hospitalised with the disease in the UK showed that 97 per cent gave birth to healthy babies and the likelihood of serious problems to the mother were similar to non pregnant populations.

And according to research carried out by the University of Birmingham there is as yet no confirmed evidence that a mother infected with coronavirus can pass it to her unborn child. However, there have been suspected cases of this and researchers said more studies are needed in this area.

Protect yourself and your family be learning about Global Health Security
Pop Smoke performs in Houston on Nov. 9, 2019. (Suzanne Cordeiro / TNS)

At the end of the title track of Pop Smokes posthumous LP Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, theres a lament that hits different on Fourth of July weekend in 2020.

Look at them young n goin' crazy-crazy, man / them n too dangerous / We gonna make 'em famous / the beautiful country got stars and bangers.

The lyric, like many on this valedictory LP, is not Pop Smokes: Its from Migos' rapper Quavo, one of a dozen guests on the 19-track album. But the 20-year-old Pop Smoke, born Bashar Jackson, was shot and killed in February in a Hollywood Hills home invasion gone awry, possibly spurred by social media posts documenting his newfound success. The posthumous record arrives in a summer of seething protests over the murders of Black people by American police.

So its telling that it's often up to the guests to speak in Pop's absence here. Rest in peace to the Pop, make me smoke ya, rues DaBaby on For the Night, an elegy for Pop Smoke on his own album.

Shoot for the Stars, released Friday at midnight, was supposed to herald a new era of New York rap, one that refracted a hemispheres worth of styles through a hard-edged, noirish Brooklyn drill sensibility. Atlantas mournful melodies, Londons icy, stuttering drum machines  this was rap fed by the internet yet completely at home on its own Canarsie block.

But now, that grim beautiful country is facing up to generation after generation of violence against its Black citizens. Shoot for the Stars, an ambitious but scattered expansion of Pops sound, is widely expected to top the charts by a long shot next week. But it cant do much more than fill in the cracks of what his life and career should have been.

Brooklyn drill, like most exciting regional sounds in the age of TikTok, has already been blown up and commercialized: a whistle-stop for stars like Travis Scott and Drake. Just days before its release, Shoot prompted grousing from fans who suspected that Virgil Abloh, the fashion designer, had barely even phoned in his hastily Photoshopped artwork for the LPs cover (the final version was, indeed, much better).

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Fame comes fast and hard to young rappers today, let alone to their teams that have to handle their legacies in death. But one person who didnt seem to struggle with a path forward was Pop Smoke. The most interesting moments of Shoot are when Pop shows how ready he was to move on from the tightly wound menace of the sound he popularized.

His distinct low whisper, already one of the signature instruments of rap in 2020, still sounds precision-milled. 44 BullDog is one of the most brutal, ominous tracks in his catalog. Gunplay is omnipresent in Pop's lyrics  "Tell my shooters call me FaceTime / For all the time we had to face time," he raps on the hit bonus track "Dior," but on New York streets during the police violence protests, the song became something of a rallying cry.

But he also uses that voice for much more, like the mournful singing on The Woo, with fellow Gen Z hero Roddy Ricch and 50 Cent, a famously gruff New York elder who greatly influenced Pop. 50 Cent co-executive produced the album, and had been a mentor to Pop Smoke  "Got It on Me" is a rework of 50's "Many Men (Wish Death)." But his range went further: Yea Yea, What You Know Bout Love and Diana have new open space and melody, with lyrics that are even sometimes tender: "She said she wanna be a teacher / Damn, in my head she would look good as a teacher / Treat her with Balenciaga sneakers," he raps on "Diana."

It doesnt always work  Something Special is thrice warmed over from its Lionel Richie via Fabolous source material, and not a good fit. But it's admirable that, before his death, Pop Smoke was already figuring out both his lineage in the New York canon and where to take it from here.

One simmering issue with Shoot, however, is that theres not enough of the rapper on the very album meant to cement his own legacy. Pops 2019 mix-tape debut Meet the Woo was guest-less, distilled and singular. While Shoot has a formidable roster of cameos (all the aforementioned join Lil Baby, Swae Lee, Karol G, Lil Tjay and Brooklyns Rowdy Rebel, among others), it sometimes feels diluted in its purpose. Pop Smoke may well have been a Tyga fan, but thats a weird choice to hear on a last will and testament of a record.

As the families and teams of Lil Peep, Juice Wrld, XXXTentacion and Mac Miller know, there's no guidebook for how to best assemble a posthumous record for a young rapper today. This job fell largely to Steven Victor, a veteran A&R executive. Victor was Smoke's manager at the time of his murder, and knew better than anyone what his artistic intentions were. But the creative pace today is so quick, and the deaths so young, that careers are born and die all before an artist has time to refine their voice. Fivio Foreign, Axl Beats and Sosa Geek may well ride the Brooklyn drill tide to see the stardom once due for Pop Smoke, but the scene has lost its guiding light.

Shoot was begun as a path forward, and in death it might still be  if not for Pop Smoke then for a generation of young rappers who will speak of him reverently in a country still ripping apart from gunshots and chokeholds.
Every Sunday as the sun sets over her coastal home, Sandi Bogle looks out at the water before lighting a candle for her nephew, Bjorn Brown.

"He was amazing," she said. "He used to come and spend a lot of time with me and my kids. We used to go on holiday together. He had a whole future ahead of him, and it was just taken away."

Three years have passed since knife-wielding thugs killed Brown, 23, an aspiring musician. No arrests have been made, police have not speculated about a motive, and his family's grief remains raw.

Sadly, they're not alone.

In the time since Bjorn's killing, Britain's knife crime crisis has accelerated. More than 45,000 blade-related offenses  the highest number on record  were committed in England and Wales last year, according to official government statistics. Now, as the United Kingdom plans to emerge from lockdown, there are fears of a new surge in fatal stabbings.

Gang rivalries revisited after months of confinement, social media scores that need to be settled, even the normalization of masks  in post-pandemic Britain, there will be no shortage of criminal triggers.

Police shot and killed a knife-wielding man in a hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, after he went on a rampage that left six people, including a police officer, hospitalized on June 27.

Image: Stabbing in London (Dominic Lipinski / AP file)

The suspect was identified as a Sudanese immigrant named Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28.

Adam was staying in the city center hotel, along with about 100 other asylum-seekers, after having been moved there during the pandemic. Authorities say they are investigating.

For experts, however, the most feared consequences of COVID-19 are those not immediately obvious, but the disease's deeper socioeconomic effects.

John Sunderland, a retired police superintendent, spent two decades confronting the conditions in which violence ferments, and he knows all too well the agony it leaves behind.

"I remember the sound of his family initially singing hymns and then just beginning to wail  an incredibly haunting sound," he said, recalling the murder of Kodjo Yenga, 16, of West London, whose fatal stabbing in 2007 signaled the start of the city's knife emergency.

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In the years that have followed, the crisis's racial dimension have come under scrutiny. In 2018, over a third of London's serious youth violence offenders  and a quarter of the victims  were Black, official statistics revealed.

While that suggests that the city's Black community (which constitutes 13 percent of London's population) is disproportionately blighted by youth violence, it's important to note that 2 in 5 serious youth violence offenders and victims were of white heritage. Likewise, statistical analysis indicates that, outside London, ethnicity and violent crime figures correlate far closer with population proportions.

Experts like Sunderland attribute Britain's blade attack epidemic to the effects of poverty and a lack of prospects more than race.

The links between social deprivation and knife crime are well documented. In neighborhoods where unemployment is high and economic mobility is low, violent behavior breeds. When funding for local community-minded programs is cut, the spiral of hopelessness and aggression intensifies. That, Sunderland said, is why the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic is so concerning.

"So many of society's natural safety nets for the boys and young men caught up in knife crime have already disappeared in most parts of the country," he said. "The cost of austerity has always been greatest for those least able to bear it."

This point was made painfully clear last year, when new local government statistics revealed that three-quarters of London's most violent boroughs were among the 10 most deprived and that all had higher proportions of child poverty than the city's average.

IMAGE: Sarah Jones (David Mirzoeff / Press Association via AP file)

The data reflected an "appalling side effect" of the government austerity, Mayor Sadiq Khan said, adding that "you can't cut police officers, public services, preventative measures and ignore the most vulnerable people in our country at the same time as keeping crime low."

James Alexander, a criminology expert at London Metropolitan University, reached a similar conclusion. Inner-city housing estates are "conveyor belts" of violence, his research indicated, with a constant turnover of cash-strapped youngsters turning to crime. As Britain's lockdown lifts and the economic aftershocks of COVID-19 are felt, the process is likely to accelerate, he said.

"Going into next year, we're almost certain to see a rebounding of knife crime and youth violence. ... There'll be more pressure on young people to make money" illegally, he said.

Tackling the surge requires a systemic approach, Alexander said, one that promotes collaboration to heal community breakdown.

"When you talk to the parents, they feel very isolated," he said. "Instead of going 'I'm a youth worker, I've got the solution,' [outreach programs] need to be more collaborative. They need to say, 'I'm a youth worker, let's help develop the solution together.'"

One program, the so-called violence reduction unit, holds the hopes of many. Pioneered by American epidemiologists in the crime-ridden Chicago of the 1990s, the program addresses street violence through the prism of public health, treating it as a symptom of deprivation and poverty.

Rather than focus simply on hard-power policing and custodial punishment, city authorities started working to improve the prospects of would-be criminals, offering them an alternative to gang membership with job opportunities and education.

Officials in Glasgow adopted a similar strategy. Guided by a simple principle  that violence is preventable, not inevitable  the city's violence reduction unit worked with schools, health groups and social services to disrupt the root causes of knife crime, giving youngsters a springboard to build better, nonviolent lives. Twelve years after its inception in 2005, Glaswegian homicide rates had fallen by half.

Might London benefit from a similar program? Its mayor thinks so, and last year he launched the city's own violence reduction unit. "I am leading London's response to understanding the causes of violent crime and working to stop it spreading," Khan said.

Image: Westminster Bridge (Stefan Rousseau / Press Association via AP file)

But not everyone is convinced.

"Would it not be better to go to somewhere  maybe Germany  that doesn't have such a big knife crime or serious youth violence problem and ask: 'Why do they not have the problem? What can we copy from what they're doing?'" Alexander asked.

Sunderland, the former police superintendent, has reservations, too. While the violence reduction unit formula is promising, he worries that  having eschewed Glasgow's rigorously apolitical approach  the program in London is doomed to fail.

"When you have political leadership, the approach becomes partisan [and] short term in its focus, because it's very difficult to get politicians to look beyond the horizon of the next election," he said.

For the family of Bjorn Brown, that is disheartening news. Deprived of justice, they seek solace in the hope that, one day, others might be spared their pain.

"We have to keep talking. It doesn't take just one person to build a child, it takes a village, it takes a community, it takes the country," said his aunt, Sandi.

"I don't want my nephew to have died for nothing."

CORRECTION: (July 6, 2020, 5:15 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when police killed a knife-wielding man in Glasgow, Scotland. It was June 27, not Friday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn as part of the NHS birthday celebrations.

Prince William and Kate have celebrated the NHSs 72nd birthday along with the health worker whose reunion with her daughters captured the hearts of the nation.

Suzie Vaughan moved her daughters, Hettie, seven, and Bella, nine, from Norfolk to her sisters home in Peterborough, to keep them safe from coronavirus when the pandemic was in its early stages.

Her emotional surprise reunion with her daughters was filmed and went viral, as she crept up behind them to see them after nine weeks apart.

She and her daughters were guests at a tea party for the NHS held Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn, marking 72 years to the day since the health service was formed.

The hospital marks its own 40th birthday later this month.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn as part of the NHS birthday celebrations. (PA Images)

Nurse Suzie Vaughan with her daughters Hettie and Bella before a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn as part of the NHS birthday celebrations. (PA Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge apply hand sanitiser during a visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn. (PA Images)

Read more: Prince William gets a pint in ahead of British public at family favourite pub

Kate told her: You did a really good job.

It's amazing how everybody pulled together.

She asked the girls if they missed their mother and added: It is a real treat to meet you both.

The royals also complimented the girls on their party dresses, with William saying I love your dresses, while the duchess told them: You girls look really pretty.

Afterwards, Ms Vaughan, an operating department practitioner, said: It was amazing to see the them both. I told them about being away from the girls for so long.

They asked how I coped away from them for so long. He said how amazed he was. That felt amazing.

Hettie added: It was fun. I told her I had never met a real princess before. And she said she was as pleased to meet me as I was to meet her.

I told her how proud I was of my mummy.

Ms Vaughan added: They both always wanted to meet a real life princess.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were given three knitted angel keyrings as presents for their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

William said: The children will love them.

All five Cambridges had privately marked the 5pm Clap for Carers which made a one-week return to mark the NHSs birthday on Sunday afternoon.

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A video also revealed the royals drove themselves to and from the engagement. They are still in their country home of Anmer Hall, in Norfolk.

Read more: Duchess of Cambridge left emotional after hearing 'heartbreaking' health worker stories

Speaking about sending her daughters to her sisters, Ms Vaughan, 43, told Sky News: "The decision to send the girls away was to keep them safe because I didn't know what I was going to be bringing home.

"It's been really difficult. It's been emotionally and physically exhausting.

She added: I just kept thinking of the girls, I wanted to keep them safe. And I was able to put more hours in at work and help the patients at work who needed it.

To see people suffer the way I have had to see patients suffer, I wish people could see the other side of it and think of other people.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meeting nurse Suzie Vaughan and daughters Hettie and Bella, during their visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. (PA Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge holds NHS Knitted Angels. (PA Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn as part of the NHS birthday celebrations. (PA Images)

Read more: 'Funny, feisty and cheeky': Prince George's godmother gives rare insight into young royal's personality

Kate and William, both 38, have been returning to in-person engagements in recent weeks following lockdown.

Their visit to the hospital comes after Prince Charles, Williams father, recorded a message for the NHS to thank staff for their work during the pandemic.

In the message, the Prince of Wales said: Our remarkably selfless nurses, doctors, paramedics and countless other staff have made costly sacrifices to provide treatment for more than a hundred thousand patients with coronavirus and thousands more who needed other care.

And, in tribute to them, we have come together as a nation to thank them for their skill, professionalism and dedication.
A group of protesters defied the Fort Lauderdale Beach closure to protest the decision to close Broward County beaches over the Fourth of July holiday.

According to WSVN, as of 5 p.m. the protesters, who waived American flags and held signs declaring My Body My Choice, had not been arrested or removed by local police.

Casey Liening, a spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, confirmed to the Miami Herald that a group ran into the sand but that there were no arrests or issues.

Protesters wanted to exercise their right to celebrate Independence Day on the beach despite climbing coronavirus numbers, according to WSVN.

Mayors across Broward County banded together to shut down beaches for the holiday weekend, joining Mayor Carlos Gimenezs closure of Miami-Dade County beaches until Tuesday.

The beaches were closed to prevent a holiday spike in COVID-19 cases, which have been steadily increasing in Florida. On Saturday, the state broke another record and reported over 11,000 new confirmed cases. Miami-Dade and Broward counties also recorded single-day highs; Miami-Dade reported nearly 2,500 new cases and Broward reported over 1,300 new cases.
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Key Point: This was a very slow, small gunboat. It couldn't do much, but it had a deadly gun.

The Faa di Bruno was an unusual floating gunboat, or monitor, that was built in Italy during World War I and was intended for coastal defense or bombardment. Because the Faa di Bruno lacked a pointed bow, she was essentially a barge and had limited seagoing performance. Her propulsion system was a pair of steam engines that had been cannibalized from unfinished torpedo boats, giving the Faa di Bruno a very low speed of just under three miles per hour.

This first appeared in 2020 and is being reposted due to reader interest.

Navigation was conducted from a lightly armored bridge that sat on a tripod mast and also doubled as a lookout tower. From here, the barges officers issued orders to the crew  a total complement of 45 men.

What the Faa di Bruno lacked in speed and maneuverability, however, was made up for in firepower. The Faa di Bruno bristled with two 40 millimeter antiaircraft guns, four 3-inch deck guns, and two enormous 15-inch guns.

Big Guns

These very large guns were originally designed to be the Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships main armament. Besides one hull, the Francesco Caracciolo-class was never brought to fruition, though the class large guns, Cannone navale da 381/40, enjoyed a second life, serving in coastal defense batteries, mounted on rails as gun wagons  and on the Faa di Bruno.

The projectile they fired was similarly massive  nearly 2,000 pounds of armor-piercing or high-explosive that was intended to send enemy battleships to the bottom of the ocean, and could be fired out to over 12 miles.

The guns were mounted side-by-side in a turret on the center of the deck. The turret was covered by over four inches of steel plating, and the deck was likewise covered in an inch and a half of steel armor, which provided a limited amount of protection to the lumbering, but heavily armed monitor.

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Slim Service Record:

Faa di Bruno was laid down during World War I, and participated in only one naval action, an infantry support bombardment of Austro-Hungarian positions during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo in 1917. A storm later that year drove the Faa di Bruno ashore, where she remained for nearly a year, before being hauled off and refitted, though she was stricken from the Italian Navys list in 1924.

At the beginning of World War II, the Faa di Bruno was recalled into service and reactivated to guard Genoa in Italys northwest near the French border. During a Royal Navy bombardment, her electrical system was damaged, severely hindering deck operations.

Because of the massive size of the 15-inch shells, they required mechanical assistance to be pushed into the guns breech, and could not be loaded by hand. The Faa di Bruno fired only three shots at the British before firing was stopped due to the damage her mechanical loader sustained.

After the Italian surrender to the Allies, the Faa di Bruno was captured by the Germans and used to equip the Italian Social Republics Navy, suffering an unglamorous end. After the war, the Faa di Bruno was scuttled and sold for scrap.

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

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A strip club in Michigan is the site of a coronavirus outbreak, health officials said Sunday.

Twelve people who either worked at or visited the Playhouse Club in Romulus have tested positive for coronavirus, WXYZ reported.

The club describes itself as the the best, high energy party to hit the strip club scene.

Playhouse Club, a strip club in Romulus, Michigan, has been linked to 12 cases of coronavirus, health officials say.

A worker at a nearby Checkers restaurant also tested positive for the coronavirus, according to WXYZ.

Health officials are asking anyone who visited the club between June 17 and July 1 or the restaurant between June 7 and July 4 to contact the Wayne County Health Division to report their exposure, get tested and self-quarantine, whether theyre symptomatic or not, the Detroit Free Press reported.

It is imperative all people who visited these two establishments during the exposure window call and cooperate with our communicable disease team so that we can understand the extent of the outbreak, public health officer Carol Austerberry said, according to WDIV.

The outbreak comes as more than 150 cases of coronavirus have been linked to a newly reopened bar in East Lansing  home to Michigan State University  last month.

News broke in June that at least 14 people had contracted the virus after visiting Harpers Restaurant & Brew Pub between June 12 and 20. Now, that number is up to 161, with 28 of those being secondary cases, WNEM reported.

Last month, officials in Wisconsin reported that a strip club in Wisconsin Dells had also been linked to a coronavirus outbreak, which officials describe as a two or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the same facility or associated with a single event, Madison.com reported.

Officials said anyone who visited Cruisin Chubbys Gentlemens Club between June 10 and 14 may have been exposed to the virus and were asked to contact their healthcare providers if they experienced symptoms, according to the outlet.
A handful of Scottish nationalists protested at the border on Saturday - Euan Cherry/Euan Cherry

Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure to condemn disgraceful border protests where nationalists in hazmat suits urged English visitors to stay away from Scotland.

Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative leader, said he was concerned that the scenes on Saturday would deter people from coming to Scotland and cause further damage to the countrys tourism sector, which has been devastated by coronavirus.

A handful of nationalists turned up at the border over the weekend, urging motorists to stay out. Waving saltires and SNP flags, they displayed a banner stating keep Scotland Covid free.

A protest on Saturday has been condemned as "abhorrent" by other pro-independence campaigners - Euan Cherry/Euan Cherry

The protest came after Ms Sturgeon refused to rule out the prospect of imposing quarantine restrictions on people who had travelled to England, where cases of Covid-19 are higher than in Scotland, and did not sign up to UK Government plans for travel corridors.

Mr Carlaw told the BBC that the border scenes were an absolute disgrace. While several senior SNP politicians have condemned the protests, Ms Sturgeon has so far remained silent.

He said: I really do hope even belatedly, she will come out and stop that kind of rhetoric and language. We need people to come safely to Scotland to visit and to stay here on holiday and we should be encouraging that, not trying to put people off.

These [images] send a message out, and we need to do everything we can to support our industry as best we can.

Mr Carlaw said that Ms Sturgeon had taken the time to tweet about watching a film on Saturday night, while on Sunday morning she drew attention to a new poll showing support for independence at 54 per cent.

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The First Minister is one of the fastest people I know with her fingers to get onto Twitter, Mr Carlaw said. She was tweeting last night about watching Hamilton on the Disney Channel. Frankly I think as someone who leads the country, I would have expected her to condemn it. Even if its belated, Id like her to do it now.

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The protest took place at Lamberton, Berwickshire, near a welcome to Scotland road sign. In a video they filmed at a scene, a protestor said: We are really laying it on thick so basically what we are saying is stay the f*** out.

Thousands of Scottish residents have signed a petition calling for the border to be shut to all but essential traffic. On Friday, Ms Sturgeon said that prevalence of the virus in Scotland was five times lower than it was in England.

Responding to the protest, Humza Yousaf, the Scottish justice secretary, said: If you are a racist you are no friend of mine and no part of the movement I belong to. Horrible, reprehensible and vile. Luckily these morons don't represent the Scotland I know and love.

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Johanna Cherry, the SNP MP, described the scenes as abhorrent. A Scottish Government spokesman condemned the protest in the strongest possible terms.

He added: This is an isolated incident and not indicative of the vast majority of peoples views.

On Sunday morning, Ian Blackford, the SNPs Westminister leader, maintained that travel between England and Scotland may have to be restricted to maintain the lower rate of coronavirus infections north of the border.

He told Sky News: The fact is, you can see the prevalence rate here is much lower so we need to look at those coming in here and the kind of risks that are there but any decisions that will be taken by the Scottish government will be based on the scientific advice that we get and keeping people safe.

The simple fact of the matter is, we have had a reasonable success in driving down the incidence of the virus over the course of the last few months, its been hard won and of course we have to take the appropriate measures to make sure that we can continue to see that.
Click here to read the full article.

Key Point: World War I and the inter-war period was an era of great innovation. Here's how France tried to invent a new kind of vessel (but it went very wrong).

After the end of hostilities during World War One, the victorious allies signed the Washington Naval treaty in an attempt to prevent an arms race in naval construction. Strict limits were placed on the number of so-called capital ships that signatories could build  battleships, cruisers, battlecruisers, and aircraft carriers.

Their tonnage, or size, and gun size, or caliber were also limited by the treaty. Britain had suffered heavy losses from submarine attacks during the war and argued strongly for an outright submarine ban, but to no avail. France quietly laid down what was at the time the largest submarine in the world.

Design:

The Surcouf was laid down by the French in 1927 and was the first of a planned class of cruiser submarines that would patrol above water. The Surcoufs mission was to maintain contact with French overseas colonies, particularly in North Africa, hunt down enemy surface ships, and destroy enemy convoys.

The Surcouf was equipped with deck guns and torpedo tubes. Four torpedo tubes were in the bow, and two external launchers were installed on the Surcoufs superstructure. The deck guns were the Surcoufs primary armament.

On top of the Surcoufs hull, a watertight turret was installed that housed two huge guns, 8 inches in diameter that fired while the Surcouf was surfaced. Once surfacing began, the guns could be fired in less than three minutes. These massive guns were originally intended to arm Washington Treaty-compliant French heavy cruisers. Each gun used two 52-pound bags of smokeless powder to fire a 271-pound high explosive or 295-pound armor-piercing shell nearly twenty miles, though the Surcoufs turrets could not increase their elevation high enough to match heavy cruiser distances.

The Surcouf also carried a floatplane in an onboard hangar that was used for observation and directing the deck guns fire. Anti-aircraft guns were also mounted on the Surcoufs deck. A motorboat could be launched from the Surcouf that could carry up to 40 people in a locked compartment  either passengers, or prisoners picked up after the Surcouf sank a surface ship.

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Her range was very high for an interwar submarine. Enough diesel fuel was carried to give the Surcouf an 11,500-mile range when surfaced, allowing the large sub to easily cross the Atlantic to the United States and Canada without needing to refuel or refit.

Following the fall of France, the Surcouf was manned by Free French forces and was sent to the Pacific theatre, to help liberate or support the ration operations of French possessions in the Pacific.

Fate

The Surcouf disappeared in February 1942, near Panama. An American freighter reported with colliding something that was partially submerged, presumably the Surcouf, though the freighter did not stop despite hearing voices calling for help in the water.

After the war, a French report attributed the Surcoufs loss to friendly fire, though this has not been independently confirmed. One book written on the subject hypothesized that the Surcouf was hit by American bombers that didnt recognize that large hull, mistaking the submarine for a Japanese or German Sub.

What actually happened to the Surcouf remains a mystery.

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.
People in the UK are happier if they are earning over 30,000. Photo: Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/Sipa USA

Money does buy happiness  but itll cost you almost 34,000 ($42,500) a year, research suggests.

Research by Raisin UK, based on office of national statistics (ONS) data found Brits need to earn a minimum salary of 33,864 to be truly happy.

The average salary of the top 10 happiest cities in the UK is 33,864, suggesting that people in the UK are happiest if they are earning more than 30,000, compared with the lower salaries of unhappy cities. This is just over the UK average salary of 29,000.

However, this cost is much higher in the happiest cities in the ranking. The study also found Winchester, Hampshire is the happiest city in the whole of the UK.

READ MORE: Harvard researchers reveal the secret to happiness

The average salary for people living and working in Winchester, or in this case the cost of happiness, is 35,346.

Winchester has one of the highest happiness ratings in the UK, which, combined with a life expectancy of 83.6 years.

Meanwhile, Lichfield, the second-happiest city in the UK, as an average salary of 33,360.

(Raisin UK)

Careers that earn an average salary of about 33,000 or more include electricians, bin men, opticians and lorry drivers. Nurses in the UK also make between 20,000 and 33,000 on average.

The ONS Happy Planet Index data shows the score of happiness in the UK is 7.3 out of 10, meaning Brits are overall quite satisfied with life.

However, it's a different story when the data is applied worldwide. The average salary of the top 10 happiest countries is 64,057.28, suggesting happiness across the world is achieved more easily if people are earning close to the 65,000 mark.

How much you need to earn to be happy around the world. (Raisin UK)

Topping the index was Luxembourg, with an overall happiness score of 292, a expectancy of 82.1 years and a happiness index rating of 1.5.

Other countries that made the ranking include Ireland, Singapore and Denmark.

While our research suggests money can buy happiness, its not always the case in real life when put into action. [But] money does help ease the stresses of daily life, which could mean a longer life expectancy in the long-term, said Kevin Mountford, co-founder of Raisin UK.

[This research], can help you decide what city across the UK and country in the world to live in to be the happiest you possibly can.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump is returning to the campaign trail amid a spike in coronavirus cases across the country.

Trumps campaign announced Sunday it will hold a Make America Great Again rally Saturday in Portsmouth, N.H. The outdoor event will be held at Portsmouth International Airport, the campaign said.

"We look forward to so many freedom-loving patriots coming to the rally and celebrating America, the greatest country in the history of the world, campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

There will be ample access to hand sanitizer at the event, the announcement said, and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear.

Biden's big lead: Grim resolve: Biden is up big and the Senate is in sight, but Democrats still haunted by fear of letdown

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, June 20, 2020.

The event will be the campaigns first official rally since June 20, when Trump spoke to a half-empty arena in Tulsa, Okla. Eight of his campaign staffers at that event tested positive for coronavirus, and at least three Secret Service personnel working on the advance team for that rally also tested positive.

Herman Cain, a GOP candidate for president in 2012, attended the Tulsa rally and was hospitalized last week for coronavirus.

A number of states have pulled back on their plans to reopen following a surge in coronavirus cases across the country. Several states, including Texas, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina, recorded daily records of new coronavirus cases over the past week.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu lifted a 14-day quarantine mandate for all visitors from New England states last Thursday but said that visitors from other states will still be asked to quarantine for two weeks.

For the past three weeks, the states positive test rate for coronavirus has remained below the 5% threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Reach him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Another celebrity candidate?: Kanye West says he's running for president. There is no evidence of that yet.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2020 election: Trump to hold campaign rally in Portsmouth, N.H.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn of the White House during a "Salute to America" event, July 4, 2020, in Washington. (Patrick Semansky/Associated Press)

White House surrogates and GOP lawmakers struggled Sunday to defend President Trump after he spent the Fourth of July holiday weekend denigrating the racial-justice movement galvanized by George Floyds killing and playing down a deadly pandemic by claiming that 99% of coronavirus cases are completely harmless.

In a pair of divisive speeches delivered against backdrops meant to invoke traditional images of patriotism and national pride  the massive presidential monument at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday and a fireworks-and-flyover celebration in the nations capital the next day  Trump hewed to a message aimed at his hard-line base, with little in the way of outreach to the country as a whole.

Even some Trump strategists acknowledge its a risky gambit.

At a time when multiple opinion polls show the president trailing his presumptive Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, by double-digit margins, Trump is diverging ever more sharply from mainstream voters views on race, justice and history as well as how to cope with a raging pandemic.

Among those who work for Trump or hope to ride his election coattails, however, avoiding criticism of him even in the face of false or ahistorical statements remains a seemingly mandatory practice.

Sunday, for example, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn repeatedly refused to contradict the presidents contention that 99% of coronavirus cases are completely harmless.

Infectious disease specialists say about one-third of coronavirus cases are asymptomatic. But for many others who contract it, the effects can be serious or catastrophic. Even those who survive the illness often face dangerous, long-term health problems.

Hahn, a medical doctor who serves on the White House coronavirus task force, faced repeated questions about Trumps claim during television interviews Sunday. He avoided direct answers.

Im not going to get into whos right and whos wrong, Hahn said during an interview on CNNs State of the Union." He acknowledged that cases are surging in the country and urged Americans to follow CDC guidelines on mask wearing, physical distancing and hand washing.

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On ABCs This Week, Hahn deflected when asked how many cases he believed were harmless, replying: Any case, we dont want to have  and any death, any case is tragic.

Hahn also declined to address Trumps often-made statement, repeated last week in an interview on Fox, that the virus would sort of just disappear, I hope.

Those with similar credentials, but unbeholden to Trump, were more forthright.

Hahn's predecessor at FDA, Scott Gottlieb, who headed the agency for the first two years of Trump's tenure, said he did not know where Trump had gotten the 99% statistic, but that it was incorrect.

Certainly more than 1% of people get serious illness from this, he said on CBS Face the Nation."

Gottlieb said the current surge of new infections would soon begin yielding more deaths despite the fact that younger people made up a greater share of newly uncovered cases and that treatments had improved.

Were going to see deaths creep up, he said on CBS. Youre going to have more deaths, tragically.

Trump has consistently touted his own performance in confronting the pandemic, and Republican lawmakers  especially those up for reelection this year  are increasingly being put on the spot as to whether they agree.

On CNNs State of the Union, one of the Republican incumbents facing a tight race, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, was asked whether Trump was exhibiting failed leadership in the coronavirus crisis.

No, she said. I think that the president is stepping forward.

Trumps speech Friday at Mt. Rushmore, and his Fourth of July remarks the next day in Washington, appeared aimed at stoking culture wars stemming from the George Floyd protests, including the drive to take down statues of Confederate-era figures.

In his Washington speech, the president declared that the largely peaceful protesters who rallied for weeks in cities across America were not interested in justice or healing.

We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children, or trample on our freedoms, Trump said.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, said the presidents takeaway on weeks of protests flew in the face of broad public support for the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement and a reevaluation of public monuments to the Confederacy.

Duckworth, a military veteran who lost both her legs while serving in Iraq, said Trumps emphasis was particularly jarring against the backdrop of the pandemic and White House inaction in the face of intelligence assessments that Russia offered bounties to militants in Afghanistan for killing U.S. troops.

He spent more time worried about honoring dead Confederates than he did talking about the lives of our American  130,000 Americans  who lost their lives to COVID-19, or by warning Russia off of the bounty they're putting on Americans' heads, Duckworth said on State of the Union.

I mean, his priorities are all wrong here.

Even some Republican appeared to be edging away from Trump on the full-throated defense of honors for those military figures who took up arms against the United States to defend slavery.

Ernst, also a military veteran, was asked about the presidents threat to veto a military-spending bill if it includes a proposal for a process to weigh renaming U.S. military bases that bear the names of Confederate generals.

She said she thought he should sign the measure.
Uncle Chuck, with Luis Saez aboard, wins the Grade 3 $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby on Saturday. "He's learning quickly, and he has brilliance," trainer Bob Baffert said of Uncle Chuck. (Benoit Photo via Associated Press)

Bob Bafferts seemingly endless string of Kentucky Derby hopefuls grew by one Saturday when Uncle Chuck won the Grade 3 $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby by an easy four lengths.

Uncle Chuck took the lead on the far turn and cruised through the home stretch in the diminished four-horse race. It was worth 20 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, not near enough to make the 20-horse field. He will have to run in another prep race, and do very well, to make the field Sept. 5.

Hes learning quickly, and he has brilliance, Baffert said. I was impressed. I think we just saw something pretty special, and hes been special from day one. Hes bred to be any kind [of horse].

Baffert entered the normal Triple Crown series with many 3-year-olds in the Kentucky Derby conversation. But time has eroded that number. Nadal was injured and retired. Charlatan had a less serious injury and might not be ready until the Preakness in October. There was also heavily thought of Authentic, who was beaten by Honor A.P. in the Santa Anita Derby. Baffert also has undefeated Cezanne, a $3.65-million purchase, who won his second race in an allowance Thursday.

Still, Uncle Chuck moves into Bafferts upper echelon.

Were just learning more about Uncle Chuck, Baffert said. Hes still pretty green, but hes got gears. [Jockey] Luis [Saez] was excited about him, and I think hes one of the top riders in the country. He said [Uncle Chuck] is still learning and hes got a lot of improvement in him. He was full of himself when he came back. Its exciting."

Saez was brought in from New York to ride Uncle Chuck as his regular jockey, Mike Smith, was in New York to ride McKinzie, who finished a disappointing fifth in the Metropolitan Handicap. But since Smith also has the ride on Honor A.P., its unclear whether he would be available to ride Uncle Chuck in the Kentucky Derby.

He broke great, and I just left him alone, Saez said. He was doing it easy all the way. When I showed him the whip, he took off. Hes a very nice colt."

Uncle Chuck paid $2.80 to win. There was no place or show wagering after the race dropped to four horses when Anneau dOr scratched because of an elevated temperature.

In Saturdays other graded stakes race, Sneaking Out beat heavily favored Bellafina to win the Grade 2 $200,000 Great Lady M Stakes. Sneaking Out paid $16.40 to win.
Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters

Just like in 2016, a faction of the Republican party has emerged to try to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election.

Related: Trump administration has no regrets about reopening push, says Mnuchin

But unlike the last presidential race, where the effort never truly took off, this time those rebel Republicans have formed better organized groups  and some are even openly backing Trumps Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.

In 2016, as Trump steamrolled his way through the Republican primary, some Republican lawmakers and operatives tried to mount an effort to stop him. Elected officials and veterans of previous Republican administrations organized letters, endorsed Hillary Clinton, and a few set up meager outside groups to defeat Trump.

Thats happening again  but there are differences. The outside groups are more numerous and better organized, and most importantly, Trump has a governing record on which Republicans can use to decide whether to support him or not.

I think its qualitatively different, said Republican operative Tim Miller, who co-founded one of the main anti-Trump organizations. A lot of people who opposed [Trump] did the whole, Oh, Hillarys also bad, and Trumps bad, and everybody can vote their conscience kind of thing.

Miller said that 2016s effort was far more of a pox on both your houses phenomenon versus 2020s organized effort to defeat him.

Related: Republicans call for Pres. Trump to publicly wear a mask

The latest prominent Republican anti-Trump organization made its debut in early July. Its a Super Pac called 43 Alumni for Biden, and aims to rally alumni of George W Bushs administration to support the Democrat.

The new Super Pac was co-founded by Kristopher Purcell, a former Bush administration official; John Farner, who worked in the commerce department during the Bush administration; and Karen Kirksey, another longtime Republican operative. Kirksey is the Super Pacs director.

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Were truly a grassroots organization. Our goal is to do whatever we can to elect Joe Biden as president, said Farner.

The Super Pac is still in its early stages and isnt setting expectations on raising something like $20m. Rather, 43 Alumni for Biden is just focused on organizing.

After seeing three and a half years of chaos and incompetence and division, a lot of people have just been pushed to say, We have got to do something else, Purcell said. We may not be fully on board with the Democratic agenda, but this is a one-issue election. Are you for Donald Trump, or are you for America.

This is a one-issue election. Are you for Trump, or are you for America? Kristopher Purcell

43 Alumni for Biden is new compared with two other larger anti-Republican groups.

The best-knownis the Lincoln Project, a political action committee founded in 2019 by Republican strategists who have long been critical of Trump.

The Lincoln Project has made a name for itself for its creative anti-Trump ads. It has also brought on veteran Republican strategists like Stu Stevens, a top adviser for now-Utah senator Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign. George Conway, the husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, is also a co-founder of the group.

Unlike other anti-Trump groups, the Lincoln Project has weighed in to Senate races and has begun endorsing Senate candidates. It has backed the Montana governor, Steve Bullock, in his Senate bid against the sitting Republican Steve Daines.

Then theres Republican Voters Against Trump, a group led by Bill Kristol, a well-known neoconservative and former chief of staff to then vice-president Dan Quayle, and Republican consultants Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller.

That group is focused on organizing anti-Trump Republicans.

Lincoln is doing two things really well. One is narrative-setting, and just beating Trump over the head with hard-hitting attacks, Miller said. And theyre also working on Senate races, which were not doing. I think that, frankly, theyre bringing the sledgehammer and working on Senate races, and we are elevating these peer voices in a way to persuade voters.

A set of Republican national security officials has also emerged in opposition to Trump.

That group hasnt given itself a name yet, and includes the former Bush homeland security adviser Ken Wainstein, and John Bellinger III, who served in the state department. The group is looking to rally national security officials away from Trump  either by supporting Biden or writing in someone else.

Even with all the organizing by these groups, theres still the persistent fact that swaths of former Republican officials and operatives methodically endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, and since then Trump has enjoyed sky-high approval ratings among the Republican party electorate.

But these groups say that was a result of Americans having not yet experienced a Trump presidency. They also say that the reason elected officials arent coming out to support Biden is because theyre worried about the blowback.

Colleen Graffey, part of the national security group of Republicans opposing Trump, said the reason some elected Republican officials arent coming out to oppose Trump publicly is because theyre scared.

Related: Behind the 4.8m jobs that returned: key takeaways from Junes US jobs report

Theyre worried theyre going to be primaried, Graffey said. Theyre worried theyre going to be tweeted, if that can be a weaponized verb.

Asked what his big fear is now, Farner said its that Republicans wont come out to vote at all.

My fear is that they will not come out and vote. And were here to say that its OK. Were putting ourselves out here too, Farner said. Its OK.
Click here to read the full article.

On a midsummer day in 1438, a young man from the north shore of Lake Geneva presented himself to the local church inquisitor. He had a confession to make. Five years earlier, his father had forced him to join a satanic cult of witches. They had flown at night on a small black horse to join more than a hundred people gathered in a meadow. The devil was there too, in the form of a black cat. The witches knelt before him, worshiped him and kissed his posterior.

The young mans father had already been executed as a witch. Its likely he was trying to secure a lighter punishment by voluntarily telling inquisitors what they wanted to hear.

The Middle Ages, A.D. 500-1500, have a reputation for both heartless cruelty and hopeless credulity. People commonly believed in all kinds of magic, monsters and fairies. But it wasnt until the 15th century that the idea of organized satanic witchcraft took hold. As a historian who studies medieval magic, Im fascinated by how a coterie of church and state authorities conspired to develop and promote this new concept of witchcraft for their own purposes.

Early medieval attitudes about witchcraft

Belief in witches, in the sense of wicked people performing harmful magic, had existed in Europe since before the Greeks and Romans. In the early part of the Middle Ages, authorities were largely unconcerned about it.

A church document from the early 10th century proclaimed that sorcery and witchcraft might be real, but the idea that groups of witches flew together with demons through the night was a delusion.

Things began to change in the 12th and 13th centuries, ironically because educated elites in Europe were becoming more sophisticated.

Universities were being founded, and scholars in Western Europe began to pore over ancient texts as well as learned writings from the Muslim world. Some of these presented complex systems of magic that claimed to draw on astral forces or conjure powerful spirits. Gradually, these ideas began to gain intellectual clout.

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Ordinary people  the kind who eventually got accused of being witches  didnt perform elaborate rites from books. They gathered herbs, brewed potions, maybe said a short spell, as they had for generations. And they did so for all sorts of reasons  perhaps to harm someone they disliked, but more often to heal or protect others. Such practices were important in a world with only rudimentary forms of medical care.

Christian authorities had previously dismissed this kind of magic as empty superstition. Now they took all magic much more seriously. They began to believe simple spells worked by summoning demons, which meant anyone who performed them secretly worshiped demons.

Inventing satanic witchcraft

In the 1430s, a small group of writers in Central Europe  church inquisitors, theologians, lay magistrates and even one historian  began to describe horrific assemblies where witches gathered and worshiped demons, had orgies, ate murdered babies and performed other abominable acts. Whether any of these authors ever met each other is unclear, but they all described groups of witches supposedly active in a zone around the western Alps.

[Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can get our highlights each weekend.]

The reason for this development may have been purely practical. Church inquisitors, active against religious heretics since the 13th century, and some secular courts were looking to expand their jurisdictions. Having a new and particularly horrible crime to prosecute might have struck them as useful.

I just translated a number of these early texts for a forthcoming book and was struck by how worried the authors were about readers not believing them. One fretted that his accounts would be disparaged by those who think themselves learned. Another feared that simple folk would refuse to believe the fragile sex would engage in such terrible practices.

Trial records show it was a hard sell. Most people remained concerned with harmful magic  witches causing illness or withering crops. They didnt much care about secret satanic gatherings.

In 1486, clergyman Heinrich Kramer published the most widely circulated medieval text about organized witchcraft, Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches). But many people didnt believe him. When he tried to start a witch hunt in Innsbruck, Austria, he was kicked out by the local bishop, who accused him of being senile.

Witch hunts

Unfortunately, the fear of satanic witchcraft grew. The 15th century seems to have provided ideal soil for this new idea to take root.

Europe was recovering from several crises: plague, wars and a split in the church between two, and then three, competing popes. Beginning in the 1450s, the printing press made it easier for new ideas to spread. Even prior to the Protestant Reformation, religious reform was in the air. As I explored in an earlier book, reformers used the idea of a diabolical conspiracy bent on corrupting Christianity as a boogeyman in their call for spiritual renewal.

Over time, more people came to accept this new idea. Church and state authorities kept telling them it was real. Still, many also kept relying on local witches for magical healing and protection.

The history of witchcraft can be quite grim. From the 1400s through the 1700s, authorities in Western Europe executed around 50,000 people, mostly women, for witchcraft. The worst witch hunts could claim hundreds of victims at a time. With 20 dead, colonial Americas largest hunt at Salem was moderate by comparison.

This article by Michael D. Bailey first appeared in The Conversation on July 2, 2020.

Image: A group of traditional witches (Kandelhexen) dance around a bonfire during their traditional "witches sabbath" carnival performance in the Black Forest village of Waldkirch, Germany, February 6, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach.

Click here to read the full article.
Ameelio team

Ameelio

In March, a startup called Ameelio launched an app that helps people communicate with incarcerated loved ones for free.

Usually, phone calls or text messages to incarcerated people can be expensive, and it can be difficult to find the correct address for mailing a letter. Ameelio allows people to locate an address, upload a letter, and send it for free.

Ameelio has over 5,200 users and has sent over 21,000 letters so far.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It can be expensive and difficult for family members to maintain contact with incarcerated loved one: About one in three families go into debt to pay for phone calls and visits, research shows.

Phone calls in prison are often curtailed and can be costly, and while some facilities allow text messaging, the length of messages can be limited and pricey, too. Family members may want to mail a letter, instead, but struggle to find the correct address.

And now, during the coronavirus pandemic, many prisons have paused visitation.

To make it easier and cheaper for family and friends to connect with their loved ones in prison, two Yale students teamed up to launch an app called Ameelio in March that makes it dead-simple to send physical letters to incarcerated people for free.

"We wanted to touch on the urgency of the moment," Ameelio co-founder and Yale Law School student Uzoma Orchingwa told Business Insider.

Ameelio allows users to type an incarcerated person's name into its database to automatically pull up the correct address information. Users don't need to worry about getting envelopes and stamps, either: Instead, they can type their messages into the app directly and also attach photos. Ameelio then works with mail company Lob to print out and send those letters. The user can then track the letter until it arrives at its destination. The key feature: It's absolutely free for people to use Ameelio to send letters.

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This is especially useful as people may be stuck at home or unable to afford stamps or envelopes during the pandemic, says Emma Gray, head of partnerships and outreach for Ameelio.

"The quarantine is affecting incarcerated men and women themselves," Gray told Business Insider. "They might be solitary. They can't call or contact their loved ones. Their loved ones start worrying."

Ameelio has over 5,200 users and has sent more than 21,000 letters so far.

How Ameelio began

Orchingwa says that while conducting research on mass incarceration at the University of Cambridge, he found that many people cannot afford to stay in contact with their loved ones who are in prison.

"I realized that the policy prescriptions we need to change the size of our prison system will take a long time to happen," Orchingwa said. "I was looking for ways to make an impact in the long-term."

While studying at Yale, Orchingwa cold-emailed his fellow student Gabriel Saruhashi saying that he was looking for a technical cofounder. Saruhashi had spent a summer interning at Facebook as a software engineer where he felt alienated and like his work was not as meaningful as he wanted it to be. The two decided to meet up at a cafe and they "hit it off" right away. They decided to start working together on a nonprofit technology company and chose the name Ameelio because it comes from the word "amelioration," which means, 'to make things better.'

Orchingwa says this cause was meaningful to him both because he has close friends who have been incarcerated and because Black people make up one-third of the prison population in the US.

Likewise, Saruhashi, who is originally from Brazil, says he was shocked to learn more about the American incarceration system.

"Just talking to Zo, I was outraged by the current status system," Saruhashi told Business Insider.

Ameelio partners with criminal justice organizations to spread the word and make the service free

To spread the word about the app, the founders joined Facebook groups for people with family members who are incarcerated. Over half of its users come from recommendations from their own friends and families, or even incarcerated people themselves. Other users learned about the app through these Facebook groups.

Right now, the team of about 45 volunteers, including three formerly incarcerated people, are working on building relationships with lawyers and advocacy organizations to spread the word and also raise funds. Lob lowered its fees for the company and Ameelio has received some funding from Mozilla and a Kickstarter campaign, but it's still looking for other organizations to pitch in so that it can continue to provide the service to users for free.

So far, Ameelio has signed on eight philanthropic partner organizations. Criminal justice organizations have also been reaching out to Ameelio to send out newsletters and introductory letters to incarcerated people.

In addition, it plans to speak with Connecticut lawmakers who are pushing a bill in Connecticut to make prison phone calls free.

Read more: Read the letter that more than 1,600 Google employees sent to CEO Sundar Pichai asking the company to stop selling technology to police forces: 'We want Google to take real steps to help dismantle racism.'

While Ameelio started with letters and photos, Orchingwa hopes it can expand to video calling and messaging as well. It plans to run a six-month pilot of its video-conferencing service and has already been talking with five possible partner facilities to provide Ameelio's service free of charge during this pilot.

"We think states are going to be more interested in rolling out virtual communication in prison," Orchingwa said. "We'd love to be able to offer that in the future."

Right now, the main goal is to grow the user base.

"Our users have been reaching out to us and really appreciating the service," Orchingwa said, "Because it allows a different communication tool that is incredibly impactful now that things are incredibly difficult."

Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at rmchan@businessinsider.com, Signal at 646.376.6106, Telegram at @rosaliechan, or Twitter DM at @rosaliechan17. (PR pitches by email only, please.) Other types of secure messaging available upon request.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Home | News | General | Buhari thanks honest Nigerian student in Japan, Ikenna Nweke

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended a Nigerian doctorate student in University of Tsukuba, Japan, Mr 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.

The president made the commendation in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Saturday.

President Buhari saluted Nweke for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people.

According to him, the good virtues and propriety are the hallmark of every culture in Nigeria, while crimes and criminalities are exceptions.

The president believed Nwekes behaviour, coming at a period that the country needed 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.

He wished 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.

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Home | News | General | Imo uncovers eight pensioners receiving N300m annually

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Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State

By Chinonso Alozie,

Imo State government, yesterday, made public its findings in the payroll system regarding pension fraud which involved eight persons said to be receiving N330 million annually as pension.

The governor, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this in Owerri, after meeting with the leadership of the state chapters of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, led by Josiah Ugochukwu, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu and Trade Union Congress, TUC, at the Government House in Owerri.

The governor said the findings also included over one thousand pensioners who retired in 1976 but still receiving pension, just as he pointed out that pensioners in the verified database had all been paid upto date except those having issues.

The highlight of the fraud was that 8 persons were earning N330m annually as pension, one of them late, he said.

A retired judge was earning N300,000 monthly above what was due to him as pension and a late SSG to the government was still earning pension, many years after his death.

The good news was that as at yesterday all pensioners in the verified database had been paid up to date while those who had issues with their data would have to resolve them before they can receive payment.

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Akeredolu has been in self-isolation after being confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 a few days ago.

However, the governor, through the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogo, on Friday, said the governor would not hand over to Ajayi, who had left the All Progressives Congress.

But reacting through his media aide, Mr Allen Sowore, on Saturday, Ajayi stated that he had been praying for the quick recovery of the governor but the constitution had to be followed.



Quoting Section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), Sowore said the constitution was apposite in these circumstances, stressing that the constitution must be obeyed after 21 days.

Sowore said, Refusal and failure of Mr Governor to hand over the running of government to his deputy while in self-isolation and temporarily incapacitated would underscore his absolute disregard for the rule of law, 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 tested positive for COVID-19 puts lip service to his hypocritical war against the ravaging pandemic.

Our candid advice is that the energy dissipated to pull down the office and person of the Deputy Governor should be channelled towards resolving the lingering crisis in the health sector, particularly the current strike embarked on by medical practitioners in the state in the middle of this pandemic.

Meanwhile, Akeredolu has refuted a media report allegedly linking him with branded bottles of whiskey as part of his campaign for his re-election for the second term.

The picture of a bottle of whiskey carrying the Ondo State logo and labelled Aketi Whiskey had been trending on social media.

The governor, however, said he knew nothing about the whiskey, alleging that it was a plot by his political detractors to blackmail him.

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Home | News | General | Another batch of 322 Nigerians arrives Lagos from US, authorities reveal their health status

- A fresh batch of Nigerians stranded due to the coronavirus pandemic has arrived Nigeria from the United States and India

- The 322 evacuees from the US arrived at the Lagos international airport on Saturday

- The evacuees from India, numbering 109, also arrived the international airport in Abuja

- The evacuees tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the flight that brought them home

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It is no news that many nationals are stuck in other countries due to the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.

As the federal government continues to evacuate Nigerians stranded in different parts of the world, another batch has arrived from the United States and India.

No fewer than 322 Nigerian returnees arrived from the US at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Saturday, July 4, on an Ethiopian Airline.

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The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), announced their arrival on its official Twitter page.

The commission said all the returnees tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding. They will proceed on 14 days self-isolation, a requirement by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

A total of 322 Nigerian returnees have arrived in the country from the US. Photo Credit: @nidcom_gov Twitter

Source: UGC

The flight departed the US at around 12:45 am on July 4.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of NIDCOM, welcomed the evacuees. On her Twitter page, she wrote: Welcome home from the USA, as we await flight from India in the early hours of tomorrow."

The 109 evacuees from India also arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 7.40pm on an Air Peace flight from India on the same day.

Thirty-five of the evacuees disembarked in Abuja while 74 will proceed to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

All evacuees were also said to have tested negative to COVID-19 and will now proceed on 14 days self-isolation.

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Legit.ng had reported that nine Nigerians, including a family of five, were not evacuated from the US alongside other nationals.

The family of five failed to present COVID-19 test results and were not allowed to check-in while the remaining four presented their results, but they had to be dropped because they were on a family ticket with one of the defaulters.

The negative COVID-19 test result is one of the requirements for evacuation under the Revised Quarantine Protocol of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

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Home | News | General | Former gov, ex-Senate president top list as APC govs, leaders shop for new national chairman

- The APC is in the post-Adam Oshiomhole era as a new caretaker committee is now in charge following the removal of the national chairman

- As it prepares to hold its national convention, the ruling party is shopping for the most worthy candidate that will fill the vacancy

- The ruling party was in June marred by a leadership crisis after the suspension of Oshiomhole as upheld by the court, and two factions later emerged

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With Adams Oshiomhole out of the way, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun searching for a new national chairman.

The party has four months to get a worthy candidate who will fill the position at its national convention that is scheduled to hold in November.

The Nation reports that party sources have hinted that the new chairman might emerge from the south-east region so as to pacify those from the zone who feel marginalised.

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Those spearheading the search are some governors and leaders of the party, including close political associates of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The search for a new national chairman of APC has started. Photo Credit: @OfficialAPCNg Twitter

Source: UGC

There are indications that the south-south may have lost out in the bid to retain the chairmanship position as it has produced two national chairmen of the party, namely Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (South-South) and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (South-South).

On top of the list of those from the south-east being recommended by some governors is Senator Ken Nnamani, a former president of the Senate. Nnamani is a member of the Caretaker Committee of the party.

Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the minister of science and technology, is another person being favoured by some governors. He is a former governor and ex-national chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) which merged with others to form APC.

The source said: Governors and leaders of the party are already considering different names, but the most recurring are Nnamani and Onu."

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According to the source, some party leaders are not in support of giving the APC national chairman slot to the south-east as it is a territory of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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The APC has been embroiled in a leadership crisis following the removal of Oshiomhole as national chairman.

A former governorship candidate in Imo state, Ugumba Uche Nwosu, earlier blamed Oshiomhole for instigating crisis in the ruling party.

According to him, the problem started as a result of the former chairmans leadership style.

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Home | News | General | Kim Kardashian hubby Kanye West declares interest in US presidential race

- If Kanye makes it to the ballot, he may vie as an independent candidate against President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden

- The window for independent candidates to submit their papers to the country's agency is yet to expire in many US states

- Kanye is one of Trump's biggest followers and apart from expressing his support on social media, he has visited the head of state at The White House

- At least 30 aspirants had expressed interest in succeeding Trump but they pulled out of the race and many of them threw their weight behind Joe Biden

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American rapper Kanye West has announced that he will be vying for president in the US election slated for November 3, 2020.

Kanye announced his bid to succeed Donald Trump on Twitter on Saturday, July 4, stating that it was through trusting God that he will be able to catapult America to "realising its promise and building its future".

US rapper Kanye West. Photo: Kanye West.

Source: UGC

If Kanye ends up on the ballot, he will be challenging Trump who is seeking reelection and former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, who is also in the race to The White House.

"We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future.

I am running for president of the United States," the musician said in a statement.

The rapper, who is an ardent supporter of Trump, may run as an independent candidate after filing his papers with the country's poll body.

The timeline for independent candidates to formally enter the race is yet to elapse in many US states.

Earlier in the year, at least 30 candidates (27 Democrats and three Republicans) had expressed interest in the seat but the dropped out of the race. Most of them opted to support Biden.

Joe Biden (r) was US vice president during tenure of Barack Obama (l). Photo: Barack Obama.

Source: UGC

Among those who dropped out is Bernie Sanders, 78, who is a senator from Vermont and Tulsi Gabbard, 39, a Congresswoman from Hawaii.

Biden, 77, is one of Trump's fiercest criticsand has been lashing the president over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic which he described as both casual and careless.

"If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen, he said in an early statement.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Kanye West recently turned 42 on June 8. Here are some of the things you need to know about the rapper.

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Home | News | General | Get your facts right before you be the next to pay millions - Nigerians warn lady accusing BBNaija organiser of asking to sleep with her

- Nigerians are advising Ameera Yusuf to get her facts right before accusing one of the organisers of Big Brother Naija, Olushola Akande

- Yusuf had said Akande asked her to sleep with him to get a slot in the show

- The lady revealed their what went on between them on Twitter while claiming she is bigger than the reality show

A Nigerian lady, Ameera Yusuf, is calling out one of the organisers of the most anticipated reality show in Nigeria, the Big Brother Nigeria on Twitter.

Yusuf took to the microblogging platform to accuse one Olushola Akande of trying to lure her to sleep with her for a place in the forthcoming BBNaija show that is expected to kick off on July 19.

In Yusuf's tweet, she boasted of being bigger than the show, therefore they can start the show without her. She went further to reveal that she has receipts of her allegation, she called the show fake and she said she will expose how they take advantage of people. In ending her tweet, she promised that the show organisers will hear from her.

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See her tweet below:

Lady accuses BBNaija organiser of trying to sleep with her to get on the show. Photo: Twitter/Ameera Yusuf

Source: Twitter

Issues like this are what Nigerians are known to stand up for one another but in the case of Yusuf, it seems she is not getting the desired reactions from people as rather than join her to call out the organisers of BBNaija, they are calling her out.

While other people are telling her to good evidence for her allegation in case the accused decided to take the case up.

The above advice of getting her facts right to Yusuf is on the basis of multiple award-winning artist Dbanj through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, who sued Seyitan Babatayo for the sum of N1.5 billion.

In addition, Seyitan is also expected to make an appearance in court within 30 days failure of which to do so may result in judgment being passed in her absence.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that BBNaija 2018 star, Nina Onyenobi, took to her Instagram page to speak on false abuse accusations.

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Nina said that rape is a very terrible crime that should not be taken lightly. She also said that those who lie about something like rape should be beaten up in a market square followed by a lawsuit and then jail.

The reality star said that such people should stop trying to ruin the lives and reputation of others. Nina also addressed those who took social media rape allegations seriously without a formal trial.

According to her, they are trial by media idiots who need to stop ending peoples lives because someone accused them of something. She said that the accused should have their day in court with real facts being presented.

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Home | News | General | Troops intensify onslaught in North East, eliminate 75 terrorists

File photo

By Kingsley Omonobi  Abuja

Troops of Nigerian Military prosecuting the war against insurgency in the North East theatre have successfully neutralized 75 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists after several deadly confrontations in June just as more than 35 women and children held captive by the terrorists were rescued, the Military disclosed on Sunday.

Also, five Boko Haram criminals and a spy were arrested while seven other criminals including the wives of a local Boko Haram Commander in Adamawa state surrendered.

One Army officer was killed, a soldier was injured in action and several sophisticated weaponry and gun trucks including GPMGs, AA Guns, AK 47 rifles and logistics equipment were captured during the encounters

Making this known in Abuja, Major General John Enenche, Coordinator, Defence Media Operations said, It is evident from recent encounters with Boko Haram/ISWAP that the resilience of the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole is being sustained across the North-East Theater of operation resulting to high BHT/ISWAP casualties on both men and equipment as well as capture or surrendering of some of their fighters.

In their resolve to end BHT/ISWAP menace in the North-East region, between 1  30 June 2020, the gallant troops of Operation Lafiya Dole had a total of 17 encounters with the marauding criminals, neutralizing 75 of them in the process.

The encounters also led to the capture of assorted arms and large cache of ammunition including one Anti-Aircraft Gun, 13 AK 47 Rifles, one Sniper Rifle, 21 locally made guns, 2 Dane guns and one Rocket Propelled Gun.

Others include 3 Hand Grenades, 5 Rocket Propelled Gun bombs, 205 rounds of Anti-Aircraft ammunition, 1018 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition.

Also captured were 2 Boko Haram criminals flags.

In the same vein, one Gun Truck, one Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device, one Toyota Starlet car and several makeshift structures belonging to the terrorists were destroyed by the valiant troops within the period.

Regrettably, one officer paid the supreme price while one soldier was wounded in action.

The wounded personnel has since been evacuated to a military medical facility where he is recuperating.

Equally, 4 BHT/ISWAP criminals including 2 women namely Aishatu Manye and Kelune Mate were captured and later identified to be the wives of the local Boko Haram commander at Gajingi in Madagali LGA of Adamawa State.

Also, the troops arrested one Boko Haram spy named Kawalu during a Jumaat prayer at Michika Central Mosque and one Boko Haram fighter captured in the aftermath of an encounter at Miyanti general area in Bama LGA of Borno State.

The period under review also witnessed 4 surrenders by Boko Haram criminals.

The trio of Mohammed Babagana, Modu Jugudun and Alhaji Usman surrendered to troops of Delta Company at Strong Response Area Pulka in Gwoza LGA of Borno State while one Mustapha Kori surrendered to troops of Army Super Camp 11 Gamboru in Ngala LGA of Borno State.

It is equally heart-warming to note that, during the period, troops rescued 35 captives from the captivity of BHTs/ ISWAP criminals.

Amongst those rescued are 18 women, 16 children and one adult male.

The rescued children were promptly administered with Polio vaccine in line with the Buratai Intervention Initiative while the women were administered with First Aid as required.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai commends the troops for the resilience and patriotism they continue to demonstrate in crushing the remnants of BHTs/ISWAP criminals.

He also urges them to maintain the tempo against the criminals as we approach the end of insurgency in our country.

In a similar vein, the Military High Command encourages the troops of Lafiya Dole to remain resolute in curtailing the activities of terrorists and their collaborators in the North-East zone of the country.

The High Command equally appreciates Nigerians for their support and urges them to continue providing timely information to troops on activities of BHTs/ISWAP collaborators in their respective localities for prompt and effective action.

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Home | News | General | 3 governors, 2 first ladies, other prominent Nigerians who tested positive for COVID-19 last week

From Ondo, to Delta, Ebonyi and Benue states, the ravaging coronavirus appears to be hitting hard at government officials and their families.

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As at Saturday, July 4, Nigeria was said to have 28,167 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Out of that number 11,462 have been discharged while 634 deaths have been recorded so far.

Many have come to the realisation that the virus is not a respecter of status, colour nor religion.

Since Nigeria recorded her first case sometime in February, the federal and state governments have been doing all they can to curb the spread of the virus.

Despite these efforts, the number of cases and casualties has continued to rise on a daily basis.

This past week, the virus hit some government houses as no fewer than three governors, some family members and aides tested positive for COVID-19.

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Some of these people are asymptomatic but have already gone into self-isolation as recommended by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Legit.ng has gathered a list of some of the prominent people who contracted the virus and announced their status in the past week.

1. Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state

Umahi is the latest of such high profile officials to test positive for the virus. The governor made the announcement in a statement on Saturday, July 4, adding that some of his aides have also tested positive. He said he is asymptomatic at the moment, but he has gone into self-isolation.

Umahi announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19

Source: UGC

2. Benue first lady and son

Eunice Ortom, the wife of Governor Samuel Ortom, on Friday, July 3, announced that she has contracted the deadly coronavirus. The Benue first lady said revealed that her son and some staff members also tested positive and have gone into self-isolation.

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Among government officials who tested positive in the state are; the secretary to the Benue state government, Prof. Tony Ijohor, and chief of staff, Terwase Orbunde, Head of Service, Veronica Onyeke, and the deputy vice-chancellor administration, Benue State University, Makurdi, Prof. Godwin Achinge.

3. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, his wife and daughter

Okowa and his wife Edith had gone into isolation after one of their daughters contracted the virus. Days later, the governor announced that he and his wife have gotten back their results and it was positive. He announced the news on his official and verified Twitter page on Wednesday, July 1.

4. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu

The Ondo governor 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. He said at the time of receiving his test result, he was asymptomatic but had since gone into self-isolation.

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5. Osun SSG

Prince Wole Oyebamij, the secretary to the government of Osun state, alongside his staff members, were confirmed COVIDD-19 positive on Tuesday, June 30.

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6. Chief of Staff to Plateau Governor Lalong

Noel Donjur's COVID-19 status was disclosed by the Plateau state commissioner for information and communication, Dan Manjang, on July 1, 2020.

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Home | News | General | Breaking: 238 Nigerians evacuated from Turkey arrive Nigeria, FG reveals their Covid-19 status

- 238 Nigerians have been returned back home amid global Covid-19 crisis

- The returnees' flight landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Sunday

- The repatriated Nigerians tested negative to Covid-19 according to NIDCOM

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238 Nigerians stranded in Turkey have been safely repatriated back to the country on Sunday, July, 5, amid Covid-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world.

According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the returnees' flight landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at exactly 2:45.

In a tweet by the commission announcing the arrival of the returnees, NIDCOM stated that they all tested negative to Covid-19.

They will, however, proceeded into self-isolation according to the protocols and directives of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19.

"238 Evacuees arrive Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl Airport, Abuja at exactly 2:45 pm local time from Turkey today, Sunday, 5th of July, 2020.

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All Evacuees tested Negative to COVID-19 and will now proceed on 14 days SELF-ISOLATION as mandated PTF on COVID-19," NIDCOM said in a tweet.

The returnees' flight landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Sunday.

Source: Depositphotos

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Earlier, Legit.ng had reported that stranded Nigerians in the United States, who have now been repatriated back home, have now begun observing their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of NIDCOM, made this known in a tweet on Sunday evening, May 10.

It would be recalled that amid ravaging Covid-19 crisis, the Nigerians stranded in the United States due the coronavirus lockdown were repatriated back home.

The returnees, whose plane arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 13:45 pm on Friday, May 8, were, however, lifted to Abuja.

Abike Dabiri said they would be quarantined for 14 days in accordance with the protocols of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

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After the completion of their isolation period, they would then be allowed to leave for their destinations while those who exhibit traces of Covid-19 symptoms will be subjected to test and treatment.

In a subsequent tweet on Sunday at 6:40 pm Nigerian time, the Diaspora commission chairman disclosed that the repatriated Nigerians have now begun their compulsory isolation.

She urged Nigerians to wish their brothers well while also praying for the world to scale through the scare of the ravaging pandemic.

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Home | News | General | He was Nigerias first professor of Statistics - Chimamanda Adichie says as she mourns late father

- Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has taken to social media to mourn the death of her father, James Nwoye Adichie

- The celebrated writer shared a touching note on her Instagram page as she explained how much she loves and misses her father

- Adichie revealed that she was heartbroken and that she could not believe she was writing about her father in the past tense

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Death is no doubt a sad reality that everyone has to face. Despite the fact that no soul can escape death, it does nothing to soften the pain of losing a loved one.

Celebrated Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, lost her father on June 10, 2020. The author was no doubt devastated by the terrible news.

On July 4, 2020, Adichie took to her social media pages to share a touching note in remembrance of her father. The Purple Hibiscus author wrote on how she had always feared for the day her father would leave the world and their last moment shared together before it happened.

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Chimamanda Adichie mourns the death of her father.

Source: Facebook

The writer explained how she spoke with her father on their weekly zoom call on June 9 only for him to pass on the next day. Adichie said that she loved her father so fiercely and that she feared for the day he would die.

She wrote: 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 children and I adore him, my mother wrote in a tribute when he was made professor emeritus. 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.

Enjoy the visuals to the hot tune by Bisola - Heartbroken

My heart is broken - Chimamanda Adichie mourns after losing father

Source: Facebook

Adichie said that sleep has been her only respite since her fathers demise and that waking up fills her with the enormity and finality of her fathers passing.

Excerpts from her post reads: We talked almost daily. I sent him my travel itineraries. He would text me just before I got on a stage: Ome ife ukwu! Nothing else mattered to me as much as the pride in his eyes.

I saw him last on March 5th in Abba. I had planned to be back in May. We planned to record his stories of my great grandmother.

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.

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.

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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.

See the post below:

This is so sad. Rest in peace to James Nwoye Adichie.

Only a while ago, the chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, Ibukun Awosika, lost her father, Abdul Moshood Adekola, at the age of 87, on April 20. The top businesswoman and author took to her official Instagram page to share the sad news.

Sharing a young photo of her late father, she wrote a beautiful message of appreciation for all the things he did for her and her siblings while alive. Her father who was a single dad until his death, lost his wife in 2001.

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Home | News | General | Tears as prominent Nigerian monarch dies in Enugu state

- Enugu state has been plunged into mourning

- Samson Ukapbi, the traditional ruler of Okpanku community, has passed away

- The late monarch was the former secretary to the government of Enugu state

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The Okpanku community of Enugu state has been plunged into mourning following the death of the traditional ruler of the town Chief Samson Ukpabi.

According to Daily Sun, the traditional ruler gave up the ghost on Sunday morning, July 5, at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu.

Ukpabi was said to have suddenly passed away after a battle with illness with his death coming barely 24 hours after attending the burial of his nephew.

A former secretary to the Enugu state government, the late monarch was a professor of Military History holding many prominent positions in Nigerian politics before his ascension to the throne.

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Chief Samson Ukpabi who is the former Enugu state SSG is dead. He died on Sunday, July 5, amid Covid-19.

Source: Getty Images

He was the first Provost of Anambra State University of Science and Technology. He was also the provost of the Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu.

He equally served as the rector of Nigerian Defence Academy located in Kaduna state.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Ondo political fraternity has been thrown into mourning following the death of the state commissioner of health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, who died of Covid-19 on Thursday, June 2.

According to reports, Adegbenro has been battling Covid-19 infection over the last few days but efforts of the state health operatives proved futile as the commissioner later gave up the ghost.

Source from the government quarter claimed that the late commissioner died at the Federal Medical Center, Owo, after spending about ten days at the hospital.

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The commissioner's death came barely 48 hours after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu announced through his social media handles that he tested positive to the virus.

Born on June 5, 1955 at Ilara-Mokin in Ifedore local government area of Ondo state, Wahab Oluropo Adegbenro had his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B; B.S) degree from University of Benin, Edo state.

He established Crown Hospital, Akure where he was the chief medical director. He later occupied many political positions before he was appointed the Ondo state commissioner of health, a position he held after managing the state culture and tourism commission.

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Home | News | General | Reactions as man says no reasonable person will marry a lady with multiple ear piercings

- A Nigerian man recently got social media buzzing after he took to Twitter to share his take on multiple ear piercings

- The journalist, Abdulhamied, said that no reasonable man would marry a woman with multiple piercings

- This led to a number of Nigerians sharing their opinions in the comment section of the interesting tweet

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Africa is no doubt a traditional society but a lot of things have changed and things that were previously frowned on have now become accepted.

Gone are the days when most people regarded women who wore leg chains are wayward and women who were outspoken and disrespectful.

However, social media has adequately shown that not everybody is with this new and liberal school of thought.

Just recently, a Nigerian man, Abdulhamied, got people on social media buzzing after he shared his take on women who have multiple piercings.

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According to the young journalist, no reasonable man would marry a woman with more than one piercing.

He wrote: No reasonable man will marry a lady that has more than one ear piercing. Yes i said it.

See his tweet below:

Well, Abdulhamieds tweet got series of interesting reactions on Twitter with people lambasting him and claiming that he was backward. Others said that no reasonable woman would marry a man with his kind of mindset.

Read some reactions below:

@emihlegqola wrote: "What is it about an ear piercing that makes her not good enough for marriage?

Also, most women don't do things to please or to find a husband so I'm pretty sure that all the women who came across your post won't change their minds because of what you think."

Black James Bond tweeted: "Im not a reasonable man thenFace with tears of joyFace with tears of joy We are judging womens decency based on the number of holes on their bodies? Mister, you better crawl out of that cave lest it crushes you. Its 2020."

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See more comments below:

Just recently, Legit.ng reported that a lady took to Twitter to speak on the kind of ladies men do not like to date.

According to Dr Toolz on Twitter, men no longer date lazy, unemployed, broke, demanding and uneducated women.

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Home | News | General | Breaking: Did Chief of Air Staff say Boko Haram will end in 2020? Air Force issues real position

- The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) agrees that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, visited troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole

- The NAF, however, says Abubakar never announced that the Air Force will end Boko Haram in 2020

- The security agency says the comment by Abubakar was aimed at encouraging the personnel fighting insurgency in the north-east

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday, July 5, denied claims linked to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, that the body would completely wipe out Boko Haram insurgency by the end of 2020.

The clarification came in a statement issued by Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force.

The statement said the NAF decided to clarify the position of Air Commodore Daramola's position because of some reports which credited the end of Boko Haram and a definite time period to the service chief, who recently visited the headquarters of Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole.

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The NAF says Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar did not give a specific date to end Boko Haram Credit: NAF

Source: Facebook

"The NAF wishes to state that the above-attributed statement is not a true reflection of what the CAS actually said and therefore constitutes a misrepresentation; hence the need for this clarification," the statement said.

The NAF said the position of CAS was misconstrued by the reports adding that the latter only said tried to encourage the task force when he said the "operation" would end "very soon" as he urged the troops to work towards the date.

"This is typical of visionary leadership which sets goals for its subordinates in order to inspire a redoubling of efforts.

"It is expected that, with this new charge, the ATF, working in synergy with sister Services and other security agencies, will work even more assiduously towards ensuring victory," the statement added.

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Legit.ng had reported how two personnel of the NAF recently contracted the dreaded coronavirus

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The incident was said to have happened in Benue state.

This was contained in a state-wide address by Governor Samuel Ortom on Wednesday, June 4, on the new guidelines for movement and gathering in the state amid coronavirus crisis.

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Home | News | General | Just in: Massive shakeup as NNPC redeploys top management staff

- A massive movement of top management staff of Nigeria's oil firm, NNPC, has been announced

- The shakeup affected a total of six management staff who have been moved to subsidiary firms

- The NNP says the move is in line with the 'next level' agenda of the present government

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) announced a shakeup, which affected mainly top management staff on Sunday, July 5.

The corporation, however, said the redeployment was aimed at repositioning the government-owned oil firm for more efficiency, transparency, and profitability.

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The spokesperson of the oil revenue-generating firm, Kennie Obateru, in a statement in Abuja, explains that the action was in tune with President Muhammadu Buhari's 'next level' agenda.

With the redeployment, Adokiye Tombomieye is moved from Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD) to Upstream as COO.

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Others are:

1. Mohammed Abdulkabir Ahmed, MD of the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC), now COO, Corporate Services.

2. Adeyemi Adetunji, COO of Upstream now to head Ventures and Business Development Directorate.

3. Billy Okoye, MD of the NNPC Retail Limited now Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division.

4. Elizabeth Aliyuda, GM of Sales and Marketing NNPC Retail Limited, now MD of the same company.

5. Usman Farouk, executive director of Asset Management and Technical Services at the NGMC now MD of the same organisation.

Obateru also stated that President Buhari had accepted the resignation of Mr Roland Ewubare, who was the immediate past COO, Ventures and New Business Directorate of the corporation.

He said that the President also accepted the retirement of the immediate past COO, Corporate Services, Mr Farouk Garba, thanking the two former COOs for their meritorious service to the corporation and the nation.

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Obateru quoted the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Malam Mele Kyari, as saying that the new appointments would enable the corporation to live up to the expectation of its shareholders and Nigerians.

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He added that the exercise would give impetus to the ongoing restructuring within the corporation, which is in line with the corporate vision of "Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE)."

Legit.ng earlier reported that the chief operating officer in charge of Joint Ventures and Business Development of the NNPC, Roland Ewubare, resigned.

News of his resignation surfaced on Friday, July 3. The NNPC is yet to issue an official statement on the issue.

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Home | News | General | FLASHBACK: My dream was to own two okadas, one danfo  Hushpuppi

Alleged international fraudster, Ramon Abbas aka Ray Hushpuppi, once said his dream was to own two commercial motorcycles otherwise known as okada and a commercial bus popularly called danfo.

He said this during a live Instagram video with social media influencer, Abisoye Michael, aka Oyemyke in 2018..

Ironically, 13 luxury cars including two Rolls Royce, a Bentley, a Mercedes Benz G Wagon, Ferrari, Maybach, Bugatti and others worth $6.8m (N2.5bn) have been seized from Hushpuppi.

The alleged fraudster, who is in the United States facing charges of money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy, said he grew up in Oworonshoki, a Lagos community of mainly low and middle-income earners.

Oworonshoki is very close to the Third Mainland Bridge that links the highbrow Island to the mainland.

Hushpuppi said the reality on the island was in sharp contrast with that of Oworonshoki and he was determined to make it in life.

He stated that he also intended marrying an amala girl who would own a small restaurant and they would live comfortably.

Responding to a question, he said, I was born in Oworonshoki which is like the tip of the island. It is the place from where you go to the island. Everyone in Oworonshoki was used to the island and most of the people were working on the island. I saw how people lived.

When I started going to the island, I saw that cars we never dreamt of owning in our lives, they were using them to take children to school. I wrote a post that my dream in life before was to have two okadas and one danfo. It was the definition of success to me at one point in my life.

I was only dreaming of God giving me two okadas that would deliver daily payments to me every night then I would have one danfo and date the daughter of an amala seller which would be giving me steady food and she would have her own shop. It used to be our dream at one point in life.

In the interview, Hushpuppi also opened up on his family.

He stated that he put his mum in one of the most expensive hotels in Dubai for several weeks and blessed her with the finest things of life.

He said, My mum has been here in Dubai. She was enjoying one of the most expensive suites they have in one of the best hotels in Dubai. She was lounging every day. She was having the best medical attention in the world but I dont have to tell anybody because this is my family.

These are the people that were there for me before you people tried to come into my life. These are the people who made me, who sent me to school, who always receive me anytime I go to hustle and things dont work out. These are the people I fall back on. They didnt push me away so why should I now expose my mum to the world? I dont have to.

I am even closer to my dad than my mum. My mum is educated but my dad is not really educated. My mum schooled in London. I can bring my mum on the show to speak but my dad cannot really speak English but he is smart.

The code I live by today is based on the advice of my dad. So, my dad has been my guide and backbone.

Hushpuppi risks spending 20 years in a US federal prison if he is found guilty.

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Home | News | General | Ajimobis Fidau Prayer Drama: We Didnt Know Oyo Deputy Governor Will Attend, Spokesperson Reacts

Tunji said the family was not aware that the Deputy Governor would be attending the event.

According to The Nation, the spokesperson to late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Mr Bolaji Tunji has explained the family side of the story in the mild drama that played out at the 8th Day Fidau prayer held in honor the deceased governor..

The Oyo state delegation led by Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, the Head of Service, Amidst Ololade and the Commissioner for land, Mr Abiodun Abdul-Raheem, had arrived the Oluyole venue of the prayers, but could not gain entrance into the venue of the prayers.

But, Tunji said, the family was not aware that the Deputy Governor would be attending the event neither was there any prior arrival of the deputy governors advance protocol team to intimate the family ahead.

He said the event which was planned as a family event held in observance of strict protocol of the NCDC, adding that effort to facilitate the entrance of the deputy Governor proved abortive as soon as the family gets the information on the presence of the Deputy Governor at the Oluyole residence of the deceased governor.

Tunji said in a statement There is the need to clarify the believed presence of the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan at the 8th day prayer of HE Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the immediate past Governor of Oyo State.

The Deputy Governor arrived after the prayer had started. The event was strictly a family affair.

There was a need to comply with the Covid-19 protocol as established by NCDC  Social distancing, not more than 30 people in a place and seats arranged, accordingly. After which the gate was shut.

No one was aware that the Deputy Governor was coming as neither the advance team nor the protocol informed us.

By the time we got to the gate to usher him into the sitting room, he had left. Everything happened within a spate of 10mins.

Through a serving Senator and a former Attorney General we tried to get in touch with him that it was not to slight him and he could sit in a private sitting room provided by the family. Unfortunately, he had left. We however apologise to his Excellency.

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Home | News | General | Drama as Oyo deputy governor denied access to Ajimobis Fidau

Olaniyan arrived the residence at about 11:20 am in a convoy of five vehicles but was denied access to the eighth day fidau prayers holding in the compound.

According to The Nation, there was a miild drama on Sunday at the Oluyole, Ibadan residence of the former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, when the state deputy governor Rauf Olaniyan was denied access to the eighth day fidau prayers holding in the compound..

The family had announced the fidau prayer as a private programme, urging the public to watch through virtual channels including Zoom, YouTube and Facebook.

Olaniyan arrived the residence at about 11:20 am in a convoy of five vehicles. On getting to the gate of the road leading to Ajimobis residence, the convoy was stopped by policemen and members of other security agencies manning the gate. They insisted that only the deputy governors vehicle could be allowed into the street to join the prayer.

The deputy governors security details initially rebuffed the idea but when their argument was degenerating, a senior policeman intervened and they eventually agreed that only the deputy governors vehicle should go in.

But on getting to Ajimobis house, the gate was also locked. The deputy governors aides introduced their principal but they were told that the gate had been locked, and that Mrs Ajimobi was in possession of the key. Olaniyan waited, believing that the issue would be sorted in no time.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, however, without any positive development, Olaniyan left the residence.

Prayers were still ongoing as at press time.

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Home | World | Africa | Chamisa speaks on 'next steps' via online rally

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa will today speak on the direction his party will take in the wake of a fierce battle for control of the country's opposition party.

Chamisa has been under pressure to spell out the MDC Alliance's response after the party was stripped of its legislators by a rival faction led by Thokozani Khupe.

Khupe, who was installed as the MDC-T's interim leader pending an extraordinary congress by a Supreme Court ruling early this year, is also gunning for the party's assets.

The faction last month took over the party's headquarters in Harare and has been recalling legislators loyal to Chamisa.

MDC Alliance has also been under pressure to pronounce its position on demonstrations being planned by activists to protest against the deteriorating economic situation in the country on July 31.

Chamisa told The Standard yesterday that he would address his supporters on the issues through a "virtual rally" this afternoon.

"We will address the issues and give direction," he said. "We will talk about the economy, the people's welfare, direction in the party and how we will go forward.

"We will provide the bread during that rally."

Amos Chibaya, the MDC Alliance organising secretary, said they were preparing to host "millions of people" through the virtual rally.

The party opted for a virtual meeting because lockdown restrictions imposed to slow down the spread of coronavirus bar gatherings of more than 50 people.

Chibaya said the "rally" would also target Zimbabweans in the diaspora.

"We have done enough publicity as the organising department regarding our erally to be addressed by the people's president Advocate Nelson Chamisa (today) at 2pm," he said.

"The rally will be live on our official social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp.

"We are expecting millions to tune in and be part of the e-rally."

Clifford Hlatshwayo, the MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson, said the meeting would give the party supporters direction.

"This is the first one of its kind in Zimbabwe.

"It comes at a time when the national crisis is deepening and the so-called government leaders are fuelling the downfall of the economy," he said.

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TWO vocal unionists representing rural teachers in Zimbabwe have not been paid for almost two years after the government froze their salaries after they took part in last year's protests against a steep increase in the price of fuel.

Obert Masaraure, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president, and the union's secretary-general, Robson Chere, continue providing their services despite the salary freeze.

Masaraure said his ordeal started on January 18, 2019 when he was allegedly abducted by state operatives and consequently failed to report for duty. His salary was immediately stopped.

"During my abduction, the state security operatives severely tortured me and later dumped me at Harare Central Police Station," Masaraure said.

"I was charged with subverting a constitutionally elected government.

"The charge emanated from my alleged role in organising protests staged from 14 to 16 January 2019.

"I spent 16 days in remand prison and was later released on bail. Upon my release, I learnt that my salary had been ceased by my employer.

"This was cruel as I had communicated my ordeal to my supervisor, who is the school headmaster.

"The same state, which had abducted me, tortured me, falsely accused me and thrown me into prison, was now accusing me of being absent from my workplace."

Masaraure said he was later advised that the outstanding salary would soon be paid, but that did not happen.

"Eighteen months on, they still claim that they are processing my salary," he said.

Chere also narrated a similar ordeal.

"I was abducted by state security agents in Arcturus last year during the January national shutdown which was called by ZCTU. I was later dumped at Goromonzi Police Station where some charges were preferred against me.

"I was denied bail by Goromonzi magistrate Felistas Chakanyuka, so as a result I was detained at the notorious Goromonzi Prison for 16 days before being acquitted of all the three charges.

"I then returned to my work station at Arcturus High School only to find that my salary had been ceased.

"Some few weeks later, I was given a Public Service charge letter with misconduct allegations emanating from the incident of my abduction."

Chere said a disciplinary hearing was conducted in September 2019 and on January 14 this year, he was transferred to Dimbe Secondary School. He was also fined $200, but he is yet to receive his salary.

"I have been forced to withdraw my daughter from boarding school because I could no longer afford the fees," Masaraure said.

"We have been surviving on the meagre earnings of my wife. We live in want of basics like food, clean water and healthcare, among other basics.

"We have failed to take care of our extended family who traditionally relied on us for support."

Both Masaraure and Chere say the authorities have been citing bureaucratic procedures as reasons for the delays in unfreezing their salaries, but believe they are being victimised for their work as union leaders.

The duo's lawyer Doug Coltart said the government made a commitment to pay his clients in March.

"We signed a deed of settlement with relevant authorities in March this year for the unfreezing of those salaries," Coltart said.

"But up to now, nothing has happened. "We are now going to approach the High Court so that the deed of settlement becomes a court order."

Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Patrick Dzumbu said they would help the two to get their salaries.

"As a ministry, we are not victimising the two at all," Dzumbu said.

"The issue is being handled by the Civil Service Commission and Treasury. We will try to help so their salaries are unfrozen."

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Home | World | Africa | Jostling for posts divides Khupe's party

INFIGHTING has erupted in the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe a few months after the faction found new life following a Supreme Court ruling that reinstated the former deputy prime minister as leader of the party founded by Morgan Tsvangirai.

Khupe's party is preparing for its July 31 congress where a substantive leader for the party will be elected.

The former Makokoba MP is likely to face acting secretary general Douglas Mwonzora, acting chairman Morgen Komichi, former Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri and ex-legislator Gift Chimanikire in the contest for the party's top leadership position.

Three camps have since emerged in the party with two supporting either Mwonzora or Khupe for the presidency while another wants MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to be roped in.

Khupe and Mwonzora, have however, emerged as the major contenders so far.

The intense jockeying has divided the party and the divisions came to the fore recently when Khupe and Mwonzora clashed over the recall of MDC Alliance senators.

Khupe last week recalled eight MDC Alliance senators for refusing to ditch Chamisa, bringing the number of legislators that have lost their seats due to the infighting to 21.

A few days later Mwonzora wrote to the party's national council accusing it of providing him with false information that led to the recalling of Matabeleland North senator Phyllis Ndlovu.

He indicated that he would be reversing the recall.

"The national standing committee ordered me to file a notice of recall of various members of Senate," Mwonzora said in the letter obtained by The Standard.

"I duly submitted the list to the Senate.

"Unfortunately regarding senator Phyllis Ndlovu there was certain information that was not brought to my attention.

"A crucial procedure had been omitted regarding her recall."

Mwonzora's backers now accuse Khupe of using the recalls to settle personal scores.

They cited the expulsion of Bulawayo senator Gideon Shoko, who has a child with Khupe, and former proportional representation MP Thabita Khumalo.

Khupe, Shoko and Khumalo are said to have personal differences that started during their time at the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

"Khupe is wreaking havoc in Matabeleland and there is no stopping her, the vengeance is a ruthless objective, which has left Mwonzora in a Catch-22 situation," said a source.

"Either way, he is damned. If he recalls more legislators, his image is soiled; and if he refuses to act on Khupe's orders, he might face disciplinary action."

Khupe has also positioned her allies in strategic positions to checkmate Mwonzora, the insiders said.

The former deputy prime minister brought in Khaliphani Phugeni as the party's deputy spokesperson, while her long-time ally Chief Ndlovu was coopted into the standing committee.

"Khupe is replacing people who remained with the party with those she was with when she formed a new party," said a senior MDC-T official.

"Her allies have been given top positions in the party.

"It is cruel and careless." Mwonzora's supporters, including one Fungai Chiposi who lost in MDC Alliance primary elections for a Harare council seat, have been openly campaigning for him on social media for the party's presidency.

The Manicaland senator has declared his interest in the top position.

"It is up to the delegates who are supposed to do a nomination, then after that a normal election," Mwonzora said.

"If they are to give me honour, I will be able to serve in that office, it is because I have always been fighting for democracy."

Abedingo Bhebhe, the party's organising secretary, warned that the recalling of legislators could derail the MDC-T congress.

Bhebhe told the latest MDC-T standing committee meeting that over 2 000 delegates eligible to vote at the congress were backing Chamisa.

He said the ongoing purges could make it difficult for the congress to get a quorum.

It is believed that some of Khupe's backers now even believe that they are better off working with Chamisa than Mwonzora, whom they accuse of using Machiavellian tactics to position himself ahead of the congress.

The group is said to be pushing for dialogue with the MDC Alliance leader, who has so far refused to take part in the MDC-T processes.

MDC-T claims there are 1 050 delegates aligned to Chamisa who are plotting to disrupt the congress and plans are afoot to block them from attending the event.

Khupe's backers accuse Mwonzora of recruiting 15 people that are stationed at Harvest House to allegedly manipulate records for delegates that will vote at the congress.

"We have about 15 men in the building and most of them have never gone out since we took over our headquarters," a senior party official claimed.

"There was an incident recently when one of our senior officials walked into a room where two of the unidentified men panicked and immediately shut down their machines, hiding whatever they were working on."

The official added: "This has raised suspicions within the party about the real identity of these men.

"The strongest suspicion is that there is someone controlling them."

Phugeni, however, said he was not aware of the 15 people or their mission at the party headquarters.

"The accusation is grave if it is to be proven," he said.

"There are a lot of young people doing a lot of security work there, as you know, because of the contestations.

"The court has since resolved that matter, but you have to know that a lot of young people are strategically stationed there."

Khupe's group was accused of seizing the party headquarters in Harare with the help of the military last month.

Phungeni also refuted allegations of divisions between Khupe and Mwonzora triggered by the recalling of MDC Alliance legislators.

"The party does the recalls, not individuals, and, therefore, it is unfair and untrue that the acting president is targeting anyone," he said.

"The other issue of bringing our children into our political discourse is a new low, which I wouldn't dignify with a comment," Phugeni added, referring to Shoko and Khupe.

He said there were people that were trying to tarnish Mwonzora's image by potraying him as a violent and power-hungry politician.

Fadzayi Mahere, the MDC Alliance spokesperson, said her party had nothing to do with the alleged divisions in Khupe's faction.

"The recalls of MDC Alliance senators, proportional representation legislators, constituency MPs and councillors are unlawful, irregular and criminal," Mahere said.

"It is a desperate act of showboating by Zanu-PF and Mwonzora designed to distract attention from the national crisis and entrench a one-party state.

"It has nothing to do with improving the lives of the people and everything to do with their personal political ambitions.

"The MDC Alliance remains focused on fighting for better livelihoods for Zimbabweans who are suffering at the hands of a looting, corrupt government."

Chamisa mantains that Khupe and Mwonzora are backed by Zanu-PF to destabilise the opposition, an accusation the two have dismissed as untrue.

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DONALD Trump is a liar when he claims that his unbridled dictatorship owes its currency through God's appointment. Trump declared recently that he is the most powerful president of the United States by God's appointment.

Trump was elected by the league of the apostate who (in the end time) will declare war against "the prince of the kings of the earth" (see Revelations 1 v 4-8). The 10 horns of Rev. 17:1214 represent Kingdoms or rulers that will arise and declare war against the Lamb, the son of God. These kings will agree with the woman (church) who rides on the beast with seven heads and 10 horns. In Bible prophecy, the woman represents the Papacy and the 10 horns represent rulers to come. The world already knows the identity of the 10 rulers which will emerge, but will be dominated by a triumvirate of military power, financial power and religious power under the New World Order.

This triumvirate will unleash disorder on an unprecedented scale. Since we accept that God is God of order, the world would be ill-advised (even foolish) if it ignored the evidence of impending disorder to reconcile itself to God. God calls on His created beings to come out of apostate "Babylon" represented by disobedient humanity. He calls on each one of us to reconcile ourselves to the loving Creator.

Trump has asserted that the 75-year-old white man who suffered concussion after being rudely pushed by a policeman, causing him to hit the ground on the back on his head, was a setup. Trump's bloodthirsty cynicism is unique in the history of mankind.

I'm going to disappoint my secular readers this week by turning to the Bible to explain Trump's non-conformist disposition in the context of world affairs today and how history can be explained as we approach the New World Order which (Bible prophecy asserts) could begin in 2030

Both the rulers in the New World Order promise to be a New World Disorder. This calamitous event will ride roughshod on ideals of democracy. The God of order will not allow disorder to prevail.

Apostle John was on the Island of Patmos when he was given a vision of the history of the world from AD 31 to the end time. He was told to warn the world by writing letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Bible prophecy tells us that each church represents a period in the history of the world and what will happen in each period.

The history of the world tells us what happened during the Dark Ages testifying for Jesus Christ in Matthew 24. The book of Revelation gives a chilling convergence with what shall happen when the New World Order becomes an institution in the affairs of the world and the timeline for this is 2030 when the New World Order is expected to begin. After that, God will take control to bring order to the universe.

Without saying 2030 will mark the end of the world as we know it, all I'm saying is that the church of Laodicea to which John wrote his last letter of warning marks "the judging of the people" otherwise known as the end time.

Anyone who accepts that there will be a judgement of the people of the universe at the end of time, the apparent coincidence of the "judgement of the people" with the possible/apparent beginning of the New World Order in 2030 is (if you like) chilling indeed and can only be ignored by those who do not believe in the existence of the God of order.

In the world of secularism there are many of those who are saying Trump will lose the race for the White House to the Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden next November. This conclusion is derived from the widespread condemnation of Trump following the murder of George Floyd by a white policeman. I don't share in this conclusion because God allowed Lucifer to murder His sinless son Jesus Christ because God is just.

The worldwide condemnation of the murder and Trump's display of cynicism in the face of worldwide condemnation of the racially profiled murder will dissipate like a three-day wonder. Because white voters in the United States want Trump, he will continue to remain defiant, tearing up every international agreement signed by his predecessors. This will continue to boost the racist ego of most white voters in the United States.

When Lucifer sinned and set in motion a great controversy, God allowed him to live and deceive you and me so that sinful humanity can prove how much we love God. If God had dispensed with the devil for challenging Him, humanity would have lost our only opportunity to show our love for the Almighty. God allowed all of us the freedom of choice. He will allow Trump to win next November because Bible prophecy must prevail over our political preferences.

Trump, however, is wrong against the claims that his unbridled power came from God. God did not blot the deceiver because God's plan of salvation was not based on coercion, but on preferences. Those who prefer God against the deceiver will be saved. So the devil was allowed freedom to deceive us to give us freedom of choice.

His preservation became an acid test for us to show our love for God. His preservation was the only element for us to demonstrate our liberty to choose between God and the deceiver. This also became the only instrument to prove the sanctity of Bible prophecy.

God is omnipotent. Trump is being allowed to blaspheme while he holds the devil's power. Sooner rather than later, Trump will be whimpering for mercy before God Almighty.

In the progression towards the New World Order or end time, God will allow full throttle to wrongdoing. He will not interfere to please Biden or you and me who are dead set against Trump. The US has under successive presidents committed crimes against humanity in many parts of the world. Why should God step in and make Trump lose to please the secular who do not read the Bible to find out when the end time can be expected?

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Jonathan Maphenduka contact 263 772 332 404.
Home | World | Africa | MDC, the architects of Zimbabwe's misery

UNINFORMED Zimbabweans have continuously blamed Government for the current economic meltdown. For almost two decades, some sections of the society have continued to point fingers at the Government for failing the economy.

Leading the pack of Government accusers are members of the opposition political parties, particularly the MDC and some civic society activists, who choose to have selective amnesia to the role they played in the destruction of the country's economy.

This article is not going to deny the existence of economic challenges but the article is premised on exposing the genesis of our problems and identify the culprits who are sabotaging our economy to this day. To start with, the architect of Zimbabwe's problems is not the Government and can never be the Government.

Since 1980, the Government of Zimbabwe has been for the people as evidenced by the various policies and programmes that were meant to stimulate the economy and improve people's lives. My dear reader will recall some noble policies such as education for all, health for all, land for all, economic empowerment for all, to mention but a few, which the Government pursued to change lives of its people.

Notwithstanding that all these policies and programmes that were meant to better people's lives were hampered by a group of saboteurs who went around the globe bad-mouthing the country and worked in cahoots with our detractors to bring down a Zanu-PF Government at whatever cost.

This dear reader was the turning point to the fortunes of the country and its populace.

1999, the year the "devil" was born

The genesis of the country's problems can be traced back to July 1999 when the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was officially launched. The MDC was created to oppose whatever the Government was doing. To make matters worse, the MDC was foreign funded and it was being handled by the West on what political steps it should take to the detriment of our great nation.

This resulted in most of its modus operandi being unAfrican and unZimbabwe as they were pushing the agenda and interests of their handlers. For instance, in its first year of formation, the MDC vehemently attacked and castigated the land reform programme. To the MDC, it was good and plausible for whites to have vast pieces of land while Zimbabweans were congregated in rocky and non-arable areas.

It's general knowledge that Zimbabwe's economy is hinged on agriculture.

The MDC went on a crusade painting a picture that black farmers were inferior to their white counterparts. On several occasions MDC parroted their paymaster's sentiments that land should be returned to the whites because they were better farmers compared to blacks.

It became clear then that by opposing the land reform programme, which Zimbabweans fought for in a protracted liberation war, the MDC was never for the people, hence its strategy of burning down the house to kill a mouse.

Sanctions and Suffering Of ZimbabweansIt's a known fact that some of the challenges bedevilling our nation are because of sanctions imposed by the Western countries after the MDC lobbied and begged for them. These sanctions have caused untold suffering to the people of Zimbabwe as they are meant to isolate Zimbabwe from the international community, which they managed to do until the Second Republic embarked on a re-engagement exercise.

Dear reader, remember that in January 2002, the late leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, called on South Africa to cut off fuel and close the border to Zimbabwe in order to deal with Zanu-PF. Tsvangirai was quoted saying, "I think SA will have to go it alone and do something effective on the ground, and South Africa should say, OK, under those circumstances we are going to cut fuel, we are going to cut transport links."

Since then, the MDC has to date pursued the "burn it to the ground" motto, despite the massive suffering it has wrought many a Zimbabweans. In August 2018, the unrepentant MDC Alliance Vice-President Tendai Biti, in an interview with the Daily Maverick declared that "the international community is not going to be fooled by this madness. We will make sure they (Zimbabwe) don't get a cent."

Biti's statement was just a reflection of the entire MDC leadership mentality that wants Zimbabwe to be starved of international financial assistance, to perpetuate the narrative that the Zimbabwean Government has failed. To show that the MDC is anti-Zimbabwe and unremorseful of their part in destroying the economy, at a time when the country is grappling with devastating effects of Covid-19, that party's officials are working flat out to ensure that Zimbabwe does not get assistance from international lenders such as the World Bank.

In a leaked letter that was written by Biti to the World Bank Group president, Mr David Malpass on May 21 this year, the opposition official pleaded with the international lending institution not to extend any loan to the Government of Zimbabwe.

This is the calibre of the opposition we have in Zimbabwe. The opposition that wants to be on the presidential throne through the suffering of the masses. To them, the plight of the Zimbabweans does not matter as long as they set their foot at State House.

Fake abductions and tarnishing of Zim's image

The MDC are not tiring in their quest to tarnish the country's image so that it can be declared a high risk for investors to do business in Zimbabwe. Recently, the MDC has reactivated their nefarious operations of tarnishing the country's image through stage-managed abductions.

The alleged abduction of Netsai Marowa, Cecilia Chimbiri and Joanna Mamombe was a calculated move meant to attract the attention of the international community. In a well-choreographed manner, whenever there are incidences of these alleged kidnapping and abductions, the MDC social media trolls are quick to tag the Western Embassies and other foreign dignitaries so that they will depict Zimbabwe as pariah state that should be shunned in all business dealings.

Thank God that one of the MDC insiders, Tapiwa Mashakada, recently confessed that the MDC is in a habit of stage managing abductions to score cheap political goals. We hope Mashakada's confession will make the Western countries not to believe whatever they hear from the MDC as it is nothing but stage-managed events to tarnish the country.

Dear reader, I will not say much about how the MDC always staged unsanctioned demonstrations to cause chaos in the country. I will also not mention how the MDC are working clandestinely to sabotage all Government efforts of reviving the economy. I will not also remind you dear reader of how Chamisa's statement of "Kudira jecha" and recently Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet (Communications) alluded to "a clear nexus between runaway market activities and runaway opposition politics . . . all to create a generalised instability which have the effect of creating disenchantment on the part of government". Yes, the opposition party has misguided foreign nations who are willing to cause this mayhem so as to elicit demonstrations.

History will judge the MDC party harshly for being used as Western puppets to cause suffering to their fellow countrymen, but in the meanwhile, the country needs its own version of the United States' Patriot Act to bring to book all those who continue to sabotage our motherland with impunity.

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Home | World | Africa | 'Chamisa, Mnangagwa failing Zimbabwe awfully'

Former Zanu-PF youth leader Godfrey Tsenengamu has reiterated that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa are failing Zimbabweans badly by not ending their feud and putting the nation's interests first.

Tsenengamu - who now leads the anti-corruption pressure group, Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (Feez) - accused Mnangagwa and Chamisa of pursuing selfish interests at the expense of the country.

"At first I thought the failure (by Mnangagwa and Chamisa to dialogue) was because of some hardliners in both parties, but now it seems it is just because of the egos and arrogance of the leaders.

"They want to continue to score cheap points against each other. I blame both for their political grandstanding at one point or the other.

"They are proving to be selfish and uncaring for the suffering masses," Tsenengamu let rip.

"I thought that they were going to put Zimbabwe first, but it seems their personal and party interests come first before Zimbabweans.

"I believe that both may at some point look back with regret at the chances they so abused. It is just a matter of time. We are a divided and polarised people who subscribe to toxic politics, which is characterised by hate, vengeance, insults and mistrust.

"Zimbabwe now requires leaders more than politicians and leaders are in short supply," Tsenengamu further told the Daily News On Sunday.

"Those supposedly in leadership across the political divide continue to want to score cheap points against one another and it is very sad and unfortunate.

Godfrey Tsenengamu

"I believe in unity and oneness. Unity is power. As far as I know, Zanu-PF can do without the MDC and the MDC can do without Zanu-PF. But Zimbabwe can't do without all her children. Unfortunately, our leaders don't see it that way," the fearless Tsenengamu added.

This comes as both Mnangagwa and Chamisa have previously said that they were open to dialogue, although nothing concrete has happened - primarily because of differences over the form and platform on which the talks should take place.

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Home | World | Africa | Biti dismiss sanctions document

THE United Kingdom (UK) has dissociated itself from a letter allegedly written by their former Defence minister Geoffrey William Hoon, which fingers MDC vice president Tendai Biti and treasurer David Coltart for helping the UK draft the European country's document on sanctions against Zimbabwe.

The letter, dated November 12, 2001 and has been circulating on social media, also stated that the MDC would never get into power once they failed to win the 2005 elections.

The UK embassy in Harare told the Daily News on Sunday that their government had nothing to do with the letter."It has been brought to our attention that a photo is being shared online pretending to show a UK government document from 2001. This document is a fake and should be dismissed as such," the embassy said.

"If the MDC does not win the next presidential election or 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.

"I have received communication from  Morgan Tsvangirai's party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and these are my recommendations. That we immediately disengage (the late former President Robert) Mugabe's government and lobby the EU to take a common position on sanctions. High Commissioner Brian Donnelly has met with  Tsvangirai, Tendai Laxton Biti, and David Coltart, the latter two are lawyers who are assisting in the drafting of the sanctions document and are giving great insights on what our role should be in the upcoming 2002 presidential elections.

"We should mobilise the civic movement in the country for civil disobedience if Mr Mugabe wins in the 2002 presidential elections."

However, Biti and Coltart dismissed the allegations, blaming Zanu-PF supporters for conjuring up and circulating the fake letter.

"The regime has gone absolutely bonkers & desperate. Fake news and fake letters have now become the new norm. This is Emmerson writ large. Over the years he has cut his teeth manufacturing evidence, planting arms, smearing opponents. He is crude, ruthless but structurally dull," Biti said.

Coltart wrote on his Twitter account that the letter is the work of their enemies.

"The attached 'letter' has been put out by Zanu-PF trolls, otherwise known in Zimbabwe as Varakashi. The entire letter is fake and its allegations are also baseless and false. That people would go to such extraordinary lengths to fabricate such nonsense shows their desperation," Coltart said.

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Home | World | Africa | Chamisa belittles Nehanda statue

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Nelson Chamisa has lambasted President Mnangagwa's government for erecting a memorial statue for Mbuya Nehanda in Harare.

Chamisa said the building of the statue shows that Mnangagwa's government is wired wrongly. CHamisa said they (MDC-Alliance) do not worship the dead.

Mnangagwa's government claims that the statue is in honour of her heroic rebellion against colonialism in which she paid the ultimate price by being hanged.

She was hanged on April 27, 1902.

The memorial statue is being erected at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way.

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Home | World | Africa | Bulawayo councillors happy over city's cleanliness

Bulawayo City Councillors have expressed happiness over the city centre's cleanliness following the removal of informal traders in the city centre during the Covid-19 lockdown.

This is revealed in the latest council minutes.

"Councillor Mlandu Ncube noted with appreciation the cleanliness of the City during the total national lockdown. Residents should been encouraged to maintain such cleanliness in the City when businesses were fully operational. Councillor S. Chigora concurred," reads the minutes.

"The City was very clean during the national total lockdown. The process of decongesting and reallocation of vending bays was progressing slowly. Illegal vendors and vending activities were resurfacing along 5th Avenue."

The minutes state that as such, relevant enforcements of vending by-laws should be done. Alderman Clayton Zana supported the enforcements of relevant vending by-laws in the City Centre.

"Council staff should be on the ground to prevent the commencing of illegal vending activities. The preparation and allocation of vending bays should be expedited. Councillor Felix Mhaka was concerned about public transport in the city as ZUPCO was overwhelmed," reads the minutes.

"There were very long queues of residents waiting for the few ZUPCO buses that carried limited passengers. Social distancing was not being observed. He was of the view that other transport organizations be allowed to carry passengers' inline with the new regulations. Councillor Rodney Jele enquired on the disinfection of some areas of the City."

The minutes state that Alderman Norman Hlabani wanted to know if there were plans in place for the disinfection of the boreholes.

"Councillor Sikhululekile Moyo noted that Statutory Instrument S.I 83 of 2020was encouraging residents to stay at home and avoid unnecessary movements," reads the minutes.

"Vending application forms were being processed and allocations would be done soon. The Bulawayo public transport policy would be looked into to align with the new public transport regulations. Councillor Mlalazi explained that the City was very clean in the first days of the National lockdown."

The minutes state that taking farm produce to residential areas would not only decongest the CBD but also benefit residents. ZUPCO was currently overwhelmed.

"Introduction of other players would alleviate the current situation. Once spraying chemicals were procured, disinfection activities would continue in all parts of the city. The Mayor (Councillor Solomon Mguni) advised that the City had a public transport policy. ZUPCO was introduced by Central Government during theNational Lockdown. Engagements would be done with Central Government to consider other public transport operators," reads the minutes.

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Zimbabwe is in humanitarian meltdown; cases of corrupt officials and torture of citizens have become the talk of the day. The once breadbasket of Southern Africa has been reduced to begging for food aid from the international community.

Corrupt governance and mismanagement of government funds has exacerbated the current humanitarian crisis in the country.

As the national crisis continues to deepen in Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa and his ZANU PF administration remain clueless. Instead of focusing on reviving the economy, they are busy pointing fingers on the opposition and working tirelessly to dismantle the MDC Alliance.

Citizen driven protests in Mbare and Goromonzi are outcries from the Zimbabweans populace. Zimbabweans have endured four painful decades under the ZANU PF administration.

After the recent protests in Goromonzi, an MDC Alliance activist and Youth Chair Davison Chamisa was targeted, abducted, tortured and left for dead in Norton.

How can these things be happening in a democracy? Citizens expressing their disgruntlement is no grounds for torture. The Zimbabwean constitution provides its citizen with the right to freedom of expression, and freedom of expression includes these peaceful demonstrations.

"These abductions are an attempt to silence and intimidate the opposition and citizens from speaking against the national crisis", said Advocate Fadzayi Mahere

Mahere issued a statement on behalf of MDC Alliance in which she was strongly condemning these abductions and abuse of protestors.

"As the MDC Alliance we condemn the continued torture and abduction of our members", said Mahere.

Legislator Joanna Mamombe, youth leaders Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova were the first victims. This has been followed by several cases of abductions and torture of activists within the country.

The most worrying thing is the way in which these cases are going unaccounted for. The law enforcers are turning a blind eye to all these inhuman acts. The global community seems to have turned a deaf ear to the current crisis in Zimbabwe.

These abductions and torture will continue to take place as the perpetrators are now aware that they can get away with it. The local law enforcers save their masters; it is time for external intervention.

Zimbabwean citizens are protesting about the hunger and suffering within the country. The government should be working on providing solutions to the problems which their citizenry is facing.

Suffering have been exacerbated by a corrupt political system. Government official continue to plunder from the government coffers, and they are never brought to justice.

A recent case to take note of, is the case of ZANU PF Health Minister Obadiah Moyo who was involved in illegal dealing in the procurement of coronavirus tests and equipment.

The Minister was granted bail, but it is rare for such charges to stick especially when the case involves a high-profile cabinet minister.

Corruption by government officials has crippled the Zimbabwean economy and it has resulted in endless industrial actions from workers.

Nurses, doctors and other civil servants are always protesting poor working conditions and the Emmerson Mnangagwa led administration always points a finger on the opposition political party for all the problems being faced in the country.

The reality of it all, and the root cause of all the problems which Zimbabweans are facing now are as a result of corrupt leadership and poor governance.

Government office bearers should be held accountable for their actions. Politicians should accept criticism and work on improving were they are falling short.

Abductions and torture are not the solutions. There will come a time when everyone will be fed up with the corrupt system and no one will be intimidated by abductions.

Corruption has always been an issue in Zimbabwe and since Mnangagwa came to power, there has been many high-profile corruption cases, but many, if not all have ended in acquittals.

A time when torture and abductions will no longer intimidate the citizens will come and Zimbabweans will stand up for what is right.
The Free Clinic of Central Virginia is the inaugural grant recipient of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundations Century Fund. The $100,000 award will partially fund an expansion and renovation of the Free Clinics facility at 1016 Main St. in downtown Lynchburg.

The renovation will help the Free Clinic meet the growing need for affordable, comprehensive healthcare for uninsured adults in Lynchburg and the surrounding counties by allowing significant expansion of services, especially in the areas of behavioral health and patient education. The Main Street facility will remain open during the renovation, ensuring uninterrupted access to healthcare.

Christina Delzingaro, CEO of the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, said, We are truly grateful to the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation and to the individual donors whose support has made the Century Fund possible. At a time when healthcare needs and economic inequities are heightened, we stand in the gap to ensure that high-quality healthcare, dental care, and mental health care are accessible to every member of the Central Virginia community.
Beijing said on Friday that it will take necessary measures to uphold the legitimate rights of its businesses in India after New Delhi announced the exclusion of Chinese companies' participation in highway projects and additional scrutiny of imports from China.

Artificial impediments to bilateral cooperation violate the rules of the World Trade Organization and harm India's interests, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a daily news briefing on Friday.

Pragmatic cooperation between China and India is mutually beneficial, Zhao said, and called for the two countries to meet each other halfway and jointly safeguard bilateral ties.

The measures taken by India came after a clash between Chinese and Indian troops at the border area in the Galwan Valley on June 15. The two neighbors have been locked in a tense border situation since May. India also announced earlier this week a ban on 59 Chinese apps citing "sovereignty and integrity" concerns.

The two nations have held three commander-level talks between their militaries to deal with the border tension. The latest one was held on Tuesday.

"India should avoid strategic misjudgments on China," Zhao said, adding that he hopes that the two countries can enhance communication and coordination on the proper handling of the border situation through diplomatic and military channels and ensure peace and stability in the region.

As two major developing countries, economic development and national rejuvenation are shared missions for both sides, he said.

Therefore, mutual respect and support is the right thing to do and also fits into the long-term interests of both countries, while suspicion and friction are wrong paths and go against the aspiration of the two peoples, Zhao added.

In response to a question about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Ladakh region in the border area on Friday, Zhao said both sides shouldn't take any actions that could further complicate the situation.
The Trump administration filed a brief June 25 in the Supreme Court, saying the entire ACA must fall because Congress in 2017 eliminated the financial penalty for those who fail to buy health insurance.

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are surging around the country, and hospitals in some states are filling up. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Tuesday the number of cases could soon jump from 40,000 per day now to 100,000 per day.

Fortunately, Obamacare remains in place. About half a million people have signed up for coverage in special enrollments as theyve lost their jobs and their health insurance.

The court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas in October at the earliest, so Obamacare could loom large just before the election. A ruling is expected by next spring or early summer.

Democratic candidates who rode the health care horse to victory in 2018, gaining control of the House, are saddling up again. The House on Tuesday approved an Obamacare expansion in a vote largely along party lines. It was symbolic as the measure is dead in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Trump has shown clearly that his desire for illegal help from the Russians (who, according to all of our nations intelligence agencies, intervened to help him win in 2016) outweighs any concerns about protecting the heart of our constitutional democracy.

In addition, the impeachment process proved beyond any doubt that Trump was willing to sacrifice the interests of the United States with his attempt to extort the Ukrainian government to give him help  again illegal  in his reelection effort. (And the forthcoming book from Trumps former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, reportedly claims that Trump repeatedly sacrificed the good of the nation in his pursuit of his overriding priority: getting reelected.)

And now Trump seems eager to suppress the vote, i.e. to disenfranchise voters he believes are likely to vote against him. Raising the bogus issue of voter fraud  which itself has repeatedly been shown to be itself fraudulent  (and with his menacing of the U.S. Postal Service),Trump has shown his intent to thwart measures to enable voters to vote safely in this time of deadly pandemic.
As the Fourth of July dawns, Virginia appears to be in a fortunate situation regarding the spread of COVID-19.

In Texas, hospitalizations tripled in June and officials are worried about bed capacity. In Florida and California, bars recently were shut down due to heavy spikes in community transmission of the coronavirus.

Everyone should continue to take this pandemic very seriously, Gov. Ralph Northam said recently according to The Washington Post. Cases are on the rise in many other states. I do not want to see that happen in our commonwealth.

Neither do we. Virginias Phase 3 reopening process will require real discipline.

Were thankful Virginia is in a position to move forward. But were unwavering in our belief that behavior over the next few days will dictate whether we progress or regress in the weeks and months ahead.

Consider one of the biggest changes associated with Phase 3: Restaurants and bars no longer will face 50% capacity restrictions. Current restrictions on bar areas remain unchanged.
Marriage to a man who accomplishes great things comes with a price. As with any timepiece, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

In 1907, Dodge, now 76 years-old, returns home to Council Bluffs to stay. Surely, the first thing he hears upon entering his home is a familiar tick-tock. Perhaps he thinks of his now long-dead parents. His youth. His wife. His grown daughters. His legacy. His wife again ... that love.

Weve all had moments of deep thought, only to have the silence broken by the ever-present witness of a clocks ticking ... that sound of silence the scriptures speak of.

Ruth Anne eventually returns to Council Bluffs to visit her husband in 1913. Its the last time they will see each other. Their youngest daughter writes of this final encounter: It is sweet to see Mother and Father united again and so happy together. They are the best of friends and enjoy talking over their early life together. To see them you would never know they had ever been separated.

Their time has come full circle, but time is running out.

January 3, 1916: The time is 3 p.m. and the beloved banjo clock ticks away. Dodge has been suffering from bladder cancer for years. A trip to the Mayo Clinic has failed to buy much time.
All ages at risk

Meanwhile, federal health officials updated the list of who's most at risk of severe complications from COVID-19.

The CDC added mild obesity to a list that includes the elderly, people with lung or kidney disease, and those with diabetes.

People with moderate to severe asthma are also at higher risk along with pregnant women, the CDC said. Those with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are also at higher risk, the CDC's Dr. Jay Butler said. So are those with conditions such as sickle cell disease, poorly controlled HIV infection, bone marrow transplants or an organ transplant.

The CDC also removed the specific age threshold, saying it's not just those over age 65 who are at increased risk for severe illness.

What you can do

The statistics may seem bleak but health officials have said all along that individual behavior makes a difference. Epidemiologist Larry Brilliant told CNN, "If you let everybody out without face masks and without social distancing in the middle of a pandemic, this is what was predicted."
Moving to a new home can be an exciting adventure. Since its a very busy time, there are many tasks to accomplish through every phase of your move. When you add your pet into the mix, considering his needs along with yours can add to your checklist of to dos. However, by following some 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.
Shares of Mylan MYL gained 2.25% after it won the district courts decision against Biogen's BIIB multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Tecfideras (dimethyl fumarate) patent.



The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia invalidated Biogen's Tecfidera patent, U.S. Patent No. 8,399,514, for lack of written description. The patent claimed methods of treating MS disease using a dose of 480 mg/day of dimethyl fumarate delayed-release capsules.

This win clears the way for Mylan's launch of its dimethyl fumarate product upon the receipt of a potential FDA approval. Otherwise, generics would not have been available until 2028.

Tecfidera delayed-release capsules are used to treat adults with relapsing forms of MS. Mylan believes that it is one of the first companies to have filed a substantially complete Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) containing a Paragraph IV certification for a dimethyl fumarate product and expects to be eligible for 180 days of marketing exclusivity in the United States upon final FDA approval. The companys ANDA is pending with the FDA.

A tentative approval would be great for Mylan, given the generics potential, as Biogen's total IQVIA sales in the United States for the 12 months ending Apr 30, 2020, were approximately $3.78 billion for Tecfidera.

Last week, Mylan and partner Biocon Ltd. obtained FDA approval for the New Drug Application (NDA) for diabetes treatment, Semglee (insulin glargine injection), in vial and pre-filled pen presentations. It has been approved for controlling high blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, and adult and pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes.

Per the companies, Semglee has an identical amino acid sequence to Sanofi's SNY Lantus and is approved for the same indications.

These new approvals broaden Mylans portfolio, which comprises Glatiramer Acetate, Yupelri, biosimilars to Neulasta and Herceptin, as well as a drug-device combination product, Wixela Inhub, which is the generic of Advair Diskus.

Story continues

Earlier, Mylan and partner Lupin obtained European Commissions (EC) approval for Nepexto, a biosimilar to Enbrel, for rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis (including ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis), plaque psoriasis and pediatric plaque psoriasis.

Mylans stock has lost 17.6% in the year so far compared with the industrys decline of 3.4%.

Meanwhile, the companys decision to merge with Upjohn, Pfizer's PFE off-patent branded and generic established medicines business, is also encouraging. In November 2019, Mylan and Pfizer announced the name of the new entity to be Viatris. The merger will be completed in the second half of 2020.

However, the impact of the coronavirus outbreak is most likely to negatively impact the second-quarter results.

Mylan currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

5 Stocks to Soar Past the Pandemic:

In addition to the companies you learned about above, we invite you to learn about 5 cutting-edge stocks that could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for stay at home technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of the decade.



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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.
Per a Sec filing, Uber Technologies UBER appointed Revathi Advaithi to its board. Notably, Advaithi is the current CEO of Flex Ltd. FLEX. She has been at the helm of this currently Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) Singapore-based company since February 2019.

Advaithi came aboard the San Francisco-based ride hailing company this July. She has been appointed as an independent director and member of the Audit Committee.

Armed with years of experience, Advaithi has served many companies in key positions before grabbing the top post at Flex. Uber management hopes that veteran Advaithis expertise will help the company in its endeavor to combat the coronavirus crisis in a better fashion. In fact, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was ecstatic about this new appointment. He said: I look forward to working with her.

Apart from Advaithis inclusion, Uber was in news recently for being in talks reportedly to buy Postmates for $2.6 billion as it aims to boost its delivery business. This strategic action follows Ubers failed attempt to acquire the presently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) Grubhub GRUB. Notably, Postmates has the fourth-largest market share in the U.S. food delivery space.

Ubers focus on strengthening its foothold in the food delivery market seems prudent, given the current downturn in its core ride-hailing business, thanks to people being mostly confined to homes due to coronavirus woes.



Zacks Rank & Key Pick

Uber carries a Zacks Rank # 3 at present. A better-ranked stock in the same space is Dropbox DBX. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this players current-year earnings has been revised 5.7% upward over the past 60 days.

You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Ooh I loved Defunctlands video on this. Im obsessed with never-made/ abandoned Disney theme projects.

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Literally came in here to say that. I love Defunctland.

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Defunctland is the best! It's been amazing watching his channel grow.

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And his voice change from 90s terrorist in a JVD film to that of a regular guy!

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I love that they brought in the good boys from podcast the ride and other Disney podcasters and youtubers



Mike Carlson's Eisner always cracks me up

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I went through a phase where I'd watch a ton of Defunctland and Yesterworld (I think thats what its called). Pretty sure they have a video on this.

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Considering how sanitized some people prefer American history they dodged a bigger bullet.

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i thought this was a good concept, too bad Disney never went through with it entirely.





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We always stay at Pop Century when we go to Disney. I remember going a year and a half after 9/11 and seeing the abandoned building across the lake from our room. I wouldve LOVED the legendary years concept!

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Funny enough, my first thought after seeing this video was that if the abandoned hotels from the legendary years were still around they'd be perfect for The Last of Us cosplay shootings lol

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What's crazy is how Disney pretends it's not insanely rich. I mean, they put so much money into buying media when really, the parks need more value places. I never stayed because in past 25 years, I only stayed at River resort. I wanted to stay at the value ones, though. Seemed like a better plan.

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Defunctlands Ken Burns-style video on this is great, especially the voice cameos from all the other theme park YouTubers and the Podcast: The Ride boys. Highly recommend all his videos



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literally came in to make sure this video was in the comments! i love defunctland.

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I love his vids channel.



And Podcast: The Ride is great!

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I LOVE the Podcast: The Ride guys, I listen to them all the time now during work! It's really helped me feel less homesick for Disneyland while I'm trapped across the country indefinitely. I even signed up for their Patreon a couple months ago because I was burning through all their regular episodes so fast lmao, they're great

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i cannot imagine being so close to DC and a fucking disney park. im so happy it didnt go through, for a number of reasons

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Im sure if they went through with it the workers would have been underpaid too

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Good riddance tbh, I can't imagine how much covert and not so covert racism would've invaded everything

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I remember my dad reading this aloud from a newspaper at dinner and being so excited then feeling like I'd been talking crazy pills when all talk about it stopped--thank God Defunctland proved I was right for thinking was going to be a thing

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this sounds more like a haunted museum



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i fell into a youtube hole of watching all of these videos of abandoned theme parks, rundown shopping centres etc. it really puts it into perspective how much money these companies have to invest is something like this, have it fall through and still be surviving

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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Lol wait what. Wild. I remember theres a Disney like theme park that is like dystopian or something I cannot remember what it was called. But that was really good.

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I think you mean Dismaland which was a Banksy thing

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Yep thats it lol. I cannot believe I forgot it was Banksy haha

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We are now at a crossroads in Libya where a military solution is temporarily off the table, as factions and their external allies wrangle over oil revenues--the distribution of which will now decide when the pumps are turned back on and force majeure lifted. For the first time in seven years, there is a light at the end of the Libyan tunnel, but with open and backdoor talks being brokered by various external allies, sorting rumor from fact and wishful thinking is tricky.

What we know for sure is this: Its all about leverage, and the Turkish-backed GNA doesnt have nearly enough to call the shots on this one despite recent territorial gains in and around Tripoli against General Haftar.

Now, with Egypt stepping up to the plate and drawing a red line in Sirte, the strategic gateway to the Libyan oil facilities, the potential for oil revenue negotiations is emerging.

Haftar controls the oil, but not the revenues, and if everyone now has the right balance of leverage for talks to proceed, he could turn the pumps back on in return for a different setup for the distribution of oil revenues.

Right now, all the revenues go to the central bank in Tripoli, where Haftar has no access.

Depending on the source, talks are going on behind the scenes that would split up these revenues before they hit the central bank in Tripoli.

According to the Guardian, proposals in the talks include that the revenues be split between as many as three banks representing different regions, with an agreement not to use them for military purposes. Eastern tribal leaders are being consulted on the plans.

This version of events is also being spread about through various other media, and the National Oil Company (NOC)--a neutral source in all of this--takes issue with the scenario as presented.

While the NOC confirms that talks are in progress and that it is optimistic that the result will be to turn on the taps and remove the force majeure on exports from the Hariga, Brega, Zueitina, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports, it denies there is any talk of splitting revenues in the manner described above.

Related: Saudi Arabia Eyes Total Dominance In Oil And Gas We categorically deny all the rumours about opening new accounts and distributing those revenues to three regions by percentage. Those rumours are spread by people who are not involved in the negotiations and only reflect their personal points of view. NOC adheres to Libyan laws and procedures, said NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla.

The NOC claims that all oil revenues will continue to go to the same accounts of the corporation, but will be preserved for a specific period of time during which two parallel tracks are launched. In other words, the oil revenues will be dealt with differently, but the NOC says they will not be divided up into three regions by percentage.

The NOC defines those parallel tracks as one that will ensure financial transparency (which was lacking) and one will focus on the restructuring of security arrangements to protect oil facilities.

Our position consists of working to resume production in order to preserve the wealth of the Libyan people and serve its interests, and to avoid war at oil sites. We subscribe to the unity of Libya. We are against anything that would harm its unity and sovereignty and we will not be part of any action against that, the NOC chairman added.

But the devil, as always, is in the detail. Both are essentially saying the same thing, but one sounds less controversial. Its similar to the logic of not negotiating with terrorists. If a deal is cut to redistribute oil revenues away from the Tripoli Central Bank and into the hands of a bank controlled by Haftar, then Haftars hijacking of the countrys oil facilities effectively worked--and would work in the future.

So any solution concerning oil revenues needs to be structured--and worded--very carefully in order to avoid the NOCs biggest fear: That the oil facilities will continue to be used for political capital, which means they will always be under threat.

That notion becomes even clearer with the arrival of Russian mercenaries at the giant Sharara and El-Feel oilfields, on behalf of General Haftar. Thats another move by Haftar to secure his leverage, and is meant to prevent the NOC from restarting production until there is a revenue deal in place--in his favor.

The move follows the NOCs brief attempt to resume production at the 300,000bpd field last month--an event that sparked a massively exciting flurry of trading speculation only to be scuttled in a matter of days when it was forced to shut down again and reinstitute force majeure.

Major alliances such as NATO and the European Union mean nothing in this conflict.

Related: Oil Rallies On Bullish EIA Inventory Data

On the sidelines, the European Union is suffering a bit of an existential crisis over Libya. Divided, and picking sides based on oil prospects, the European Union itself is not a player, which means its largely leaving things up to Russia on the Haftar side and Turkey on the GNA side. And Libya is far too close geographically for the EU to so dangerously ignore.

NATO allies are also on different sides in this war.

And now, France, having gone head-to-head with Turkey over Libya, is pulling out of a NATO security operation in defiance after Turkey was caught violating the arms embargo against Libya.

Frances ruffled feathers wont matter much. The only thing that matters here is the oil money, and the kingmakers are clearly Russian and Turkish.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
First, they said it nicely: play along and cut to your quotas, or well all suffer low oil prices for longer. Then they put their foot down: start cutting deeper or else. And now it has emerged what the or else part wasa new price war.

The Wall Street Journals Benoit Faucon and Summer Said reported earlier this week that Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud had threatened Nigeria, Angola, and Iraq with another oil price war if they didnt get in line with the production cuts, according to OPEC delegates. If they kept producing more than their quotas, Saudi Arabia would start selling its crude at a discount on these three countries key markets, stealing market share. In a phrase reminiscent of some of the best crime dramas, bin Saud reportedly told Angolan and Nigerian delegates, We know who your customers are.

OPECs crude oil production last month fell to the lowest in thirty years, at 22.69 million bpd. However, Iraq, Angola, and Nigeria still fell short of their quotas: Iraq only managed to achieve 70 percent compliance, Nigeria did a little better at 77 percent, and Angola even better at 83 percent. But that was not good enough.

It is understandable why the OPEC leader has had enough. The Saudis were not only the driver behind the latest agreement. They also voluntarily deepened their own production quota, pledging to cut an additional one million bpd on top of the more than two million bpd they agreed to cut, shouldering the largest part of the total 9.7-million-bpd OEPC+ cut.

And they have stuck to it, unlike the three laggards. Last month, the Kingdom pumped 7.53 million bpd, when it had originally been set a quota of 8.5 million bpd, the same as OPEC+ fellow Russia, which, however, has been slow to reach its own quota. The Saudis have literally done whatever it takes to prop up prices. And prices have remained weak. That would frustrate even the most patient of producers.

Brent crude traded at more than $51 a barrel in early March, a few days before Saudi Arabia declared its first price war of the year against Russia for its refusal to sign up for an extension of the previous round of cuts, agreed on last December. On March 9, the benchmark plummeted below $35 a barrel.

After a further plunge in April on the back of the coronavirus lockdowns, Brent has to date recovered to about $40. So, if Saudi Arabia makes good on its threat, this time Brentand WTIwill be falling from a lower starting point. This is the only thing we can be sure of.

Of course, the threat of a price war remains hypothetical. Perhaps it would prove to be enough to get Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola to mend their ways and start cutting production like they mean it. It would be the safer choice because Saudi Arabia has more oil, and it can afford to sell it more cheaply than the three laggards, at least for a while. But what if they dont?

Related: U.S. Shale Needs To Rethink Its Strategy To Survive

Well, if they dont, well likely have a new price crash, and it could turn out to be worse than the first one as it would come amid a rising fearand perhaps some evidenceof a second wave of Covid-19 infections in the worlds largest consumer. Meanwhile, demand has been slow to rebound.

There have been some good signs such as a pickup in gasoline production in the U.S. and a drawdown in floating oil storage. And yet, most analysts warn that people around the world would continue to be cautious in commuting and traveling, which will continue to affect oil demand.

If, in such an environment, Saudi Arabia decides to make good on its threat, oil will fall sharply. Just how low it would fall is anyones guess, but it is safe to say such a development would hardly benefit anyone, including Saudi Arabia. Certainly, it could beef up exports to undermine the market shares of Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola in China and India by cutting prices, but it wouldnt be able to keep on doing it for a very long time. The Kingdom has a deficit to deal with.

It could do it for a short while, to make its point. And then Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola could continue under complying because there would be nothing else Saudi Arabia could do to stop them. And thats not all. Earlier this week, Russias Energy Minister said there had been no discussions in OPEC+ to continue cutting deep after the end of July.

As per the agreement, the cuts would be relaxed from 9.7 million bpd to 7.7 million bpd after the July extension. But its still early July, and there is a problem with compliance. That Saudi Arabia could propose another extension is not out of the question because oil continues to be way too cheap for it. And then we will have another OPEC+ drama brewing and, should the Saudis patience expire, a second price war.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The rosy future of the offshore East Mediterranean (East-Med) gas boom is in jeopardy. The current COVID-related economic downturn, combined with the dramatic drop in demand for oil and gas worldwide, has already led to several delays for major offshore gas projects in Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, and Greece. Offshore E&P budgets have been cut by all oil and gas companies, leaving no room for high-risk natural gas developments in the East Med in the coming years. At the same time, geopolitical and military tensions between Turkey and the other players in the region, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and even Israel is rising fast. Ankaras unexpected but strong support for the Libyan Tripoli-based government which is fighting out a long-lasting conflict against East Libyan general Haftars LNA forces has not only tilted the power structure in Libya, but has also put Ankara, as a NATO member, on a collision course with Russia and the UAE.

At the same time, Turkish military moves in Libya, aiming to not only open up Africas largest oil reserves to Turkish companies but also to expand its sphere of influence in the East Med, have put a confrontation with Egypt and possibly France on the table. In 2020, a military confrontation between NATO members (Turkey-France) or allies of NATO (UAE, Egypt, Israel) in the Middle East is no longer unthinkable. Ankaras approach in Libya suggests an aggressive Turkish military strategy intended to set up military bases in the region.

On July 3, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler have visited Libya to review the activities carried out under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. The main focus during the visit was the expansion of the Defense Security Cooperation and Training Assistance Advisory Command, which was created within the scope of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Turkey and Libya on November 27, 2019. In the same MOU, Turkey and Libya signed the highly contested EEZ agreement, that asserts Turkey's rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, putting Ankara on a full collision course with Cyprus, Egypt, and Greece. A military confrontation of some sort has been a distinct possibility since that moment.

Related: Saudi Arabia And Kuwait Restart Production At Huge Shared Oil Field



Turkey-Libya maritime deal, via trtworld.com Ankaras aggressive moves, however, may have reached a point of no return in the last few days.

On June 10, Turkish navy vessels conducted radar-targeting on a French warship trying to approach a Turkish civilian ship suspected of skirting a NATO arms embargo on Libya. French government sources have reported that Frances Courbet frigate was lit up three times by Turkish radar. The incident has led to the end of French support for the NATO naval mission, while officially requesting a NATO investigation.

Libyan Political Division, via bbc.com

France, and indirectly other NATO countries, such as Italy and Greece, are now openly discussing supporting the Eastern Libyan general Haftar, whose forces have come under pressure after his latest military assault on the GNA ruled region around Tripoli ended in an unexpected defeat. Egypt has also now openly warned Turkey and the GNA forces not to cross the Sirte line, a key threshold in the Libyan oil sector. If Ankara and Tripoli continue their military advance, Egyptian president Sisi has warned that the Egyptian armed forces will enter Libya to support Haftar.

The current crisis within NATO (and the EU), sparked by Turkish actions is a major concern.

A military conflict within the alliance will not only weaken its position with regards to Russias power projections, but also puts security in the (East) Mediterranean at risk. France at present lobbying to put sanctions on Turkey. On July 13, a council of EU foreign ministers will discuss EU-Turkish relations.

While all eyes are now on Libya, Turkeys military moves in the East Med are even more worrying. As some have indicated already, Turkeys Libya adventure falls within the strategy of squeezing the Middle East into submission. Ankaras military projects in Qatar, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, and now Libya, set up a circle of military power threatening Arab nations, at least in their views. East Med military moves, officially to support Turkish oil and gas companies to search for offshore reserves, are a direct threat to Greece and Cyprus. The so-called ultra-nationalist Blue Homeland military strategy adopted by Turkey is clear in its goals. Erdogans military doctrine targets the domination of the Aegean, most of the Mediterranean, and of the Black Sea. The ongoing provocations in the East Med, which doesnt only include Greece-Cyprus but also Egypt and Israel, are the evidence.

The current chaos in NATO and the EU could hamper a joint concerted action in case of unwanted Turkish action in the region. During the last couple of years, analysts have focused on perceived U.S./Washington support for East Med economic and energy integration via the East Med Gas Forum.

Related: Exxon Is Big Oils Outlier In The Post-Pandemic World



The U.S. Senate and Congress have even supported some anti-Turkish moves, such as the end of military sanctions on Cyprus. Washington, especially via its thinktanks, such as Atlantic Council, has been painting a positive pro-East Med (Greece, Cyprus, Egypt-Israel) picture of economic, political, and military support. This policy, as has been stated by some, needs to be taken with a truck-load of salt, as the Trump Administration is once again opening up to Ankara.

A U.S.-NATO intervention or a concentrated EU move in the case of Turkish action seems unrealistic, and Erdogan seems to know this based on his recent actions. As long as Europe and NATO, both of which have their HQs in Brussels, keep a low profile without countering Turkish moves, Greece and Cyprus will be the next targets for a Turkish military move.

The East Med tinder box is not only a threat to its offshore gas future. A military conflict in the region, involving Turkey, will threaten several major commodity and trade chokepoints. A confrontation could lead to a major blockade of the Dardanelles (Istanbul), the Suez Canal (Egypt), and the route between Libya and the southern Italian islands. Ankaras regional power play is not only of concern to the littoral states of the East Med, but also to GCC oil and gas exporters and EU-Asian trade. Erdogans regional gamble could end up being a major catastrophe.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
You may have canceled the Wisconsin State Fair this year, coronavirus, but there's one part you can't destroy: the cream puff.

The State Fair announced today that it will serve up its most iconic snack at select locations throughout the state from Aug. 6-16, the original dates of this year's now-scrapped festival.

These pop-up oases of fluffy cream puff relief are a part of the State Fair's new "State Fair Necessities" program, bringing beloved treats and traditions from the temporarily shelved summer celebration to fans across the state even though there is no actual fair this year.

"At the core of our State Fair mission, we are built upon celebrating everything Wisconsin is so proud to showcase," said Kathleen OLeary, Wisconsin State Fair Park CEO, in a press release. "While we cant gather this year for the 169th Wisconsin State Fair due to the safety issues surrounding COVID-19, we want to safely offer select Fair staples, otherwise known as the State Fair Necessities. We will kick off the State Fair Necessities with the iconic signature food of the Wisconsin State Fair, the Original Cream Puff, as we just couldnt imagine a year without them."

So you can you find these coves of cream puff goodness? For one, Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, of course, where the delicious desserts  whether in a three-pack for $12 or a six-pack for $22  will be available via curbside pick-up on Aug. 6-9 and Aug. 13-16 from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Packs of brownies and chocolate chip cookies as well as merchandise will also be available to purchase; for the full menu, visit the website.

If you can't make it over to the fairgrounds, however, the Wisconsin State Fair cream puffs will also hit the road, making three stops across three days on Monday, Aug. 10 through Wednesday, Aug. 12. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., the traveling cream puffs will be available at these three Festival Foods grocery store spots:

Monday, Aug. 10  6000 31st St. in Kenosha

Tuesday, Aug. 11  1200 W. Northland Ave. in Appleton

Wednesday, Aug. 12  660 Hometown Circle in Verona

The State Fair will also offer corporate cream puff deliveries for businesses wanting to treat their colleagues during this time as well. For more information on order requirements and more, visit State Fair's website.

And if all this talk of tasty treats is making you feel full, there's also the healthiest cream puff there is: the Cream Puff 5k, hosted virtually this year with participants able to run or walk their approximately 3.1 miles wherever they like. Online registration is open now through July 30; for more information, visit the Cream Puff 5k's website.

And stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more updates on new "State Fair Necessities" coming your way this summer. Here's to live-streamed pig races coming up next!
San Franciscos Free Emergency Services in Golden Gate Park

by James O. Clifford, Sr.

January 2014

Affordable health care is such a news staple one would assume a story on free emergency servicesincluding ambulances and first aid stationswould be a natural for reporters. Or not. For decades San Francisco had just such a pioneering system yet today it is virtually lost to history, despite the fact it was once admired from coast to coast.

About all thats left of the once vaunted system is the building that housed the Park Emergency Aid Hospital in Golden Gate Park near Kezar Stadium. The structure, San Francisco City Landmark #201, is now home to the citys recreation and park departments volunteer program. Today it looks as though the buildings main claim to fame now goes to its role in a scene from the Dirty Harry movie staring Clint Eastwood. If theres a lesson here, its that there is no such thing as a free ridenot even in an ambulance. Theres always money involved and someone has to pay one way or another. Even free love has a price.

The one-story Park Emergency Aid Station, built in 1902, served in that role until 1978, managing to continue as an ambulance station until 1991. The building is a remnant of a no-charge system that once boasted five emergency aid stations and 14 ambulances, all backed by a major emergency department at San Francisco General Hospital.

The citys system was so unusual it garnered feature articles in several national publications, including Redbook, Colliers, and the Saturday Evening Post. United Press International did a feature story that went to virtually all newspapers in the nation. A San Francisco Examiner piece in 1964 claimed the no charge system was the only one of its kind in the U.S. The paper estimated the cost at $1 million a year.

As recently as 2009 San Francisco, which President Taft declared in 1911 was the city that knows how, was praised in the book The Ambulance: a History. Author Ryan Bell dedicated three pages to San Franciscos Influential Idea. Among other things, he said that in 1913 San Francisco had one of the first automobile ambulances in the nation and never looked back. By 1932 the emergency medical vehicles were answering five calls a day. Bell pointed out that the success of the system did not go unremarked on in other major cities.

The five calls a day figure seemed puny next to the 150 daily calls reached in 1978, an estimate given by Dr. F. William Blaisdell in a survey that year for the director of public health. Blaisdell, who had 24 years experience in the citys emergency system, wrote that the aid stations managed minor emergencies promptly, efficiently and well. He figured that up to 80 percent of the station cases involved minor surgical problems such as lacerations and abrasions along with animal and insect bites, foreign bodies in the eye or upper respiratory problems.

Blaisdell praised the performance of the ambulance crew consisting of a driver and a steward, noting that both had completed 720 hours of special emergency training. The report added that the stewart was a licensed nurse, an ex-armed service medic or corpsman or an experienced ambulance technician with an average tenure on the job of ten years.

Location, Location, Location

The stations were situated so an ambulance could respond to a call within six minutes, the report said. The major stations included Central Emergency at the Department of Public Health Building on Grove Street in Civic Center. The original first aid sign still juts from the structure. In addition to the earlier mentioned Park, the other stations included Harbor, Alemany, and Mission. The Alemany station at 35 Onondaga Avenue, long admired for its architecture, served for 27 years as the St. Marys Adult Day Health Care Center, which closed in 2011. Mission Emergency now houses a Neuro Research Center at San Francisco General Hospital.

As if seeing the future, the report said that although the aid stations do not charge for services, it is estimated that somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of the patients utilizing them do have the capability of paying for the services or have third-party health insurance coverage. The report suggested that the fire department be used as first responders. The city had 44 fire stations and the firefighters could be trained in basic emergency techniques. In 1979 city officials decided to start charging $68 for ambulance service. A year earlier, Park and Harbor were phased out and Central started charging $21 a visit. The fire department took over in 1997. Today the department informs visitors to it website that although emergency services are performed by the San Francisco Fire Department, billing operations and the collection of fees are performed by a private billing company.

The Legacy

The aid stations history appears limited to the Dirty Harry scene as well as some unflattering ink that flows back to 1967s Summer of Love." An Internet search found little information about the first aid system. There was a great deal on the outstanding trauma center at San Francisco General, but put in free aid stations and the user is steered to free clinics, which is a completely different matter. Much of the information in this article was provided by the staff of the history room at San Franciscos main library who came up with a box filled with old documents and newspaper clips.

The aid stations and the ambulance service handled major emergencies before, but the 1967 Summer of Love invasion was something else. The 1906 earthquake, of course, topped disasters. The services history also saw it respond to the VJ Day riot in 1945 in which 11 people died and at least a thousand were injured, drawing praise from the Board of Supervisors who passed a resolution commending the service for taking care of hundreds of cases in a commendable manner with no publicity and little fanfare. The system, however, was ill prepared for the thousands of young people from across the nation who descended on San Francisco with flowers in their hair. Health Director Ellis Sox warned that the influx would skyrocket health costs.

One person who had a first-hand look at the ensuing drug cases that centered just a short distance from Park station was Dr. David Smith, who was 28 years old when he opened the Haight-Ashbury free clinic, touted as the first in the nation.

Forty years after The Summer of Love, Smith said in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that he took LSD and got involved in the counterculture, which transformed him from being a laboratory scientist who viewed human beings as not much different than laboratory rats; something to study and stick drugs in In the same article, Smith said there was no emphasis on public health then, a statement that might surprise people who remember the free aid stations and the ambulances that raced down city streets.

Smith is the star of Street Medicine, a chapter in Salon.coms founder David Talbots book Season of the Witch, a work that chronicles San Franciscos horrific history of the late 1960s and beyond. Talbot has some harsh words for the Park aid station.

Hippies who fell into the hands of public health doctors and nurses at Park fared the worse, he wrote. The hospital staff seemed to take pleasure in tormenting the young,. disoriented patients, ignoring them or making them suffer through a long registration process. The author doesnt list a source for the claim, but it wouldnt take a leap of faith to imagine that the staff of that time felt a bad trip meant an auto wreck.

Things would change. In 1985 the citys chief paramedic resigned. According to at least one newspaper account he stepped down because the paramedic divisions problems included drug and alcohol abuse by its personnel.

About that Dirty Harry scene: the hospital is in the movie for only a short while, but it plays a crucial role. The villain is treated for a stab wound in the leg and Dirty Harry Callahan questions the doctor who treated him, coming up with a description of long blond hair, medium build, about 150 pounds, pale complexion. The physician also says he thinks the suspect sells programs at Kezar, where the groundskeeper let the bad guy live. After viewing the film recently, I wondered if the information gained was because the suspect had to go through a long registration process.

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Copenhagen's Little Mermaid labelled 'racist fish' A graffiti reading "Racist Fish" is seen on a statue of "The Little Mermaid" in Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark woke up on Friday to the words "racist fish" scrawled across the base of the "Little Mermaid", the bronze statue honouring Hans Christian Andersen's 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 one million tourists each year, has been vandalised 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.

Related video: Denmark's 'Little Mermaid' doused in red paint (2017)

Protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement around the world have in recent months rallied against statues of historical figures who played a role in racist oppression, such as slave traders and colonialists.

The Little Mermaid has not been part of this debate but last year a Disney live action remake of the 1989 animated film of the same name was the subject of a 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.

(Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Hong Kongs three-week streak of zero local coronavirus infections ended after two cases were confirmed on Sunday, as the government considered tightening the rules on those granted an exemption from Covid-19 testing when entering the city.

Health experts had called for stricter testing measures for those exempted, such as airline and cruise ship crews, after a 54-year-old cargo pilot, who had been to Kazakhstan and Turkey, tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday.

The Centre for Health Protection also announced on Sunday that there were eight new imported infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,268, with seven related deaths.

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A locally transmitted infection was last reported on June 13.

The new local cases involve a 59-year-old male kitchen worker, who is seriously ill in hospital, and a 41-year-old woman who works as an assistant at a Cheung Sha Wan medical clinic.

As for the eight imported cases, six were people with recent travel history to Pakistan, one to India and one to Indonesia.

If there is an increase in local cases again, the government is likely to reinstate stricter social-distancing measures, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, from the Centre for Health Protection.

The pandemic will persist for a long time, but people still have to live so we will have to balance the risks and benefits of lifting social-distancing measures.

Health authorities had said earlier they had adopted a lift and suppress strategy, relaxing or tightening rules depending on the seriousness of the local situation.

Chuang added invisible transmission chains had always been around. Its just a matter of whether were able to find the cases and how serious they are. This disease is new and many patients are asymptomatic.

The man is in a serious condition in Princess Margaret Hospital. Photo: EPA

She also said the government would consider asking people exempted from testing to submit a deep throat saliva sample, particularly those entering Hong Kong from high-risk areas.

Story continues

We could be doing better on our measures for exempted people. But because many of them only stay in Hong Kong for a short period, once they leave a sample they may already have left Hong Kong, so we may have to chase them when they are overseas.

The 59-year-old patient initially tested positive on Saturday night, after having a fever for days.

He had taken ill on the concourse of Tsuen Wan West railway station and was sent to Yan Chai Hospital in the district. He was later transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, where he was in a serious condition.

He lived in Yuk Shek House on the Ping Shek Estate in Kwun Tong. He worked in the kitchen of a restaurant on the estate, as well as at one in the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal.

Chuang said the authorities would conduct Covid-19 tests on his colleagues in the two restaurants. It remained unclear how the man got infected, she added.

Although concerns were raised about lax prevention measures taken by the restaurants he worked at, with cooks reportedly not wearing masks, Chuang said the chances of customers falling ill were relatively low as the food was cooked and hot.

[But] as a precautionary measure we will also invite the patrons of these two restaurants to give their saliva samples and if they develop any symptoms they should seek medical advice early, she said, noting there had been lower rates of other respiratory infections such as influenza.

Rail operator the MTR Corporation said it had deep cleaned Tsuen Wan West Station.

Dr Linda Yu Wai-ling, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority, said a nurse at Yan Chai Hospital had been listed as a close contact of the man as she had not been wearing protective gear when she took his nasal sample.

In the other local case, the 41-year-old woman works at a clinic run by doctor Ng Yuk-fai. Were worried about her colleagues at the clinic, Chuang said.

The assistant, who lives in Hung Yu Mansion in Cheung Sha Wan, did not have direct contact with the clinics patients and was responsible for organising medication as instructed by the doctor.

All other staff, including the doctor, nurses and cleaners, at the clinic were sent to quarantine centres. Both the doctor and his wife said they developed a fever but their Covid-19 test results came back negative.

The employee had last month dined with an infected person. She had also been hiking on Lamma Island during the incubation period and had tea with a friend at a KFC restaurant in the Dragon Centre in Sham Shui Po for half an hour, and had not worn a mask.

She is in a stable condition in Princess Margaret Hospital.

Hong Kong had not seen a locally transmitted case since mid-June. Photo: Sam Tsang

The previous local case on June 13 was 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.

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 but her case was classed as epidemiologically linked with imported cases, not a local one.

The patient possibly acquired the infection from her husband and son through home contact, the centre said last week.

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India is likely to pose an increased challenge to China at sea following their recent confrontation on land, analysts said.

Last week, the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force held a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean, as part of the nascent Quad that also involves the United States and Australia.

India has already held regular bilateral exercises with the other three armed forces and has said it might invite Australia to join the Malabar war games it holds with Japan and the US.

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Japanese sailors greet their Indian counterparts during a joint exercise. Photo: Twitter

Lin Minwang, deputy director of Fudan Universitys Centre for South Asian Studies, said the countrys relationship with the US had already developed into a quasi-alliance.

In recent years New Delhi has signed several agreements with Washington, some of which have significant military implications.

These deals include the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement to enable the use of each others land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply; the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement that opened the way for sales of sensitive US military equipment; and the General Security of Military Information Agreement to share classified information.

Discussions are also under way to place liaison officers in each others commands.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also set out plans for an Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative to ensure security at sea that echoes similar proposals by the US.

Indias strategic concern is targeted at China, Lin said.

Narendra Modis plans for a Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative echo Donald Trumps strategy for the region. Photo: AFP

Tensions between India and China remain high following last months deadly border clash that killed 20 Indian and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers.

The Indian Navy was also taking part in a joint China containment effort with the US in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, said Beijing-based naval analyst Li Jie.

Story continues

The Indian Navy alone cannot compete with the PLA Navy. But by allying with Japan or the US, it could be in a much better position, Li said.

India wants dominance in that region while the Americans are playing them off against China.

The Indian Ocean lies at the centre of global oil transport networks, and is also a vital trade route for China, linking it to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to boost infrastructure and trade, includes a maritime silk road that passes through the South China Sea and Malacca Strait before entering the Indian Ocean.

The PLA Navy has become increasingly active in the region in recent years, starting with anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden in 2008.

Its submarines have also been detected in the area from 2013 onwards and in 2017 it opened its first overseas base in Djibouti.

In addition, China has built ports in Gwadar in Pakistan, in Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar under the Belt and Road Initiative, but critics  including India  have warned they have potential military uses.

India views Chinas growing military presence in the Indian Ocean region  which involves building up a network of military and commercial facilities known as the string of pearls  as a major threat.

A recent report published in Modern Ships, a military magazine published by state-owned warship builder China State Shipbuilding Corporation, said the navys presence in the Indian Ocean was part of an inexorable trend, because its economic value to China was even higher than that of the Pacific.

But Indias geographic location means it can cut Chinas trade routes to Europe using its air force and its naval expansion plans  including three aircraft carriers  would allow it to compete with China for air superiority across the Indian Ocean.

Li said the best way forward for the Chinese navy was to develop its capabilities and influence, but to show restraint while doing so.

The Indian Ocean is not Indias ocean, and the PLAN will continue its normal voyages and activities, he said.

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In the Jewish settlement of Ariel, Perri Ben Senior can't wait for Israel to annex this part of the occupied West Bank, hoping it will be a boon for her real estate firm. With its 20,500 residents, a university and shopping centres, Ariel has been tipped as one of the settlements likely to be included in a first wave of Israeli annexations taking advantage of support from US President Donald Trump. A controversial peace plan unveiled by Trump in January promised US backing for Israel to annex swathes of the West Bank, including Jewish settlements considered illegal under international law. Speaking at her real estate agency, Ben Senior said she hoped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would forge ahead with implementing Trump's plan. "It will raise the price of apartments and land because there will be more demand," she anticipated. Elsewhere in the West Bank, other agents have seen a leap in sales since annexation began dominating headlines after the launch of the US plan. Daniel Wach, whose real estate business is in the Eli settlement a short distance from Ariel, told AFP he has done "as much business in the past two months as the last few years". "We closed six deals in the past 10 days in Alfei Menashe," another nearby settlement. "The houses have been on the market for many months, so I asked the families why do you want to buy now," he said. "They fear the prices are going to get higher because of the decision of the government" to annex the territory, he said. - 'A normal place' - If Israel does annex any parts of the West Bank, those areas will become subject to Israeli civilian law, rather than the military law currently in place. "It's another reason to come to Judea and Samaria because now they are considered as normal citizens of Israel, it's a normal place now," Wach said, using the Israeli term for the West Bank. While the details of the plan remain obscure, many assume that annexed lands will not become part of the future Palestinian state, which is also part of Trump's plan. Currently, "people are afraid to buy in the territories because they say to themselves: 'What if tomorrow we give the territories back? Who will reimburse me? What about the house I bought?" said Ben Senior. Since the Oslo accords of the 1990s, which were meant to lead to the formation of a Palestinian state, the population of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has more than tripled to 450,000. In addition to those making their home in the West Bank for religious or ideological reasons, many Israelis have been drawn to the settlements by their housing costs, which are significantly lower than Israel's expensive real estate market. - Opportunity - Just 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) west of Alfei Menashe, on the other side of the "green line" between Israel and the West Bank, lies Kfar Saba. There, a seven-room apartment on 200 square metres of land would cost around 4.5 million shekels ($1.3 million, 1.1 million euros), Wach said. A similar property in Alfei Menashe would cost around half of that, he said. "Immediately after annexation, the prices will jump around 10 to 15 percent up, and in around five, six, seven years from now, it'll go around 30 percent up, not less." Zeev Epstein, who recorded a record number of sales last month, shares Wach's optimism. "Annexation will make a big difference, said Epstein, whose real estate firm Harei Zahav (Hebrew for golden mountains) deals exclusively in Israeli settlements," he told AFP. "It's gonna be a big market, we'll need to get ready, work hard for this opportunity." While Netanyahu has yet to make any concrete annexation moves, despite being able to do so from July 1 under the US plan, Wach can already feel a certain momentum. "When Israel decides this place is ours, the common reaction is -- ah, finally!" he said.
LAKE GEORGE  The nice weather brought people out to Lake George for the Independence Day weekend, although the crowd was lighter because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gino Chiaravelle, owner of Giuseppes Pizzeria and Restaurant on Canada Street, said his business was excellent, which he attributed to cabin fever.

Theyre just getting out, enjoying themselves, he said.

Everyone has been very respectful of wearing masks, according to Chiaravelle. He said he hoped for a good season and anticipated that most of the visitors would be from within driving distance, as other vacation options are limited.

They cant go to Disney. Why not go to a beautiful lake? he said.

People were looking to get close to the lake, as by early Saturday afternoon Million Dollar Beach had reached the 500-person capacity limit. There was a line of people waiting to get in as other people exited.

For people who did not want to get a tan, there were fewer options than in previous years.
QUEENSBURY  The woman whose husband reigned over England while Americans fought for their freedom has been honored at Town Hall.

A portrait of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, now hangs in Town Hall. The town was named after her when it was founded in 1762, just after she gave birth to her first child.

At the time, the region regularly honored English royalty. Lake George is named after King George II.

The natural question is why Queensbury wasnt named Charlotte.

Historical records dont say, but the answer might be that the name was very popular. At the same time that Queensbury was founded, a town in Vermont was also founded with the name Charlotte.

She is also the namesake of Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as two counties with the same name, in Virginia and Florida. Also named for her were Charlottesville, Virginia; Port Charlotte, Florida; and Charlotte Harbor, Florida.

Not to be left out, North Carolina and Virginia used her family name to create two Mecklenburg counties.

Politically, it was advantageous to name new sites after the kings new wife, said John Strough, the town supervisor and former history teacher.
QUEENSBURY  Warren County confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, which officials say are not related to the recent outbreak connected to passengers on a flight coming back from Florida.

The newly diagnosed residents are all part of the same household and are experiencing mild symptoms, according to a news release. A member of that household came to the region to visit from another state within the past week.

County officials said contacts for those individuals have been identified and quarantines are being implemented.

The total number of cases stands at 252. No one is hospitalized.

This includes the three Warren County residents that tested positive for the virus after coming back from Florida on an Allegiant Airlines flight that arrived at Albany International Airport. Six other Warren County residents have been directed to quarantine but have not tested positive for the virus.

Warren County Health Services staff members have completed their efforts to notify passengers and health agencies about possible exposure on those two flights.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Connecticut looked at how rituals such as weddings, birthday parties, annual parades and the like may play a role in reducing our anxiety levels. The mechanism behind this may be that rituals provide the brain with a sense of structure, regularity and predictability.

The findings, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, have important implications as many gatherings have been called off due to COVID-19.

In the current context of the pandemic, if you were a completely rational being  perhaps an extraterrestrial whos never met any actual humans  you would expect that given the current situation people wouldnt bother doing things that do not seem crucial to their survival, said UConn Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dimitris Xygalatas.

Maybe they wouldnt care so much about art, sports, or ritual, and they would focus on other things. If you were to think that, it would show you didnt know much about human nature, because humans care deeply about those things.

Further, Xygalatas said, rituals play an important role in peoples lives, helping them cope with anxiety and functioning as mechanisms of resilience.

Xygalatas conducted the study with collaborators from Masaryk University, Czech Republic, including former UConn student Martin Lang, Ph.D.

This research started years ago, Xygalatas said. He said to study something as complex as human behavior, its important to approach the question from several angles to collect converging evidence.

First, in a laboratory experiment, the team found that inducing anxiety made peoples behavior more ritualized, that is, more repetitive and structured. So the next step was to take this study out to real-life situations, where they looked at whether performing cultural rituals in their natural context indeed helps practitioners cope with anxiety.

This approach also goes to show the limitations of any study. One study can only tell us a tiny bit about anything, but by using a variety of methods like my team and I are doing, and by going between the highly controlled space of the lab and the culturally relevant place that is real life we are able to get a more holistic perspective.

The study took place in Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, where the researchers induced anxiety by asking participants to prepare a plan for dealing with a natural disaster that would be evaluated by government experts.

This was stressful, as floods and cyclones are very pertinent threats in that context. Following this stress-inducing task, one half of the group performed a familiar religious ritual at the local temple while the other half were asked to sit and relax in a non-religious space.

The team found that the speech was successful in inducing stress for both groups but those who performed the religious ritual experienced less psychological and physiological stress, which was assessed by using wearable technology to measure heart rate variability.

Stress itself is important, said Xygalatas.

Stress acts as a motivation that helps us focus on our goals and rise to meet our challenges, whether those involve studying for an exam, flying a fighter jet, or scoring that game-winning goal, he said.

The problem is that beyond a certain threshold, stress ceases to be useful. In fact, it can even be dangerous. Over time, its effects can add up and take a toll on your health, impairing cognitive function, weakening the immune system, and leading to hypertension or cardiovascular disease. This type of stress can be devastating to our normal functioning, health, and well-being.

This is where Xygalatas and his team believe ritual plays an important role in managing stress.

The mechanism that we think is operating here is that ritual helps reduce anxiety by providing the brain with a sense of structure, regularity and predictability.

Xygalatas said research now suggests that the brain is not a passive computer but an active predictive machine, registering information and making predictions to help us survive.

We come to expect certain things  our brain fills in the missing information for the blind spot in our vision, and prompts us to anticipate the next word in a sentence  all of these things are due to this effect because our brain makes active predictions about the state of the world.

Well-practiced rituals, like the one in the study, are repetitive and predictable, and the researchers believe they give our brains the sense of control and structure that we crave, and those feelings help alleviate stress. This stress-reducing effect of rituals could be a way to cope with chronic anxiety.

In todays stressful context, we see ritual taking different forms, from people gathering to applaud health care workers, to virtual choirs singing across the internet. Xygalatas also noted a recent study that tracked the increase in people typing prayer in Google searches. In this unpredictable time, people are continuing to find relief in ritual.

Source: University of Connecticut
A new study suggests that children who miss a lot of school from kindergarten to eighth grade may face unexpected struggles as young adults.

The findings, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, show that young adults who had missed a lot of school in childhood were less likely to vote and were experiencing greater economic hardship (such as difficulty paying bills) and poorer educational outcomes.

The study suggests that early school absenteeism should be taken more seriously, said Dr. Arya Ansari, lead author of the study and assistant professor of human sciences at Ohio State University.

We believe disengagement may be one of the key mechanisms linking early school absences to poorer outcomes in early adulthood, said Ansari, who is also a researcher at Ohio States Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy.

Theres this misconception, especially among parents, that it doesnt matter as much if kids miss school early on, that it only becomes important when they get to middle or high school. This study shows that those early absences do matter, and in ways that many people dont consider.

For the study, the researchers looked at data from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which is run by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The research included data on 648 students from 10 cities across the U.S. who were followed from birth through young adulthood. Researchers had information on the number of days the children were absent from school between kindergarten and eighth grade.

In 2013 and 2014, when the participants were 22 or 23 years old, they reported on a variety of outcomes, from criminal or deviant behavior to parenthood, political participation and economic hardship.

The findings show that school absenteeism didnt have any relation with criminal, risky or deviant behavior, Ansari said. But it was associated with political engagement and educational and economic success.

Students who were more frequently absent from school were 4.7 percentage points less likely to have voted in the 2012 election.

They also reported experiencing greater economic hardship (such as difficulty paying bills), were more likely to say they used government assistance such as food stamps, were less likely to have a job and reported poorer educational outcomes, such as a lower high school GPA and a lower likelihood of going to college.

Absenteeism in those early years of school has pretty far-reaching consequences, Ansari said. It goes beyond just affecting your education and how well you do in high school.

Ansari said showing up less to school in those early years may set dangerous precedents.

If you start out being disengaged with school, you may end up being less engaged with society more broadly. Youre less likely to vote, less likely to go to college, less likely to be employed, he said.

Ansari said the participants in this study were mostly from middle-class families, so results may be different for those from a more disadvantaged background.

If were seeing these negative outcomes of absenteeism in this largely middle-class sample, the associations may be even more pronounced among disadvantaged families, he said.

In 2020, parents may be wondering how widespread school closings during the pandemic may be affecting their children. Ansari said this situation is different from what they studied here.

These really are unprecedented times. All kids are absent. With that said, the differential access to supports and resources will likely result in even greater variability in outcomes when students return to school after the pandemic.

Ansari said he hopes this study will make parents more aware of the importance of school attendance, even for young children.

What this work suggests is that we should take absenteeism and its consequences more seriously.

Source: Ohio State University
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.
MUSCATINE  Mayor Diana Broderson was unable to finish reading a proclamation requiring the use of masks or face coverings Sunday afternoon when a group of about 50 residents gathered in front of Muscatine City Hall to protest the requirement disrupted her speech to the point she had to end it.

According to the proclamation, which can be viewed on the City of Muscatine Web page, beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, July 6, masks will be mandatory inside public areas as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19. While the proclamation specifies the police can treat infractions as a municipal infraction which has a penalty beginning at $500, Broderson hopes this would not be needed. She likened it to people in the community shooting off fireworks in the weeks leading up to Independence Day, saying she did not believe any citations were issued to people lighting fireworks, and the police just gave people warnings.

Nobody is going to be hauled off to jail, Broderson said after the aborted press conference. This will give our police officers a tool to use as they see fit, but our police officers know what they are doing and they will handle this like they handle every other thing.
Shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, a Bettendorf police officer heard two loud bangs when he was in the 800 block of River Drive. He heard more bangs and heard, coming from the bike path, what he believed to be a shotgun action being manipulated. He also heard shotgun shells hitting the pavement on the bike path.

The officer heard McAdory walking around in the brush near where the officer heard the gun shots, then saw McAdory leave the area.

McAdory approached the officer and said he had had been shooting a newly purchased shotgun. He said when he saw the squad car he put the firearm on the ground and walked out of the brushy area.

McAdory said he thought it was OK to discharge the firearm in the area and had shot at some ducks on the bike path.

McAdory, who said he bought the gun Friday, has two prior felony convictions in Cook County for robbery and residential burglary. He told the officer he had been arrested previously for burglary but believed the charged had been pled down.

He was released on cash bond. His preliminary hearing is set for 2 p.m. July 21 in Scott County Court.
Parents and guardians of African American students in the Rock Island-Milan School District are being invited to join in the launch of the African American Parent Advisory Council.

Council creator Tiffany Stoner-Harris, district parent and a board of education member, said her aim is to create a safe space for parents, guardians and caregivers of African American students to connect and increase district engagement.

Really the council should be a place for parents to be able to gain an understanding of district practices and use that information to see how do we decrease systematic barriers, Stoner-Harris said. How do we create positive, specific interventions and approaches.

She said those barriers may be hard to name, but part of the councils mission is to give parents a voice and help them identify the problems that may be in their students way and preventing them from performing at the highest levels.

She said Black students make up the second largest student group for Rock Island-Milan and they are also the population that quite often falls into the lower tiers in terms of proficiency. According to Illinois Report Card data, the districts 2019 racial diversity was 42 percent white students and 31 percent Black. Hispanic students made up 12.5 percent of the district.
It said work there would not be stopped, however, as the company wanted to learn to live with the virus

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. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Workers at Bajaj Auto, Indias 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 unions 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 Bajajs 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.
Our First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." Nobody ever better explained "Why" than Justice Hugo Black in NY Time Co. v. U.S. (The Pentagon Papers case), wrote

"Madison and the other Framers of the First Amendment, able men that they were, wrote in language they earnestly believed could never be misunderstood:

"Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom... of the press...." Both the history and language of the First Amendment support the view that the press must be left free to publish news, whatever the source, without censorship, injunctions, or prior restraints.

"In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors."

If that is so, and Citizen United recently said that it is, Congress can make no law requiring Google, Facebook or Twitter to be "fair and balanced." The remedy left to Conservatives is "counter-speech." They are entirely free to create a search engine and social media platforms with a "conservative bias." In this light, I would be surprised if my liberal friends who have inveighed against Citizens United suddenly do not embrace it.
I have always been interested in Welzenbach's guarded accounts of his time with the CIA, and they take on added meaning today with the recent reports of our intelligence community picking up information that Russian put a bounty on American troops in Afghanistan.

As Welzenbach says: "When you get any secret, it's always important to report anything, because it all counts."

ABOUT U2: My conversation with Welzenbach also sent me to the internet to refresh my memory about the U2 program and a man named Gary Powers, who was flying one of those planes when he was shot down on May 1, 1960.

He had taken off from Pakistan with a mission to fly farther into Russia than any previous mission, photographing installations never before seen.

Powers survived the crash, was immediately captured and was interrogated by the KGB for a month. He finally confessed that he was not piloting a weather plane that had strayed off course, as the United States had claimed, and he made a public apology for spying.

He was tried for espionage, convicted in two days and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was freed after less than two years, though, in a prisoner swap in Berlin when it was still a divided city.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on Iowas economy and its people. While no industry has been spared from this crisis, the states manufacturing sector has been particularly hard hit. Iowa's manufacturing sector was initially largely spared, but over the last month 27,300 Iowa manufacturing workers filed unemployment claims  nearly double that of any other industry.

Its especially concerning not just because of the ripple effects that a healthy manufacturing sector has on the states overall economy, but also because of the essential role it plays in helping to drive the states economic comeback. Looking ahead, this is also why it is absolutely critical that Iowa voters not overlook the importance of electing leaders running on a strong pro-manufacturing platform.

Manufacturing is responsible for roughly 586,000 jobs in Iowa and generates one-third of Iowa's gross domestic product. Iowas equipment manufacturers play a big part, supporting 132,500 Iowa jobs and contributing $13.7 billion a year to the states economy.
At least 39 human beings living in Scott and Rock Island counties have died from COVID-19.

Its a stunning number, really, and one worth pausing to reflect upon. Every one represents a family who lost a loved one.

The death toll is still rising in the Quad-Cities, where more than 1,570 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus. After a plateau, cases are surging again. In Scott County, early June saw two to four cases reported daily, and in the past week, that has increased to eight or more.

"We are telling health systems to be prepared to be ready for a surge," Dr. Louis Katz, an infectious disease specialist and medical director at the Scott County Health Department, said last week.

Local health experts say one major reason for the spike is because people, especially the young, are not using face coverings.

Face coverings, including masks, experts say, are the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus, along with frequent hand-washing and social distancing. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines for face coverings on Sunday. The CDC now recommends face coverings be worn in public and when around anyone who doesnt live in your house.
In May, Uber had said it is laying off about 600 employees as business has taken a major hit amid COVID-19 pandemic

New Delhi: Ride hailing platform Uber has shut down its Mumbai office as part of its restructuring efforts, but it will continue to provide services in the city, according to sources.

The company's services in the city, however, would remain unaffected.

When contacted, an Uber spokesperson said, "Uber continues to provide a high level of service to all its riders in Mumbai".

The sources said the decision to close the Mumbai office was part of the global restructuring exercise. in May, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshai had written to employees informing them of the decision to close 45 offices globally.

One of the persons said many of the employees are expected to continue working from home to support the services as is being done currently in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It could not be immediately ascertained if the closure of the Mumbai office would include reduction in jobs as well.

Uber has a large office in Gurugram, and tech centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. It also has smaller support offices in multiple cities.

In May, Uber had said it is laying off about 600 employees (including its driver and rider support operations) in India - about a quarter of its staff in the country - as business has taken a major hit amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, it had announced a reduction of customer support and recruiting teams by approximately 6,700 full-time employee roles and attributed the move to lower trip volumes and current hiring freeze.
I have been practicing law for six years with most of my practice focusing on indigent criminal defense. I wanted to become the City Court judge because it is my goal to find ways to give back to the community. I have had the privilege of practicing in front of Judge Reardon and witnessing his compassion for the people of this community. I want to carry on the legacy he started in the City Court, Archibald said.

I am extremely excited about taking on the responsibility of the city judge. I have had nothing but positive feedback from the community, Archibald said. I know my wife and family support me. My wife encouraged me to go after this position because she knows I can have a positive impact on the community.

Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf was part of the selection committee that interviewed Archibald for the position.

Mr. Archibald met or exceeded all of the qualifications of City Court Judge, Farrenkopf said. He is highly regarded in the legal system community and had excellent references. He is zealous about assuming his duties and determined to continue to provide a high level of service to people accessing those services from the court.

Archibald was recommended to the Hamilton City Council and unanimously approved by them to fill the position that Reardon is vacating.
I trusted Mr. Mackey, Quinn told the judge at the trial. She was a widow of a former partner and I was trying to help her. Thats what I thought Mr. Mackey was trying to do.

Years later, in 2009, the summary said Mackey wrote to the company that handled the stock and sold it. His request was sent on paper that bore the letterhead Dodson, Pence, Viar, Woodrum & Mackey but carried his own personal contact information.

He received two checks  $77,995.90 from the stock sale and $20,513 for the merger consideration  and banked them but did not notify his former partners estates, the summary says.

In 2015, Quinn discovered the liquidation, and all three estates sued Mackey.

What makes you think youre entitled to the entire proceeds of that stock? Franklin asked him in court.

Mackey said he had brought the firm hundreds of thousands of dollars in business but soon learned that the division of profits was weighted heavily in favor of the older partners.

I was beating my head against the wall, he said of his frustration, which ultimately led to his departure. I know I left far more on the table than the value of that stock.
CHRISTIANSBURG  Clerk of Town Council Michele Stipes plans to leave her job, a move that will bring an end to a more than two-decade tenure as a key staffer for the elected body.

Stipes, the wife of Councilman Brad Stipes, made her plans official in a recent letter addressed to town council and town management, with the clerk writing that she wont seek reappointment in January for the 2021 calendar year.

After much contemplation, I have decided to focus my full attention on my role as a special education aide with Montgomery County Public Schools, Michele Stipes wrote. It has been an honor and a privilege to have served the town of Christiansburg as clerk of council for the past 21 years, and I am grateful to each of you for your support and trust over the years.

Stipes said she notified Town Manager Randy Wingfield in January of her plan to only serve up until December of this year and told him that she would provide council with an official letter during the summer.

Stipes, who town records show earns a salary of $14,544, holds one of the five jobs directly appointed by the council. The other positions are town manager, town attorney, police chief and treasurer.
June 5, 1933 June 23, 2020 Evelyn Davis Bethel, 87, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at Our Lady of the Valley Retirement Community in Roanoke, Virginia. Evelyn was born on June 5, 1933, the youngest of seven children  five boys and two girls  born to Edmond and Agnes Davis, and raised on Patton Avenue in the City of Roanoke's Gainsboro neighborhood. Evelyn graduated from Lucy Addison High School in 1951, and from Virginia Union University in 1955 with a degree in sociology. She also did post-graduate study at American University in Washington, D.C. After completing her formal education and marrying John W. Bethel, Evelyn started federal employment as a Clerk Typist with the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. She then transferred to the Social Security Administration in Detroit, Michigan as a Claims Representative. She continued working with the SSA in that capacity in several cities, eventually progressing to the position of Hearings and Appeals Analyst with the SSA's Office of Hearings and Appeals in Arlington, Virginia. After nearly 34 years of service, Evelyn retired and returned to Roanoke, where, as she once wrote, she "worked full-time to obtain official historical designation for the Gainsboro neighborhood." Evelyn was known as a passionate community activist. In 1991, she and her sister, Helen Davis, formed Historic Gainsboro Preservation District, Inc. The two were a constant presence at Roanoke City Council meetings, regularly occupying two back-row seats in Council chambers. In 1996, Evelyn achieved what she pledged to accomplish upon her return to Roanoke. Through her efforts, and those of her sister, HGPD and other citizens, Gainsboro received historic designation. Final paperwork was signed by the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. In 2018, the Gainsboro Branch Library paid tribute to the sisters at "An Evening Honoring Evelyn Bethel & Helen Davis" in October 2018, recognizing them for their lifetime commitment to historic preservation and the Gainsboro community. Recognition continued during the 2019 session of the Virginia General Assembly, when legislators passed House Joint Resolution No. 950, commending Evelyn and Helen for their work as historic preservationists and community leaders, and for striving "to lead by example when it comes to civic engagement and community service." Evelyn was predeceased by her husband, John W. Bethel; sister, Helen Davis; and brothers, James Davis, Herbert Davis, Roy Davis and Curtis Davis. Evelyn is survived by one brother, Clarence D. Davis; nephews Ricardo (Leslie) Stovall, Roy Davis Jr., Ralph (Lisa) Stovall Jr., and Sherman (Lorna) Stovall; nieces, Jacqueline (Carl) Haley, Wanda (Norris) Kasey, Linda Davis, Sharon Adams, Janice Greene, Charlotte (Robert) Wilson, and Marsha (Ronald) Lanier; other family, including great-nieces and great-nephews; and an abundance of friends. The family extends special thanks and gratitude to Asia Jones for her companionship and caregiving. A memorial service is being planned for this fall. Notification of date, time and location will be shared as soon as plans are finalized.
At present, solar and wind energy are highly promoted as renewable energy technologies  clean technologies in terms of their carbon footprint. However, the most prominent renewable energy source for generating electricity is hydropower. The history of hydropower for generating electricity in the U.S. goes back to late 19th century. In 1893, the first commercial installation of a hydropower plant at the Redlands Power Plant in California allowed electricity to be transmitted long distances for consumer use. At present, hydropower accounts for nearly 9% of the U.S. electric generating capacity.

The traditional hydropower plant depends on a dam and reservoir built on a river. The water released from the reservoir is supplied to a turbine  a rotary engine that uses an electricity generator to convert water energy into electricity. A large hydropower plant can generate electricity greater than 30 megawatts (MW). For example, the power generation capacity of the Hoover Dam built in 1939 and one of the largest in the U.S. is 2,080 MW. In comparison, the power generation capacity of the Claytor Dam (also built in 1939) on the New River in Pulaski County, Virginia is 75 MW. Most reservoirs are designed for multi-purpose uses that include drinking water supply and irrigation water source. In recent decades, two issues have impeded the construction of dams and reservoirs: (1) restrictions attributed to historic value of land and/or high cost to acquire land; and (2) known ecologic impacts of dams such as hindering fish passage. At present, research and technological development is focused on increasing the efficiency of existing hydropower generation plants. However, there is significant hydropower potential in building small and decentralized (distributed) hydropower plants. The electricity generation capacity of small hydropower plant is 100kW- 30 MW. A micro-hydro power plant can generate electricity up to 100 kW. At present, the significant potential of small hydropower generation is untapped.
In a similar case, an accused was caught impersonating as Commander in the Indian Navy.

Kolkata: A youth from West Bengal has been arrested by the Kerala Police near the Naval Base in Kochi for allegedly posing as a young officer (Lieutenant) in the Indian Navy. The accused, 23-year-old Raja Nath, hails from Nadia district. A look at his photos in uniform reveal his fraudulent use of the badge and Maroon beret of the Navy's Special Forces: MARCOS.

Defence Public Relation Officer in Kochi, Captain Sridhar Warrier, said that the accused had also travelled to various places in uniform and uploaded several videos on TikTok posing as a Naval Officer.

"Raja arrived Kochi in October of 2019 and was residing in an apartment: A 160, Water Tank Road at Mattummel in Thevara of Kochi till date. The individual had got uniforms made from shops at Kochi. The police has registered a case against the individual under Section 140 of Indian Penal Code for impersonating as an officer in Indian Navy and has also recovered Naval uniforms/ badges from his residence," he said.

A similar incident had also been reported from Thevara Police Station. In this particular case, the accused, Nibit Daniel, was impersonating as a Commander in the Indian Navy to allegedly carry out fraudulent activities. He too had got his uniforms stitched locally, Captain Warrier said.

Warning that impersonation of service personnel is a cognizable offence and those indulging in such activities would be dealt with firmly, Captain Warrier added: "Anti-national elements could utilize this method for ulterior motives, which pose a grave threat to India's national security. District administrations of Kutch and Srinagar, and the Punjab government has already issued orders for the ban on unauthorized sale of Armed forces uniform under section 144 of CrPC. Indian Navy is taking up a similar case with Kerala government for ban of unauthorised sale of Armed forces uniform".
 The new death penalty: COVID now a leading modern killer of California inmates on death row | Main | Celebrating freedom with another long list of federal sentence reductions using  3582(c)(1)(A) 

July 5, 2020

Dare criminal justice reformers imagine SCOTUS without both Justice Alito and Justice Thomas?

Because there are no more juicy criminal law or sentencing cases left on the SCOTUS docket as an unusual Term winds down, I cannot help but spend time speculating about the future of the Court. In an election year, of course, that includes imagining who might be appointed (and might be doing the appointing) for the next four years. But this recent Fox News piece, headlined "Supreme Court rumor: Hugh Hewitt claims Alito retirement being floated," has me eager to imagine some SCOTUS transitions in the coming weeks. Here are the (silly?) details:

Supreme Court speculation season is kicking into high gear. Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt told listeners Wednesday morning that according to his sources, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is considering retirement. This came on the heels of a Washington Post report that said Justice Clarence Thomas "is privately seen by Trumps aides as the most likely to retire this year," though he's given no indication of doing so. Hewitt mentioned the Alito rumor on his show while talking to the author of that article, Robert Costa, who also had written about conservatives disappointment with decisions where Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the courts liberal justices. Costa noted that President Trump and Vice President Pence have cited the recent cases as proof that more conservative justices are needed, as he discussed rumors of possible contenders should Thomas step down. "The stronger rumor is that Justice Alito is going to quit. Justice Thomas will never quit," Hewitt countered. Alito is 70, so if he retires he could be replaced with a much younger justice who would theoretically have decades on the court ahead. But it is not clear whether the rumor is just that. Others doubt that either Thomas or Alito will retire. "I would not bet a lot of money on either of those possibilities," a person familiar with the court told Fox News. Any imminent retirement would be risky for conservatives in the election year. If the current GOP-controlled Senate could not push through a replacement for any vacancy in time, it runs the risk for Republicans that the next nominee would be selected by a Democrat, if Joe Biden were to win the presidency. Further, Senate Republicans are far from guaranteed to hold the majority in the chamber next year. Costas report did note how the White House and Republicans in the Senate are supposedly gearing up for a possible Supreme Court vacancy, but that was in reference to speculation that Thomas may step down. One outside political adviser to Trump reportedly told Costa that if an opening were to emerge, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would be ready to act swiftly to get the nominee confirmed. A favorite of his supposedly is 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amul Thapar, who previously served as a federal district judge and U.S. attorney in McConnells home state. Hewitt also named several possible replacements for Alito, including 6th Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge, who had been considered a strong candidate in the past.

Though neither Judges Kethledge or Thapar would likely be consistent votes for criminal defendants if they were to become Justices, I suspect both would be more likely to follow the varied voting pattern of Justice Gorsuch in criminal cases (noted here and here) than to follow in the legacy of Justices Alito and Thomas. On the current Court, Justices Alito and Thomas are always most likely to favor state criminal powers over defendants in just about every setting. It think it hard to imagine that they could or would ever be replaced with anybody more likely to vote so consistently against criminal defendants.

But I am not really daring to imagine a SCOTUS without Justices Alito and Thomas. I sense they both like their work, and they probably both have good reason to believe they could keep at it for many years, perhaps many decades, to come. So I fear criminal justice reformers who want a path through the Supreme Court should plan for at least two oppositional Justtices for many more years.

July 5, 2020 at 11:35 AM | Permalink

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Governor of the Bank of France Francois Villeroy de Galhau delivers a speech to open a conference entitled "Bretton Woods: 75 years later" in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - The French economy is pulling out of the slump induced by the coronavirus outbreak at least as fast as expected a month ago, and maybe even a little faster, Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Sunday.

The central bank estimated last month that the euro zone's second-biggest economy would be operating 12% below normal levels by the end of June, up from a 32% reduction at the start of France's coronavirus lockdown in late March.

The Bank of France is due to update its estimate on Tuesday, drawing on responses from a monthly business climate survey of thousands of companies.

"The recovery is going at least as well as we expected and perhaps a little better," Villeroy said on LCI television.

In June, the central bank forecast the economy had probably contracted 15% in the second quarter. Villeroy said on Sunday that it might be "a bit better".

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by David Clarke)
Armed men have killed at least 30 villagers in Mali in simultaneous attacks on several villages in the conflict-riven centre of the country, local officials said on Friday. The attacks took place on Wednesday in the Bankass region, but were not immediately confirmed because of the difficulty in accessing information from the area. Officials did not immediately blame any group, but central Mali has become one of the flashpoints of the country's conflict, with regular jihadist assaults and intercommunal fighting between ethnic groups. Armed uniformed men travelling in pick-up trucks attacked four villages populated by Dogon ethnic groups, one local official said by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. "From 3 to 9 pm, nobody came to our rescue. I deplore the inaction of the army. It is always late and never confronts the bandits even if we tell them where they are," said Youssouf Tiessogue, an elder from Gouari, one the villages attacked. The attack left at least 30 dead, including women, children, the elderly while others were missing, local officials said. A senior government official also speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the deaths of around 30 civilians, killed by gunmen in several villages. Unrest in central Mali has killed nearly 600 civilians this year, the United Nations said last month. Clashes between the ethnic Fulani and Dogon communities have increased in recent months, with community-based militias -- initially formed for defence -- now launching attacks. Mali's war erupted in 2012 when Tuareg rebels supported by armed Islamists took over the desert north of the West African country. The rebels were then outmanoeuvred by their Islamist allies and the French military intervened to force them back. The conflict has since swept into the centre of Mali and spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, inflaming ethnic tensions. More than 5,000 French troops, a regional G5 Sahel military cooperation deal and a UN peacekeeper mission in Mali have not been enough to contain the violence.
A motorist waits in a car as he crosses into South Australia from Victoria during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bordertown

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's second most-populous state, Victoria, reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases since late March on Saturday, forcing the expansion of stay-at-home orders to more Melbourne suburbs and the complete lockdown of nine public housing towers.

The southeastern state recorded 108 new cases on Saturday, up from 66 on Friday and more than 70 new cases in each of the previous four days.

"These numbers are a very real concern to all of us," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told a news conference.

The spike in Victoria is being closely watched as the rest of the country has reined in the virus that causes COVID-19.

Australia's most populated state, New South Wales, reported six new coronavirus cases on Saturday, five of them returning travellers from overseas.

The sixth is a past infection and not an active case, according to health officials. The state reported no new cases on Friday.

Overall, Australia has weathered the coronavirus pandemic much better than most other nations, with just over 8,300 cases and 104 deaths so far.

The nine towers in Melbourne consists of 1,345 units, housing about 3,000 residents.

They will be locked down for at least five days, effective immediately, after many residents from those towers returned a positive COVID-19 test.

Police will be placed on each floor of the towers and law enforcement authorities will also control access points.

"These are very challenging times," Premier Andrews added.

"The alternative is this gets right away from us and we have not just 12 postcodes in lockdown but every postcode locked down. I don't want to get to that."

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by William Mallard and Christian Schmollinger)
The opposition triumph in Malawi's recent landmark election re-run after last year's fraudulent polls were overturned could spur similar democratic change across the continent, analysts and historians say. Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party comfortably won the June 23 election with 58.5% of the vote -- beating Peter Mutharika, whose re-election last year was nullified by the courts over "widespread and systematic" irregularities. Chakwera's official inauguration is set for Monday, to coincide with the country's 56th anniversary of independence from Britain. The election set the impoverished African country apart from many on the continent, making it only the second sub-Saharan African country to have presidential election results overturned in court, after Kenya in 2017. It was also the first time in Africa that an election re-run has led to the defeat of an incumbent. The unprecedented political feat was credited to a cohesion of several powerful forces -- including the resilience of the judiciary that handed down the historic judgement. In extraordinary scenes, Constitutional Court judges came sporting bullet-proof jackets and under military escort to deliver the ruling on February 3 overturning Mutharika's re-election. That was after six months of hearing evidence during a groundswell of civic society-led street protests. "For a year they persevered with mass demonstrations against the wanton theft of their votes despite threats and repression by the beleaguered and discredited government," said historian Paul Tiyambe Zeleza. The election result showed that despite the power of incumbency, an organised and smart opposition can win, Zeleza said. "This election will certainly influence subsequent elections across the African continent," said Grant Masterson, programme manager at the Johannesburg-based Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). He expects that elsewhere on the continent "opposition leaders will become emboldened by this success... and ramp up post-election protests against results that did not go in their favour, combined with court challenges." Opposition leaders from neighbouring countries are drawing inspiration, hailing the "professionalism" displayed by Malawian institutions and "citizens' vigilance". - 'Example for Africa' - Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change-Alliance (MDC-A) leader, failed in his legal bid to have the courts overturn the 2018 election which he said was stolen from him by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He saluted Malawi's judiciary and security services "for acting as a bulwark against authoritarianism and defending the constitution". The election is "a source of inspiration to democrats across Africa and a reminder to those with determined leadership, people power, unity of purpose and an undying commitment to democratic values, that no barrier is insurmountable," said Chamisa in a congratulatory message to Chakwera. Zambia's main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, who has lost two consecutive elections, hailed Malawians for having "set a great example for Africa!" Masterson said Malawi "reminds us that even in the most peaceful of countries, the citizenry will only tolerate so much before they raise their voice in protest". "When enough citizens stand up, in Malawi, or Sudan and elsewhere, they will eventually bring about change," he said. Nic Cheeseman, a professor of African democracy at the University of Birmingham agreed. "The impressive performance of key institutions, and the country's democratic progress itself, is rooted in the hard work of civil society groups and the efforts of hundreds of thousands of Malawian citizens," Cheeseman said. Chakwera, the 65-year-old former evangelical preacher, sailed to victory thanks to a nine-party electoral alliance. Opposition elsewhere in Africa should learn that "dialogue, not division, can offer a genuine path to change, especially in those countries with less favourable institutional conditions," wrote Chatham House's Africa programme projects assistant, Fergus Kell. "Neighbouring Zambia would certainly do well to heed this example ahead of a pivotal election of its own in 2021."
Travellers from more than 70 "low-risk" countries and territories will no longer have to self-isolate when arriving in England, the UK government said Friday in a major easing of its coronavirus quarantine scheme. The list of exemptions mostly covers Europe -- but not Portugal -- and the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, although the United States and mainland China are notably omitted. The changes, which come into effect on July 10, represent a significant lifting of the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine imposed one month ago to stop new infections from abroad. Britain has suffered Europe's deadliest outbreak of COVID-19, with 44,000 deaths among confirmed cases, but is now slowly coming out of lockdown. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. Airlines, who had warned the quarantine would cripple an industry already on its knees due to global coronavirus shutdowns, welcomed the easing and three of them dropped a legal challenge. But the exemptions will only apply to arrivals into England, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so far sticking to the blanket ban. UK ministers had suggested the delay in announcing the list -- it had been due earlier in the week -- was down to a lack of cooperation from the devolved government in Scotland. But Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon denied this, and blasted Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government in London for a "shambolic" effort. She said the list her government was shown on Thursday had changed by Friday, while adding that Edinburgh would likely publish its own list in the coming days. - Airlines withdraw challenge - Under the new rules, a traffic-light system -- red, amber and green -- would be used for different countries depending on their prevalence of the coronavirus, Shapps said. Travellers from the green and amber countries will no longer have to self-isolate on arrival. The amber countries will have reciprocal arrangements in place with England, while the green countries are deemed to be safer than England, such as New Zealand. The amber countries include France, Italy and Spain, which are among the most popular summer holiday destinations for Britons, although not Portugal. The United States will be designated with a red light, requiring mandatory self-quarantine, because "they have got very high numbers of infections", Shapps said. British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair had taken legal action over the scheme they said would have a "severe impact on the travel and tourism industry", which was "already running on fumes". But their lawyer told the High Court of England and Wales in London on Friday that they had now agreed to withdraw the claim. In a statement, budget airline easyJet said the list of exemptions was "an important move in the reopening of aviation, to support the wider UK recovery". Patricia Yates, director of tourism body VisitBritain, said allowing easier entry for overseas visitors would provide "a timely boost".
Even without a crowd, F1 is happy to be racing again Austrian Grand Prix

By Alan Baldwin

(Reuters) - McLaren's Lando Norris felt the absence of cheering fans more than most as the Briton celebrated his first Formula One podium finish in front of empty grandstands at Austria's Red Bull Ring on Sunday.

The COVID-19 pandemic had forced the sport to go behind closed doors for the first time to get the much-delayed season started.

"I think we can all be happy were here racing and procedures that are put in place are pretty bulletproof... but its a bit different for me," said the 20-year-old.

"These guys are used to being on the podium quite a bit (but) for me its my first time," added Norris, third behind Mercedes' race winner Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

"And I think something that makes it so special is always having the crowds there, celebrating there with you, whether they are always your fans or not. It just makes up the atmosphere so much and it adds a lot of excitement."

The stands at Red Bull's home circuit have been filled in recent years with thousands of orange-shirted Dutch fans making the trip to cheer on their idol Max Verstappen, winner in 2018 and 2019.

The nearby fields, now with cows grazing in them, are normally campsites for race fans, reverberating with music and the smoke of barbecues.

"I know there are many loyal fans to me watching at home and I know the most important people to me, my family, theyre watching, theyre supporting and theyre living in the moment with me," said Bottas.

"No doubt were lacking a bit of atmosphere -- but it is what it is. Better to be racing like this than not racing at all."

Leclerc, who grew up watching Ferraris race around his native Monaco, said it had been a strange weekend -- and one that is set to continue with Formula One's European races all likely to be without spectators.

"We are lacking the passion of the fans, which is why I love the sport so much, to see the passion of people that are watching you," he said.

Story continues

"I actually look in the grandstands during the race. Obviously not today, because there was not much to look at, but yeah, I miss this.

"The podium, normally theres cheers, people yelling, this time it was not that way, but its like this for now and its the best we can do."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A global fundraising meeting on Saturday raised 6.15 billion euros ($6.9 billion) from the United States, the European Commission and numerous countries to fight COVID-19, with many participants stressing that an eventual vaccine should be available to anyone who needs it.

The pledging summit, part of a joint initiative by the EU executive and advocacy group Global Citizen, also included a globally televised and streamed fundraising concert featuring Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Chloe X Halle, Usher and others.

The Commission together with the European Investment Bank pledged 4.9 billion euros ($5.50 billion), the United States $545 million, Germany 383 million euros, Canada C$300 million ($219 million)and Qatar $10 million. Forty governments took part in the summit.

The money will be used for COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, and also to support the worlds poorest and most marginalised communities.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was crucial that everyone who needed it should have access to a vaccine.

"I am trying to convince high-income countries to reserve vaccines not only for themselves but also for low- and middle income countries. This is a stress test for solidarity," she said.

British Premier Boris Johnson concurred.

"If and when an effective vaccine is found, then we as world leaders have moral duty to ensure that it is truly available to all," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron was adamant about pooling efforts together.

"Let's refuse an every man for himself approach, let's continue to move forward together," he said.

Italy, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, echoed his sentiment.

The EU is championing global cooperation in efforts to control and end the pandemic, in contrast to the United States and China's focus on national initiatives.

($1 = 0.8915 euros)

($1 = 1.3688 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Moderna Inc said on Thursday it was partnering with contract drugmaker Catalent Inc to prepare an initial 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine for the United States, starting in the third quarter of this year.

Catalent will fill and package doses, support production and provide additional staffing for around-the-clock operations to produce the vaccine, which is still in clinical trials.

The vaccine, among the first to be tested in humans in the United States, was found to produce protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers last month.

Moderna is preparing to begin the final stages of testing in July to evaluate the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing the respiratory illness in around 30,000 adult trial participants.

The company previously struck deals with the U.S. government for funds to ramp up manufacturing, and a 10-year collaboration with Swiss contract drugmaker Lonza Group AG, with the aim of 500 million doses a year and 1 billion doses beginning 2021.

Catalent will also provide other packaging and labeling, storage and distribution services at its facilities to support Moderna's late-stage vaccine trial, which is expected to begin in July, Moderna said on Thursday.

Drugmakers including Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Plc have also signed agreements to boost manufacturing capacity for their experimental vaccines even before having adequate evidence of their efficacy.

There are no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, with vaccines by other drugmakers including Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and AstraZeneca Plc in various stages of development.

Both Moderna and Catalent are also in talks for producing hundreds of millions of additional doses, the vaccine developer said.

Israel in June signed an agreement with Moderna for the future purchase of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, without disclosing financial details.